Abstract:
A bass drum beater assembly which is to strike a bass drum face by actuation of a foot pedal. The bass drum beater assembly is capable of being quickly turned one hundred and eighty degrees to cause the back side of the beater head to strike the bass drum face rather than the front side. The bass drum beater assembly is also quickly axially adjustable to vary the striking position on the bass drum face.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention is in the field of musical instruments and more particularly to a novel foot actuated mechanism for beating a bass drum. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A foot actuated bass drum pedal assembly is commonly used by percussionists to strike a bass drum musical instrument. Bass drums are available in different diameters causing the target area on the face of the drum to be located different distances from its supporting surface. This variability in distance, because of the different diameters of drums, makes it necessary to be able to adjust the length of the bass drum beater head mounted to the bass drum pedal assembly. For best sound production the beater head should strike the drum at a preferred location. 
     Percussionists also like to adjust the sounds created by the bass drum beater head by striking the bass drum face in different locations. This makes it necessary to be able to adjust the position of the bass drum beater head within the bass drum pedal assembly in order to strike the drum face at different locations on the drum face. 
     Percussionists also like to adjust the speed of the swinging bass drum beater head within the bass drum pedal assembly. Adjusting the length that the beater head extends from the pedal assembly causes the speed or tempo of the produced sound to change. 
     Also bass drum faces wear in the area being struck by the bass drum beater head. Constantly beating the drum face in the same location can cause premature failure of the tightly stretched membrane that constitutes the drum face. This premature failure can be avoided by changing striking locations. Adjusting the beater head up or down to strike at a different area of the bass drum face allows the percussionist to obtain more usage out of the drum face before requiring replacement of the membrane. 
     Also bass drum beater heads can have multiple contact surfaces where the different surfaces are constructed with different materials or have different configurations each of which create a different sound as the beater head strikes the drum face. In the prior art if the back side of the beater head was desired to be used instead of the front side, the drummer had to loosen a set screw, remove the beater head, turn it around and reinstall it. This is time consuming and cannot be accomplished when playing a song. Further to use a different beater head makes it necessary to also remove one beater head from the drum pedal and install another beater head into the pedal assembly. This replacement of beater heads in the prior art requires again loosening a set screw, which permits the installed beater head to be removed and a different beater head installed. Loosening of the set screw requires a tool called a “key”. The drummer will need both hands to loosen the set screw with the key, remove the installed beater head and then place the different beater head in position and reinstall the set screw. This change of beater heads is time consuming and cannot be performed while the drummer is performing. At times a drummer would like to change a beater head between performing songs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The adjustable bass drum beater assembly of this invention allows for quick and easy one handed adjustment of the bass drum beaters head position without the need to loosen the set screw holding the beater head to the pedal assembly. The adjustable bass drum beater assembly of this invention allows for quick and easy one handed removal and installation of a beater head. This quick and easy adjustment and installation of a beater head makes it possible to adjust or replace the beater head during playing of a song or between songs. Currently the time involved in changing a beater head makes this unreasonable and is rarely attempted. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a prior art bass drum pedal assembly which includes the adjustable bass drum beater assembly of this invention showing such in the striking position; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a prior art bass drum pedal assembly that is commonly used to strike a drum face showing a prior art beater head in the at rest or cocked position; 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a bass drum pedal assembly with a prior art bass drum beater head in the striking position; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the prior art bass drum pedal assembly taken along encircled line  4  in  FIG. 3  where the beater head is in the at rest position; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the pedal assembly with the beater assembly of this invention in the at rest or cocked position; 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the adjustable bass drum beater assembly of this invention showing same in the striking position; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the beater assembly of this invention taken along encircled line  7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an isometric view of the beater assembly of this invention showing the beater assembly in the locked position; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded isometric view of the beater assembly of this invention showing more clearly the different parts of the beater assembly; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the beater assembly of this invention showing such in the extended locked position; 
         FIG. 11  is a view similar to  FIG. 10  showing the beater assembly in the non-extended locked position; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the locking pins and fixed shaft in the locked position taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  is an isometric view of the beater assembly of this invention in the unlocked position; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the locking pins and fixed shaft in the unlocked position taken along line  14 - 14  of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15  is an isometric view of the adjustable bass drum beater of this invention showing the assembly in the unlocked position; 
         FIG. 16  is an isometric view of the adjustable bass drum beater assembly in the non-extended position; 
         FIG. 17  is an isometric view of the beater assembly of this invention in the non-extended and locked position; 
         FIG. 18  is an isometric view of the adjustable bass drum beater identical to  FIG. 8  where the beater head is in a first position; 
         FIG. 19  is an isometric view of the beater assembly where the beater head is turned one-hundred and eighty degrees from the position shown in  FIG. 18  and is now in a second position; 
         FIG. 20  is an isometric view similar to  FIG. 8  where the beater head is of a different configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring particularly to  FIG. 1  there is shown a typical bass drum  118  which has a drum face  120 . Associated with the bass drum  118  is a foot operated pedal assembly  122 . Pedal assembly  122  includes a base plate  124  to which is hingedly connected by hinge  125  to the back edge of a foot pedal  126 . Fixedly mounted on base plate  124  are a pair of spaced apart, parallel, upright stanchions  129  and  130 . A journal  121  is fixedly mounted to the upper free end of stanchion  129 . A journal  123  is fixedly mounted to the upper free end of stanchion  130 . Connected between the journals  121  and  123  is a shaft  127 . Shaft  127  is capable of pivoting relative to journals  121  and  123 . 
     Mounted on shaft  127  is a connector. A connecting member such as a chain  131  connects between foot pedal  126  and connector  128 . Connector  128  can pivot relative to chain  131 . Chain  131  is attached to the front edge of foot pedal  126 . Pushing down on foot pedal  126  causes connector  128  to pivot with the maximum amount of movement being about seventy five degrees when comparing  FIG. 3  with  FIG. 2 . The at rest position of foot pedal  126  is in its upper position shown in  FIG. 2 .  FIGS. 2, 3 and 4  are directed to prior art structure where a mounting shaft  134  is secured to connector  128  by placing shaft  134  in a hole in connector  128  and then set screw  132  is tightened. Attached to the outer end of shaft  134  is a beater head  102 . Beater head  102  can assume any conventional configuration such as the solid block shown. Beater head  102  can also include a felt block  104  which is mounted on one side of block  102  by a screw  106 . In the prior art the block of head  102  can face the drum face  120  or the set screw  132  can be loosened and the shaft  134  turned one hundred and eighty degrees to have the felt block  104  face the drum face  120 . Then set screw  132  is tightened fixing the shaft  134  to connector  128 . The felt block  104  produces a muted sound and the solid block of head  102  produces a sharper unmuted sound. 
     The structure of this invention is as follows: A mounting shaft  116  replaces shaft  134  and is tightly secured to connector  128  by set screw  132 . Mounting shaft  116  has opposite flattened sides  117  and  119 . Mounting shaft  116  also has a plurality of grooves  115  with fourteen in number of grooves  115  being shown. The number of grooves  115  can be increased or decreased. Telescopingly mounted on mounting shaft  116  is a slide shaft  108 . Slide shaft  108  has a block  109  fixedly mounted thereon. Mounted in block  109  are a pair of pins  112  and  113 . Also mounted in block  109  and axially spaced from pins  112  and  113  are another pair of pins  107  and  111 . If block  109  is placed in one rotational position relative to mounting shaft  116 , pins  107 ,  111 ,  112  and  113  will each rest within a groove  115  locking axially the slide shaft  108  to mounting shaft  116 . Depending on what grooves  115  the pins  107 ,  111 ,  112  and  113  are located in the beater head  102  can be located closer to foot pedal  126  or farther away which means the beater head  102  will strike the drum face  120  in different positions. Because there are fourteen different grooves  115  there are fourteen different spacings. 
     To locate the beater head  102  in different axial locations, the drummer pivots the beater head until the pins  107  and  113  contact one of the flattened sides  117  or  119  and the other pins  111  and  112  are in contact with the other flattened side. The drummer can then move the beater head  102 , slide shaft  108  and block  109  axially and when the desired axial location is achieved, the drummer manually turns the beater head  102  ninety degrees which will engage the pins  107  and  111  with one groove  115  and pins  112  and  113  with another groove  115 . The reason four in number of pins are used is to achieve a positive tight locking action. Only one (or two) pin could be used but the locking might be “sloppy”. 
     Block  109  includes a pair of cut-outs  105  located one hundred and eighty degrees apart. Mounted in each cut-out  105  is a brake plate  110 . Contacting the brake plates  110  is a coil spring  114  which rests within annular groove  103 . Coil spring  114  exerts a continuous force on brake plates  110  tending to locate such inward. When the brake plates  110  press against the flattened sides  117  and  119 , the beater head  102  faces the drum face  120  and the beater head  102  is locked in position by the brake plates  110  pressing on the mounting shaft  116  hence exerting a braking action. The drummer can manually turn beater head  102 , unlocking same, one hundred and eighty degrees to locate felt block  104  adjacent the drum face  120 . In making this turning the guide plates  110  will move outwardly against the coil spring  114  to permit the brake plates  110  to ride over the non-flattened sections of the mounting shaft  116 . This outward movement is permitted by the coil spring  114  including an axial break  100  which can be forcibly expanded from an at rest narrow gap position to a wider gap position. The expansion of the break  100  is shown in  FIG. 13 . 
       FIG. 20  shows a different configuration of beater head  136  which is a cylinder. 
     The main advantage of the present invention is that the beater heads  102  and  136  as well as other configurations can be quickly interchanged even while the drummer is playing. This quick interchangeability was not possible in the prior art.