Patents Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
  • Patent number: 8802956
    Abstract: The number of chords belonging to a first chord group is decreased to less than the number of chords belonging to a second chord group. In a first detection mode, when a first determining unit determines that a state of key depressed does not correspond to any chord in a first chord group, a previously selected chord is continuously determined. Accordingly, even if a chord detection is performed on a change of melody point by point, the number of chords substantially detected is decreased. This decreases the number of changes in accompaniment, thus stabilizing a playback of the accompaniment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Kira, Kiyomi Kurebayashi
  • Patent number: 8785756
    Abstract: An angle adjuster for a music stand includes: a pair of thick portions having a thickness equivalent to a thickness of a two-fold hinge in a folded state and arranged to be mutually parallel; and an intermediate portion arranged between the pair of thick portions and recessed relative to upper surfaces of the thick portions perpendicular to a thickness direction thereof. The intermediate portion includes a plurality of catching portions provided mutually parallely along a longitudinal direction of the thick portions, each of the catching portions being configured to catch one end of a support bar to support the music stand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Naotaka Murozono
  • Patent number: 8766076
    Abstract: A keyboard device for an electronic keyboard instrument, capable of ensuring stable contact between movable contacts and fixed contacts of a switch body, to accurately detect key depression information. A hammer has a pressure-applying surface formed in a predetermined configuration. A key switch detects key depression information and includes a substrate with fixed contacts, a hollow switch body with a pressure-receiving surface, and movable contacts provided inside the body. Pressing of the pressure-receiving surface by the pressure-applying surface sequentially brings the movable contacts into contact with the fixed contacts, causing switch body compressive deformation. The pressure-receiving surface and pressure-applying surface are complementary in shape, and an orientation of the former conforms to an orientation of the latter when hammer pivotal motion is terminated after the movable contacts are brought into contact with the fixed contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Hideyuki Ishida
  • Patent number: 8766075
    Abstract: A keyboard device for an electronic keyboard instrument, including several keys arranged side by side in a left-right direction, a hammer support disposed rearward of the keys, a plurality of hammers pivotally supported by the hammer support to be pivotally moved in accordance with key depression, and a key switch having a plurality of switch bodies provided in association with the respective hammers and a switch board mounted to the hammer support. The hammer support has a hammer supporting part for supporting the hammers and a switch mounting part to which the key switch is mounted, and is formed by an injection molded article of a predetermined kind of synthetic resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Hideyuki Ishida
  • Patent number: 8748725
    Abstract: A key switch for an electronic piano, which makes it possible to increase an allowable range for shift of a movable contact without increasing the size of the key switch of the three-contact type. The key switch includes a substrate having first to third stationary contacts arranged thereon side by side in the lengthwise direction of a pivotal member as one of a key and a hammer. Each stationary contact has a common contact and a non-common contact. The common contact has an extended portion extending between two non-common contacts. The key switch has first to third movable contacts arranged side by side on an elastic switch body, for being sequentially brought into contact with the common contacts and non-common contacts of the stationary contacts as the switch body is pressed by the pivotal member, to thereby output signals indicative of key depression information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Masahiko Iwase, Hideyuki Ishida
  • Patent number: 8742241
    Abstract: An electronic keyboard instrument capable of suppressing warpage of a keybed having a keyboard placed thereon and improving the appearance of the instrument by shared use of a backboard covering an instrument body and a speaker box. A piano body of an electronic piano has a keybed. A bottom board is disposed below the keybed in a manner spaced therefrom and extends further rearward than a rear end thereof. A front board is erected on a front end of the bottom board and connected to the keybed. The speaker box accommodates a speaker. A screen board is erected rearward of the front board in the speaker box on the bottom board, and connected to the keybed. A backboard is connected to the rear end of the bottom board in a manner covering the rear sides of the piano body and the speaker box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Kohtaro Irimura
  • Patent number: 8735700
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Abe
  • Patent number: 8716588
    Abstract: A key press switch includes a main body portion configured to contact a pseudo hammer of the electronic piano and a contact portion provided in a part of the main body portion to contact the pseudo hammer. The contact portion includes a first contact portion and a second contact portion located closer to the fulcrum than the first contact portion. The contact portion is configured such that a contact position with the pseudo hammer is shifted from the first contact portion to the second contact portion in accordance with the key press amount of the electronic piano from the amount at which, in a standard acoustic piano, the damper load starts to be applied until the amount at which, in a standard acoustic piano, the damper load has been fully applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Koji Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8704067
    Abstract: A musical score playing device including a prescribed measure time calculating module; a measure playing time calculating module; a comparing module for comparing the calculated prescribed measure time and the measure playing time; and a note value correcting module for inferring that a tuplet is present within the measure if the prescribed measure time and the measure playing time are not matched and for correcting the sound emission timings, the note value correcting module including a measure note sequence recording module for storing a note sequence, a grouping module for grouping the notes within the measure according to each beat, and a tupleting process module for changing the note values of the grouped notes based on a relationship of the playing time of the grouped notes and the reference time of a single beat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Akihiro Fujita
  • Publication number: 20140083274
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Kiyoshi ABE
  • Publication number: 20140083277
    Abstract: A white key for a keyboard instrument, which makes it possible to improve yield and marketability and reduce manufacturing costs. The white key for a keyboard instrument includes a wooden key body, a synthetic resin-made upper cover bonded to the key body, and a synthetic resin-made front cover bonded to a front end face of the key body. The upper cover has a protrusion protruding downward from a front end thereof, and the protrusion and an upper end of the front cover are in contact with each other via respective inclined surfaces formed on the protrusion and the upper end of the front cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Masahiko Abiko
  • Patent number: 8618399
    Abstract: There are provided an image acquisition unit acquiring an image containing information of a paper-based musical score from an image reading-out unit, and a musical character recognition unit recognizing a musical character contained in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using a plurality of musical character recognition methods, and outputting a plurality of musical character recognition results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Seiji Nakano, Naoyuki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20130319204
    Abstract: An angle adjuster for a music stand includes: a pair of thick portions having a thickness equivalent to a thickness of a two-fold hinge in a folded state and arranged to be mutually parallel; and an intermediate portion arranged between the pair of thick portions and recessed relative to upper surfaces of the thick portions perpendicular to a thickness direction thereof. The intermediate portion includes a plurality of catching portions provided mutually parallely along a longitudinal direction of the thick portions, each of the catching portions being configured to catch one end of a support bar to support the music stand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Naotaka MUROZONO
  • Publication number: 20130298750
    Abstract: The number of chords belonging to a first chord group is decreased to less than the number of chords belonging to a second chord group. In a first detection mode, when a first determining unit determines that a state of key depressed does not correspond to any chord in a first chord group, a previously selected chord is continuously determined. Accordingly, even if a chord detection is performed on a change of melody point by point, the number of chords substantially detected is decreased. This decreases the number of changes in accompaniment, thus stabilizing a playback of the accompaniment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yoshifumi KIRA, Kiyomi KUREBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20130283998
    Abstract: An electronic keyboard instrument capable of suppressing warpage of a keybed having a keyboard placed thereon and improving the appearance of the instrument by shared use of a backboard covering an instrument body and a speaker box. A piano body of an electronic piano has a keybed. A bottom board is disposed below the keybed in a manner spaced therefrom and extends further rearward than a rear end thereof. A front board is erected on a front end of the bottom board and connected to the keybed. The speaker box accommodates a speaker. A screen board is erected rearward of the front board in the speaker box on the bottom board, and connected to the keybed. A backboard is connected to the rear end of the bottom board in a manner covering the rear sides of the piano body and the speaker box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Kohtaro Irimura
  • Publication number: 20130283994
    Abstract: A fallboard arrangement for a keyboard instrument, including a slide-type fallboard and enabling enhancing the degree of freedom of design while ensuring good appearance and smooth opening and closing operation of the fallboard, to improve marketability. A fallboard opens and closes a performance section. Arms have respective guide grooves for guiding sliding of the fallboard in a front-rear direction. Left and right side plates are provided for left and right ends of a front portion of the fallboard, and have shield walls for shielding areas around left and right end faces of the fallboard, respectively. Left and right guide bushes protrude outward from the side plates, for engagement with the guide grooves of the respective arms. The guide bushes are guided by the guide grooves of the respective arms during sliding of the fallboard in the front-rear direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
  • Publication number: 20130276619
    Abstract: Preparation of playing information having correct note values is made possible even if tuplet symbols are not written in a musical score. A prescribed measure time calculating means a measure playing time calculating means a comparing means comparing the calculated prescribed measure time and the measure playing time, and a note value correcting means inferring that a tuplet is present within the measure if the prescribed measure time and the measure playing time are not matched and correcting the sound emission timings and the note value correcting means includes a measure note sequence recording means storing a note sequence, a grouping means grouping the notes within the measure according to each beat, and a tupleting process means performing a tupleting process of changing the note values of the grouped notes based on a relationship of the playing time of the grouped notes and the reference time of a single beat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Akihiro Fujita
  • Patent number: 8552280
    Abstract: A keyboard device for an electronic keyboard instrument, which enables facilitation of work for mounting and dismounting a key switch and install hammers and the key switch with high accuracy, and provision of a touch feeling similar to one provided by an acoustic grand piano while keeping the device compact in depth. The device comprises swingable keys, a hammer support formed by a synthetic resin molded article, hammers pivotally supported by the hammer support, and a key switch including switch bodies provided in association with the hammers and a switch board. The hammer support has a switch mounting part formed with an opening vertically extending therethrough. The key switch is removably mounted to the switch mounting part, with the switch bodies facing the hammers from above via the opening and the switch board placed on the upper surface of the switch mounting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Hideyuki Ishida
  • Publication number: 20130250613
    Abstract: A switch according to the present invention includes: a substrate; a touch sensor; a light guide plate; a light emitting unit; and a control unit. The light guide plate has a surrounding side surface chamfered so that a light entering into the surrounding side surface of the light guide plate diffusely reflects inside the light guide plate. The light emitting unit is arranged at a position facing the surrounding side surface of the light guide plate. The light emitting unit is configured to emit the light to the surrounding side surface of the light guide plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KAWAI GAKKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Kenji KAMADA
  • Patent number: 8536437
    Abstract: The musical score playing device includes a display unit 3 made up of a touch panel, a musical score image source selecting unit 10, a musical symbol detecting unit 14 detecting at least a note position and pitch information from a musical score image source, a display device 17 displaying the selected musical score image and a playing pointer 5 on the display unit 3, a touch position detecting unit 23 detecting a touch operation position on the display unit 3, a moving means moving a position of the playing pointer 5 in correspondence to the touch operation position, and a musical sound preparing unit 31 emitting a musical sound of a pitch of a note corresponding to the playing pointer position at a timing that is in accordance with the movement of the playing pointer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Masanori Katsuta