| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 084236000 | Hammers actions | 35 |
| 20080245209 | KEYBOARD- TYPE PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT - A keyboard-type percussion instrument having sounding members arranged to correspond to respective ones of keys and capable of improving musical performance in soft tone. When a soft pedal is stepped on, a pedal connecting rod is moved upward to move an arm portion of a lifting arm upward, whereby the lifting arm is pivoted to cause capstan screws to be inserted into through holes of a key frame, thus moving a lifting bar upward so that an upper surface of the lifting bar projects from the key frame to push rear end portions of all the keys upward. As a result, standby positions of hammer felts are moved toward the sounding members, whereby the volume of a tone generated by a sounding member struck by a hammer felt corresponding to a depressed key is decreased. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20090178534 | HAMMER SHANK AND SHANK BUTT FOR PIANO - A hammer shank and shank butt for a grand piano with greatly improved rigidity and the collateral benefits of increased efficiency of manufacture and maintenance. Hammer shank comprises a long cylindrical member that is connected at one end to a traditional grand piano hammer and at the other end to a novel shank butt. Shank butt comprises: a hammer shank hole, a knuckle slot, a set of two flange attachment holes, and a void area. A traditional grand piano knuckle is attached to the knuckle slot. The shank butt is connected to the repetition flange of the piano. Thus, hammer shank is not directly connected to these members and thus can remain an integral cylindrical member without holes, notches, or voids, thereby allowing for a lighter, more rigid sub-member yielding hammer assembly with less mass. The invention provides the capability for a piano to be played with less touch weight on the keys and therefore provides a more responsive piano keyboard. The invention also allows for full “retrofitability” of hammer assembly into all existing grand piano brands. Embodiments include a composite shank butt that is a molded article and a composite hammer shank that is an extruded or molded article. | 07-16-2009 |
| 20090235804 | HAMMER ASSEMBLY FOR GRAND PIANO - A hammer assembly for a grand piano comprising: a hammer, a hammer shank, a tubular lever interface, and a moveable knuckle. A grand piano tubular lever interface comprises: a deep socket; a set of two hinge pin attachment holes; a void area; and a moveable knuckle visual location system. A moveable knuckle comprises: a spline; a resilient core; a synthetic buckskin wear surface, and a moveable knuckle visual location system. Novel hammer assembly allows for a direct lever relationship between hammer shank and knuckle without requirement of a forked end hammer shank with knuckle slot. Best mode spline comprises: an upright rectangular portion and a wide base portion, wherein wide base portion includes an intricate shape. Intricate shape comprises: at least one recess area and at least one protrusion area. The inverse of intricate shape is included on the bottom of the tubular lever interface. Moveable knuckle visual location system further comprises at least one pointer located on the moveable knuckle which fits snuggly into one of several notches on the tubular lever interface. Moveable knuckle can be visually located onto tubular lever interface at any one of multiple distinct locations along a range that runs parallel to the length of the hammer shank and the length of tubular lever interface. The moveable knuckle visual location system allows for custom configuration of a specifically dimensioned hammer assembly with custom “tubular lever interface center-to center” dimension to refurbish any brand of grand piano from one stock-set of hammer assembly components. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20100132532 | Movable pivot bearing for changing key leverage in string keyboard instruments - A moveable key lever pivot bearing system for keyboard instruments in which the pivot bearing is provided with a longitudinal slot to enable mounting the bearing over a pivot pin disposed on a balance rail mounted within the case of the instrument. The key lever, pivot pin, and balance rail all remain in fixed relationship to one another resulting in a fulcrum point change when the bearing is longitudinally shifted back and forth with respect to the pianist. Means are provided to fix the bearing at a selected longitudinal position, extension arms for example, which may be manipulated to adjust the position of the bearings | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100294108 | STRING-STRIKING DEVICE FOR PIANO - This invention relates to a string-striking device for a piano which enables the adjustment of strength degrees more than at lest three, the moving interval between a hammer that is molding magnet and an excentricity rod is fixed piano body so that a player can choose freely from strength degree more then 3 comprising excentricity rod which is point a of the FIG. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20110232454 | KEYBOARD APPARATUS - A keyboard apparatus capable of enhancing the return capability of hammer assemblies upon key release to improve the capability of repeated key striking and capable of reducing a height size of action units to make the keyboard apparatus compact. The keyboard apparatus includes hammer assemblies each having a butt disposed pivotable about a hammer pivot shaft and a hammer shank extending from the butt. In a non-key-depression state, the hammer shank obliquely extends downward. As viewed from side, a straight line passing though a gravity center position of the hammer assembly and the hammer pivot shaft forms an acute angle less than 45 degrees relative to a horizontal plane in the entirety of a key depression and key release stroke. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110232455 | KEYBOARD APPARATUS - A keyboard apparatus capable of being easily designed to have action units whose upper end positions are made low and whose efficiency of drive of whippens is increased. Each of keys of the keyboard apparatus has an upper front part, a bent part extending downward from a rear end of the upper front part, and a lower rear part extending rearward from a lower end of the bent part. An upper surface of a rear end portion of the lower rear part nearly horizontally extends at a height position lower than that of a key fulcrum. Action units are disposed above respective ones of rear end portions of the keys. A driven point of a whippen of each action unit is located at a position lower than the key fulcrum in a non-key-depression state. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110283860 | Piano Hammer - The invention relates to a piano hammer for striking the strings of a piano, comprising a hammer shank and a hammer head, which is covered with a cover along at least part of its peripheral surface. The aim of the invention is to provide an improved piano hammer which can be tuned in a simple and reproducible, especially also reversible, manner. According to the invention, the cover has a varying thickness along the peripheral surface and the hammer head can be adjusted with respect to the position of its peripheral surface with which it impacts the one or more string(s) to be struck. | 11-24-2011 |
| 20120174729 | KEYBOARD DEVICE - A keyboard device capable of reconstructing a unique clicking sense of an acoustic piano is provided. A first incline portion (a plane or curved surface) of a sliding surface is inclined towards a direction gradually departing from a base portion of a protrusion along a displacement direction of the protrusion in a key-pressing operation for reducing a resistance exerted on the protrusion and suppressing a gradual increase of a sense of resistance. Moreover, a bump portion located at where the protrusion reaches after sliding through the first incline portion is used to increase the resistance exerted on the protrusion for increasing the sense of resistance. When the protrusion crosses over the bump portion, the sense of resistance is reduced. Accordingly, variation in the sense of resistance before and after the bump portion is increased, and the unique clicking sense of the acoustic piano is reproduced. | 07-12-2012 |
| 20150114202 | HAMMER DEVICE FOR KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT - A hammer device for a keyboard instrument, enabling improvement of efficiency and yield, in manufacturing weights to be attached to each hammer body while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost. Each hammer includes a hammer body having a weight mounting portion, a common weight attached to one of left and right side surfaces of the weight mounting portion, and an adjustment weight having a length set according to a touch weight required by the associated key and attached to the other of the left and right side surfaces of the weight mounting portion. A chassis has a plurality of partition parts, and on the left and right surfaces of the hammer body, there are formed left and right opposed protrusions, respectively, each of which protrudes outward of the weight and is opposed to a partition part associated therewith via a predetermined clearance. | 04-30-2015 |
| 084237000 | Horizontal | 4 |
| 084239000 | Grand | 4 |
| 20080307942 | GRAND PIANO COMPOSITE PIANO ACTION - Composite or plastic molded articles used in a grand piano piano action. The articles make up a piano action with less dynamic mass which is, thus, more responsive. In addition, the new action provides the extremely valuable collateral benefits of increased efficiency of manufacture and maintenance. The invention also provides the capability to achieve true half stroke design in both the sharp and white keys at the same time. Additionally, the application discloses a universal composite grand piano piano action that is capable of being installed into any brand of grand piano. | 12-18-2008 |
| 20080307943 | UNIVERSAL GRAND PIANO PIANO ACTION WITH SIMULTANEOUS HALF STROKE KEYBOARD DESIGN CAPABILITY - A universal grand piano piano action that has adjustable connections between the repetition base, heel, and rest cushion bracket of the piano action to provide a one-size-fits-all after-market replacement piano action for any grand piano. Other components of the grand piano piano action, such as the jack and flanges, may require specific design and manufacture for each brand of grand piano. This invention is the first piano action to allow for true simultaneous half stroke keyboard design for both the white and sharp keys of a piano and includes the method for installing such. | 12-18-2008 |
| 20090007750 | LOW INERTIA GRAND PIANO PIANO ACTION - Composite or plastic molded articles used in a grand piano piano action. The articles make up a piano action with less dynamic mass which is, thus, more responsive to the piano player. In addition, the new action provides the extremely valuable collateral benefits of increased efficiency of manufacture and maintenance. | 01-08-2009 |
| 20110094364 | APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING AND REGULATING A GRAND PIANO ACTION - A regulation station creates a practical environment for assembling and regulating a grand piano action. A series of tools may be used to provide clear and precise references for measuring, aligning, and squaring the parts of the action outside of the grand piano. A custom keybed supports and positions the action. A regulating rack carries a whole action template or a segmented template, which represents the strings of the grand piano along the strike line, otherwise known as “strike”. The spacing scale of a grand piano's hammers may be recorded on the profile edge of a template, which matches the height profile of the hammers along the strike line. A hammer squaring platform allows a shank traveler and hammer square to set up the hammers to address their strings vertically. A string height gage assembly, including a string height gage, sliding base and string height gage rail, measures for the template and sets it up for use in the regulation station. The regulation station may allow grand piano actions to be assembled and regulated on a benchtop and then fit back into their pianos exactly as expected. | 04-28-2011 |
| 084240000 | Upright | 13 |
| 20090100980 | UPRIGHT PIANO - [Problems to be solved]There is provided an upright piano which is capable of providing a soft pedal effect in a first playing mode for performing acoustic playing, and an excellent performance in a second playing mode, without being affected by step-on of a soft pedal, while properly detecting the rotational position of each hammer.
| 04-23-2009 |
| 20090114074 | Repetition Action Mechanism for an Upright Piano - An improved device for providing the so-called magic touch effect during a double repetition, in an upright piano, is characterized in that said device comprises a plurality of keys said keys being swingably mounted on a keyboard frame and supporting, each, a suitably inclined slanted drive element, which can be screw adjusted and is intercoupled to a slanted swinging arm, operating as control angular variation continuous escapement energy lever in turn pivoted to an abruptely clockwise downstream slanted main bridge operatively swinging with the escapement lever which is coupled to a butt roller of a hammer, pivoted to a first pillar element, in turn supporting a plurality of adjusting buttons for adjusting a first and second escapements. To said main bridge assembly being coupled a second pillar element, to which is pivoted the lever of the second escapement supporting the adjusting button for adjusting its operating angle, cooperating with the lever of the first escapement, which in turn supports and adjusting button. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20100192748 | UPRIGHT PIANO AND ACTION UNIT INCORPORATED THEREIN - An upright piano includes action units between keys and hammers, and the action units are less prompt so that a missing tone tends to take place in a music passage through high-speed repetition; the action unit is constructed from a whippen assembly, a jack mechanism provided on the whippen assembly and a regulating button mechanism for an escape in cooperation with the jack mechanism, and a compression coil spring is provided between a center rail and the whippen assembly for urging the whippen assembly in a direction toward the original position, thereby accelerating the restoration of jack to the contact with the hammer. | 08-05-2010 |
| 20130112060 | Upright Piano - An upright piano, wherein: a) within the overall lever-hammer, the total weight of the hammer butt plus balance hammer exceeds the weight of the hammer by at least 60%; b) the arm of the lever-hammer has a measurement of less than 65 millimeters; c) the center of gravity of the lever-hammer is shifted rearwards from the vertical passing through the pin in the opposite direction to the string by a distance exceeding one centimeter such that, at the moment of striking, the segment which joins the center of gravity to the pin of the lever-hammer forms with the vertical a positive angle of at least 7°; d) a spoon is added, symmetrical to and opposite the spoon fixed to the wippen on the other side of the rod of the damper, this spoon being hinged, by a lever provided with a counterweight, to a fixed structure. | 05-09-2013 |
| 20130247741 | LOST MOTION COMPENSATION DEVICE FOR AN UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION - Lost motion compensation device is a mechanical device that rigidly and pivotally connects the rest rail of an upright piano to the front end of the whippen of an upright piano to cause the two member to rotate in unison as the rest rail is rotated by depressing and releasing the soft pedal on an upright piano. | 09-26-2013 |
| 084241000 | Jack serving as retractor | 2 |
| 20110232456 | UPRIGHT PIANO TYPE ACTION - An upright piano type action has a wippen | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110232457 | UPRIGHT PIANO TYPE ACTION | 09-29-2011 |
| 084242000 | Standard type | 6 |
| 20120180614 | ACTION OF UPRIGHT PIANO - To provide an action of an upright piano which permits playing of repeated notes on the single key and touch of the keys that are comparable to a grand piano. A first spring ( | 07-19-2012 |
| 20130186250 | PIANO ACTION FLANGE WITH OPEN-SLOTTED RAIL ATTACHMENT FEATURE - A piano action flange with an open-slotted rail attachment feature that is a slot-shaped void completely through the piano action flange, running in the longitudinal direction of the piano action flange, with width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the thread end the flange screw but smaller that the head diameter of the flange screw, where the slot-shaped void is open on one end, breaking through the end of said piano action flange, to leave the slot-shaped void open and accessible from the end of the piano action flange. | 07-25-2013 |
| 20130186251 | MAIN ACTION RAIL FOR UPRIGHT PIANO WITH FRONT-ACCESSIBLE WHIPPEN FLANGE SCREW - An upright piano main action rail with a thinner cross section and relocated lower front surface so that when the main action rail is installed an the upright piano, the lower front surface of upright piano main action rail resides in the same location as the lower rear surface of prior art upright piano main action rails. An upright piano main action rail also has all whippen mounting holes located on the lower front surface instead of the lower rear surface as is traditional. | 07-25-2013 |
| 20130205969 | ACTION FOR UPRIGHT PIANO - Disclosed is an action for an upright piano capable of expressing rich tone variation and improving the continuous press performance of the same key. In the action ( | 08-15-2013 |
| 20140013922 | ENHANCED VERTICAL PIANO ACTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - Systems and methods are involved with but are not limited to: a vertical piano action including: a substantially vertically oriented string; a hammer assembly including a hammer, a hammer butt, and a backstop portion, the backstop portion coupled to the hammer butt and extending therefrom; a jack member, the jack member including a first jack member end; a repetition spring coupled to the hammer assembly and coupled to the jack member; and an engagement member including an elastic member and an outer skin, the elastic member wrapped under compression with the outer skin, the engagement member coupled to the hammer butt and so oriented to physically engage with the first jack member end during one or more portions of travel by the first jack member. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. | 01-16-2014 |
| 20140311314 | Professional Upright Piano Action - A vertical or upright piano action includes a key bed, a key frame, a wippen, a damper action, a hammer action, a repetition lever, a sustain mechanism, sostenuto mechanism, and an una chorda or action shift mechanism. Butt directly engages damper, improving response to professional standard. Touch resistance is unchanged by sustain mechanism. | 10-23-2014 |
| 084243000 | Details | 8 |
| 20090173206 | KEYBOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND ACTION UNIT INCORPORATED THEREIN - A grand piano has action units for driving hammers to rotate toward strings, and each action unit is equipped with a repetition mechanism; the repetition mechanism has an elastic guide plate instead of a repetition lever and a repetition spring; and the elastic guide plate per se is deformed after contact with a drop screw, and returns to the initial position for permitting a pianist to play a music tune through repetition of key when the pianist releases the depressed key, whereby the action unit becomes simpler in structure than the conventional action unit. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090211425 | PIANOS PLAYABLE IN ACOUSTIC AND SILENT MODES - A piano, playable in an acoustic mode and a silent mode, includes a series of keys, a series of key actions, and a series of rotatable hammers. Each key action is actuated by depression of a corresponding key. Each hammer defines a forward throw direction and has a corresponding string. The hammers are driven by corresponding key actions transferring forces from corresponding keys. The piano includes a hammer stopper system that has a blocking rail slidably disposed forward of the hammers. A linear actuator moves the blocking rail along a substantially linear path between a first position, allowing unobstructed movement of the hammers, and a second position blocking at least one hammer from striking its corresponding string. The linear actuator moves the blocking rail to the first position for acoustic play and to the second position for silent play. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20100269665 | Hammer Stoppers And Use Thereof In Pianos Playable In Acoustic And Silent Modes - A piano hammer stopper system includes a blocking rail movable between a first position, allowing unobstructed movement of piano hammers, and a second position, blocking at least one piano hammer from striking any corresponding strings. The piano hammer stopper system includes a drive shaft rotatably coupled to the blocking rail, a drive arm attached to the drive shaft and engaging a drive fulcrum, and a travel guide directing movement of the blocking rail between its first and second positions. Rotation of the drive shaft rotates the drive arm to engage the drive fulcrum for moving the blocking rail between its first and second positions. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20120240743 | HAMMER STOPPERS FOR PIANOS HAVING ACOUSTIC AND SILENT MODES - A piano hammer stopper system includes a stopper rail set comprising at least first and second stopper rail members, each movable between respective first positions allowing unobstructed movement of associated piano hammers and respective second positions stopping at least one associated piano hammer from striking any corresponding string. At least one drive shaft is rotatably coupled to one or both of the stopper rail members. A drive arm is attached to the drive shaft and engages a drive fulcrum. A travel guide directs movement of the first and second stopper rail members between respective first and second positions. Rotation of the drive shaft rotates the drive arm to engage the drive fulcrum for moving one or both of the first and second stopper rail members between respective first and second positions. | 09-27-2012 |
| 20150068384 | HAMMER DEVICE AND KEYBOARD DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT - A hammer device of an electronic piano with keys which swing in accordance with key depression, includes a hammer support that is made of a synthetic resin and has a fulcrum shaft, and a hammer having a shaft hole part for being fitted on the fulcrum shaft and configured to pivotally move about the fulcrum shaft in a manner interlocked with the swinging key. The fulcrum shaft has an outer peripheral surface formed by a pair of arcuately-curved surface portions opposite to each other and a pair of planar surface portions each extending between the pair of arcuately-curved surface portions and parallel to each other. | 03-12-2015 |
| 084251000 | Flanges and joints | 2 |
| 20090120265 | HAMMER SHANK OF PIANO AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - There is provided a hammer shank for a piano which is capable of suppressing a change in the dimension between two arms due to dryness and wetness to thereby ensure smooth and stable operation of a hammer. A hammer shank is supported by a flange and pivotally moves in accordance with key depression. A shank body formed of wood has two bifurcated arms formed on one end thereof. These arms extend in facing and parallel relation to each other along respective opposite sides of the flange, and are pivotally supported by the flange. Phenol backers are attached on outer side surfaces of the respective two arms so as to prevent the two arms from being displaced in a direction in which they face each other. | 05-14-2009 |
| 20140083274 | BEARING MEMBER - A bearing member is to be used for an action mechanism in a keyboard instrument, the action mechanism provided with an action member that pivots in accordance with a key-depressing operation, and the bearing member includes: an inner layer having a through hole through which a shaft provided in the action member is inserted; and an outer layer formed in an outer side of the inner layer. The inner layer is formed of a first material having a higher stability against humidity than a stability against humidity of the outer layer. The outer layer is formed of a second material having a resilience greater than a resilience of the inner layer. | 03-27-2014 |
| 084254000 | Hammer heads | 1 |
| 20130186252 | HAMMER BUTT FOR UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION WITH HALF-CONICAL HAMMER SHANK HOLE - A hammer butt for an upright piano with a half-conical hammer shank hole located on the top of said hammer butt which has a cylindrical-shaped cross section as viewed from the side of said hammer butt flange and a trapezoidal-shaped cross section as viewed from the front of said hammer butt, with the bottom of said half-conical hammer shank hole representing the short side of said trapezoidal-shaped front cross section. | 07-25-2013 |
