US767673A - Inclosing case for automatic music-rolls. - Google Patents

Description

.r H G I R W QM M INGLOSING CASE FOR AUTOMATIO'MUSIG ROLLS.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 8. 1902.

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[ IE/r215- 5 M UNITED STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

INCLOSING CASE FOR AUTOMATIC MUSIC-ROLLS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,673, dated August 16, 1904.

Application filed July 8, 1902. Serial No. 114,728. (No model.)

To all 1077,0112, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS S. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improyement in Inclosing Cases for Automatic Music-Rolls, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in Which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of my improved inclosing case, showing a portion of the music-roll drawn out. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse section. Fig. 4: is an end view.

Similar reference-figures refer to similar parts in the different views.

It is customary to exchange the rolls of music used in ZEolian organs or used in pneumatic playing instruments after the manner of the circulating-library system, and in the various exchanges, even where extraordinary care is taken, the repeated handling of the rolls results in their becoming more or less soiled and dog-cared, and in the interest of cleanliness as well as good sanitation the present invention has been devised; and the primary object thereof is to preserve the roll and keep it neat and clean.

Another object is to keep it from the atmosphere, incasin g it practically air-tight when not in use, and this is brought about by inclosing it within a telescopic air-tight case, which is capable of being entirely closed when the roll is not being used and which may be easily opened to admit of the withdrawal of the roll in the playing of the instrument or taken apart when it is desired to take out the old roll or to put in a new one, as this is always necessary sooner or later in consequence of an old roll ultimately becoming worn out.

Another feature of my invention is to render it sensitive to the expansion and contraction which take place in the paper as a result of the absorption of moisture, as no roll has ever been devised for this purpose which is not susceptible to "more or less change as an incident to exposure and atmospheric changes.

With these objects in view my present invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts,which will be hereinafter described, and pointedont in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 and 2 represent two metallic shells, preferably of cylindrical form, adapted to telescope practically throughout their entire length, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. These cylinders are each provided with acorrespondingly-sized opening 3 in the side, which of course may vary in size, although preferably these openings are about a fourth or a fifth of the circumference of the cylinders, and they are made to correspond in size, so that when it is desired that the opening should reach its full capacity the two exactly register, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4. Of course the size of the opening is subject to variation according to the turns of one cylinder upon the other, and, as shown in Fig. 3, the two openings are entirely closed. To facilitate this turning action of one cylinder with respect-to the other, their outer ends are provided with heads 4 4, which may, if desired, be milled at the edge to render their manipulation perfectly easy.

Within the cylinders the spool upon which the roll is wound is revolubly supported. This spool may be variously constructed, but preferably consists of a metal tube 5, the ends of which are closed by heads 6 and7, soldered, brazed, or otherwise secured therein. At the center of these heads holes 7 7 are formed, and the central spindle 8, extending through the center of the tube 5, also extends through these holes 7 7 and constitutes a bearing for the spool to turn upon. The spindle has a spiral spring or springs 9 coiled thereon, and this spiral spring is secured at one end to the spindle and at the other end to the spool or one of the heads thereof. Clutches 10 and 11, let in from the opposite ends of the telescopic case,'re ceive the ends of the spindle 8, the spindle being preferably hooked to one of these clutches, as shown, and resting freely in the other, so that the spindle is held fast against rotating, somewhat after the manner of the well-known curtain-shade roller, while the spool itself is capable of turning thereon. The clutches 10 and 11 are provided. with re cesses 12 therein to register with a suitable IOO support on the instrument to prevent the inclosing case when in position on the instrument from turning, as it is of course very essential that it be held perfectly stationary. The outer ends of the roll 13 are inclosed between disks 1 L ll, which latter are loosely mounted on the spindle 8, and these disks bear on their outer surfaces against the rounded inner ends of the clutches. The purpose of these disks therefore is to cause the telescopic cylinders to respond to any lateral expansion taking place in the paper of the roll due to the absorption of moisture. In providing for such expansion it is necessary that it take place equally at each end of the roll, as otherwise the roll would be more or less displaced from its required alinement, and this would result in the failure of the perforations therein to pass over the tracker board in exact alinement. It is needless to say that this is absolutely necessary to the successful operation of one of these automatic actions, and it is in dealing with this proposition that my present invention is largely concerned, as any twisting or irregular expan sion would impair the perfect action, if not utterly destroy its efficiency. Heretofore no successful method has been devised for insuring a perfect alinement of the perforations with the holes in the tracker-board, and the expansion and contraction of the paper have resulted not infrequently in an imperfect operation of the action.

While the two cylinders are held together by frictional contact, it is obvious that this should be so slight that they will yield read.- ily to the expansion which may take place in the paper, and while various expedients may be resorted to, as merely a loose fit between the two cylinders is necessary, still one method which I have in mind for accomplishing this resides in the spring-tongues 16 16, which are stamped out of the body of the metal of one of the cylinders and slightly deflected to bear upon the surface of the other cylinder. In this way the frictional bearing contact is slight, permitting the cylinders to yield to the expansive action of the paper, and at the same time the cylinders are held together with sufficient frictional contact for the purposes of the invention.

The outer end of the paper-roll is attached to the take-up roll in any approved manner. Also as a provision to prevent the paper-roll from being withdrawn into the case due to the action of the spring 9 when allowed to wind up a blade-spring 19 is adapted to lie in position to strike the enlargement 20 on the end of the paper, thereby preventing the end of the paper from entering the case farther, and the blade-spring is so adjusted that as the end of the paper begins to approach the spring begins to bear upon it and have a slight braking action to retard its speed and check the action of the spring.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the paper-roll is wound upon its spool 5 the two cylinders may be rotated until the openings 3 are entirely closed, thus affording a packing and shipping case which excludes air and moisture and preserves the paper inclosed therein for an indefinite period. Then when the roll is to be used the case is applied to the instrument and opened more or less as desired, (the full capacity of the openings 3 or less, if wishedfl and by drawingout an end and hooking it to the take-up roll the music-roll is ready for use. After the music-roll has been entirely wound upon the take-up roll it is rerolled by the action of the spring in the spool of the inclosing case, and the tension of this spring is not only sufficient to wind the paper tightly and uniformly, but after it shall have been completely reeled the tension of the spring still exerts itself in retaining the paperroll compactly spooled in the inclosing case. When thus incased, no fingering of the paperroll is necessary, and as a result it is kept clean and fresh and its life and usefulness are greatly prolonged. Furthermore, it can go through a great many more exchanges of hands before it is necessary to substitute a new paper-roll, thus not only insuring neatness and sanitary cleanliness, but also preserving its perfecteificiency in operation for an indefinite period.

In reloading the device it is readily accomplished by simply pulling the two cylinders apart endwise and removing the spool, when a new paper-roll may be clipped or otherwise attached to the spool and quickly wound thereon. This operation is perfectly simple.

I have shown a pair of telescopic inclosing cylinders and expanding disks 14 14, by which the telescopic cylinders will be moved one upon the other by the expansion of the music-roll in connection with a springactuated spool; but that part of my present invention relating to the expansible feature of the telescopic cylinders is not confined to its use with a springactuated spool, as I am aware that other means of rewinding the music-roll may be employed in connection with the expanding cylinders and disks.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a pair of telescopic shells, of a spring-actuated spool revolubly supported within the longitudinal center of the case, and adapted to reel a paperroll thereon, and disks interposed between the ends of the paper-roll and case whereby to extend outwardly against the ends of the case, whereby to cause the latter to lengthen as a result of any expansive action which may take place in the paper-roll, substantially as described.

2. An inclosing case for automatic musicrolls consisting of a pair of telescopic cylinders having openingsin their sides, and frictionally held from longitudinal movement on each other, a spool revolubly supported within said telescopic cylinders and adapted to reel a paper-roll thereon, and loosely-mounted disks interposed between the ends of the paperroll and said inclosing case, and adapted to be pressed against said telescopic cylinders by the expansion of the paper-roll.

3. In an inclosing case for automatic musicrolls, the combination of a pair of telescopic cylinders having openings in their sides, a spool revolubly supported within said cylinders and adapted to reel a paper-roll thereon, loosely-mounted disks interposed between the ends of the paper roll and said case and adapted to be pressed against the ends of the case by the expansion of said paper-roll, and elastic tongues carried by one of said cylinders and bearing upon the surface of the other cylinder in order to exert a frictional resistance to the longitudinal movement of the cylinders one upon the other.

4.. In an inclosing case for an automatic music-roll, the combination with an inclosing cylinder having an opening in its side, a spool revolubly held in said cylinder and adapted. to reel a paper-roll thereon, of a blade-spring having its freeend bent inwardly toward the center of the cylinder and adapted to press against the paper-roll, substantially as described.

5. The combination with an endwise-expansible case having an opening in its side, of a spring-actuated spool revolubly supported therein for causing the winding of a strip secured thereto when not otherwise hindered,

and means interposed between the ends of the spool and the ends of the case against which to receive any expansive action of the material upon the spool whereby to cause a corresponding expansion of the case, substantially as described.

6. The combination With an outer casing having an opening in its side, of a spindle secured to the'case and connected at both ends thereto, a spool supported to turn on the spindle, a spring connecting the spool to the spindle, and disks loosely mounted on the spindle at each end of the spool, and adapted to yield to any expansion'of the material reeled upon the spool, substantially as described.

7 The combination with a pair of cylindrical shells arranged to telescope with each other, and provided with openings in their sides capable of registering or being closed or partially closed by rotating the shells with respect to each other, of a spindle secured to the end of one shell and having loose sliding connection with the end of the other, a spool mounted to turn thereon, a spring attached to the spool and to the spindle for actuating the spool, disks loosely mounted on the spindle, against which the material reeled upon the spool may expand, whereby to cause an expansion of the cylinders.

Dated this 1st day of July, 1902.

MORRIS S. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

Burns B. FOWLER, VERON E. Honens.

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