Patent ID: 7772474

Claim:
A keyboard device for use in an electronic musical instrument, comprising a keyboard frame, a plurality of keys including white keys and black keys arranged on the keyboard frame, each key having a front portion close to a performer and a rear portion opposite to the front portion, and supporting parts mounted on the keyboard frame for supporting the keys pivotably downward and upward, wherein the supporting parts include white key supporting parts to support the white keys and black key supporting parts to support the black keys, the supporting parts being positioned at the rear portions of the keys such that the black key supporting parts are arranged rearward relative to the white key supporting parts, wherein the keyboard frame supports an anti-floating part which extends across the rear portions of the white keys and positioned above the white key supporting parts of the white keys so as to prevent the rear portion of the white key from floating upward when the front portion of the white key is pressed downward, wherein each key has a top surface extending between the front portion and the rear portion of the key and being disposed below the anti-floating part and above the supporting part, wherein the white keys and the black keys are arranged such that the top surfaces of the white keys below the anti-floating part are positioned higher than the top surfaces of the black keys below the anti-floating part, and wherein a gap between the top surface of the black key and the anti-floating part is greater than another gap between the top surface of the white key and the anti-floating part such that the gap is sufficient to avoid collision of the black key with the anti-floating part when the black key is pivoted.