Fall Boards And Desks Patents (Class 84/178)
  • Patent number: 7642437
    Abstract: A musical instrument having a displacement member that is operable to vary sounds, thereby offering a wide variety of musical performances. A box-shaped sound generation unit accommodated in the inside of a musical instrument body generates a sound in response to any one of performance operators being operated. At least part of a displacement member provided for displacement relative to the musical instrument body is always disposed within the inside of the musical instrument body. When an operating section is operated to cause the displacement member to be displaced as a sound is generated from the sound generation unit, the sound varies according to the displacement of the displacement member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Norishige Terada
  • Patent number: 7589265
    Abstract: An upright piano includes a piano case having an upper front panel, a left side panel, a right side panel, and a top lid. The upper front panel is pivotally mounted below and generally abutting the top lid. A keyboard is supported by the piano case and has a plurality of keys. A keyboard lid has a width substantially equal to a width of the upper front panel. The piano includes left and right upper front panel strips disposed on the corresponding left and right side panels. The upper front panel is pivotally attached to the left and right upper front panel strips to rotate between a closed position and an open position. The upper front panel is substantially parallel to and substantially in between the left and right upper front panel strips while in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Susan Yake Kenagy, Sue Guan Lim
  • Patent number: 7550658
    Abstract: A front fallboard, a rear fallboard and a hinge connected between them form in combination a fallboard assembly connected between side arms of a piano cabinet by means of a pair of rotary connectors, and each of the rotary connectors includes a front metal plate connected to the side surface of the front fallboard, a rear metal plate connected to the bottom surface of the side art defining a recess and a rotary damper; since the recess is wider than the rear metal plate already combined with the rotary damper, the rear metal plate is movable on a virtual plane defined by a fore-and-aft direction and an up-and-down direction; while a worker is seeking the optimum positions of the rotary connectors, self-tapping screws keep the rear metal plates in the recesses so that the worker drives woodscrews into the side arms through main holes or auxiliary holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Suzuki, Akira Nakamura, Akio Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7507883
    Abstract: A musical instrument body is provided with an array of keys at a front portion of the musical instrument body, and side plates at both side portions of the musical instrument body. A keyboard lid is mounted in the musical instrument body slidably between a closed position for covering the array of the keys and an open position for exposing the array of the keys. In case that the keyboard lid is shifted to the open position from the closed position, a front lid section moves rearward along a first guide recess together with a rear lid section, and when the rear lid section reaches a rearmost position, a rear lid supporting part is positioned in a second guide recess, while a front lid supporting part moves from the first guide recess to a third guide recess at a branch point according to release of connection between the front lid section and the rear lid section, and subsequently the front lid section is guided along the third guide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Susumu Ooi
  • Patent number: 7012179
    Abstract: A fall board stopper is provided for a keyboard instrument such as a grand piano, which is equipped with a fall board that is opened or closed on keys arranged on a keybed. It is basically constituted by a first stopper member and a second stopper member, which are normally separated from each other and which are respectively attached to a prescribed part (e.g., an interior wall of a side board) of the keyboard instrument and a backend portion of the fall board at a prescribed position. The first stopper member has an engagement portion that is engaged with the second stopper member when the fall board is opened, so that the fall board can be reliably stopped in position when opened upon a mechanical engagement established between the first and second stopper members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Shimano
  • Patent number: 6506966
    Abstract: In an erroneous opening prevention mechanism according to the present invention, a hook and a hook support are loosely engaged with one another when a front lid, folded back on a back lid, is unfolded, or laid flat. If an attempt to raise the whole lid laid flat on a grand piano main body is made, it is impossible to raise the lid due to the locking of the hook and the hook support. When the front lid is folded back onto the back lid, on the contrary, the hook and the hook support are released from one another and, therefore, the whole lid can be raised. Accordingly, the erroneous opening prevention mechanism prevents the whole lid from being raised without first folding back the front lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Hirohiko Miura
  • Patent number: 6469237
    Abstract: In an apparatus for opening an closing a top board of a grand piano, the top board is hingedly supported along one side thereof on an outer rim of the grand piano. The apparatus has a gear-type of jack made up of a jack main body fixed to a wooden fame of the grand piano, and a rod which is movable in a longitudinal direction through the jack main body and which supports the top board in a manner to open and close said top board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Manabu Arimori
  • Patent number: 6121526
    Abstract: A rotary damper has a shaft and a torque control mechanism which are accommodated in a chamber filled with a viscous fluid. The chamber is divided into a first compartment and a second compartment. The torque control mechanism comprises an auxiliary chamber defined by a partition wall disposed adjacent to the chamber in communication therewith, first and second communication holes defined in the partition wall and providing fluid communication between the first and second compartments and the auxiliary chamber, and a check valve for preventing the viscous fluid from flowing in the first communication hole from the auxiliary chamber toward the first compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Tok Bearing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeaki Kobori, Hirozumi Sasa
  • Patent number: 5918296
    Abstract: There is provided a closing control device for a fallboard of a piano. A fallboard support is detachably mounted on a body of the piano, and the fallboard is rotatably attached to the fallboard support. A linkage has one end thereof connected to the fallboard. A slow closing device is fixed to the fallboard support, and has the other end of the linkage connected thereto, for braking the fallboard by way of the linkage when the fallboard rotates in a closing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Muneo Ishida, Tatsuo Furukawa
  • Patent number: 5918295
    Abstract: A combination table, desk and digital piano is presented. The combination device features a flat writing surface with desk drawers which is made accessible by a folding top and side located at the front of the device. Located at the back of the device is a digital piano portion which is made accessible by folding back the top and side of the back portion of the device. When the digital piano portion is in the open position, the flat surface for a digital keyboard is made accessible and a hinged piano music marquee may be raised. The back portion also has a cut-out in the side of the body for speakers. When both the front desk portion and the rear back portion are closed, the device can be utilized as a flat table top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Inventor: Paul K. Mueth
  • Patent number: 4419921
    Abstract: A unitary keyboard shield adapted to be attached to a piano of the type having a laterally extending gap, or slot in a vertical section located at the rear of the keyboard. The shield includes a rear section engageable within the slot for attaching the shield to the piano, and a cover portion adapted to interrupt a player's line of vision to at least a portion of the keyboard when the shield is so attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1983
    Inventor: Edward G. Simanski