Suiter Swantz IP takes a look back at past inventions and inventors with our Patent Of The Day.
On this day in 1885, C.F. Theodore Steinway was granted U.S. Patent No. 314,742 for a PIANO FRAME.
This invention has reference to certain improvements in grand pianos, some of which are also adapted to upright Pianos.
The improvements relate more especially to a case made of a bent inner and outer rim and of stiffening braces, said rims being supported by a rear console interposed between the bottom edge of the rims and the hind leg, and by front consoles interposed between the rims and the key-frame bed. The key-frame bed is reenforced by a transverse brace-block with T-shaped ends, to which the front legs and the lyre of the piano are secured. The opposite sides of the bent, rims are connected by a transverse obtuse-angled closing-rim that forms, with the inner rim, a continuous support for the sounding-board.
The invention consists, further, of an improved construction of the metallic string frame, the treble and middle webs of which are on a level with the treble and middle strings, while the bass-web is arched or cupola-shaped, so as to be on a level with the overstrung bass strings, whereby a larger space is obtained between the frame and the sounding-board for the better development of the sound-waves of the bass-strings, said arched bass-web having a depressed portion for hitching on the longest of the series of middle strings.
The Steinway family is one of the most well renowned names in the piano industry. Englehard Steinway built his first piano in the kitchen of his home in 1836. In 1850 the Steinway family immigrated to the United States from Germany and on March 5, 1853 Steinway & Sons was founded. The family later shortened the company name to just “Steinway”. After only three years of the company’s founding the Steinways were making over 208 pianos per year. On December 20, 1859, Henry Steinway, Jr. received the company’s first patent for PIANO, U.S. Patent No. 26,532.
That first piano Englehard made started the snowball effect for the success of the Steinway family. The company has made over 600,000 pianos, received multiple awards and patents, and is a preferred brand by many musical artists. One of the classic pianos can even be found in the East Room in the White House.
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