Steinway/Jones Patent Action

[Frederick G Scoles]

On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, stanwood wrote:

> >>Bill Garlick just mentioned to me that the Patent for Scott Jones action
> >>design has
> >>issued.  Anyone seen it?
>
> >I presume that you must have heard what specifically this patent is about?
> >Please, go on.
>
> >Dennis Johnson
>
> A simplified grand action design that works with fewer parts and adjustments.
> It has a key and a hammer on a shank, what's in between I don't know.

It will be interesting to see if the new Jones/Steinway grand action is
similar to any of the previous (commercially unsuccessful) grand actions
which eliminated much of the escapement parts complexity and inertia.
The only previous ones I've seen are the Trivelas/Fandrich (1991 Phila.
Convention) action, and the 1927 Clarence Hickman action which was
installed into test Mason & Hamlin's.  Has anyone seen any production
units using the Hickman design as drawn in his diary?  There are probably
many other designs, too, but they all probably suffered from bad or
non-existent marketing.

Fred Scoles,  RPT,  Oswego, NY