A button includes a button unit suspended vertically in Z direction in a frame and which has a button body with an upper actuating surface and at least one shaft extending vertically downwardly from the button body. An X-Y sensor unit is arranged vertically below the button body and fixed to the frame for detecting X-Y positions on the actuating surface. The X-Y sensor unit has one opening such that the shaft can vertically move therethrough. One transfer element is elastically suspended vertically below the shaft and moved vertically downwardly upon downward movement of the shaft. A Z sensor unit arranged vertically below the transfer element is fixed to the frame. The Z sensor unit has at least one detection element for detecting vertical downward movement of the transfer element. The X-Y sensor unit may include a capacitive sensor. The Z sensor unit may include an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, or a magnetic sensor. The button may be illuminated by the shaft, where the shaft and the extension include a translucent material to form a light guide connected to the button body. A light source is located vertically below the shaft, so the light of the light source leaves upwardly and enters the shaft from below. An optical device deflecting the light that entered the shaft from the light source in a horizontal direction is arranged in the vertical upper area of the light guide above the shaft.

A button is disclosed, which includes a button unit suspended movably vertically in Z-direction in a fixed frame and having a button body with an upper actuating surface and at least one central shaft extending vertically downwardly from the button body and extending at an upper end below the button body horizontally into an extension. The shaft and the extension having a translucent material such that they commonly form a light guide which is fixedly connected to the button body. The button additionally includes a light source vertically below the shaft. Light from the light source leaves vertically upwardly and enters the shaft from below. The button further includes a first optical device arranged in the vertical upper area of the light guide above the shaft for deflecting light that has entered the shaft from the light source in a horizontal direction into a plane of the extension.

A to-be-depressed member includes an elastic dome. A sectional shape of the dome orthogonal to an axis line (X2) of the dome is line-symmetric about a symmetry axis (Ax). The dome has a three-dimensional shape that is symmetric with respect to a virtual plane (Sx) containing the symmetry axis and the axis line. During a swinging movement responsive to a depressing operation, an opposed surface of an opposed member relatively approaches and contacts a distal end of the dome to deform the dome so as to generate a reactive force. As for an angle defined between the axis line of the dome and a normal line (X1) of the opposed surface, the angle (0) in an initial state falls in a range from a first angle variation amount from the initial state to a first-contact state to a second angle variation amount from the initial state to a depression-completed state.

A button is disclosed, which includes a button unit suspended movably vertically in Z-direction in a fixed frame and having a button body with an upper actuating surface and at least one central shaft extending vertically downwardly from the button body and extending at an upper end below the button body horizontally into an extension. The shaft and the extension having a translucent material such that they commonly form a light guide which is fixedly connected to the button body. The button additionally includes a light source vertically below the shaft. Light from the light source leaves vertically upwardly and enters the shaft from below. The button further includes a first optical device arranged in the vertical upper area of the light guide above the shaft for deflecting light that has entered the shaft from the light source in a horizontal direction into a plane of the extension.

A magnetic pedalboard system to supply power to effects pedals for use with a musical instrument is provided. The magnetic pedalboard system includes a base member, a pair of conductive strips coupled to the top surface of the base member and electrically coupled to a power supply, and at least one pedal coupled to the pair of conductive strips, the at least one pedal having a first portion of magnetic electrical contacts electrically coupled to a second portion of magnetic electrical contacts. The at least one pedal is designed to slide along any portion of the conductive strips with the first portion of magnetic electrical contacts directly coupled to the first conductive strip and the second portion of magnetic electrical contacts directly coupled to the second conductive strip, thereby permitting the power supply to transmit electricity through the conductive strips to the at least one pedal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a keyboard apparatus includes a key, a frame, and a connecting portion having a first flexible portion, a second flexible portion serially connected to the first flexible portion between the key and the frame, and a connector for connecting the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion to each other attachably and detachably, the connecting portion turnably connecting the key to the frame by utilizing flexibility of the first flexible portion or the second flexible portion.

A musical instrument comprising a mouthpiece and an elongated body, the elongated body comprises a plurality of finger contacts. The finger contacts comprise a first set of contacts arranged such that they may be simultaneously contacted by the little, ring, middle and index finger of the right hand and a second set of contacts arranged such that they may be simultaneously contacted by the little, ring, middle and index finger of the left hand. It further comprises a first thumb contact for contact by the right thumb and a second thumb contact for contact by the left thumb. The instrument comprises a tone generator controlled by the plurality of contacts, such that a first set of successive half tones is generated under control of the second set of contacts when the first thumb contact is operated, a second set of successive half tones is generated under control of the first set of contacts when the second thumb contact is operated, a third set of successive half tones is generated under control of the second set of contacts when the first thumb contact is freed; and a fourth set of successive half tones is generated under control of the first set of contacts when the second thumb contact is freed.

The present invention relates to a polypeptide having protease activity comprising a zinc finger protease domain, a helix-turn-helix domain and a GAF domain. The core protein sequence of the protease is shown as SEQ ID NO: 1. The invention also relates to optimized reaction conditions for the protease and methods of increasing the protease activity.

The present invention relates to a piano key press processor for a piano keyboard, which analyzes the key press characteristics of simple chord voicings during play, flags the pressed keys having specific such characteristics, and repurposes those flagged keys, so as to play the chord in a more advanced chord voicing.

An instrument playing apparatus has: a movable member configured to be displaced responsive to a playing operation of a user; a detection part formed from a magnetic or conductive body and disposed on the movable member; and a filter that includes a coil. The filter has a frequency response that changes depending on a distance between the detection part and the coil, and generates a detection signal from a reference signal.