US947784A - Piano-shield. - Google Patents

Description

M. J. BEAN.

PIANO SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1909.

Patented Feb.

avwawkoz m UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL J. BEAN, OF WOODHA'VEN, NEVJ YORK.

PIANO- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIoiIAnL J. BEAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Voodhaven, Long Island, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Shields, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improven'ients in piano shields, and is designed to protect that portion of the front panel surrounding the pedals, against'scratching or other injury.

One object of the invention is to render the shield adaptable to pianos of various sizes and styles, and another object is to make the device foldable into as compact form as possible, so that it may be folded into small compass while not in use.

In the accompanying drawings are illustrated several preferred embodiments of the invention, but various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the said drawings: Figure 1 is a front or face view of the shield as applied to the piano. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the device. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the invention show ing the manner in which the shield may be adapted to pianos having more widely spaced pedals. Fig. @i is a detail View showing a modified form of support for the shield, and Fig. 5 is a similar View of another modification.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The shield 1 is made of some stiff material, such as wood, cardboard or the like, and either one or both faces of the shield is preferably coated with some soft material, such as woolen or felt, so as to prevent contact of the shield from injuring the piano. Instead of covering the shield with a soft material, the shield itself may be made of material having a soft surface, providing the body of the material possesses the necessary stifiness. The shield or protector is preferably made rectangular in shape, as shown, and it is provided along its lower edge with a recessed or cutaway portion 3, to receive the shanks of the pedals a of the piano. Dependent fingers 5 are preferably provided to fill the space between the pedals, and the edges of the recessed portion are preferably formed by the flaps 6 which are severed from the body portion of the shield at the upper ends along the lines 7 and these flaps are hinged Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 26, 1909.

SHIELD.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 492,299.

along the lines 8. These hinges have been indicated in dotted lines, because the protective covering to the shield usually serves as a flexible hinge or connection between the flap and the body of the shield. The pedals of certain makes and sizes of pianos are more widely spaced than others, and these hinged flaps just described allow forthis variance in the spacing of the pedals, as when the pedals are wider apart, the hinged flaps yield either outwardly or inwardly, shown. in Fig. 3, to provide sufficient space for such pedals. lVhen the piano has only two pedals, of course only one dependent finger would be necessary to enter between the pedals. The shield may be supported in a number of ways but it is preferably supported, as shown in the first three figures, by means of supporting blocks or feet 9. These supports are preferably wed e-shape, as shown in the side view, so as to enter beneath the front edge of the piano and become locked in place. These feet may or may not be covered, as desired, and if covered, the bottom surface is preferably left plain so as to better engage the carpet or other fioor covering. The shield and its supports are preferably connected in such a manner that the parts may be folded up when not in use, and for this purpose I prefer to connect the parts by means of hinges 10. These hinges are located so as to allow the shield to fold back upon the supporting blocks, and the edge of the shield is preferably extended downward past the pivot of the hinge, so that when standing upright, the lower extended end of the shield will enthe front face of the supporting block, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which then forms a stop.

Another form of connection between the feet or supporting blocks and the shield, is illustrated in Fig. 4. Here the blocks are slotted, as at 11, to receive the lower edge of connection between the two parts, and the parts may be disconnected and folded together when not in use.

Instead of making the feet or supporting blocks wedge-shape, the same result may be accomplished by providing such feet each with a spring 12, inclined upwardly from the rear to the forward edge of the block. These springs would engage the under sur face of the piano to frictionally hold the feet in place.

the shield. This affords a simple means of I \Vhat is claimed, is:

1. The combination with a shield for protecting the front of a piano, of means adapted to make locking engagement with the under surface of the piano for supporting the shield in front of the piano, the connection between the shield and supporting means being such as to permit the shield and supporting means to be folded with respect to each other.

2. In combination with a. protective shield for a piano front, having a central cutaway portion to receive the piano pedals, supporting feet for the shield having connection with the shield on opposite sides of the cutaway portion thereof, said connection permitting the shield to be folded with respect to the feet.

3. In combination with a protective shield for a piano front, having a recessed portion to receive the piano pedals, supporting means for the shield, and hinged connection between the shield and supporting means to permit the parts to be folded when not in use.

t. In combination, a piano shield having a recess adjustable as to size to receive difi'erently spaced piano pedals, and means for supporting the shield with reference to the piano adapted to make frictional locking contact with the under surface of the piano.

5. A protective shield for pianos having a recess to receive the piano pedals, the size of said recess being adjustable to accommodate difi'erently spaced pedals, and means for supporting said shield.

6. In combination with a protective shield for pianos, having a recess to receive the piano pedals and a dependent finger or fingers to pass between said pedals, and means for supporting the shield.

7. In combination, a protective shield for pianos, having a recess to receive the piano pedals, flaps hinged to the edges of said recess, and means for supporting said shield.

8. In combination, a protective shield for pianos, having a recess to receive the piano pedals, and hinged flaps forming the edges of said recess, dependent fingers to pass between the pedals, and means for supporting said shield.

9. The combination with a protective shield for pianos, having a recess to receive the piano pedals, of wedge-shape supporting feet for said shield, adapted to extend in under the front portion of the piano, and connection between the shield and supporting feet.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this 24th day of April A. D. 1909.

MICHAEL J. BEAN.

IVitnesses MABLE SHAW, PHILIP S. MGLEAN.

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