US424004A - Lamp-holder for upright pianos - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' T. E. KING.& A. T. GOODSELL.

LAMP HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

No. 424,004. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

WIZJV'ESSES [/VVEJVIOZS (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. E. KING & A. T. GOODSELL.

LAMP HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

No. 424,004. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

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WITNESSES IWEJV'Z'OflS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE E. KING, OF YVESTPORT, AND ALFRED T. GOODSELL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

LAMP-HOLDER FOR UPRIGHT PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,004, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed December 12, 1839. Serial No. 333,516. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THEODORE E. KING and ALFRED T. GOODSELL, citizens of the United States, residing at WVestport and Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp- Holders for Upright Pianos; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object to provide a support or rest for various articlessuch as a lamp, metronome, or vase of flowers-and which shall be adapted for attachment to vario us articles of furniture. Ve have, however, especially had in View a device of this kind adapted to pianos as a support for a lamp or metronome in practicing or playing. The most serious difficulties with devices of this class as heretofore placed upon the market have been, first, the fact that it has been practically impossible to secure them in place without marring a piano-casewe might say impossible, in most cases, to attach them to upright pianosand second, that they have been so located relatively to the key-board and music-rack, more especially the latter, that the rays of light would pass directly across the music,but without lighting it updistinctly, the lamp, in fact, being necessarily placed too far back to give the best results. This has been especially true in applying devices of this class to upright pianos. We are not aware at this time of a single lamp-support which can be attached to an upright piano and, while not marring the wood-work in the slightest, will hold the light in such a position as to light up the music-rack and keyboard to the best possible advantage. The necessity for lighting up the music-rack and key-board by other means than setting a lamp upon the piano or organ has led recently to the extensive use of stand-lamps, or, as they are frequently called, piano-lamps, and in many instances to the arrangement of gas brackets and chandeliers over the head of or back of the performer when seated at the piano.

In order to produce a support for the purposes specified that may be attached to an upright or any other class of piano, or an organ, or any suitable article of furniture, which may be attached by any person, skilled or unskilled, which will not mar the wood-work in the slightest, which may be removed or replaced without the slightest trouble, and which will hold a lamp in such position as to light up the key-board and music-rack, and which, furthermore, shall be of such low cost as to be within the reach of all, we have devised the novel construction of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used to denote the several parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective of an upright piano, showing the manner in which our novel lamp-holder is secured thereto and the position in which the lamp is held in use; Fig. 2, an elevation of the device detached; Fig. 3, an inverted plan view of the rest and carrying-rod; Fig. 4, an inverted plan view of the arm detached, and Fig. 5 is an elevation of the clamp.

1 denotes the rest, which may be made of any suitable material or preferred design. We preferably make it either octagonal or round, as shown in the drawings, and make the bottom of the rest of wood and cover it with plush or velvet, although this is wholly immaterial, so far as the gist of our invention is concerned. Around the edge of the rest we place a raised border 2, which is in practice made ornamental to increase the attractiveness of the article, and which serves the useful purpose of insuring that the lamp be set within it so as to avoid the possibility of the lamp being carelessly placed upon the rest and then slipping off. This rest is carried by a rigid rod In practice we rigidly secure at the upper end of the rod a strengtheningpiece 4, having arms 5, which are screwed or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom of the rest, as clearly shown in Fig. The carrying-rod is adapted to slide freely in a hole 6 at the outer end of an arm 7. The arm is preferably provided with an enlargement 8, through which the hole is made, the rod being locked at any desired adjustment as to height I00 by a set-screw 9, which passes through one sidle of theenlargement and bears against the lOC In order to avoid the possibility of the rod slipping and allowing the rest to drop suddenly through carelessness in tightening setscrew 9,we provide a collar 17 on the rod, which is locked by a sunken screw 17". It will, of course, be apparent that the vertical adj ustment will seldom require to be changed; All that is necessary therefore is to determine the height at which the rest should be placed to cause the lamp to light up the key-board and music, loosen the collar, and allow it to rest on enlargement 8, and then look it there by set-screw 17 This insures that when the parts are removed they can be replaced at the same adjustment withoutloss of time, and pro vides with set-screw 9 a double lock for the rest. On the under side of the arm we provide a groove 10, lying longitudinally of the arm, the inner end of which terminates abruptly, the main portion of which is made of sufficient width to just receive the end of the set-screw freely, and the outer end of which flares out to almost the entire width of the arm. It will of course be understood that the manner in which this groove is formed is wholly immaterial so far as our invention is concerned. WVe preferably, however, and as shown in the drawings, accomplish this result by means of a branched rib 11 on the under side of the plate, said rib extending the entire length of the arm, and the point where the branches converge serving as a stop at the inner end of the groove. If preferred, however, the arm may be made thicker, and a groove or depression formed therein in casting.

12 denotes a clamp having a slot 13 made wide enough to receive the arm loosely and provided with a central set-screw 14. e ordinarily place a boss 15 at the center of the clamp, so as to lengthen the bearing of the set-screw. This clamp is the only portion of the device that under any circumstances comes in contact with the piano. It is placed on the under side of the key-board, where the wood-work in most pianos is not even roughly stained, and where its attachment can do no possible damage whatever. It simply requires two screws passing through holes 16 (see dotted lines, Fig. 5) to hold it in place. The inner end of the arm is passed into groove 10 in the clamp.

In use set-screw 14: is preferably left in about the position shown in Fig. 5, so as to insure that the arm shall pass in centrally. By making the outer end of groove 10 flarin g, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, we insure that the arm will readily pass into a slot in the clamp. No matter how carelessly the arm is passed into the slot the widened outer end of the groove will cause it to engage the end of the set-screw. I11 practice the slot is made considerably wider than the arm, so as to permit the arm to be swung in either direction that is, toward the right or left, as seen in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that it is not necessary to remove any portion of this device from an upright piano or even to remove the lamp therefrom in closing the instrument, as the cover does not come in contact with any portion of the holder or with a lamp or other article placed on the holder. Should it be desired to remove the rest, set-screw 9 may be loosened and the rest and rod removed, or set-screw 14: may be loosened and the rest, rod, and arm removed, leaving the clam p only upon the instrument, and this may be removed by turning out two wood-screws.

It will be seen that our improved construction is the simplest possible,and is especially adapted to the purposes stated,

The whole device is very strong, and will hold with perfect safety many times the weight that it is possible to place thereon.

The great strength of the device and the border around the rest insure absolute safety.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. A support for lamps and other articles, consisting of a rest, a carrying-rod therefor having an adjustable collar, an arm to which the carrying-rod is adj ustably secured, said arm having on its under side a groove 10, made flaring at its outer end, as shown, and a clamp adapted to be secured under the keyboard of a piano, and having a slot to receive said arm, and a set-screw adapted to engage said groove, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A support for lamps and other articles, consisting of a rest having a border and a carrying-rod provided with an adjustable collar, an arm having a groove in its under side widened at its outer end and ending abruptly at its inner end to receive the rod,

and a set-screw to lock it in place, and a clamp having a slot 13 to receive the arm, and a set-screw adapted to engage the slot, the widened outer end of the groove insuring that the set-screw will engage therewith as the arm is passed into the slot.

I11 testimony whereof We ailix our si natures in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE E. KING. ALFRED T. GOODSELL.

Vitnesses:

A. M. Woos'rER, ARLEY I. MUNsoN.

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