Microtonal key module and system

• US 4,972,752 A
• Filed: 03/21/1989
• Issued: 11/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Original Assignee: Scott A Van Duyne
• Inventors: Van Duyne, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US07/326,603
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 84/423 R, 84/423 B, 84/451, 84/424, 84/428, 84/626-633, 84/644, 84/658, 84/670, 84/687-690, 84/743-746, 84/DIG. 7, D17/1
• US Class Current: 84/423.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G10C 3/12 Keyboards; Keys
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/401 Microtonal scale; i.e. continuous scale of pitches, also interval-free input devices, e.g. continuous keyboards for violin, singing voice or trombone synthesis

Abstract

A microtonal key module includes a central key and a number of surrounding keys clustered about the central key. The central key and the surrounding keys establish among each other a progression of successive microtonal increments. A plurality of such microtonal key modules are arranged to form a microtonal keyboard system.

Claims

1. An integral microtonal keyboard system comprising a plurality of microtonal key modules organized into non-overlapping groups of said modules, each group of said modules including a first set of microtonal key modules for duplicating microtones generated by a second set of microtonal key modules located within an adjacent group of said modules, each microtonal key module of said plurality of microtonal key modules including a central key and a plurality of surrounding keys substantially evenly spaced radially from said central key and substantially evenly spaced from each other along a generally circular axis, said central and surrounding keys establishing together a progression of successive microtonal increments.

2. The microtonal keyboard system of claim 1 in which each group defines an octave.

3. The keyboard system of claim 1 in which, for each module there are six surrounding keys clustered about said central key.

4. The keyboard system of claim 1 in which each module shares at least one of its surrounding keys with an additional and similar microtonal key module which continues said progression.

5. The keyboard system of claim 1 in which, for each module said progression of microtonal increments commences at an initial one of said surrounding keys and proceeds among said surrounding keys and said central key until a final one of said surrounding keys different than said initial one of said surrounding keys is reached.

6. The keyboard system of claim 5 in which said final surrounding key is simultaneously said initial one of said surrounding keys of a different one of said plurality of microtonal key modules to provide overlapping microtonal key modules.

7. The keyboard system of claim 1 in which, for each module said successive microtonal increments are equal-tempered.

8. The keyboard system of claim 1 in which, for each module each said microtonal increment is a twelfth-tone.

9. The keyboard system of claim 1 in which, for each module each said microtonal increment is a sixth-tone.

10. A microtonal keyboard system comprising non-overlapping groups of microtonal key modules in which each group is divided into at least two sets of microtonal key modules, at least one of said sets replicating microtones generated by a set of microtonal key modules of an adjacent group, each module of each set including a central key and a plurality of surrounding keys clustered about said central key, said central key and said surrounding keys of each set establishing among each other a progression of successive microtonal increments, and each module sharing at least one of its said surrounding keys with at least one other of said modules, an end of one of said modules establishing among an adjacent module a progression of microtonal increments coinciding with the start of a successive module progression to establish a continuum of said microtonal increments through said modules.

11. The keyboard system of claim 10 in which said central keys are spaced from each other by the same number of microtonal increments.

12. The keyboard system of claim 10 in which each central key is six microtonal increments from the central keys of adjacent said modules.

13. The keyboard system of claim 10 in which each central key represents one of twelve half-tones of an octave.

14. The keyboard system of claim 10 in which said modules extend successively in a first direction, and said central keys are disposed in a central column extending in said first direction.

15. The keyboard system of claim 14 in which each said central key is separated along said central column from an adjacent central key by one of said surrounding keys.

16. The keyboard system of claim 14 in which at least one of said surrounding keys of each said module define a first column on one side of said central column and at least one other of said surrounding keys of each said module define a second column on the other side of said central column.

17. The keyboard system of claim 16 in which each said microtonal increment is a twelfth-tone, and said keys of each said column establish a quarter-tone scale along that column.

18. The keyboard system of claim 16 in which each said microtonal increment is a twelfth-tone, and said central and surrounding keys are aligned in successive rows extending in a second direction transverse to said first direction to establish successive twelfth-zone scales.

19. The keyboard system of claim 10 in which each of said central and surrounding keys includes switch means for registering actuation of each key by an operator.

20. The keyboard system of claim 19 in which said switch means is a touch-sensitive switch manipulated by the operator.

21. The keyboard system of claim 10 in which said successive microtonal increments are equal-tempered.