US1036152A - Tracker-board. - Google Patents

Description

H. K. SANDELL. TRACKER BOARD.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB.. 2, 1912.

1,036,152, Patented Aug.2o,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. K. SANDELL.

TRACKER BOARD.

APPLIOATIONTILBD Muna, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

COLUMNA PMNDGRAPH CLL.WASMxmirQNA n..

UNITED STATES 'PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY K. SANDELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MILLS NOVELTY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRACKER-BOARD.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Application filed March 2, 1912. Serial No. 681,223.

' tering with lits'z ixpertures the electrical contact-strips on orperforations in a traveling music-sheet.`

The traveling music-sheet, ofl paper, is susceptible to conditions to which it is exposed,"tending to expand or shrink it in width and thereby impair the properly-accurate registrations of its perforations, or the electrical contact-strips provided on it, with the apertures of the tracker-board.

` The primary'object of my invention is to shows my improved provide a construction of tracker-board device whereby such impairment may be readily and accurately rectified.

In the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 evice by a view in front elevation, but with the apertures in exaggerated size to facilitate illustrating and explaining the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view of a longitudinally-reciprocable bar forming a member of the structure; Fig. 3 is a similar view of a divided sheetguiding bar spring-connected at its inner ends and forming another member of the structure; Fig. 4 is a similar view of a longitudinally recessed frame carrying the other members; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5, Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken View in perspective of one of the two similar head-portions of the recessed bar shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a similar view of an endportion of the reciprocable bar of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a similar view of the sheet-guiding bar of Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the apertured bar, and Fig. 10 is an enlarged section on line 10, Fig. 5.

The music sheet 11 is shown in Fig. 10 as it works in the electrical self-playing violin of my Patent No. 807,871, dated December 19, 1905, by traveling across a suitable guide .between a metal contact-roller 12 forming one terminal in an electric circuit, and contact-fingers or brushes 13, also forming terminals in said circuit; whereby each time a contact is made through a perforation in the sheet by a brush with the roller, an electromagnet isV energized for playing the violin.

The guide for the music-sheet, in the present connection, is part of 'my improved tracker-board construction, descrlbed as follows: A frame 14 consistsof `a bar A15 terminatingvat each end in a headl having a rectangular recess 17 in itsouter'face, with an offset-portion 18 between its ends at'one side of the recess,'and bearing-holes'lQ, 19 at the opposite vside thereof A:Perforated ears' 20, 2O project fromthe-front side of each head 16 to adord means by which to suitably' fasten the frame'in place on any self-playing instrument with which -it may be used.' The barv 15 contains in its front side a longitudinal rectangular recess 21, and at the ends of the latter transverse recesses 22,22. A divided bar 23 has its inner opposing ends, which are oppositely beveled to` render the space between them wedgeshaped, as shown in Fig. 3, connected by a coiled spring 24 fastened atits ends to studs 25, 25 riveted to the bar-sections at opposite sides of said space and projecting through elongated openings 26 in the bar 15; and each section of this divided bar terminates at its outer end in a sheet-guiding head 27 of L-shape in cross-section, from the outer face of which, near its opposite ends, project studs 2S entering the holes 19 when the bar 23 occupies the recess 21, in which it fits and its sections are longitudinally movable, and the heads 27 occupy the relatively-wider recesses 22. A rectangular bar 29 is reciprocably confined at its end-portions, which contain correspondingly inclined slots 30, 30, in the odset-sections 18 of the recesses 17 to extend along the back of the frame-bar 15; and the bar 29 contains an approximately central longitudinal recess 31 to clear the studs 25, passing through it, and accommodate the spring 24. This spring is maintained in the rearwardly-bowed condition represented in Fig. 5 by a rounded button 32 riveted in the base of the bar-recess 21 to project against the spring and cause its tensile-force to tend to hug the bar 23 against the base of the recess 21.

The tracker-board comprises a rectangular bar 33 having posts 34 rigidly secured to its ends and slidingly fitting in the headrecesses 17, each post having a rearwardlyprojecting stud 35 entering an inclined or 110 thread of a; rigidscrew-stem, 38 projecting from theouter facev of4 the adjacent frameheadA 16.

rPhe gist of: my inventionlies in the series of oblique'slot-like apertures 39 provided in thebar 33.. Thesev slots incline at progressively-increasing angles from the center of the. series to the opposite ends thereof, the

directionof inclination on one side of said. `center being. opposite that on` the other side.

Itisthroughthese slotsthat the instrument is.play,edi by registrationwith them of the proper; perifonations` in aA music-sheet traversinggthem,` the. playing. being produced.

Y pneumatically, electricallyor otherwise. In

.tion of its perforations with the presentrepresentation, a brush is shown projecting through'each aperture 39, so that when ay music-sheet perforation. registers with any. ,brush the latter willV cont-act throughi it with. they roller l2 to` close the circuity and. play.- the violin. In the event of the music-sheet shrinking or expanding in they-direction transversely of its length, impairment. of the predetermined registrathe flexible brushes or the like in the slots 39 will, obviously, result.V To correct this defect, slight movementi of the bar 33 up or down along the path of the music-sheet, depending. on whether the sheet has shrunk or eX- panded, is all that isnecessaryr to bring the brushes-closer together or spread them farther apart by the cam-action against them of thezinclined slots 39. To accomplish this result the nut-36.- is turned in the proper direction toslide the bar 29 and move its slots 30 across the studs 35, whereby they shift the tracker-bar 33. At the same time a tongue 40 onv the tracker-bar, which has a wedge-shaped end (Fig. l) working in the space between the bar-sections 23, is retracted slightly to permit the spring. :24 to draw those sections closer together, or slightly ad` vanced to spread them farther apart, the arrangementA of the members of the device being'suchl that in` either instance the sheetguiding heads 27 will be adjusted to eonforml to the changed' width of. the music` sheet..

As will be understood, the number of apertures 39 for the use of the trackerboard, topro-vide one brushl or thelike for each'. key= ortone of the instrument to be played would exceed thoseshown in F ig. l and be muchnarrower andl also shorter. The actual tracker-board, which is now in practical use on an electric sheet-perforating machine, has one hundred and twentythree of these apertures, with the central one in perpendicular line with a center 'struck at any elevated point, and with those numbering sixty-one at each side of that one radiated from that center to progressively increase their angles of inclination in the manner hereinbefore mentioned. As will also be understood, such increase in., the angle of inclination is required torender uniform across the music-sheet the,adj,ust ment relative to its perfor-ations, since the shrinkage of' the perforations increases, with that of the sheet, progressively toward the longitudinal center thereofl and their expansion similarly increases outwardly from that center. i

I realize that considerable variation ispossible in the details of'fconstructionfthus specifically shown anddescribed, and. 'I do not intend by illustrating a single, specific, or preferred form. to: limitv my invention thereto; my. intention being in the following. claims to claimprotection upon all the novelty there may7 be in the device as' broadly as the state of the art will permit.

IVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a tracker-board device, the combi-- nation of a bar extending across the-path for a traveling music-sheet and bodily-movable lengthwise thereof, brushes to register with the sheet-perforations fory playing therethrough a musical instrument, and means on said bar for adjusting, by adjusting the bar, the registration. of the brushes with said perforations under variation in the width of the music-sheet by shrinkage or expansion. j

In a tracker-board device, a trackerbar extending across the path for a traveling music-sheet and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bar having aA longitudinal series of apertures inclining at progressivelyincreasing angles toward. the ends of theseries from the center thereof and in relatively opposite directions at opposite sides of said center.

3. In atracker-board device, the combination of an adjustable guide for a traveling'music-sheet at opposite sides-of the path therefor, a bar extending across said path and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bar having a longitudinal series of aperturesextending from the center of the series toward its ends inclined in relatively-opposite directions at opposite sides of said center and at progressively-increasing, angles, and means for adjustingsaid guide and bar relative to variations in the width of the4 music-sheet.

4. In a tracker-board device, the combination of an. adjustable guide for a travel'- ing music-sheet extending at the opposite sides of the path therefor, a bar extending across said path and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bar having a longitudinal series of slot-like apertures extending from the center of the series toward its ends inclined in relatively-opposite directions at opposite sides of said center and at progressively-increasing angles, and means for simultaneously and correspondingly adjusting said guide and bar relative to variations in the widths of the music-slieet perforations by transverse shrinkage or expansion of said sheet.

5. In a tracker-board device, the combination of a frame, a guide for a traveling music-sheet, having side-members adjustable toward and from one another relative to the path of said sheet, a bar extending across said path and adjustable lengthwise thereof, said bar having a longitudinal series of apertures extending from the center of the series toward its ends inclined in relatively-opposite directions at opposite sides of said center and at progressivelyincreasing angles, and means .for adjusting said side-members and bar relative to variations in the width, by shrinkage or expansion, of the music-sheet.

6. In a tracker-board device, the combination of a frame having a longitudinal recess, a guide for a traveling music-sheet comprising a bar formed of sections movably confined in said recess and spring-connected end-to-end, with oppositely beveled inner ends forming a wedge-shaped space between them, and sheet-guiding heads on their outer ends movably confined in the frame, a bar extending across the musicsheet path and adjustable lengthwise thereof, and having a longitudinal series of apertures extending from the center of the series toward its ends inclined in relativelyopposite directions at opposite sides of said center and at progressively-increasing angles, a wedging tongue projecting from the apertured bar into said space, and means for movin the guiding-heads to siinultaneously adjust them and said apertured bar relative to the music-sheet, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a tracker-board device, the combination of a frame, an adjustable guide on the frame for the ed es of a traveling musicsheet, a bar longitu inally movable on the frame and provided with inclined slots in its end-portions, a bar adjustably supported on the frame and having end-posts provided with studs entering said slots, said last-named bar extending across the musicsheet path and having a longitudinal series of apertures extending from the center of the series toward its ends inclined in relatively-opposite directions at opposite sides of said center and at progressively-increas in angles, and means for movin said slotte bar to adjust said aperture bar relative to variations in the width of the musicsheet.

8. In a tracker-board device, the combination of a frame comprisin a bar having a longitudinal recess in its ace, end-heads forming recesses at the ends of said longitudinal recess crossing the latter, and havirg recesses in their outer faces containing o set-sections between their ends, a musicsheet guide formed of a pair of bar-sections movably confined in said longitudinal recess and having guiding-heads on their outer ends movably confined in said crossing recesses, the inner ends of said bar sections being oppositely beveled, to form a wedge-like space, and spring-connected, a slide-bar having inclined slots in its end-portions, supported thereat in said offset-sections to extend along the inner face of said frame-bar and having a nut-confinin slot near one end, a tracker-bar having en -posts in said framehead recesses and provided with studs confined in said inclined slots to support the tracker-bar to extend along said frame-bar, said tracker-bar having a series of apertures extending from the center of the series toward its ends inclined in relatively-opposite directions at opposite sides of said center and at progressively-increasing angles, a wedging tongue projecting from the tracker-bar into said s ace, a threaded stem extending from the rame, and a nut on said stem projecting into said nut-confining slot, for the purpose set forth.

HENRY K. SANDELL.

L. HEisLAR, R. SCHAEFER.

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

Washington, D. C.

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