US870969A - Piano-protecting pad. - Google Patents

Description

lPATHNTED NOV. l2, 1907.

K. M. KEOWBN. PIANO PROTECTING PAD. APPLIoA'nol nun nn.1a.19o1.

T" if lwww@ W/TNESSES ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES KATHERINE M. KEOWEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-PROTECTING PAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. l2, 1907.

Application filed March 18. 1907. Serial No. 363,090.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that Il KATHERINE M. KEOWEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Piano-Protecting Pad, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices adapted to be used in connection with pianos or other similar instruments to protect the front panel from being accidentally marred or damaged by the shoes of the player; and the object of the invention is to Aconstruct a device compact and complete in itself which may be very readily and easily applied or removed and which does not mar or injure in any way the piano on which it is used.

The device is durable in its nature and may be made of any ornamental design to add to the appearance of the instrument. It may be readily applied without necessitating the removal of the front panel, and by means of the metal clips engaged, the thickness or size of this panel is rendered entirely immaterial. By reason of the heavy padding or wadding involved in the construction, a very effective protection is afforded even though the device in itself is very light in weight. No intricate mechanism is required for fastening the pad in place, as the engagement of the pad with the pedals serves to prevent any lateral movement of the former.

The invention consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, all of which will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure l is a front elevation of one form of my improved pad as employed in connection with a piano, the latter being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section; and Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing the method of securing the pad to the front panel of the instrument.

My improved pad is preferably formed of a suitable supporting sheet of cardboard, papier macht", or other stiff but somewhat resilient material, and to both sides thereof I provide a suitable covering separated therefrom by padding material and adapted to present an ornamental appearance and prevent blows delivered to the front of the pad from injuring in any way the portion of the piano in contact with the back of the pad. In the drawings I have illustrated the supporting pad as comprising a substantially rectangular sheet 10 of a height substantially equal to the distance from the floor to the top ofthe front panel o the piano and of a length substantially equal to its height. The sheet is provided i witha rectangular recess l1 centrally disposed along l the lower edge-and of a width and height adapted to receive the pedals of the piano and permit free action thereof. In order to conceal the supporting body l0, produce an artistic appearance and secure the pad in place, I provide a iront covering sheet l2 of fabric. leather, imitation leather, or the like. This sheet is preferably of a size substantially equal to the size of the supporting body 10 and before being applied thereto is stamped by a suitable die to produce an ornamental design thereon. Preferably the stamping serves to form a wreath or other like design about the edges of the sheet and produces merely intersecting lines in the main body of the sheet serving to locate the buttons employed to hold the padding in place. The marginal portions of the covering sheet are securely pasted or glued'to the supporting sheet, and the central or body portion of the covering l2 is separated from the supporting sheet by a suitable padding 13. This padding is first placed upon the center portion of the supporting sheet and the marginal edges of the covering are secured in place. The central or body portion of the covering is then secured to the supporting sheet by means of l suitable upholstering buttons 14 located at the indicated points on the covering. These buttons serve to hold the padding 13 in place and prevent it from becoming dislocated or sliding toward the lower edge of the pad. The rear side of the pad is then covered by a layer l5 of padding material and this is secured in place by a back covering sheet 16. The front covering sheet is of such a material as to present an ornamental appearance, such, for instance, as plush, satin, or the like, while the back covering sheet 16 is of such a soft material that it cannot scratch or otherwise injure the front panel of the piano in contact with which the pad normally lies.

The pad is preferably held in place by clips l5a formed of a thin strip 16 of flexible sheet metal and inclosed withina covering 17 of leather, cloth, or the like. One end of each clip is rigidly secured to the pad and the other end extends upward therefrom. The metal strip I6 is annealed so that it may be bent to any shape desired, and in applying the pad to the piano this strip is bent to an inverted U-shape as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and serves to inclose the upper end of the iront panel I8 of the instrument. The lower edge of the pad normally rests upon the fioor and lateral movement is prevented by the engagement of the pad with the pedals or a part of the instrument adjacent thereto.

The pad forms a positive protection for all parts of the woodwork of the piano adjacent the pedals, and effectively and positively prevents the same from being injured. No separate -mechanism is necessary to hold the pad in place, and thus it is evident that it may be applied to any piano and after having been removed therefrom leaves no clips, fasteners or other devices which mar the appearance of the piano and indicate that a pad has been employed.

It is evident that the ornamental border portion of the covering may be of a separate piece of material from the padded body portion, if desired, or the ornamental portion may be formed With its inner edges overlapping the edges of the padded portion to hold the latter in place.

substantially equal to the front panel of the piano, and

having a recess at its lower edge adapted to receive the pedals of the piano, and annealed sheet metal clips, each having one end thereof rigidly secured to the upper edge of the sheet and having the opposite end thereof adapted to engage with the piano adjacent the upper edge of the front panel thereof, said clips being readily bent to facilitate their use in connection With pianos of diierent forms.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subcribing Witnesses.

KATHERINE M. KEOWEN. Witnesses JOSEPH MACONKEY, v JOHN W. HALL.

Images