US1425533A - Electric self-playing violin - Google Patents

Description

B. E. MILLS. ELECTRIC SELF PLAYING VIOLIN.-

APPLICATION men SEPT. 9. 1921.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

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APPLICATION FILED SE-PT, 9y I92I. 1,425,533. I Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

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B. E. MILLS. ELECTRIC SELF PLAYING VIOLIN. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, I921.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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IIIIII/IIII/III UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IBERTIE E. MILLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MILLS NOVELTY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC SELF-PLAYING- VIOLIN.

Specification of Letterslatent. Patented Aug. 15, 19 22.

Application filed September 9, 1921. Serial No. 499,475.

T 0 aZZwhorm it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTIE E. MILLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson Boulevard and Green Street, Chicago, in. the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new Improvement in Electric Self-Playing Violins, of which the following is a specification. a a

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of self-playing violins exemplified in United States Letters Patents Nos. 1,085,943 and 1,094,819 toHenry K. Sandell.

In theviolins of the patents referred to, the strings are fingered by electrically operated fingering devices and are played by sounders, one for each string and comprising a plurality of nested cups, preferably of thin sheet-celluloid, on a constantly rotating motor-driven shaft normally in raised position wherein the sounder or how is held out of contact with the respective string until the latter is to be sounded, when an electromagnet, energized for the purpose, depresses the shaft to cause the sounder to attack the string.

In playing the violin, when any fingering-device leaves a string and the sounder which has acted against the same is raised to discontinue playing upon it,ythere is a tendency of the sounder to lag, whereby it continues momentarily to sound the open stringwith the result of injecting a false tone into the music and marring the effect, however slightly.

It is the primary object of my improve-.

ment to prevent that result, and this I accomplish by the means hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying draw.- ings, in which- I 1 Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of v the self-playing violin substantially as shown in the corresponding figure in the aforesaid Patent No. 1,094,819, but equipped with my improvement; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectionon line 2-2, Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a broken sectional view showing one of the solenoid-raised dampers to which my inventionrelates; Figure 4 is "a section on line 44, Fig. 1 corresponding to Fig. 8 in the aforesaid Figure '5 is a diagram illustrating the manner of controlling the electrical operation of the fingering devices and that of the and useful the bracket; and I metrically reduced stem-section 10 threaded the same string, only one of my tatory Patent No. 1,085,943, and

dampers, of my invention from a keyboard, instead of from a travelling pen forated musicrsheet as the fingering-devices in the aforesaid patents are stated to be operated, though my present improvement and the'fingering-devices may be operated in the last-named manner.

On the shield A (Fig, 2) protecting the levermechanism of the fingeringdevices is secured an angular bracket 7 extending across the strings 29 above but slightly in rear of the nut on the neck of the violin 6 where the strings cross to the tuning keys. Depending from the bracket are similar damper-devices each designated as a whole by the reference-numeral 8/ This device is a solenoid-magnet comprising a wire-wound tubular shell 9 of insulating material flanged at its opposite ends and having a threaded neck 9 to screw through a core 10 having a diaon its upper end where it passes. centrally through the neck 9 and is fastened by a nut 11 bearing against a washer 11 to cooperate with the upper shell fiange to stably secure the shell 9 in place. Each core ter minutes at its lower end in a damper-forming head 12, preferably of soft rubber, between which and the lower shell-flange is confined a helical spring 18 surrounding the solenoid-core and tending to normally press the damper resiliently against the re- 1 spective string 29.

Referring more particularly to the diagrammatic showing in Fig. 5:

Of the series of electromagnets 14 employed for operating the fingering-levers 25 for a violinestring, a few are represented; and the viewrepresents, for acting against damperdevices and also only one sounder on aroshaft 17 operated by a lever 27 worked by an electromagnet 44. The solenoids, of the four damper-devices and the electromagnets 14 are each included in a separate electric circuit, as represented of the device 8 and one electromagnet l4 and one elctromagnet 44 in the diagram, so that it is only required herein to describe the complete circuits shown in that figure:

The line-wire w leads to the electromagnet 44, thence to one side of each electromagnet 14, thence to the solenoid of the damper-device 8 for the violin-string along Which the electromagnets le extend, and from that damper-device to a spring-con tact device 15 in the line, the spring-arms of which are separated by interposed. insulation 16 and maintain the circuit normally open to be closed by inserting between the said arms to connect them electrically a metal contact-finger 17 on the end of a finger-operated key 18 fulcruined at 19 and which may be one key of a key-board. resembling that of a piano or organ; and from the contact-device the wire m leads to the return line-wire w. The opposite side of the electromagnet l4: nearest the damper-device 8 is connected by a wire it with a spring-contact device 15, like the device 15, and from which a wire on leads to the return line-wire, this circuit being closed by a contact-finger 17 on the end of a key 18 fulcrumed at 19, all as described of the circuit controlling the damperdevice.

By depressing a key 18 to close the circuit at 15 the respective electromagnet 44 is energized to depress the shaft 17 and cause the sounder thereon to attack the violin-string and energize the clectromagnet 14L included in the closed circuit to apply the fingering-device controlled by that electromagnet to the string. \Vhcn a lingeringdevice is withdrawn from engagement with a string of the violin by opening the circuit upon releasing the respective key 18 :t'rom depression to disconnect the finger 17 from the contact-device 15, momentary lag occurs in the raising of the respective sounder shaft 17 to withdraw the sounder thereon from the string being played by it, with the result of momentary continuance of the playing on the then open string and consequent marring of the music. which though very slight, since the lag of the sounder is of only of instantaneous duration, nevertheless produces an objectionable effect. "hm is minimized to an extent which renders it unnoticeable to the human ear, by the damper head 12 normally bearing against that string, which operates to so obstruct vibration of the string being played by the lagglng sounder as to nniiiie the resultant tone sufficiently to render it inaudible.

When an open string of the violin is to be played upon depression of the proper key 18, the operator depresses the key18 to close the circuit containing the damper-device 8 for that string, thereby exciting the sole noid of that device to raise its core 18 and lift the damper-head 12 from the string I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of the construction of my improvement herein shown, and I do not intend to limitmy invention thereto except as pointed out in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all the novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as permissible by the state of the art.

I claim:

1. In an automatically-played stringed instrument in which a string is fingered by fingering-devices and played by a sounder. the combination with the string 01 a damper-device normally bearing against it in ad vance of the fingering-devices, and means for withdrawing the damper from engagement with the string for playing of the sounder thereon as an open string.

2. In an automatically'playcd stringed instrument, in which a string is fingered by fingering-devices and played by a sounder, the combination with the string of a damperdevice comprising a reciprocating stem pro vided with a head or" soft material and supported to bear the head normally against the string in advance of the fingering-(ls vices, and means for actuating the stem to withdraw the head from engagement with the string for playing of the sounder there on as an open string.

3. In an electrically-played stringed instrument, in which a string is fingered. by a fingering-device and played by a sounder included with the fingering-device in series in an electric circuit, means for opening and closing said circuit, and a damper-device comprising a solenoid-magnet in an electric circuit and. having a spring-pressed core terminating in a damper-head, said, magnet being supported in advance of the fingering device there to bear the damper-head normally against the string. and means for closing the last-named circuit to excite said magnet to withdraw the damper-head from engagement with the string for playing of the sounder thereon as an open string.

4. In an electricallyplayed instrument of the viol class, in which a string is fingered by a fingering-device and played by a rotating sounder included with the lingeringdevice in series in a normally-open electric circuit a key carrying a contact-member for closing the circuit by manipulating the key, a damper-device comprising a solenoidmagnet in a normally-open electric circuit and having a spring-pressed core terminating in a damper-head, said magnet being supported in advance of the fingering-de vice there to bear the damper-head normally against the string, and a key carrying a contact-member for closing the last named circuit by manipulating the key to excite said magnet to withdraw the damperhead from engagement with the string for playing of the sounder thereon as an open BERTIE E. MILLS.

string.

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