US2532039A - Damper action for tuning fork pianos - Google Patents

Description

D. SEBOUH DAMPER ACTION FOR TUNING FORK PIANOS Nov. 28, 1950 Filed Oct. 26, 1946 r/ja is .1 5 li :zng 8 Zhwenfor (Ittorneg .wwiilfinj LII Patented Nov. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAMPER ACTION FOR TUNING FORK PIANOS Dickran Sebouh, New York, N. Y.

Application October 26, 1946, Serial No. 705,954

Claims. 1

My invention relates to piano action and particularly to a damper action for the tuning fork piano. The object of my invention is to provide an efficient damper mechanism for the tuning fork piano which can be installed in any type and/or any size upright piano hammer action without necessitating structural changes in said. hammer action. Another object of my invention is to provide a method of installation of the damper action in tuning fork pianos whereby a tuning fork unit, comprising a mounting rail, the forks etc., such as one shown in my Patent No. 2,263,106, can be installed with-- in a small space free of mechanical interference from the hammer action or the damper action. Still another object of the invention is to provide a damper action with the damper heads engaging both of the free ends of the tines and thereby stopping the vibration completely and quickly.

In the following description of the invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts through the several views in which;

Fig. 1 is the side elevational View partl in section showing one compl te unit of the invention as installed together with the hammer action and the mounted tuning fork.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing the free ends of three front tines of three forks representin three successive notes of the musical scale, engaged by damper heads and also showing the position of the damper wires and the striking line of the hammers.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly in section on the line 3-3 of 1, showing the tines of the fork of Fig. 2 in cross-section, and their relative position with the damper flanges and the piano keys, also showing in cross-section the damper wiresand showing the spoons engagin said keys.

In referring throughout this specification to the piano damper action it is believed that the mechanism of said action and the terms identifying various parts comp-risin said action are well known and understood, therefore a detailed description of the damper action and the definition of said terms are considered unnecessary.

In the conventional grand piano the damper lever mechanism consisting of damper lever, lever fiange, lever flange rail and loud pedal rail is installed at a position opposite to that in this invention with the key engaging the damper lever at the end as shown in broken lines marked B in Fig. 1. In this invention the damper lever mechanism is installed under the key frame 6 and is attached to the key bed I in the manner shown in Fig. l. The damper levers l are pivotally connected to the damper lever flange 2 projecting from the rear edge of the damper lever rail 3, to the lower rear part of which rail 3 is pivoted the loud pedal rail 4 having parts 4' thereon engageable with the damper levers. The usual engagement between the key 5 and the damper lever l is effected through a new member, a spoon 8 fixed to and extending from the damper flange 9 as shown. With this type of installation the width and the height of the piano will be considerably reduced. Moreover a more complicated design of installation resulting from the mechanical interference between the damper lever unit and the tuning fork mounting rail 10, had the damper action been installed as in conventional pianos, will be averted.

The upper ends of the damper wires II are slidably received in vertical bores l! a in the damper guide rail Hb. Each damper wire I! is straight excepting the loop at the end where the damper head i2 is held. No bending of the damper wire will be necessary for adjustments. The length and the axial position of said wire is regulated and set in the usual manner by the set screw [3. The damper head 12 is fitted snugly on the free ends of the tines T! and T2 and adjusted by rotary motion and is set in place fixedly by the set screw l4. Thus the damper head i2 simultaneously engaging the free ends of both tines will stop the vibration of the fork more efficiently and quickly. The straight longer portion of each damper wire H is fixed at a position away from and parallel to the tines Ti and directly opposite the space between consecutive tines T! so that the hammer 45 of the piano action Eta. will be unobstructed in its travel to strike the tines.

In Fig. 3 which is the top plan View of the invention with the tines TI and T2 cut across the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, is shown the relative position of the damper wire H and the spoon 8 as fixed on the damper flange 9 and also the position of the latter in its relation to the keys 5 and the tines T! and T2.

The action of damping and releasing the tines of the fork is as follows. When the key 5 (Fig. l) is pressed down at the playing end its other end engages the spoon 8 causing the damper wire II to be lifted up and the damper head 12 raised from the ends of the tines allowing the latter to vibrate. Upon releas ng said key the damper lever I drops down thereby causing the damper head l2 to press on the free ends of the tines TI, T2 thereby stopping the vibration of the fork, engagement of the key with the part l6 carried on the damper flange 9 insuring that the damper flange and connected parts shall always go down when the inner end of the key goes down.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a key frame; keys above and transverse to said frame; tuning forks mounted to the rear of the keys and having upwardly pointed tines having upper end faces in the same horizontal plane; a hammer action connected to and above each key having a hammer adapted to strike an adjacent tine in the plane of the key; a damper rail frontward of the forks and provided with vertical upper bores; a lever flange under the keys; a damper lever pivoted to the lever flange under each key and projecting beyond the key; a damper flange pivoted to the rear of each damper lever; a spoon on each damper flange over the adjacent key; damper wires between hammer paths and slidable in said bores and secured to corresponding damper flanges; the upper end of each wire carrying a damper head having a lower cushion face engaging both tine ends.

2. A combination as in claim 1, comprising an upwardly movable loud pedal rail having parts engageable under thedamper levers.

3. In a combination as in claim 1, and a projection on each damper flange under the associated key.

4. In a piano, a key bed; a bank of substantially horizontal keys thereon; tuning forks near the rear of the keys havin upper tine faces; hammers connected to and above the keys and adapted to strike adjacent tines; a damper guide rail disposed frontward of the upper ends of the forks above the path of the hammers and provided with a series of vertical upper bores each mid way between the vertical planes of the adjacent keys; a iower flange rail secured along and projecting rearwardly from the lower rear margin or" the bed; a lower flange projecting from the rear edge of the lever rail; a damper lever under each key and pivoted to the damper flange and rearwardly projecting slightly beyond the key; an upwardly pointing damper flange pivoted at its lower end to the rear end of each damper lever and having in its upper end a bore vertically alined with a corresponding bore of the damper flange; a spoon horizontally mounted on each damper flange and disposed over the cushioned face; damper wires offset from the pa h of the hammers and respectively slidable in said upper bores and adjustably secured in the corresponding damper flange bores; and damper heads on the wires and engageable with said upper tine faces.

5. In a piano, 2. bank of substantially horizontal keys; tuning forks near the rear of the keys having upper tine faces; upwardly longitudinally movable damper members each having a part over the rear of the key and each comprising an upwardly directed wire; and hammers connected to and above the keys and adapted to pass between adjacent wires to strike adjacent tines, upper end of each wire being rearwardly and slightly laterallyturned and turned vertically downwardly over the mid part of the space be tween the tines of the associated fork; a damper head for each fork having a lower horizontal cushioned face, and an upper bore in which the (iii downwardly turned upper end of the wire is adjustably secured; said lower cushioned face simultaneously engaging or leaving the ends of both tines with the same speed and movement as the rear end of the key and with little movement when the head is lowered or raised thereby stopping the vibration evenly completely and quickly damped, avoiding injury to the quality of the sound.

6. In a piano, a bank of horizontal keys; a fork mounting rail close to the rear of the keys; forks on the rail having tines having upper end faces in the same plane; a damper lever under the rear end of the keys; an upwardly movable damper flange pivoted to each damper lever, and each having a part over the rear of a key; upwardly longitudinally guided damper wires extending upwardly from corresponding damper flanges; the upper part of each wire carrying a damper head having a lower cushion face engaging both tine ends; a hammer action connected to and above each key having a hammer adapted to pass between adjacent wires to strike an adjacent tine; a loud pedal rail under and closely adjacent to the damper levers and having parts thereon engageable with the damper levers, whereby the damper heads may be raised when said pedal rail is raised; a projection on each damper flange disposed under the associated key to insure the lowering of the damper head when the key is lowered thus allowing light weight damper actuating parts; the installation of the damper levers under the keys and the fork mountin rail close to the keys greatly reducing the height and width of the piano.

'7. In a piano, a horizontal key frame; substan tially horizontal keys above and transverse to said frame; tuning forks having yokes substantially level with the keys mounted near and to the rear of the keys in the vertical plane of the keys, and each having upwardly pointed substantially vertical tines having both upper end faces in the same horizontal plane; a damper guide rail just above the level of said end faces and provided with vertical upper bores vertically over the space adjacent to the yokes and keys and in the vertical planes between adjacent keys; a lever flange under the keys; a damper lever pivoted to the lower flange under each key and projecting slightly beyond the key under said space; an upright damper flange pivoted to the rear of each damper lever between the associated key and yoke; a spoon on each damper flange over the adjacent keys, whereby when the rear end of the key is raised the damper flange is raised at the same speed; substantially vertical damper wires parallel with said tines and longitudinally slidable in said bores and secured fast to corresponding damper flanges the upper end of each wire being turned downwardly in the vertical plane of the associated fork and key and carrying a damper head having a lower horizontal cushion face having straight line movement while maintaining said cushion face parallel to said end face and at a right angle to the path of the head and simultaneously engaging both tine ends with the same speed and at the same speed as the rear end of the key; a removable hammer action operatively connected to and above each key entirely frontward of and remote from said wires and damper levers and removable without disturbing the wires and damper levers and having a hammer adapted to pass between adjacent wires to strike an adjacent tine in the plane of the key.

8. In a piano as in claim 7 an upwardly mov- 5 able loud pedal rail under the keys and damper levers and having parts engageable under the damper levers.

9. In a piano as in claim 7 a projection on each damper flange under the associated key.

10. In a piano, a bank of horizontal keys; tuning forks at the rear of the keys and having tines having upper end faces in the same plane; upwardly movable damper flanges each having a part over to the rear of a key; upwardly guided vertical damper wires extending upwardly from corresponding damper flanges; the upper part of each wire carrying a damper head having a lower cushion face engaging both tine ends; and a hammer action connected to and above each key having a hammer adapted to pass between adjacent wires to strike an adjacent tine; and a projection on each damper flange engaging under the associated key.

DICKRAN SEBOUH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 309,138 Fischer Dec, 9, 1884 1,353,643 George Sept. 21, 1920 2,263,106 Sebouh Nov. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 145.177 France Oct. 6, 1881

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