Abstract:
A percussion instrument mounting system comprising a connector means preferably and elastically flexible cord or plurality of cords, each having a first end attached to a percussion instrument such as a woodblock, and a second end attaching to a vibration absorbing material or to a rigid frame or support upon which the vibration absorbing material rests or is thereby supported. The elastic cord draws the percussion woodblock and the vibration absorbing material together into a flexibly fixed position so that the instrument is playable.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of the prior filed, co-depending provisional application Serial No. 60/253814 filed Nov. 29, 2000, entitled Tetherflex™ Percussion Instrument Mounting System. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to support systems, and more particularly, to an assembly for holding musical percussion instruments, particularly woodblocks, but which can be easily adapted for other idiophones and membranophones by someone skilled in the art.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Mounting percussion instruments and drums for better resonance has been and remains a common goal among designers. Much focus has been given to the improvements for mounting drums—for example U.S. Pat. No. 641,901 to Soistmann, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,613 to Ludwig, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,080 to Belli, all for drum mounting ideas. For smaller percussion instruments, often referred to as ‘hand held’ instruments, there has not been as great an effort.  
           [0006]    In recent years many of the authentic smaller percussion instruments like woodblocks are being reproduced using synthetic materials, plastics. While these innovation improve durability, much of the full, rich sound quality produced by the original authentic instruments is lost. The difference in mounting designs of instruments made of such durable synthetic materials and those made of naturally occurring materials can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,061 to Cohen.  
           [0007]    The commonly accepted method for mounting authentic woodblocks today remains a clamp design that dates back to the beginning of ‘modem’ percussion hardware. These require that the woodblock be drilled with mounting holes on the underside or on the ends, where metal forks are inserted, allowing the block to be loosely mounted. In this way, the block is free to move in ways not helpful to the player. An even greater drawback is that a large portion of the instrument&#39;s resonance is grounded through this direct contact between a ridged metal support system and the instrument body. In turn, the clamp itself is fastened to ancillary parts that eventually lead to the floor surface on which the entire assembly rests. Much of the instrument&#39;s sound goes to the floor. These metal clamps are still in active production today, supporting the fact that even with these limitations, many players still prefer the natural sound of wood.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention, a musical instrument mounting assembly, comprises an attachment means, a vibration absorbing material, and an elective rigid frame or support assembly. The mounting assembly includes a frame structure with a cradle assemble coupled thereto. The cradle assembly is constructed of a vibration absorbing material and is configured to support a musical instrument such as a woodblock. An elastically flexible cord is connected at one end to a percussion instrument for gently holding the instrument in contact with the form cradle so that the instrument is playable with maximum sound resonance.  
         OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES  
         [0009]    A general object of the present invention is to provide a superior mounting assembly for a musical hand-held percussion instrument, such as but not limited to a musical woodblock, which is to be supported for use by a player in such a way that the woodblock will remain free to fully resonate.  
           [0010]    Another object of the present invention is to provide additional protection from physical damage by way of softening or cushioning the impact of heavier mallet stokes from the player.  
           [0011]    Still another object of the present invention is to further free the natural tonal sound of an instrument such a woodblock so that the pitch fundamental and accompanying overtones can be heard more completely.  
           [0012]    Still another object of the present invention is to decrease the amount of force a player must use to achieve a louder sound because the majority of the players energy is converted to sound by the flexible assembly.  
           [0013]    Yet another object of the present invention is to improve the tone quality of instruments when the performer desires a volume level of mezzo piano or less, i.e., the instrument is unencumbered by direct contact with rigid mounting so that substantial vibration of the instrument occurs even when the player applies a very light stroke with a stick or mallet.  
           [0014]    Yet another object of the present invention is to allow a player the freedom to position instrument in the most advantageous arrangement to match his or her personal performance requirements, including angles that are steep or vertical, as well as inverted positions, without sacrificing sound quality. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment complete assembly of the present invention including a musical woodblock in playable position.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a complete assembly as in FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale with indicated detailed area.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2A is an enlarged frontal view of an indicated detail area from FIG. 2 comprising a tether assembly.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a complete assembly with indicated detail areas.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective, exploded view of an indicated detail area from FIG. 3 comprising a detent pin assembly.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a complete assembly with an indicated detailed area.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an isolated element indicated as a detail area from FIG. 4 comprising a U-shaped foam cradle.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a ‘T’ base support assembly as in FIG. 1.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 is a perspective, exploded view of FIG. 6.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention where instruments are playable on a flat plane housed in a rigid box.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 is a perspective, exploded view of FIG. 8. 
     
    
       [0027]    [0027]                                         Reference Numerals In Drawings                                20   musical woodblock and attachment means assembly       24   ‘t’ base support plate assembly       28   tether assembly       30   ‘T’ base plate       32   keyslot through-hole, left facing       33   keyslot through-hole, right facing       36   90° angle support for base plate       38   round rod stern       40   vibration absorbing foam cradle       41   vibration absorbing foam cradle       42   slit       43   foam cradle uprights       50   multistranded rubber cord with nylon sheath       51   drilled through-hole in detent pin       52   drilled blind-hole for detent pin sleeve in woodblock       54   detent pin sleeve       56   detent pin       57   spring loaded ball       70   solid foam block with rectangular woodblock recess       72   through-hole to pass elastic tether 50       74   counter sunk hole to receive washer       76   washer       80   solid foam panel with two through-hole interior rectangular cutouts       84   solid foam panel with through-holes       86   rigid anchor panel with keyslot through-holes       88   solid foam panel pad       89   rigid box       90   musical percussion woodblock                    
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]    Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a complete assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. A base plate assembly  24  having a generally T-shaped configuration, provides rigid support for woodblock  90  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of ‘T’ base support assembly  24 . Assembly  24  includes a base plate  30 , defining keyslot through-holes  32  and  33 , 90° angle support  36 , and round rod stem  38 , the base plate being mounted atop the rod. The preferred assembly method of these components is welding. The preferred material is stainless steel although any suitable material may be used.  
         [0029]    Dimensions of a given assembly could easily be determined by on skilled in the art by examining the size and shape of the instrument to be mounted. Musical woodblock  90  is held flexibly fast to base plate  30  by elastic tether  50 . Woodblock  90  has a tether  50  on each end, one tether is visible in FIG. 1. Tether  50  draws woodblock  90  toward and into foam cradles  40  and  41 , thereby slightly compressing foam cradles  40  and  41  while holding woodblock  90  in a playable position without rigidity and without direct contact between woodblock  90  in a playable position without rigidity and without direct contact between woodblock  90  and base plate  30 . The dimensions of the complete assembled embodiment of the present invention change proportionately with the size of the musical instrument being mounted. Woodblock  90  in FIG. 1 is about 235 mm in length. It is understood that other hand-held percussion instruments may be supported by the present assembly and that these instruments are not a limitation of the present invention.  
         [0030]    The present invention can also comprise solely the connector means and vibration absorbing material without a definable rigid frame or support provided there is some means to otherwise support the musical instrument. Conversely, the sound absorbing cradles may be omitted so long as the instrument is adequately suspended from the frame. Woodblock  90  is free to resonate when mounted on vibration absorbing foam cradles  40  and  41 . FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a U-shaped foam cradle. Foam cradles  40  and  41  are made of open or closed cell foam, preferably closed cell. Foam cradles  40  and  41  are identical in construction and shape, with through-slit  42  extending longitudinally along the lower portion of the cradle. Slit  42  allows base plate  30  in FIG. 1 to pass through foam cradles  40  and  41  for assembly. Foam cradles  40  and  41  are held in place by friction, provided slit  42  is sized correctly for a tight fit. Vertically upright ends of each cradle prevent woodblock  90  from sliding forward or backward when mounted and when being played. A tether assembly  28  connects woodblock  90  to ‘T’ base plate assembly  24 .  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 2A is an enlarged frontal view of tether assembly  28 . Assembly  28  includes elastic tether  50 , drilled hole for detent pin  52 , detent pin sleeve  54 , and detent pin  56 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention two holes are drilled into woodblock  90 , one on each lower end about mid-point along the lower edge radius, at about a 45° angle and about midway along the ‘y’ axis width of woodblock  90 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view, exploded, of drilled hole  52 , detent pin sleeve  54 , and detent pin  56 . The diameter of hole  52  must be sufficient to allow detent pin sleeve  54  to be glued into hole  52  with a snug fit. The depth of drilled hole  52  must be grater than the length of detent pin sleeve  54 . When fully inserted, the length of detent pin sleeve  54  must be shorter than the length of detent pin  56  to allow detent pin  56  to be inserted to a depth sufficient to allow spring loaded ball  57  to expand into the full diameter of hole  52  and beyond the interior end of detent pin sleeve  54 . In this way, tether assembly  28  will hold woodblock  90  for playing, but will be removable by the player by pulling detent pin  56  firmly away from woodblock  90 . Other percussion instruments could be prepared similarly for use with this invention. Elastic tether  50  passes through-hole  51  in detent pin  56  and is knotted on one end above detent pin  56 . Elastic tether  50  continues downward to and through support plate  30 , passing through keyslot  33 , and is pulled and elongated by stretching it&#39;s length during installation and is again knotted, thereby drawing woodblock  90  and base plate  30  toward each other, gently compressing foam cradle  41 . Being fixed on each end, elastic tether  50  is captive between detent pin  56  and base plate  30 . Woodblock  90  will not flexibly move laterally or vertically more than desired while being mounted and when being played. Material for detent pin  56  is preferably stainless steel, for detent pin sleeve  54  preferably garrolite tubing, and for elastic tether  50  preferably a multi-stranded elastic rubber cord with nylon sheath.  
         [0032]    Alternate Embodiment—1  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention of an assembly for supporting a musical woodblock, in a nested relationship in a solid foam block  70  with rectangular recess. Assembly  20  includes, musical woodblock  90 , elastic tether  50  (two each), detent pin sleeve  54  (two each), detent pin  56  (two each). FIG. 7 is a perspective view, exploded, of FIG. 6. This embodiment of the present invention joins musical woodblock  90  and solid foam block  70  without a rigid frame by passing elastic tethers  50  through detent pins  56 , (only one detent pin  56  visible in FIG. 7), and continuing with tethers downward through holes  72  and  74 ., continuing downward through washer  76 , where elastic tethers  50  are pulled and elongated by stretching their length during installation and knotted beneath washers  76 , thereby drawing woodblock  90  and solid foam block  70  toward each other gently compressing solid foam block  70 . This renders woodblock  90  playable, free to resonate fully, in a flexibly fixed position for table-top performance.  
         [0034]    Alternate Embodiment—2  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention where multiple musical woodblocks with attachment means, assembly  20 , where assembly  20  includes musical woodblock  90 , elastic tether  50  (two each), detent pin sleeve  54  (two each), detent pin  56  (two each), may be grouped, nested in uppermost panel  80  of a plurality of panels,  80 , 84 ,  88  (only top panel  80  is visible in this view), and assembled in rigid case  89 . FIG. 9 is a perspective, exploded view of FIG. 8 where multiple musical woodblocks with attachment means assembly  20 , where each occurrence of assembly  20  includes musical woodblock  90 , elastic tether  50  (two each), detent pin  56  (two each), are nested in a plurality of exploded view visible frame panels  80 ,  84 , and  88 , and including one rigid anchor panel  86 , where all panels are stacked in ‘sandwich’ fashion into rigid box  89 . This embodiment allows players to assemble multiple instruments in close proximity on a flat or nearly flat, moveable, portable plane and still allow free resonation of the instruments when played.  
       CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATION, AND SCOPE  
       [0036]    While the invention will be described in connection with a certain preferred embodiment, that is not intended to limit the invention to that particular embodiment. It is possible to apply the present invention to numerous other percussion instruments and achieve like results of greatly improved would quality, ease of use, and innovative flexibility in physical performance set up and player ergonomics. Therefore, it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art of such modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.