US1014059A - Piano-player. - Google Patents

Description

I. L. GRINNELL.

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1911.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 I819 L. GR/NNELL.

I. L. GRINNELL.-

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.13, 1911.

1,014,059, Patented Jan.9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-=SHEET 2.

- COL IA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. IL c.

IRA L. GRINNELL, 01'! DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

PIANO-PLAYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9,1912.

Application filed March 13, 1911. Serial No. 618,986.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA L. GRINNELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano- Players, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the operation of piano players wherein a perforated roll is used that passes from a spool over a tracker board, it is desirable to hold the roll as closely as possible in register with the apertures of the tracker board without imposing undue strain or wear upon the margin of the roll by which it is usually held in place. Slight variations in the length of the roller or spool on which the roll is wound together with any inequalities of the roll itself often cause fluctuations which in time wear away the margins of the roll where it contacts with the flanges of the main driving roll which are usually the only means that direct the strip over the tracker board, and even if the flanges or guides on the spool are in alinement with the flanges of the main driving roll they may not be in proper adjustment with the tracker board, or may not be sufficient to hold the roll in register as they are necessarily at some distance from the board.

This invention relates to piano players and more particularly to means for adjusting and holding the roll in proper relation to the tracker board.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the roll mechanism, tracker board and adjusting means of a piano player that embodies features of the invention; Fig. 2 is a view in section on or about line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation thereof.

As herein shown a casing 1 adapted to be secured in a piano case has bearings in which a roll shaft 2 is journaled in parallel relation to a tracker board 3, a thumb screw 4: and a stop collar 5 or other suitable means being provided for slight longitudinal adjustment. Guide flanges 6 are disposed in spaced relation on the roll, and one or both of the casing on the other side of the tracker board from the shaft 2 and in parallel rela tion thereto. This bearing is yieldingly forced toward the interior of the casing as by a spring 8 in a tubular socket or sleeve 9 in which the bearing plays; a stop collar 10 encircling the stem 11 of the bearing which passes through an end opening of the sleeve limits its inward movement.

A drive shaft 12 in the other end of the casing in axial alinement with the bearing 9 is reciprocable and rotatable in bearings in the casing end and in a bearing plate 13 secured in spaced relation to the end of the casing as by brackets or rods 14:. The inner ends of the bearing 9 and of the shaft 12 are adapted to receive a music roll spool inserted between them and hold the latter in operative relation to the tracker board 3 and shaft 2.

A main drive shaft 15 is coupled as through a gear train indicated at 16 with a shaft 2 and likewise may be thrown in gear through a clutch indicated at 17 and a chain and sprockets indicated at 18 with the shaft 12 which is used for a rewind or reverse drive. The driving connections between the shafts do not form a material part of the invention and may be of any preferred type which permits slight longitudinal movement of the shaft 12in relation to the main shaft 15 without disturbing the driving connections.

The outer end of the shaft 12 bears against a spring or otherwise movably attached. finger 19 that normallystands oblique to the bearing plate 13 to which one end is secured as by a screw 20. A rock shaft 21 is secured in a bearing between the back of the casing 1 and a block 28 in parallel relation to the shaft 12. The portion of the rock shaft within the casing 1 is bent transversely to bear against a notched quadrant plate 22 on the inner face of the casing end, the outer extremity of the transverse portion having a finger hold 23 by which it may be readily manipulated. A rock arm 24: extends trans versely from the other end of the rock shaft 21 to bear against the outer face of the arm of the spring finger 19, which if preferred, may have a facing plate 25 on which the arm 2& rides. The parts are so adjusted finger 19 inwardly and thereby shifts the shaft 12 longitudinally.

The tracker board 3 is provided with a gage plate 26 adjust-ably secured against its face as by a screw 27 passing through a longitudinal slot in the gage. It is adjusted in alinement with the inner face of the adjacent guide flanges 6 of the main roll shaft 2.

By manipulation of the finger pull 23, the shaft 12 may be shifted so as to bring the inner face of the flange 29 of a roll spool inserted between the shaft 12 and the spring-pressed bearing 9 into alinement with the gage 26 and the flange 6 after the roll strip has been drawn over the tracker board and secured to the roll of the shaft 2 in the usual manner. By this method of adjustment the variations of thickness which occur in the end flanges of music roll spools and in the distance between the inner guide faces of the spool flanges and the bearing sockets in the spool in which the drive shaft is inserted, may be compensated for so that the music roll travels readily along the gage of the tracker board and is held in register with the apertures of the board by the margin contacting with this gage without undue wear which soon frays the margin and prevents its proper adjustment in relation to the apertures of the tracker board. Furthermore, the adjustability of the tracker board gage itself enables any variations in widths in rolls of different makes to be compensated for. Thus complete adjustment, first between the roll itself and tracker board, and then between the gage of the tracker board and the spool flanges, is possible with the arrangement of parts shown.

Obviously, changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and I do not wish to limit myself to any particular form or arrangement of parts.

What I claim is 1. In piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board therein, a roll spool bearing longitudinally movable and rotatable in one end of the casing parallel to the board, a spring yieldingly projecting the bearing inwardly, a spool bearing and driving shaft rotatable and reciprocable in the other end of the casing in alinement with the spool bearing, a rock shaft journaled in the casing parallel to the roll driving shaft, a spring finger secured at one end to the casing with its free end in contact with the spool bearing shaft, a rock arm from the rock shaft adapted to move the free end of the spring finger when the rock shaft is rotated, a finger pull extension on the rock shaft, and a quadrant on the casing yieldingly engaged by the finger pull extension.

2. In piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board in the casing, a gage longitudinally adjustable on the face of the tracker board, a bearing rotatable and longitudinally reciprocable in one end of the casing, a spring yieldingly projecting the bearing inwardly, a bearing plate secured in spaced relation to the outer side of the other end of the casing, a spool driving shaft reciprocable and rotatable in the bearing plate and the adjacent end of the casing in axial alinement with the spool bearing, a spring finger secured at one end on the bearing plate with its other end yieldingly contacting with the outer end of the spool bearing and driving shaft, a quadrant on the inner side of the casing end adjacent the bearing plate, a rock shaft journaled in the bearing plate and adjacent end of the casing with one inbent end forming a finger pull yieldingly engaging the quadrant, a rock arm on the other end of said shaft riding in contact with the spring finger adapted to move the latter inwardly when the rock shaft is swung, and means mounted on the casing end and bearing plate adapted to rotate the spool bearing and drive shaft regardless of the longitudinal position of the latter.

3. In piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board in the casing, a gage longitudinally adjustable on the face of the tracker board, a bearing rotatable and longitudinally reciprocable in one end of the casing, a spring yieldingly projecting the hearing inwardly, a bearing plate secured in spaced relation to the outer side of the other end of the casing, a spool bearing and driving shaft reciprocable and rotatable in the bearing plate and the adjacent end of the casing in axial alinement with the spool bearing, a spring finger secured at one end of the bearing plate with its other end yieldingly contacting with the outer end of the spool bearing and driving shaft, a quadrant on the inner side of the casing end adjacent the bearing plate, a rock shaft j ournaled in the bearing plate and adjacent end of the casing with one inbent end forming a finger pull yieldingly engaging the quadrant, a rock arm on the other end of said shaft riding in contact with the spring finger adapted to move the latter inwardly when the rock shaft is swung, a main driving shaft journaled in the casing parallel to .the tracker board and spool bearings, and

mechanism mounted on the casing end and bearing plate for driving the said shaft and the spool bearing shaft.

4. In a piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board therein, a driving shaft journaled in the casing parallel to the tracker board and provided with roll guide M flanges, a gage longitudinally adjustable on the tracker board in substantial alinement With one of said guide flanges, a pair of alined spool bearing and driving members rotatable and longitudinally reeiprocable in the casing, on the side of the tracker board opposite the main shaft and in parallel relation to the latter, a spring yieldingly projecting the bearing remote from the board gage toward the interior of the casing, and 10 means for positively moving the other spool bearing member inwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

IRA L. GRINNELL. Witnesses LEWIs E. FLANDERS, ANNA C. RAVILER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

Images