Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-28
2004-01-06
Lockett, Kimberly (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
active
06673991
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(i) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism for a keyboard musical instrument.
(ii) Background Art
These days, an operation panel provided in a variety of keyboard musical instruments, such as an electronic piano or an electronic organ, is becoming larger since it is required to arrange a variety of operation elements and indicators on the operation panel to realize a various types of musical performance. Therefore, a keyboard lid for covering such a large operation panel and a keyboard is also required to be accordingly large.
In a conventional keyboard musical instrument, a large keyboard lid covering a keyboard and an operation panel is removed from over the keyboard and the operation panel, and is housed inside the keyboard musical instrument during a musical performance by a player. Usually, removing a keyboard lid covering a keyboard and an operation panel from over the keyboard and the operation panel is referred to as “opening a keyboard lid,” while covering a keyboard and an operation panel with a keyboard lid is referred to as “closing a keyboard lid.” Therefore, the term “opening and closing of a keyboard lid” is used herein with the meaning as described above.
When a large keyboard lid as above is formed with a single plate-like member, the depth of the keyboard musical instrument must be large.
Accordingly, in some conventional keyboard musical instruments as mentioned above, the keyboard lid is formed by connecting a plurality of plate-like members, such as a primary lid and a secondary lid, with a hinge or the like, and is folded at the connecting portion so as to be housed inside the keyboard musical instrument, so that the overall size of the keyboard musical instrument may be reduced. For example, the keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism for a keyboard musical instrument disclosed in Publication of Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-343976, comprises a retention mechanism provided with a first arm member which is rotatably held by a base fixed to the inside surface of an arm and a second arm member which is rotatably held in a coaxial manner with respect to the first arm member and is designed to operate in conjunction with the first arm member.
The retention mechanism operates as follows. In the opening operation of the keyboard lid, when the keyboard lid is moved to the inside of the body of the keyboard musical instrument, the keyboard lid abuts the first arm member.
When the keyboard lid is further moved, the first arm member is pressed by the keyboard lid and starts rotating. Then, the second arm member starts rotating in conjunction with the first arm member, and the end portion of the second arm member lifts up the keyboard lid from thereunder. As the result of the operation of the second arm member, the keyboard lid is folded at the section connected by the hinge.
When the keyboard lid is further moved, the keyboard lid in the folded state is housed inside the body of the keyboard musical instrument.
However, the above described keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism has a complex structure and requires a large space for installation thereof since the mechanism includes rotating members.
An object of the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems involved in the prior art, is to provide a keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism for a keyboard musical instrument which has a simple structure and does not require a large space for installation thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects are attained by a keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism for a keyboard musical instrument which comprises a keyboard lid including a front lid for covering over a keyboard placed between arms arranged opposite to each other in the vicinity of the front left and right ends of the keyboard musical instrument, and a rear lid having a front end connected with the rear end of the front lid by a connecting portion in a foldable manner into a reverse V-shape, the keyboard lid being movable between a position of covering over the keyboard (lid closed position) and a position of being housed inside the keyboard musical instrument (lid open position); and a keyboard lid guide portion for guiding the keyboard lid between the lid closed position and the lid open position. The keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism further comprises a reverse V-shape forming portion for folding the keyboard lid moving from the lid closed position to the lid open position into a reverse V-shape configuration at the connecting portion, a rotation support portion for supporting the rear lid of the keyboard lid folded into a reverse V-shape configuration at the connecting portion by the reverse V-shape forming portion when the keyboard lid moves from the lid closed position to the lid open position, thereby rotating the rear lid around the support portion, and a keyboard lid stop portion for stopping the keyboard lid while moving in the lid open position.
According to the present keyboard lid opening and closing mechanism for a keyboard musical instrument, the keyboard lid in the lid closed position is moved toward the lid open position to open the keyboard lid covering over the keyboard for a musical performance. Specifically, the keyboard lid is moved toward the inside of the body of the keyboard musical instrument by, for example, pushing the front lid. The keyboard lid is guided by the keyboard lid guide portion between the lid closed position and the lid open position. Then, the keyboard lid while moving is folded into a reverse V-shape configuration at the connecting portion by the reverse V-shape forming portion. In this case, the reverse V-shape forming portion may be disposed at the place through which the undersurface of the keyboard lid while moving passes in a contact manner with the reverse. V-shape forming portion. Subsequently, the rotation support portion supports the rear lid of the keyboard lid folded into a reverse V-shape configuration. Then, the front end of the rear lid is pushed in a different direction from the direction toward the rear end of the rear lid, and the rear lid starts to rotate around the support portion, and thereby the keyboard lid becomes folded further. Finally, the keyboard lid stop portion stops the keyboard lid in the lid open position to house the keyboard lid in the folded state within the body of the keyboard musical instrument. The keyboard lid stop portion is designed to stop the front lid while moving.
On the other hand, to close the keyboard lid after the musical performance, the keyboard lid in the lid open position is moved toward the lid closed position. Specifically, the keyboard lid housed in the folded state inside the body of the keyboard musical instrument is moved toward over the keyboard by, for example, pulling the front lid over the keyboard. Then, the keyboard lid detaches from the keyboard lid stop portion, while the rear lid rotates in the opposite direction to the direction of opening the keyboard lid. During this process, the reverse V-shape formed by the keyboard lid gradually becomes flat. Subsequently, the rear lid detaches the rotation support portion, and the keyboard lid is pulled out from the body of the keyboard musical instrument. Thus, the keyboard lid covers over the keyboard in the lid closed position.
As described above, to house a keyboard lid in the folded state inside the keyboard musical instrument, only the reverse V-shape forming portion, the rotation support portion and the keyboard lid stop portion are necessary. Therefore, the structure of the mechanism for opening and closing the keyboard lid is simplified, and a large space for installation of the mechanism is not necessary since these portions include no movable parts.
A keyboard musical instrument of some type has an inclined operation panel provided obliquely above and behind the keyboard. In such a keyboard musical instrument, the keyboard lid in the lid closed position covers over the operation p
Davis & Bujold PLLC
Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
Lockett Kimberly
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