PORTABLE MUSIC LABORATORY

• US 3,695,138 A
• Filed: 02/11/1970
• Issued: 10/03/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clifford W. Andersen
• Original Assignee: Clifford W. Andersen
• Inventors: Andersen, Clifford W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tomsky, Stephen J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Franklin, Lawrence R.
• Application Number:
  US05/010,363
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01,1.14,1.17,470,477,478 108/50 312/21,30,208 35/6
• US Class Current: 84/470.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 7/005 Carrying cases for musical instruments interior fittings for luggage A45C13/02

Abstract

A plurality of electronic pianos is mounted on a folding table. One piano is a teacher'"'"''"'"'s piano, and the remaining pianos are students'"'"''"'"' pianos. The pianos are positioned with the teacher'"'"''"'"'s piano at one end of the table, and with the students'"'"''"'"' pianos converging therefrom along the sides of the table, being angled somewhat to allow a clear view of the teacher by each student without looking completely away from his piano. Each piano has its own generators and can reproduce locally at a loudspeaker or earphones, or at the teacher'"'"''"'"'s piano. A table folds, rising up at its center-line, and dropping down at the outer ends in a counterbalancing arrangement, whereby all of the pianos lie on outer faces of the table for movement of the table on casters, the entire assembly when folded readily fitting through a standard 30 inch interior door to allow movement from one room to another. The teacher'"'"''"'"'s piano is coupled to a display panel showing musical staffs and a keyboard, whereby the students may observe visually the notes played by the teacher.

Claims

1. A portable music laboratory comprising a pair of supporting structures hingedly connected to one another, said structures having a substantially coplanar horizontal operative position and a folded travelling position with adjacent portions raised and outboard portions lowered and said structures in generally vertical position, pivot means under each of said structures, a first plurality of keyboard musical instruments one one of said structures with portions thereof on opposite sides of the respective pivot means, a second plurality of keyboard musical instruments on another of said structures with portions thereof on opposite sides of the respective pivot means, transport and support means for resting on the floor or the like in horizontal operative position of the structures, said transport and support means including a central portion and two outboard portions on either side of said central portion and relatively toward opposite ends of said supporting structures, and means interconnecting said transport and support means and said pivot means whereby upon folding of said support structures about the hinged connections portions of each plurality of musical instruments adjacent the hinged connection rise and other portions thereof outboard of the pivot means lower in a counterbalancing arrangement, the outboard portions of said transport and support means moving toward one another and lying at least in part closely adjacent the undersides of the respective supporting structures in close coupled relation therewith and with the central portion for transport of the folded assembly, said keyboard musical instruments in travelling position lying outwardly of said supporting structures in readily accessible position.

2. A portable music laboratory as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting structure is comprised of panels which in coplanar relation comprise a table.

3. A portable music laboratory as set forth in claim 1, wherein the hingedly connected structures together present an elongated configuration, one of said musical instruments being at the end of said configuration, at least some of said instruments being in two rows along opposite sides of said configuration.

4. A portable music laboratory as set forth in claim 3, wherein one instrument is at the end and the two rows of instruments have a maximum spacing adjacent the end instrument and converge therefrom.

5. A portable music laboratory as set forth in claim 4, and further including a display panel having note indicating means thereon and interconnected with the keys of the end instrument for displaying the notes played by a teacher, said display panel being positioned off the end at which the teacher'"'"''"'"'s instrument is positioned.

6. A portable music laboratory as set forth in claim 5, wherein the note displaying means comprises at least one musical staff and a keyboard representation.

7. A portable music laboratory as set forth in claim 1, Wherein each of the keyboard musical instruments comprises an electronic piano, each having its own generating system and sound reproducing means.