Abstract: A key structure which is capable of giving a woody appearance to the key, and increasing the freedom of mounting at least one functional part formed as a separate part from the key structure, while maintaining excellent machinability. An upper plate has an increased width part corresponding to an end of a white key toward a player. In the key structure, a wood part is secured to the lower surface of at least the increased width part of the upper plate, and has an increased width part having substantially the same width as the increased width part of the upper plate. The key structure is mountable in a keyboard apparatus, for functioning as a white key pivotally moved by key-depressing operation. A recess is formed in a part of the wood part including the increased width part, which opens downward and has a width (W0) not less than 50% and not more than 80% of the width (B0) of the increased width part of the wood part.

Abstract: A black key for a keyboard instrument, in which a black key cover incorporating a weight can be manufactured at low costs, and the black key cover can be firmly mounted on a key body, in a state stably holding the weight in a black key cover body. A swingable key body extends in a front-rear direction. A black key cover body has a hollow shape opening downward, and is mounted on a front portion of the upper surface of the key body in a manner covering the front portion. A weight is received within the black key cover body. The black key cover body has at least one of lower walls protruding inward from lower portions of left and right side walls, for holding the weight from below. The lower surfaces of the lower walls are bonded to the key body.

Abstract: There is provided a keyboard device for a keyboard musical instrument, which is capable of enhancing the key touch feeling sensed when each key is depressed, and durability of stoppers. Keys each open downward, and have side walls and an abutment portion provided inside the side walls. The abutment portion has a lower end located at approximately the same height as lower ends of the side walls. The keys each perform downward pivotal motion when depressed. Stoppers are arranged under the keys in a manner associated therewith, respectively, for abutment of the side walls and the abutment portion of the associated key thereagainst, for stopping downward pivotal motion thereof. The stoppers have a shock-absorbing property.

Abstract: A key structure which is free from separation between a wood part thereof and a key base body to which the wood part is secured and has enhanced vertical rigidity in the vicinity of a clearance between the base end of the key base body and the wood part. In the key structure, the key base body has an extended part formed integrally with the base end and extended forward therefrom. The wood part is fixedly bonded to the upper surface of the extended part. A clearance is formed transversely of the key base body between the wood part and the base end. An upper plate body is fixedly bonded to both the upper surface of the wood part and the upper surface of the base end, and the rear part of the upper plate body extends in a manner spanning the base end and the wood part above the clearance.

Abstract: A keyboard assembly includes a plurality of white keys and black keys juxtaposed to each other and each having a body disposed to be depressed, and a connecting portion, and a key support that supports the body. The connecting portion connects the body to the key support in a fashion permitting the body to swing in directions of key depression and release while limiting lateral motions of the body. The body of each of the white keys has an extension formed integrally therewith and laterally extending therefrom at a location under the body of a corresponding one of the black keys in such a manner that the extension overlaps with the bottom surface of the body of the corresponding one of the black keys.

Abstract: An keyboard assembly for an electronic musical instrument is mainly constructed by a key frame, a key, a key switch and an assembly guide member. A fixing portion of the key is supported by the key frame such that a front portion of the key can be freely rotated up and down. An actuator is attached to and projected downward from a lower side of the key. The key switch (or a key-depression sensor) has an elastic projecting portion at its upper end. This key switch is provided on the key frame and is driven by the actuator, which depresses down the elastic projecting portion of the key switch when the key is depressed down. The assembly guide member guides the key when the key is moved in an assembling direction (i.e., a longitudinal direction of the key) in order to carry out an assembling operation to assemble the key and the key frame together.

Abstract: A keyboard assembly for an electronic musical instrument comprises at least a plurality of keys, a key support member and a plurality of key-return springs. The key support member rotatably supports the keys; and the key-return spring is provided between the key and key support member so as to press up the key to a normal position. Mechanical parameters which affect a key scaling to key-touch responses of the keys are sizes, shapes and locations of parts of the keyboard assembly, which are set by analyzing motions of an action mechanism of an acoustic piano. For example, weight of the key is adjusted using a deadweight member so as to provide a specific key-touch response for the key. An amount of elastic resilience, made by the key-return spring, is adjusted by changing at least one location, at which one end of the key-return spring is terminated, so as to provide a specific key-touch response for the key.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus for an acoustic piano having strings includes keys, a key bed supporting the keys such that they are turnable thereon, an action mechanism arranged at a rear end portion of each of the keys which operates in a manner interlocked with key depression to strike the associated string to generate a musical tone, and a key sensor switch mounted on the key bed for generating key depression information of the keys. The key sensor switch is formed by a rubber switch, and removably mounted on the key bed. Alternatively, the key sensor switch is movably mounted on the key bed such that the key sensor switch can be moved between a detecting position in which the key sensor switch can be depressed by any key depressed, and a non-detecting position in which the key sensor switch cannot be depressed by any key depressed.

Abstract: In a piano a panel, which takes the place of the usual cast iron string plate or frame, is provided for supporting the strings. The panel is a sandwich construction making it exceptionally strong and capable of withstanding the string loads without bending or otherwise yielding and without requiring auxiliary support such as the massive wooden backs or trusses to which cast iron string plates are usually attached. The string panel has a relatively thick low modulus of elasticity core layer, a portion of which is made of laminated hard wood to serve as a pin block, and relatively thin layers of high modulus of elasticity material, such as steel, bonded to the core layer. If desired the string panel may be used as the main frame of the piano to which other major components, such as the soundboard, key bed, side cheeks, housing and feet, are directly attached.

Abstract: The keyboard or pianos and similar musical instruments has key shanks (levers) which rest on a balance rail from which balance pins project. The balance rail is mounted on a strengthening rail which is keyed into one of two parallel slots in an underlying support wall. There are two balance-pin holes in each shank. The distance between the two holes corresponds to the distance between the two parallel slots in the underlying support. The result is that assembly or adjustment for either light or heavy touch may be achieved at almost no added manufacturing cost. The touch depends upon which slot is employed and which hole is employed.

Abstract: A key bed for a piano or the like is comprised by a laminated structure having two outer layers of sheet steel and an intermediate layer of a wood product. The steel layers are bonded to the intermediate layer, and the intermediate layer is substantially thicker than the outer layers of steel to offset the outer layers from one another and thereby increase the stiffness of the key bed.

Abstract: A pair of key blocks bearing a keyboard assembly via an intervening frame are pivotally coupled to side boards of a musical instrument by means of pin-groove engagement, and a top board and a front cover of the instrument are both turnable upwards in order to allow free pivotal movement of the keyboard assembly. Pivotal mounting of the keyboard assembly allows easy access to its bottom construction for replacement, repairment and adjustment purposes.

Abstract: A piano case or frame includes a laminated key bed and side arms joined with the bed at each end. The key bed supports the keyboard and associated portions of the piano action, and is assembled with each side arm of the frame by means of a rabbet joint. Fastening screws extending through the laminated bed into barrel nuts within each of the side arms develop significant pressure in the rabbet joints to hold the key bed and the supported keyboard in a level, undistorted position.

Abstract: The keyboard for pianos and similar musical instruments has key shanks (levers) formed of structural foam containing glass fibers, there being only one shank construction for all the white keys and another for all the black. The shanks are connected, at their outer ends, to self-positioning hollow key caps. Each shank rests, at a laterally thickened central portion, on a synthetic resin balance rail from which an integral balance pin projects into a slot in such central portion. The outer end of each shank rests on a synthetic resin guide rail having a guide pin formed integrally therewith and extending into the shank. The laterally thickened central portions of the shanks are sufficiently close to each other to provide a strengthening effect creating much resistance to side forces such as occur, for example, during shipment. The balance rail and guide rail, with their integral pins, are injection molded of solid synthetic resin.