
9
EP 0 585 798 B1
10
In order
to
prevent
the
string
4
from
double-strike,
it is
important
to
regulate
the
gap
G
to
an appropriate
value for
allowing
the hammer
assembly
3
to rotate
over
the
predetermined angle
in the clockwise direction after
striking
the
string
4
even
if the
key
1
a
is
depressed
slow-
ly
before the
contact
between the catcher skin 2o and
the back check felt.
It is also
important
to
adjust
the distance between
the head of the
regulating screw
2u and the butt cloth
2v
to
an appropriate
value when the
key
action mecha-
nism
enters
the
suspended state,
because it determines
the
playing
characteristics,
for
example, prevention
of
restriking or repetition
characteristics. When the dis-
tance
is
too
short,
the
impact
at
the butt
rebounding
from
the
strings
4
can
not
be taken
up.
Therefore,
the ham-
mer
head 3b is liable
to
restrike the
string
4.
On the other
hand,
when the distance is
too
long,
the
impact
is taken
up
completely,
but the rotation
range
of the
repetition
lever
2q
in the
counter
clockwise direction is
so large
that the
response
characteristics
to
the
quick fingering
is
not
improved.
When the
key
action mechanism 2
enters
the
sus-
pended state,
the
key
1a
have
already
reached the end
position.
If the
player slightly
lifts the
key
1a,
the
whip-
pen/ whippen
heel
assembly
2a
slightly
rotates
in the
clockwise direction around the
whippen flange
2b, and,
accordingly,
the back check
2g
rotates
in the clockwise
direction. As
a
result,
the back check felt is left from the
catcher skin 2o.
The release of the catcher from the back check due
to
the rotation of the
whippen/ whippen
heel
assembly
2d in the clockwise direction allows the
repetition
lever
2q
to rotate
around the
pin 2p
in the clockwise direction
due
to
the elastic force of the
spring
2t
so as
to
continue
to
be held in
contact
with the back check
felt,
and the
reaction
to
the rotation of the
repetition
lever
2q
rotates
the
flange 2p
and,
accordingly,
the butt 2i in the
counter
clockwise direction. When the head of the
regulating
screw 2y
is
brought
into
contact
with the
jack
cloth
2z,
the
repetition
lever
2q
and the butt 2i become
stationary,
because the
regulating
button 2m
sets
a
limit
on
the
jack
2d.
While the
player
is further
lifting
the
key
1a,
the
whippen/ whippen
heel
assembly
2a is also
rotating
in
the clockwise direction around the
whippen flange
2b,
and the back check
2g
is also
rotating together
with the
whippen/ whippen
heel
assembly
2a. This motion of the
back check felt is
equivalent
to
a sliding
motion of the
repetition
lever
2q
in the leftward direction with
respect
to
the back check
felt,
because the rotation of the back
check
2g
is
larger
in the horizontal
component
than the
vertical
component.
The
repetition
lever
2q
is held in
contact
with the back check felt
at
the
semi-spherical
portion,
and the
sliding
motion is smooth.
Therefore,
the
hammer
assembly
rotates
little in the clockwise direc-
tion.
When the
key
1a
is lifted from the end
position by a
predetermined
distance,
the
toe
of the
jack
2d is
spaced
apart
from the
regulating
button 2m
through
the rotation
of the
whippen/ whippen
heel
assembly
2a in the clock-
wise
direction, and, then,
the
jack spring
2c
fully ex-
pands.
Then,
the
jack
2d
rapidly
turns
in the
counter
5
clockwise direction around the
jack flange
2c,
and
re-
turns
beneath the butt skin
2j,
because the
semi-spher-
ical
portion
of the
repetition
lever
2q
is held in
contact
with the back check felt
so
that
return
of the hammer
assembly
3
and,
accordingly,
the butt 2i is
delayed.
10
Thus,
before the butt 2i
returns to
the initial
position
shown in
Figs.
1
and
2,
the
jack
2d is
brought
into
contact
with the butt skin
2o,
and the
key
action mechanism 2
enters
ready
for
response
to
a key redepressing.
As-
suming now
that the
upright piano implementing
the
is
present
invention is the
same
size
as an ordinary upright
piano,
the
key
action mechanism 2
enters
the
ready
for
response
to
a key depressing
when the
key
1a
is lifted
from the end
position by
less than 3 millimeters. This
means
that the
key
action mechanism 2 is
responsive
20
to
a quick repetition or a quick fingering.
Assuming now
that the
player softly depresses
the
key
1
a,
the
key
action mechanism 2 is
responsive
to
the
key depressing,
and the hammer head 3b strikes the
string
4
as
described hereinbefore.
However,
the
driving
25
force exerted
on
the butt 2i
by rebounding on
the
string
4
is
so
small that the reaction
on
the hammer
assembly
3
can
not
exceed the elastic force of the
spring
2t. In this
situation,
the
key
action mechanism 2
enters
the
sus-
pended
state
when the
repetition
lever
2q
is
brought
into
30
contact
with the
upper
surface of the back check
felt,
and the catcher skin 2o
never
contacts
with the back
check felt.
Though
the catcher 2o is
never caught by
the
back check
2g
due
to
the weak
reaction,
the hammer
assembly
does
not
strike the
string
4
again,
because the
35
butt
spring
2k
urges
the butt 2i in the clockwise
direction,
the back checkfelt takes
up
the
impact
and the
repetition
lever
2q
is
rotatably supported by
the butt 2i.
As will be
appreciated
from the
foregoing descrip-
tion,
the
key
action mechanism 2
according
to
the
40
present
invention is
responsive
to
a quick
and
strong
repetition,
because the
jack
2d
returns
beneath the butt
skin
2j
before the
key
1a
reaches the
rest
position.
The
key
action mechanism 2 does
not
press
the
hammer head 3b
against
the
string
4
even
if the
player
45
softly depresses
the
key
1a,
because the
gap
is
pro-
duced between the
semi-spherical portion
of the
repe-
tition lever
2q
and the back check felt when the
jack
2d
is
escaped
from the butt 2i but before the hammer
as-
sembly
3
rotates
in the clockwise direction.
Therefore,
so
the butt 2i
and,
accordingly,
the hammer
assembly
3
can
rotate
voer
the
predetermined angle
in the clockwise di-
rection due
to
the
gap
after the
escape
of the
jack
2d.
The
key
action mechanism 2
never
allows the ham-
mer
head 3b
to
strike the
string
4
twice
even
if the
player
55
softly depresses
the
key
1
a,
because the butt
spring
2k
urges
the butt 2i in the clockwise
direction,
the back
check felt takes
up
the
impact
and the
repetition
lever
2q
is
rotatably supported by
the butt 2i.
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