Soundboard Thoughts

Barrie Heaton Piano@forte.airtime.co.uk
Thu, 11 Dec 1997 19:33:00 +0000


Horace,

There is not much chance of finical help, however the UK piano trade is
v.help full I may be able to get old of the Broadwood papers,  Now that
will be interesting as Broadwood kept  a lot of records, also I had a
call from Liverpool yesterday I _May_ be getting the Rushworths sales
ledgers, a lot of  pianos made for Rushworths were sold as stencils for
other shops to put there name on, some of them were in the US.    


Most of the UK patens are now being put on micro film.  The London
office is not v.helpfull in doing traces, the Leeds office on the other
hand are relay good, but it helps as the man is a keen piano player so
he enjoys it.


The sad one was Kembles, they keep records of who bout there pianos,
unfortunately all these records was thrown away by mistake. The good
news  Iback are in the process of  putting there sales ledger on the
web.



Barrie






In article <3.0.3.32.19971210142758.00ac4a90@popserver4.stanford.edu>,
Horace Greeley <hgreeley@leland.Stanford.EDU> writes
>
>Barrie,
>
>This is precisely why this is so important to do.
>
>The U.S. patent laws are quite different.  One patent
>does not cover each individual aspect of a given
>design (necessarily, anyway).  A very great deal 
>depends on the technical writing skill of the
>inventor/patent attorney.
>
>Further, there have been several (including one
>quite major) fires at the U.S. Patent office.  The 
>date of the main one (1873?) escapes me, but
>patents held prior to that are extremely difficult 
>to document now.  It's not that anyone particularly
>cares about potential royalty income, the issues
>have to do with the kind of research we do re:
>old stuff.
>
>Any chance of getting one of the houses there
>to underwrite part of your work?
>
>This is great stuff.
>
>Best.
>
>Horace
>
>At 06:27 PM 12/10/97 +0000, you wrote:
>>Horace,
>>
>>I got in to this because of  my interest in piano history,  At first I
>>just look up some dates for patents from some hand outs I was given,
>>they did not seem to be right.  I just got a list of dates this did not
>>tell me much so I order a set of patens for Brinsmead . I was amazed, I
>>thought that one patent number for one patent. Not  so, apparently the
>>cost of bring out a patent was so great in England, they put lots of
>>patents out on one patent number and of course the drawings.
>>
>>
>>Take paten number 8643 by Pierre Erard 1840 there are 12 plates in this
>>one alone, (or 12 patents) it manly concerns the action, there is also
>>patens for fixing bracing bars.   On plate nine,  is the patent for the
>>"BAT pin" or the oval pin on the key bed plus key bushings.  Now some
>>Tec's have been taught that the bat pin is that shape because of the
>>side pressure and should not be turned to take out side play, however
>>this is what Erard design it for. Of course if the bushings are worn
>>then they should be changed
>>
>>
>>Barrie,
>>
>>In article <3.0.3.32.19971209165635.00ae1100@popserver4.stanford.edu>,
>>Horace Greeley <hgreeley@leland.Stanford.EDU> writes
>>>
>>>Barrie,
>>>
>>>This is important stuff for any kind of
>>>substantive primary research.  Is anyone
>>>helping you, or, do I correctly suspect that
>>>this is the Barrie Heaton Project for the
>>>Preservation of a Whole Bunch of Important 
>>>Stuff?
>>>
>>>(I promise not to breath a word...)
>>>
>>>Best.
>>>
>>>Horace
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>At 11:54 PM 12/9/97 +0000, you wrote:
>>>>
>>>>None on pianos untill I put it up, I got all mine from the UK patent
>>>>office. so far £120 worth,  Shhh do not tell the wife.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Barrie,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>In article <3.0.3.32.19971209153434.00ac8e70@popserver4.stanford.edu>,
>>>>Horace Greeley <hgreeley@leland.Stanford.EDU> writes
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Barrie,
>>>>>
>>>>>How much of that patent information is on line now?
>>>>>
>>>>>Several years ago (8 or so) there was very little, and it 
>>>>>was mostly just mainframe stuff.
>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>>Horace
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>At 10:24 PM 12/9/97 +0000, you wrote:
>>>>>>why not use agraf on the sound board bridge, so you could use a narrower
>>>>>>bridge, ERARD did a lot of work on this,  an so did Broadwood, I have
>>>>>>worked on a Broadwood with  a type of agraf, however the bridge was just
>>>>>>as thick as a conventional bridge.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>At the moment I am working my way though ERARDs patents for my next
>>>>>>project some fascinating drawings on bridges.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Barrie,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>In article <199712091931.NAA16669@onyx.southwind.net>, Ron Nossaman
>>>>>><nossaman@SOUTHWIND.NET> writes
>>>>>>>Hi Newton,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>It would split twice as fast? If it were taller than it was wide,
>would it
>>>>>>>"break off" with a major pitch raise? How about "flagpoling bridge
>>>>>syndrome"?  
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The splitting part brings me to something I wanted to ask anyway. Is
>>>there a
>>>>>>>reasonable body of empirical evidence that horizontally laminated
>bridges
>>>>>>>are evil, or is it just that since they are found on evil pianos, it's
>>>>>>>assumed? Have horizontally laminated bridges been actually installed in
>>>>>>>decent pianos and tested? 
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Ever a "lert" and in anticipation, Ron
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>At 12:21 PM 12/9/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>>>>>>>Why ARE bridges so wide?  What, if anything, would happen if a bridge
>>>>>>>>were half its current width?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>      Newton
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ron Nossaman
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>--
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Barrie Heaton                                  |  Be Environmentally
>>>Friendly
>>>>>>URL: http://www.airtime.co.uk/forte/piano.htm  |  To Your Neighbour
>>>>>>The UK PIano Page                              |  
>>>>>>pgp  key on request                            |  HAVE YOUR PIANO TUNED
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>Horace Greeley
>>>>>
>>>>>Systems Analyst/Engineer
>>>>>Controller's Office
>>>>>Stanford University
>>>>>
>>>>>email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu
>>>>>voice mail: 650.725.9062
>>>>>fax: 650.725.8014
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>--
>>>>
>>>>Barrie Heaton                                  |  Be Environmentally
>Friendly
>>>>URL: http://www.airtime.co.uk/forte/piano.htm  |  To Your Neighbour
>>>>The UK PIano Page                              |  
>>>>pgp  key on request                            |  HAVE YOUR PIANO TUNED
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>Horace Greeley
>>>
>>>Systems Analyst/Engineer
>>>Controller's Office
>>>Stanford University
>>>
>>>email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu
>>>voice mail: 650.725.9062
>>>fax: 650.725.8014
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>
>>Barrie Heaton                                  |  Be Environmentally Friendly
>>URL: http://www.airtime.co.uk/forte/piano.htm  |  To Your Neighbour
>>The UK PIano Page                              |  
>>pgp  key on request                            |  HAVE YOUR PIANO TUNED
>>
>>
>>
>Horace Greeley
>
>Systems Analyst/Engineer
>Controller's Office
>Stanford University
>
>email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu
>voice mail: 650.725.9062
>fax: 650.725.8014
>





--

Barrie Heaton                                  |  Be Environmentally Friendly
URL: http://www.airtime.co.uk/forte/piano.htm  |  To Your Neighbour
The UK PIano Page                              |  
pgp  key on request                            |  HAVE YOUR PIANO TUNED



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