US580010A - Harold w - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

H. W. SHONNARD.

KEYBOARD ATTACHMENT.

.010 Patented Apr. 6, 1897.

w J vw awtoz NITED STATES Paras r Orricn,

HAROLD \V. SITONNARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO G. HOKVLETT DAVIS, OF SAlilE PLACE.

KEYBOARD ATTAC l l SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 580,010, dates April 6, 1897.

Apnlioation filed August 24, 1895. Serial No. 560,441. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: vided with a series of pivoted levers or elec- Be it known that I, HAROLD XV. SHONNARD, tric selectors 20, carried in an insulating a citizen of the United States, residing at New block 21, naid selectors by gravity being nor- York, in the county of New York and State mally in electrical contact with the terminal 5 of New York, have invented a certain new, block and their pointed extremities at the useful, and valuable Improvement in Keysame tiine projecting into the slotted bar 23, board Attachments, of which the following is except when prevented by the presence of the a full, clear, and exact description. perforated paper music 2i on the bar 2 My present invention relates to improvewhich paper is drawn by the roller 25, cari0 ments in keyboard attachments for musical rying a gear 26, meshed with pinion 27, which instruments on which a keystriker is actuis rotated by the motor 28 through the sysated by electromagnets; and the object of my tem of belts and rednotion-pulleys 2t improvements is to provide a series of electro- The music-rollers and the slotted bar 23 magnets having armatures so secured to the are all carried by a hanging drawer which i5 key-striking levers as to bring said levers slides in guides attached to the under side of singly or collectively as the currents are comthe piano-keyboard, as shown in the drawing. pleted through the series of electric selectors hen it is desired to place a new sheet of over which the perforated paper music is music in the instrument, it is simply necesdrawn into operation, whereby the said keysary to pull out the drawer and apply the 2o striking levers are actuated to cause the rcordinary perforated music-roll, which comes spective strings which they represent to be especiallyputupforthis class of attachments. sounded. I attain this object by the mech- The operation of my device may be briefly anism illustrated in the accompanying draw stated as follows: \Vhen the music sheet ing, in which the figure is a section of the drawer is pushed backin position for operat- 7 5 25 key-striking mechanism and electromagnets, ing, the gear-wheel 26 will be made to mesh and showing also the contact-box and music with the pinion .17 and the electrically-conrollers. nected pivoted levers 20 brought into position Like numerals refer to like parts throughwith relation to the music-sheet and slotted out the drawing bar 23, so that as soon the drivingmotor 0 The key-striker l is carried by pin 2 on frie 28 is started the perforated music-sheet 2 lis tion-lever 8, pivoted at at on lever 5, which is caused to travel, and as the pivoted levers or secured by pin 6 to the stationary post 7. The selectors are normally pressing against the armature 8 is rigidly fastened to lever 5 and said sheet they register with the perforations when attracted by the magnet 9 brings the and fall or pass therein, thereby allowing the 5 foot 11 of the lever 3 into frictional contact upper lateral arms of said levers or selectors with the rotating felt-covered roller 10, which to make electrical connection with the CO11- feeds the foot 11 and the lever 53 in the directact-block 22, energizing the electromagnets tion of itsrotation,therebystriking the piano- S), whereby the armatures S are attracted, key 12 with the striker-rod 1. causing the levers 5 to be pressed down, which o 40 The reference-numerals l3 and 14 indicate in turn brings the friction-shoes 11 into conwooden rails to which the various parts of tact with the periphery of the rotary drum,

4 the mechanism are secured, and the numeral giving said shoes a rocking movement and 15 indicates a rail provided with a series of causing the rods 1, which are pivoted to the adjustable buttons 16 to correspond with and upper part of the shoes, to be given a sudden 9 5 45 which acts to limit the movement of the arupward movement, which movement is commatures 8. municated to the rear ends of the piano-keys The numerallS indicates a felt-faced rail and accordingly to the string-striking hamof wood or other material to form a stop for mers. the i'rictiondevers 3, said rail being made ad- Numeral 30 shows the system of electrical 50 justable by means of screws, as shown. connections, including a switch 81, battery Reference-numeral 19 indicates a box pro- 32, and a motor 28,

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide a musical instrument of the self-playing type with a plurality of pivoted levers that are adapted to drop or fall into perfora tions in the note-sheet as the same is advanced, and thereby actuate the striking mechanism, and I do not claim such combination of parts, broadly. My invention is distinguished from musical instruments of this type in that the levers are pivoted to a fixed or stationary part of the instrument and the note-sheet is carried by a movable drawer sliding to and from the pivoted levers, thus enabling the music-sheets to be easily placed into and removed from the drawer, and at the same time providing an instrumentwherein the music-drawer can be located out of sight and out of the way of persons performing upon the piano in the ordinary manner.

hat I claim is 1. In an electrically-operated self-playing piano, the combination with suitable key-opcratingmechanism, of a plurality of electrically-connected pivoted levers arranged on a stationary part of the piano, a contact-block carrying a plurality of electric contacts with which the upper ends of the levers are by gravity made to engage, a sliding drawer arranged in front of and operating to move to and from the pivoted levers, music-sheet rollers journaled one above the other in said drawer, a slotted bar between said rollers, and a perforated music-sheet carried by said rollers and traveling over the slotted bar, the lower end of said levers being arranged to drop or pass through the perforations in said musicsheet as the same is advanced, substantially as described.

2. In an electrieally-operated self-playing piano, the combination with suitable key-opera-ting mechanism, of aplurality of electrically connected levers pivoted near their upper ends and having rearward and forward extending arms, said levers being carried by a stationary part of thepiano, acontact-block arranged directly beneath the rearward-extending arms of said levers and with which said arms are arranged to engage, a sliding drawer in front of and moving to and from said pivoted levers, music-sheet rollers journaled one above the other in said drawer, a slotted bar arranged intermediate said rollers, and a perforated music-sheet carried by said rollers and traveling over the slotted bar, the forward-extending arms of said levers being arranged to enter or pass into the perforations in the music-sheet as the same advances, substantially as described.

3. In an electrical]y-operated self-playing piano, the combination with the key-actuating mechanism, of a plurality of electricallyconnected pivoted levers mounted on a stationary part of the piano, a contact-block with which the upper ends of said levers are adapted to engage, a sliding drawer arranged in front of and moving to and from the said pivoted levers, music-sheet rollers journaled in said drawer, a slotted bar intermediate said rollers and in a line with the lower ends of the pivoted levers, a perforated music-sheet traveling over said rollers, a gear-wheelv mounted on the end of one of said rollers and carried by the sliding drawer, a pinion carried by a fixed part on the piano and adapted to mesh with the said gear-wheel, and means for revolving said pinion whereby the musicsheet is advanced, substantially z s described.

4-. In an electrically-operated self-playing piano, the combination with a perforated music-sheet carried by a sliding drawer, of a plurality of electrically-conneeted pi. voted levers mounted on a stationary part of the piano in rear of the music-sheet, each of said levers having a rearward and forward extending arm, an electric contact directly beneath each oi'said rearward-extendingarms, the forwardextending arms of said levers being arranged to enter the perforations in the music-sheet, a plurality of eleetremagnets in circuit with the contact-block and levers, an armaturclever for each magnet, a friction-shoe ivoted to each armature-lever, a rod connection bc tween each shoe and a key of the piano, and a rotary drum with which the shoes are brought in contact when the magnets are energized through the movements of the pivoted levers, substantiall as described.

5. In an electrically-operated self-playing piano, the combination with a sliding drawer, and a perforated music-sheet carried by said drawer, of a plurality of vertically-arraiiged clectrieally-conneeted pivoted levers carried by a fixed part on the piano and having their lower ends in engagement with the musicsheet, a contact-block with which. the upper ends of said levers are adapted to engage, a plurality of forwardly-inclined electromagnets in circuit with the said levers and contact-block, a series oi. horizontal levers, a reawardly-incl'inedarmature-leverprojecting upward from the upper side of each of said horizontal levers, a friction-shoe pivoted. to the rear end of each horizontal lover, a rod connection between each shoe and a key of the piano, and a rotary drum with which the friction-shoes are brought into contact when the magnets are energized through the movements of the pivoted levers, sulnstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HAROLD N. SIIOYPJAFH).

ii'itncsses:

G. llowmrrir Davis, Wnrman I. News.

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