Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Izutani

Hitoshi Izutani 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: 10424275
    Abstract: An upright piano includes an internal space enclosed by a case including an upper front board disposed above a key bed and a lower front board disposed below the key bed, and a resonance tube in which a hollow region having an opening is formed and that is disposed in the internal space, in which the opening is disposed at the left end of the lower end of the upper front board or the upper end of the lower front board, or at the right end of the lower end of the upper front board or the upper end of the lower front board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiichi Fukatsu, Azumi Yoshida, Hiroshi Komada, Hitoshi Izutani, Taishi Shinohara
  • Publication number: 20190147835
    Abstract: An upright piano includes an internal space enclosed by a case including an upper front board disposed above a key bed and a lower front board disposed below the key bed, and a resonance tube in which a hollow region having an opening is formed and that is disposed in the internal space, in which the opening is disposed at the left end of the lower end of the upper front board or the upper end of the lower front board, or at the right end of the lower end of the upper front board or the upper end of the lower front board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Keiichi FUKATSU, Azumi YOSHIDA, Hiroshi KOMADA, Hitoshi IZUTANI, Taishi SHINOHARA
  • Publication number: 20110259169
    Abstract: Keys of a piano are depressed against the total weight of associated action units and hammers so that balance weight pieces are embedded in the front portion of each key; since the wood bar of the key is expandable and shrinkable due to the conditions of the environment, the weight pieces are liable to come loose; the balance weight piece is formed with ridges and valleys repeated at least 7 times at fine pitches equal to or less than 2 millimeters, and the maximum diameter of the ridges is slightly longer than an inner diameter of a hole formed in the wood bar; while the balance weight piece is being pressed into the hole, the ridges make the inner surface portion elastically deformed; when the balance weight piece reaches the target position, the inner surface portion penetrates into the valleys so that the balance weight piece is lodged therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 7999162
    Abstract: Keys of a piano are depressed against the total weight of associated action units and hammers so that balance weight pieces are embedded in the front portion of each key; since the wood bar of the key is expandable and shrinkable due to the conditions of the environment, the weight pieces are liable to come loose; the balance weight piece is formed with ridges and valleys repeated at least 7 times at fine pitches equal to or less than 2 millimeters, and the maximum diameter of the ridges is slightly longer than an inner diameter of a hole formed in the wood bar; while the balance weight piece is being pressed into the hole, the ridges make the inner surface portion elastically deformed; when the balance weight piece reaches the target position, the inner surface portion penetrates into the valleys so that the balance weight piece is lodged therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 7807911
    Abstract: Keys of an acoustic piano require balancers for cancellation of a part of self weight of the action units/hammers; however, the balancers are liable to be dropped off due to the aged deterioration of the wooden bars; in order to keep the balancers stable in the keys against the aged deterioration, the balancer is plastically deformed so as to bite into the wooden bar, the balancer, which is formed with thorns, is rotated so as to make the thorns bite into the wooden bar, the balancer is shaped into a configuration different from the holes so as to exert resilient force on the inner surface in a direction in parallel to the grain of wood, or the balancer is inserted into a constricted hole so as to strongly exert the resilient force on the inner surface, thereby being prevented from the dropping off from the keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20080121093
    Abstract: Keys of an acoustic piano require balancers for cancellation of a part of self weight of the action units/hammers; however, the balancers are liable to be dropped off due to the aged deterioration of the wooden bars; in order to keep the balancers stable in the keys against the aged deterioration, the balancer is plastically deformed so as to bite into the wooden bar, the balancer, which is formed with thorns, is rotated so as to make the thorns bite into the wooden bar, the balancer is shaped into a configuration different from the holes so as to exert resilient force on the inner surface in a direction in parallel to the grain of wood, or the balancer is inserted into a constricted hole so as to strongly exert the resilient force on the inner surface, thereby being prevented from the dropping off from the keys.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 7345235
    Abstract: Keys of an acoustic piano require balancers for cancellation of a part of self weight of the action units/hammers; however, the balancers are liable to be dropped off due to the aged deterioration of the wooden bars; in order to keep the balancers stable in the keys against the aged deterioration, the balancer is plastically deformed so as to bite into the wooden bar, the balancer, which is formed with thorns, is rotated so as to make the thorns bite into the wooden bar, the balancer is shaped into a configuration different from the holes so as to exert resilient force on the inner surface in a direction in parallel to the grain of wood, or the balancer is inserted into a constricted hole so as to strongly exert the resilient force on the inner surface, thereby being prevented from the dropping off from the keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20060207404
    Abstract: Keys of a piano are depressed against the total weight of associated action units and hammers so that balance weight pieces are embedded in the front portion of each key; since the wood bar of the key is expandable and shrinkable due to the conditions of the environment, the weight pieces are liable to come loose; the balance weight piece is formed with ridges and valleys repeated at least 7 times at fine pitches equal to or less than 2 millimeters, and the maximum diameter of the ridges is slightly longer than an inner diameter of a hole formed in the wood bar; while the balance weight piece is being pressed into the hole, the ridges make the inner surface portion elastically deformed; when the balance weight piece reaches the target position, the inner surface portion penetrates into the valleys so that the balance weight piece is lodged therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20050204907
    Abstract: Keys of an acoustic piano require balancers for cancellation of a part of self weight of the action units/hammers; however, the balancers are liable to be dropped off due to the aged deterioration of the wooden bars; in order to keep the balancers stable in the keys against the aged deterioration, the balancer is plastically deformed so as to bite into the wooden bar, the balancer, which is formed with thorns, is rotated so as to make the thorns bite into the wooden bar, the balancer is shaped into a configuration different from the holes so as to exert resilient force on the inner surface in a direction in parallel to the grain of wood, or the balancer is inserted into a constricted hole so as to strongly exert the resilient force on the inner surface, thereby being prevented from the dropping off from the keys.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Inventors: Hitoshi Izutani, Noboru Yamashita, Satoshi Inoue