US1016862A - Apparatus for producing perforated note-sheets. - Google Patents

Description

F. 0. WHITE. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING PERFORATED NOTE SHEETS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1911.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

nnrran srarns reta ner ora ion.

FRANK C. WHITE, 0F MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB TO THE WILCOX & WHITE COMPANY, OF MEBIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Apparatus for Producing Perforated Note-Sheets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus for producing perforated music sheets, which sheets are so perforated that when used in connection with a suitable music playing instrument the composition will be reproduced as to tempo changes, volume shading, etc, precisely as originally rendered by the artist.

To make the perforated'sheet, I employ in connection with the'proper cutting machine a mechanical music playing apparatus such as a piano-player or player-piano or organ, and I so associate the expression controlling apparatus of the said music playing instrument with the cutting apparatus that said controlling apparatus simultaneously with controlling the expression of the music being rendered by said player, controls the cutting of certain perforations whereby when the playing of the composition is finished, the note sheet produced may be put into a suitable music playing instrument and will reproduce the composition as played during the cutting of said sheet. In

the present stage of development of this art, the control of the ordinary piano-player or player-piano is mainly a manual control,-

with certain few minor exceptions; for example, it has been provided, by means of a marginal perforation and marginal ducts in the tracker-board, that the pedal will be operated automatically. It has also been provided that a solo note may be struck with more vigor than the accompanying notes, but beyond such minor details the rendering of a composition upon a mechanical player depends wholly upon manual control. The typically automatic instrument of the present day is an instrument which of necessity is so relatively complex and the cost of producing music sheets therefor is so relatively high, that such instruments are very costly, with the result that by comparison with the ordinary piano-player or player-piano there are comparatively few in use, since the price by contrast is comparatively prohibitive.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 21, 1911.

Patented Feb. d, 1932.

Serial No. 639,755.

It is my aim to make it possible to produce with such accuracyand at such comparatively small cost note sheets which are so perforated as to automatically control the entire expression that the same may be used in connection with the high grade and well developed piano-playing apparatus so that such apparatus will perform with an efiiciency equal to the costly automatic instruments above referred to. While I have spoken of theinstruments as piano-playing instruments, it will be obvious that the note sheets may be employed with equal efficiency with an organ.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown diagrammatically such parts of a mechanical player apparatus and the cutting apparatus and the intermediate associated parts as will be necessary for a clear understanding of my invention.

1 represents a piano key.

2 represents a mechanically controlled striker, in this instance operated by an action pneumatic 3.

4. conventionally represents an action chest with the usual passages and valves therein characteristic of the usual pneumatic player action.

5 conventionally represents an exhauster.

6 conventionally represents a tension regulator casing having a regulator pneumatic 7 controlling a valve 8. The valve 8, strictly speaking, is the equalizer valve.

9 represents a valve, which, when open, puts the exhauster 5 in direct communication with the interior of the action chest 4, and, when closed, shuts oil direct communication, leaving the only communication through the passage controlled by the valve 8. It may be assumed that both of these valves are of any well known type which are capable of mechanical control by pneumatics which are in turn controlled by the opening and closing of marginal perforations in the well known tracker-board, although one or both of said valves may be manually operated. I

10 represents a pipe or duct which leads to the aforesaid tracker-board (not shown).

In this instance, this duct 10 is one of the regular end ducts which controls the moment of operation of the pneumatic 3.

Thus far I have described in a general way apparatus which is well known and the particular construction of which I lay no claim to in the present case, it being found in seve "al of the well known well developed player mechanisms now generally in use.

I will 'now proceed to describe generally the preferred note sheet cutting apparatus.

is a coupler. In this instance the coupler is a swinging member pivoted on the yoke guide 13, the opposite end being normally out of the range of movement of the eccentric 14. ll hcnever it is desired to operate the punch 12,,this coupler moved so that its upper end. will extend into the zone of rotation of the eccentric l-l, whereby. as said eccentric revolves, it will frapidly reciprocate the punch 12, so as to cut the paper 16 traveling over the die 11. The

paper 16 is carried on rolls 17-18, which are driven interi'nittently preferably at a uniform rate oi speed. in this particular instance lf) is a friction driving roll, which holds and grasps the paper 16 between it and the roller 18. The particular means for driving; the roll 19 is immaterial. While some means might be provided for cutting the sheet, if said sheet moved steadily ahead instead of intermittently, it should be under I stood that in this type of a cutting apparatus it is customary to drive the sheetv intermittently so as to cause the paper to pause at the instant it is being cut by the punch 12, the forward movement being between the successive punching operations.

I will now proceed to describe the means by which the moment of operation of the cutting apparatus is controlled for the purpose of producing" a note perforation, as distinguished from amarginal expression perforation. This means comprises an electro magnet 20, the armature 21 of which is suitably connectcd with the coupler 15 so that when the magnet 20 is energized the coupler will connect the cutter 12 with the cam or eccentric 14 so as to reciprocate the cutter as aforesaid and form the perforation in the advancing paper 10. 'l he energizing of the magnet- 20 is secured by closing a battery circuit through said magnet.

22 represents a battery.

23 is a wire leading from one pole of said battery to the magnet 20.

24 is a return wire from the magnet 20 to one part'Q-S of a circuit closer. 26 is the other part 01 said circuit closer, which is cmmectcd by wire 27 to the other pole of the battery 22. The circuit closer 25 is'so associated with the key 1 that when said key is depressed and so long as said key is depressed. the battery circuit will be closed through the magnet 20. from which it follows that so long as said key is depressed, the cutter 12 will be cutting, in the advancing paper, a note perforation corresponding to the particular key struck. In this particular instance the spacing between the note perforations will determine the tempo. In other words, it the note sheet perforations, say as to a single note, occur frequently one tempo will prevail, and it they occur less frequently, a slower tempo will prevail. given the same speed of travel to the sheet in both instances. Therefore, if this same sheet is transferred to a music playing instrument within which the note sheet will travel at a uniform rate, it follows that the particular note controlled by that perforation will he struck at a speed determined by the spacing of the note sheet perforations, hence that kind of expression (determined by the tempo) is at once taken care oi.

Having cared for expression due to tempo, it remains to provide for means to control the expression due to changes in volume, and to that branch of my invention 1 will new direct attention. It may be assumed that the note sheet to be employed with a player apparatus in which the tracker has marginal perforations so associated with the apparatus which controls the tension of air in the action chest, and by which the action pneumatic 3 are operated, that is a composition is being rendered, the proper variations in dynamic etlect will occur. My purpose is, therefore, in the present invention. to provide the note sheet with marginal perforations at suchplaces and so spaced as to cooperate properly with uch a player instrument, and to cause said marginal perforations to be produced in the proper number, at the proper spacing: and of the propel length. l associate the cutter a iiparatus directly with the regulated air tension of a. player so that the variations in tension within the player will cause various marginal periorations to be produced. By this means I am permitted to use successfully in the production of note sheets a pianoplayer which is -in the main i'uanually controlled by an operator sutliciently experi enced to render artistic music, employing the ordinary note sheetof the present day. and with or without marginal perforations. It will atonce become apparent that the danger of producing faulty note sheets is inaterially reduced, because it such note sheets are to be made by an artist playing directly upon the piano, there is always grave danger that the artist may strike a false note, whereas when the note sheets are being produced by the use of a player apparatus, the danger of striking a false note is entirely eliminated, because a properly cut note sheet is always employed with the player apparatus, thereby relieving the operator entlrely of that responsibility. The operator, therefore, has simply to operate the pianoplayer in such a way as to secure the desired expression. By reason of this it follows that the cost of producing note sheets for the renderin of arti tic music automaticallv is D u greatly; reduced.

Now turning to the drawing, it will be seen that the interior of the action chestis connected by a duct 28 with a pneumatic 29. .The pneumatic 29 carries abrush 30.

31, 32, 33 and 34 represent magnets corresponding to magnet (on a reduced scale), which operate respectively cutter units corresponding to cutter 12, these cutter units being employed for forming marginal perforations atone or both edges of the note sheet and in any desired number, length and spacing, depending upon the number of magnets employed, four magnets 313 233-34c being employed in this-instance. 3l 32 333l conventionally represent the cutter units, for the magnets 31 to 34 respectively, for forming said marginal perforations. The circuit arrangement in this case be coupled with the battery 22 aforesaid. he magnets 31 to 34 are wound in the usual manner, and one pole of each magnet is provided with a contact head arranged to be swept by the brush 30, as shown in the drawings. The other pole of each magnet is directly connected by wire to one pole of the battery 22. The other pole of the iattery 22 is connected by wire --36 to the brush 30, in this instance through the medium of a spring contact 37.

From the foregoing it will be seen that as the player apparatus is being operated, variations in the regulated and effective air tension within the action chest will control, through the pneumatic 29, the position of the brush 30. In the drawings it may be assumed that in the position shown, the lowest tension (or pianissimo effect) is occurring, in which event thebrush is'not in engagement with any of the terminal ends of the magnets 31 to 34. If this tension is increased sufficiently, the magnet 29 will collapse somewhat and bring the brush into contact with the terminal end of the magnet 31, energizing the same to bring into operation one of the marginal cutters. If the tension is still further increased, the second, third, or fourth, or two or more of said marginal cutters, will be brought into the circuit, thereby causing the operation of the proper marginal cutter, or the or volume variations employed in securing" different changes in expression.

il hile .l; have shown a pllfitll'l'lfll'lfll trolled player apparatus and electrli intervening mechanism between said. player apparatus and the cutter apparatus, it is obvious that, broadly speaking, whether the player is a pneumatic player or th, intervening mechanism electric in oper tion, is immaterial so long as the player apparatus is so associated with the cutter that the con trolling element of the player apparatus by which dynamic changes are produced is so associated with the cutter apparatus as to cause said cutter apparatus to operate at the proper time, it being entirely new to employ in the production of note sheets a mechanical player apparatus. By this unique method of producing note sheets great economies are attained.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In. an apparatus for producing perfo' rated note sheets for music playing instruments, a cutter apparatus including cutters for forming in a sheet note perforations,

and a separate cutter for forming in said ratus being so arranged as to operate simul-- taneously one being the other,

and cotlperatively, the speed of variable relatively to the speed. of the speed of the latter being substantially uniform, means between said player apparatus and said cutter apparatus for controlling the moment of and duration of operation of the cutters for forming note perforations in the sheet being perforated, and means between the player apparatus and the cutter apparatus for controlling the moment of and duration of operation of the cutter for forming the expression controlling perforations in the sheet being perforated.

2. In an apparatus for producing pcrforated note sheets for music playing instruments, a cutter apparatus including a plurality of cutters for forming note perforations in a note sheet, and also a plurality of cutters for forming perforations in said sheet to control the power of the instrument with which said note sheet is to be used, a mechanical player apparatus manually controllable to power, means for driving said cutter apparatus to feed a note sheet therethrough a substantially uniform speed, and manually controllable means for driving said player apparatus at a variable speed, means between said player apparatus and said cutter apparatus for controlling the moment of and, duration of the operation of the cutters for cutting note perforations, and other means between said player apparatus and said cutter apparatus for controlling the operation of the cutters for forming the power controlling perforations.

3. In an apparatus for producing perforated note sheets, a mechanical cutter apparatus, including a plurality of cutters, some for forming note sheet perforations and some for forming expression controlling perforations, in combination witha manually controllable me i-hanical player piano having elements therein for controlling speed. of operation thereof, and having other elements therein for controlling the power thereof, connections between said mechanical playe' piano and said mechanical cutter apparatus for determining the moment of and duration of operation of the cutters for forming the note perforations, and other means between the power controlling elements of the mechanical player piano and the cutters for the expression controlling perforations for controlling the operation of said expression controlling perforation cutters, said cutter apparatus having means for feeding asheet to be perforated therethrough at a substantially uniform speed.

4. In an apparatus for producing perforated note sheets for music playing instruments, a cutter apparatus including a plurality of cutters for forming perforations in H a note sheet to control the selection of notes and also a plurality of cutters for forming perforations in said sheet to control expression, a mechanical piano-player apparatus including apneumatic system for operating the note producing mechanism of a piano with which said player apparatus may be associated, and means of connection between said pneumatic system and the cutters for producing said expression controlling perforations whereby said cutters will be controlled by variations in air tension in said pneumatic system.

5. In an apparatus for producing perfo rated note sheets for music playing instruments, a cutter apparatus including me ehanically operated and controlled cutters forforming note perforations in a sheet, means for driving a sheet to be perforated across the path of movement of said cutters, in combination with a piano player apparatus the latter being controllable as to speed, note striking means in said player apparatus and coupler mechanism between said note striking'means and said cutters respectively for controlling the selection of cutters as well as the moment of andpe-riod of operation of said cutters on said sheet.

6. In an apparatus for producing perforated note sheets for music playing instruments, a cutter apparatus including cutters for forming note perforations in a sheet, means for moving a sheetto be perforated through said cutter apparatus, in combination with a player apparatus, said cutter apparatus and said player apparatus being arranged to operate simultaneously and cooperatively and means for manually varying the speed of the player apparatus relatively to the speed of travel of the sheet to be perforated, and mechanical means between said player apparatus and said outter apparatus for controlling the moment of and duration of the cutting operation of said cutters on said sheet.

FRANK C. WHITE.

-Witnesses:

R. C. MITCHELL, CHAs. A. Psalm.

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