Abstract:
A percussion instrument spinner comprises a mounting structure having an integral swivel allowing the drum or instrument to rotate. The design is especially suited to marching bass drums. The spinner includes a locking mechanism in order to position the instrument&#39;s rotated position and fix it from further rotation. The spinner also includes two eyebolt-type mounts to allow it to be easily placed on a carrier, and two support bars which perform dual functions: 1) Holding the instrument at the proper height for the player, and 2) Supporting the instrument in a stable manner when the instrument is placed on the ground, with the edge of the instrument held off the ground to allow the heads to vibrate freely. The drum or percussion instrument with spinner is easily and removably attached to a carrier which the performer wears on their body in order to be able to move about and/or march while playing.

Description:
PRIOR HISTORY 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/009,576, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 31, 2007. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to new and useful improvements in percussion carrier apparatus having the capability to spin the instrument or drum. More particularly, the present invention relates to the construction and mounting of the swivel mechanism between the carrier harness and a marching bass drum. 
   2. Description of Prior Art 
   U.S. Pat. No. 1,130,689, which issued to Atkinson and U.S. Pat. No. 1,179,063, which issued to Aldrete disclose certain body supported carrying devices. The carrying devices rely on supports which are looped over the neck and cross the shoulder. Applying this concept to percussion instrument carriers for marching drums, U.S. Pat. No. 2,854,880, which issued to Walters, discloses a drum carrier for spinner drum. While this patent discloses a carrier for a spinning drum, it does not disclose that the swivel mechanism has a spring-loaded locking mechanism which allows the drum to be locked in place at various rotation angles. 
   This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism wherein the two support bars include axial mounting holes which accept support rods from the drum carrier harness, allowing the carrier to be worn under a conventional performer&#39;s uniform without altering the uniform. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism that allows the drum to be easily attached or removed from the carrier. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism that allows the drum to be placed on the floor with side support in order to allow the drum to resonate freely in a quasi-horizontal position. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism which has a bearing width which is at least 10 times its thickness, which serves to provide a robust bearing design for longer life. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,158, which issued to Penn, discloses a spinning drum carrier. While this patent discloses a spinning drum carrier, it does not disclose that the swivel mechanism has a spring-loaded locking mechanism which allows the drum to be locked in place at various rotation angles. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism wherein the two support bars include axial mounting holes which accept support rods from the drum carrier harness, allowing the carrier to be worn under a conventional performer&#39;s uniform without altering the uniform. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism that allows the drum to be easily attached or removed from the carrier. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism that allows the drum to be placed on the floor with side support in order to allow the drum to resonate freely in a quasi-horizontal position. This patent does not disclose a swivel mechanism which has a bearing width which is at least 10 times its thickness, which serves to provide a robust bearing design for longer life. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,610, which issued to Hsieh and U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,492, which issued to May disclose certain carrier assemblies for percussion instruments having a pair of “J-bars’ which extend from the belly-plate of the carrier to supports mounted on the drum. These patents and other prior art do not disclose supports mounted on the drum which extend vertically to support a bass drum in order to allow the carrier to be worn under a conventional performer&#39;s uniform. Other prior art of interest and pertinent to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,123, which issued to Johannsen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,839, which issued to Dranchak; U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,401, which issued to May; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,276,653, which issued to Shimada. 
   Various prior inventions have been disclosed that provide a percussion instrument carrier which allows the drum to spin, but none of the listed inventions provide the claims above. The ideal invention would provide a support mechanism that allows the drum to spin, allows the drum to quickly hold in place at various rotational positions, allows the drum to be easily mounted to or removed from the carrier, allows the drum carrier to be worn underneath a conventional performer&#39;s uniform, and allows the drum to be placed on the floor with side support in order to allow the drum to resonate freely in a quasi-horizontal position. The ideal invention would also mount stably to existing drum designs. The design of the spinner should also be robust and minimize stresses in order to have a long useful life. The proposed invention provides these features. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, one of the objects of this invention is to allow the drum to spin while worn by the user. The spinning should be smooth and low-friction. 
   Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanism so that the drum may lock in place at various rotational positions such as vertically, horizontally, and at an intermediate angle, in order to achieve visual consistency between several instruments and so that the drum does not spin until desired. The locking mechanism should have an easily-accessed spring-loaded release for quick release and quick catch at the chosen rotation position. The shape of the locking mechanism should allow for a firm locking stop without rattling when the drum is in the vertical position, while the other rotated positions may use a detent which holds the drum gently in position. 
   Another object of this invention is to allow the drum to be quickly and easily mounted on the carrier or removed from the carrier. 
   Another object of this invention is to be completely compatable with existing carriers. 
   Another object of this invention is to provide a means for the drum to be placed on the floor or ground with side support in order to elevate the rim of the drum. This allows the drum to resonate freely in a quasi-horizontal position. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a means for the drum carrier to be worn underneath a conventional performer&#39;s uniform. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a means for the spinner to be stably mounted to existing drums, of either the conventional design or drum designs that utilize outside-threaded lug-casing inserts tightened into the drum&#39;s lug-casings. 
   Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other features of my invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following brief description of patent drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a drum carrier and drum assembly juxtaposed one another. The drum assembly essentially comprises a bass drum and a percussion instrument spinner mounted to the bass drum. 
       FIG. 2  is a fragmentary side view of a user donning a drum carrier, the drum assembly according to the present invention being mounted to the drum carrier and oriented in a conventional playing position. 
       FIG. 3  is a front plan view of the percussion instrument spinner mounted to a fragmentary bass drum. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view depiction of the drum carrier and drum assembly attached thereto by way of upper shoulder hooks. 
       FIG. 5  is a side view depiction of the drum carrier and drum assembly attached thereto by way of lower J-bars. 
       FIG. 6  is a fragmentary side view of a user donning a drum carrier, the drum assembly according to the present invention being mounted to the drum carrier and oriented in a horizontal playing position. 
       FIG. 7  is a depiction of a user adjacent the percussion instrument spinner and bass drum in a quasi-horizontal floor playing position. 
       FIG. 8  is a depiction of the percussion instrument spinner magnetic latch for the locking release arm. 
       FIG. 9  is a fragmentary depiction of the percussion instrument spinner locking mechanism showing a rotation-locking stop. 
       FIG. 9(   a ) is a fragmentary depiction of the percussion instrument spinner locking mechanism showing a rotation-detent stop. 
       FIG. 10  is a cutaway view of a support bar of the percussion instrument spinner. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a bracket for mounting the percussion instrument spinner to a bass drum. 
       FIG. 12  is a side view of the percussion instrument spinner attached to a bass drum. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a carrier harness  10  for percussion instruments that includes laterally opposed J-shaped support rods  11  adjacent the harness&#39;s inferior end. The construction of the carrier harness or carrier  10  is shown as a T-bar type construction, but the carrier  10  can be any configuration including but not limited to, T-bar, tubular, vest, or hybrid combination of these types of construction. 
   A drum  12  (such as a bass drum) is affixed to the swivel assembly or swivel mechanism  13 . The swivel mechanism  13  in its preferred embodiment is constructed with a state of the art turntable-type bearing, where the ball bearings are held in a circular groove stamped into the front and back halves of the swivel mechanism  13 . The ball bearings are held separate from one another by the use of a bearing race. The front and back halves of the swivel mechanism  13  are held together with a heavy gauge rivet, or alternatively a center bolt which cannot loosen, typically by using a castle nut with a cotter pin through the bolt. 
   The portion of the swivel mechanism  13  away from the drum  12  has two laterally opposed support bars  14  attached. The length of the support bars  14  is chosen specifically so that when the swivel mechanism  13  may be rotated to place the drum playing surface substantially parallel to the ground. In this last regard, it should be noted that when the drum  12  is placed on the ground as attached to the swivel mechanism, there will be space between the ground and the supported rim of the drum  12  as at  100  in  FIG. 7 . This space is 2-6 in. (5-15 cm) in the preferred embodiment. This space allows the drum heads to vibrate freely and obtain a fuller, more resonant and pleasant tone. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , the normal playing position for the drum  12  is attained when the carrier  10  is placed on the shoulders of the performer as generally depicted, and the drum  12  as outfitted with the swivel mechanism  13  is mounted to the carrier  10 . In this position, and in this figure, the support bars  14  are mounted upon the support rods  11 . This structural arrangement allows room for the performer to wear their uniform or costume over the top of the drum carrier  10 . Although not specifically illustrated, the rods  11 , may emerge from the bottom of the uniform and function to mate with the bars  14 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the swivel mechanism  13  includes at least one, but preferably a multiplicity of locking stops  15  and a spring-loaded lever  16  with a key  17 . The spring  18  on the lever  16  acts to pull the key  17  into the locking stop  15  and hold the drum  12  in rotational position. When the spring-loaded lever  16  is rotated away from a select stop  15  of the swivel mechanism  13 , the swivel mechanism  13  may spin freely. The two support bars  14  are connected to the outside half portion of the swivel mechanism  13 , which portion is away from the drum  12 . 
   The preferred construction of the support bars  14  is steel pipe with an inside diameter just larger than the outside diameter of the carrier support rods  11 . The feet  19  of the bars  14  extend past the end of the support bars  14  to provide cushioning. The feet  19  have axial holes to allow the carrier support rods  11  to pass through. In this last regard, the reader is directed to  FIG. 10 . The support bars  14  have an axial hole  20  which accepts the support rods  11 . A stop  21  is installed within the bars  14  to block the support rod  11  from being inserted to the point where is might jam due to the curvature of the support bar  11 . Thus the drum assembly (i.e. swivel mechanism  13  and drum  12 ) may be easily disengaged from the carrier  10 . 
   The invention also provides a second option for mounting the drum assembly to drum carriers in circumstances when the performer chooses to use a conventional drum carrier with shoulder hooks  22  rather than the support rods  11  as generally depicted in  FIG. 4 . (Support rod  11  mounting is generally depicted in  FIG. 5  and presented directly beneath  FIG. 4  for ease of comparison). It is contemplated that the support bars  14  may preferably comprise eyebolts  23 . The eyebolts  23  extend away from the centerline of the swivel mechanism  13  as generally depicted in  FIG. 3 . These eyebolts  23  are normally at the top end of the support bars  14 , but in some cases may be placed at various heights on the support bars  14 . The support bars  14  may be provided with several sets of eyebolt mounting holes at varying heights to accommodate the needs of various performers. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the horizontal playing position for the drum  12  is attained when the spring-loaded lever  16  is depressed, and the drum  12  is rotated 90°. The spring-loaded lever  16  may then be released, and the drum  12  may be held in a select rotation position by way of the key  17  and a select stop  15  as previously specified. Referring to  FIG. 7 , the floor playing position for the drum  12  is attained when the drum  12  is rotated 90° and so held in place. 
   In this last regard, the drum assembly may be disengaged from the support rods  11  or the drum carrier shoulder hooks  22 , and the drum  12  placed on the floor so that the support bars  14  hold one edge of the drum  12  off the floor. This allows the drum head to vibrate freely, resulting in a full sound. The feet  19  extend past the end of the support bars  14  to provide cushioning so that the support bars  14  do not damage the floor. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 8-9(   a ), and as previously introduced, the swivel mechanism  13  includes a spring-loaded lever  16  with a key  17 . The spring-loaded lever  16  rotates about a pivot  24 . The spring  18  on the lever  16  acts to pull the key  17  into the locking stop  15  and hold the drum  12  in rotational position. The locking stop  15  is preferably keystone shaped (trapezoidal) in order to firmly lock the rotation of the swivel mechanism  13  and eliminate rattling of the mechanism. 
   In other locations on the circumference of the swivel mechanism  13 , rounded detents  25  are provided which have a depth of less than half the diameter of the key  17 . These detents  25  hold the key  17  gently in place, but do not totally lock the rotation of the swivel mechanism  13 . The performer may rotate the drum out of the detent  25  by pushing on the drum  12  without operating the spring-loaded lever  16 . In this regard, it is contemplated that the detents  25  function to temporarily hold the drum in a select rotational position. 
   Referring to  FIG. 8 , one support bar  14  has a magnet  26  mounted below the resting position of the spring-loaded lever  16 . The preferred embodiment is a high-strength magnet of a disc shape with a center mounting hole. The performer may choose to push the spring-loaded lever  16  down past the release point in order to engage the magnet  26  and hold the spring-loaded lever  16  in the “open” position. The spring-loaded lever  16  is released from the magnet  26  by a push from the performer. 
   Referring to  FIG. 10 , the swivel mechanism  13  may be mounted to drum designs that utilize outside-threaded lug-casing inserts tightened into the drum&#39;s lug-casings by using two mounting plates  27 . The swivel mechanism  13  is bolted to the mounting plate  27  through the slots  28 , which allow freedom of positioning for various sizes of drum and various spacings between lug casings. The mounting plate  27  is fixed to the drum by tightening the outside-threaded lug-casing inserts through the side holes  29  into the lug-casing. Other drum mounting means may effectively function to attach the swivel mechanism to drums of various types. For example, it is contemplated that standoff&#39;s may effectively be bolted through the drum shell of conventional drums. 
   While the above description contains much specificity, this specificity should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of the invention. For example, it is contemplated that the present invention essentially describes and teaches a swivel assembly or mechanism for use in combination with a drum to effect drum rotation. The swivel assembly according to the present invention comprises certain drum mounting means for mounting the swivel assembly  13  to a drum  12 . It is contemplated that the drum mounting means may be defined by the mounting plate(s)  27 , but may be defined by various structures so long as the swivel mechanism is firmly mounted to the drum  12 . 
   Further, the swivel assembly  13  comprises certain spring-actuable means operating in tandem with locking stops  15  for enabling a user to selectively position the drum  12  in a rotational position and prevent further drum rotation. The spring-loaded locking stops  15  of the swivel assembly  15  may comprise first and second stop structures. The first stop structure (such as stops  15 ) may well function to lock the drum  12  in a first position (such as a vertical position), and the second stop structure (such as detents  25 ) may well function to temporarily hold the drum  12  in a second position (such as a horizontal position). In this regard, the stops may comprise keystone-shaped structure as at  15  for preventing drum movement or rounded detent structure as at  25  for temporarily holding the drum in a select position. The locking release arm or lever  16  is cooperable with the locking stops and may further comprise a magnetic latch for retaining the lever  16  in an open position. 
   The swivel assembly  13  may further comprise opposed vertical support bars  14 , which bars  14  have sufficient length to support the drum  12  with one edge thereof raised when the drum  12  is placed on a horizontal surface as generally depicted in  FIG. 7 . The vertical support bars  14  may further comprise eyehooks  23 , which are preferably attached to the vertical support bars  14  at the upper end thereof to allow easy mounting to a variety of bass drum carriers. The lower ends of the bars  14  comprise axial mounting holes  20  for accepting support rods (as at  11 ) of a drum carrier  10 . 
   The swivel assembly  13  is preferably constructed with a turntable-type bearing, which bearing has a bearing diameter as generally depicted in  FIG. 3  and a bearing thickness as generally depicted in  FIGS. 2 ,  4 ,  5 ,  6  and  12 . From a comparative inspection of the noted figures, it may be readily understood that in order to provide a robust bearing structure the bearing diameter may be at least 10 times the bearing thickness. The bearing provides the interface between the bars  14  and the drum  12 , and thus should be constructed so as to provide load-bearing function or quality as well as rotational movement sufficient to rotatably support a base drum or similar other percussion instrument. 
   Thus, specific embodiments and applications for a percussion equipment spinner have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.