US736571A - Perforating device for music-rolls. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED AUG. 18

H.P.BALL.

PERPORATING DEVICE FOR MUSIC ROLLS;

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1902.

no MODEL.

n mvrml WITNESSES: Zz/

I trical energy and transformer.

UNITED STATES Patented August 18, 1903.

PATENT OEEIcE.

HENRY PRICE BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL INSULL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PERFORATING DEVICE FOR MUSIC-ROLLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,571, dated August 18, 1903.

Application filed April 10, 1902.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY PRICE BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have invented a Perforating Device for Illusio- Rolls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a perforating device adapted to be used in connection with a piano or other similar musical instrument and which has for its purpose to reproduce upon a moving strip or number of strips of paper or other material, as a series of perforations, the notes played upon the piano or other musical instrument, so that when a perforated strip is caused to pass through a suitable mechanical instrument the musical composition originally played will be exactly reproduced.

In all perforating-machines for music-rolls of which I am aware the perforation of the music-roll has been accomplished by the direct action of a punch or punches.

My present invention consists in a construction where the perforation of the music-roll is accomplished by means of electricity or heat and in a manner which will be described.

My invention also relates to various features of construction of the perforating device and the apparatus with which it is connected.

The object of my invention is to decrease the cost of producing perforated music-rolls and also to improve the character of the rolls produced.

The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved perforating-machine and electromotor for driving the machine, a horizontal section through an operating-key, and also shows diagrammatically the circuit connections be tween the various parts and a source of elec- Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line X X of 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections showing modifications of the perforating mechanism.

In the drawings, 5 indicates the side frames of the perforating-machine. Mounted in this frame is a shaft 0, on the opposite ends of which are arranged the eccentrics 7 8. To each eccentric 7 is connected apunch 9, which reciprocates through a die-plate 10, Fig. 2.

of a master music-roll.

Serial No. 102,228. (No model.)

These punches are employed for forming the rack-holes usually provided in the outer edges To each eccentric S is connected a presser-foot 11, which serves to hold the moving strip of paper while the punches 9 are reciprocating through it. The full details of this construction of punch and presserfoot are shown and described in my former application, Serial No. 97,353. Connected to the right-hand end of the shaft 6 is a beveled gear 12, which meshes with the gear 13 on the shaft 14. On the lower end of the shaft 14 is a worm 15, which meshes with the worm-wheel 16 on shaft 17. Situated in the same axial line as the shaft 17 is a shaft 18. This shaft is mounted in bearings 19, carried on the end of the vertical rods 20. These rods pass through brackets 21 on the inner side of the frames 5 of the machine and are provided with a nut 22 on their lower end. Between the bracket 21 and the nut 22 is a helical spring 23, which exerts a constant downward tension upon the shaft 18. Situated over the shaft 17 and the shaft 18 is a belt 24.

Projecting from the side plates 5 of the machine are brackets 25, and in these'brackets are carried the horizontal bars 26. Arranged parallel with their bearings in the bars 26 is the roll 27 upon which the material to be perforated is wound when it is introduced into the machine, and the roll 28, upon which the material when perforated is Wound before removal from the machine. It Willbe observed that the belt 24 presses on the inner side of the rolls 27 and 28 and that by reason of the horizontal bars, which are adjustable laterally, means areprovided to compensate for the difference in size of the rolls 27 28 as the paper is wound from one to the other. The springs 23 serve to maintain a constant tension upon the belt 24. The material to be perforated after passing from roll 27 passes over a roller 29, thence across the die-seat 10, and over the spring-pressed roller 20.

Motion is given to the parts by means of the motor M, on the shaft of which is mounted a horizontal disk 31. Over this disk, on shaft 6, is arranged the vertically-rotating wheel 32. The disk 31 is provided with a frictionsurface I prefer that the wheel 32 shall be ad- ICO justable horizontally along the shafts 6, as

by so doing the speed at which the perforatingmachine is d ven may be varied by moving the wheel from the center toward the periphery of the wheel Means are shown for varying the position of the wheel 32, which consists of a pivoted handle 34, Fig. 2, provided with a pin 35, which takes in a slot 36 in the hub of the wheel 3;. The outer end of the handle isiprovided with an upwardlyprojecting pin 31. which is adapted to coact with a rack 38. i By moving the'handle to the right or left the wheel 32'maybe moved across the face of the disk 31 of the niotor M.

The foregoin f description has related e11 tirely to the mechanical features of my device and has described the means by which the material to be perforated is moved through the machine and the rack-holes to be formed in the sides of the music-roll. I will now describe the means employed for perforating the material to form the musical notes.

39 representsja bar of insulating material arranged transversely of the machine. This bar is provided with a series of vertical perforations 40, in which are located independent conducting-pins 41. Situated below the bar 39 and arranged transversely of the machine is another bar 10, provided with the perforations 42, in which are the pins 43. These pins are all connected electrically by means of a plate of connecting material 44. The pins 41 43 occupy fixed positions, although preferably they may be made adjustable to compensate for wear in use.

D indicates adynamo-machine. This dynamo serves to run the motor M and also is connected to the transformer-T to form the primary coil 45 of the transformer. The secondary coil 46 of the transformer is connected at one end to the plate 44 through the conductor 4'7 and is connected through its opposite end to a contact -plate 48 of the switch S through conductor 49. The opposite contactplate 50 of the switch Sis connected to a pin 41 through conductor 52.

K represents the key of a musical instrument upon which the composition to be perforated upon the music-roll is played. Located under the key is a pin P, between which and the keys of the musical instrument 53 is a spring 54.

The contacts 48 50 of the switch S are immersed in a body of oil 55, contained in a suitable trough This trough may be arranged to extend across the whole distance occupied by the keys of a musical instrument or the trough may be divided into a number of sections representing the number of keys of the musical instrument. It will be understood from the description as given that there will be a switch for each key and that such witch will be in electrical circuit with a pin 41 and a pin 43.

Instead of using the pins 41 43, as shown in Fig. 2, I may use a pair of disks 57 58, the upper one of which is spring-pressed, as shown in Fig. or instead of using the pins or disks I may use the arrangementshown in Fig. 4,'which consists of a pivoted lever 59', carrying the pin 60, adapted to move over the die 10. Located in front of the pin 60 but in its uppermostposition is a heating-flame Connected to the lever 59 is a cord 62, the lower end of which can be connected through any suitable intermediate means directly to the key. Then the construction shown in Fig. 4,.however, is employed, the transformer T and switch S are not employed. 2

A represents the material to be perforated,-

whichfmay be of paper such as is commonly employed, or paper saturated with any chemical substance-as, for instance, alum or tungstade of sodium-which will prevent ig= nition of the paper, or paper saturated with any chemical substance su ch as a solution of iodid potash, bromid potash, starch, and waterv;ihich will be altered by the passage of an electric current, or instead of using paper I may use any other materialfor instance, I find that what is known as taffetasilk serves as an excellent material for this purpose. I, however, do not wish to limit myself, as I have-in contemplation using any material which may be perforated or acted upon either mechanically, electrically, through the action of a heated body-such, for instance, as is shown in the constructio n illustrated in Fig. 4.

The operation of my device is as follows: When the motor M is started, motion is given to the material A to be acted upon, and at the same time the punches 9, which make the rack-holes, and presser-feet 11, which hold fine material to be acted upon while the punches 9 are passing through it, are set in motion. hen the key K is depressed, contact is made between a pin P and the contacts 48 50 'of the switch S. This closes a circuit between the pins 41 43 or the disks 57 58. The current from the secondary of the transformer T, which may be as high a voltagecurrent as necessary, passes across the contacts and acts either to directly perforate the material passing between the pins or disks, to char the material, or chemically act upon the material. The character of the effect produced-2'. a, the note or size of the perforations, 6., whether a small hole or a long hole, a small char or a long char, a chemicallychanged spot or slot is producedwill depend entirely upon the length of time that the key K is held down. The same will be true when the key is used in connection with the device shown in Fig. 4. It will thus be seen that if the material to be perforated is driven at a fixed speed the character of the changes produced in the material to be perforated or altered will correspond with the character of the impressions made by the performer upon the key K of the musical instrument upon which the composition is played.

I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise instrumentality shown for perforating, altering, or effecting the music roll to be produced. I consider myself to be the first in the art to suggest any means other than that due to the action of a punch for producing perforations in the roll, and I desire to claim any and all means which may be considered equivalents of the in cans shown and described in this application.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A perforating device for music-rolls,com-

prising in its construction, a series of pairs of electrodes, arranged in line and separated, means for moving the strip of material to be acted upon between the said electrodes, and a series of keys, one in circuit with each pair of electrodes for causing a current of electricity to pass between one or more of said electrodes.

2. Aperforating device for music-rolls,comprising in its construction, a series of oppositely-disposed and separated pairs of electrodes, means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between said electrodes, and a series of circuit-closing devices one con nected to each pair of electrodes for causing a current of electricity to pass between one or more of said'electrodes.

A perforating device for music-rolls,comprising in its construction, a series of pairs of oppositely-disposed and separated electrodes, punching mechanism, means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between said electrodes, and beneath said punches, means for causing a current of electricity to pass between one or more of said electrodes, and means for actuating said punches.

4. Aperforating device for music-rolls, comprising in its construction, a source of electricity, a series of pairs of separated electrodes, one electrode of each pair in circuit with one terminal of the source of electricity, and one electrode of each pair in circuit with an indcpendent circuit-closing device, and a series of circuit-closing devices corresponding in number with the number of pairs of electrodes.

5. A perforating device for mu sic-rolls,co1nprising in its construction a series of pairs of electrodes arranged in line and separated, a series of keys, a series of electric switches, said keys collectively connected to one electrode of each pair and said switches individually connected to one electrode of one pair, and means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between the electrodes.

6. Aperforating device for music-rolls,con1- prising in its construction a series of oppositely-disposed and separated electrodes, means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between said electrodes, and means for closing one or more circuits through said electrodes at any moment during the passage of the strip of material.

7. Aperforating device for music-rolls,comprising in its construction, a series of electrodes arranged in pairs and in line, one of the electrodes of each pair electrically connected and one of the electrodes of each pair electrically insulated, means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between said electrodes, and means for closing the circuits between the electrodes of each pair.

8. In a perforating device for music-rolls, the combination of a series of keys, a circuitclosing device for each key, a series of pairs of electrodes arranged in line and separated, and means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between the electrodes and in such manner that only the portion of the strip to be acted upon will be within the influence of the electrodes.

9. A perforating device for music-rolls, comprising in its construction, a series of oppositely-disposed and separated pairs of electrodes, supporting-plates for said electrodes,

means for moving a strip of material to be acted upon between said electrodes and supporting-plates, and means for closing electric circuits between said electrodes.

10. In a perforating device for music-rolls, the combination of a pair of rolls from and on which the music-roll is wound, means for driving said rolls at the same peripheral speed, means for punching rack-holes in said musicroll, and means for driving said first and second named means at a variable speed.

11. In a perforating device for music-rolls, the combination with means for mechanically punching the rack-holes in the music-roll, of means for electrically perforating the music roll to form the holes which are used to produce the musical notes.

12. In a perforating device for music-rolls, the combination of the perforating mechanism, means for driving the perforating mechanism, and means for altering the speed of the perforating mechanism without altering the speed of the driving mechanism.

13. In a perforating device for music-rolls, the combination of a pair of rolls from and on which the music-roll is wound, and means for d riving said rolls at the same peripheral speed, consisting of a driven endless belt arranged to bear upon the opposing surfaces of both rolls.

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

HENRY PRICE BALL.

\Vitnesses: I Y

J. E. PEARSON, WM. II. BUCKMAN.

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