Keyboard assembly for an accordion

• US 4,159,664 A
• Filed: 02/03/1978
• Issued: 07/03/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Enrico M. Mastronardi
• Original Assignee: Enrico M. Mastronardi
• Inventors: Mastronardi, Enrico M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Franklin, Lawrence R.
• Application Number:
  US05/874,793
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 84/376, 84/375, 84/330
• US Class Current: 84/376.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 11/02 Actions

Abstract

Each end box of an accordion has a plurality of keys arranged to control the operation of reeds within the end box with each reed producing a tone corresponding to a note in the chromatic scale which is dissimilar to the tones produced by the other reeds in the end box. The keys are arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows with the interval between adjacent keys in longitudinal rows being major thirds and the interval in transverse rows being minor seconds. The reeds are mounted on multi-celled reed blocks within a tone chamber defined in the interior of the end box. Air flow between the bellows of the accordion and the cells and, hence, through the reeds associated with the cells, is controlled by valve members secured to rods movable axially when the associated keys are depressed.

Claims

1. In an accordion having a bellows defining a flexible air chamber and an end box at each end of said air chamber, the improvement comprising:

a casing defining each of said end boxes including a back wall adapted to be placed adjacent the body of the accordionist, a front wall, and a side wall connected between said back and front walls extending away from the accordionist;

a plurality of means in each end box each producing a single tone when air is delivered thereto from said bellows, each tone producing means being selected to generate one note of the chromatic scale and together generating a consecutive series of notes corresponding to each half step of the chromatic scale along a selected interval, each tone produced by one of said tone producing means in one end box being dissimilar to the tones produced by each of the other tone producing means in said one end box; and

a corresponding number of keys one associated with each of said tone producing means and having means for operating its respective tone producing means by controlling delivery of air thereto from said bellows, said keys being located on the exterior of said side walls of said casing, extending and actuated in a direction generally parallel to said back and front walls and arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows for manual manipulation by an accordionist, the physical arrangement of the keys on one end casing being the mirror image of that on the other end casing and corresponding keys on each end casing operating tone producing means for notes having the same note names, the interval between notes generated by the tone producing means operated by adjacent keys in the longitudinal rows being in major thirds and the interval between notes generated by the tone producing means operated by adjacent keys in the transverse rows being in minor seconds.

2. The accordion of claim 1 wherein there are four keys in each transverse row.

3. The accordion of claim 2 wherein each transverse row of keys extends in a direction between said back and front walls and each longitudinal row is generally parallel with said back wall.

4. The accordion of claim 3 wherein said transverse rows are oblique to said longitudinal rows.

5. The accordion of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal rows of keys are arranged on progressively higher levels of said side walls, the longitudinal row of keys positioned nearest said back wall being at the lowest level and the longitudinal row of keys positioned farthest from said back wall being at the highest level.

6. The accordion of claim 5 wherein the keys in three consecutive transverse rows operate tone producing means with one transverse row controlling the notes of G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb and B, the second transverse row controlling the notes of C, C#/Db, D and D#/Eb, the third transverse row controlling the notes of E, F, F#/Gb and G, respectively, with the four consecutive longitudinal rows including these keys thereby having keys arranged such that one longitudinal row controls the notes of G#/Ab, C and E, the second longitudinal row controls the notes of A, C#/Db and F, the third longitudinal row controls the notes of A#/Bb, D and F#/Gb, and the fourth longitudinal row controls the notes of B, D#/Eb and G, respectively.

7. In a musical instrument including a bellows defining a flexible air chamber and an end box at each end of said air chamber, each end box comprising:

a casing secured to said bellows;

a reed block plate mounted between said casing and said bellows to define an internal chamber within said casing, said casing having an opening to provide communication between said internal chamber and the exterior thereof;

enclosure means for defining a tone chamber within said internal chamber including walls spaced from said casing with an opening therein to permit air to pass from said tone chamber into the space between said casing and said walls;

a plurality of reed blocks within said tone chamber each being mounted to said reed block plate, each reed block defining at least one cell including passage means at one end of each cell providing communication between said flexible air chamber and its respective cell;

a plurality of reeds mounted on said reed blocks with at least one overlying each cell to at least partially define the cell such that air moved through the cell flows past the respective reed to effect vibration thereof to generate a tone, each reed selected to generate one note of the chromatic scale and together generating a consecutive series of notes corresponding to each half step of the chromatic scale along a selected interval, the tone generated by each reed being dissimilar to the tones generated by any of the other reeds;

a keyboard on said casing including an external key associated with each passage and adapted to be manually depressed by an accordionist, said keys being arranged on the exterior of said casing in longitudinal and transverse rows, the interval between notes generated by the reeds associated with adjacent keys in the longitudinal rows being in major thirds and the interval between notes generated by the reeds associated with adjacent keys in the transverse rows being in minor seconds;

a plurality of valve rods one secured to each key at one end thereof and extending through said internal chamber and said reed block plate to move axially inward as its associated key is depressed;

a plurality of valve members one secured to the other end of each valve rod, a valve member being disposed at said one end of each cell and being adapted to be moved axially outward toward a closed position over said one end to prevent air from moving between said flexible air chamber and said cell and axially inward toward an open position spaced from said one end to permit air to move between said flexible air chamber and said cell and flow past the respective reed; and

biasing means for urging each of said valve members axially outward to said closed position over their respective open ends.

8. The musical instrument of claim 7 wherein the number of reed blocks corresponds to the number of longitudinal rows of keys, one reed block being associated with each longitudinal row of keys, each reed block being multi-celled with the number of cells corresponding to the number of keys associated with the reed block.

9. The musical instrument of claim 8 wherein each valve rod extends through its associated reed block, through the cell associated with the valve rod and through the passage in communication with said flexible air chamber.

10. In a musical instrument including a bellows defining a flexible air chamber and an end box at each end of said air chamber, each end box comprising:

a casing secured to said bellows;

a reed block plate mounted between said casing and said bellows to define an internal chamber within said casing, said casing having an opening to provide communication between said internal chamber and the exterior thereof;

enclosure means for defining a tone chamber within said internal chamber including walls spaced from said casing with an opening therein to permit air to pass from said tone chamber into the space between said casing and said walls;

a plurality of reed blocks within said tone chamber each being mounted to said reed block plate, each reed block defining at least one cell and passage means at one end of each cell providing communication between said flexible air chamber and its respective cell;

a plurality of reeds mounted on said reed blocks with at least one overlying each cell to at least partially define the cell such that air moved through the cell flows past the respective reed to effect vibration thereof to generate a tone, the tone generated by each reed being dissimilar to the tones generated by any of the other reeds within the end box;

a keyboard on said casing including an external key associated with each cell and adapted to be manually depressed by an accordionist;

a plurality of valve rods one secured to each key at one end thereof and extending through said internal chamber and said reed block plate to move axially inward as its associated key is depressed;

a plurality of valve members one secured to the other end of each valve rod, a valve member being disposed at said one end of each cell and being adapted to be moved axially outward toward a closed position over said one end to prevent air from moving between said flexible air chamber and said cell and axially inward toward an open position spaced from said one end to permit air to move between said flexible air chamber and said cell and flow past the respective reed; and

biasing means for urging each of said valve members axially outward to said closed position over their respective open ends.

11. The musical instrument of claim 10 wherein said casing has a side wall which extends away from the accordionist when the instrument is played and upon which the keyboard is arranged.

12. The musical instrument of claim 11 wherein said reed blocks extend from said reed block plate toward said side wall with said valve rods extending through said reed blocks.

13. The musical instrument of claim 12 wherein said valve rods extend through said cells in said reed blocks and through passage means at the ends thereof communicating with said flexible air chamber, each valve member being disposed about its respective valve rod and being of a diameter to seal said passage means when moved to a closed position.

14. The musical instrument of claim 13 further including means for adjustable securing said valve members to said valve rods to permit modification of the amount of travel thereof.

15. The musical instrument of claim 11 wherein said keys are arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows, each longitudinal row being arranged along a line extending between the top and bottom of the casing and each transverse row being arranged along a line extending between the front and back of the casing, the keys in adjacent longitudinal rows being positioned at different levels with the rows nearer the front of the casing being higher than the rows nearer the back of the casing.

16. The musical instrument of claim 15 wherein the side wall of said casing is stepped with the side wall having higher levels nearer the front than at the back, each longitudinal row of keys residing at a different level and movement of said keys being limited so that each key has the same amount of travel when depressed against said side wall.