US571746A - chase - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

J. H. CHASE.

TEMPO INDICATOR AND GOVERNOR FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 571,746. I Patented Nov. 24, 1896.

WITNESSES:

M m W ATTOR N EY (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. CHASE. TEMPO INDICATOR AND GOVERNOR FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 571,746. Patented Nov. 24, 1896.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HERBERT CHASE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGXOR TO THE JEOLIAN COMPANY, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

TEMPO lNDICATOR AND GOVERNOR FOR MUSIQAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,746, dated November 24, 1896.

Application filed May 27, 1896. Serial No. 593,357. (No model-l .1 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HERBERT CHASE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new, useful, and valuable Improvement in Tempo Indicators and Governors for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This in vention relates to an improved tempo indicator and governor for musical instruments, and has for its object to provide the combination and arrangement of parts such as will be hereinafter fully described.

' In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a musical instrument, showing myimprovoments in operative position and the relative arrangement of the several parts. Fig. 2 shows a music-sheet with index characters printed upon its right-hand edge. Fig. 3 is a detailed topview of my tempo-stop, its levers, and other directly cooperating parts. Fig. 4 is a detailed top view of a modified form of indicator, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of another modification. Fig. 6 shows a detail View of my scale.

Any parts occurring in two or more views are indicated by the same numerals of reference.

Before proceeding with a detailed description of my invention I would first invite at tention to the fact that the application of my improvements extends to all forms of pneumatic musical instruments, such as the aeolian, wherein the sounding devices are controlled automatically by a perforated music sheet acting as a valve to said sounding devices, the rate of travel of said music-sheet determining the tempo of the music, and while a skilled musician 01' performer has heretofore been able to regulate the travel of the sheet with the ordinary motorgovernor so as to properly change the tempo of the piece at the right time or place, yet no simple, practical, and adequate means has heretofore been provided, whereby a novice or unskilled performer could properly change and control the tempo of any piece with such accuracy as to render the mu sic with artistic correctness and spirit.

To these ends myinvention consists in the features of construction and new combination of parts hereinafter pointed out, and more clearly defined in the claims which follow this specification.

Primarily the invention consists in the combination of an air-supply chamber having a suitable air-opening, agoverning-valve controlling said opening, a stop or pull rod, a movable pointer and stationary scale, and independent connections between the stop rod and valve and movable pointer and stoprod, whereby a single movement of the said stop-rod will cause a simultaneous movement of both the valve and pointer.

One end of the music-sheet 1 is permanently secured to its spool 5, and when placed in the music-holder 0 the free end of the sheet is detachably secured or hooked to the takeup roller 7, which is engaged by a gear upon pulley 8, driven by belt 9 from pulley 10 upon the pneumatic motor,which latter is supplied with air or exhausted through the opening 11 of the upper supply-chamber 12, the sliding cover 13 working over the opening 1% and thereby regulating the amount of air passing or exhausted through said opening, and thereby governing the speed of said pneumatic motor, which in turn, through its system of pulleys, belts, and gears 10 9 S 7, regulates the speed of the music-sheet. The governing-slide 13 is connected by the connecting-rods l5 l0 and crank-lever 17 to the stop rod 18, as shown, and partakes of the slightest movemeut of the latter. In order to illdicate the exact position of the governingslide or the relative speed of the motor and music-sheet, which latter, heretofore explained, is governed by the position of the said slide 13, I provide the following connections: livotall y connected to the said stop-rod 18 is a bell-crank 19, pivoted at point 20 to a fixed. part and connected to the sliding rod 21 by the arm 22, thereby causing the said sliding rod 21 to partake of the slightest movement of the stop-rod 1S and its pointer 28 to move over the scale 2i and indicate by its po sition the relative speed of the pneumatic motor or the rate of travel of the music-sheet, and as these are governed by the extent the performer draws the stop or stop-rod 18 the pointer may also be said. to indicate the position. of the stop which governs it as well as the motor. This double movement or result is accomplished by the single movement of the stoprod 18, which has a connection with both the sliding rod or pointer and. the governing-slide.

The operations of my improvements are sul'istantially as follows: Suppose the musicsheet to have the prearranged numerals l0, 70, 20 marked upon its right-hand edge, as shown in Fig. 2, and that the music-sheet properly placed in the instrument. Then the performer, to start the piece at the proper tempo, draws the tempo -stop until the pointer 23 rests over 10 of its scale and the motor is left to run at this speed, which in this instance would be quite slow, until the next numeral 70 appears, when the performer draws out the tempo-stop still farther until the pointer rests upon 70 on its scale, and in these positions of the stop and pointer the motor and m usie-sheet would be made to travel at a comparatively fast rate until the next numeral 20 appeared, when the governing-stop would again be changed, and. so on throughout he continuation of the piece, the heretofore dillicult task of mastering the tempo of various pieces being, through the means herein disclosed, rendered obviously easy even to a novice.

In Fig. -;l I have shown a slight modification in the construction of pointer. In this arrangement I provide a pivoted pointer 95 instead of the sliding rod 21, said pointer working in conjunction with curved scale it.

In Fig. 5 I have shown still another modifi cation, in which instance the pointer 2 is in the form of a pivoted bell-crank lever, having its short arm 19 connected to a link 92, which in turn is pivoted to the stop-rod l8 and operated by said rod in the same manner as the other connections heretofore described are operated.

Many other minor changes or modifications may be made without avoiding the spirit of my invention, as

.Vhat I claim is l. Ina tempo indicator and governor for pneumatic musical instruments, the combina tion with the air-supply chamber having a suitable opening, a governing-valve control.- ling said opening, an operating-rod connected to the valve, a stop-rod arranged parallel with the valve-rod, a cranked arm arranged between and having its ends connected to the valverod, and stop-rod respectively so that the movement of one will operate the other, a stationary scale, av movable pointer, and a suitable connection between the pointer and stop-rod, whereby a movement of the stop- .rod will. cause a similar movement of the valve and pointer.

2. In a tempo indicator and governor for pneumatic musical instruments, the combina tion with the air-supply chamber having a suitable exit-opening,a sliding governor-val ve for said openin a rod connected to the valve, a sliding stop-rod, a pointer arranged parallel with the valve-rod and scale, and connections between the stop-rod,sliding valve and pointer whereby these two lz'itter-named devices are opera-ted by the single movement of the stoprod, substantially as described.

In a tempo indicator and governor for pneumatic musical instruments, the combina tion with the air-supply chamber having a suitable exit-opening, a sliding valve operating over said opening, a sliding stop-rod, a pointer and scale, a cranked arm having its opposite ends connected to the sliding valve and sliding stop-rod respectively, and a conneetion between the pointer and sliding-rod,

and for the purpose set forth.

-:l. In a tempo indicator and governor for pneumatic musical. instruments, the combination with the air-supply chamber having a suitable exit-opening, a sliding valve operating over said opening, a sliding stop-rod, a crank-arm having a connection with the val ve and stop-rod, a pointer and scale, and a bell crank lever having one end connected. to the stop-rod,and the other end arranged to operate the pointer, substantially as described.

In a tempo indicator and governor for musical instruments, the combination. with the air-supply chamber having a sui table exitopening, a valve for said opening, an operating-rod connected to the valve, a stop-rod, a pointer pivoted intermediate its ends, a sta tionary scale over which latter said pointer moves, and independent connectionsbetween the valve-operating rod and stop-rod and pointer and stop-rod whereby these parts are moved simultaneously.

In testimony whereof I. allix my signature in presence of. two witnesses.

J. lliGHUiCll'l till'i Hit. \Yitnesses:

W. K. linionan, A. O. fBUMr'ifs.

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