Claims
- 1. A keyboard musical instrument comprising:
- supporting means;
- a plurality of sound producing elements, each attached to the supporting structure;
- a plurality of actions, each being associated with an element;
- each action including
- a key having a head and a tail,
- a hammer assembly including a hammer mounted on the key tail,
- an escapement,
- and flexible and resilient key hinge means for connecting the key to the supporting structure;
- said hammer assembly connected to the tail of the key by hinge and biasing means and when at rest in contact with the escapement and initially restrained thereby, whereby when the key head is depressed the key tail rotates about the key hinge causing the hammer assembly to overcome the resistance of the escapement so that the hammer strikes the element at a specific point causing it to vibrate and produce sound.
- 2. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the escapement includes a resilient hinge member and an escapement head, said head being biased into contact with the hammer assembly by said hinge action.
- 3. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 2 wherein said hammber assembly includes a tooth extending from said hammer assembly and underlying the escapement head, the extent of the tooth beneath the escapement head determining the resistance force exerted on the hammer assembly by the escapement.
- 4. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 3 and further including an escapement adjustment block mounted on the hammer and overlying the tooth and movable to a plurality of positions to vary the extent of the tooth beneath the escapement head.
- 5. A keyboard musical intrument as defined in claim 3 wherein said hammer assembly further includes:
- a hammer tail from which the tooth extends and to which the hammer hinge is connected,
- a hammer shaft extending from the hammer tail, and
- a hammer head on said shaft and positioned beneath the element, whereby the hammer head strikes the sound producing element when the key head is depressed.
- 6. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the key hinge means includes a key balance assembly means and the flexible and resilient hinge is connected to the assembly means and to the key, said assembly means being connected to the supporting structure whereby said hinge acts as a fulcrum for the rotation of the key tail when the key head is depressed.
- 7. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 6 wherein the assembly means includes a cantilever member and adjustment means for positioning the free end of the cantilever with respect to the supporting structure, and the hinge being connected to the assembly means in said cantilever member.
- 8. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein the key tail includes a portion thereof extending into an opening in a guide block, said guide block being connected to the supporting structure, and said opening limiting the lateral movement of the key tail and its extent of rotation upon depression of the key head, and said opening and the key hinge means cooperate to aid in the maintenance of the key alignment when the instrument is moved from normal operating position.
- 9. A keyboard as defined in claim 8 and further including a cushion material within said opening to absorb the force of the key tail rotation.
- 10. A keyboard musical instrument as defined in claim 1 and further including a damper means mounted on the key tail and in contact with the element to prevent vibration thereof when the key is in a normal at rest position, and being rotated out of contact with said element when the key head is depressed and before the hammer strikes the element.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 095,558 filed Nov. 19, 1979 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,494, issued Feb. 9, 1982.
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Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
591887 |
Schweikart |
Oct 1897 |
|
2641153 |
Enochs et al. |
Jun 1953 |
|
3270608 |
Rhodes |
Sep 1966 |
|
3334172 |
Markowitz et al. |
Aug 1967 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
95558 |
Nov 1979 |
|