US1067479A - Tracker-board. - Google Patents

Description

BEST AVAILABLE C J. (LEAGEY.

TRACKER BOARD.

unmumn rum) no.9, 1910.

' 1,067,479. Patented July 15, 1913.

music. sheet,-as for example-zone tracker BEST AVAILABLE cop:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES CLARKE HAGEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, SSIGNOR TO THE CABLE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

TRACKER-BOARD.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Application-filed December 9, 1910. Serial No. 596,496.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James O. -HAGEY, a; citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a 'certainnew and useful Improvement in Tracker-Boards, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to tracker boards for player pianos and like instruments, and especiallyto a construction or arrangement for permitting the useil'of difierentlstyles or kinds of musicv on the same instrument.

. I My invention contemplates the provision of two tracker boards, each one'of which is to be used with a difierent type or kind of having 65 ports or apertures, and the other with 88 apertures, for 65 and 88no'te' music respectively.

The invention further contemplates the provision 1 of new. and improved means by j which either one of suchtrackers can be usedat will, and the other temporarily put out-of service. I

In the arrangement-herein shownfor carryin'g out therinvention', acjcover. Orr-some other- -suitable device i's -provided and adapted to beapplied to either one or the'other of. saidtracker boards,-so that either one or 'the'other, as desired, may be coveredand its ports" or apertures closed. ,This, of course, putsthe covered tracker board, out of service for the time being, making the other-one only available forserv-ice. Such coveror other device may be? temporarily attached in various ways, some ofwhich areshown and suggested herein; These arrangements are shown asillustrative of the invention, but are not intended to mark its limitations." .1. v

In the accompanying;drawingsFigure 1 is a front elevation of a tracker board construction or arrangement embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2. in Fig. 1-;-Fig. 3 is at perspective view of a part of the bodily removable covering; F1g.4.is a front elevation of a part of the modified form of arrangement; Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross section of a second modification and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cover used in the arrangement shown in Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have shown tracker boards 1 and 1, having inclined tracking or hearing faces, 1 and 1*, respectively." These two trackers are arranged side by side,;with their inclined faces sloping inopposite directions, so that the music sheet may travel over them. As shown the face l has 88 apertures 2-2, and the other face 1 has 65 apertures, 33. The trackers are-understood to be connected up so that either one or the other can be used to play the instrument.

I have shown a cover 4:, in the form of a long metal'sheath, capable of being applied to either tracker. This sheath is conveniently made'out of: sheet metal bent into a more or less U shaped cross section, as shown in Fig.3, sovthat when applied to one or the other of said tracker boards, it will not only cover'the' tracking or bearing face of the same, but .will' also extend down the upper andxlower edges thereof, or in otherwords, theside edges, as well shown in Fig. 2, the tracker boards being separated from one another 'sufiiciently to. allow the insertion of the sheath'in'aterialbetween them. The edged 'ofjthis 'sheathris longer than the other edge'4 and extends down the 'outer side of 'the-tracker board; to which it isa'pplied, whereas the' shorter edge 49 extends down into the recess or space between the t'wotrackers'. Thecover' 4 being of sheet metal is somewhatsresilient and is made so that the normal distance between its sides or edges, 4: and 49, when removed from the tracker is: slightly @less than the thickness of the boards. Consequently when the cover is placed over ,eitherfof the boards, it maintainsitself -securelyin place. The edge 4:" is provided-with an joutwardly turned flange 4, which-can be easily engaged or taken hold of for the purpose ofapplying or removing said cover or sheath. A strip 5, of leather or' other suitable material, is preferably applied to the inner face of the sheath 4:, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When this sheath or covering 4 is applied to either of the tracker boards, it will, of course, cover the apertures of that'board, putting it out of service to all intents and purposes for the time being, and the 'other or uncovered tracker is left free to cooperate with the BEST AVAILABLE Cop traveling music sheet. When, however, it is desired to use the other tracker board, the cover or sheath i', is removed from the tracker it'is covering'an'd placed upon the other one, thereby covering the latter and uncovering theformer, and making the former available for service instead of the latter.

Referring to Figs; 4 and 5, I have shown the two tracker boards 6 and'fi, with a wider space or groove between them than is shown between the tracker boards 1, and 1*, previously referred to. I also show a spring clip 7, formed to fit over both tracker boards, and down between the same. This clip can be applied to the trackers and removed therefrom, screws 7- being employed for that purpose. .The clip'shown is applied to one end of theitracker boards, in Fig. 4. Another clip ofthe same kind is understood to be applied to the other ends of said tracker boards in the same way. lhe middle and end parts of these clips 7 arevformed so as to receiveand releasablv hold long r0ds8-8, which-rods arepart of a 'bodily removable sheathor cover 9, made ofleatheri or; othenzsuitable'material attached to 'therods Thus the sheath or cover 9 can be applied: t'o.- either one of the trackerboa'rdsa bynplacinga it 'over suchtracker andicausingcthe long sidei'ods 8-8 to licome engaged: release-lily held in other one; .fForexaimpl, to chang 'its position from that -shown'i n 5 the two rods 88 will be detached'from engagement with the clips 7'7, and=removed from their positions andraised and -causedto engage the upper-parts: of said clips 77.' 1

Referring to Figs.- 6' and7, I have shown twotracker boards, 10 and 1G, with slight projections 11' and 12, at their edges I also show acover 13-, made =of two long rods 14-1 4, and a metal strip 13') carrying said rods 14 I 4 at its opposite' edges'. A leather strip 16' is extended between the rods 14-44. This-sheath or cover 13 is applied to one or the other of said trackers by having its rods engage the projecting portions of the same, the cover or sheath being clasped orclamped over one or the other'of said tracker boards, as desired. To-change the position of the cover or sheath from one tracker board to the other, the same is bodily removed by disengaging the spring controlled edge parts find ghanged in position to theother tracker oar It will be seen by the arrangement set forth herein the cover or other port closing device can be applied at will directly to either tracker board, or otherwise, and can be easily and quickly removed for application to the other, thus allowing easy and ready manipulation; and also that the use of mechanism in connection with the device is dispensed with, thereby greatly simplifying and cheapening the construction of the iustriuucut in this particular.

It will be understood that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described in combination, a pair of tracker boards set side by side and separated by a small intervening space, said boards being of equal thickness and having inclined faces presenting a substantially convex surface, and a cover capable of being applied to either one of said boards, said cover being formed of stiff resilient material and having two parallel sides for engagingthe sides of one or the other of said boards, and also having an inclined face connecting said parallel sides, the inclination of the face of said boards being substantially the same as the inclination of the cover and the thickness of said boards being slightly greater than thenorone of said boards, said cover being formed ofstifii' resilient material and having two parallel sides for engaging the sides of one or the other of said boards, and also having an inclined face connecting said parallel sides, the inclination of the face of said boards being substantially the same as-the inclination of the cover and the thickness of said boards being slightly greater than the normal distance between the parallel sides of said cover, one of said sides having a projecting flange to aiiord' a convenient hand piece.

3. In a device of the class described in combinatiom'a pair of tracker boards set side by side and separated by a small intervening space,.said boards being of equal thickness and having oppositely inclined faces presenting a substantially convex surface, and a. cover capable of being applied to either one of said boards, said cover being formed of stiff resilient material and having two parallel sides for engaging the sides of one or the other of said boards, and also having an inclined face connecting said BEST AVAiLABLE COP.

parallel sides, the inclination of the face of said boards being substantially the same as the inclination of the cover and the thickness of said boards being slightly greater than the normal distance between the parallel sides of said cover, one of said sides being longer than the other and having a projecting flange to afford a convenient hand piece.

4. In a device of the class described in combination, a pair of tracker boards set side by side and separated by a small intervening space, said boards being of equal thickness and having oppositely inclined faces presenting a substantially convex surface, a cover capable of being applied to either one of said boards, said cover being formed of stifi resilient material and having tWo parallel sides for engaging the sides of one or the other of said boards, and also having an inclined face connecting said parallel sides, the inclination of the face of said boards being substantially the same as the inclination of the cover, and the thickness of said boards being slightly greater than the normal distance between the parallel sides of said cover, one of said sides being longer than the other and having a projecting flange to aiiord a convenient hand piece, and a backing strip attached to the inside of the inclined face of said cover.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this third day of December A. D.,

JAMES CLARKE HAGEY. \Vitnesses:

N. D. TOBIN, WM. F. HEINRICHS.

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

. Washington, D. G.

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