Steinway & Sons Piano Patents (1900 - 1949)

A Tradition of Superior Design Innovations
Date
Patent Name
Improvement
Inventor
1903
Upright Piano
Improvement on the capo tasto bar and plate.
Henry Ziegler
1907
Case for Upright Pianos
Innovation on upright case.
Frederick Steinway
1908
String-Frame for Upright Pianos
Innovation on case for uprights.
Henry Ziegler
1911
Lid for Upright Pianos
Introduction of sliding key lid for uprights.
Theodore E. Steinway
1917
Sostenuto Device for Pianos
Introduction of sostenuto pedal for grands.
Theodore E. Steinway
1923
Trackerboard for Player Pianos and Organs
Innovation of tracker bar.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1931
Piano Key Mounting
Innovation of key mounting system.
Frederick A. Vietor
1932
Piano String-Frame
Innovation of cast-iron plate and capo tasto bar.
Stanley Weber
1932
Key Mounting for Piano Action
Further innovation of previous patent.
Frederick A. Vietor
1933
Method of Heat Treating Piano String Frames
Innovation for frame preperation.
Stanley Weber
1934
Piano Construction
Agraffe pin Improvement.
Theodore E. Steinway
1934
Piano Scale
Further innovation of duplex scale.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1935
Piano, and More Particularly to the Mounting of Strings Thereon
Improvement of agraffe.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1936
Piano Keyboard
Improvement on key rail pin balance.
Frederick A. Vietor
1936
Piano and Like Musical Instruments Using Strings
Improvement on capto tasto bar.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1936
Soundboard for Pianos and Other Instruments or Devices Using Soundboards
Improvement on soundboard mounting.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1937
Soundboard for Pianos
Improvement on soundboard mounting.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1937
Design for a Piano Case
New design for upright piano.
William Zaiser
1937
Keyboard Instrument, Such As A Piano, Clavier, Grand Piano, Etc.
Further innovation of previous patent.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1938
Soundboard for Pianos
Further innovation of previous patent.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1938
Acoustic Translating Device
Design for mounting amplifying speaker.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1938
Design for an Upright Piano
New design.
Everett Worthington
1938
Piano
Design for a sound deflector for grands.
Dunbar Beck
1938
Touch Weight Regulating Device
Manufacturing innovation.
Steinway & Sons
1939
Design for a Piano Case
Special design for White House piano case for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Eric Gugler
1939
Design for a Lyre for a Piano
Specific part design for White House piano for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Eric Gugler
1939
Design for a Piano Leg
Specific part design for White House piano for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Eric Gugler
1939
Design for a Grand Piano
Complete piano design for White House Piano for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Eric Gugler
1941
Keyboard Instrument, Such As a Piano, Clavier, Grand Piano, Etc.
Further improvement of previous patent.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1944
Operating Means for Piano Actions
Innovation for raising keyboard height in uprights.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1944
Piano Pin Block
Innovation to combine the pinblock and plate.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1945
Moulded Article Producing Apparatus
Innovation for molding.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1945
Strip Element Gluing Method and Apparatus
Innovation for "continous-feed edge-gluing"
Paul H. Bilhuber
1947
Improvements in or Relating to the Treatment of Wood
New method for treating wood.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1947
Improvements in or Relating to Method and Apparatus for Producing Molded Products
Further innovations on previous patent.
Paul H. Bilhuber
1948
Apparatus for Edge Gluing Strip Elements
Further innovation on previous patent.
Paul H. Bilhuber

Note: Other patents were registered by employees of Steinway & Sons in 1943 for making gliders and airplanes.

Sources
Ratcliffe, Ronald and Stuart Isacoff. Steinway. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002.