Pedals Patents (Class 84/229)
  • Publication number: 20150096425
    Abstract: A piano selectively playable in normal and soft modes has multiple piano keys and actions, including a wippen assembly, and multiple piano hammers. A soft pedal system includes a soft pedal and a hammer rest rail mounted for movement between normal and soft mode positions. A piano key lift rail is mounted for movement between a normal mode position spaced from lifting contact with the keys and a soft mode position in contact with and lifting the keys and the wippen assemblies. A soft pedal linkage assembly between the soft pedal and the hammer rest rail and piano key lift rail, upon actuation of the soft pedal, causes movement of hammer rest rail and piano hammers, and movement of the piano keys and the wippen assemblies, between normal and soft mode positions, in gap-closing motion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Inventors: Marvin Scott Jones, Sue Guan Lim, Susan Yake Kenagy
  • Publication number: 20140182444
    Abstract: A key depression (i.e., string striking) is performed while a pedal is kept at a set non-key-depressed-state corresponding position (a rest position of a hammer). A string striking velocity immediately before string striking and a string releasing velocity immediately after the string striking are detected, and a coefficient of rebound is calculated on the basis of the detected velocities and stored in association with the current value of the rest position of the hammer. Similar operations are repetitively performed with individual ones of different rest positions of the hammer, wherein each of the different rest positions of the hammer corresponding to each of a plurality of stroke positions within one stroke of the pedal. Thus, a distribution curve of the coefficients of rebound detected in association with the plurality of stroke positions is obtained and a half point of the pedal is identified based on the distribution curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji FUJIWARA, Yasuhiko OBA
  • Patent number: 8541672
    Abstract: A lever is supported by a lever supporting portion. The lever is urged by a first spring and a second spring. The urging force of the first spring varies over the entire operational range of the lever. The second spring and a third spring are provided serially through a movable supporting member. The displacement of the movable supporting member is restricted by a fixed supporting member. If the urging force of the second spring exceeds the urging force of the third spring, the restriction on the displacement of the movable supporting member is removed. Therefore, the present configuration provides a player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Iwamoto, Mitsuru Kitajima, Shigeru Muramatsu, Koichi Saigo
  • Publication number: 20130180377
    Abstract: In a player piano, a position sensor is provided cm an end portion of a lifting rail for detecting a vertical position of the lifting rail. In storing performance data of dampers, a signal output from the position sensor and indicative of a vertical position of the lifting rail is converted into a digital signal, and a position value indicative of the position of the lifting rail is generated on the basis of the digital signal and stored into a buffer. A conversion section converts the position value into a vertical position of a pedal rod connected to a damper pedal, and the thus-converted vertical position is converted, into a control value which a control change message of the damper pedal in MIDI-format data can take. The control value obtained in the aforementioned manner can be recorded into a recording medium as performance information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: YAMAHA CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 8471136
    Abstract: An effects pedal including a first stage configured to asymmetrically limit an input signal, and a second stage configured to symmetrically clip the asymmetrically limited signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Fulltone Musical Products, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Fuller
  • Patent number: 8466359
    Abstract: A pedal device includes a pedal chassis 9 provided in a pedal case 8, a pedal 10 that moves by rotating in the up-down direction with respect to the pedal chassis 9, and a rotation holding mechanism 11 that holds the back portion of the pedal 10 to the pedal chassis 9 such that the back portion of the pedal 10 is movable in the up-down direction. Therefore, when the pedal 10 is depressed, the back portion of the pedal 10 is moved downward by the rotation holding mechanism 11, according to the rotational movement of the pedal 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kimio Sakai
  • Patent number: 8378204
    Abstract: A pedal device for an electronic keyboard apparatus adds sound effects to musical notes generated by the electronic keyboard apparatus in response to an operator depressing the pedal device. A first reaction force application device is configured to apply a first reaction force countering a depression of the pedal by the operator from an initial state to a specified state to produce a first reaction force, wherein the first reaction force increases as the pedal is depressed from the initial state to the specified state. A second reaction force application device that is configured to apply a second reaction force countering a depression of the pedal by the operator after the specified state, wherein after the specified state the first reaction force and the second reaction force are applied to the pedal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiko Arayama
  • Patent number: 8143505
    Abstract: A lever 40 is supported by a lever supporting portion 41. Through a first pivoting member 52, the lever 40 is urged by a reaction force stabilization spring 54, a first spring 55 and a second spring 56. The downward displacement of a second pivoting member 53 is restricted by a fixed supporting member FR. If the urging force of the first spring 55 exceeds the urging force of the second spring 56, the second pivoting member 53 is displaced upward. A contact member which is in contact with the first pivoting member 52 and the second pivoting member 53 to produce friction force is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeru Muramatsu
  • Publication number: 20110138987
    Abstract: A lever is supported by a lever supporting portion. The lever is urged by a first spring and a second spring. The urging force of the first spring varies over the entire operational range of the lever. The second spring and a third spring are provided serially through a movable supporting member. The displacement of the movable supporting member is restricted by a fixed supporting member. If the urging force of the second spring exceeds the urging force of the third spring, the restriction on the displacement of the movable supporting member is removed. Therefore, the present configuration provides a player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki IWAMOTO, Mitsuru KITAJIMA, Shigeru MURAMATSU, Koichi SAIGO
  • Publication number: 20100162873
    Abstract: A pedal device of a keyboard instrument which makes it possible to stably secure a required action of a pedal, facilitate assembly thereof, and reduce manufacturing costs. A pedal device for a keyboard instrument of the present invention comprises a chassis 8 having a support portion 30, and a pedal 7 vertically pivotally mounted on the chassis 8, for a downward stepped-on operation. The pedal 7 has a cover 15 formed of a synthetic resin, and pivotally supported on the support portion 30 of the chassis 8, and a pedal body 14 fixed to the cover 15 in a state in which a rear part of the pedal body is covered by the cover 15, and protruding forward from the chassis 8.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
    Inventor: Shinji Niitsuma
  • Publication number: 20090266219
    Abstract: A product-sum operation circuit has delay circuits of the first to the (n?1)th stage for delaying musical tone data, multiplying circuits 60-6(n?1) for multiplying the musical signal data or the delayed musical signal data output from the delay circuits by impulse response coefficients, and adders 71-7(n?1) for summing up data output from the multiplying circuits. The product-sum operation circuit is provided with a feed back circuit. The feed back circuit includes a multiplying circuit 80 that receives the delayed data from the delay circuit at the (n-1)th stage and multiplies the received data by a multiplication coefficient, and an adder 81 for adding data from the multiplying circuit 80 to the delayed data from the delay circuit at the “p”th stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuichi NAKAE
  • Publication number: 20090235803
    Abstract: A lever 40 is supported by a lever supporting portion 41. The lever 40 is urged by a first spring 45 and a second spring 46. The urging force of the first spring 45 varies over the entire operational range of the lever 40. The second spring 46 and a third spring 47 are provided serially through a movable supporting member 48. The displacement of the movable supporting member 48 is restricted by a fixed supporting member FR. If the urging force of the second spring 46 exceeds the urging force of the third spring 47, the restriction on the displacement of the movable supporting member 48 is removed. Therefore, the present invention provides a player with feeling similar to that the player perceives when he manipulates a damper pedal of an acoustic piano.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki IWAMOTO, Mitsuru KITAJIMA, Shigeru MURAMATSU, Koichi SAIGO
  • Publication number: 20090229440
    Abstract: A lever 40 is supported by a lever supporting portion 41. The lever 40 is urged by a spring 45. A friction producing member 47 is in contact with a pivot restricting member 46 which is interlocked with the lever 40 to produce a frictional force in a direction opposite to the direction in which the lever 40 pivots. Such a configuration allows a pedal apparatus to exhibit hysteresis in characteristics of the amount of depression of the lever 40 and reaction force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki IWAMOTO, Shigeru MURAMATSU, Hisashi TAKEYAMA
  • Publication number: 20090205476
    Abstract: Different kinds of control tables in which action of a pedal 4 is associated with reaction force exerted on the pedal 4 by an actuator 7 are stored in a memory of an electronic keyboard musical instrument 26. The different kinds of control tables are designed to include a half pedal range. A CPU 40 selects one of the different kinds of control tables in accordance with player's manipulation of setting operators 28 to obtain a reaction force exerted on the pedal 4 by the actuator 7 from the selected control table, the reaction force being associated with an action detected by an action detecting portion 6. The CPU 40 also controls the actuator 7 such that the actuator 7 exerts the obtained reaction force on the pedal 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko KOMATSU
  • Publication number: 20090165629
    Abstract: An adjustable pedal extension device for a piano and methods for use. An adjustable clamp member is configured couple to a piano pedal. A pedal extension member is adjustably coupled to a clamp member for horizontal movement of at least one end of the pedal extension. An adjustable member is configured to selectively fix the pedal extension into a fixed position in relation to the clamp member after adjustment is made. A piano muffler kit includes a sound effect pad comprising at least one sound effect layer. A muffler rail dampening element is coupled to a piano in the engagement path of a muffler rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventor: Tolga Timuray
  • Patent number: 7498506
    Abstract: A pedal system and method for a musical instrument includes a supporting pedestal operatively connected to a foot pedal such that the foot pedal is pivotal to allow a user to control a musical tone in conformance with the angle of the foot pedal relative to the supporting pedestal. A rotating section is operatively connected to the foot pedal. A pressing member presses upon a contact surface of the rotating section. A leaf spring (or similar bias member) applies pressure on the pressing member causing it to press upon the contact surface of the rotating section. A pressing force adjusting structure to adjust the elastic force with which the leaf spring forces the pressing member upon the contact surface of the rotating section. The rotating section rotates about a central axis of rotation, and the rotating section rotates relative to the supporting pedestal. The rotating section has a contact surface parallel to the central axis of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Roland Corporation
    Inventor: Shuichi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 6448481
    Abstract: A damper pedal mechanism, a sostenuto/muffler pedal mechanism and a damper pedal mechanism are incorporated in an acoustic piano for artistic expression, and are independently actuated by a pianist, wherein component parts are assembled into the pedal mechanisms on a base plate, and, thereafter, the pedal mechanism unit is installed in a piano housing so that a factory worker feels the assembling work comfortable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Maehara, Yoshikatsu Tateishi