US3472113A - Compact piano action - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1969 R- FQQRIS 3,472,113

COMPACT -PIANO ACTION Filed Nov. 6, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. I

INVENTOR/S ROBERT L FER/2L5,

MYW,%M

ATTORNEYS Oct. 14, 1969 R- L- FERRIS COMPACT PIANO ACTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1967 INVENTOR/S AOBEPTLFER/Z/S,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,472,113 COMPACT PIANO ACTION Robert L. Ferris, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to D. H. lzlilldwin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Filed Nov. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 680,620 Int. Cl. Gc 3/18 US. Cl. 84-237 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A compact and simplified piano action adaptable for use in pianos having either horizontally or vertically disposed strings, the action having a rigid wippen assembly fixedly secured to the rear end of the key, with the jack resiliently attached to the wippen by means of a spring. A hammer rail is provided which pivotally mounts the hammer butt in position to be contacted by the jack, the hammer rail also mounting a letoff means for the jack. A conventional damper assembly may be incorporated in the action or a simplified damper mechanism designed to coact with the rigid wippen may be employed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A primary purpose of the present invention is to provide compact piano actions for pianos having either horizontally or vertically disposed strings, such compact actions permitting a reduction in the height of vertically strung pianos and a reduction in the depth of horizontally strung instruments. Another purpose is to reduce the cost of the action by reducing the complexity of assembly and the number of parts, while retaining the normal feel of the action. While various attempts have hitherto been made to simplify and reduce the cost of piano actions, as well as their size, they have nonetheless required a multiplicity of felted and pinned parts and supporting rails. Exemplary of such prior art actions is Machalek Patent 2,806,398, issued Sept. 17, 1957, and entitled Drop Action for Vertical Pianos. While the action taught in this patent effected economies and advantages over actions theretofore known, it nonetheless required a substantial number of bushed and pinned parts and supporting structure as compared with the actions of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, the complexity of the action is reduced by eliminating the standard pivoting wippen assembly and the pivoting jack assembly. The wippen comprises a rigid member, preferably formed from sheet metal, which is attached directly to the piano key, thereby eliminating the necessity for a wippen support rail or other pivot means. The jack, which is preferably an angularly shaped strip of essentially rigid metal having a hammer butt contacting finger at one end, is resiliently attached to the wippen by means of a flat spring, thereby eliminating the standard felted jack center. A single hammer supporting rail overlies the wippen beyond the rear end of the key, the rail mounting a flange to which the hammer butt is pivotally connected, the hammer butt having a curved projection positioned to be contacted by the jack finger. Normal jack letolf is obtained by means of a letoff member, such as a spoon or similar finger-like projection extending outwardly from the hammer rail and positioned to contact the end of the jack opposite its fingered end. A back check for the hammer butt is formed as an integral part of the wippen, thereby eliminating the need for a separate back check assembly or catcher as employed in conventional actions, although it has been found desirable to provide a hammer stop in the embodi- 3,472,113 Patented Oct. 14, 1969 ment of the invention wherein the hammer is oriented to strike a horizontally disposed string. A weight may be added to the hammer butt to aid the gravity return of the hammer to provide proper retention after letofi or a spring may be employed to accomplish the same purpose. Spring means may also be provided to bias the key for enhanced touch. It is also contemplated that the key will be provided at its rearmost end with a spoon or similar projection engageable with the hammer supporting rail to act as a key upstop and leveling adjustment. The key is additionally provided with a spoon or projection effective to actuate a damper which, in one embodiment of the invention, is also pivotally mounted to the hammer supporting rail. The damper arm may comprise a spring biased metallic rod pivoted to a mounting bracket with one end directly engaging the wippen.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a partial vertical sectional view of an action in accordance with the invention, the embodiment illustrated being for an instrument having vertically disposed strings.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view showing modifications of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the invention adapted for use in an instrument wherein the strings are horizontally disposed.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the invention similar to FIGURE 2 but embodying a simplified damper mechanism which eliminates felted and pinned parts.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS There is shown in FIGURE 1, a keybed 1 mounting rails 2 and 3 of a keyboard assembly, the front rail 3 bearing a conventional guide post 4 for the key 5. The rail 2 carries the conventional key pivot post 6 which engages in an elongated bushed hole 7 in the key, thereby pivoting the key for actuation. The construction of the keyboard assembly is conventional and does not constitute a limitation on the present invention. Preferably, however, the construction is such that the keys and the associated wippens may be readily removed for replacement or adjustment.

In accordance with the invention, a wippen 8 is fixedly secured to the underside of the key and projects rearwardly therefrom. Preferably, the wippen 8 will comprise a flanged sheet metal arm having a jack mounting abutment 9 and a rearward extension 10 which mounts a back check 11 which, if desired, may have a felt pad or other quieting means 12 at its outermost end. A flat spring 13 is secured at one end to the abutment 9 and at its opposite end mounts a jack 14 which is also formed of metal and has angularly related arms 15 and 16. The arm 15 projects upwardly and has an angularly related finger 17 at its free end which contacts a curved abutment 18 forming a part of the hammer butt 19, the abutment 18 being normally covered with buckskin or suitable leather 20. A felt pad 21 is secured to shoulder 22 of the hammer butt in a position to contact the end portion of arm 15 adjacent finger 17.

The hammer butt 19 has a bifurcated end 23 which is pivotally connected to a flange 24 by means of a pin 25 engaged in a bushed hole in the flange, as is well known in the art. The flange 24 is mounted on a hammer rail 26 which extends longitudinally of the keyboard assembly and is secured to the piano frame. The hammer butt 19 mounts a hammer shank 27 which carries the hammer head 28 at its lowermost end positioned to strike the vertically disposed string 29 when the key is depressed.

The hammer assembly is biased to the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 by means of a weight 30 acting to urge the hammer butt in a counterclockwise direction, thereby aiding the gravity return of the hammer to insure proper return after letoff. Alternatively, in place of the weight the hammer butt may be provided with a spring as will be described in connection with the FIGURE 2 embodiment.

A letolf spoon or similar finger-like member 31 projects downwardly from hammer rail 26 and is positioned to overlie the padded end of jack arm 16. A similar spoon or the like 32 also projects rearwardly from key 2 for contact with the padded shoulder 33 of hammer rail 26, the member 32 acting as a key upstop and leveling adjustment.

A damper 34 carrying one or more pieces of damper felt 35 is positioned to normally contact the string 29, the damper being mounted on a rod 36 carried by damper arm 37 pivoted intermediate its ends at 38 to a bifurcated flange 39 which, in the embodiment illustrated, is secured to a longitudinally extending rail 40. A Spring 41 extends between flange 39 and damper arm 37 to normally bias the damper into contact with string 29. A projection 42, which may comprise a spoon, extends downwardly from key and is positioned to contact the upper end of a damper arm 37 when the key is depressed, thereby pivoting the damper arm in a clockwise direction and withdrawing damper 34 from contact with the string.

It should be evident that when the key is depressed, the wippen 8 will carry the jack 14 upwardly, thereby causing the hammer butt 19 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction to cause hammer head 28 to strike the string 29. Concurrently, the projection 42 contacts the upper end of damper arm 37 to remove the damper from contact with the string as the hammer approaches it. The upward movement of jack 14 brings jack arm 16 into contact with leftoff finger 31 and, by reason of the resilient mounting of the jack afforded by spring 13, jack arm 15 is deflected forwardly to thereby release the hammer assembly for return movement in a clockwise direction. Return movement of the hammer assembly is limited by back check 12.

When the depressed key 5 is released, it will return to its uppermost or inoperative position under the influence of the elongated wippen which moves downwardly by gravity, the key pivoting about pin 6. The spoon 32 acts as a stop for the key upon contact with shoulder 33 of the hammer rail. As the wippen 8 moves downwardly it carries the jack 14 with it, and the deflected spring 13 will urge arm 15 of the jack rearwardly so as to assume its original position with finger 17 engaging curved abutment 18 of the hammer butt. It will be understood that the projecting members 31, 32 and 42 are adjustable relative to the members which they contact, thereby permitting the necessary adjustment of the operating parts.

Several modifications of the construction just described are illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawings wherein, unless otherwise indicated, like parts have been given like reference numerals. In this embodiment the curved abutment 18 forming a part of the hammer butt 19 is replaced by an adjustment screw 43 the head of which is positioned to contact the finger 17 of the jack arm 15, thereby providing an adjustment for the stroke of the hammer assembly. In such event, the finger 17 and adjoining portion of jack arm 15 are preferably covered with buckskin or leather. It has also been found desirable to preload the spring 14 so that, when the parts are in the position illustrated in FIGURE 2, the arm 15 will be biased in the direction of shoulder 22 of the hammer butt.

A hammer stop 44 has been provided for the hammer shank 27, the hammer stop being conveniently mounted on the abutment 9 of the wippen. Additionally, the damper mounting rail 40a has been moved upwardly and provided with a shoulder 45 which acts as a stop for the wippen 8 and hence serves as an upstop for key 2, thereby replacing the projection 32.

While a weight can be utilized to assist the gravity return of the hammer assembly, a spring 46 may be provided extending between flange 24 and hammer butt 19 to urge the hammer butt in a counterclockwise direction. In addition, a spring 47 also may be provided extending between hammer rail 26 and key 5, the spring 47 acting to bias the key to its normally inoperative position and also contributing to the touch of the key.

Referring now to the FIGURE 3 embodiment which is designed for use in a piano having horizontally disposed strings, like parts have again been given like reference numerals where applicable. In this embodiment the wippen arm has a downwardly extending section 811 and a base section 8b which underlies the hammer rail 26a which is positioned to lie beneath the plane of the keyboard as defined by the upper surface of the key. In this instance the hammer rail 26a mounts both the hammer assembly and the damper assembly, the flanges 24 and 39 both being secured to the hammer rail. In addition, the spoon 32a acts as a key upstop and is mounted to the leg 8a of the wippen and positioned to contact shoulder 33a forming a part of the hammer rail. Since the hammer assembly is mounted in an essentially horizontal position, a weight is not normally required to provide return after letoif, although a hammer stop 48 may be provided for the hammer shaft 27. If desired, a key biasing spring 47a may be provided underlying the key 5 and mounted at one end to the rail 2. With such arrangement, the entire action effectively lies beneath the plane of the keyboard and hence the plane of the strings may be lowered to be substantially copolanar with the plane of the keyboard, or even lower, thereby effecting additional compactness and permitting piano case designs in which the top of the case is essentially coplanar with the keyboard.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 there is illustrated an improved damper assembly which may be utilized with any of the foregoing actions, and again like parts have been given like reference numerals where applicable. The damper assembly is of simplified construction and eliminates the necessity for bushed and pinned parts. As seen in FIG- URE 4, the damper mounting rail 40b is positioned to underlie the wippen 8 and is provided on its upper surface with a pad 49 which serves as a rest for the wippen. The rail has an inclined surface 50 which mounts a hammer stop 51. The opposite side of the rail mounts a fitting 52 preferably molded from plastic, the fitting including a pair of jaws 53 and 54 defining a slot 55 which receives a pivot pin 57 transversely disposed with respect to damper mounting rod 58 which is freely received in the slot 56. The dimensioning of the parts is such that the pivot pin 57 will make snap-lock engagement with the slot 55, thereby mounting the damper rod 58 for pivotal movement, the damper rod having an angularly disposed portion 59 which mounts the damper 34. Preferably, the entire damper rod will be formed from metal. If desired, the damper 34 may be provided with a set screw 60 to permit adjustment of the damper relative to the string 29. At its opposite end the damper rod has a bent portion 61 which contacts an abutment 62 mounted on the wippen. It will be evident that as the wippen is raised, the damper mounting rod will be pivoted about pivot pin 57 in a clockwise direction, thereby removing the damper felt from contact with the string.

The fitting 52 has a depending leg 63 mounting a pivot post 64 which received the loop 65 of a spring 66 the lower end of which engages about the damper mounting rod 58 to bias it in a counterclockwise direction and hence into engagement with the spring 29.

As should be evident, the instant invention materially reduces the complexity of assembly and the number of parts in a piano action and at the same time provides an extremely compact and readily adjustable structure, which eil'ectively permits a reduction in the depth of a horizontally strung instrument. In a horizontally strung instrument the entire action may lie below the level of the key to further minimize space requirements. Where the damper assembly of FIGURES 4 and 5 is utilized, there is but a single felted and pinned connection per note in the entire action.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a piano action having a depressible key, a wippen arm fixedly secured at one end to the key for movement therewith, said wippen arm projecting rearwardly from the key, a hammer rail overlying said wippen arm, a hammer butt pivotally connected to said rail, said hammer butt mounting a hammer shank having a hammer at its free end, and an abutment on said hammer butt, a jack mounted on said wippen arm solely by means of a flat spring having one end secured to said wippen arm and its opposite end secured to said jack, said jack having an arm positioned to contact the abutment on said hammer butt, and means operative to deflect said jack arm from contact with said abutment during depression of said key.

2. The piano action claimed in claim 1 wherein the means operative to deflect said jack comprises a spoonlike member, and wherein said jack has a second angularly related arm positioned to be contacted by said spoon-like member.

3. The piano action claimed in claim 1 wherein the abutment on said hammer butt is of curved configuration, and wherein said jack arm has a finger on its free end positioned for contact with said abutment.

4. The piano action claimed in claim 1 wherein the abutment on said hammer butt comprises an adjustment screw, said jack arm having a finger thereon positioned to contact said screw.

5. The piano action claimed in claim 1 wherein said wippen arm comprises a one-piece metallic member having an abutment, and wherein one end of said spring is secured to said abutment.

6. The piano action claimed in claim 5 wherein said jack comprises a one-piece metallic member having an angularly related pair of arms.

7. The piano action claimed in claim 6 wherein said wippen arm has an integral extension positioned to act as a stop for said hammer butt.

8. The piano action claimed in claim 1 including a damper arm having a damper operatively connected to one end thereof, said damper arm comprising a metal rod mounting a transversely disposed pivot pin intermediate its opposite end, said damper arm being mounted for pivotal movement by means of a fitting having a pivot pin engaging jaw, means operatively connected to the key for contacting the opposite end of said damper arm to eflect movement thereof in one direction, and spring means operatively connected to the damper arm normally biasing it in the opposite direction.

9. The piano action claimed in claim 8 wherein said fitting is formed from plastic and includes a depending leg having a stud, said spring means comprising an elongated spring having a loop adjacent one end engaged around said stud.

10. In a piano action having a depressible key, a rigid wippen arm fixedly secured at one end to the key for movement therewith, said wippen arm projecting rearwardly from said key, a hammer rail overlying said wippen arm, a hammer butt pivotally connected to said rail, said hammer butt mounting a hammer shank having a hammer at its free end, and an abutment on said hammer butt, a jack mounted on said wippen arm solely by means of a spring extending between said wippen arm and said jack, said jack comprising an angularly related pair of arms, a first of said arms having a finger at one end positioned to contact said abutment, a spoon-like projection extending outwardly from said rail and positioned to contact the other of said jack arms when the key is depressed, spring means normally biasing said key to a nondepressed position, and stop means for establishing the nondepressed position of said key.

11. The piano action claimed in claim 10 wherein said stop means comprises a spoon-like member operatively connected to said key and positioned to contact a shoulder on said rail.

12. The piano action claimed in claim 10 wherein said stop means comprises an abutment underlying said wippen arm.

13. The piano action claimed in claim 10 including means normally biasing said hammer butt into contact with the flange on said first jack arm.

14. The piano action claimed in claim 13 wherein said wippen arm projects downwardly and rearwardly from said key, wherein said hammer rail and the hammer butt connected thereto lie beneath the plane of said key as defined by its upper surface, and wherein said hammer is positioned to contact a horizontally disposed string which is substantially coplanar with the plane of said key.

15. In a piano action having a damper mounting rail, the improvement which comprises a damper assembly consisting essentially of an elongated metal rod mounting a damper at one end, a transversely disposed pivot pin intermediate the ends of said damper rod, a fitting on said damper rail having jaws engaging said pivot pin to mount said damper rod for pivotal movement, and spring means having one end engaging said fitting and the other end engaging said rod to bias said rod in one direction.

16. The damper assembly claimed in claim 15 wherein said fitting is formed of plastic and wherein said jaws make snap-lock contact with said pivot pin.

17. The damper assembly claimed in claim 16 wherein said fitting has a depending leg mounting a stud, and wherein said spring has a loop adjacent one end engageable around said stud.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 374,389 12/1887 Battes 84-255 447,380 3/1891 Stirn 84-236 1,866,152 7/1932 Cameron 84-239 2,554,129 5/1951 Stein 84-238 3,173,329 3/ 1965 Camillucci 84-434 RICHARD R. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner JOHN F. GONZALES, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 84-242 237 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,472,113 Dated October 14, 1969 Inventoz-(s) Robert L. Ferris It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

r- Column 3, line S, cancel "counterclockwise and insert clockwise Column 3, line 69, cancel "14" and insert l3 Column 4, line 7, cancel "counterclockwise" and insert clockwise In FIGURE 5 of the drawings change reference numeral SIGNED AND SEALED AUG 1 11970 (SEAL) Attest:

I wmmrm 1:. ISGHUYLER, m. EdwM Conmissioner of mum:

Mteating Officer

Images