Abstract: An improved method of manually advancing through Steps in a Sequence using an electromechanical momentary switch, an electronic device capable of detecting changes in the state of said electromechanical momentary switch, and a Sequencer, whereby said electronic device will, upon detecting each change of state in said electromechanical momentary switch, trigger said Sequencer to advance to a next Step in a Sequence and recall a Data Set associated with said Step.

Abstract: Provided is a tone control device coupled to a musical instrument including a plurality of pipes capable of generating tones with differing pitches for keys, wherein the pipes are arranged in rows, comprising: a tone generation device that generates tone; a pipe designation device that designates a specified pipe among the pipes installed; and a control device that causes the tone generation device to generate a substituting tone corresponding to the specified pipe when a depressed key comprising one of the keys corresponds to the specified pipe designated by the pipe designation device, and the specified pipe is a pipe belonging to one of the rows of pipes designated as a tone generation subject for the depressed key.

Abstract: The present invention provides, for musical instruments such as organs, action-magnets and action-magnet drivers that facilitate reduction of wiring, connections, and logic circuitry. Some embodiments of present invention provide stop action-magnets, also called SAM's, comprising integral drive circuitry and, which may further comprise additional integral circuitry. Embodiments of this invention may comprise, logic circuits such as a shift-register cells, micro-controllers, or both. Some embodiments of this invention comprise shift-cells and registers combining both SIPO and PISO functions for addressing SAM's. A single-coil SAM embodiment of the present invention may respond to signals intended to operate traditional two-coil SAM's. In another embodiment, a pipe action-magnet driver comprises logic circuitry. In yet another embodiment a pipe action-magnet comprises an integral driver that further comprises logic circuitry.

Abstract: The invention provides an actuator for actuating a pallet of a pipe organ under the command of a key of an organ. The actuator comprises a movable member, adapted to be connected to the pallet of the organ pipe and a magnetic plunger, mounted on the movable member. It also comprises an electromagnet having a gap within which the magnetic plunger can be inserted and moved, wherein the electromagnet when energized moves the member to thereby actuate the pallet. A controller unit controls a current in the electromagnet to provide a controlled actuation of the pallet that is proportional to a key dip of the key. It also provides for a system based on a digital serial link for controlling an assembly of organ pallets that are actuated by electromagnets.

Abstract: A loudspeaker includes a toroidal shaped housing and at least one driver positioned within the housing. The driver is mounted within an arcuate enclosure such that a forward portion of the driver transmits sound beyond the enclosure and the rearward portion of the driver is substantially confined within the enclosure.

Abstract: The invention provides an actuator for actuating a pallet of a pipe organ under the command of a key of an organ. The actuator comprises a movable member, adapted to be connected to the pallet of the organ pipe and a magnetic plunger, mounted on the movable member. It also comprises an electromagnet having a gap within which the magnetic plunger can be inserted and moved, wherein the electromagnet when energized moves the member to thereby actuate the pallet. A controller unit controls a current in the electromagnet to provide a controlled actuation of the pallet that is proportional to a key dip of the key. It also provides for a system based on a digital serial link for controlling an assembly of organ pallets that are actuated by electromagnets.

Abstract: The invention provides an actuator for actuating a pallet of a pipe organ under the command of a key of an organ. The actuator comprises a movable member, adapted to be connected to the pallet of the organ pipe and a magnetic plunger, mounted on the movable member. It also comprises an electromagnet having a gap within which the magnetic plunger can be inserted and moved, wherein the electromagnet when energized moves the member to thereby actuate the pallet. A controller roller unit controls a current in the electromagnet to provide a controlled actuation of the pallet that is proportional to a key dip of the key. It also provide for a system based on a digital serial link for controlling an assembly of organ pallets that are actuated by electromagnets.

Abstract: A hybrid wind musical instrument is a combination of an alto saxophone and an electronic system, and a player has an option between acoustic tones and electronic tones to be produced during performance; the electronic system includes sensors monitoring selected component parts of the key mechanism so as to determine the electronic tones intended to be produced by the player, and plural combinations of pieces of magnet and Hall-effect elements serve as the sensors: However, the component parts of key mechanism are arranged in a narrow space over the surface of tubular instrument body; driven parts are attached to the selected component parts so as to bridge gap between the selected component parts and the Hall-effect elements remote from the selected component parts.

Abstract: A saxophone has a complicated key mechanism for selectively closing and opening tone holes, and fingering on touch buttons and keys is not easy for children, handicapped persons and old players; a supporting system is combined with the saxophone so as to assist a human player in fingering, and includes sensors, actuators and a controlling unit; while the human player is fingering on the touch buttons and keys, the sensors inform the controlling unit of changes of the depressed touch buttons and depressed keys, and the controlling unit supplies driving signals to the actuators associated with the tone holes to be closed so as to permit the human player easily and quickly to play music tunes.

Abstract: In a musical keyboard instrument, a keyboard having a plurality of keys that pivotally move about a frame is mechanically isolated from a tone generator having a plurality of operating members allowing musical tones to be generated in response to the keys being depressed. A plurality of key-depression detection devices are arranged for the keys so as to detect the key-depression operations applied to the keys. A drive control device drives the operating members so as to generate musical tones in response to key-depression signals output from the key-depression detection devices upon detection of the key-depression operations applied to the keys. Thus, it is possible for the player, in particular, a weak person, to easily and rapidly perform key-depression operations, thus realizing desired musical performance of the musical keyboard instrument.

Abstract: An electromagnetic valve for a pipe organ is located and operated so that the valve closure member opens and closes the windway to the pipe at an obtuse angle thereby slowing down the opening of the windway to prevent or minimize overblowing and eliminating or minimizing rebounding of the closure member when it closes the windway to minimize or eliminate unwanted continued speech by the pipe.

Abstract: An electronically controlled pipe valve magnet is disclosed. The valve magnet is a solenoid which activates a movable armature to open and close the air flow passageway between a pipe organ wind chest and an individual pipe. The pipe valve is electronically operated by means of a control circuit mounted directly on the solenoid by means of a circuit board which is easily accessible and which may be quickly replaced in the event of circuit failure. The electronic control circuit allows the relatively high solenoid currents to be switched by means of a relatively small control signal, thereby reducing the size and weight of the control cable leading from a keyboard console to the numerous pipe valves in a wind chest. The control circuit is economical and safe for use in a wind chest, and, since relatively low control currents are required, a large number of magnets can be operated directly from a single key contact.

Abstract: A computerized unit organ relay which utilizes computer hardware and software to interconnect the pipes of the organ with the organ console in such a fashion that the proper pipes are activated in response to the key-stop combinations designated at the console. All of the keys of the various keyboards, and their associated stops, are connected through appropriate input ports to the data processing device which, in a preferred form, comprises a programmed microcomputer. The computer software acts on the input data from the keys and stops to calculate which of the pipes should be activated in response to actuated keys and stops. This information is stored in a continuously updated array and is read out of the computer memory, via appropriate output interface devices, to activate the corresponding pipes of the organ.

Abstract: A solid state electronic relay system for a pipe organ having at least one input register connected to one or more organ manuals, respectively, to receive parallel input signals therefrom, and respectively convert same into a time based serial digital signal wherein each note of the keyboard occupies a particular interval of time in the digital signal. The serialized signal of an input register propagates through a digital delay line at a predetermined clock frequency. Selected ones of the delayed digital signals provided thereby are tapped to derive octave and mutation pitch signals. Accessory circuits receive the serialized digital signals and using combinational and sequential digital techniques modify the digital signals to provide reiteration, pizzicato, sostenuto and the like effects. The tapped signals and modified signals are selectively combined with logical gates under the control of the organ "stops" to provide the unification and accessory functions.

Abstract: A pipe organ in which the operative condition of keys and stops is examined by time-division multiplex techniques to provide digital signals which can be transmitted to a pipe sounding section of the organ and/or recorded for subsequent transmission to the pipe sounding section of the organ, note/stop correlation between keys played and pipes to be sounded being effected by modification of the transmitted digital signals.

Abstract: This disclosure is concerned with simplifying the performance of musical compositions and the like by triggering the release of successive electronically stored coded data corresponding to the successive notes of the musical composition and in accordance with the rhythm thereof, and, upon such release, decoding the successive data to generate electrical oscillations which are then converted into corresponding audible tones of the notes of the composition.