Digital organ system

Claim 2

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, pulse producing means, means interconnecting said key switches and said pulse producing means to cause said pulse producing means to produce a repeating train of pulses the repetition rate of which is determined by which key switch is operated, integrating means connected to said pulse producing means and receiving and integrating said train of pulses to produce an audio-frequency electric wave corresponding to a musical tone, electro-acoustic translating means, and means connecting said integrating means to said electro-acoustic translating means to produce an audible musical tone.

Claim 3

An instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein said integrating means comprises a boxcar integrator.

Claim 4

An instrument as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pulse producing means includes a multi-frequency clock the output of which is controlled by said key switches.

Claim 5

A musical instrument as set forth in claim 1 and further including pulse density controlling means connecting said pulse producing means and said integrating means.

Claim 6

An instrumeNt as set forth in claim 4 wherein the pulse density determining means includes a shift register.

Claim 7

An instrument as set forth in claim 5 and further including manually controllable means for determining the output of said shift register.

Claim 8

An instrument as set forth in claim 6 wherein the manually controllable means includes a matrix connected to said shift register.

Claim 9

An instrument as set forth in claim 7 wherein the manually controllable means further includes means for adjusting the matrix pattern.

Claim 10

An instrument as set forth in claim 8 wherein the means for adjusting the matrix pattern includes a plurality of diode switches.

Claim 11

An instrument as set forth in claim 4 wherein the pulse producing means comprises a multi-frequency clock the output of which is determined by said key switches, and the pulse density determining means includes a shift register.

Claim 12

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, a plurality of like pulse producing and distribution density determining means for producing a repeating train of pulses, distributor means for sequentially connecting said key switches to said plurality of like means, a plurality of integrating means connected to said plurality of like means and receiving and integrating said train of pulses to produce audio-frequency electric waves respectively corresponding to musical tones, means for combining such audio-frequency electric waves, and electro-acoustic translating means connected to said combining means to produce audible musical tones.

Claim 13

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, a plurality of like pulse producing and distribution density determining means for producing a repeating train of pulses, distributor means for sequentially connecting said key switches to said plurality of like means, a plurality of integrating means connected to said plurality of like means and receiving and integrating said train of pulses to produce audio-frequency electric waves respectively corresponding to musical tones, means for combining such audio-frequency electric waves, and electro-acoustic translating means connected to said combining means to produce audible musical tones.

Claim 14

An instrument as set forth in claim 11 and further including a plurality of buffer memories respectively connecting said distributing means to a plurality of like pulse producing means.

Claim 15

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, pulse producing means, a multi-frequency clock, a plurality of gates connected to the output means of said multi-frequency clock, divider means connected to said gates on the output sides thereof, means interconnecting said key switches with said gates and with said divider means for controlling said gates and said divider means from said key switchs to provide a repeating train of pulses from said divider means, the repetition rate of said train of pulses being determined by which key switch is operated, integrating means, means connecting said divider means to said integrated means whereby said integrating means receives and integrates a train of pulses to produce an audio-frequency electric wave corresponding to a musical tone, electro-acoustic translating means, and means connecting said integrating means to said electro-acoustic translating means to produce an audible electrical tone.

Claim 16

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, pulse producing means, a multi-frequency clock, a plurality of gates connected to the output means of said multi-frequency clock, divider means connected to said gates on the output sides thereof, means interconnecting said key switches with said gates and with said divider means for controlling said gates and said divider means from said key switchs to provide a repeating train of pulses from said divider means, the repetition rate of said train of pulses being determined by which key switch is operated, integrating means, means connecting said divider means to said integrated means whereby said integrating means receives and integrates a train of pulses to produce an audio-frequency electric wave corresponding to a musical tone, electro-acoustic translating means, and means connecting said integrating means to said electro-acoustic translating means to produce an audible electrical tone.

Claim 17

An instrument as set forth in claim 13 wherein the means connecting the divider means and the integrating means comprises pulse density determining means including a shift register and means providing an adjustable control pattern for said shift register.

Claim 18

An instrument as set forth in claim 14 wherein the integrating means comprises a boxcar integrator.

Claim 19

An instrument as set forth in claim 13 wherein the means connecting the key switches to the gates and dividing means comprises a shift register controlled by said key switches and a diode tree connected to said shift register on the output side thereof and further connected to said gates and said dividing means.

Claim 20

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, pulse producing means, means interconnecting said key switches and said pulse producing means providing information as to the position of an operated key switch and controlling the operation of said pulse producing means to produce a repeating train of pulses the repetition rate of which is Determined thereby, integrating means connected to said pulse producing means and receiving and integrating said train of pulses to produce an audio-frequency electric wave corresponding to a musical tone, electro-acoustic translating means, and means connecting said integrating means to said electro-acoustic translating means to produce an audible electrical tone.

Claim 21

An electronic keyboard musical instrument comprising a plurality of manually operable keys and a plurality of key switches respectively operated thereby, pulse producing means, means interconnecting said key switches and said pulse producing means providing information as to the position of an operated key switch and controlling the operation of said pulse producing means to produce a repeating train of pulses the repetition rate of which is Determined thereby, integrating means connected to said pulse producing means and receiving and integrating said train of pulses to produce an audio-frequency electric wave corresponding to a musical tone, electro-acoustic translating means, and means connecting said integrating means to said electro-acoustic translating means to produce an audible electrical tone.

Claim 22

An instrument as set forth in claim 17 wherein the information providing means includes means for providing digital information as to the position of an operated key switch.

Claim 23

An instrument as set forth in claim 17 wherein the key switch position information providing means includes a shift register, a clock, and a counter, and means interconnecting said key switches respectively with said shift register and said counter, said counter being connected to said pulse producing means and being operative to transfer a count thereto when a respective key switch is operated.

Claim 24

An instrument as set forth in claim 19 and further including a plurality of like pulse producing means and a distributor connecting said counter to said like pulse producing means.

Claim 25

An instrument as set forth in claim 20 and further including a plurality of like buffer memories respectively connecting said distributor means to said like pulse producing means.

Claim 26

An instrument as set forth in claim 17 wherein the information providing means comprises means providing information as to the octave in which a key switch is located and information as to the note position within an octave.

Claim 27

An instrument as set forth in claim 22 wherein the information providing means comprises a clock, a plurality of clock gates connected to said clock, a plurality of divider strings connected to said gates on the output side thereof, means connecting the key switches according to note within an octave to said clock gates, and means connecting said key switches to said divider strings and providing information as to the octave within which an operated key switch is located.

Claim 28

An instrument as set forth in claim 23 and further including a divider NOR gate with scanner, said clock gate outputs and the key switch octave information bearing means being connected to said divider NOR gate with scanner and the output thereof being connected to said divider strings.

Claim 29

In an electronic musical instrument the combination comprising pulse producing means for providing a train of pulses, means for controlling said pulse producing means to determine the repetition rate of said train of pulses, means connected to said pulse producing means and receiving the output thereof for determining the pulse density pattern of said train of pulses, and pulse receiving means for producing an audio-frequency electric wave having a waveshape determined by said pulse train repetition rate and density, said wave corresponding to a desired musical tone.

Claim 30

In an electronic musical instrument the combination comprising pulse producing means for providing a train of pulses, means for controlling said pulse producing means to determine the repetition rate of said train of pulses, means connected to said pulse producing means and receiving the output thereof for determining the pulse density pattern of said train of pulses, and pulse receiving means for producing an audio-frequency electric wave having a waveshape determined by said pulse train repetition rate and density, said wave corresponding to a desired musical tone.

Claim 31

The combination set forth in claim 25 wherein the pulse receiving means comprises a boxcar integrator.

Claim 32

The combination set forth in claim 25 wherein the pulse density determining means comprises a shift register and a variable path therefor.

Claim 33

The combination set forth in claim 27 wherein the variable path comprises a matrix and means for adjusting said matrix.

Claim 34

The combination set forth in claim 28 wherein the matrix adjusting means comprises a plurality of diode switches.

Claim 35

In an electronic musical instrument, the combination comprising a plurality of key switches greater than an octave in number, means providing an electric potential to the inputs of said key switches, a plurality of note output lines respectively corresponding to the notes of an octave, means connecting the key switches of notes of like designation in different octaves to a respective note output line, a plurality of octave output lines, and means connecting key switches of an octave to a respective octave output line.

Claim 36

In an electronic musical instrument, the combination comprising a plurality of key switches greater than an octave in number, means providing an electric potential to the inputs of said key switches, a plurality of note output lines respectively corresponding to the notes of an octave, means connecting the key switches of notes of like designation in different octaves to a respective note output line, a plurality of octave output lines, and means connecting key switches of an octave to a respective octave output line.

Claim 37

The combination set forth in claim 30 wherein each connecting means compriSes a unilaterally conductive isolating means.

Claim 38

The combination set forth in claim 30 wherein the pulse producing means has a plurality of output frequencies related to notes in an octave, a plurality of gates, means connecting said note output lines and said pulse producing means to said gates, divider means, and means connecting said gates and said octave output lines to said divider means, activated octave output lines determining the function of division of said divider means.

Claim 39

The combination set forth in claim 32 and further including divider NOR gate means, means connecting said previously mentioned gates and said octave output lines to said NOR gate means, and means connecting said NOR gate output to said divider means.