US1321860A - swensen - Google Patents

Description

A. SWENSEN. Auomn'lc MusncAL msrnumzm. APPLICATION FILED OCT-9.1916.

Patented Nov. 18g-1919.

,Il l ff A. SWENSEN. AUTOMAIIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. nPPuc/mon mso ocr.9. me.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHUI' 2.

yio

y STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ALFRED SWENSEN, OF CICERO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE CABLE COMPANY, OF

` CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

Application Siled October 9, 1916. Serial No. 124,690.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED SwnNsEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cicero, in the county of Cook and'State of, Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, ehe-ar, concise, und exact description, reference being liad'to the accompanying drawing/,I forming a part of this specification.

l invention relates to automatic musical instruments, and, more specifically, to a device. for varying the degree of air-tension produced by an air-pump.

Among the objects of my invention is that of providing a device of this character which shall be simple in construction, etlicient in operation, and easy of adjustment.

In thc drawings, in which one. embodiment of my invention is shown- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a playerpiano, the upperfront panel being broken away to show the roll-box, and lthe lower front panel being brolren away to show the airump and expression-device;

Fig. 2is a section through the expressiondevice, on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a section through the expressiondevice, on the line 3--3l of Fig. 2;

Fig 4 is a detail sectional view of part of a pneumatic-linger' 'and Fig. 5 is a bottom View of the part shown in Fim 4.

Reiarring now to the drawings in detail, the player-piano shown comprises a casing 1.0, a roll-box 11 located in the upper part of the, casing, a motor-driven air-pump 12 for exhausting the air from the action wind-l chest and music roll motor, conduits 13 and 14 leading from the wind-chest to the airpump, an expression-device 15 for varying the degree of air-tension'produced in the wind-chest by the air-pump, and n conduit 16 leading from the expression-device to the conduit. 13.

The air-pum operates to exhaust the air from the win -chest through the conduits 13 and 14, and the expression-device operates to modify the air-tension produced b'y the air-pump by admitting atmospheric air more or less freely through the conduit 16 to the conduit 13.,l The expression-device 15 may be controlled automatically, from the note-sheet 16", or manually, by means of the. valve-mechanism 17.

The exiiession-device itself comprises a series of c ambcrs 18, 19, 20, 91, and 22, separated by partitions 23, 24, 25, and 26, euch two adjacent chambers being in communication with each other through one of the ports 27, 28, 29, and 30. The chamber 18 is in communication with the atmosphere through the port 3.1, and the chamber 29. is in coinmunication with the conduit 16 through the port'32. The flow, through the ports 27, 28, '29, and 30, is controlled by'means of suhstantially similar valve- mechanisms 33, 34, 35, and 36, respectively. Each of these valve-mechanisms isfmovable, from a position in which it permits a substantially free tiow of air through its port to a position in which it oli'ers a yielding resistance to the flow of air, by moans of a pneumatic 37 which acts on a lever 38, on which the valve )roper 39 is yieldably mounted. Au adjustable stop 40 limits the valve-closing movement of the lever 38. A spring 40 acts on the lever 38 and tends to hold the. pneumaticV 37 collapsed. Each of the pneumatics 37 is controlled from the tracker 41 through one of the'conduits 42, '13, 44, and 45, leading from the tracker to the junction -and valve-block 46, one of the conduits 47, 48, 49,and 50. leading from the junction and valve-block 46, to the valve-actions 51, 52, 53, and 54, respectively, and one of the conduits 55, 56, 57, and 5S, leading from the valve-actions to the pneumatica 37, respectively. Thc ort 31 is controlled by means of an adjustable, yielding, pressure-operated -valve-mechanism 58,

The lever 3S is pivotally mounted at 59 ou a fulcruiu-block 60 and is provided, at one end with a felt pad 61 for engagement with the meumatic 3T, and, at its other end, with a ,telt pad 62 for engagement with the stop 40. The valve 39 is secured to a stein 63, the upper end of which slides in a guide 64, and the lower end of which extends through-an olpeninrir in the lever 38 and has a washer 65 s ippedD over it and. a nut 66 threaded onto it.. For yieldably supporting the valve 39 on the lever 38, a coil-Spring 67 is provided which surrounds the stem 63. When the valve 39 is opened, this sprin acts on the valve to hold it as far from tie lever 38 as the nut 66 will permit. lVheu the valve is raised by the lever 38, the spring 67 is further compressed, the degree of compression being determined by the setting of the stop 40. To prevent fluttering of the valve 39 when in raised position, a bellows dash-pot 68 is interposed between the valve and the lever 38, being supported on the latter and having a finger 69 0n its movable leaf extending between the s ring. 67 and the valve 39. The bellows das i-pot consists in this instance', of a small bellows provided with a small leak-vent not shown, the arrangement of which ma be substantially the same as shown in my atent No. 1,231,809, dated July 3, 1917, upon automatic musical instruments, application filed June 28, 1916, which prevents a too rapid vibration of the bellows and thus checks any undesirable lluttering of the valve 39, but permits the normal o eration of the valve and compression of t e sp'ring 67. The finger 69 has a circular recess 69 (Figs. 4 and 5) in the lower side, in.

which the upper end of the spring 67 seats, and an o ening 69", through whichthe stem 63 extent s. For convenience, a slot^69c leads to the opening 69", through which slot the stem 63 can be passed, in assembling. If desired, thesprings 67 for the different valves 39 may be made of dierent strengths. Each stop comprises a bent lever 70, pivotally mounted on a fulcrum 71 and adjusted by means o'f a button 72. The button is secured to a stem 73, which extends through a notch 74 onthe lever and is threaded into a U-shaped nut 75, the arms of which straddle the lever 70 to prevent the nut from rotating when the button 72 is turned. Threads on the stems 73 are made left-hand, so that clock-wise turning of each button 72 causes and a bellows dash-pot 82 the horizontal arm of the respective lever to be raised to ermit the corresponding pad 62 torise hig er and a greater tension to be put on the respective spring 67 when its pneumatic 37 is ex ande hefulcrum 71 comprises a screw 6 extending through an opening 77 in the lever 70, and a felt washer 7 betweenl the lever 70 and the wall of the chamber. The screw 76 extends loosely through the opening 77 to permit the lever supporting the lever to ho d the lowered e of the opening 77 against the screw 76 an( thus revent rattling.

Ihe va ve-mechanism 58 comprises the valve proper 79, a bent leaf, spring-lever 8() for supporting the valve 79, a button 81 for adjusting the tension of the s ring-lever 80, or preventing fluttering of the valve 79. The construction of the bellows dash-pot 82 ma be substantially the same as that of the llows dashpot 68, already described. The button 81 1s secured to a stem 83, which is threaded into a U-shaped nut 84, which straddlcs the spring-lever to revent the nut from rotating. The threa on the part of the stem 83 engaging the nut, is made right-hand, so

that clock-wise turning of the button 81 w.. l increase the resistance of the valve 79 to the flow of air. Thevalve-actions 51, 52, 53, and 54, may be of any usual or suitable type. Each comprises a double valve 85, actuated by a diaphragm 86 controlled 'from the tracker. n the lowered position of each valve 85, the respective pneumatic 37 is in communication with the exhaust ill the valve-action windfchest 87 and, through the conduit 88, with the exhaust in the chamber 22 (the pressure inside and outside of the pneumatic thus being substantially equal); and in the raised position of the valve the pneumatic 37 is in communication with the atmosphere, which causes the pneumatic to expand and move the lever 38 until the pad 62 strikes thestop 40', the lever 38 in its movement bringing the valve 39 into ositlon to retard the flow of air throng its port. The manually operable valve-mechanism 17 comprises a slide-valve 89, movable to admit air selectively to any one of the conduits 47 48, 49, and 50,

In operation, the air-pump 12 is driven to exhaust air from the wind-chest through the conduits 13 and 14, and the expressiond evice 15 is operated/to modify the air-tension, produced by the air-pump, by admitting all' more or less freely through the conduit 16 to the conduit 13, such operation of the expression-device being controlled either automatically, by means of the perforations in the note-sheet 16", or manually, by means of the slide-valve 89. By means of the noteslet, any one, or any combination, of the vz, e-mechanisms 33, 34, 35,' and 36, may be' moved to a position t9 restrict, the flow of air through their respective ports. If all of the valvesare openI the flow of air through the expression-device is practically unimpeded, except by theyielding valve 79. By adjusting the buttons 72, so that each of the yielding valves will offer a different degree of resistance to the How of air, and by using various combinations of the yielding valves, the total resista-nce offered to thc flow of air through the ex`nession-devicc may be varied, either gradually or suddenly, over a wide range. This variable resistance of the flow of air through the expressiondevice, of course, results 1n n corresponding variation of the air-tension produced in the conduit 14 and wind-chest of the instrument, the tension in the wind chestincreasing with the increased resistance in the expressiondevice and decreasing as the resistance decreases.

llaving thus described my invention what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. An automatic musical instrument. comprising an exhaust air-pump andmeans for varyin the degree of air-tension produced by sai air-pump comprising a chamber in Aiii :direction to act upon lsaid ing an air-admission rt, and means for controlling said port including a movable' member, a valve, and yieldable means actin between saidmember and said valve; sai member bein movable in one direction to move said vave from said port and in an other direction to act upon said yieldable means to cause said valve to yieldingly obstruct the flow of air through said port. 2. An automatic musical instrumentcom- "rising an exhaust .air-pump and means ervarying the degree of air-tension. produced by said air-pumpcomprising a chamber in communication with said air-puinp and havin .an airgadmission port, andmeans for contro ling said port including a movable member, la valve,l yieldable means acting between said member and said valve, and

`means for actuating said member; said inember beingmovable in one direction to 'move said valve frommsaid port and in another ieldable means tocause said valve to yie d ing'ly obstruct the flow of air through s aidport.

3. A n automatic musical'instrument comprising an exhaust air-pump and means for varyin the degree of air-tension produced by sai' 'air-pumpcomprising a chamber in communication with said air-pump'a'nd havingLaii air-admission poi-t, and means for controlling .said port 4including 'a movable me rnber,'a valvaeldable means actingfbetween said'amem r Vand said..,va lve, y and sheet-controlled means -for actuati said member; said member beingimovable in one direction `-to move'l said valve. fromv said port ar'idfin" another direction to act upon s 'aid yielding'iieans to cause said valve to yieldingly o I ruct the flow of air through said automatic musical instrument com prising-an exhaust air-pnmp andmeans for varyin the degree of air-tension produced by sai air-pump. comprisinga chamber in communication with said air-.pump and h aving an air-admission4 art,.andl means -for controlling said. .port including a movable member, a valve, yieldable means acting bel.

tween said member .and'said valve; and a pneumatic for actuating said member; said member being movablein one direction to,

movesaidvalve from said port andfin `another direction to ac t upon' saidl Qyieldable means to cause said valveto yieldin'gly ob; struct the flow of air through said port.

5. An automatic musical instrument comprising an. exhaust air-pump'. and m'eans for varyin the degree of air-tension producedby sai air-pump comprising a chamber in communication with said air-,pump and-having anair-admission rt, and means controlling said valve, an yielda le means-acting in'one Vdirection upon said lever and in' another difor ort includingv a lever, a.

rectioii upon said valve; said lever b eing movable to move said valve from a position in which it does not materially obst-ruct .the flow of air throu h said port to a osition in whichA it isie dably held by sai yieldin means to o struct said flow.

An automatic musical instrument comprising an exhaust air-pump and means for varyin the degiee of air tension produced by sai air-pliiiip comprising a chamber i'i communication withsaid air-pump and having an air-adiiiisson port, and means for controlling said poi-t including a movable member, a valve, 'ieldablc means acting between' said mem ci' and said valve, and a stop for limiting the action of said member upon said yieldable means; said member being movable in one direction to move said valve from said port and iii another direction to act upon said ,vieldiible means to cause said valve to-yieldingly obstruct the flow of air through said port.

7. An automatic musical instrument comprising an exhaust air-pump and means for varyin the degree of air-tension produced by sai air-pump comprising a chamber iii communication with sind a-ir-piiiiip and having ii'ii"aii' adiiiission port, and means for controlling said port including a movable member, a valve yieldahle means acting between said member and said valve, and an adjustable stop for liiiiitiii the iiction of said member upon said yieldable means; said member being inova'ble in one direction to move said 'valve from said port and in another direction to act upon said yieldable means to cause said valve to yieldingly'ohstruct `the flow of air through said port.

V8. An automatic musical instrument com- 'prising an exhaust air-pump and means for varyin `thedegree of 'air-tension produced bysai -air-pump comprising a 'chamber in vcommunication with sind air-punip and having'an airadmission ort, and means for Vcontrolling said port including a iiiovablo meiiihci', a valve, yieldable means acting be- -tweeli sai( .member and. said '.viilic, and a i dash-'pot member for said valve' to prevent fluttering of the valve; said movable member being movable in one direction to move `said valve from saidport and in another direction to act upon said. yieldable means tofcause said valve to yieldingly obstruct the kflaw of air through said port.

9." An automatic musical instrument coinprising an exhaust air-piimp and means for varying the'degree of air-tension produced by said air-pump comprising a cha'iiiher in communication'witli said air-pump and-having an air-admission ort, and means for controlling said poit including a movable member, a valve, yieldablemeans acting betweensaid 'member and said valve, and a bellows dash-pot member for said valve to prevent fluttering of the valve; said movltl able member being movable in one direction to move said valve from said ort and in another direction to act upon said ieldable means to cause said valve to yieldingly obstruct the tiow of air thiough said port.

10. An automatic musical instrument com? controlling said port including a movable,

member, a valve yieldablevmeans actin between said member and said valve, la ashpot member for said v alve to prevent fiuttering of the valve, and means f or actuating said movable member; said movable member being movable in one direction to move said valve from said port and in another direction to act ii )on said yieldable means to causo said vallve to yieldingly obstruct the flow of air through said port.

11. An automatic musical instrument comprising an exhaust ar-puinp and means for vai'yin r the degree of air-tension produced by sait air-piimp comprising a chamber in cxnnnnmication with said air-puiiip and having an air-admission ort, and means for controlling said port including-a movable member, a valve, yieldable means actin between said member and said valve, a ashpot member for said valve to prevent fluttering of the valve, and a pneumatic for actiiiiting said movable member; said movable member being movable in one direction to move. said valve from said port and in another direction to net upon said yieldable means to cause said valve to yieldingly obstruct the floiv of air through said port.

12. An ex ression-device for varying the degree of airtension produced by an.air pump, comprising a chamber in communication with said air`lnnip and having .an airadmssion port, and means for controlling said port includinr a movable member, a valve, and yieldiib e means actin between said member and said valve; sai member being movable in one direction to move said valve from said port and in another direction to act upon said yieldable means to enlise said valve to yieldingly obstruct the flow of air through said port.

13. An ex ressioii-device for varying the degree of air-tension lproduced by an airpuiiip, comprising a c iiiiiiber in communication with said air-pump and having an air-admission port., and means for control- ,ling said poi't`in'rluding a movable-member.

a valve, yieldnble means acting between said member and said valve, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of said member, and means for actuating said member; said member being` movable in one direction to move said valve from said port and in another direction to act upon said yieldable Lacasse means to cause said valve to yieldingly obstruct the 'flow of air through said.port.

14. An expression-device for varying the degree of air-tension produced by an airunip, comprising two chambers, a I'rt afording communication between sai chambers, an air-inlet port to one of said chamcause said -valve to yiel ingly obstructthe flow of air through said port.

15. Ari expression-device for varying the degree of air-tension .produced by an lairpump, comprising two chambers, a rt affording communication between sai lchambers, an air-inlet port to one of said chambers, the other chamber being provided with means affording communication with the air-piniip, a yielding valve for said inlet port actuated by the air-pressure on said valve, and means f'or controlling the other said portincluding a movable member, a valve, yieldable means acting betweencaid member and said valve, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of said member and means for actuating said member; sai member bein move said va ve from said port' and in an- -other direction to act upon said yieldable means to cause said valve to ieldinglyobstruct the flow of air througli' said port.

16.' A device for varying the degree of airtension reduced by an air-pump, having a series'o ports through which the same air flows successively, yielding valve-means for controllin the flow through one of said ports, an( means for controlling the flow through another of said ports wmprisiiig a niova ile memberfa valve yieldably supported with-respect to said member, and means for mounting said member to move said valve from a ositio in which it does notmaterially oistruct the flow of nir through its port to a position in which it otiers a vielding` resistance to said fiow; said Wirtcontrolling deviet` -being in seriesarrangement,

whereby tlieiaeti'eetjs cumulative.

1T. A device for .vaiving the degrw of air-tension produced by an air-piiinp,- havini,r a series of ports through which the saine air flows successively. yielding valve-means movable in one direction to for controlling-the flow through one of said for mounting said member to move said other dreet'mmhold said valvetoyieldingly valve from a position in which it does not obstruct the"ow of airthroiigh said port, materially obstruct the flow of air through and a dashpot member for said valve to its ort to a position in which it olers a prevent fluttering-of the valve. l yiel ing resistance to said flow, and means 22. An automatic.musicalinstrument comfor actiia-tin said member; said port-com. prising an exhaust. air-pump and means for trolling devices bein in series arrangevaryin 4the degree of air-tension produced ment, whereby their ci ect is cumulative. by sai air-pump comprising a. chamber in 18. An automatic musical instrument comcommunication with said air-pump and havprising an exhaust air-pump and means for ing an air-admission port, and means for viiryin f the degree of air-.tension produced controlling said port including a valve, a b v sai air-pump comprising ii chamber in communication with said air-puinp and havsaid valve, yieldable means through which ing an air-admission port, and means for said member may, upon movement in ancontrolling said port including a valve, u other direction, hold said valve to yieldmember movable in one direction to open ingly obstruct the flow of air throu li said "said valve, and yieldable means through s port, and a. bellows dash-potmem er for which said member may, upon movement in said valve to prevent fluttering of the valve. another direction, hold said valve to yield- 23. An automatic musical instrumentcomingly obstruct the flow of air through said prisiiigiaii exhaust air-pump and means for rt.' varyin the degree of air-tension'pro'duced 19. An automatic musical instrument comvby sai air-pump comprising a chamber in prising an exhaust air-pump and means for communication with said air-pump and havvarying the degree of air-tension produced ing an air-admission port, and means vfor by said air-pump comprising ii chamber in controlling said port including a valve, a communication with said air-pump und liavmember movable in one direction to open ing` an air-admissionJport', and means. for said valve, yieldeb1e means through which controlling said-portincludin a. valvbhg., said member ma u'pon movement in aniuember'movable-in one direction todopenfl,v other-direction, liold said valve to yieldsaid valve, said membei` being movable' also' ingly obstruct the ow of air through said in a second direction, Ayieldable means port, a dash-pot member for said valve to th'rough which said member may, upon prevent uttering' ofthe vulve, and means movement in said second directiomhold said for actuating said movable member.

said valve to yieldingly -'obstruct the flow "Rive t0 yeldngly bStllCl the lOW 0f uil* 24. An automatic musical instrument-comthrough said' port, and a stop for limiting, prising an exhaust air-pump and means for the movement of said member in second divaryi the degree of air-tension produced rection. l by sai` air-pump comprising a chamber in 20. An automatic musical instrument com-, communication with said air-pump and havprisng an exhaust air-pump and means for ing anjair-admission ort, and means for varying the degree .0f airtension produced eontrollingsaid port including a valve, a by said air-pump comprising a chamber in member movable in one direction to open comn'iunication with said air-pumpand havsaid valve, yeldable means through which ing an air-admission eport, and means for Seid membepma, upon movement in an. controlling said port including a valve, aother direction, hold said, valve to yieldiiieniber movable -in one direction to open ingly obstruct the flow of air through said said valve, said member being movable also port, a dash-.pot member for Said valveV to in a second direction, yieldable means prevent fluttering ofthe valve,.and a pneu. through which said member may, upon vmatic-for actuating said movable member. movement -in said '.secondd-irection, hold-'5 25. An eik-pression device for varying the degree' of air-tension vproduced by an' airad ustablc pump, comprising a chamber in communicaof air. through said port, and an stop for limiting the movenie'nt of said meinnien-with said air-.pump and having an airlier in second dlirectionr- 21. An automa admission port, and 'mea-nsfor controlling `ic musicalzmstruiiient oom- U ls'aidrt,inc.luding avalve, a membei.niov pi-sng an exhaust air-pump and m'eans for able' inione direction' to open said valve, and vaiving the degree Iofair-.tension produced yeldable means through which said member by said air-pump comprising a chamber in may, uponmovement in another direction, communication with said air-pump and havhold said v alve to yieldingly obstruct the ing an air-admission rt, .and means for .-'fiowl o f air-through said port. controlling said ,port'including a valve, a In witness whereof, I have member movable in ,one direction to open scribed myname.4 said valve, yieldable means thronghwhich i said member may, upon movement in nn- ALFRED SWENSEN.

hereunto submaf-a

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