Abstract:
An improved strap button and attachment wherein a carrying strap may be securely attached to musical instrument. The improved strap attachment features a two-piece design that includes a lug having a shaft upon which a hole in the strap slips around and button-type face cap that retains the strap in place. The face cap also features an ornamental design that makes the strap button more appealing. Damage to the musical instrument and transfer of musical vibrations from the instrument to the strap button is limited by the placement of rubber o-rings between the face cap and the lug of the strap button and/or between the bottom surface of the lug and instrument body.

Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to application Ser. No. 60/486,518, filed Jul. 11, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to fasteners or a strap button, which secures a strap to a musical instrument such as a guitar. The improved strap fastener of the present invention features a two-piece design that includes a button-type face attachment or cap, which prevents the strap from slipping off of the shaft of the lug. The face cap also features an ornamental design that makes the strap button more appealing. Furthermore, damage to the musical instrument and strap is prevented by placing rubber o-rings between the face cap and the lug of the strap button; and/or between the bottom surface of the lug and the instrument body. While a guitar is used to illustrate the operation of the present invention, it is understood by those in the art that this strap button fastener may be used with other portable musical instruments or objects such as banjo&#39;s, keyboards, drums, luggage, purses, etc.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Musicians often secure a strap of leather, fabric, rubber or other material to their musical instruments so that they may be more easily carried and played. Most guitar straps include a hole at opposite ends so that the strap may be attached to the instrument at two places. In particular, Guitar strap buttons, also referred to as lugs or end pins, are secured to a guitar by a variety of fastening means to mate with the holes on the guitar straps.  
         [0004]     Many musicians who use guitar straps as described above have a problem with the strap slipping off of the button while the instrument is being played or carried. Musicians are also concerned that strap buttons may make rattling noises as vibrations from the musical instrument are transferred to the strap button. In addition, the act of fastening the strap button to a guitar can scratch or damage the surface finish of the guitar.  
         [0005]     Therefore, the present invention to provides an improved musical instrument strap button for preventing the end of a carrying strap from slipping off the attachment button. The present invention also provides a means for attaching a strap button to a musical instrument that limits the transfer of vibrations between the instrument and the strap button. A means is also provided to prevent scratches or other damage to the instrument when the strap button is attached. In addition, the present invention provides a strap button that adds decorative ornamentation to a musical instrument.  
         [0006]     Summary of the Invention The present invention is directed to a strap button for attaching a carrying strap to a musical instrument and that satisfies the need for preventing instrument damage and strap slippage. The present invention provides a strap button that is secured to a guitar or other portable musical instrument for holding attaching a carrying strap. In one embodiment, the lug body or endpin has a bore and a fastening means. A screw or other fastening means is secured through the bore for fastening the lug to a musical instrument. The lug body and fastening means may also be constructed as a single unit. In another embodiment, the rear portion of the lug or endpin includes a means for attaching the lug to the guitar. In another embodiment, the rear portion of the lug includes an annular groove therein. A cushioning means is positioned in the groove for minimizing damage or scratching caused by the metal lug body being positioned against the surface of the musical instrument. In still another embodiment, the rear portion of the lug has cushioning material disposed along the bottom surface of the lug to prevent damage to the musical instrument.  
         [0007]     The present invention further comprises a detachable head or face cap for the strap button. The face cap is positioned on the top portion of the lug body to prevent the guitar strap from slipping off of the lug. A cushioning means, such as a rubber o-ring is optionally positioned between the lug and the face cap of the strap button to prevent damage to the fasteners. In addition, the face cap or attachment may include a decorative design to add to the aesthetics of the musical instrument. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates a guitar with strap buttons positioned thereon.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates an end portion of a typical guitar strap.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side view of the guitar strap button in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is an exploded side view of a lug or endpin body and face attachment in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of a lug body in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of a lug body including an o-ring in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is an exploded side view of a lug or endpin body with fixed attachment device and detachable face attachment in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is another embodiment of a guitar strap button face attachment in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is another embodiment of a guitar strap button face attachment in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is another embodiment of a guitar strap button face attachment in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 11  is another embodiment of a guitar strap button face attachment in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     The present invention will be described herein with reference to the attached figures. It should be understood that although specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and described herein, variations of these embodiments are clearly within the scope of the present invention. Variations on materials, sizes, shapes or any other components of the device or method described herein may be varied and still be encompassed by the scope of the claims herein. While the invention is illustrated for use with a guitar, the invention may also be directed for use with other musical instruments, portable devices, luggage and/or carrying cases and bags.  
         [0020]     Turning now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a typical guitar  10  and an end portion of a guitar strap  6  in accordance with the prior art. The guitar includes lugs or endpins  1  positioned thereon for mating with a hole  8  in the end portions of a guitar strap  6 . Lugs are attached to guitars by various methods. In some cases, a hole may be drilled or bored into the guitar before fastening the strap button to the guitar. In other cases, the button may be attached to the guitar by use of a screw or nail, fastened directly to the guitar without a previously made bore in the guitar.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the lug body  11  has a sleeve-like configuration and includes a rear portion  19  and a front portion  13 . The lug is designed such that the strap hole  8  ( FIG. 2 ) slides over the front portion  13  and rests along the shaft portion  20 . The shaft portion  20  has an area of lesser diameter than the front  13  or rear  19  portions, which enables the strap to be retained in place. The strap is then locked into place once the face cap  16  is attached to the lug.  
         [0022]      FIGS. 3, 4 ,  5  and  6  illustrate one embodiment of the lug or endpin of the present invention. The lug body has an internal bore  21  therethrough to facilitate the mounting of the lug on the guitar. As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the shaft of screw  12  passes through the bore and opening  18  and into the body of the musical instrument. The counter bore  21  retains the head of screw in place within the lug. In another embodiment,  FIG. 7 , of the present invention the lug body  11  and fastening means  12  may be formed as a single unit where the fastening means is integral with or permanently attached to the bottom portion of the lug body. The bottom surface  19  of the lug body  11  is positioned adjacent to the guitar when the lug is fastened to the guitar. In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom portion  19  of the lug body  11  includes an annular groove  14  and an opening  18 . The lug may be made of various materials such as metal or plastic, depending on the desired strength of the part. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lug  11  is made of metal. The annular groove may be formed in the bottom of the lug body by machining, molding, casting or other known means.  
         [0023]     In one embodiment of the present invention, an o-ring  15  is positioned in the groove  14  on the bottom surface  19  of the lug  11 . The o-ring  15  serves as a cushion between the lug  11  and the surface of the musical instrument. This cushioning device both prevents damage to the musical instrument and limits the transfer of vibrations between the instrument and the lug, thus preventing unwanted sounds. It should be understood that the o-ring could be made of various materials capable of providing a cushioning effect without departing from the scope of the present invention. For instance, the o-ring may be formed of rubber, plastic, cloth, felt, or foam.  
         [0024]     The lug or endpin  11  is secured to the guitar by a fastening means. As shown in  FIG. 3 , in one embodiment of the present invention, the fastening means comprises a screw  12 . Other fastening means are contemplated by this invention including but not limited to bolts, nails, tacks, pins, or adhesives. In use, the fastening means may be positioned through the bore in the lug body. Alternatively, the fastening means may be integrally formed with or attached to the lug body. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the fastening means is a screw  12  that traverses the lug  11  so that the threaded portion bores into the guitar and the head engages the inner surface of the bottom of the lug. In this embodiment, the screw  12  may be tightened down to securely fasten the lug to the guitar. The o-ring  15  cushions the interface between the lug and the surface, preventing the damage to the guitar and limiting the transfer of musical vibrations thru the lug.  
         [0025]      FIGS. 3 and 4  also show a face cap or head attachment for a strap button of the present invention. In one embodiment, the top portion of the lug body or endpin  13  is at least partially open. The top portion of the lug body  13  and the face or head attachment  16  include complimentary fastening means for mating the lug  11  to the face cap  16 . An o-ring  20  is disposed along the interface between the face and the lug body to limit the transfer of musical vibrations and/or damage to the lug. In one embodiment, the top opening  13  of the lug includes a threaded portion and the back of the face cap  16  includes a complementary threaded portion. Other types of complementary fastening means are contemplated by the present invention. For instance, the top portion of the lug may be formed as a bolt with threads around its outside perimeter. The bottom of the attachment could be a corresponding nut for the bolt to fasten the attachment to the lug. In an alternative, the lug body and attachment may be held together by frictional engagement, snaps, cam action, clips, spring fasteners, detents, or other fastening means.  
         [0026]     The lug or endpin may alternatively be formed or positioned on the instrument body by the manufacturer. The lug may be integrally formed in the body of the musical instrument or permanently or removably attached to the guitar during the manufacturing process by a variety of means. In such an embodiment, the top portion of the lug body may be formed so that it is capable of mating with a face or head attachment as described herein. The decorative portion of the face cap may be formed so that it is detachable,  FIG. 7 , from the body of the face of cap, thus, different ornamental designs could be attached to the face cap body. In addition, the present invention may provide a retro-fit kit for attaching the face or head pieces to existing endpins. Or, the rear portion of the face cap or head portion may be formed so that it is capable of being attached to different types of commercially available musical instrument strap buttons.  
         [0027]      FIGS. 8-11  show various decorative elements, which may be imparted to the face attachment. The attachment may include the design of a skull and cross bones  16 ′, an eagle  16 ″, a star  16 ″′, or a cross  16 ″″. The designs shown here are only representative examples of decorative elements that may be added to the guitar strap button of the present invention. Other designs are certainly within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0028]     It should be understood that the face or head attachment can take on a variety of decorative forms, but need not include any decorative elements at all. For instance, the face or head attachment may be formed in various shapes. Further, the face or head may be integrally formed with or permanently attached to the top portion of the lug body. In such a case, the face cap or head attached to the lug body is measurably wider than the lower portion of the lug body for preventing the strap from slipping off of the strap button.  
         [0029]     It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments herein shown and described. Variations on these embodiments are contemplated by the present invention and covered by the claims.