A grand piano having a lower lid attached thereto by hinges, and a lid designed for attachment to the bottom of a grand piano. The lid completely covers the bottom of the piano case when latched in a closed position. In its closed position, the lower lid protects the soundboard from damage (such as during transportation of the piano) and mutes the piano's sound. The lower lid of the invention is designed so that, when released from its closed position and pivoted downward into an open position, it will reflect sound from the soundboard outward from the front of the piano. Preferably, the angular orientation of the lower lid in its open position is chosen to reinforce and focus the projection of sound within a desired frequency range (for example, midrange sounds) to a desired target region. Such optimal angular orientation can be determined experimentally. In one embodiment, the lower lid consists of two or more panels connected together by hinges, so that it can be detached from the piano and folded into a compact volume for convenient handling and storage. The dimensions of the lid and the positions of hinges which connect its panels are preferably predetermined so that lid has an optimal orientation for reinforcing projection of midrange sounds (or sounds within another desired frequency range) in a typically-sized room or concert hall when the lid is lowered to an open position in which it rests on the floor.
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0. 1. A grand piano, including:
a case having an open bottom and a top lid; a means for supporting the top lid in an open position in which the top lid reflects sound from within the case into a forward direction; a lower lid; a hinge means connecting the lower lid to the case so that the lower lid is free to pivot relative to the hinge means into an open position in which the lower lid reflects sound from within the case into the forward direction; and a means for constraining the lower lid in a closed position substantially completely closing the open bottom, and releasing the lower lid from the closed position so that the lower lid is free to pivot about the hinge means into the open position.
17. A method of reinforcing projection of sounds within a desired frequency range from a grand piano to a desired target region, wherein the grand piano has a horizontal soundboard and a lower lid hingedly attached to the piano below the soundboard, including the steps of:
(a) directing a light beam downward from the soundboard to a mirror resting on the lower lid; and (b) varying the angle of the lower lid relative to the soundboard while performing step (a), until the light beam reflects from the mirror to the desired target region.
9. A grand piano having a soundboard enclosed within a case, wherein the case has a front side, a rear side, and an open bottom, including:
a top lid connected to the rear side of the case for reflecting sound outward from the front side of the case; a set of hinged panels; and means for releasably constraining the panels in a closed position in which the panels completely close the open bottom, including a first set of hinges which connect a largest one of the panels to the rear side of the case; and a sound-absorbing pad attached to at least one of the hinged panels for muting sound radiating in the downward direction when the panels are in the closed position.
19. A lower lid for a grand piano having a case with an open bottom and a top lid, wherein the lower lid has a size and shape sufficient to cover the open bottom of the case substantially completely, and wherein the lower lid includes:
a first panel having size and shape sufficient to cover a first portion of the open bottom of the case; a second panel having size and shape sufficient to cover a second portion of the open bottom of the case; and a first hinge connecting the first panel to the second panel; and a mirror coupled to one of the first and second panels for directing a light beam to establish an angle of the lower lid to reinforce projection of sounds from the grand piano to a desired target region.
0. 25. A lower lid assembly for a grand piano, said grand piano including a case having an open bottom and a top lid, a soundboard within the case, capable of radiating sound, and a means for supporting the top lid in an open position in which the top lid reflects one portion of the sound radiated from the soundboard into a forward direction, said lower lid assembly including:
a lower lid; a means for positioning the lower lid in an open position relative to the case, in which the lower lid reflects another portion of the sound radiated from the soundboard into the forward direction while the top lid reflects said one portion of the sound into the forward direction, wherein the lower lid includes: at least two panels, including a first panel and a second panel; a hinge connecting the first panel to the second panel; and a mirror coupled to the lower lid for directing a light beam to establish an angle of the lower lid to reinforce projection of sounds from the grand piano to a desired target region. 0. 31. A grand piano, including:
a case having an open bottom and an open top; a keyboard disposed within the case and having a set of keys; a soundboard mounted within the case and adapted to produce a sound upon depression of one of said keys, a portion of said sound produced by said soundboard radiating in an upward direction and a portion of said sound radiating in a downward direction; a top lid supported on said case in an open position and adapted to reflect said portion of said sound radiating in the upward direction into a forward direction; a lower lid disposed below said case in an open position and adapted to reflect said portion of said sound radiating in the downward direction into the forward direction; the lower lid including first and second panels and a hinge, the hinge connecting the first panel to the second panel; and a mirror coupled to the lower lid for directing a light beam to establish an angle of the lower lid to reinforce projection of sounds from the grand piano to a desired target region.
0. 30. A grand piano, including:
a case having an open bottom and an open top; a keyboard disposed within the case and having a set of keys; a soundboard mounted within the case and adapted to produce a sound upon depression of one of said keys, a portion of said sound produced by said soundboard radiating in an upward direction and a portion of said sound radiating in a downward direction; a top lid supported on said case in an open position and adapted to reflect said portion of said sound radiating in the upward direction into a forward direction; a lower lid disposed below said case in an open position and adapted to reflect said portion of said sound radiating in the downward direction into the forward direction; the lower lid being adapted to move between the open position and a closed position, the lower lid substantially closing the open bottom of the case in the closed position; the lower lid including a sound-absorbing pad attached thereto for muting the portion of the sound radiating in the downward direction when the lower lid is in the closed position.
0. 28. A method of projecting sounds from within a grand piano, said grand piano including a case having an open bottom and a top lid, a soundboard oriented substantially horizontally within the case, and capable of radiating sound, and a means for supporting the top lid in an open position in which the top lid reflects one portion of the sound radiated from the soundboard into a forward direction, said method including the steps of:
(a) positioning a lower lid below the soundboard in such an orientation that the lower lid reflects another portion of the sound radiated from the soundboard into the forward direction while the top lid reflects said one portion of the sound in to the forward direction; (b) directing a light beam downward from the soundboard to a mirror resting on the lower lid; and (c) varying the angle of the lower lid relative to the soundboard while performing step (b), until the lower lid is in a final orientation such that the light beam reflects from the mirror to a desired target region, whereby the lower lid in said final orientation reinforces projection of sounds within a desired frequency range from the grand piano to the desired target region.
2. The A grand piano, including: of
a case having an open bottom and a top lid; a means for supporting the top lid in an open position in which the top lid reflects sound from within the case into a forward direction; a lower lid; a hinge means connecting the lower lid to the case so that the lower lid is free to pivot relative to the hinge means into an open position in which the lower lid reflects sound from within the case into the forward direction; a means for constraining the lower lid in a closed position substantially completely closing the open bottom, and releasing the lower lid from the closed position so that the lower lid is free to pivot about the hinge means into the open position, wherein the lower lid includes: at least two panels; including a first panel and a second panel; and a hinge connecting the first panel to the second panel; and a sound-absorbing pad attached to the lower lid for muting sound radiating in the downward direction when the lower lid is in the closed position. 3. The grand piano of
4. The grand piano of
5. The grand piano of
0. 6. The grand piano of
0. 7. The grand piano of
8. The A grand piano of
a case having an open bottom and a top lid; a means for supporting the top lid in an open position in which the top lid reflects sound from within the case into a forward direction; a lower lid; a hinge means connecting the lower lid to the case so that the lower lid is free to pivot relative to the hinge means into an open position in which the lower lid reflects sound from within the case into the forward direction; and a means for constraining the lower lid in a closed position substantially completely closing the open bottom, and releasing the lower lid from the closed position so that the lower lid from the closed position so that the lower lid is free to pivot about the hinge means into the open position, wherein the lower lid has at least one sound-absorbing pad removably attached thereto, wherein the sound-absorbing pad mutes sound produced by the grand piano when the lower lid is in the closed position, and wherein the pad can be removed from the lower lid when the lower lid is in the open position.
10. The grand piano of
11. The grand piano of
12. The grand piano of
13. The grand piano of
14. The grand piano of
15. The grand piano of
16. The grand piano of
18. The method of
20. The lid of
a hinge means attached to the first panel for hingedly connecting the first panel to the case.
21. The lid of
a sound-absorbing pad removably attached to one side of the first panel.
22. The lid of
a second sound-absorbing pad removably attached to one side of the second panel.
23. The lid of
a third panel having size and shape sufficient to cover a third portion of the open bottom of the case; and a second hinge connecting the third panel to the second panel.
24. The lid of
0. 26. The lower lid assembly of
a third panel; and a second hinge connecting the third panel to the second panel.
0. 27. The lid of
0. 29. The method of
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FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a grand piano in an embodiment having a light beam and a flat mirror disposed on the lower lid.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to
In this embodiment, grand piano case 10 is supported by legs 12, 13, and 14 above floor 32. As shown in
This forward direction is the direction from rear leg 13 toward front leg 12 (represented by arrow F in FIG. 1). To a pianist (not shown) seated facing keyboard 30 having a set of keys 40 (FIG. 5), the forward direction would be the direction toward his or her right side.
In the embodiment of
Case 10 has an open bottom 15, as does any conventional grand piano case. Panels 16-18 are sized and shaped to completely cover open bottom 15 when fastened in the closed position shown in
Because panels 16-18 cover open bottom 15 when constrained in their closed position, the lower lid of the invention protects the piano's soundboard from damage (such as during transportation of the piano) and mutes the piano's sound.
Grand pianos, especially the large-sized concert models, produce more output than is desirable for use in rooms smaller than a typical concert hall. For this reason, the muting action provided by the inventive lower lid in its closed position is desirable when a grand piano is used in a small room (such as one of the small, resonant rooms often employed as practice rooms in music conservatories and the like). The muting action would also be desirable when the piano resides on an upper level of a multi-level building (such as an apartment house), where it is necessary to minimize projection of sound from the piano (through the floor which supports it) to lower levels of the building.
When panels 16-18 are released from their closed position by removing dowels 25 and releasing latches 22, panel 16 can be pivoted downward about hinges 26 into the open position shown in
Since panels 16-18 are hingedly connected to case 10 and to each other, they can be pivoted to orient panel 16 at any of a variety of angles relative to the floor. For example, panel 16 can be moved into position 16' (shown in phantom view in
Preferably, in the open position of the lower lid, panels 16-18 (and especially the largest panel 16, which is the primary sound reflector) are oriented so as to reinforce the projection of sound within a desired frequency range (for example, midrange sounds) to a desired target region. Such optimal angular orientation can be determined experimentally. For example, a listener at the target region can listen to sound projected from the piano with panels 16-18 in a number of different orientations. In this way, the listener can identify the panel orientation which optimally reinforces the desired frequency range of projected sound.
The optimal panel orientation for reinforcing projection of midrange sounds (or sounds in any other desired range) can also determined as follows. To As shown in
To reinforce projection of non-midrange sounds, the light beam would be directed downward from a point on the soundboard appropriate to the range to be projected. Specifically, the light beam would be directed downward, from a zone of the soundboard vertically displaced from the piano strings 42 producing the sounds to be projected, to a mirror resting on panel 16. The panel would then be varied until the light beam reflects from the mirror to the desired target region.
In variations on the embodiment of
The dimensions (i.e., width) of each panel of the inventive lower lid, and thus the positions of the hinges which connect them, are preferably predetermined so that lid can be readily positioned in an optimal orientation for reinforcing projection of midrange sounds (or sounds in another desired range) in a typically-sized room or concert hall. For example, the relative dimensions of panels 16, 17, and 18 in the embodiment of
In alternative embodiments of the invention, the lower lid can be fitted with one or more removable sound-absorbing pads (composed of styrofoam or some other sound-absorbing substance). Such pads will enhance the muting action of the lower lid when the lower lid is raised in its closed position, and can be removed when the lid is lowered into its open position. For example, as shown in
Various modifications and alterations in details of design and construction of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments.
Meyer, John, Revenaugh, Daniell
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