# US 5,708,226 A · Thumb key for flutes and piccolos

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- Number: US 5,708,226 A
- Document ID: US5708226A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/696,236
- Filed: 1996-08-13
- Granted: 1998-01-13
- Earliest claimed: 1996-08-13
- Inventors: Kanichi Nagahara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5708226A

## CPC

- G10D 9/047: for wood wind instruments
- G10D: STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACCORDIONS OR CONCERTINAS; PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; AEOLIAN HARPS; SINGING-FLAME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (organs, harmoniums or similar wind musical instruments with associated blowing apparatus G10B; pianos, harpsichords, spinets or similar stringed musical instruments with one or more keyboards G10C; automatic musical instruments G10F; electrophonic musical instruments in which tones are generated by electromechanical means G10H)

## Abstract

An improved design for the thumb key assembly for flutes and piccolos. This design allows for longer tubing to be used in the assembly without requiring a larger space, resulting in a mechanism that is less prone to wear. The design also locates the thumb key and thumb lever further away from the "A" kicker tail, allowing for a more stable, standard sized kicker to be used. Additionally, the design also reduces the likelihood that a player will inadvertently depress the thumb lever when intending only to depress the thumb key. Finally, this design also provides a common configuration which can be adapted to both flutes and piccolos with the only change necessary being one of size.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An improved thumb key assembly for flutes and piccolos wherein said improvement comprises:
a thumb key, said thumb key further comprising an arm portion, a spatula portion and a fulcrum portion disposed therebetween, wherein said fulcrum portion comprises a short length of tubing integrally connected in perpendicular relation to said arm portion's longitudinal axis thereof, said tubing having an internal diameter;
a thumb lever, said thumb lever further comprising an arm portion, a spatula portion and a fulcrum portion disposed therebetween, wherein said fulcrum portion comprises a short length of tubing integrally connected in perpendicular relation to said arm portion's longitudinal axis thereof, said tubing having an internal diameter, and
a sleeve, said sleeve having an internal and an external diameter, said external diameter capable of slidingly engaging in stacked relation said thumb key tubing and said thumb lever tubing through said internal diameters of said thumb key and said thumb lever.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said thumb lever tubing and said thumb key tubing rotatingly contacts at said sleeve.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 2 wherein said thumb key is affixed to said sleeve by an affixing means.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 3 wherein said affixing means is selected from the group consisting of soldering, brazing, welding, and press fitting.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein said spatula portion of said thumb key extends laterally over said arm portion of said thumb lever.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 5 wherein said thumb key tubing comprises about one-quarter of the total length of said sleeve and said thumb lever tubing.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said thumb key tubing comprises about one-quarter of the total length of said sleeve and said thumb lever tubing comprises about three-quarters of the total length of said sleeve.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 7 wherein said spatula portion of said thumb key extends laterally over said arm portion of said thumb lever.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein said thumb key tubing is permanently affixed to said sleeve, and said thumb lever tubing rotatingly contacts said sleeve.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

An improved thumb key assembly in accordance with claim 9 wherein said thumb key assembly is further engaged with a shaft having an outside diameter, said outside diameter of said shaft internally engages said inside diameter of said sleeve and allows said sleeve to rotate upon said shaft.