US1255342A - Grand-piano action. - Google Patents

Description

H-L SANDLAS. GRAND mno ACTION.

Patented Feb. 5, 1918-.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. SANDLAS, OF FOREST PARK, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PIANO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GRAN D-PIANO ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

Application led May 12, 1913. Serial No. 766,942.

To all whom z't may concern:

' Be it known that I, HENRY J. SANDLAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of West Forest Park, county of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented an Improvement in Grand-Piano Actions, of

which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing' like parts.

This invention relates to a grand piano action adapted to be operated manually through the usual keys, or automatically.

Among other objects, the invention is intended to provide a simple and compact arrangement which shall admit of the automatic operation of the action independently of the keys.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference Ato an illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

The figure shows an exemplary action In side elevation, and including a diagrammatic representation of the striker pneumatic by which the action may be automatically operated.

Referring' to the drawings, the key 1 may be fulcrumed in the usual manner on a block 2. `For convenience. the key is shown broken away. Ordinarily in the art, a grand piano key has extended rearwardly (toward the right in the drawing) and beneath its corresponding action, and has carried the backcatch upon its rear end, and has also operated the damper lever by its rear end. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide for an operation of the back-catch and damper independently of the key so that the key may, if desired, remain stationary during` an automatic operation of the action. To suit these purposes, the key in the illustrative form, is cut away preferably just at the rear of the capstan screw 3, which is carried by the key. This capstan screw 3 acts upon the wippen 4 and therethrough operates the action in the usual manner. The front end of the wippen 4 is preferably extended somewhat (toward the left in the drawing) to provide a convenient coperation with the striker pneumatic 5 which is shown diagrammatcally in a practicable position for operating the Wippen 4 automatically. In the illustrative form, the wippen 4 is fulcrumed at 6 upon a rail 7.

The train of mechanism in the action shown above the wippen 4, may be of any practicable type.

The back-catch-lever 8 fulcrumed at 9, carries the back-catch 10, and also by a felted toe 1l at its rear end, operates the damper lever 12 which is fulcrumed at 13, and carries the usual damper bar 14. This back-catch-lever 8 is operated through an arm 16 of the wippen fl which carries the adjustable regulatingbutton 17. The button 17 acts upon a suitably curved and felted portion 18 of the back-catch-lever 8. Preferably the wippen fulcrum 6, the backcatch-lever fulcrum 9, and the contact point of the button 17 and toe 18 are in substantially straight line so that friction is minimized,-in fact, practically eliminated*in the relative movement of the contacting' surfaces of the button 17 and toe 18.

The back-catch-lever 8 is preferably substantially alined with, and on about the same leve] as, the key l so that the backcatch-lever is, in effect, substituted for the rear end of the key. By this arrangement space is very substantially economized and the organization rendered very compact by the fact that the back-catch-lever occupies substantially the space which is ordinarily occupied by the rear end of the key in the typical actions heretofore used.

A felted stop rail 19 may be provided to prevent over-throw of the back-catch-lever 8 .in case oi' heavy attack either automatically or manually.

In the operation ot' the described illus trative mechanism, either by depression of the key 1 or collapsing of the striker pneuand out of position to support the keys, may be located between the key bed and the keys near their front ends.

'It will be noted that while the capstan screw 3 provides for an adjustment between the key and the wippen, the regulating button 17 provides for an additional adjustment between the wippen and the backcatch-lever 8, and also a regulating button 20 shown as carried by the striker pneumatic 5, provides for relative adjustment be tween the wippen and the automatic operating means. hus, these several adjustments provide for the proper relative positioning` and cooperation of all parts.

lt is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the details of construction, organization and mode of operation which have been described above for illustration. O n the contrary, the invention may be variously embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

Claims:

1. A grand piano action comprising, in combination, a wippen; a key arranged to operate directly upon the wippen; a backcatch arranged to be operated by the wippen separately from the key; automatic means to operate directly upon the wippen; and

means to adjust the relation between the wippen and the back-catch.

2. A grand piano action comprising in combination, a wippen; a movable backcatch support; a key and automatic means arranged respectively to act directly upon the wippen for operating the same, and an adjustable connection from the wippen to the back-.catch support.

3. A grand piano action comprising, in combination, a wippen; a key having adjustable means for acting upon the wippen; automatic means having adjustable means for acting upon the wippen; a movable back-catch support operated by the wippen; and means for rela-tivelyv adjusting the backcatch support and wippen; the adjustable means ot the key and the means for adjusting the lback-catch support and wippen, cooperating to permit adjustment ot the relationship of the key and the back-catchV support.

4. A grand piano actionA comprising, 1n combination, a key having a. capstan screw;

l(h'ipiels o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the a wippen adapted to be operated by the capstan screw; a back catch lever ulcrumed below the capstan screw; adjustable means connecting the wippen and the back-catch lever; and a train of hammer operating mechanism controlled by the wippen; the capstan screw and said adjusting means coperating to permit relative adjustment of the key and back-catch lever in respect to said train of hammer operating mechanism.

5. A grand piano action comprising, in combination, a wippen having a fulcrum proximate one end; a key having means tor acting upon the wippen at, a. point spaced from the wippen fulcrum; automatic means for operating the wippen independently ot the key arranged to act upon the wippen at the opposite side of the point ot attack of the key upon the wippen, from the wippen fulcrum; a baclccatch support separate from the key; and means carried by the wippen and operating intermediate the wippen tulcrum and the point of attack of the key to transmit action from the wippen to the backcatch support.

6. A grand piano action comprising, in combination, a key; a wippen having a ful crum; a back-catch support movable independently of the key and having an arm movable substantially horizontally; and another arm movable substantially vertically; and a connection between the wippen and the substantially horizontally moving arm of the back-catch support.

7. A grand piano action comprising, in combination, a key, a wippen having a fulcrum; a back-catch support movable independently of the key and having an arm movable substantially horizontally, and anotherV arm movable substantially vertically; and means on the wippen to act upon the substantially horizontally moving arm of the back-catch support at a point substantially in the line between the wippen 'fulcrum and back-catch support fulcrum.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. SANDLAS.

Witnesses:

H, K. GERHARD, ARTHUR R. PAPE.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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