US1745850A - Player piano - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 4', 1930. A. G. GULBRANSEN 1,745,350

PLAYER PIANO Filed Jan. 24,1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 wi 5sx v SQ Feb. 4, 1930. A. G. GULBRANSEN PLAYER PIANO Filed Jan. 24, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 4, 1930. A. G. GULBRANSEN PLAYER PIANO Filed Jan. 2 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 warez G. Gzzlrawsaw Mmzm- M Patented Feb. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AXEL G. GULBRANSEN, OF RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GULBR-ANSEN COM- PANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS PLAYER PIANO Application filed January 24, 1927. Serial No. 163,016.

This invention relates to player pianos, and more particularly to that class of player pianos in which the action is exhausted by pedal operated bellows or equivalent means.

My invention relates primarily to means for operating the roll motor independently of the power unit for exhausting the action. By providing power operated means for driving the roll motor I reduce the volume of air which has to be handled by the pedal operated means fifty per cent or more, greatly decreasing the effort required in operating the pedals and giving much quicker and more accurate control of the expression. A further important feature of my invention is the provision of novel means for easily and accurately controlling the operation of the roll motor exhausting means. Further advantages and objects of my invention will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a player piano of known construction, with the front boards of the case removed, showing my invention as applied;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the independence between the roll motor exhausting means and the action exhausting means;

Fig. 3 is a section through the throat of the motor tension reservoir;

Fig. 4. is a diagrammatic view, partly in perspective, of the connections between the re-roll lever and the shift lever, illustrating the motor control; and

Fig. 5 is a detail, partly in section, illustrating the exhaust motor control switch and the arm for operating the same on the reroll lever shaft.

The player piano illustrated is of known construction and includes the action of known type which includes the pneumatic stack or wind chest 1 upon which are mounted the striker pneumatics, as usual. This pneumatic stack is connected by tube 2 to throat 3 of the power unit 4. This unit includes equalizers 5 andbellows 6, the bellows being operated by pedals 7 connected thereto in a known manner.

The spool box 8 is mounted on a shelf bracket 9 supported above the stack 1. Roll chucks l0 and 11, together with the tracker bar 12 and spool 13 are mounted in the box 8. The chuck 10 and spool 13 have driving connections with a roll motor 14, which is pneumatically operated and is of known construction, through suitable driving connections including a shift lever which controls the operating connections between the motor and the spool and chuck for winding the music sheet 16 off of the roll 17 on to spool 13, or vice versa for re-winding the roll.

The throat 3 of unit 4 is provided at the end thereof adjacent tube 2, with a gate valve (not shown) which is operated in a known manner by means of pneumatic 18 controlled by a valve which is connected by tube 19 to a silence control valve 20 mounted on the under-face of bracket shelf 9. This valve is normally closed but may be opened by means of a button 21 extending through bracket shelf 9 and is also opened automatically by a pin 22 carried by shift lever 23 and disposed for contact with the inclined lower face of head 24 of the valve structure. TVhen the valve 20 is opened atmospheric air is admitted through the tube 19 connecting the pneumatic 18 to the equalizer 5 thus collapsing the pneumatic and through the connections 25 closing the gate valve. This cuts 0H communication between the throat of the unit 4 and the other parts of the action communicating therewith in such manner as to eliminate possibility of playing of any note during rewinding of the roll. Gate valves and means for operating the same, controlled by a silence control valve, for rewinding, are well known in the art. An arrangement of the throat, gate valves, and associated parts similar to that above described is disclosed in my patent for player piano, Number 1,563,977, issued December 1, 1925.

- The player piano so far described is of well-known construction in this art and the various mechanisms operate in the usual manner. The present practice is to connect the roll motor 14 to the power unit 4S0 as to be exhausted thereby, a suitable governor and tempo valve being provided for regulating the speed of the motor and varying the can be varied at the will of the player by'in-" creasing or decreasing the rapidity ofoperation of the pedals thus correspondingly increasing or diminishing the air tension in the action system. In this: respect the manually I operated player piano has a very distinct advantage over the so-called reproducer piano which all parts are-operated by'power and a special expression device is provided which automatically varies the expression in accordance with penforations of the music sheet. This feature of thereproducer player piano is objectionable as the player has no control whatever over the expression and the individuality of the player does not enter at alliintothe rendition of theselection played. For this. reason many persons prefer the manually operated type of player piano even though this necessitates operation of the pedalsi. Byprovidinm means for operating the roll motor independently of the action exhausting means, this objectionis avoided and; as; previously noted, the volume of air handled is reduced by atleast fifty per cent, greatly increasing the ease with which the pedals are: operated and also giving a: more delicate control; of, the expression.

I provide: a suitable: device in the nature.

of a pump or exhauster for exhausting the motor independentlyof the action exhaustingmeans. In theparticul'ar form illuse tratedthis device consists of an exhaust fan which issecured upon. armature-shaft 26 of an electricmotor27 of suitable type. This fan operates in a casing 28 the intake of which is connected by a. tube 29 to a tension reservoir 30. This reservoir is provided at one end with; a throat 31 divided. by a parti tion 32 (Fig. 3): lHtOzbWO-CllfilllbQIS 33* and 34. Chamber 33 has direct communication with reservoir by a: duct35 and chamber 34 is connected by a tube 36 tothe exhaust of motor 14. Partition. 32 isprovided with an opening 37 which is normally closed by a gate valve 38. Thisgate valve isoperated by a 1 pneumatic 39 connected by link 40 tocrank 39* ofthe valve rod 39 to be moved into open position when the pneumatic is collapsed. Communication between this pneumaticaand throat 31 is controlled byJa valve which is: actuated by atmospheric pressure admitted through a tube 41 which communicates with the silence control valve 20; The tension reservoir has associated therewith a governor 42 and? a tempo valve 43- mounted on the throat'3l this valveand the governor being both of known type. The tempo valve is connected to the tempo lever 44 by an adjustable connecting rod 45 and is operated in the usual manner to control the speed of the motor. A governor and tempo valve and associated parts arranged and related: as above set forth are disclosed in my Patent 1 ,563,977 7 previously referred to, and are now well known the art. vVhen rewinding the music. roll, the silence control valve 20 is at high speed when rewinding the music sheet. It will be seen that by this arrangement th means for operating the roll motor is entirely separate and independent from the exhausting means and the volume of air to be handled is reduced by at least fifty per cent greatly increasing. the ease of operation of the action exhausting means and also giving a very accurate and delicate control of the expression. It will also be noted that-the motor can be readily controlled in the same manner and'by the-samemeans as is employed for this purpose in the present type of player piano; in

which the motor is exhausted by the same means as is. employed for exhausting the action.

Operation of the electric motor27, and the driving connections between; the roll motor '14. and the spool: 13 and roll :chuck- 10,. are

controlled by the re-roll lever 46 which is supported on the key bed 47; adjacent the tempo lever 44. The key bed also supports the key lock lever and the sustaining and melody leverswhichare mounted thereon. in their usual positionsi Lever 46 issecured to, one end of a shaft 47 lockably mounted: on

the under face of theikey bed in the. usual manner. This shaft is provided with a depending arm 48 to which issecured one end of a rod. 49 the other end of which. is pivoted to an armbOat the lower end of. avertical shaft 51 which is rockablymounted adjacent one end; of the player pianov case. This shaft isprovided at its upper'endwith an arm. 52 connected: by a: rod. 53 to; the lower end of shift lever 23. This connection between the re-roll lever and the shift lever is, broadly, very commonly employed in, player pianos buthas been varied by a provision of a special connection between the rod .53 and: the lower end of lever 23. The shift lever is provided at itslower end with a. horizontally tion of the outwardlyben-tend portion of rod 53. Thisbent portion or fingerbb of the rod is normally held at theleft hand. end (as considered in Fig. 4)} of slot 55 by-atensibn elongated head 54 having/a $1013.55 for recepl Bil spring 57 connecting lever 23 and rod 53. This connection permits movement of the re-roll lever 46 in a clockwise direction beyond that required to move the shift lever 23 into roll rewinding position.

A control switch 58 of known type is connected in series in the circuit of motor 27. This switch includes an on push button 59 and an off push button 60. These buttons are disposed to be operated by two integrally connected arms 61 and 62, respectively, secured to shaft 47 and disposed transversely thereof. The angular relation be tween the arms 61 and 62 is such that when the shaft 47 is turned to full re-wind position the arm 62 is out of contact with button 60. After the music sheet has been completely rewound the lever 46 is turned into its extreme position in clockwise direction thus bringing the arm 62 into contact with button 60 and depressing this button so as to open the switch and stop the motor. In starting to play the lever 46 is turned in a counterclockwise direction into playing position, in the usual manner, shifting the shift lever 23 into playing position, at which time button 59 is depressed by arm 61 to close the circuit setting motor 27 into operation. IVhile other means may be provided for controlling the electric motor 27 and the roll motor, I prefer to employ the means illustrated and above described as this conforms more closely to the standard practice and permits the use of the levers now commonly used in player pianos for this purpose.

IVhat I claim is z- 1. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means, pedal operated wind chest exhausting means, and power means for operating said unwinding and rewinding means, said operating means being independent of the wind chest exhausting means during operation of said unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

2. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means including a roll motor, pedal operated wind chest exhausting means, and power operated means for exhausting the roll motor, the motor exhausting means being independent of said wind chest exhausting means during operation of the unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

3. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means including a roll motor, wind chest exhausting means, and means for exhausting the roll motor, the motor exhausting means being independent of the wind chest exhausting means during operation of the unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

4. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means including a roll motor, wind chest exhausting means, and power operated pumping means connected to the roll motor, said pumping means being independent of the wind chest exhausting means during operation of the unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

5. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means including a roll motor provided with an exhaust, pedal operated wind chest exhausting means, an exhauster having its intake connected to the roll motor exhaust, and a motor driving said exhauster, the exhauster being independent of the wind chest exhausting means during operation of the unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

6. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means including a roll motor provided with an exhaust, pedal operated wind chest exhausting means, an exhaust fan having its intake connected to the roll motor exhaust, and a motor driving said fan, the fan being independent of the wind chest exhausting means during operation of the unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

7. In a player piano, music roll unwinding and rewinding means including a roll motor, pedal operated wind chest exhausting means, and power means for operating the roll motor simultaneously with and independently of the operation of the wind chest exhausting means during operation of the unwinding and rewinding means in unwinding direction.

In witness whereof, I hereunder subscribe my name this 19th day of January, 1927.

AXEL G. GULBRANSEN.

Images