Patents by Inventor Katsuo Itou

Katsuo Itou has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6730839
    Abstract: A composite keyboard musical instrument comprises an acoustic piano and a silent system, and the silent system includes a hammer stopper split into two parts assigned to higher/middle pitched parts and a lower pitched part, respectively, and a timing changer for accelerating escape of jacks; although the two parts are independently rotatably supported by bearing units, two transmission mechanisms are used in parallel for transmitting torque from only one electric motor to the two parts and timing changer so that the power transmission system is simple.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Katsuo Itou
  • Publication number: 20030110897
    Abstract: A composite keyboard musical instrument comprises an acoustic piano and a silent system, and the silent system includes a hammer stopper split into two parts assigned to higher/middle pitched parts and a lower pitched part, respectively, and a timing changer for accelerating escape of jacks; although the two parts are independently rotatably supported by bearing units, two transmission mechanisms are used in parallel for transmitting torque from only one electric motor to the two parts and timing changer so that the power transmission system is simple.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventor: Katsuo Itou
  • Patent number: 6407321
    Abstract: A jig is used in an assemblage between key sensors and an acoustic piano, and the jig has a shutter guide assembled with a casing of optical sensor array for aligning slits with target trajectories of shutter plates and pieces of adhesive double coated tape adhered to the shutter plates for aligning the shutter plates with associated white/black keys, wherein the shutter plates are inserted into the slits so that the shutter plates are placed on the target trajectories, and the white/black keys are moved along the target trajectories until they are brought into contact with the pieces of adhesive double coated tape for temporality tacking the shutter plates to the associated white/black keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Tamaki, Katsuo Itou
  • Patent number: 6265647
    Abstract: A keyboard musical instrument is a combination of an acoustic piano, a silent system and an electronic sound generating system, and the silent system includes a change-over mechanism and a shank stopper connected to the change-over mechanism so as to be changed between a free position and a blocking position, wherein a change-over mechanism gives rise to a rotation of the shank stopper around vertical axes spaced apart from each other on a horizontal virtual plane so that the hammer stopper is free from a twist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Tamaki, Katsuo Itou
  • Publication number: 20010007218
    Abstract: A jig is used in an assemblage between key sensors and an acoustic piano, and the jig has a shutter guide assembled with a casing of optical sensor array for aligning slits with target trajectories of shutter plates and pieces of adhesive double coated tape adhered to the shutter plates for aligning the shutter plates with associated white/black keys, wherein the shutter plates are inserted into the slits so that the shutter plates are placed on the target trajectories, and the white/black keys are moved along the target trajectories until they are brought into contact with the pieces of adhesive double coated tape for temporality tacking the shutter plates to the associated white/black keys.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2001
    Publication date: July 12, 2001
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Tamaki, Katsuo Itou
  • Patent number: 6194649
    Abstract: An acoustic piano is equipped with a shank stopper moved into and out of trajectories of hammer assemblies and a change-over mechanism for changing the shank stopper, and the change-over mechanism has a pedal, a transmitter connected to the pedal and another transmitter held in contact with the transmitter for transmitting force exerted on the pedal to the shank stopper, wherein the transmitters are only restricted in the direction to transmit the force from the pedal to the shank stopper so that the transmitters are independently disassembled and regulable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuo Itou, Takashi Tamaki