Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho

Kawai Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Kawai Gakki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.

Muneo Ishida

Masahiro Tanaka

Masanari Onishi

Riichi Kitashima

Mituo Yamashita

Mitsuo Yamashita

Masaji Kimura

Shinichiro Miwa

Yutaka Hagiwara

Riichi Kitajima

Tatsuo Furukawa

Makoto Nakayama

Mithuo Yamashita

A wood member for a musical instrument, which is capable of preventing occurrence of damage, such as cracking, to thereby ensure smooth and stable operation of the musical instrument and maintain excellent appearance of the same over a long time period. The wood member has compressive internal stress remaining at least in an outer peripheral portion thereof by being subjected to heating processing, cooling processing, and moisture conditioning processing, in advance. A wood workpiece as a workpiece for the wood member is heated at a predetermined temperature, and the heated wood workpiece is cooled. The cooled wood workpiece is subjected to moisture conditioning such that compressive internal stress is generated at least in an outer peripheral portion of the wood workpiece.

Wood member for musical instrument and method of manufacturing the same, as well as soundboard manufacturing system and method

A string-striking device for a piano, where a static loading acting on a fore-end on the playing side of a key can be easily adjusted. A long weight lever () is provided on each key (). The lever () is installed along the length direction of the keyon an upper part on the side opposite the playing side of the key (). The installation is made such that one end of the lever () is vertically pivotably fixed to a piano body and the vertically displaceable free-end side of the lever is in contact with the upper face of the key () by its own weight to apply a load on the key (). The structure above enables a static load on the key () to be adjusted by replacing the lever () without disassembling the string-striking device and removing the key ().

String-striking device for piano

A keystroke device of a piano capable of increasing an area for the adjustment of static loads applied to the tips of keys on the playing sides, wherein a first weight lever () rotating according to the movement of the keys () is installed above the keys () and near an action part () and a second weight lever () rotating according to the movement of the first weight lever () is installed above the first weight lever. Since the second weight lever () can be separated from the action part (), the degree of freedom of the shape and installation of the second weight lever () can be increased. Accordingly, the area for the adjustment of the static loads applied to the tips of the keys () on the playing sides can also be increased.

A string-striking device of a piano by which static loading applied to a front end of a key on the playing side can be readily adjusted. Each key () is provided with a long weight lever () disposed along the length direction of the keyat an upper part of the key () on the side opposite of the key to the playing side. The weight lever () is arranged such that one end thereof is fixed to a piano body so as to allow the weight lever () to freely swing up and down, and the other open end, which can be vertically displaced, is brought into contact with the upper surface of the key () and applies its own weight on the key (). Thus, the static loading applied to the key () can be adjusted by replacing the weight lever () without disassembling the string-striking device and removing the key ().

String-striking device of piano

An action in an acoustic piano is provided which can reproduce the touch and feel of the key depression generated in a normal performance mode even in a silent performance mode. The acoustic piano is capable of being switched between the normal performance mode and the silent performance mode. In the silent performance mode, a rotation lever of a transmission switching mechanism disconnects the hammer operating portion from the key. A load switching mechanism is rotated to lower the tip of a weight lever to abut directly upon the upper face of the key. Then, the weight lever swings up and down corresponding to the key depression of a player, closely reproducing the touch and feel of a conventional acoustic piano.

Action

The present invention relates to an antibacterial key for use in a keyboard of a musical instrument. The antibacterial key comprises a key stick and a key cover adhered on the upper surface of the key stick through an adhesive layer. The adhesive layer comprises an adhesive containing a volatile antibacterial agent and can readily add an antibacterial function to the key with an antibacterial effect of the antibacterial agent, which volatilizes from the adhesive layer, at a low cost irrespective of a material or a manufacturing method of the key cover.

Antibacterial keyboard

Electronic upright piano and a method of manufacture thereof

To provide an electronic piano maintaining a compact appearance and providing the key touch equivalent to that of an acoustic piano. A hammer equivalent member is composed of a butt, a L-shaped member and a catcher shank. When the butt is pushed up by a jack responsive to the key depression, the hammer equivalent member starts rotating in a direction reverse to the rotary direction of a depressed key. Subsequently, after the jack leaves the butt, the hammer equivalent member continues to be rotated inertially. By contacting the projection of the L-shaped member of the hammer equivalent member, a stopper stops the inertial movement of the hammer equivalent member. The hammer equivalent member is almost equivalent to the hammer assembly of the usual acoustic piano in inertial moment and the angle formed by the center of gravity relative to a virtual perpendicular passing a center pin. Furthermore, the hammer equivalent member is shorter than the hammer assembly in appearance.

Electronic piano

A hammer head for a piano which is simple in structure and is capable of maintaining a humidity preventive effect for a longer time. The hammer head comprises a hammer body having a hammer felt including two flat surfaces substantially parallel to each other, and a string striking portion for striking a string, and a humidity preventive film adhered on the two flat surfaces of the hammer felt of the hammer body so as to cover the flat surfaces. A method for manufacturing such hammer heads at a low cost is also provided.

Hammer head for piano and method of manufacturing same

Closing control device for fallboard

A bearing structure in a piano action part which can always maintain the torque of rotation of a pin shaft supporting a hammer member within a predetermined range characterized in that the bearing structure comprises a pin shaft fixed to a hammer member, a support member having through-holes through which the pin shaft passes and cloth members with which the spaces between the through-holes and the pin shaft inserted through the through-hole are packed, and that the support member is made of a cellulose derivative resin composition containing silica having a number of silanol groups of 3.0 or less per 100 square .ANG. and a BET specific surface area of 100 to 210 m.sup.2 /g, and a transmission structure in a piano characterized in that the transmission structure comprises a hammer member and the above-mentioned bearing structure.

Bearing structure and transmission structure in piano

A black key making of a resin composition comprising a cellulose derivative resin, silicon oxide and at least 0.3 part by weight of a carbon black based on 100 parts by weight of the cellulose derivative, the carbon black having a pH of 6 and below and a BET specific surface area of 260 m.sup.2 /g and above, a keyboard comprising white keys and above-described black keys and a musical instrument having the above-described keyboard are disclosed. The black key is excellent in productivity and processability and is hygroscopic and excellent in the touch to fingers during playing. The black key is preferably made by injection molding.

Key and keyboard

The present invention relates to a mechanism capable of simply making a low sound volume performance on the piano, and more particularly to a muffler for pianos, which includes a flat muffler member of a cushioning material provided slidably on a damper guide holder, and which is adapted to make a low sound volume performance on the piano by striking strings by hammers with the flat muffler member of a cushioning material advanced to a position between the hammers and strings, and a regular sound volume performance thereon by striking the strings by the hammers directly with the muffler member slidingly retreated to its normal position.

Muffler for pianos

A keyboard for a musical instrument is composed of a resin composition, having a durometer hardness of 82 or larger, and the composition comprises a cellulose derivative resin and a silica having 3.0 or less silanol groups in the area of 100 square angstrom and a BET specific surface area of 10 to 210 m.sup.2 /g. It may comprises a substrate and the keyboard.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Muneo Ishida