Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-14
2003-12-09
Lockett, Kimberly (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
C084S423001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06660917
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a keyboard musical instrument and, more particularly, to an acoustic piano or piano-based musical instrument having a keyboard to be covered with a fall board.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
A grand piano and upright piano are major models of an acoustic piano. The grand piano and upright piano each have classical contours, and the user does not want to drastically change the classical contours.
FIG. 1
shows a typical example of the grand piano. The piano case
1
gives the unique contour to the grand piano. Three legs
2
downward project from the piano case
1
, and keep the piano case
1
over the floor. A lyre box
3
is hung from the piano case
1
by means of lyre posts
4
, and pedals
5
frontward projects from the lyre box
3
.
A side board
6
, an upper beam
7
, a key bed
8
, a desk board
9
, a top board
10
and a fall board
11
are assembled into the piano case
1
, and define an inner space. A keyboard
12
is placed on the key bed
8
(see FIG.
2
). Though not shown in the drawings, an action mechanism, hammers and dampers are accommodated in the inner space together with strings, and the keyboard
12
is functionally connected to the action mechanism. While a pianist is playing a piece of music on the keyboard
12
, the keyboard
12
causes the action mechanism selectively to give rise to free rotation of the hammers. The strings are stretched over the hammers, and are selectively struck with the hammers for generating piano tones.
The top board
10
is hinged at the left side portion thereof to the side board
6
, and the inner space is open and closed depending upon the angular position of the top board
10
.
The side board
6
has a contour like a wing, and arm portions
6
a
project onto both side portions of the key bed
8
. The upper beam
7
laterally extends over the key bed
8
, and is secured at both sides thereof to the side board
6
. A slot is defined between the key bed
8
and the upper beam
7
. A key slip
13
laterally extends along the front end of the key bed
8
, and is secured to the key bed
8
as shown in FIG.
2
. The keyboard
12
is placed on the key bed
8
. The keyboard
12
is inserted into the inner space through the slot under the upper beam
7
, and is functionally connected to the action mechanism (not shown). The front end of the keyboard
12
is at the back of the key slip
13
, and is exposable to a pianist who sits on a stool in front of the key slip
13
.
The fall board
11
laterally extends over the front portion of the key bed
8
, and is rotatably connected at both ends thereof to the arm portions
6
a
of the side board
6
. The fall board
11
is changed between a closed position and an open position. While the pianist is playing the piece of music on the keyboard
12
, the fall board
11
is rest against the upper beam
7
, and is maintained at the open position. The keyboard
12
is exposed to the pianist at the open position. When the pianist completes the practice, he or she pulls the fall board
11
, and gives rise to the rotation. The fall board
11
falls onto the key slip
13
and/or key blocks. Thus, the keyboard
12
is covered with the fall board
12
at the closed position.
The keyboard
12
is fabricated from a key frame
12
a
, a front rail
12
b
, a rear frame and a back rail (not shown), balance rail (not shown), balance pins (not shown) and black and white keys
12
c
. The front rail
12
b
, balance rail and back rail are spaced from one another in the fore-and-aft direction at intervals, and are secured to the key frame
12
a
. The balance pins upwardly project from the balance rail at intervals, and the black and white keys
12
c
are put on the balance rail in such a manner as to be respectively engaged with the balance pins. The balance pins offer axes of rotation to the black and white keys
12
c
. When a pianist depresses the black/white keys
12
c
, the front portions are sunk toward the front rail
12
b
, and the action mechanism is actuated for driving the hammers for the free rotation.
The fall board
11
has a relatively thick boss portion
11
a
, relatively thin cover portion
11
b
and a beak portion
11
c
. Shafts
11
d
are embedded into the relatively thick boss portion
11
a
, and sideward project therefrom. The shafts
11
d
are rotatably supported by suitable brackets embedded in the arm portions
6
a
. The relatively thin cover portion
11
b
is merged into the relatively thick boss portion
11
a
. The relatively thin cover portion
11
b
is constant in thickness so that the inner surface
11
e
is flat as shown. The beak portion
11
c
projects from the relatively thin cover portion
11
b
, and is gently curved.
When the fall board
11
enters the closed position, the beak portion
11
c
is held in contact with the key slip
13
and/or rubber buttons on the key blocks, and keeps the cover portion
11
b
spaced from the black and white keys
12
c
as indicated by dots-and-dash line in FIG.
2
. The heavy fall board
11
as well as the classical contour impresses persons as being a musical instrument of depth.
While the pianist rests the fall board
11
against the upper beam
7
, the relatively thin cover portion
11
b
is upright over the keyboard
12
, and the flat inner surface
11
e
is very close to the land portions
12
d
of the black keys
12
c
. When a pianist wants to generate a certain tone assigned a block key
12
c
, he or she depresses the land portion
12
d
of the black key
12
c
. The pianist bends a finger, and presses the tip of the finger against the land portion
12
d
as indicated by dots-and-dash line. When the pianist changes the finger from the black key
12
c
to another key
12
c
, he or she sometimes straightens the finger as indicated by real line, and, thereafter, moves the finger to another key
12
c.
A problem is encountered in that the pianist tends to hit the nail against the inner surface
11
e
. If the nail is frequently hit against the inner surface
11
e
, the nail is cracked and broken into two pieces. The fall board
11
is also damaged. When the pianist hits the nails against the inner surface
11
e
, the inner surface is scratched, and the smoothly finished surface becomes disfigured with the scratches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a piano-like musical instrument, a fall board of which allows a player to finger on the keyboard without hitting nails thereagainst.
To accomplish the object, the present invention proposes to form a clearance for allowing a pianist to straighten his or her fingers.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keyboard musical instrument comprising a case having a side wall and a bottom plate fixed to the side plate in such a manner as to be located between both side portions of the side wall, a mechanism accommodated in the case, a keyboard placed on the bottom plate so as to be exposed to a space between the side portions and selectively moved for actuating the mechanism, and a fall board rotatably connected to the case so that a user changes the fall board between an open position for standing over the keyboard and a closed position for covering the keyboard therewith and formed with a recess extending along the keyboard so as to offer a clearance to fingers on keys of the keyboard at the open position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4939969 (1990-07-01), Taguchi et al.
patent: 5487321 (1996-01-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 5837911 (1998-11-01), Inoue
Goto Motoomi
Kawamura Kiyoshi
Lockett Kimberly
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Yamaha Corporation
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