Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-02
2004-02-24
Lockett, Kimberly (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
active
06696625
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an assistant pedal system and, more particularly, to an assistant pedal system which assists a child to selectively depress pedals of a keyboard musical instrument.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Pieces of music are played on a keyboard musical instrument with thumbs, fingers and feet. The manufacturers design most of the keyboard musical instruments to be played by adults. However, parents want their children to take lessens on the keyboard musical instruments from an early age. Children's legs are so short that they feel it difficult to step on the pedals of the keyboard musical instrument. It is required to either buy a small-sized keyboard musical instrument or insert an assistant pedal system between children's feet and the pedals of the keyboard musical instrument. To buy the assistant pedal system is less expensive rather than to buy the small-sized keyboard musical instrument.
FIG. 1
shows a typical example of the assistant pedal system. In the following description, term “front” is indicative of a point closer to a keyboard musical instrument than a “rear” point. Term “fore-and-aft direction” is a virtual line connected between a front point and a corresponding rear point. Term “lateral” modifies a direction crossing the fore-and-aft direction at right angle on a virtual horizontal plane, and term “up-and-down” modify another direction normal to the virtual horizontal plane. In the prior art assistant pedal system
100
shown in
FIG. 1
, the terms “front” and “rear” are corresponding to the right side and left side, respectively.
The prior art assistant pedal system
100
largely comprises a stationary frame
100
a
, a movable assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
, a position adjuster
100
c
, a telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
and a coupling
100
e
. The stationary frame
100
a
is put on a floor, and the position adjuster
100
c
is connected at the lower end thereof to the stationary frame
100
a
and at the upper end thereof to the movable assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
. Thus, the movable assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
is spaced from the stationary frame
100
a
in the vertical direction by means of the position adjuster
100
c
. Since the position adjuster
100
c
is variable in the distance between the lower end and the upper end, the position adjuster
100
c
can vary the height of the assistant pedal mechanism
100
d
from the floor.
The telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
is connected at the upper end thereof to the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
and at the lower end thereof to pedals
106
of a keyboard musical instrument such as a piano. The telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
is variable in distance between the upper end and the lower end. The coupling
100
e
is provided in association with the telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
b
, and fixes the telescopic force transmission mechanism to a given length.
When a user feels the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
too low, the user lifts the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
, and spaces the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
from the stationary frame
100
a
. The distance between the pedals
106
and the assistant pedal mechanism is increased, and, accordingly, the telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
is elongated. On the other hand, when the user feels the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
too high, the user pushes down the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
, and the telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
is shrunk. When the user feels the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
to be adjusted to the suitable position, the user fixes the telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
to the length by using the coupling
100
e
, and starts to perform a piece of music on the piano. Thus, the coupling
100
e
is required for the telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
b.
The assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
includes assistant pedals
101
, a bracket
102
and a foot rest
103
. The bracket
102
projects from the front end of the foot rest
103
, and the assistant pedals
101
rearward projects from the bracket
102
. Although only one assistant pedal
101
is illustrated in
FIG. 1
, the other assistant pedals
101
hide themselves behind it. The assistant pedals
101
are swingably connected at the front ends thereof to the bracket
102
, and a player selectively steps on the rear portions of the assistant pedals
101
.
The stationary frame
100
a
is formed with a guide groove
100
h
, and the foot rest
103
is also formed with a guide groove (not shown). The position adjuster
100
c
includes a link work
105
and a manipulator (not shown). A user manipulates the manipulator for actuating the link work
105
. The link work
105
has plural bars
105
A and connectors
105
B/
105
C. The plural bars
105
A cross each other, and are connected at the intermediate portion by means of the connector
105
B. The connector
105
B permits the bars
105
A to be rotated thereabout. The bars
105
A are rotatably connected to at lower ends thereof to the stationary frame
100
a
and at the upper ends thereof to the foot rest
103
by means of the connectors
105
C. The connectors
105
C are slidably received in the guide grooves
100
h
, and the other connectors
105
C are simply rotatably connected to the stationary frame
100
a
and foot rest
103
. While the user is actuating the frame work
105
by means of the manipulator, the pins
105
C slide in the guide grooves
100
h
in the fore-and-aft direction, and permit the bars
105
A to change the relative position therebetween.
The telescopic force transmission mechanism
100
d
includes couplers
107
, tubes
108
a
, rods
108
b
and coil springs
108
c
. The couplers
107
are respectively connected to the lower ends of the rods
108
b
, and the pedals
106
are coupled to the rods
108
b
by means of the couplers
107
, respectively. On the other hand, the tubes
108
a
are connected at the upper ends thereof to the assistant pedals
101
, and the rods
108
b
are slidable in the tubes
108
a
in the up-and-down direction. Although the tubes
108
a
and rods
108
b
are rigid, the total length of each tube
108
a
and the associated rod
108
b
is telescopically variable. The coil springs
108
c
are wound on the outer surfaces of the tubes
108
a
, and are secured to the tubes
108
a
, respectively so as to urge the associated tubes
108
a
and, accordingly, the assistant pedals
101
upwardly. The tubes
108
a
are secured to the associated rods
108
b
by means of the coupling
100
e
so that the force exerted on the assistant pedals
101
is transmitted through the tubes
108
a
, rods
108
b
and couplers
107
to the pedals
106
of the piano.
The coupler
100
e
includes supporting plates
109
a
/
109
b
and long bolts
109
c
. The supporting plates
109
a
/
109
b
are respectively fixed to the lower surface of the foot rest
103
and the tubes
108
a
, and are formed with the holes. The long bolts
109
c
passes through the holes, and are secured into the threaded holes formed in the tubes
108
a
. The tips of the long bolts
109
c
reach the rods
108
b
, and are pressed against the associated rods
108
b
. Thus, the tubes
108
a
are respectively coupled to the rods
108
b
by means of the long bolts
109
c.
A child is assumed to practice the piano. The prior art assistant pedal system
100
is placed on the floor, and his or her parent loosens the long bolts
109
c
. The rods
108
b
are released from the associated tubes
108
a
, and become movable. The parent aligns the couplers
107
with the pedals
106
of the piano, and couples the rods
108
b
to the pedals
106
by means of the couplers
107
. Subsequently, the parent actuates the link work
105
with the manipulator (not shown), and moves the assistant pedal mechanism
100
b
in the up-and-down direction. When the assistant pedals
101
are adjusted to the suitable positions for the child, the parent turns the long bolts
109
c
, and secures the rods
108
b
to th
Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP.
Lockett Kimberly
Yamaha Corporation
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