A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The invention relates to hand-held and hand-operated tools for gripping upon and turning pins while tuning pianos and other musical instruments or devices having tension-adjustable strings wherein at least one string end is wound around a rotatably adjustable pin.
Pianos are tuned using tools such as a lever with a handle at one end and a socket at another end, the socket having been made to engage the head of a tuning pin. Most commonly, these pins have square cross sections at their protruding ends, and in a piano ready for tuning the points of these square ends are oriented randomly from one pin to the next.
The tuning lever must align itself anew to the square head of each tuning pin and consequently the angle of a tuning lever's handle changes as the lever is moved from pin to pin. The result is that a piano tuner must contort his or her hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder to accommodate each new angle the tuning lever assumes as the entire piano is being tuned.
Considering that the average piano has some 230 tuning pins and the average full-time piano tuner may tune as many as three or four (or more) pianos a day, applying as much as 100 inch pounds of torque to each pin, it is understandable that the repetitive nature of this work may be stressful to a piano tuner's hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder, especially if working with a tool that lacks ergonomic design.
The invention is a lever for the purpose of tuning musical instruments in general and pianos especially. A primary objective of the invention is to provide a tool for tuning stringed musical instruments with an ergonomically designed handle for grasping by hand so that torque may be delivered to a tuning pin without having to contort one's hand, wrist, arm, or shoulder into awkward and uncomfortable positions which result when using a tuning lever with just a simple lever design.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a lever with a handle for grasping and applying effective torque to a musical instrument tuning pin. A corollary of this objective is to maximize the ease of use of the tool while minimizing stress and strain. Thus, by using the invention, the wrist gripping the handle remains within a comfortable, non-injurious range even while the position of the lever might be at an angle that a user could not grip comfortably while attempting to exert substantial torque on a tuning pin, and a user gripping and applying torque at such an extreme angle would likely incur pain and discomfort and also risk repetitive stress injury. This ability is even more advantageous when one considers the differences presented in tuning uprights, or vertically strung pianos, and grands, or horizontally strung pianos.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the particular embodiments may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to refer to similar components. When reference is made to a reference numeral without specification to an existing sub-label, it is intended to refer to all such similar components.
While various aspects and features of certain embodiments have been summarized above, the following detailed description illustrates a few exemplary embodiments in further detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice such embodiments. The described examples are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that other embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. Several embodiments are described herein and while various features are ascribed to different embodiments it should be appreciated that the features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated with other embodiments as well. By the same token, however, no single feature or features of any described embodiment should be considered essential to every embodiment of the invention, as other embodiments of the invention may omit such features.
In this application the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise, and use of the terms “and” and “or” is equivalent to “and/or,” also referred to as “non-exclusive or” unless otherwise indicated. Moreover, the use of the term “including,” as well as other forms, such as “includes” and “included,” should be considered non-exclusive. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompass both elements and components comprising one unit and elements and components that comprise more than one unit, unless specifically stated otherwise.
In this specification, the term “means for . . . ” as used herein including the claims, is to be interpreted according to 35 USC 112 paragraph 6.
The use of the words “part,” element,” and “component” shall be interchangeable unless otherwise stated and the use of the words “tip” and “socket” shall have the same meaning unless otherwise stated and the use of the words “machine screw” and “set screw” shall also be interchangeable. The phrase “substantially perpendicular” is used to describe a condition in which a first entity extends in a direction within 15° of perpendicular with respect to a second entity, and “substantially parallel” similarly describes a condition in which a first entity extends in a direction within 15° of parallel with respect to a second entity.
Also in this specification a “piano tuner” is taken to mean a person who tunes pianos and not a machine, device, or tool for tuning pianos. A piano tuner and a “user” and a “tool user” and the like may be a person of any gender or sex. Grammatically gendered pronouns including but not limited to the pronouns “he,” “she,” “his,” and “her” may apply interchangeably to any human person and in this specification masculine grammatical gender pronouns and markings may subsume their feminine equivalents. “They,” “their,” and “them” in this specification always indicate plural entities.
The word “handle” in this specification shall include any part of the invention that is designed for gripping by hand and any extension of material along an open or closed profile of any shape, size, or form, symmetrical or asymmetrical. For materials, the handle may include wood, plastic, polyamide, polycarbonate, urethane, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS,) acetal, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC,) epoxy resin, brass, bronze, epoxy, aluminum, iron, steel, fiberglass, a composite material such as a material comprising a carbon fiber, or a metal alloy. Brand names or common names for some of these materials include Delrin® and nylon. Cross-linked polymers, monadic polymers, dyadic polymers such as 4,6, nylon and 6,6 nylon, and triadic polymers may also be used for components of the invention.
The invention is a kit of components which may be assembled into a musical instrument tuning tool acting as a lever for tuning musical instruments in general and pianos in particular. A musical instrument tuning lever in accordance with the invention is a lever with a first axis running longitudinally through its length. This part of the lever is referred to as its stem. At its distal end it has a means for attachment to a socket assembly designed to engage the head of a tuning pin and at its proximal end it has an ergonomically designed handle for gripping by hand; the handle having a second “grip axis” that intersects the lever's first axis. These two axes define a first plane, and a third axis which is coaxial with the first is defined by a shaft of a component rotatably adjustable around the lever's first axis.
The handle part of the musical instrument tuning tool kit in accordance with the invention may be a detachable from the stem part thereby allowing the handle part to be removed from the stem and replaced with other handles made to fit the stem.
The profile of the handle part at the lever incorporates two opposing horn-like protuberances extending out from the center of the lever's first axis along the lever's second or grip axis. These two opposing horn-like protuberances are joined at handle's proximal end by means of a gently curving surface the radius of which is compatible with the natural curve of the palm of a user's hand. The length, width, and thickness of the opposing horn-like protuberances are designed to fit comfortably inside the palm of a user's hand. The underside of each of the two protuberances incorporates a curving surface starting tangent to the lever's second, or gripping axis and ending tangent to the lever's first axis, the radius of which is so designed as to provide a comfortable place for a user's thumb thereby completing the handle's ergonomic grip.
The profile of the two opposing protuberances of the handle part of the lever may be symmetrical or asymmetrical and they may be centered on the lever's axis or offset to one side or the other of the lever's axis. The radius of the handle's upper-most proximal surface may be centered on the lever's axis or offset to one side or the other of the lever's axis.
The plane of the handle part of the lever may be set at any angle relative to the plane of the head and tip assembly as the head and tip assembly extends from the stem axis of the handle. By setting and resetting the angle of the plane of the handle relative to the plane of the head and tip assembly a user may customize the angle of the handle to a comfortable position for tuning.
The inventive tool lever thereby provides a user with a comfortable and ergonomic grip that may help alleviate the straining of tissues, tendons, and muscles and joints in the wrist, hand, arm, and shoulder commonly experienced by piano tuners which may result from having to contort one's hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder to follow the angle of a simple tuning lever as it is moved from tuning pin to tuning pin over the course of a piano tuning.
Although primarily directed at engaging tuning pins of a piano, the inventive tool kit may also be used for tuning other stringed instruments having taut strings wound around rotatable pins held by friction in anchor holes in the instrument's pin block or wrest plank. Harps, harpsichords, claviers, and spinets may also be tuned using the inventive tool.
A second axis [65] of the handle's grip is separate from the axis of the lever. By using this handle of the invention, the wrist gripping the handle remains within a comfortable, non-injurious range even while the position of the lever's first axis might be at an angle that a user could not grip comfortably while attempting to exert substantial torque on a tuning pin, and a user gripping and applying torque at such an extreme angle would likely incur pain and discomfort and also risk repetitive stress injury. This ability is even more advantageous when one considers the differences presented in tuning uprights, or vertically strung pianos, and grands, or horizontally strung pianos.
Although the first and second axes of the handle preferably do not meet perpendicularly, it is within the scope of the invention to fashion a perpendicular or “T-handle” version of the invention. In this embodiment for the “crook” handle, the angle [a] between the first and second axes of the handle is preferably within a range between about 92° and about 130° inclusively, within which an angle of about 95° is most preferred. An alternative embodiment is called a “paddle” style handle. In the paddle embodiment, the angle between the first and second axes of the handle is preferably within a range between about 50° and about 87° inclusively, within which an angle of about 70° is most preferred.
The shaft component extends along a third axis [67] and is receivable within and through the ferrule component and then also receivable within the aperture of the stem portion of the handle in concert with the collet. The collet nut is threadably coupleable to the ferrule component. The shaft component includes means for attachment of a head component [40,] the head component having at a first end complementary means for attachment to the shaft component and at a second end means for attachment of a tip component [50.] The shaft cross sectional profile may be round, ovular, rectangular, or of a polygonal cross-section, or of other effective cross sections. The shaft component extends along a third axis [68] and includes means for attachment to a head component. The axis [48] of the tip component and the complementary attachment means of the head component is a fourth axis and with the third axis defines the operating plane [-B-] seen in
Thus, the grip portion of the handle defines a first plane and the third axis of the shaft component with the fourth axis of the socket aperture define a second plane orientable at an angle to the first plane. Also, varying the distance between the handle and the tuning tip by extending and retracting the shaft from the stem provides a user with a means of adjusting the amount of leverage available for applying torque to a tuning pin.
The tip component has a first end comprising complementary means for attachment to the head component and a second end comprising a socket aperture extending along the fourth axis for engagement with a tuning pin. In this embodiment shown, the head component has male threads and the tip component has female threads on the end opposite the aperture configured to grip a tuning pin.
In this embodiment the shaft ends with a distal portion which is a frustum [33′] and the means for attachment at a first end of the head component comprises male threads, such as a threaded fastener like a set screw. The complementary means [34′] may include female threads in the head component or a threaded fastener having female threads which transfixes the head component and secures it to the shaft component, such as a hex nut or an internally threaded tube having a flange at one end larger than the smallest diameter of through-aperture passing through the head component.
For embodiments wherein the shaft component has means for attachment which include a Morse taper as a frustum, the complementary means for attachment of the head component comprises a bore of a complementary Morse taper.
The second bore in the head component completes the through aperture and is sized to admit the set screw or other threaded fastener, and preferably includes a countersink [35] for receiving the set screw [9] which is also preferably countersunk. The axis of the tapered bore [46] is preferably coaxial with the axis of the shaft.
In assembly, the threaded end of a set screw is inserted through the second bore of a head as shown in
The threaded end of the head component is a second end which extends from the head along a fourth axis [48] which may reside perpendicular to the shared axis of the first and second bores of the head, or a head component may be fashioned with any other convenient threaded end angle to the shared axis of the first and second bores such that a set of interchangeable head components may be provided with the kit so that a user may select a most conveniently angled head component from among an assortment of kit parts. When installed onto the shaft, the third axis of the frustum of the shaft and the fourth axis of the second end of the head component define a plane of orientation for the head component. The socket aperture of the tip component extends along or parallel to this fourth axis. In an alternative and preferable embodiment, the pin turning tool kit includes a countersunk washer [36] interposed between a countersunk set screw and the through aperture with its countersink [35.]
The shaft includes a frustum [33] at its distal end with a threaded bore centered on its end surface extending into the shaft coaxial with the axis of shaft for receiving a head and tip assembly [5.] The shaft in this embodiment may be extended and retracted in and out of the stem as well as being completely removable. Furthermore, the shaft may be locked at any position along its extension by tightening a collet nut or ferrule [3.]
The head component has a tapered bore complementary to the frustum and may be secured to the shaft by means of a screw [9.] A tip component as described elsewhere but having male threads may be threaded into the female threads [45′] of the projection of the head component. In this embodiment, the tip and the head are merged into a single component comprising a first end having a shaft portion receivable within the handle aperture and extending along a third axis, and a second end comprising a socket aperture extending along a fourth axis for engagement with a tuning pin.
On assembly the shaft is passed through a ferrule [3] with the shaft further comprising a keyway [17] which engages with a key [18] residing in the aperture in the stem portion of the handle. The shaft component cross section has a profile which may be a round profile, a round profile including a key way, an ovular profile, a rectangular profile, or a polygonal profile. The ferrule component comprises an aperture having a portion with a cross sectional profile complementary to the cross sectional profile of the shaft component, which prevents axial slipping or twisting during use.
The head and tip are thus extendable from the handle and may be secured by the collet nut at any desired distance from the handle. The third axis of the head is coaxial with the second axis of the handle.
While certain features and aspects have been described with respect to exemplary embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications are possible. Also, while certain functionality is ascribed to certain system components, unless the context dictates otherwise, this functionality may be distributed among various other system components in accordance with the several embodiments.
Moreover, while the procedures of the methods and processes described herein are described in a particular order for ease of description, unless the context dictates otherwise, various procedures may be reordered, added, and/or omitted in accordance with various embodiments. Furthermore, the procedures described with respect to one method or process may be incorporated within other described methods or processes; likewise, system components described according to a particular structural configuration and/or with respect to one system may be organized in alternative structural configurations and/or incorporated within other described systems.
The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations may be made without departing from its spirit and scope. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, are possible from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
Hence, while various embodiments are described with or without certain features for ease of description and to illustrate exemplary aspects of those embodiments, the various components and/or features described herein with respect to a particular embodiment may be substituted, added, and/or subtracted from among other described embodiments, unless the context dictates otherwise. Thus, unauthorized instances of apparatuses and methods claimed herein are to be considered infringing, no matter where in the world they are advertised, sold, offered for sale, used, possessed, or performed.
Consequently and in summary, although many exemplary embodiments are described above, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional patent application 63/363,799 “Pin Turning Tool Kit,” filed 28 Apr. 2022. The entire contents of U.S. Provisional patent application 63/363,799 “Pin Turning Tool Kit,” filed 28 Apr. 2022 are hereby incorporated into this document by reference. The entire contents of the inventor's patent application Ser. No. 17/228,574 “Pin Turning Tool Kit,” filed Apr. 12, 2021 and which matured into U.S. Pat. No. 11,056,084 and issued Jul. 6, 2021 are also hereby incorporated into this document by reference. The application Ser. No. 17/228,574 “Pin Turning Tool Kit,” filed Apr. 12, 2021 claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional patent application 63/012,799 “Pin Turning Tool Kit,” filed 17 Apr. 2020. The contents of U.S. Provisional patent application 63/012,799 “Pin Turning Tool Kit,” filed 17 Apr. 2020 are also hereby incorporated into this document by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
245382 | Jones | Aug 1881 | A |
318981 | Green | Jun 1885 | A |
342051 | Steets | May 1886 | A |
360871 | Finney | Apr 1887 | A |
RE10946 | Hale | Jul 1888 | E |
528154 | Fuchs | Oct 1894 | A |
634016 | Mueller | Oct 1899 | A |
768447 | Goodenow | Aug 1904 | A |
777281 | Erlandsen | Dec 1904 | A |
820418 | Hindman | May 1906 | A |
834468 | Hale | Oct 1906 | A |
842307 | Ellsworth | Jan 1907 | A |
997143 | Lind | Jul 1911 | A |
1160107 | Hale | Nov 1915 | A |
1329701 | Ellsworth | Feb 1920 | A |
1693292 | Frauenberger | Nov 1928 | A |
2802388 | Luckenbach | Aug 1957 | A |
7638702 | Fujan | Dec 2009 | B2 |
7718880 | Levitan | May 2010 | B1 |
11056084 | Gunderson | Jul 2021 | B1 |
20060117934 | Fujan | Jun 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63363799 | Apr 2022 | US |