US839478A - Piano. - Google Patents

Description

T. J. HOWARD;

' PIAND. APPLICATION FILED MAR.9.19 06.

PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

THOMAS J. HOWARD, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed March 9,1906. Serial No. 305.145.

T 0 all whom, it 'lmty concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. HOWARD, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to a straining means for the iron plate which will act in opposition to the strains caused by the tension of the strings, and this straining means consists of one or more adjustable straining members located in rear of the sounding-board and connected through the wrest-plank and through the bottom plank of the back with the iron plate by tie-bolts or equivalent means to enhance the durability of the abovementioned parts and maintain a uniformity of quality of tone by the counteraction of the stress originating from the tension of the strings, as hereinafter described, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the back of a piano. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the middle of the back. Fig. 4 is a modification of the straining-rods shown in the preceding views.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

In rear of the sounding-board a, as shown in Fig. 1, are three straining members I), b, and 1), connected with the iron plate 0 by transverse tie-bolts at, extending through the top of the straining members and through the wrest-plank e, and by transverse tie-bolts f, extending through the lower ends of the straining members and through the bottom plank g. The employment of the tie-bolts d securely fastens the straining members, wrest-plank, and iron plate together above the sounding board, and the tie bolts f se curely fasten the straining members, bottom plank, and iron plate together below the sounding-board and effectually prevent their separation under ordinary conditions of use and wear.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, each of the straining members b, b, and b consists of two separated sections having screw-threaded shanks h and h, coupled together by turnbuckles 76, by which the tension of the straining members can be adjusted to counterbalance the strain upon the iron plate 0 originating from the strings Z. By means of the straining members 1), b, and b the iron plate can be caused to retain-its original shape and position, and the tension of the strings Z will be prevented from causing the separation of the bottom and wrest plank from their related parts, and a continuance of the quality of tone and the durability of these parts can thereby be insured. As shown in Figs. 1 and 8, the straining members consist of'straining-rods; but it is possible to em loy cables or wires fitted with tension-regu ating turnbuckles, as shown in Fig. 4, as a substitute or substitutes for the rods, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

It has been proved in the field of actual use that when the straining members and tie-bolts are not arranged to clamp the wrest and bottom planks to the iron plate they (the straining members) tear the wrest and bottom planks from the iron plate and destroy the quality of the instrument.

In arranging the straining members parallel with the iron plate in rear of the wrest and bottom planks and securing the strain ing members to the iron plate by tie-bolts passing through the wrest and bottom planks the straining members, iron plate, and wrest and bottom planks are securely clamped together in a manner which effectively prevents their separation.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A piano comprising an upright sounding-board, an iron plate at the front side of the sounding-board, a wrestplank at the top, and a bottom plank at the bottom, of the sounding-board and in rear thereof, straining-rods in rear of the wrest and bottom plan-ks and transverse bolts connecting the straining-rods and iron plate through the wrest and bottom planks to clamp the parts together.

2. A piano comprising an upright sound- ICC ing-boarcl, an iron plate at the front side of I versely through the wrest and bottom planks the sounding-board, a wrest-plank at the top to clamp the parts together. and a bottom plank at the bottom, of the Toronto, February 24, A. D. 1906.

sounding-board and in rear thereof, vertical 1 T. J. HOWARD. 5 straining means in rear of the wrest and bot- F In presence of tom planks and means connecting the verti- L. F. BROCK,

cal straining means and the iron plate trans- C. H. RIoHEs.

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