Electronic organ with rhythmic accompaniment and bass

Claim 2

In an electronic organ; tone generator means having a plurality of output terminals at respective frequencies, electroacoustic transducer means, a plurality of first switches each connecting a respective said terminal to said transducer means, a plurality of second switches each connecting a respective group of said terminals to said transducer means, a plurality of playing keys, each key being associated with a pertaining respective first switch and each being operable when depressed to actuate the respective said first switch, each of a predetermined group of said playing keys being associated with a respective second switch and each being operable when depressed to actuate the respective said second switch, first gate means disposed between at least the said first switches pertaining to the keys of said group of keys and said transducer means, second gate means disposed between said second switches and said transducer means, each gate means having control terminal means, and a selector switch connected to said control terminal means and having a first position wherein said first gate means is enabled and said second gate means is disabled and a second position wherein said second gate means is enabled and said first gate means is disabled.

Claim 3

An electronic organ according to claim 1 which includes control means connecting each key of said group of keys to a pair of said first switches other than those pertaining to said keys of said group of keys and operable when effective for causing actuation of said pair of other first switches in response to the depressing of the respective key of said group of keys, each said pair of first switches comprising a primary switch and a secondary switch, means operable in response to movement of said selector switch into the said second position thereof for making said control means effective and operable in response to movement of said selector switch into the said first position thereof to make said control means ineffective, third gate means disposed between said transducer means and the primary switch of each said pair of other first switches and fourth gate means disposed between said transducer mEans and the secondary switch of each said pair of other first switches, each of said third and fourth gate means comprising control terminal means, signal pulse generating means connected to the control terminal means of said third and fourth gate means and operable for continuously supplying an enabling signal to the control terminal means of said third gate means while supplying a disabling signal to the control terminal means of said fourth gate means, and selector means adjustable for causing said signal pulse generating means to supply an enabling signal to said control terminal means of said third and fourth gate means alternately while simultaneously supplying a disabling signal to the other thereof.

Claim 4

An electronic organ according to claim 2 in which said playing keys include one of said keys in the form of pedal keys each associated with a respective one of said primary switches.

Claim 5

An electronic organ according to claim 1 in which said organ comprises upper and lower and pedal keyboards each having playing keys and a said first switch pertaining to each key, said predetermined group of keys comprising a group of the keys of said lower keyboard.

Claim 6

An electronic organ according to claim 4 in which said first gate means is disposed between said transducer means and the said first switches pertaining to the keys of said lower keyboard.

Claim 7

An electronic organ according to claim 2 in which said organ comprises upper and lower and pedal keyboards each having playing keys and a said first switch pertaining to each key, said predetermined group of keys comprising a group of the keys of said lower keyboard, the said first switches pertaining to the keys of said pedal keyboard comprising said primary switches.

Claim 8

An electronic organ according to claim 4 which includes first voice circuit means between said transducer means and the said first switches pertaining to the said upper keyboard, second voice circuit means between said transducer means and the said second switches and the said first switches pertaining to said lower keyboard, and third voice circuit means between said transducer means and the said pairs of first switches.

Claim 9

An electronic organ according to claim 4 which includes a fifth gate between said transducer means and said first and second gate means and a sixth gate between said transducer means and said third and fourth gate means, said fifth and sixth gates having control terminals, and rhythm pulse generating means connected to the control terminals of said fifth and sixth gates and selectively operable for cyclically supplying enabling pulses to said control terminals of said fifth and sixth gates.

Claim 10

An electronic organ according to claim 8 in which said rhythm pulse generating means supplies different but related pulse patterns to the respective control terminals of said fifth and sixth gates.

Claim 11

An electronic organ according to claim 8 which includes means operable in response to movement of said selector means to cause said signal pulse generating means to supply enabling signals alternately to the control terminal means of said third and fourth gate means for initiating operation of said rhythm pulse generating means.

Claim 12

An electronic organ according to claim 8 which includes a source of pulses and said signal pulse generating means comprises a bistable multivibrator having an input terminal connected to said source of pulses and having a pair of output terminals, and circuit means connecting each said output terminal to the control terminal means of a respective one of said third and fourth gate means.

Claim 13

An electronic organ according to claim 11 which includes means operable in the absence of a supply of pulses to the input terminal of said multivibrator to control the supply of voltage to the control terminals of said third and fourth gate means so that said third gate means is enabled while said fourth gate means is disabled.

Claim 14

An electronic organ according to claim 2 which includes detector means operablE in response to the simultaneous depressing of more than one of said predetermined groups of keys to supply a disabling signal to the control terminal of said second gate means.

Claim 15

An electronic organ according to claim 11 which includes means operable in response to the depressing of any of said predetermined groups of keys to initiate operation of said source of pulses.

Claim 16

An electronic organ according to claim 11 which includes means operable in response to the depressing of any of the keys of said pedal keyboard to initiate operation of said source of pulses.

Claim 17

In an electronic organ having playing keys in the form of upper and lower and pedal keyboards, tone generator means having a plurality of outputs at respective frequencies providing tone signals, first gate means having input terminal means and output terminal means, first signal control means actuated by the keys of said lower keyboard and operable when actuated for connecting respective ones of said outputs to said input terminal means of said first gate means, second gate means having input terminal means and output terminal means, second signal control means actuated by predetermined ones of the keys of said lower keyboard and operable when actuated for connecting respective groups of said terminals to the input terminal means of said second gate means, each gate means having a control terminal, selector switch means connected to said control terminals and to sources of enabling and disabling voltages and having a first position for supplying enabling voltage to the control terminal of said first gate means while simultaneously supplying disabling voltage to the control terminal of said second gate means, said selector means having a second position for supplying disabling voltage to the control terminal of said first gate means while simultaneously supplying enabling voltage to the control terminal of said second gate means, and electroacoustic transducer means connected to the said output terminal means of both of said gate means.

Claim 18

In an electronic organ having playing keys in the form of upper and lower and pedal keyboards, tone generator means having a plurality of outputs at respective frequencies providing tone signals, first gate means having input terminal means and output terminal means, first signal control means actuated by the keys of said lower keyboard and operable when actuated for connecting respective ones of said outputs to said input terminal means of said first gate means, second gate means having input terminal means and output terminal means, second signal control means actuated by predetermined ones of the keys of said lower keyboard and operable when actuated for connecting respective groups of said terminals to the input terminal means of said second gate means, each gate means having a control terminal, selector switch means connected to said control terminals and to sources of enabling and disabling voltages and having a first position for supplying enabling voltage to the control terminal of said first gate means while simultaneously supplying disabling voltage to the control terminal of said second gate means, said selector means having a second position for supplying disabling voltage to the control terminal of said first gate means while simultaneously supplying enabling voltage to the control terminal of said second gate means, and electroacoustic transducer means connected to the said output terminal means of both of said gate means.

Claim 19

An electronic organ according to claim 16 which includes further control means connected to the control terminal of said second gate means and operated by said predetermined ones of said keys and adapted to supply disabling voltage to the control terminal of said second gate means in response to the simultaneous depressing of more than one of said predetermined ones of said keys.

Claim 20

An electronic organ according to claim 16 which includes means adjacent said predetermined ones of said keys bearing indicia aligned with each thereof and which indicates the chord played in response to the depressing of the respective key when said second gate means is enabled, said indicia normally being substantially indiscernable to the organ player, and means actuated by adjustment of said selector means into position wherein said second gate means is enabled and operable to make said indicia readily discernable to the organ player.

Claim 21

An electronic organ according to claim 18 in which said last mentioned means comprises illuminating means which is energized by adjustment of said selector means into position wherein said second gate means is enabled.

Claim 22

An electronic organ according to claim 16 which includes further means actuated by each of said predetermined ones of said keys and operable when actuated to control the supply of respective tone signals from said pedal keyboard to said transducer means.

Claim 23

An electronic organ according to claim 20 in which each said further means controls the supply of two harmonically related pedal keyboard tone signals to said transducer means, third and fourth gate means having input terminal means receiving respective ones of said pedal keyboard tone signals and having output terminal means connected to said transducer means, means enabling said third gate means while disabling said fourth gate means when said first gate means is enabled, and means for cyclically and alternately enabling said third and fourth gate meaNs while simultaneously disabling the other thereof when said second gate means is enabled.