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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW,
10
Davis Triumphs.
SPECIFICATIONS FORMING PART OF PATENT
NO. 5 4 6 , 5 8 2 , GRANTED TO GEO. HOW-
LETT DAVIS ON ELECTRICAL PIANO
ATTACHMENT, DATED SEPT.
J
7.
l8
95- 7>K ;
To all ivJwm it may concern:
Be it known that I, George Howlett
Davis, a citizen of the United States, re-
siding at New York, in the County of New
York and State of New York, have invent-
ed a certain new, useful and valuable im-
provement in electrical pianos, of which
the following is a full, clear and exact de-
scription.
This invention has for its especial ob-
jects, first, to provide a construction which
can be applied as an attachment to any pi-
ano whatever without injuring it in the
least or affecting its ordinary use, while in
applying other forms of attachments it has
been necessary to make numerous altera-
tions and use a large clumsy rolier in front
of the piano, requiring an expert to apply
it; second, to provide a music-holder of ex-
tremely small dimensions, which may be
placed entirely out of sight if desired,
whereas the music-drawers of other attach-
having my attachment applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of
the same, and also of the music-holder and
keyboard. Fig. 3 is a detail front view of
the friction-roller, friction-shoe, magnet-
bars, etc. Fig. 4 is a view of the under
side of the music-holder, and Fig. 5 is a de-
tail view of the pedal action.
Similar numerals of reference indicate
corresponding parts recurring in two or
more views.
I prefer to employ as a motive power an
electric motor 1, located in the bottom of
the piano (see Fig. 1), having a cone-pulley
2, giving motion to the driving belt 3, the
pulley 4 and the friction-roller 5 bearing in
the boxes 6 of the suspension arms 6 a , rig-
idly secured to the wood support 8,. which
is itself detachably secured to the under
part of the piano, and upon which nearly
my entire action is suspended.
Upon the angle-bar 9 are secured a series
of electromagnets 9% the armatures 9 b of
which are pivoted in the cleats
9 C adjustably secured by the
screws 9.1, and to the free ends
of said armatures are pivotally
secured a series of friction-
shoes 8, having the arms 8 il , to
the ends of which latter are
pivotally secured the striker-
necting their upper ends, and to the center
of which rod is attached the draw-bar 23",
terminating in the hook 23'', which, upon
being pulled forward, disengages the latches
and allows the lower part 22 to swing down
and throws the roller 22" out of engage-
ment or contact with the metal contact-fin-
gers 23 1 , to which the wires 23- are con-
nected. The swinging arms 22" also piv-
otally support the two music-rollers 2 2 d
and 2 2 e , the latter having the music-paper
22 f permanently secured thereto, said pa
per being provided at its free end with a
loop 22'-, which sets over the pin 22 1 ' of the
roller 22' 1 , the latter acting as what is known
as a "live" roller, and gradually winds the
music-paper 22 upon itself when revolved
by the cable 29, extended to a pulley on the
friction-roller 5 and given motion thereby.
The pedal-bars or dampers are actuated by
simply extending the two bars 30 31 down-
ward instead of upward from the ends 8 a of
the friction-shoes and connecting said bars
FIG. I
Attorneys
ments now on the market are so large as to
interfere with the knees of the performer,
and, furthermore, to provide a music-hold-
er which can be placed at any distance
away from the piano; third, to provide an
attachment which will repeat a particular
note faster than can be done even by an
expert performer, thus making it possible
to give a satisfactory reproduction of heavy
classical music; fourth, to provide an at-
tachment which can be manufactured at a
comparatively lower cost than any now on
the market; fifth, to provide an attachment
which is adapted to use very thin music
paper instead of heavy thick paper.
Proceeding with a detail description of
my invention, reference is had to the ac-
companying drawings, forming a part of
this specification, and in which—
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a piano
rods i2, which engage the rear ends of the to the regular pedal-bars 30* 31"; but, as it
keys 27, which keys operate the upper ac- requires some little power to draw up the
tion of the piano in the usual way. Above pedal-bars and actuate the dampers, I pre-
the angle-iron 9 is located a smaller angle- fer to attach the rods 30 31. each between
iron 13, holding the adjustment or bumper- two of the shoes 8, as shown at Fig. 5.
The operation of the complete device is
screws 28, regulating the upward movement
of the armatures 9 when drawn up by the substantially as follows: First, suppose the
spring 11, connecting it with the adjust- lower part of the music-holder to be down,
ment-screws 10. To the rear of said angle- then the roller ,»2 t \ holding the music-pa-
iron is secured a wood strip 13", iipon the per, is set into the bearings 22 1 22 1 of any
top edge of which the wires 9", leading from suitable construction, after which the free
the respective magnets 9 1 , are joined to the end of the paper is carried over the roller
wires 23* leading from the music-holder 22 22 C , and the loop 22 b ' set over the pin 22 1 ',
23, said music-holder consisting of two when the swinging arms 22 !l are thrown up
parts—first, the upper part having the until engaged and held by the latches 23°,
wood piece 23 bound on either edge by the after which the electric current is turned
metal strips 23% to the front ends of which on and the motor started, whereupon the
are pivoted the swinging arms 22% and the roller 5, the cable 29, and the roller 22 1 ' will
rear ends having the latches 23,, pivoted be set in motion, and the music-paper
thereto, said latches having a rod 23° con- 22 { slowly advanced and wound around the