Ergonomic key pounder
View Patent ↗A key pounder tool useful during the tuning of pianos and the like. The key pounder has a shaft about which a grip adapted for holding by the human hand is positioned. The shaft extends from the grip to a bumper end where a resilient non-slip bumper is coupled. The bumper having a diameter greater than or equal to the shaft. A removable combination strap that may be coupled to a strap end of the shaft is adaptable to hand and wrist configurations via a removable connection strap which couples the strap to the grip in the hand configuration. The strap may be adjustable via an adjustment means such as a sliding buckle, hook to loop fastener or the like.
1. A key pounder, comprising:
a grip disposed about
a shaft which extends between a strap end and a bumper end;
a slide strap coupled to the strap end;
a stationary strap coupled to the strap end;
a means for adjustable attachment between the stationary strap and the slide strap; and
a resilient non-slip bumper coupled to the bumper end.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including an attachment bolt adapted to threadably attach to the strap end and retain the slide strap to the shaft.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a connecting strap adapted to removably couple the slide strap to the grip.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further including a slide strap loop fastener attached to the slide strap adapted to couple the connecting strap to a desired location along the slide strap.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bumper has an outer diameter greater than or equal to the bumper end of the shaft.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the bumper has a diameter of 17 millimeters or less.
7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the bumper has a diameter of 15 millimeters or less.
8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the bumper has a diameter of 13 millimeters or less.
9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the bumper has a diameter of 11 millimeters or less.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is one of metal, metal alloy, resin, plastic and wood.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bumper is one of styrene butadiene rubber, polyurethane, polyethylene, silicone, vinyl and thermoplastic elastomer.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grip is one of rubber, vinyl, foam rubber and foam vinyl.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bumper is removably coupled to the bumper end via an interference fit of a bumper post of the bumper into a shaft hole of the bumper end.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the grip has a plurality of ribs radiating circumferentially along a longitudinal axis thereof.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shaft diameter covered by the grip is greater than the shaft diameter at the bumper end.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the shaft diameter transitions between the shaft diameter covered by the grip and the shaft diameter at the bumper end via one of a taper, curve, step and ogee shaped profile.
17. A key pounder, comprising:
a grip disposed about
a shaft which extends between a strap end and a bumper end;
a resilient non-slip bumper coupled to the bumper end;
a slide strap coupled to the strap end;
a stationary strap coupled to the strap end;
a means for adjustable attachment between the slide strap and the stationary strap; and
a connecting strap adapted to removably couple the slide strap to the grip.
18. A key pounder comprising:
a grip having a plurality of ribs radiating circumferentially along a longitudinal axis thereof, the grip disposed about
a shaft which extends between a strap end and a bumper end having an attachment bolt coupled to the shaft end which retains the grip upon the shaft;
the shaft extending between the grip and a bumper end;
a resilient non-slip bumper coupled to the bumper end has an outer diameter equal to or greater than a diameter of the shaft at the bumper end.