Abstract:
A stand for at least one elongated musical instrument having a narrow end and a wide end and including a base for setting the stand on an essentially horizontal plane, a substantially vertically oriented midsection, at least one support assembly, and at least one yoke, with a rigid latch element, with the support assembly supporting the wide base end of the musical instrument and the yoke receiving the narrow head end of the musical instrument.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a stand for musical instruments and including a case for setting the stand on a substantially planar surface, a substantially vertically oriented midsection, at least one support assembly for supporting a wide base end of the musical instrument, and at least one yoke arranged on the support assembly for receiving the narrow head end of the musical instrument. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Musical instruments are particularly sensitive to external mechanical effects. Even a slight contact with the tuning mechanism of a guitar or of a string instrument can adversely affect the tonal qualities of the instrument. Musical instruments must be set aside in such a manner, that their sensitive components are not exposed to contact with the floor, the wall or passers-by. There are devices available for holding or otherwise accommodating almost any portable musical instrument and which can be adapted to the shape of the instrument. With such devices the musical instrument is supported in those areas that are relatively mechanically insensitive. 
     Numerous stands are known in the art that are intended for elongate musical instruments having a narrow end and a wide end such as, for example, guitars, bass guitars, string and similar instruments, and that provide a statically stable support for the musical instrument. However, this requires that the musical instrument is placed precisely into the stand by the user. Even minor deviations from the prescribed position can result in the musical instrument being located in uncertain equilibrium. In such a case, even a minor impact could be sufficient to cause the instrument to fall to the floor. This could result in detuning or even damage of the musical instrument. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,497 discloses a stand for elongate instruments, in particular guitars. The stand comprises a base and a generally vertical main section. The base is provided for set-up of the stand on a generally flat surface. The vertical main section has, in its lower portion, a support assembly for the wider end portion of the musical instrument. At the upper end of the vertical main section, a C- or U-shaped yoke is provided for the accommodation of the narrower end portion of the musical instrument. 
     With said stand, a musical instrument, in particular a guitar, can be stably stowed. 
     The drawback of the known device consists in that the U- or C-shaped yoke does not adequately enclose the narrower end portion of the musical instrument. Even a light impact could be sufficient to cause the musical instrument to fall from its stand. Such an incident during a concert could jeopardize the course of the entire event. It is desireable, that the expensive musical instrument can be safely stowed. 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a stand of the type disclosed above out of which the musical instrument cannot fall. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by providing the yoke with a rigid latch element. Thus, the narrow end portion of the musical instrument is at least enclosed in such a way that it cannot tip out of the yoke. The musical instrument is thus prevented from falling out of the stand. 
     Preferably, the latch element is held in a closed position by an elastic retaining force, in particular by a spring. In this way, the latch cannot be inadvertently opened. A user must overcome the resistance of the spring in order to open the latch. 
     Furthermore, the latch element can be coupled with the yoke by a hinge. In this way, the yoke can be flipped open and closed. An easy-to-operate but efficient device is, thus, provided. In the closed condition, the hinged latch element can be located at the opposing end of the yoke. Alternatively, the latch element can be shorter than the space between the two ends of the yoke, with the hinge being provided with an appropriate stop. 
     Alternatively, a sliding latch element, which is housed inside the yoke, can be provided. This would provide for a compact construction of the yoke. In this case, it is not absolutely necessary that the yoke and the latch element form a closed ring. There can be sufficient gap between the latch element and the opposing end of the yoke. The gap must, however, be so dimensioned that the narrow end portion of the musical instrument is reliably prevented from tipping out of the yoke. 
     Advantageously, the midsection can be made longitudinally adjustable along its length so that the stand can be adapted to the dimensions of the musical instrument. This can be achieved by providing, in the midsection, adjustable telescopic means, or by using fixing screws. In this manner, a compact construction of the stand is obtained. 
     Furthermore, the stand can be made collapsible and/or separable. This characteristic is particularly desirable, because such stands are frequently used at musical events or tournaments. 
     Preferably, the base includes a tripod. In this way, a particularly lightweight construction is obtained, and the stand can be particularly easily disassembled. Furthermore, a relatively large standing base area is created, whereby it is almost impossible for the stand to fall over. 
     Alternatively, the base can include a plate. By using a heavy plate the common center of gravity of the stand and the musical instrument is relatively low, which has a positive effect on stabiity. 
     Furthermore, the support assembly can be adjustably attached to the midsection. Likewise, the yoke can be adjustably attached to the midsection. These modifications provide additional options for adapting the geometric dimensions of the stand to the dimensions of a musical instrument. If the stand is intended for several musical instruments, musical instruments of different sizes can thus be accommodated. In the normal case, the musical instruments are held loosely in the yoke pursuant to the invention and are merely prevented from tipping out of it. Alternatively, the musical instruments can be held securely in position, preferably clamped, at their narrow end portions, across the necks of guitars and bass guitars. 
     The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiment, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawings show: 
     FIG. 1 a perspective view of a first embodiment of a stand for a musical instrument according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 a perspective view of an upper portion of the stand pursuant to FIG. 1, in the closed condition; 
     FIG. 3 a perspective view of the upper portion of the stand pursuant to FIG. 1, in the open condition; 
     FIG. 4 a top view of the upper portion of the stand pursuant to FIG. 1, and according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 a top view of an alternative embodiment of the upper portion of a stand. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A stand according to the present invention and shown in FIG. 1 includes a longitudinally adjustable shaft  10 . The shaft  10  is formed of a vertical, elongate, two interfitting tubes slidably inserted into each other. For the purpose of fixation of the two tubes in a predetermined position, a manually adjustable screw  24  is provided. At the lower end of the shaft  10 , the stand has a base  12  which is formed as a tripod. Above the base  12 , a support assembly  14  is attached to the shaft  10 . The support assembly  14  is formed as a yoke and is arranged generally horizontally. A U-shaped yoke  16  is attached to the upper end of the shaft  10 . The yoke  16  is generally arranged horizontally and is located on the same side of the shaft  10  as the support assembly  14 . A latch element  18  extends between the two ends of the yoke. The latch element  18  is attached to the one end of the yoke  16  with a hinge  22 . The hinge  22  comprises a spring that biases the latch element  18  against the opposite end of the yoke  16 . The yoke  16  and the latch element  18  together form a closed ring. 
     The inventive stand is intended to receive a musical instrument, in particular a guitar or similar instrument. The body of the musical instrument is placed upon the support assembly  14 , and the neck of the instrument is enclosed by the yoke  16  and the latch element  18 . In order to open the yoke  16 , a user must overcome the action of the spring and flip the latch element  18  upwards. Conversely, the closure of the yoke  16  occurs automatically due to the action of the spring. Thus, unintentional opening of the latch element  18  is excluded. In this way, instrument is prevented from falling out of the stand. Alternatively, the latch element  18  can be formed shorter than the gap between the two ends of the yoke  16 . Consequently, the latch element  18  does not lie upon the opposite end of the yoke  16 , but the angular area of the hinge  22  is correspondingly restricted. A gap is created between the latch element  18  and the opposite end of the yoke  16 . The width of the gap is narrower than the width of the musical instrument at the corresponding position. In this position, too, the musical instrument cannot fall out of the stand. 
     It is also almost impossible for the stand to tip over together with the musical instrument. On one hand, the common center of gravity of the stand and the musical instrument is relatively low; namely, it is generally not located higher than the support assembly  14 . On the other hand, the center of gravity is almost in the center of the stand base plane which is defined by the base  12 . Thus, the stand pursuant to the invention makes possible a safe and secure stowing of musical instruments. 
     FIG. 2 shows the upper part of the inventive stand pursuant to FIG. 1 at an increased scale. The latch element  18  is shown in the closed position. FIG. 3 also shows the upper part of the stand but with the latch element  18  in the open position. The vector F means that the user must apply a force, even if only slightly, to hold the latch element  18  in the open position. Both FIGS. 2 and 3 show together the latch element  18  is formed as a barrier bar. 
     FIG. 4 shows a top view of the upper part of the stand pursuant to FIG. 2. A helical spring  20  is associated with the hinge  22 . The helical spring  20  retains the latch element  18  in the closed position. The force of the spring  20  must be of such a dimension that the latch element  18  is merely held closed. In particular, the force of the spring  20  is not required to provide a counter-force in the event the musical instrument is pressed against the latch element  18 . The degree of freedom of play for the movement of the latch element  18  is determined so that a force from the musical instrument side is always directed perpendicular to the predetermined direction of movement of the latch element  18 . 
     Furthermore, the stand pursuant to the invention is made collapsible and/or separable. The base  12  configured as a tripod is collapsible or foldable with minimum effort. Also the other components serve to make it possible to easily fold or dismantle the stand to a portable format. This is particularly advantageous, because such stands are used predominantly at musical events or at tournaments. 
     Alternatively, the base  12  can be formed as a solid plate. In this manner, a particularly high stability is achieved due to the extremely low center of gravity. Because of the lengthwise adjustability of the shaft  10 , the stand can be used for musical instruments of different sizes. The inventive stand is suitable not only for a guitar or a bass guitar, a violin, but also for a contrabass. Further, the stand can be provided with interchangeable component parts pursuant to the modular construction principle. For example, several support assemblies  14  can be provided for the stand that are intended for various musical instruments of different sizes. The support assemblies  14  can be adapted individually to specific musical instruments. Similarly, the stands can be provided with an interchangeable yoke  15  complete with the latch element  18 . In this manner, the stand can be used for musical instruments whose geometry deviates from the aforementioned instruments. For example, the stand can also be used for supporting a saxophone. 
     Furthermore, special embodiments of the invention can be provided for accommodation of several musical instruments at the same time, whereby each musical instrument has its own support assembly  14  and its own yoke  16 , which are arranged around the shaft  10 . By using several height-adjustable support assemblies  14  and/or yokes, several musical instruments of different sizes can be supported at the same time. Interchangeable support assemblies  14  and/or yokes  16  make possible contemporaneous stowing of musical instruments of various types. A stand pursuant to FIG. 1 can easily accommodate support assemblies  14  and/or yokes for two, three, or four musical instruments. 
     An alternative embodiment of the stand pursuant to the invention is shown in FIG.  5 . FIG. 5 shows the upper part of an alternative stand as viewed from above. The alternative embodiment likewise includes a shaft  10 , a C-shaped yoke  16 , a latch element  18 , and a spring  20 . In lieu of the hinge  22 , however, the alternative embodiment includes a sliding bearing. The latch element  18  has a circular protrusion  30  surrounding the latch element  18 . The yoke  16  has an internal stop  26  and an additional stop  28 . 
     In the alternative embodiment of the inventive stand pursuant to FIG. 5, the latch element  18  is displaceably mounted inside the yoke  16 . The movement of the latch element  18  is limited in the closed position by the protrusion  30  and the stop  26 , and in its open position by the stop  28 . The alternative embodiment is maintained in the closed position by a spring  20 . In this alternative embodiment, too, it is not absolutely necessary that the yoke  16  and the latch element  18  form a closed ring. Between the latch element  18  and the other end of the yoke  16  an open area can exist, which is merely needs to be narrower than the corresponding area of the musical instrument in order to achieve the desired security. Also the alternative closure assembly is automatically held in the closed position by the spring  20 . 
     With the stand pursuant to the invention, a device is provided that, with relatively low constructive expense, provides safe and secure stowing for generally highly valuable musical instruments. 
     Though the present invention was shown and described with references to the preferred embodiments, such are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not to be construed as a limitation thereof, and various modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, not intended that the present invention be limited to the disclosed embodiments or details thereof, and the present invention includes all variations and/or alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.