Action for electronic piano
AssigneeThe Wurlitzer Company
InventorsHarold O. Schwartz, Ray F. Gong, Victor Durk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A piano action is provided for an electronic piano. Tones are generated electronically, but the action retains the feel of a conventional piano action without the necessity of a hammer or hammer-like member. The piano key is provided with a rounded, convex shoulder which presses against a rounded, convex surface on a lever. The two convex surfaces are configured and positioned so that one slides over the other to provide the feel of let-off of a conventional piano action. The lever is spring-biased by means of two different springs to rest position, and acts to move a spring wire contact from a first bus to a second bus.
Claims18
A piano action for use in a piano having no hammers nor associated conventional hammer actions for providing a touch similar to that of said conventional hammer and hammer action and comprising support means, a key having inner and outer ends, means pivotally mounting said key from said support means intermediate the ends of said key for manual pivoting thereof, means interacting between said support means and said key to provide a limit position for said key, a switch actuating operated member, means pivotally mounting said operated member from said support means beyond the inner end of said key, and means biasing said operated member and said key to a rest position, said key on said inner end and said operated member having confronting convex surfaces contacting one another, one of said convex surfaces having convex portions of different radii merging into one another as a continuous convex surface such that said key when manually pivoted from rest position pivots said operated member a predetermined distance with said convex surfaces sliding along one another and off of one of said surface portions on to the other whereupon said operated member changes speed before said key reaches limit position to provide a feel of let-off.
A piano action comprising support means, a key, means pivotally mounting said key from said support means for manual pivoting thereof, a lever having a substantially upright stem and an arm extending laterally therefrom toward said key, means pivotally mounting the stem of said lever from said support means, and means biasing said key and said lever to rest position, said key and said arm of said lever being operatively interconnected for pivoting of said lever upon manual pivoting of said key, said lever being substantially T-shaped and having arms substantially at the top of said stem, one of said arms extending toward said key and the other thereof extending away from said key, a switch mechanism mounted from said support, and means operatively interconnecting said other arm and said switch mechanism for operation of said switch mechanism upon pivoting of said lever.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.