Keyboard instrument and method of decorating the keyboard of such an instrument

Abstract

The present invention relates to a decorated musical keyboard (10) comprising at least one decorated key (15), the decorated key (15) comprising a layering comprising at least one transparent or semi-transparent top panel (25) and a support (30) of said top panel, the top panel (25) comprising a decoration (11) adherently applied to a bottom face (25b) joining the support 30 and opposite to a top face (20), configured to be hit by a musician.

Description

[0001] KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT AND METHOD OF DECORATING THE KEYBOARD OF SUCH AN INSTRUMENT

[0002] ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] The present invention relates to a keyboard instrument and a method of decorating the keyboard of such an instrument . The invention is made with particular reference to an accordion, however, application to other keyboard instruments is not excluded .

[0005] PRIOR ART

[0006] The musical instrument sector is subj ect to building methods that go far beyond ordinary technical skills and rather draw on know-how that is often more than a century old, necessary to fuse construction technique with " the music" , i . e . an art based on highly developed perception skills that only a few people possess . For this reason, even the slightest technical innovation in the field of musical instruments is very di f ficult to implement so as not to distort the quality of the real end result of the instrument , which is not its construction quality, but the quality of its sound .

[0007] The accordion industry is based precisely on these fundamentals . The applicant thought of innovating the accordion industry, and keyboard instruments in general , by applying a decoration to the instrument .

[0008] The applicant , however, had to face and solve a number of problems , the first of which was the need not to alter the heart of the instrument on which the sound quality depends .

[0009] This is particularly di f ficult for acoustic instruments , i . e . non-electronic instruments .

[0010] Furthermore , the applicant had to face and solve the problem of how to generate a customisation market in which various di f ferent instrument manufacturers could become customers without being forced to drastically change their instruments , each produced according to the know-how of each company .

[0011] The most common solution to think of is a surface decoration of the accordion, made by applying a layer of paint , e . g . by means of a printer .

[0012] While this solution totally respects the instrument , and does not alter any of its sound-sensitive parts , it is prone to wear and tear and is not suitable for obj ects that traditionally have a very long li fe and need to look good during concerts or performances .

[0013] The purpose of the present invention is to partially overcome the problems of the prior art .

[0014] A further purpose of the present invention is to identi fy the part of an accordion or keyboard instrument that can easily be decorated without altering the sound quality of the instrument whether the instrument is electronic or acoustic . A further purpose of the present invention is to identi fy the part of an accordion or keyboard instrument that can easily be decorated independently of the manufacturer, and thus of the characteristics of the instrument .

[0015] A further purpose of the present invention is to identi fy the part of an accordion or keyboard instrument that can easily be decorated by printing or similar techniques .

[0016] A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a long-li fe decoration of an accordion or keyboard instrument .

[0017] A further purpose of the present invention is to provide an easily customisable decoration of an accordion or instrument .

[0018] GENERAL INTRODUCTION

[0019] The applicant has identi fied the keys as the part of the accordion, or another keyboard instrument , that can advantageously be decorated by solving the above- mentioned problems .

[0020] At first glance , the keys are a sensitive part of the instrument , as they influence the artist ' s touch and thus the sound, so they are at first glance a detour to a possible solution, but the applicant has advantageously found a technique that avoids altering the touch sensation compared to traditional keys and allows ample possibilities for customisation .

[0021] Key customisation can also be of fered as a service to all manufacturers as it is applicable to both electronic and acoustic instruments and in the latter case it does not af fect the acoustic case , leaving these companies free to build it according to their own knowhow .

[0022] In particular, the technical problems are solved by a keyboard instrument and a method of decorating the keyboard of that instrument as indicated in the attached claims .

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will best be seen from the following detailed description of its preferred implementation forms , made with reference to the attached drawings and given by way of indication and not limitation . In said drawings :

[0025] - figure 1 schematically illustrates an accordion decorated according to the present invention .

[0026] - figure 2 schematically illustrates an accordion key according to the present invention and figure 2a shows its layering schematical ly, and without real proportions ;

[0027] - figures 3 , 4 and 5 show some of the main phases of keyboard decoration of the previous figures .

[0028] With reference to figure 1 , an example of a keyboard musical instrument according to the present invention is illustrated, indicated as a whole by reference number 1 .

[0029] The instrument 1 is generally equipped with at least one keyboard 10 and a main body 5 , preferably comprising at least one acoustic body . The instrument , instead of being of the acoustic type , may also be of the electronic type .

[0030] A keyboard is generally understood to be a part of the instrument equipped with 15 keys , whatever their shape , where the most common are the traditional paddle keys , i . e . essentially flat and elongated, as in the piano , but other shapes , such as button keys , are not excluded .

[0031] Example instrument 1 is an accordion . It comprises at least two keyboards , which may be paddle and / or button keyboards .

[0032] For the sake of simplicity in the illustrated example , we consider a decoration according to the present invention applied to at least one of them, with paddle-shaped keys , but application to the other keyboard and / or other key shapes is not excluded .

[0033] The keyboard 10 under consideration thus includes a decoration print 11 . The print illustrated represents , by way of example and not limitation, a series of bubbles .

[0034] Print 11 may be on one or more keys , and in the latter case may have an overall subj ect divided between the various keys involved .

[0035] Print 11 is also to be understood as an example of a more generalised decoration applied in adherence to a key surface , as will be clari fied below .

[0036] Each key has a top face 20 configured to make contact with a user ' s fingers , and a bottom face o f mechanical interface 21 , configured to interface with a known sound generation or manipulation mechanism (not shown) .

[0037] Each key 15 has a layering between faces 20 and 21 such that going from the top face 20 to the bottom face 21 they meet at least : a top panel 25 of transparent or semitransparent material comprising two opposing main sides 25a and 25b, one of which comprises said top face 20 ; print 11 printed on side 25b of the top panel 25 opposite the top face 20 comprising at least one layer of pigmented printing material ; a support 30 of the top panel 25 comprising said bottom face 21 ; a layer of thermosetting polymer resin 40 interposed between said panel 25 and said substrate 30 placed directly in contact with said print 11 .

[0038] The printing 11 is carried out with a pigmented printing material , preferably o f a type subj ect to polymerisation by exposure to light radiation, for example UV rays . To this end, preferably the pigmented printing material comprises at least one photoionising component . The thermosetting polymer resin layer 40 directly in contact with the print 11 preferably includes an epoxy resin .

[0039] With reference to figures 3 to 5 , the main steps for decorating the keyboard 10 are illustrated, where initially the print 11 is printed by means of a printer 12 directly on the side 25b of the panel 25 separated from the support 30 . The printer is of the UV-cure type .

[0040] The printing process preferably involves exposing said pigmented printing material , applied with said printer and comprising at least one photoionising element , to UV light radiation for a predetermined time suf ficient for it to adhere to face 25b .

[0041] After polymerisation, the thermosetting polymer resin layer 40 is applied directly onto the print 11 or onto the support 30 , e . g . by means of a spray, brush or pad tool 13 , and said panel 25 and said support 30 are fixed together, preferably by holding them in thrust against each other for a predetermined time suf ficient for said resin to cure at room temperature .

[0042] It is possible to prepare side 25b for printing by cleaning it with an anti-silicone and antistatic degreasing agent .

[0043] When the panel 25 and its support 30 of each key 15 are glued together using said resin 40 , the decorated keys 15 are assembled to form the decorated keyboard 10 .

[0044] The final product of the process is a decorated keyboard 10 comprising at least one decorated key 15 , the decorated key 15 comprising a layering comprising at least one transparent or semi-transparent top panel 25, the top panel 25 comprising a print applied to a bottom face 25b joining the support 30 and opposite to a top face 20, configured to be hit by a musician. The decoration is interposed between the resin layer and the top panel.

[0045] In order to illustrate the difficulties overcame in the realisation of the present invention, we describe below some significant tests performed.

[0046] TEST NO.l NOT SATISFACTORY

[0047] One of the first tests performed involved the use of traditional key construction materials 15, in particular a plexiglass top panel 25, a wooden support 30, and a bonding glue of the type comprising 2-propanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and isobutyl acetate.

[0048] The print was applied to the bottom face 25b of the plexiglass panel 25.

[0049] The glue was applied directly onto the print and allowed to dry for 4 hours. The glue proved to be very aggressive towards the print, which was damaged.

[0050] TEST NO.2 SATISFACTORY

[0051] In this test, the following were used: a pigment print comprising at least one UV- cured photoionising element,

[0052] -a layer of epoxy resin instead of traditional glue The epoxy resin layer would be a thermosetting polymer suitable for oven moulding, but the heat would damage the plexiglass and wood support, so contrary to its application practice, it was applied and left to cure at room temperature for a period of 48 hours. This time, print 11 was not damaged by the epoxy resin 40, which still managed to provide a satisfactory grip. Print 11 itself was sufficiently adherent to the top panel 25 and the layer of epoxy 40 to allow an excellent grip of the layering.

[0053] GENERAL MEANING OF TERMS

[0054] In understanding the purpose of the present invention, the term "comprising" and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended as open-ended terms specifying the presence of the declared characteristics, elements, components, groups, integers and / or phases, but not excluding the presence of other undeclared characteristics, elements, components, groups, integers and / or phases. The above also applies to words with similar meanings such as the terms "including", "having" and their derivatives. In addition, the terms "part", "section", "portion", "member" or "element" when used in the singular may have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. As used herein to describe the form(s) of implementation mentioned above, the following directional terms "forward", "backward", "above", "below" , "vertical" , "hori zontal" , "underneath" and " transverse" , as well as any other similar directional terms refer to the form of implementation described in the operative position . Finally, grade terms such as " substantially" , " about" and " approximately" as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modi fied term such that the end result is not signi ficantly changed .

[0055] While only selected implementation forms have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, from this description it will be clear to those expert in the field that various modi fications and variations may be made without departing from the purpose of the invention as defined in the attached claims . For example , the si ze , shape , position or orientation of the various components may be modi fied as needed and / or desired . Components shown directly connected or in contact with each other may have intermediate structures interposed between them . The functions of one element can be performed by two and vice versa . The structures and functions of one form of implementation can be adopted in another one . It is not necessary that all advantages are present in a particular form of implementation at the same time . Each characteristic that is original compared to the prior art , alone or in combination with other characteristics , should also be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including structural and / or functional concepts incorporated by those characteristics . Therefore , the previous descriptions of implementation forms according to the present invention are provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the attached claims and their equivalents .

Claims

CLAIMS1. Decorated musical keyboard (10) comprising at least one decorated key (15) , the decorated key (15) comprising a layering comprising at least one transparent or semi-transparent top panel (25) and a support (30) of said top panel, the top panel (25) comprising a decoration (11) adherently applied to a bottom face (25b) joining the support 30 and opposite to a top face (20) , configured to be hit by a musician.

2. Keyboard according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that:- a layer of thermosetting polymer resin (40) is placed between the decoration and the support, directly in contact with the decoration (11) .

3. Keyboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that the adherently applied decoration (11) is printed on said bottom face (25b) with a pigmented printing material of the type subject to polymerisation by exposure to light radiation.

4. Keyboard according to claim 3, characterised by the fact that the pigmented material is of the type subject to polymerisation by exposure to UV light and comprises at least one photoionising component.

5. Keyboard according to any of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that the top panel (25)is made of plexiglass.

6. Keyboard according to any claim from 2 to 5, characterised by the fact that the resin layer (40) is directly in contact with the support (30) , which is made of wood.

7. Musical instrument comprising a keyboard according to any claim from 1 to 6.

8. Musical instrument according to claim 7, characterised by the fact that it is an accordion.

9. Process for building a keyboard according to any one claim from 1 to 6, characterised by the fact that it comprises the following steps of making said at least one decorated key (15) : arranging a top panel (25) comprising said bottom face (25b) and said top face (20) applying a decoration (11) directly in adherence to said bottom face (25b) .

10. Procedure according to claim 9, characterised by the step of applying a layer of thermosetting polymer resin (40) in direct contact with said decoration and bonding through it said top panel (25) and said support (30) .

11. Process according to claim 10 characterised by the fact that said bonding is obtained by curing theresin (40) at room temperature.

12. Keyboard according to claim 9, 10 or 11 characterised by the fact that: - this decoration is applied in print adhesion(11) made by applying a pigmented print material and curing it by exposure to light radiation.

13. Process according to claim 7 or a dependent thereof, characterised by the fact that said top panel (25) is made of plexiglass and said support (30) is made of wood.

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