Abstract:
A stationary base with at least two door shrouds extending from a tower portion. The tower portion has at least one groove communicating with a groove guide. An actuating housing is attached to the groove guide and connected to at least one force member positioned between the base and the actuating housing. At least one containment door is positioned in a door groove adjacent each door shroud. Each containment door communicates with the actuating housing with at least one guide pin positioned in a guide slot of each containment door, the guide slot being angled at a predetermined angle to translate vertical movement of the actuating housing to horizontal movement of each containment door.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application makes a claim of domestic priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/478,447 filed Apr. 22, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    An ability to effectively secure and retain a musical instrument in a predetermined physical orientation has been a continued goal of the music industry for many years. However, musical instrument mounts often lack reliability due to the elongated shape of most instruments and the sensitive nature of the various music reproduction components of the instruments. For stringed instruments, the tension and position of the strings must be maintained while mounted. Meanwhile for valve instruments, the moving valve components must be unaltered while mounted. 
         [0003]    As such, an instrument mounting apparatus may provide efficient ingress and egress, but the instrument may be maintained in a precarious position in which the slightest instrument movement dislodges the mounted configuration and endangers the integrity and function of the instrument. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, there is a continuing need for improved musical instrument retention assemblies that mount and secure an instrument efficiently and reliably. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In accordance with various embodiments, a stationary base with at least two door shrouds extending from a tower portion. The tower portion has at least one groove communicating with a groove guide. An actuating housing is attached to the groove guide and connected to at least one force member positioned between the base and the actuating housing. At least one containment door is positioned in a door groove adjacent each door shroud. Each containment door communicates with the actuating housing with at least one guide pin positioned in a guide slot of each containment door, the guide slot being angled at a predetermined angle to translate vertical movement of the actuating housing to horizontal movement of each containment door. 
         [0006]    These and various other features and advantages which characterize the claimed subject matter will be apparent from reading the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The various embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  generally illustrates a rear view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  displays a front view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  provides a perspective view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly as operated in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  illustrates various individual aspects of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  generally displays an exploded view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of portions of an exemplary instrument retention assembly in accordance with the various embodiments 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is a front view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly as operated in accordance with the various embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    It will be readily understood that elements of the various embodiments described and illustrated in  FIGS. 1-10  herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations and may be presented in either software or hardware implementations. 
         [0019]    With musical instrument mounting hardware, the musical instrument is held in place by gravity and maintained in various positions with at least a portion of the mounting hardware open to expose the musical instrument. Such mounting can prove to be precarious as any movement of the instrument can displace the mounted orientation through the opening in the hardware. As can be appreciated, the precarious mounting of finely tuned musical instruments poses both financial and sentimental dangers. 
         [0020]    Accordingly, an instrument retention assembly can be constructed with an actuating housing that responds to a musical instrument&#39;s weight by translating the instrument&#39;s gravitational force to at least two containment doors that close around the musical instrument to secure it to the actuating housing. With the containment doors preventing the musical instrument from becoming dislodged from the actuating housing, the instrument is secure from inadvertent movement that could displace the instrument through the opening occupied by the containment doors. 
         [0021]    Moreover, the securement of the musical instrument does not affect ingress and egress of the musical instrument from the actuating housing as the containment doors open to provide an opening as the instrument is picked up and gravitational forces from the instrument no longer are translated to the containment doors. 
         [0022]    Turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  generally provides an instrument retention assembly  100  in accordance with various embodiments. The assembly has a stationary base  102  with a tower portion  104  (also referred to herein as a interface portion  104 ) that provides vertical guide slot grooves  106  that allow for sliding engagement of the actuating housing  108  in at least a vertical direction. The configuration of the actuating housing  108  extending through the tower portion  104  at the guide slot grooves  106  allows for horizontal retention of the actuating housing  108  while providing vertical displacement. Such vertical displacement can translates vertical force, such as the weight of a musical instrument, to horizontal force that acts to push containment doors  110  from the base  102  to partially or completely close the front opening  112  of the base  102  and actuating housing  108 . 
         [0023]    As shown, the base  102  has two arched door shrouds  114  that extend from the tower portion  104 . Through vertical displacement of the actuating housing  108 , the containment doors  110  retract and extend as vertical force is translated to horizontal force via angled guide slots  116 . While not limiting, the actuating housing  108  can be configured to partially surround portions of a stringed instrument, such as a guitar or ukulele, by contacting the headstock and the back of the neck opposite the fingerboard so as to not disturb the stings or frets paramount to producing music. Various embodiments of the assembly  100  can further modify the aspects of the base  102 , tower portion  104 , actuating housing  108 , and containment doors  110 , as desired, to accommodate any musical instrument size, shape, and orientation. 
         [0024]    In  FIG. 2 , the instrument retention assembly  100  is generally illustrated from a side. The orientation of the assembly  100  provides visual access to vertical guides  120  attached to the actuating housing  108  and extending through the vertical grooves in the tower portion  104  of the base  102 . The vertical guides  120  can allow the actuating housing  108  to vertically displace along the tower portion  104  in a controlled manner that facilitates efficient translation of vertical force to horizontal force. 
         [0025]    In various embodiments, the tower portion  104  can have a hanger  122  that extends behind the base  102  a predetermined distance to allow a hanging feature  124  to engage a corresponding mounting feature (not shown) to secure the assembly  100  to any available wall, floor, and stand. It should be noted that the hanging feature  124  is merely exemplary and can be a variety of different configurations to facilitate attachment to corresponding mounting features. One such different configuration can be a tapered hole that can surround a mounting pole to provide secure assembly  100  installation. 
         [0026]    An exemplary rear view of the instrument retention assembly  100  is generally provided in  FIG. 3 . The rear view illustrates one possible embodiment of the vertical guides  120  in which each guide is configured with tabs that are larger than the vertical grooves  106  to retain the actuating housing  108  within the grooves  106  during operational and static conditions. The vertical displacement of the actuating housing  108  can be aided by one or more force members  130  that can be manufactured as any number of non-limiting components, such as springs, magnets, and screws. The inclusion of the force members  130  can provide default positions for the actuating housing  108  that can be configured to operate the containment doors  110  in a variety of different configurations in relation to the housing&#39;s  108  vertical location in the interface portion  104 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  shows a front view of the instrument retention assembly  100  with the actuating housing  108  in a default position where the force members  130  act to maintain the actuating housing  108  vertically displaced on the tower portion  104  of the base so that the containment doors are fully retracted and the front opening is clear for instrument engagement. As shown, a tack of force on the actuating housing  108  corresponds to the containment doors  110  being fully retracted in the door shrouds  114  of the base  102 . Such full retraction can provide efficient ingress for instruments through opening  112  and access to the actuating housing  108  without interference. While not required, the force members  130  can be configured to apply a predetermined amount of vertical force upward on the actuating housing  108 , which can ensure full retraction of the containment doors  110  and a completely exposed opening  112 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  generally illustrates the instrument retention assembly  100  as operated in accordance with various embodiments. Partial depression of the actuating housing  108  overcomes the vertical force of the force members  130  and begins to close the opening  112  with horizontal extension of the containment doors  110 . It should be noted that the size, shape, number, and closing manner of the containment doors  110  is not limited to that shown in the present disclosure as various configurations can be used to close the opening  112  through translation of vertical force from the actuating housing  108  to horizontal force. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  provides a perspective view of the instrument retention assembly  110  that generally displays how the containment doors are housed in the door shrouds  114  of the base  102 . That is, each containment door  110  is fully retracted in a door groove  140  of the door shroud  114 . The door groove  140  can be configured to completely lie on the interior of the door shroud  114  so that the bounds of the base  102  guard against debris and interference with containment door  110  and door groove  140  interaction. Such configuration can further allow the containment doors  110  to efficiently retract and extend to close the opening  112  while maintaining predetermined alignment with respect to the base  102  and the actuating housing  108 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  shows portions of an exemplary instrument retention assembly while the assembly is deconstructed. Such deconstruction allows the guide pin  150  attached to the actuating housing  108  to be easily shown. A containment door  110  is provided in spaced apart orientation to illustrate an exemplary position of the guide pin  150  with the guide slot  116 , which facilitates translation of vertical movement of the actuating housing  108  to the horizontal containment door  110  movement. It some embodiments, the actuating housing  108  has more than one guide pin  150  that interacts with the containment doors  110  to provide horizontal action. 
         [0031]      FIG. 8  generally illustrates a partially exploded view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly  100  that displays how the guide pin  150  seats in the guide slot  116  of the containment door  110 .  FIG. 8  further shows how the containment door  110  and guide pin  150  are fully protected by the door shroud  114  of the base  102 . As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the guide slot  116  is angled at a predetermined degree to allow efficient, but controlled, horizontal movement of the containment door  110  in relation to the vertical movement of the actuating housing  108 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a portion of a deconstructed instrument retention assembly that displays one possible, but non-limiting, configuration of the door groove  140 . As shown, the door groove  140  is continuously arched to match the shape and size of the containment door  110  to provide controlled movement of the door  110  throughout the closure and revealing of the opening  112 .  FIG. 9  further illustrates force member features  160  that are recesses in the base  102  that allow the force members  130  to be reliably anchored in place. Such anchoring can be aided by various fastening means, such as glue, screws, and magnets. 
         [0033]    Finally in  FIG. 10 , a front view of an exemplary instrument retention assembly  100  is displayed as operated in accordance with various embodiments. It is contemplated that the weight of a musical instrument placed onto the actuating housing  108  will fully depress the housing  108 , as shown, which corresponds with complete closure of the opening  112  with the containment doors  110 . With such opening closure, the instrument will be secured within the actuating housing  108 , door shrouds  114 , and containment doors  110  so that inadvertent movement of the assembly  100  and instrument will not endanger the release of the instrument through the opening  112 . 
         [0034]    As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, a number of modifications could be made to the various embodiments which would not depart from the spirit or the scope of the present technology. While the presently provided embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In particular, it is recognized that the actuating housing disclosed herein may be modified in whole or in part, with equal effectiveness, to be applicable to various musical instruments as well as a variety of instrument mounting orientations, such as diagonal and sideway position. Accordingly, such changes, modifications, or selected implementations are encompassed within the spirit of this disclosure.