US1394541A - Transposing device for pneumatic musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, I920.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1920.

1,394,541, Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

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- ends-of the tubes.

device and the mounted upon a support H uu reo srATEsira ENr OFFICE.

LOUIS :on s. ininnnr Ann ROBERT WIN TIER, or R ILADELPH IA, PENNSYLVANIA.-

I irnnivsrosme DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL ms'rnnmnnms.

1,394,541. To all whom it 17mg cone-67%:

Be it known that we, LOUIS DE S. DIBERT, Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and ROBERT C. WVINTER, Philadel' phia, county of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have jointly. invented certain new and useful Improved Transposing Devices for Pneumatic Musical Instruments; of which the following is a'specification.

The purpose of the-present invention is a device withrespect to the trackerbariof a mechanical musical instrument for transposing music from one key to another.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown. and described as indicated in the claims. In the drawings:

Figure 1-, is a fragmentary view, in vertical section, illustrating so much of a player piano as is necessary to an understanding of the invention and showing in application thereto one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2, is a View in horizontal section of a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view in front elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4, is a similar view of the rear of Fig. 2, and

Figs. 5, and 6 are fragmentary views illustrating a modified form of construction.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 10 designates the casing of a mechanical musical instrument, 11 a tracker-bar, 12 a. music sheet, and 13 atake-up spool. The music sheet roll hasbeen omitted for the sake These parts may be of any standard type. In such an instrument tubes connect the ducts in the trackerbar with theusual pneumatics as is well understood in the art. According to the present invention the transposing device may be added to existing instruments, new or old, without change of parts other than severing of the said tubes and connecting the device, about to be described, between the severed Obviously in the manufacture of new instruments two sections of tubing for each key are employed instead of a single piece of tubing, one sect-ion of tubing leading from the tracker bar to said other leading from said device to the pneumatics. The transposing device of the invention is'preferably located adjacent the tracker bar 11 and to one side of the music sheet 12. It is shown as being of the ducts and so that the 141 carried by the 192m serial No. 389,236.

casing 10 and generally stated comprises a Specification of Leaner-mm. v Patented ,35 1921. Application filed June 15,

pair of fixed, spaced plates 15 and 16 and a rotatably mounted disk 17 which is shiftable toward and away from the plate 16, the plate 16 and disk provided with the respective table shaft 18 fixed to one end of which is the disk 17 and fixedto the opposite end of which is a pointer19. The shaft is capable of slight endwise movement through said plates and a spring 20 normally tends to draw the disk 17 toward the plate 16. The disk 17 and plate 16 are provided with a plurality of ducts disposed concentrically with the shaft 18. The ducts of the disk 17 consist of short sections of hollow stems 21 provided with rubber cups 22. The ducts of the plate 16 consist of short, hollow stems 23, provided with collars 2t and nipples 25. The nipples 25 are normally seated in the rubber cups 22,'by reason of spring 20. Additional springs as 26 are provided one for each hollow stem 21, to insure against any unevenness in the length of said nlpples or any irregularity in position of plates 16 and 17. The collars 241 limit the outward movement of the stems 23. Tubes 27 connect the tracker-bar with stems 23 and tubes 28 connect the stems 21 with the usual pneumatics. In order that the disk'17 may be fixed in registered positions rubber cups 22 may be seated evenly with respect to nipples pins 29 and apertures 30 are provided for each duct. In the drawings the pins are shown as being mounted upon the disk and the apertures provided in the plate 16 for illustrative purposes. plate 15 is provided with a scale so that the operator may readily shift the pointer to obtain the desired higher he'manner of shifting the disk 17 is as follows :Ihe operator first pushes, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the shaft 18 against the spring 20 so that the pins 29 are free of apertures 30 and the stems 21 free ofnipples 25. The pins 29 are long enough to insure clearance of nipples 25 before disk- 17 can be turned. This position is shown in Fig. 2. The operator now shifts to theleftor right, to obtain a lower'or higher key as desired, the pointer 19 whereuponthe ducts of disk 17 may be caused to register with proper ducts of plate 16.

The front of or lower key.

so that certainducts of plate 16 will not be left open when the disk 17 is partially ro-' When the pointer 19 has becn'tiirned to the I mark indicating the required number of half tones above or below'the normal key, pres-' sure on shaft 18 is released whereupon disk 17 returns to operative position with a different set ofducts in register with the result that-notes of a lower or higher pitch are produced. Upon the disk 17 the. duct normally leading from the highest tone uponthe instrument isdesignated :32 and; that denoting the lowest tone '83., Between; bl nk these two ducts areaplurality of duct/s34: any 'number of which may beemployed, The. plate 15,, is correspondingly graduated and the graduation indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings. The blank ducts 34: are necessary tat-ed to obtain a higher or lower key. 1

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6 a modified form is disclosed. Instead-of having a rotatable disk to obtain transposition of notes use is made of a longitudinally and laterally shiftablemember 50. This member is provided with hollow stems and rubber cups as in the above described disk Y17 and tubes lead therefrom to the neumatics. The

tracker-bar ducts are, provided with nozzles 35'for seating within said cups asthe' member 50 is shifted toward the tracker-bar. A spring pressed push-rod 36 is present for moving the member away from the trackerbar. This push-rod is mounted in an endwise slidable member 37 which has tongued and grooved relation with a supporting structure '88 below the tracker-bar. When 7 themember 50 is moved away from the o lowering the complemental "connecting parts 1 have been shown in connection with plate 16 and disk tracker-bar by means of push-rod 36 a tongue 39 is disengaged from a rack-bar 40 so that the members 37-50 may be shifted endwise along the tracker-bar for raising or key as before described. It may be stated that the rack-bar 40 is .provided with notched portions 4:1 (the spacing of ducts in the tracker-bar) for locking the ducts of members 50 in register with'the ductsofi the tracker-bar. Thenumbe'r, of notches "in rack-barAO' depends upon the number of half tones up 'ordown that the device is to cover. This device also possesses the advantage of being capable of application to existing mechanical musical instruments. I j I a 1 For illustrative purposes and for the sake of clearness but one set of tubes 27-28and 17 in Fig. 1, and'in Fig. 2, but two sets have been shown-forthe same reason. v

While we have illustrated; and described certain particular embodiments'of our. invention .it will, of course, be understood that we do not wish to be limitedto the exact con-i air ducts,

notches being the same asspacmg of struction','sliow11 and described, but the various modifications and changes will readily suggest themselves to 'those'skilled I 1n the art without departing of the invention as set forth in'the appended claims.

lVhat we claim'is.*-

i 1. In an automaticmusical instrument the combination of a tracker-bar and a pneumatic action with'a transposing device consisting of a fixed member and a movable member each provided with equally" spaced means connecting the ducts of the tracker-bar with the ducts of one of said "members, means connecting the ducts of the other of said members with the pneumatic action, means for shifting the movable memher away from the fixed member to disengage re istration of said ducts, and means for shifting the movable member with respect to the fixed member in a' plane parallel thereto to obtain alinement of proper'rducts. for transposing purposes. a

2. A construction as described in claim 1, characterized by the movable member being mounted upon an endwise shiftable and cushioned rod.

from the scope 3. A construction as described in claim 1, 7

escribed in claim 1',

combination of a tracker-bar and a pneumatic action with a transposing device comprising a fixed member, a rotatably mounted member each provided with equally spaced air ducts-disposed upon an arc of tubes connecting the ducts of the trackerbar'with the ducts of the fixed member, flexible tubes connecting the ducts of the rotary member with said pneumatic 7 action, a cushioned rod supported by the fixed member and upon which the rotatable member is fixed, a pointer fixed to said rod for indicating the extent to which the movable member is rotated and means between said movable and fixedmember for relatively securing said members togetherowith said ducts in register. Y

'7. In an automatic musical instrument the combination of a tracker-bar and a pneuk maticaotion with a transposing device com- :pr s ng a fixed member anda- -rotatably .mounted member each provided'with equally spaced air ducts disposed uponan arc of a circle, tubes connecting the ducts of the a circle,-

tracker-bar with the ducts of one of said members, tubes'connecting the ducts of the other member with said pneumatic action, a cushioned rod supported by the fixed member and upon which the rotatable member is fixed, a pointer fixed to said rod for indicating the extent to which the movable member is rotated and means between said movable and fixed member for relatively securing said members together with said ducts in 19 register.

LOUIS DE S. DIBERT. ROBERT C. WINTER.

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