IMPROVEMENTS IN REED ORGANS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Woods, of Cambridgeport, in the County
of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, in the U. S. of America,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REED ORGANS."
Sealed the 26th September 1873, and dated the 29th April 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Woods at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 29th April 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WOODS, of Cambridgeport, in the County of Middlesex, and State of
Massachusetts, in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REED ORGANS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I really believe
myself to be the first and true Inventor thereof.

page_text: that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates
First. To a combination with a reed organ of vibratory metallic forks
or hooks actuated by a piano action in connection with the keys, whereby
the advantage is obtained of having an organ and piano combined in the
same instrument.
And consists Second. In an additional piano stop in combination with
a reed organ, by which the piano action can be disconnected from the
keys when not desired for action.
Third. In the general arrangement of the operating parts of a
combined piano action and reed organ.
And, lastly. To an improved mode of attaching the metal bridge
containing the sounding hooks to the sounding board in such a manner
that the said bridge is only attached to the sounding board in one of its
ends, and allowed to swing or vibrate freely in its extreme outer end,
whereby a very soft and agreeable as well as durable sound is obtained
in a manner as will now be more fully shown and described.
On the Drawing Fig. 1 represents a sectional elevation of my
combined reed organ and piano; Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of
the sounding board and the metallic bridge; Fig. 3 represents a section
on the line A, B, shown on Fig. 2; Fig. 4 represents a ground plan in
detail of the piano stop; and Fig. 5 represents a ground plan in detail of
the damper mechanism for the sounding hooks. Similar letters refer to
similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the Drawing.
The combination of a reed organ with vibratory sounding hooks or
forks is arranged and carried out in the following manner :-a represents
the suction bellows arranged in the ordinary way, and 6 a valve that
The valve b
covers the passage from a reed placed in the reed board c.
is operated by means of the key d and rod e in the ordinary manner.
The key d is made to rock around a suitable pin f attached to the
frame g, as shown in Fig. 1. The vertical rod
operated by the key d; the upper end of the rod
and horizontal rod k by which the valve is actuated.
h rests upon and is
operates the crank i
The said valve &

page_text: governs the inlet of the air from the additional reeds held in the solo
box m: n, n, are stops for the different reeds operated by means of
suitable handles in the keyboard o. p represents the sounding board to
which is secured the cross bar q as shown. To the side of the said cross
bar q is secured by means of suitable screws ", ", r, the grooved metallic
rail 8.
The said metallic rail s is provided with a groove on its side, as
shown in Fig. 1, which groove has a projecting V shaped lip on its under
side, on which rests the metallic sounding hook t that is kept in place
by means of the screw screwed through an upper projecting flange v,.
and pressing against a metallic washer wo, between which and the end of
the sounding hook t is placed a small sheet of rubber x, as shown. The
advantage of this arrangement is that each sounding hook can be
placed in position or replaced without disturbing the hooks on either
side. y is the damper for the sounding hook t attached to the rod z, as
shown in Fig. 1; the rod z is attached in its rear end to a suitable
framework 1. In the forward end of the damper bar z is screwed a
screw 2 that rests in its lower end on a bent lever 3, shown in Figs. 1
and 5; the other end of the bent lever 3 is operated by means of
collars 4, 4, attached to the vertical rod heretofore described. The
metal bridge is curved downwards in the left end, as shown in Fig. 2
at 5, where it is attached to the sounding board p and cross bar q by
means of the screws r, r, r, or their equivalents; the extreme right
end 6 of the bridge s is however allowed to vibrate freely, and the
bridge is not attached to the sounding board in any other place
except at 5, as shown. I place the low toned sounding hooks 7 nearest
to the end 5 where the bridge is secured, and I place the high toned
hooks 8 nearest to the extreme end 6 where the greatest vibration takes
place; by so doing I find that I am able to obtain soft and durable tones
as well as a perfect and even scale of notes. But as musical instruments
have to be transported from place to place I attach a guide 9 to the
sounding board p, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The said guide 9 is
provided with a perforation lined with india-rubber or other elastic
material 10 that is slipped over the extreme end 6 of the metal bridge s;
this guide 9 is not intended to secure the end 6 of the metal bridge to
the sounding board p, but simply for the purpose of preventing the
bridge from too much vibration in case the instrument is rudely shaken
during transportation or otherwise. The elastic lining 10 allows the
metal bridge to vibrate sufficiently without giving it entire freedom to
oscillate during transportation.

page_text: The piano action is arranged and operated as follows:-To the rear
end of the key d is attached an ordinary jack and lever arrange-
ment 11, 12, operating the butt 13 to which is attached the hammer 14.
The hammer 14 is made to strike the sounding hook t as soon as the
key d is depressed, whereby a very agreeable piano sound is obtained,
thus combining with an ordinary reed organ the advantage of a piano in
one and the same case. The damper y, z, is also operated by the key d
in such a manner that the damper y is relieved from the sounding hook t
as soon as the key d is depressed, but the elasticity of the bar z presses
down the damper y against the sounding hook t as soon as the pressure
on the key d is removed.
The additional piano stop is arranged and carried out in the following
manner: Behind the jack 12 is placed a bar 15, movable in slotted
guides 16, 16, shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The bar 15 is hinged to a
stationary bar 17 by means of parallel connections 18, 18, as shown in
Fig. 4. The bar 15 is moved horizontally sideways by the rod 19 and
stop 20, operating the knee lever 21 that swings around a fulcrum 22, as
shown. From this will be understood that when the operator pulls the
stop 20 towards himself, and thereby turns the knee lever 21 around its
fulcrum, that the bar 15 is then moved in the two directions, as
indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, whereby the jacks 12, 12, arc all at
the same time removed from the butts 13, 13, and the organ can now
be played without the piano. In a like manner the piano can be played
without organ accompaniment, or the piano and organ played together
as may be desired by the player. As soon as the bar 15 is removed from
the jacks 12, 12, the springs that connect them to the levers 11, 11,
force them back in their proper places under the butts 13, 13, and the
piano action is then ready for operation.
"
Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation of
my Invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim,―
1st. The combination with a reed organ of vibratory sounding hooks
or forks, for the purpose as herein shown and described.
2nd. In combination with a reed organ, the piano stop, consisting of
the rod 19, stop 20, knec lever 21, movable bar 15, stationary bar 17, and
the connections 18, 18, or their equivalents, for the purpose set forth
and described.

page_text: 3rd. In combination with the sounding hook the damper mechanism
consisting of the bar z, damper y, screw 2, bent lever 3, vertical rod h,
with its collars 4, 4, and the key d or their equivalents, for the purpose
set forth.
4th. A metal bridge for musical instruments attached with one end
only to the sounding board or its equivalent, and allowed to vibrate
freely in its other end, for the purpose as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Woods, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, dated at Boston, Massachusetts, in the United
States of America, this Fifteenth day of April, A.D. 1873.
Witnesses,
ALBAN ANDRÉN,
JOHN R. HEARD.
GEORGE WOODS. (L.s.)