Improvements in American Organs.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1892-Accepted 17th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in American Organs.
I, THOMAS PERCY BANSON, of 78 Norfolk Road, Shacklewell, in the County
of Middlesex, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention has reference to the construction of American organs in such a
manner that, however many keys may be depressed at once, and whilst any stops
other than the sub-bass stop of the corresponding notes may sound, only the reed
connected with the lowest in the sub-bass stop will be sounded.
For this purpose, according to my invention, air is introduced to the sub-bass
wind chest, not at its top or longer sides, but at the bass end of the chest. The
chest is by suitable partitions divided into compartments, or is equivalently con-
structed, so as to form a separate air compartment or wind chamber for each reed,
but with connections from one to the other of these compartments or chambers,
these connections being controlled by suitable pallets or valves suitably arranged
in connection with the usual pallets or valves that are operated by the keys for
allowing air to flow through the reeds.
With an arrangement such as above indicated, and which may be constructed in
any convenient form, it will be understood that the air entering at the bass end of
the divided sub-bass wind-chest, or series of connected chambers, will flow through
the successive compartments or chambers towards that provided with the reed
adapted to produce the highest note, and that if a given key be pressed, air will be
allowed to flow through the corresponding reed, but the communication between
the air compartment or chamber of that reed, and all those of the higher will be
cut off, so that air will be precluded from entering them. Thus, if two or more
keys be depressed simultaneously, only the lower or lowest sub-bass reed will be
made to speak, because the supply of air to the higher will be cut off.
Dated thin 97th dow of October 1891.
THOMAS PERCY BANSON.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in American Organs.
I, THOMAS PERCY BANSON, of 78 Norfolk Road, Shacklewell, in the County
of Middlesex, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to the construction of American organs in such a
manner that, however many keys may be depressed at once, and whilst all the
corresponding notes of any stops other than the sub-bass stop may sound, only that
reed in the sub-bass stop that corresponds to the lowest key touched will speak,
thus providing what I call an automatic "pedal bass" for manual instruments.
For this purpose, according to my invention, air'is introduced to the wind chest
of the sub-bass (or as I will hereinafter call it "pedal bass") box not at its top
or longer sides, but at the end of the chest at which the reed giving the lowest
note is situated. The chest is by suitable partitions divided into compartments, or
is equivalently constructed, so as to form a separate air compartment or wind
.

page_text: chamber for each reed, but with connecting apertures from one to the other of these
compartments or chambers, these apertures being controlled by pallets or valves
suitably arranged in connection with the usual pallets or valves that are operated
by the keys for allowing air to flow through the reeds.
The arrangement is such that when no key is depressed, all the ordinary pallets
will be closed and the additional pallets or valves will be in their opened positions.
On a
key being depressed, the corresponding ordinary pallet will be opened and
the additional pallet or valve closed, so that air entering the chest, can travel to
the particular compartment corresponding to the key depressed and escape
through the open pallet thereof to the reed, but will not be able to pass into a
higher compartment owing to the aperture between the compartment corresponding
to the depressed key and the next higher compartment being closed by the
additional pallet or valve.
A pedal bass according to this invention may be extended beyond the ordinary
limits of the sub-bass viz. a single octave of thirteen notes, and may comprise for
example two or two and a half octaves.
I also provide means whereby air may be admitted into all the compartments
of the lowest octave, so ns, when desired, to allow all the notes whose keys are
depressed to sound after the manner of the ordinary sub-bass.
Referring to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a pedal bass box for an American organ
constructed according to my invention, the central portion being removed, and
some of the parts, for the sake of clearness, being shown in elevation.
Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detail views hereinafter referred to.
A is the pedal bass wind chest into which air is introduced at the end through
an opening controlled by a pallet or flap B provided with a spring for closing the
same and connected with the pedal-bass stop. The wind chest is divided into
compartments C as shown more clearly in plan in Fig. 2, by easily removable
partitions D, so as to form a separate air compartment or wind chamber for each
reed E. Each partition D is formed with an aperture D' which forms a connection
between adjacent compartments or chambers C.
FF are the pallets or valves mounted on axles or pivots F* suitably mounted in
the partitions D and serving to control the said apertures D¹. Each of these
paliets or valves is normally maintained in its open position by a spring F' shown
more clearly in Fig. 3, which is a side elevation of one of the partitions D with its
corresponding pallet or valve F.
Each axle or pivot F is arranged a little above the centre line of the aperture D'
so that the area of opening below the said axle is slightly greater than that above
it, whereby the air passing through D' has a tendency to keep the pallet open, the
lower part of the pallet exceeding the upper part in area in a corresponding degree.
These pallets or valves are connected each by a screw-threaded stem or rod H, as
shown more clearly in cross section in Fig. 4. with the usual pallets or valves G
that are operated by the keys for allowing air to flow through the reeds. At its
upper end each stem or rod H, is secured to an end-piece H working on a crank
pin fixed in a projection F at the back of the corresponding pallet or valve F
and at its lower end passes through a hole G' in the end of an arm G' that carries
the corresponding palve the ordinary pallets at the bottom of the box.as
pallet G, so that the withdrawal of any of the slides or
partitions D
heretofore.
On each rod H is an adjustable stop J which works thereon after the manner of
a nut, and must be so adjusted that the opening of the pallet G and the raising of
the arm G³ shall close the pallets F through the medium of the rod H₁ pin I and.
projection F as shown in Fig. 4.
Care must be taken to allow sufficient play at G¹ and I to prevent binding. or.
straining of the connected parts.
The rods K working in the perforated piece K* serve to transmit the movement.
of the finger keys to the pallets G in the usual manner.

page_text: Linings of felt, flannel or the like are provided wherever necessary for the
exclusion of the air or to prevent noise in the working of the various parts.
LL are holes in the cover of the lowest octave, through which air may be
admitted to all the compartments thereof. These holes are normally closed by a
flap M which can be raised when it is desired that all the notes in the lower octave
should sound after the manner of an ordinary sub-bass, so as to allow air to enter
each of the compartments C.
With an arrangement such as above described it will be understood that when
the flap M is closed, air entering at the flap B at the bass end of the divided pedal-
bass wind-chest A or series of connected chambers, will flow through the successive
compartments or chambers D and apertures D' towards the opposite end, provided
none of the keys are actuated. If a key be depressed, its corresponding pallet G
will be raised, and the corresponding pallet or valve F will be closed so that air
will be allowed to flow from the wind-chest A through the corresponding reed E,
but the communication to all the succeeding compartments, corresponding to higher
notes, will be cut off by the closing of the said pallet or valve F so that air will
be precluded from entering them. Thus if two or more keys be depressed
simultaneously, only the lower or lowest pedal-bass reed will be made to speak,
because the supply of air to the higher will be out off.
Although in Fig. 1 only the end portions of the pedal-bass arrangement are
shown it will be obvious that the same may comprise only a single octave or may
be extended to any desired degree.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
:-
1. An American organ having a pedal-bass wind-chest so constructed and
arranged that when several keys are depressed, air will only be admitted to that
reed in the pedal-bass which corresponds to the lowest of the depressed keys s0
that only this note will speak, while the notes of other stops corresponding to
all the depressed keys will be sounded in the ordinary manner substantially as
described.
2. For an American organ as specified in the preceding claim, a pedal-bass wind-
chest divided into chambers or compartments one for each reed, with apertures
from one to the other controlled by pallets or valves in connection with the usual
pallets or valves that are operated by the keys, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
3. An American organ provided with a pedal-bass arrangement substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 26th day of Jul 1809
W. Lloyd Wise,
T. P. BANSON.
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.