Abstract:
A bass drum pedal assembly having a frame and a drive actuator where the drive actuator comprises an internal cam adapted to fit against a cam follower when the cam is operatively configured to return a striker to a neutral position where the drive actuator is modular in nature to be fitted to a frame.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 61/087,910, filed Aug. 11, 2008. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Bass drum strikers have traditionally been integral-type members where springs and return mechanisms are very much integrated into the design. The prior art has failed to teach an integrated drive actuator which is modular in nature and configured to be fit upon a frame, such as a through shaft. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     A bass drum pedal assembly having a frame and a drive actuator where the drive actuator comprises an internal cam adapted to fit against a cam follower when the cam is operatively configured to return a striker to a neutral position where the drive actuator is modular in nature to be fitted to a frame. 
     The disclosure provides a bass drum pedal assembly having a base having a lower base portion, and a drive actuator mount portion. There is further a pedal movably attached to the base. A is mounted having striker having a drum impact portion. A drive actuator is implemented having a static housing portion which is operatively configured to attach to the drive actuator mount portion of the base. A biasing assembly has a cam follower configured to engage a cam rotatably mounted to the drive actuator mount portion of the base. The drive actuator has a rotating assembly comprising a crank having a crank arm extending radially outwardly and a beater housing operatively configured to have the striker attach thereto. The driver actuator further has a torque transfer shaft rotatably mounted to the static housing portion and a cam operatively configured to engage the cam follower of the biasing assembly whereas the cam positions the striker at a relaxed position where by depressing the pedal, the crank is rotated and repositions the biasing assembly into a higher energy state. 
     The drive actuator mount portion can have a through shaft extending substantially in a lateral direction The through shaft can be static during operation of the crank and the beater housing. The torque transfer shaft in one form allows the crank and the beater housing to be fixedly and adjustably mounted thereto at adjustment angles rotatably positioned around the torque transfer shaft. In this configuration the cam is operatively configured to be fit around a spring housing where the spring housing is fixedly and removably attached to a through shaft which is a part of the frame. 
     Further, a fastener adjusts a circumferential portion of the crank to provide movement of the crank with respect to the torque transfer shaft. 
     In other forms biasing assembly comprises a helical spring positioned in a biasing housing which is fixedly attached to the drive actuator mount portion by way of a through shaft. In this form an adjustment knob can be provided to adjust the length of the helical spring so as to adjust the tension of the cam follower pressed against the cam. Of course other assemblies and forms can be provided and covered by the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of a bass drum pedal assembly; 
         FIG. 2  shows an isometric view taken from a longitudinally rearward orientation; 
         FIG. 3  shows a rear view taken along the longitudinal axis of the bass drum pedal assembly; 
         FIG. 4  is a view taken along the forward portion of the bass drum assembly substantially along the longitudinal axis; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view with a partial cutaway showing the biasing assembly and an internal cam member; 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the drive actuator which is mounted upon a through shaft; 
         FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of the drive actuator; 
         FIG. 8  shows a side view along the lateral axis in the second direction of the drive actuator; 
         FIG. 9  shows an isometric view of the drive actuator showing the crank in a longitudinally forward extending orientation; 
         FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of the drive actuator showing more specifically the biasing assembly, the static frame assembly and a rotating assembly; 
         FIG. 11  shows a side view of the drive actuator at a substantially opposed lateral view as to that shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 12  shows a partially top view of the drive actuator; 
         FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14  show alternative lateral views of the drive actuator; 
         FIG. 15  shows a front view of another slightly different embodiment of a drive actuator; 
         FIG. 16  shows a sectional view taken along line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  shows a side view of the pedal assembly. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , there is a bass drum pedal assembly  20 . Before further discussion, it should be noted that an axes system  10  is defined having a lateral axis  12  in a first lateral direction. Further, there is a vertical axis  14  and finally a longitudinal axis  16  pointed in a longitudinally forward direction. The axes are generally orthogonal to one another, but for purposes of description and reference thereto need not be perfectly orthogonal. However, the axes system  10  gives a general description of the orientation of the components as described in one form. 
     In general, the base drum pedal assembly  20  comprises a base  22 , a pedal  24 , a beater member  26  and a drive actuator  28 . There will first be a general description of the base  22  followed by a description of the pedal  24  and beater member  26 . Thereafter, a detailed description of the drive actuator  28  will be provided. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  there is a base frame  22  having base longitudinally extending members  32  and  34 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the members  32  and  34  are attached to the lateral frame member  36  which is attached to a heel pad  38 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the forward portion of the base longitudinally extending members  32  and  34  is attached to a longitudinally forward mount portion  40 . In general, the longitudinally forward mount portion  40  has ground-engaging features  42  and  44 . Positioned in the longitudinally forward region in one form attached to the longitudinally forward mount portion  40  is the drive actuator mount portion  46  which is operatively configured to mount the drive actuator  28  thereto. As shown in  FIG. 2 , in one form, a connection assembly  48  is provided which can comprise a plurality of attachment members shown as  50  and  52 . It should be noted that the base frame further includes the through shaft  54  which is configured to mount the drive actuator  28  thereto. It should also be noted that the through shaft  54  in a preferred form is static, meaning it is fixed or substantially fixed and is a part of the base  22 . 
     The beater member  26  in general has a rod portion  7  which is operatively configured to be attached to the drive actuator  28 . In general, the beater impact portion  72  can be of a variety of types and further, as described herein, a plurality of drive actuators  28  can be employed (for example) on the same through shaft  54  so as to have different strikers with different actuating type systems. 
     It should generally be noted in  FIGS. 1-4  that in one form, some form of a tension member can be attached between the drive actuator  28  and the pedal  24  to provide a torque to the drive actuator. 
     With the foregoing description place, there will now be a detailed description of a drive actuator with reference to  FIGS. 5-16 . 
     In general, the drive actuator  28  comprises a biasing assembly  80 , a static assembly  82 , and a rotating assembly  84 . It can be appreciated that the static assembly is effectively connected to the through shaft  54  and the rotating assembly is configured to rotate therearound. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , it can be appreciated that the static assembly  82  is provided and  FIG. 5  shows the interior portion of the biasing assembly  80 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , in general the left-hand portion approximately left of the cam  90  is the static assembly, and the right-hand portion generally comprises the rotating assembly  84 . Still referring to  FIG. 7 , you can see the cam housing which is configured to have the cam  90  mounted therein. Of course it should be noted that the assembly exploded view as shown in  FIG. 7  is only one form of carrying out the underlying teachings as claimed herein. In general, the biasing assembly  80  is mounted to the cam housing  86  where the lower housing member  88  is provided, and a cam follower  92  is movably attached to the rod  94 , which is biased by the biasing member  96 . In one form the biasing member  96  can be a helical spring, but in the broader scope can be any type of biasing member such as an air piston, or any kind of compressive device or even a tension member. Further, in the broader scope the biasing member  96  can further be, for example, an array of springs customized by the user. In one form, the springs can be compressive in design. For example, a spring will max out its compression and an adjacent spring having a different spring constant would thereby be fully invoked. The adjustment knob  98  is one form of adjustment system to adjust the compressive preset tension upon the biasing member  96  which again in one form is a helical spring. The cam  90 , as for example shown in  FIG. 5 , has a cam surface  100  which changes in distance with respect to rotation. In other words, the center of rotation of the cam which coincides at the center axis of the through shaft  54  is such that the cam surface increases its radial length therefrom as the cam rotates. As described further herein, the cam moves in conjunction with the rod portion  70  of the beater member  26 . Therefore, the force from the cam follower  92  imparted upon the cam surface  100  is such to bring the striker back to a neutral position as that is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , it can be seen that there is a crank  102  and a beater housing  104 , which in one form are configured to be mounted about a torque transfer shaft  106 . Therefore, these members  102  and  104  can be rotatably adjusted around the torque transfer shaft by an adjustment system  108  and  110  which can be, for example, a circumferential-type clenching member like a bolt-and-nut assembly. Of course, other types of rotational adjustment mechanisms can be employed. The torque transfer shaft has a mount region  112  in one form which is operatively configured to mount the cam  90  thereto. Further, the bushing member  114  can be copper or derived of some other type of bushing material which acts as a bearing to allow the torque transfer shaft  106  to rotate therearound. An end cap  118  can be employed along with a circular clip  120 . Of course, the exploded view in  FIG. 7  again is only one type of embodiment, and any number of components could be combined or split up in the further subassemblies and subcomponents to create a multitude of embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 8 , there is a side profile view showing the crank  102  where it can be appreciated that a surface  122  defining an adjustment slot  124  is provided. In general, the attachment portion  126  is operatively connected to the pedal  24  (see  FIGS. 1-4 ) so as to apply a downward force thereupon.  FIG. 9  shows an isometric view where, for example, the orientation of the adjustment slot  124  is at a desired substantially perpendicular location with respect to the position of the rod portion  70  of the beater member  26 .  FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of the various components and it generally can be appreciated which portion is the static frame assembly  82  and which regions are defined by the rotating assembly  84 . Therefore, the bushing  114  provides a barrier-like effect around the torque transfer shaft  106 . 
       FIG. 11  shows a substantially lateral opposing view to that which is shown in  FIG. 8 . In general, it can be appreciated that the attachment portion  126  can be positioned at a radially further outward orientation along the crank  102 . Of course it can be appreciated that having a further distance from the center of rotation allows for a greater foot pedal movement to move the striker the same rotational distance, although there will be greater leverage thereupon. 
       FIGS. 12-14  show additional views of the drive actuator  28 .  FIGS. 15 and 16  show a view with a slightly different configuration. The adjustment knob  98 ′ is of a slightly greater diameter, but in the same form is operatively configured to adjust an internal spring in the biasing assembly  80 ′.  FIG. 16  shows a sectional view taken at line  16 - 16  of  FIG. 15 , and in this form the cam  90 ′ is shown where the cam follower  92 ′ is integral with the rod  94 ′ as further shown in the cross-sectional view, and the attachment portion  126 ′ is provided and substantially in line with the cam in a longitudinal direction. 
     Therefore, it can be appreciated that the drive assembly  28  is operatively configured to be very modular, and a plurality of drive assemblies can be mounted to a frame such as the through shaft  54 . Further, the drive assembly need not necessarily be activated by a foot pedal, but any type of actuating systems such as a cable embedded within an exterior insulated cable or otherwise torqued or driven by a mechanical device operated by a human or automated. It should further be noted that the through shaft is a static member and does not rotate, and does not need to be mounted by bearings or any other such type of rotational support. Further, having a through shaft which in one form is cylindrical, but of course could take other cross-sectional shapes, is advantageous because, as noted above, this allows the drive actuator to be extremely modular in nature. Above it was noted that the springs can be adjusted, but further the modular nature of the unit allows for different cam members to be inserted therein with different cam surfaces, and further other components to be swapped out and changed in a very convenient interchangeable matter. 
     Referring to  FIG. 17 , there is shown another embodiment of the pedal indicated at  24 ′. In general, in this form, the heel plate  38 ′ is generally slidably attached to the frame otherwise referred to as the base  22 . However, the pedal  24 ′ in this form is pivotally attached at the hinge point  37  and positioned in the forward portion of the pedal  24 ′ is the connecting member  39 . The connecting member  39  is configured to operate in compression (as opposed to in tension) upon the drive actuator  28 . It can further be appreciated that the crank  102  can be repositioned about the torque transfer shaft so as to operate in the manner as show in  FIG. 17 . Therefore, it can be appreciated that the lever system as shown in  FIG. 17  of the pedal  24 ′ operates as a first-class lever. Of course, other type of leverage assemblies and mechanisms can be employed to operate the drive actuator  28 . 
     It should further be noted that the drive actuator  28  is inherently modular whereby the connection assembly  48  as shown for example in  FIG. 2  is configured to raise and lower the drive actuator  28 , and in turn the beater member  26 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , attached to the base  22  is the mount  41  which in turn is fixedly and repositionably connected to the base, and the mount  41  is connected to a drum connecting support arm  43 , which can further rotate as indicated by the arrow  45 . The longitudinally forward portion of the arm  43  is connected to a drum attachment  47  which is configured to attach to the schematic front portion of the drum  49 . In the prior art, there are certain attachments which raise, for example, a smaller drum. The raising of the drum can be required so that the drum impact portion, the beater impact portion  72 , impacts the drum  49  at a correct vertical location. Therefore, it can be appreciated that the drum-connecting support arm  43  allows for this adjustment of the drum and further attaches the drum pedal assembly  25  to the drum. Further, as described above in  FIG. 2 , the connection assembly  48  provides another form of adjustment where the modular aspects of the drive actuator are present to allow such repositioning of the beater impact portion  72 . It should be noted that the drum connecting support arm  45  also can provide movement in the lateral direction to provide correct lateral positioning of the drum pedal assembly  20  with respect to the drum  49 . 
     While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants&#39; general concept.