WO1987003125A1

WO1987003125A1 - Upright piano action

Info

Publication number: WO1987003125A1
Application number: PCT/GB1986/000672
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dietrich Heinrich Dotzek
Original assignee: HERRBURGER BROOKS PLC
Current assignee: HERRBURGER BROOKS PLC
Priority date: 1985-11-19
Filing date: 1986-10-30
Publication date: 1987-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 1988-05-19
Also published as: GB8528451D0

Abstract

The action includes a hammer assembly with a butt (10) having a jack attack surface (9) acted on by a pivotable jack (7) pivotally carried by a whippen lever (5) which is pivotable by a piano key (3) and which carries a check head (6) for retaining the hammer assembly in a checked position after a note has been struck and while the key (3) remains fully depressed. In order to restore the jack (7) to its firing position below the jack attack surface (9) well before the key (3) has returned to its rest position, means are provided for influencing the movement of the jack (7), the said means being carried by the hammer assembly, preferably the butt (10). In particular, means such as a resilient member (20) is provided for urging the jack (7) towards the jack attack surface (9) when the hammer assembly moves from its checked position towards its rest position.

Description

⁴ Upright Piano Action

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TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to upright piano actions.

BACKGROUND ART

With a grand piano action one can perform rapid note repetitions (e.g. in trills or tremolandi) "inside the keys", i.e. the player need not allow the key to return fully to its original rest position in order to repeat a note but can strike the note again after the key has

10 returned by about half of the overall key-dip distance. Thus the key need only be oscillated between the fully down and about half up positions in order to strike the note repeatedly.

Although the presently available upright piano actions /■_. generally have excellent repetition performance, they do not permit repetitions "inside the keys". In a

^ conventional upright action, the fly jack only returns to its firing position reliably when the key is substantially fully up, i.e. at its rest position. An χθ upright action includes a hammer assembly with a butt having a jack attack surface acted on by a pivotable jack pivotally carried by a whippen lever which is pivotable by a piano key and which also carries a check head for retaining the hammer assembly in a checked £ position after a note has been struck and while the key remains fully depressed. In the conventional action, the release of the key first allows the hammer assembly to return to a rest position and it is only after this that further raising of the key to its rest position allows the jack to return to below the jack attack surface of the butt.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention provides means for influencing the movement of the jack, the said means being carried by i-ζ the hammer assembly.

In particular the invention provides an upright piano action in which the hammer assembly is provided with means for urging the jack towards the jack attack surface of the butt when the head assembly moves from o its checked position towards its rest position.

It thus becomes possible to arrange for the jack to be restored to its firing position (below the jack attack surface) well before the key has reached its rest position. In this was playing "inside the key" is made possible.

The urging means is preferably provided on the butt, for reasons of space saving and economy of materials. It _>^" preferably comprises a resilient member which projects from the butt and is in contact with the jack at all times. Preferably, also, it retains the jack in contact with the butt after the jack has escaped from the jack attack surface.

0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will be described further, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing, whose sole Figure is a fragmentary, part-sectional side view of an upright piano action, shown in full line in /__' the rest position and in broken line in the position after a note has been struck and while the piano key remains fully depressed.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Most of the features of the action illustrated are well χo known and understood by those skilled in the art of piano manufacture; consequently the following description will be mainly directed to the features which are particularly relevant to the present invention.

When the key 3 is depressed the pilot or capstan screw 4 rises, pivoting the whipper lever 5 (carrying the check head 6) upwards. Consequently, the upper end of the jack 7 bearing against the jack attack surface 9 (butt skin) of the butt 10 pushes the hammer assembly including the hammer head 12 towards the piano string 16. Shortly before the head 12 reaches the string 16,

10 so-called let-off is performed, i.e. the jack nose 8 stops against the let-off button 14 and the jack 7 is pivoted away from below the jack attack surface 9, thereby allowing the hammer assembly to bounce back. The balance hammer 11 of the hammer assembly is i≤ thereupon caught by the check head 6 of the whippen assembly so that the hammer assembly is retained in the checked position (broken line) so long as the key 3 remains fully depressed.

A stiff resilient bent wire or push hook 20 is securely 2o fitted into and projects from the butt 10. The push hook 20 moves with the hammer assembly and acts as a jack stop. After the jack 7 has escaped from the jack attack surface 9 it is retained in contact with the butt 10 (and therefore as close as possible to the surface 9) Z-ζ by the push hook 20. As soon as the front of the key 3 is allowed to rise, the whippen lever 5 begins to fall and the check head 6 therefore releases the balance hammer 11, with the result that the hammer assembly starts to fall. As it £ does so, the push hook 20 on the butt 10 urges the jack 7 towards the jack attack surface 9 so that, as soon as the lever 5 is sufficiently far below the let-off button 14, the jack 7 is pushed back into its firing position below the attack surface 9.

to In the absence of the push hook 20, in slow motion, the jack 7 would just follow the downward movement of the whippen assembly and hammer assembly and would come into and remain in contact with the butt 10 above the attack surface 9 until the hammer shank 13 reached its rest i* position against the cloth 15 of the hammer rail 2. Only then would the continued downward movement of the whippen assembly (as the key 3 approaches the key rest 17) allow the jack 7 to slide back into a new striking position below the attack surface 9.

zo In contrast, with the push hook 20, the jack 7 can be made ready for a new stroke after the key 3 has risen only about half-way.

Claims

Claims :

1. An upright piano action including a hammer assembly with a butt (10) having a jack attack surface (9) acted on by a pivotable jack (7) pivotally carried by a

£ whippen lever (5) which is pivotable by a piano key (3) and which carries a check head (6) for retaining the hammer assembly in a checked position after a note has been struck and while the key (3) remains fully depressed, characterised by means for influencing the 10 movement of the jack (7), the said means being carried by the hammer assembly.

2. An upright piano action as claimed in claim 1, in which the said means comprises means for urging the jack (7) towards the jack attack surface (9) when the hammer _lζ assembly moves from its checked position towards a rest position.

3. An upright piano action as claimed in claim 2, in which the urging means is provided on the butt (10).

4. An upright piano action as claimed in claim 3, in ø which the urging means comprises a resilient member (20) which projects from the butt (10) and is in contact with the jack (7) at all times.

5. An upright piano action as claimed in claim 4, in which the resilient member (20) is an elongate element having a portion projecting from the butt (10) and a portion bent at an angle thereto and contacting the jack (7).

6. An upright piano action as claimed in claim 2, in which the urging means retains the jack (7) in contact with the butt (10) after the jack (7) has escaped from the jack attack surface (9).