US1060627A - Front panel for player-pianos. - Google Patents

Description

M. PRISOIANTELLI.

' FRONT PANEL FOB. PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6 1912.

' Patented May 6, 1913.

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I TTUIJNEIS M. PRISGIANTELLI. FRONT PANEL FOB PLAYER HANDS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s, 1912.

1,060,627, Patented May 6, 1913.

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MIKE PRISCIANTELLI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BEI-INING PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FRONT PANEL FOR PLAYER-PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIKE PRISCIANTELLI, a subject of the King of Italy, residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Front Panel for Player-Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in top frames for player pianos.

In manipulating player pianos, it is necessary, for reasons well known, that the perforated music sheet be visible to the operator as it passes over the tracker. The tracker is generally positioned in the upper part of an upright piano, approximately centrally of the width thereof, and it is customary to provide a door or doors in that portion of the swinging front panel imme diately in front of the tracker. The door is adapted to be opened when the piano is to be played, and it is through the said opening that the operator follows the perforated sheet, whereby he manipulates the proper stops, etc., with which the instrument is provided. In the type of piano adverted to, it is extremely diflicult to make a neat dust proof door, which is easily operable, and yet not detract from the appearance of the piano when open, or be unsightlywhen the instrument is closed. The unsightly and unattractive character of the closures heretofore used,

revealing as they do that the instrument is a player piano rather than the standard piano, has been a serious drawback to their popularity.

A salient feature of novelty of theprescnt invention, is a closure for the sight openings in player pianos, which will, when closed, so closely resemble a stationary panel, in construction and attractiveness, as not to be distinguishable therefrom except by most careful examination.

Applicants structure embodies means for closing the necessary opening in the front panel, in such manner that it will be absolutely dust proof, may be quickly and readily adjusted to open or closed position,

and, when closed, will not be distinguishable from the standard stationary panel.

The invention from a specific aspect, embodies a horizontal slide mounted on the swinging front panel, said slide being reduced in width for a portion of its length, whereby the opening may be tightly.closed,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 6, 1912.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Serial No. 718,828.

or a portion thereof left open for the reasons heretofore given. A transparent slide is also provided which cooperates with the main slide to render the opening dust proof and yet permit the operator to observe the data on the traveling music sheet.

Features of the invention, other than those described, as well as the functions and advantages of the complete invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction shown therein is to be understood as illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the front elevation of applicants improved front panel, the parts thereof being in normally closed position,

and the front panel mounted within the usual skeleton frame. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the front panel with the skeleton frame omitted, the parts of said front panel being shown in opened position. Figs. 3, 4-

and 5 are vertical transverse sections through different portions of the front panel, said sections being taken on lines 3-8, 4:4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the front panel taken on the horizontal line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail of a certain finger piece employed. Fig. 8 is a detail of one of a plurality of bearings which are enrployed to support one of the slides used in carrying out thepresent invention. Fig. 9 is a detail of the rod which supports the bearings illustrated in Fig. 8, the means for supporting said rod being illustrated therein.

In the drawings, A indicates a swinging front panel of a player piano, so called be cause it is pivoted at its upper edge to the skeleton frame B, of the piano and is adapted to be swung outwardly at its bottom. The front panel A, is generally of elongated rectangular shape, as shown, and .is provided with an opening G, centrally of its length, through which the data on the music sheet, not shown, may be followed. In applicants structure, the opening C, is preferably made substantially square and is positioned somewhat high in the top frame A. Thus, the top of the opening G, is bordered by the top rail of the skeleton frame B, and suflicient space is left at the bottom of the panel to allow for a molding D. The side edges of the opening are finished off with suitable ornamented pilasters E, E, thereby completely closing in the aperture by an attractive border, thereby giving the front face of the front panel the same pleasing appearance as the stationary panel in the standard type of piano.

The means for closing the opening C, is embodied more particularly in a slide F, of sufficient height to adequately cover the opening. This is mounted on the back of the front panel and retained in sliding relation therewith by the guides f and f, which are fixedly secured to said front panel and engage the top and bottom edges respectively, of the slide F. This slide is, in length, a little more than twice the breadth of the opening 0, and said slide is reduced for one half of its length to approximately one half its height. Theconstruction thus described permits of moving the slide back and forth, the aperture or opening being entirely closed when the wide half of the slide is presented thereto, and the upper half of said aperture being open when said slide is slid to its other position, said slide being restricted to its desired range of travel by means of stops f and f secured on the front panel. It will thus be seen that the opening C, when closed, either in whole or in part, has a stationary panel effect.

The movement of the slide F is accomplished by means of a finger piece G, positioned at the center upright edge of said slide and at the top thereof. This finger may be of any desired and suitable construction, but one very practical embodiment is shown in Fig. 7, of the drawings. It consists of an attaching portion 9, which engages the top edge of the slide and is secured thereto by means of screws not shown. From the depending front flange g of the attaching portion 9, laterally extending wings g, are provided at either end thereof, which form the finger pieces of the panel. The slide F, is cut away at either side of the opening C, as shown at c, to allow for the entrance of these wings whereby they are concealed from view when the slide is in either of its positions, but are readily accessible to the fingers. A further cutting away of the inner edge of the front panel, at 0, adjacent to the opening, allows the slide to be slid back and forth, at will.

In order to preclude the entrance of dust, dirt and moisture to the inner mechanism of the piano, when the slide F is in its opened position, a cooperating glass slide L, is provided. This glass slide is preferably about one half of the height of the slide F, and one half the length thereof, and is mounted on the front panel, in substantial alinement with the main slide F, being inclependently movable therefrom. A rod I,

preferably of metal, is mounted near the upper edge of the front panel and on the back thereof, by means of hangers J, in such manner as to not interfere with the sliding of the slide F, and this rod forms the supporting element on which the glass slide is hung, by the means presently to be described. Blocks K, of wood, fiber, or the like, are

% secured to the top edge of the glass slide and adjacent to either end thereof, by means of angle irons 76, secured to the blocks and to said slide by the screws and 70 respectively. The said blocks have holes 1', passing longitudinally therethrough, whereby they are adapted to ride on the supporting bar I. The holes in the angle irons through which the screws 70, are passed, are slightly elongated longitudinal of the angle irons, and set screws are provided in the turned-over portions of said irons, which set screws may be turned so as to eXert pressure on the bearing blocks K, whereby the glass slide may be raised or lowered relative to the supporting bar I, for purposes of adjustment. Said slide may, furthermore, be slid into and out of engagement with the open ing C, bymeans of a flexible tab Z, which is at all times readily accessible to the fingers.

From the construction thus described, it will be obvious that, since the glass slide L is one half the width of the wide half of the slide F, the former will cooperate with the reduced half of the latter, to close the opening C, when said slide F is in opened position. A keeper a, is positioned on the upper edge of the reduced portion of the slide F, for retaining the glass slide from swinging out of alinement. Furthermore, the set screws 71 1 may be manipulated to adjust the glass slide to such position that the lower edge thereof will make a practically dust proof joint with the upper edge of the reduced portion of the slide F.

lVhen a person desires to play a player piano embodying applicants construction, and finds the parts thereof in normally closed position, his first move is to grasp the finger piece G, on the large slide, and thus move said slide into opened position. This leaves the upper half of the aperture C, open, allowing for the convenient change of the music rolls or records. After such changes have been made, and all is ready to proceed with the playing of the piano, the person reaches up and, grasping the finger tab Z, slides the glass slide to close the opening in front of the tracker, thereby precluding the entrance of dust or moisture into the interior of the piano, the transparency of the glass allowing for the operator to readily follow the data on the music sheet. Then the operator has ceased playing and desires to close the instrument,he simply takes hold of the finger piece G, on the main slide F, and simultaneously moves both main and ing them dust proof and to render the move ment of the parts noiseless.

It will be obvious that slight changes or modifications in the structure as described may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis i 1. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a maln slide having a portion thereof cut away slidably mounted on said panel and adapted, when positioned at one extremity of its travel, to wholly cover said opening, and partially close said opening, when positioned in the other extremity of its travel, a transparent slide also slidably mounted on said panel and adapted to cooperate with the main slide, so as to occupy the position of the cut away portion therein, for the purpose of closing said opening in the panel.

2. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a main slide having a portion thereof cut away slidably mounted on said panel, and a transparent slide also slidably mounted on the panel and adapted to occupy substantially the cut away space in the main slide, whereby said opening may be closed either entirely by the main slide, or by the main and transparent slides conjointly.

3. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a main slide adapted to partially close said opening, and a cooperating transparent slide adapted to close said opening when the latter is partially closed by the main slide.

l. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a main slide mounted on said panel shiftable to two positions and having two parts of different areas, one of which parts completely closes the opening when said slide occupies one of its positions, the other part partially closing the opening when the slide occupies its other position and a transparent slide also mounted on the panel and cooperating with the main slide to close that portion of the opening which is left uncovered when said main slide occupies the said other position.

5. Afront panel for player pianos provided with an opening, a main slide mounted on said panel and having one portion thereof adapted to fully close said opening and a second portion adapted to only close a part of said opening, and a cooperating transparent slide mounted on the panel and adapted to close that part of the opening left uncovered by the said second port-ion of the main slide.

6. A front panel for player pianos provided with a substantially rectangular shaped opening, an L-slide mounted thereon and shiftable to two positions so as to bring either the vertical or the horizontal member of the L-slide into register with the opening, said vertical member of said slide being of such size as to entirely cover said opening when in register therewith, and said horizontal member only partially covering the opening when the latter is in register therewith, and a cooperating transparent slide mounted on the panel, adapted to cover that portion of said opening left uncovered by said horizontal member of the L-slide.

7 A front panel for player pianos provided with an opening, a main slide mounted on said panel and having one portion thereof adapted to fully close said opening and a second portion adapted to only close a part of said opening, a cooperating transparent slide also mounted on the panel and adapted to close that part of the opening left uncovered by the said second portion of the first named slide, and means for adjusting one of said slides, whereby they may more accurately cooperate with one another to close the opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MIKE PRISCIANTELLI.

WVitnesses:

Gr. BEHNING, M. MACKENZIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of iatents,

Washington, D. 0.

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