Patent ID: 6172292
Filing Date: 2001-01-09
Classification: G10G

Abstract:
A protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument, the latter having an instrument body, a neck and impact- and shock-sensitive parts located on said instrument body and said neck, said sensitive parts being at least formed by the strings and by a bridge supporting said strings at a string supporting line at the front side of said instrument body, said string-supporting line forming the highest line of elevation relative to the front side of said instrument body as compared to the adjacent portions of the strings, said strings and said bridge defining a substantially rectangled zone within the front side area of said instrument body, said instrument body having an upper edge area adjacent said neck, a lower edge area opposite its upper edge area and instrument recesses and projections located adjacent to each other within the area of said front side of said instrument body, comprising:a roof-like shaped shield body adapted to cover said substantially rectangled zone, said shield body having a top side, a bottom side, a neck-side end and a lower end opposite said neck-side end, said shield body further having a roof portion with a substantially convex contour on the top side thereof, a substantially concave contour on its bottom side, and an inner string channel open to said bottom side,said inner string channel forming a housing space for the strings and the bridge, when said shield body is mounted, and being defined on its upper side by an inner wall of said roof portion,lateral wall portions of said shield body having opposed lateral flanks and defining said inner string channel by both of its lateral flanks, each of said lateral wall portions having a bottom side, each of the bottom sides of said lateral wall portions being concavely contoured to form said concave contour of the bottom side of said shield body, said inner wall of said roof portion and said lateral wall portions of said inner string channel accommodating the strings as to their ascending and descending course, respectively,fixing projections arranged at the neck-side end and at the lower end of said shield body adapted to engage said upper and lower edge areas of said instrument body, respectively, and thereby fix said shield body, when mounted on the front side of said instrument body, against longitudinal movement,locking means for locking said shield body in its mounted position, comprising locking projections projecting from said lateral wall portions, adapted to engage said instrument projections, said shield body being made of elastically deformable material to permit squeezing of the bottom side of said shield body onto the front side of said instrument body when applying substantially vertical directed forces on said roof portion, thereby permitting a sliding motion of said locking projections from a premounting position into said mounted position according to which said locking projections grip under said instrument projections as well as having moved said fixing projections into their fixing position to engage said upper and said lower edge areas of said instrument body when simultaneously applying a longitudinally directed displacement force upon said shield body.