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"That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced."
Scientific American ; Jan. 2 edition, 1909
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7893344 | Touch detecting device of keyboard instrument There is provided a touch detecting device of a keyboard instrument, which makes it possible not only to enhance the mounting density of a plurality of optical sensors, but also to detect touch information of a key with high accuracy without being affected by light ... | 02/22/2011 |
| 7834262 | Electronic keyboard instrument An electronic keyboard instrument which is capable of easily carrying out an arpeggio performance rich in variety by a simple operation on a touch strip. The electronic keyboard instrument has a belt-like touch strip on which a player slides his finger while touchin... | 11/16/2010 |
| 7816600 | Use of constant force spring in keyboard assembly An electronic keyboard that includes a plurality of keys including a first key. The keyboard further includes a key support supporting the first key for movement between a rest position and a depressed position. The keyboard also includes a first key return spring c... | 10/19/2010 |
| 7700868 | Musical instrument and supporting system incorporated therein for music players A supporting system is provided on a saxophone for offering assistance to the player, and includes pressure sensors monitoring the touch pieces of the keys, power assisting units equipped with torque motors provided for the keys and a controller connected to the pre... | 04/20/2010 |
| 7678989 | Use of constant force spring in keyboard assembly An electronic keyboard that includes a plurality of keys including a first key. The keyboard further includes a key support supporting the first key for movement between a rest position and a depressed position. The keyboard also includes a first key return spring c... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7514627 | Keyboard musical instrument having sensor unit exactly located by means of plural locators A hybrid keyboard musical instrument is fabricated on a piano, and a hammer stopper and an electronic tone generating system are installed in the piano; the electronic tone generating system includes hammer sensors arranged on a framework secured to a shank flange r... | 04/07/2009 |
| 7408108 | Multiple-paramenter instrument keyboard combining key-surface touch and key-displacement sensor arrays An invention extending functionality and applications of traditional music keyboards. Individual musical keyboard keys may have individual key displacement sensors measuring key travel. Individual keys may further include surface sensors measuring two additional par... | 08/05/2008 |
| 7394010 | Performance apparatus and tone generation method therefor A Plurality of key switches for tone-generating are arranged two-dimensionally. Mode setting section sets a tone adjusting mode in which the key switches are caused to function as tone-adjusting operators. In the tone adjusting mode, adjustment of a predetermined to... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7385134 | Wind musical instrument having pads for closing tone holes with mechanical assistance and supporting system used therein A saxophone has a complicated key mechanism for selectively closing and opening tone holes, and fingering on touch buttons and keys is not easy for children, handicapped persons and old players; a supporting system is combined with the saxophone so as to assist a hu... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7262351 | Piano hammer A piano hammer comprises an elongate hammer head having a nose portion defining side surfaces and a felt covering extending about the nose portion with tail portions of the felt covering affixed to the side surfaces. The felt covering defines a substantially ellipti... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7256359 | Key operation detection unit of an electronic keyboard instrument A key operation detection unit of an electronic keyboard instrument that suppresses increase in reaction forces with key depression operation, to improve a key touch feeling. A depression operation of any one of keys of the keyboard instrument is detected by first a... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7253349 | Engineers piano with bisymmetrical manuals and accompanying musical notation system A 2 manual musical keyboard with the pitch progression on one of the manuals reversed. The keys on these manuals are segregated into 2 groups of 2 different heights in the same way as a standard musical keyboard. The key configurations on these manuals have 12 semi-... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7247788 | Integrated computer and music keyboard module An integrated computer and music keyboard module includes a key assembled base, on a first side of which a plurality of music keys are parallelly arranged. The key assembled base is provided on at least one lateral end with a connecting member for turnably connectin... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7214897 | Illuminated keyboard with illuminated patterns displayed on top surface of keyboard An illuminated keyboard with illuminated figures being formed on the top surface of the keyboard including: a top cover, a bottom cover, a plurality of keys and an electroluminescent board. The top cover accommodates the keys and is combined with the bottom cover. T... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7151212 | Compact keyboard apparatus with accurate detection of key pressing speed A keyboard apparatus is provided with a key unit that has a plurality of keys supported for pivotal motion. Also provided is a detection section for detecting a key speed when any of the keys are pivoted. The key unit and detection section are supported by a housing... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7119270 | Geometric system and method for generating tone using fluid A polyphonic instrument comprises a geometric system coupled with a user interface and a method for generating tone using fluid. The geometric system is arranged such that each point corresponds to a mechanism underlying a malleable surface and is sequentially based... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7105738 | Functional performance of keyboard musical instruments A musical keyboard having associated therewith a alphanumeric keyboard having a plurality of alphanumeric keys, the musical keyboard having a musical keys each being for producing a musical sound, and music function keys for producing musical effects, At least one o... | 09/12/2006 |
| 7075001 | Keyboard guitar musical instrument apparatus A musical instrument apparatus including multiple parallel strings defining a string line and a keyboard overlay positioned at an acute angle to the string line to allow for consistent playing feel by consistently positioning the hammers on the keys while allowing l... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7060883 | Compact keyboard apparatus with accurate detection of key pressing speed A keyboard apparatus is provided with a key unit that has a plurality of keys supported for pivotal motion. Also provided is a detection section for detecting a key speed when any of the keys are pivoted. The key unit and detection section are supported by a housing... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7060890 | Keyboard musical instrument structure An electronic grand piano comprises a plurality of keys arranged on a keybed, a plurality of actions interlocked with the keys, and an electric circuit unit for performing tone-generation operations based on operations of the actions when the keys are operated. A pa... | 06/13/2006 |
| 7034219 | Keyboard and method for manufacturing the same A keyboard and a method for manufacturing the keyboard using silicon rubber. The method for manufacturing the keyboard includes forming sheets from silicon rubber; forming the sheets into a top pad with keys integrally formed thereon and a bottom pad bonded to a bot... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6846982 | Key depression detection apparatus for keyboard instrument A key depression detection apparatus is constituted by a sensor case incorporating key sensors, which can be easily adjusted in positions relative to an arrangement of keys on a keyboard frame (or a keybed) in a keyboard instrument such as a piano. The sensor case h... | 01/25/2005 |
| 6815603 | Unbreakable and economical optical sensor array and keyboard musical instrument using the same An optical sensor array includes plural sensor heads arranged on a supporting plate at intervals for monitoring moving objects such as black/white keys of a composite keyboard musical instrument; the sensor head has resiliently deformable arms on both side portions ... | 11/09/2004 |
| 6781050 | Electric guitar circuit control and switching module An interchangeable passive electric guitar circuit control and switching module is integrated into an existing guitar to dynamically alter the electronic relationship of the guitar's electric components (i.e. the existing pickups, volume and tone controls, at least ... | 08/24/2004 |
| 6765142 | Electronic keyboard musical instrument There is provided an electronic keyboard musical instrument that gives the performance feeling closer to that given by an acoustic piano and enables techniques of expression closer to those used when playing the acoustic piano. Touch information is generated based o... | 07/20/2004 |
| 6495748 | System for electronically emulating musical instrument This invention relates to a multimedia instrument simulation device and methods. The device is connected to a multimedia keyboard or computer and comprises several playing elements that simulate the playing of musical instruments. In conjunction with one ... | 12/17/2002 |
| 6420640 | Method and apparatus for glove-based chording The invention is a method and apparatus for chording. One embodiment of an apparatus comprises a user-wearable support element, in the form of a glove having finger and thumb portions. An output generating element in the form of a switch is provided corre... | 07/16/2002 |
| 6380469 | Keyboard musical instrument equipped with key actuators accurately controlling key motion A keyboard musical instrument is equipped with solenoid-operated key actuators for guiding a player in fingering on the keyboard, and the solenoid-operated key actuators stop the keys at terminative positions on the way to the end positions, wherein key s... | 04/30/2002 |
| 6351225 | Multimedia PC keyboard extended with music control keys A dual mode keyboard system with a modified keyboard arrangement allows PC users to have real-time control of MDI data. By toggling the keyboard system between a MIDI data input mode and an alphanumeric data input mode. The key board used in the current i... | 02/26/2002 |
| 6262355 | Method and apparatus for glove-based chording The invention is a method and apparatus for chording. One embodiment of an apparatus comprises a user-wearable support element, in the form of a glove having finger and thumb portions. An output generating element in the form of a switch is provided corre... | 07/17/2001 |
| 5977466 | Keyboard musical instrument equipped with small simple economical key touch generator An electronic keyboard musical instrument includes a plurality of keys turnable between a rest position and an end position, an electronic sound generating system responsive to the motion of the key so as to generate an electronic sound and a key touch ge... | 11/02/1999 |
| 5922983 | Keyboard musical instrument having key touch controller An electronic keyboard musical instrument stores first key touch data codes representative of a first reaction component and grouped into first data groups by a key velocity, second key touch data codes representative of a second reaction component and gr... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5824928 | Keyboard apparatus for musical instrument A keyboard apparatus for a musical instrument which includes a laterally elongated frame structure made of synthetic resin, a plurality of keys arranged in parallel on the frame structure and pivoted at their proximal ends on a rear end portion of the fra... | 10/20/1998 |
| 5763799 | Simulated escapement apparatus for electronic keyboard An electronic keyboard key apparatus to simulate the feel of escapement includes a longitudinally extending key preferably pivotally mounted on a supporting base, a spring apparatus flexibly disposed between the base and the key for resisting depression o... | 06/09/1998 |
| 5696345 | Method and device for varying pitch of electronically generated tones A device (1) for varying pitch manually on electronic keyboard instruments having electronically generated tones is made as a stick or rod. The upper portion of the stick is also the upper part of handle (5) which extends upwards, through a window (11) ab... | 12/09/1997 |
| 5641930 | Electronic musical apparatus for controlling musical tone using initial touch information An electronic musical instrument comprises a plurality of keys being displaceable relative to a support member therefor in response to depression thereof. A CPU detects velocity of depression of each of the keys from displacement of the each key caused by... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5571983 | Abutment device for a key switch arrangement operable with both hammer-equipped and hammerless keyboards for electronic musical instruments A keyboard device for an electronic musical instrument comprises a keyboard chassis, keys rotatively arranged on the keyboard chassis, and a key switch arranged beneath each of the keys for detecting a key status of each key. Each key has a switch-depress... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5243125 | Keyboard apparatus for electronic musical instrument having cooperating jacks and hammers In a keyboard apparatus for an electronic musical instrument having jacks and hammers, each jack is rotatable by a force to be transmitted from a key when the key is depressed, and each of the hammers is rotatable by a force to be transmitted from the rot... | 09/07/1993 |
| 5200570 | Key-touch state detection device for an automatic performance piano A key touch state detection device for an automatic performance piano includes at least one sensor for detecting whether or not a position of the hammer striking a string in an interlocked motion with movement of a key coincides with a predetermined hamme... | 04/06/1993 |
| 5164532 | Performance state detecting unit of player piano system The player piano provides a string-striking mechanism including a hammer driven by corresponding one of eighty-eight keys, and a photo sensor is provided in the vicinity of and also positioned to face with the predetermined member of this string-striking ... | 11/17/1992 |
