US1090344A - Perforated sheet-music. - Google Patents

Description

H. E. PROPSON.

PBRFORATED SHEET MUSIC.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1910.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

HARRY E. PROPSON, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS M. SCHMIDT, OF NEVI BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Application filed April 26, 1910. Serial No. 557,696.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY E. PROPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plainville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Perforated Sheet-Music, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in perforated sheet music and the objects of my improvements are to produce such music involving sustained notes that will be durable and serviceable.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a roll of perforated sheet music embodying my invention, a tracker board, and part of a mechanical musical instrument or piano player. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of part of a modification of my perforated music sheet and a tracker board and on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 1s a similar view of part of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similar view of another modification of my perforated music sheet.

A is the body of a paper roll of perforated sheet music and when the same is in use it is provided with spools or rolls, whereby it is rolled onto one roll and oil from the other, and in passing between the two rolls the said body is moved longitudinally over a tracker board such as B in an ordinary manner. The said body A is provided with perforations or note openings, such as C and others to be described, arranged in longitudinal rows and which register in their travel with apertures D in the said tracker board B and thereby the said body A serves in a well known and ordinary manner to automatically produce or reproduce music on a piano by means of pneumatically operated appliances or pneumatics of an automatic piano player such as the pianola P, such Pneumatics, pneumatically operated appliances and automatic piano players being well known and ordinary in their operation. The dimensions of the said apertures D may be essentially tinch in the greatest dimension or width and which is crosswise with reference to the line of travel of the paper A and inch in length G, or in longitudinal alinement with such direction of travel. Under these conditions, a perforation C about -1 inch in diameter is provided and is suitable when in registration with the said aperture D for operating the pneumatics referred to so as to cause the striking of a musical note and as the paper A moves along, but as soon as the aperture D is covered by the body of the paper A or a sealing bridge E between consecutive note openings 0 the note striking means are restored to their normal positions, all of which is ordinary in operation.

As described, the passage of an opening C over an aperture D results in producing an ordinary single note. I find that where a perforation such as C and of the dimensions given is suitable for striking a note such as 0 Fig. 3, that a slot F narrower than the diameter of the said perforation C is suitable for sustaining a note. I find also that the desired note may also be sustained by providing a bridge H as shown in Fig. 5 between the said note striking opening C and the slot F provided the said bridge H is narrower than the length G of the said aperture D in the tracker board B.

In Fig. 4 the initial or note-striking openmg of perforation C is of standard size, and the note-holding or note-sustaining openings or perforations I are of smaller diameter and separated from the note-striking opening C and from one another by holding bridges H, which bridges, as mentioned above, are narrower than the length G of the aperture D in the tracker board B. Accordingly, the series of openings C and I, and bridges H, and the tracker board B represent means for causing the striking and sustaining of a musical note, and the openings I are of less width and smaller in dimensions in all directions than the opening C Because of the fact as stated that the holding bridges H are narrower than the length G of the aperture D in the tracker board B, the first of the series of note sustaining openings or perforations will begin to operate before the action of the initial or note striking opening or perforation has ceased to operate and the consecutive note sustaining openings or perforations of the series will begin to operate before the openings or perforations immediately preceding the same have ceased to operate.

The note sustaining perforations that effeet the result described may differ in dimensions from the initial or note striking perforations and such difference in dimensions may be simply a difference in width,

or may involve difference in dimensions in all directions as mentioned in regard to the perforations I as compared to the perforation G I prefer to make the conditions as stated with regard to perforations I and C and in which condition, briefly stated, the note sustaining perforations are smaller than the note striking perforation.

I claim as my invention:

1. A music sheet having a series of perforations in longitudinal alinement and suitable for operation in combination with apertures in a tracker board for causing the striking and sustaining of a musical note, the consecutive perforations of the said series separated by holding bridges that are narrower in Width than the length of the said apertures in the direction of the longitudinal movement of the said sheet, and the said series comprising an initial perforaseparated by holding bridges that are narrower in Width than the length of the said apertures in the direction of the longitudinal movement of the said sheet, and the said series comprising an initial perforation of one size and the rest of the series smaller than the said initial perforation.

HARRY E. PROPSON. Witnesses:

SHEFFIELD H. CLARKE, NEWTON L. LOCKW'OOD.

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

Washington, D. C.

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