EP4616395A1

EP4616395A1 - A string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument

Info

Publication number: EP4616395A1
Application number: EP23700740.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peeter Vois
Original assignee: Tauria Oue
Current assignee: Tauria Oue
Priority date: 2023-01-11
Filing date: 2023-01-11
Publication date: 2025-09-17
Anticipated expiration: 2043-01-11
Also published as: EP4616395B1; CN120500719A; WO2024149454A1; EP4616395C0

Abstract

Present invention relates to a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument comprising on a common axis of rotation a tensioner (2) for a string (8) and a locking part (3). When coarse tuning of a string (8), a head (6) of the locking part (3) can be fixed into a fixing orifice (5) and the position of the tensioner (2) is adjustable in relation to the locking part (3) by a fine-tuning screw (1). Butting ends of the tensioner (2) and the locking part (3) comprise screw-sloped surfaces (9). Turning of the fine- tuning screw (1) forces the tensioner (2) to turn in relation to the locking part (3) around their common axis of rotation by sliding the screw-sloped surfaces (9) of the tensioner (2) on the screw- sloped surfaces (9) of the locking part (3).

Description

A string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a string tuning pin of a musical instrument, more specifically a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument, comprising a fine-tuning screw that can be used for the tuning and retention of tuning of string instruments, pianos, harps and other musical instruments with strings. The string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument can also be used in any other device where the tension of wire needs to be adjusted. The present invention illustrates the use of the string tuning pin of a musical instrument for tuning pianos. The string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument belongs to the field of tuning devices of musical instruments.

Background Art

Piano was invented in 1695, when Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) from Florence, a harpsichord master and the treasurer of royal instruments of the Medicis, started constructing a new keyboard instrument gravicembalo col piano e forte, which was initially known as pianoforte and later as fortepiano. In Estonian, it is called klaver, but also fortepiano. Upon pressing a key, a hammer hits against the string, then the hammer retracts and the string can vibrate freely until the key is released from under the finger. After that a felt-covered silencer is activated, which will stop the vibration of the string.
The string, which is brought to vibrate with a hammer in a piano and with other methods in other instruments, is at one end rigidly fixed to the instrument, while at the other end, it is wound around the pin and then fixed rigidly to the same pin. The pin, connected with the instrument body with a strong fit, can be turned in its socket so that the tension of the string does not change its position, but the position of the pin can be changed during tuning. This enables altering the tension of the string and the tone caused by its vibration.
A tuning pin fixed to an instrument with a fit has several shortages. Fit connection can still slip very slowly, which is promoted by the vibration of the string, fluctuation of air humidity and temperature. Such slip causes the need for regular tuning. A good practice in the case of pianos is tuning them twice a year. The tuning pin has positions where the fit is strong and tuning is stable, and positions where the fit is weak. In a weak position, the tension of the string shifts the pin from the position. Such positions prevent tuning the string to the required ideal tension and therefore, approximate tension is accepted.
Throughout the years, various methods and mechanisms for tensioning and locking the strings have been tested. The patent US281794, filed 24.07.1883 by J. P. Richardson, and the patent US463729A, filed 24.11.1891, illustrate the tensioning mechanism of a piano string using a specific screw thread. The mentioned mechanism is characterised by the excellent stability of tuning in time and excellent tuning ability to the requested tension of the string. This mechanism has not been considered visually aesthetic and currently, such tensioning mechanism is not installed in new pianos. Various fine-tuning mechanisms for piano strings have been created, such as patent US2588440A, filed 02.12.1949; patent US20160260419, filed 03.03.2015; patent US235269A, filed 07.12.1880, and locking mechanisms for tuning of a piano string, such as patent US941730A, filed 15.09.1908; patent KR100218808B1, filed 13.03.1996. There are several similar solutions. However, these solutions are not visually aesthetic and, in several cases, it can be assumed that the stability and precision of tuning is not comparable to those achieved with a screw thread tensioning mechanism.
The pin closest to the present invention is known from the US patent US3424047A (published 28.01.1969), comprising on a common axis a string tensioner and a locking part. The end of the locking part in one piece with the tensioner can be fixed in the fixing orifice upon tuning of the string. The position of the tensioner and the locking part can be fixed in the fixing orifice with a fixing screw, which will deform the locking part in the fixing orifice upon screwing through the tensioner into the locking part and fixes the tensioner and the locking part in the fixing orifice.
The shortage of this solution is a lack of a fine-tuning option. When tuning a string, the locking part must be held with the tuning key to screw the fixing screw into the locking part to a sufficient depth for fixing the position of the tensioner. Such solution is awkward to use for fine-tuning the string, as during the screwing of the fixing screw, the position of the tensioner must be kept still simultaneously to ensure that the tuning of the string remains unchanged.

Disclosure of Invention

The essence of the present invention lies in that the tension and thereby the tuning of the string is not maintained only by the fit between the tuning pin and the string frame, instead the tuning pin comprises a string tensioner and in the lower part of said tuning pin a locking part of said tensioner both housed at least partly inside a stationary retainer, where said locking part enables precision tuning of the string tension with tuning pin by using a fine-tuning screw. The angular displacement of the tensioner of the pin in relation to the locking part in the pin socket or fixing orifice of the retainer is several times smaller compared to the angular displacement of the fine-tuning screw. Said retainer is fixed to the string frame.
In the case of a piano, the string frame is usually a cast iron frame.
The tuning pin itself can be coarse-tuned with a coarse-tuning key and said coarse-tuning key supports fine-tuning. In other words, during said coarse-tuning, said coarse-tuning key is used to adjust the angular displacement of tuning pin in the retainer, that is simultaneously adjusting the position of the tensioner, locking part and fine-tuning screw in the retainer with said coarse-tuning key. Compared to coarse tuning, the fine tuning has a narrower operating/tuning range and the locking part can be released from the retainer for broadening it. After releasing the locking part with a fine-tuning screw, a new tensioning range can be selected for the fine tuning.
The present invention provides a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument, comprising on a common axis of rotation a string tensioner and a locking part, where for the coarse tuning of the string an end of the locking part is fixable into a fixing orifice of the retainer, and the position of the tensioner is adjustable in relation to the locking part by a fine-tuning screw. That is, during fine tuning, the angular displacement of the tensioner is adjustable in relation to the locking part by turning said fine-tuning screw.
The end or head of the locking part is fixable into the fixing orifice by a splined joint so that it is unable to rotate inside said fixing orifice, but can slide if needed in a longitudinal direction of the retainer inside said fixing orifice. The retainer is an elongated component, comprising a fixing orifice in the longitudinal direction of the retainer, said fixing orifice passing through the retainer in the direction of the longitudinal axis said retainer and comprising in the fixing orifice splines in the longitudinal direction of said orifice.
The head of the locking part is on its external surface also equipped with splines, which together with the splines of the fixing orifice form a cooperating splined joint. The common axis of rotation of the locking part, the tensioner and the fine-tuning screw is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the retainer.
The head of the locking part is fixable into the fixing orifice by a splined joint so that it cannot rotate around the longitudinal axis of the fixing orifice, but can slide in the fixing orifice in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
The butting ends of the tensioner and the locking part comprise cooperating screw-sloped surfaces, where a turning of the fine-tuning screw forces the tensioner to turn in relation to the locking part around their common axis of rotation by sliding the screw-sloped surfaces of the tensioner on the screw-sloped surfaces of the locking part.
Said butting screw-sloped surfaces on the tensioner and the locking part are complementary surfaces intended to slide on each other during fine tuning and thus enable the rotation (angular displacement) of the tensioner in relation to the locking part.
The retainer comprises a connection thread for fixing said retainer to the string frame.
The tensioner comprises for the string at least one fastening hole.

Brief Description of Drawings

Figure 1: isometric view of the parts of a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument.
Figure 2: isometric view of the parts of a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument without the retainer.
Figure 3: example of the position of a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument in the string frame.
Figure 4: isometric view of the string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument in the coarse tuning position.
Figure 5: isometric view of the tensioner and the locking part of a string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument comprises a fine-tuning screw 1 of a string (Figure 1), which locks a mutual position between the string tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 of the tensioner 2 in the retainer 4. The retainer 4 comprises fixing orifice 5, where the head 6 of the locking part 3 is fixed by a splined joint so that said locking part 3 cannot turn around its axis inside said retainer 4. The locking part 2 comprises a string fastening hole 7 into which the end of a string 8 is fixed.
The fine-tuning screw 1 can have a left-hand or right-hand thread. The butting ends of the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 both comprise screw-sloped surfaces 9, which rest on each other. That is the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 are butting against each other through screw-sloped surfaces 9.
Said screw-sloped surfaces 9 enable using the fine-tuning screw 1 for changing the distance between the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3, that is to slide said butting surfaces 9 on each other and thus rotate the tensioner 2 in relation to the locking part 3, that is to change the angular displacement of the tensioner 2 in relation to the locking part 3. For the fine-tuning screw 1, the head 6 of the locking part has a threaded bore 13, which is coaxial with the common axis of rotation of the string tensioner 2 and the locking part 3.
During the fine-tuning the angular displacement of the tensioner 2 in relation to the locking part 3 changes several times less in relation to the angular displacement of the fine-tuning screw 1. This enables more precise fine-tuning of the tension of the string 8 compared to direct adjustment of the angle of the tensioner 2 in relation to the retainer 4. The upper portion of the tensioner 2 may comprise facets for turning said tensioner 2 with tuning key for enabling the coarse tuning of the tensioner 2 with said key, but said key may be used also to assist and to facilitate the fine-tuning procedure.
The string 8 can also be coarse tuned by using the locking part 3 in a coarse tuning position, which is depicted on Figure 4. The lower part or head 6 of the locking part 3 comprises splines, which normally (position on Figure 3) prevent the rotation of the locking part 3, located in the fixing orifice 5 of the retainer 4 by engaging the splines of the fixing orifice 5.
Figure 2 shows a string 8, which is wound around the tensioner 2. Turning the fine-tuning screw 1 enables changing the distance between the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 – the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 slide on the butting screw-sloped surfaces 9, which causes their rotation (angular displacement) in relation to each other.
Said butting screw-sloped surfaces 9 define the dependence of the angular displacement between the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 on the distance between the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 along their mutual axis of rotation. The fixing orifice 5 does not enable the locking part 3 to rotate freely around the axis of rotation, but it allows the locking part 3 to slide along the axis of rotation.
The sloping angle of the screw-sloped surfaces 9 is selected so that the tensioning force of the string 8 presses the butting screw-sloped surfaces together – said screw-sloped surfaces 9 are best visible in Figure 5.
Figure 3 shows how the string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument is located in the string frame 10 in the fine tuning position. The retainer 4 is rigidly fixed to the string frame 10 with the retainer connection thread 11. The fixing orifice 5 could be housed in the retainer 4 having various shapes and sizes other than depicted on the accompanying drawings. Single retainer 4 may comprise the fixing orifices 5 of several pins.
The right- or left-hand direction of the connection thread 11 is selected so that the tensioning force of the string 8 turns the retainer 4 into the string frame 10.
The isometric view on Figure 4 illustrates the string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument is in the coarse tuning position. In this position, the locking part 3 and the fixing orifice 5 are positioned in relation to each other so that the locking part 3 can rotate freely around the axis of the tuning pin. Coarse tuning key is used for tensioning the string 8 directly by rotating the tensioner 2 together with locking part 3. Coarse tuning also enables selecting the position of the locking part 3 in the fixing orifice 5 so that fine tuning position of tensioner 2 in relation to locking part 3 would be optimal after fixing the head 6 of the locking part 3 into the fixing orifice 5 of the retainer 4. In other words, in a coarse tuning position, the splines of the head 6 of the locking part 3 do not engage with the splines of the fixing orifice 5 of the retainer 4.
In the illustrated embodiment, a sleeve 12 is located on the string frame 10 on the tensioner 2, which is positioned coaxially with the tensioner 2 and the locking part 3 in the bore of the retainer connection thread 11. The primary function of the sleeve 12 is to conceal the bore of the connection thread 11. Preferably, it is made of plastic, but can also be made of metal.
String frame 10 may be, for example, the tap plate of any musical instrument.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
1 – fine-tuning screw
2 – string tensioner
3 – locking part
4 – retainer
5 – fixing orifice
6 – head of the locking part
7 – string fastening hole
8 – string
9 – screw-sloped surface
10 – string frame
11 – retainer connection thread
12 – sleeve
13 – threaded bore for the fine-tuning screw in the locking part

Claims

A string fine-tuning pin of a musical instrument, comprising on a common axis of rotation a string tensioner (2) and a locking part (3), where for a course tuning of the string (8), a head (6) of the locking part (3) is fixable into a fixing orifice (5) and a position of the tensioner (2) adjustable in relation to the locking part (3) by a fine-tuning screw (1), characterized in that, the butting (5) ends of the tensioner (2) and locking part (3) comprise cooperating screw-sloped surfaces (9), where a turning of the fine-tuning screw (1) forces tensioner (2) to turn in relation to the locking part (3) around their common axis of rotation by sliding screw-sloped surfaces (9) of the tensioner (2) on the screw-sloped surfaces (9) of the locking part (3).
The string fine-tuning pin according to claim 1, characterized in that, the tensioner (2) comprises for the string (8) at least one fastening hole (7).
The string fine-tuning pin according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the head (6) of the locking part (3) is fixable into the fixing orifice (5) by a splined joint.
The string fine-tuning pin according to any previous claim, characterized in that, the retainer (4) comprises a retainer connection thread (11) for fixing said retainer (4) into the string frame (10).