US 5,052,266 AGranted

Page turner for music manuscripts and the like

OwnerRobert C. Bursterinventor

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Abstract

A mechanism is disclosed for automatically turning pages of a music manuscript or the like. The manuscript is supported on a music stand or the like, with the upper edges of its pages at or near the top of the support. Behind the support is a shaft mounting a plurality of pivotally movable, spring actuated control plates, each mounting a wire-like page turner element having an elongated laterally extending portion engagable with an outer upper corner area of a manuscript page. A sequential release mechanism, including a release pawl, operates in sequence to release the control plate for allowing the top most page of the manuscript to be turned, after first blocking the control plate for the next subsequent page to be turned. The release pawl mechanism permits any number of pages to be quickly back turned and brought into position for subsequent one-at-a-time release by the mechanism. To advantage, the mechanism may be actuated for one-at-a-time page turning operation by means of a cable release or the like actuated by the operator's foot.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An apparatus for turning pages of a manuscript wherein the manuscript has a back surface and top and bottom edges, which comprises:

(a) a manuscript support for supporting the back surface of the manuscript as well at its bottom edge,
(b) a support shaft extending upward behind said manuscript support and having a rotation axis,
(c) a plurality of control elements mounted on said support shaft for rotation about its axis,
(d) spring means urging said control elements to rotate from a first operating position to a second operating position,
(e) a plurality of page turning elements, one mounted on each control element for movement therewith,
(f) said page turning elements including a first portion extending upward and a second portion extending laterally at or above the top edge of the manuscript pages,
(g) page clips carried by said page turning elements and engageable with individual pages of the manuscript near outer edge portions of such pages,
(h) release means associated with said control elements for effecting controlled release of said control elements in succession,
(i) said release means comprising a release pawl, retractably positioned in front of and in position to block movement of a control element positioned to be next released, and a blocking element retractably movable to a positioned behind the last mentioned control element and in front of and in position to block movement of a control element to be next released in succession, and
(j) remotely operated actuating means for effecting momentary retraction and return of said release pawl while said blocking element is in blocking position, and for retracting said blocking element after return of said release pawl.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.