Abstract:
A stabilized musical horn instrument is revealed, comprising a traditional wind instrument of the type employing a horn outlet, a stabilizer mechanism comprising an axially rotated friction mechanism for locking an assembly of a pair of telescoping tubes in a deployed position and a linearly operated magnetic mechanism to retain the tubes in a retracted position; and further comprising a surface engagement assembly coupled to the distal tube of the telescoping tube assembly.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    The first Inventor has a related application submitted for which an application number has not yet been received, titled: RAPID DEPLOY MANUALLY OPERATED EXTENSIBLE STRUT. 
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The field of the present Invention is related to manually operated wind instruments of a type of construction employing a horn or bell at the terminus of the resonant tube and of a size and shape that require placing or resting on a floor or stage when in not in use during interludes between playing. More particularly, those instruments that are placed with the open face of the bell resting on the floor or on a surface are not designed for stability and are prone to damage, particularly in educational settings with young musicians. Solutions presented to this problem in the past have included self-supporting rack type stands on which the instrument was placed, however, no convenient, low-profile, low weight, rapid-deploy, instrument-mounted solution has been offered to date. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In the present Invention, an instrument-mounted stabilizer is revealed that permits rapid-deployment and retraction with a few brief hand motions while minimizing both the physical dimensions and minimizing force required for the locking and unlocking of the stabilizer in a retracted position. These results are obtained through the application of a combination of a twist-lock friction mechanism employed to lock the stabilizer in a deployed or extended position, with a magnetic catch mechanism employed to retain the stabilizer in a shortened or retracted position. 
         [0006]    The contemplated embodiment of the present Invention is comprised of one or more pairs of telescoping tubes attached to the instrument by braces, mechanical links to fasten parallel tubes together, a technique generally employed by manufactures of musical instruments. In the basic configuration, the stabilizer is comprised of an inner and an outer tube, wherein the inner is fitted with a rapidly expanding cam ring and cam-crank twist-lock mechanism for locking the two tubes together. A key feature of this choice of locking mechanism is that it provides excellent linear force capacity while requiring only a sixty degree rotation. Additionally, in some applications, for instance in certain designs of instruments, tubing configurations are compact, affording only limited opportunities to mount additional features such as a stabilizer. In a second embodiment of the Invention, the outer tube is fitted with an internal magnetic catch mechanism, whereby the inner tube is retained within the outer tube in the retracted position by magnetic coupling. This second key feature of the addition of the magnetic catch eliminates the requirement that an additional length of tubing be exposed to permit sufficient surface for grasping and twisting in the retracted position as is required for a twist-lock mechanism. A third feature of this Invention is a surface engagement assembly comprised of a flexible ball-joint and a contact plate, providing alignment and distribution of force between the instrument and the surface on which it rests. 
         [0007]    The stabilizer would normally be in the retracted position while the musician is playing the instrument. When taking a break, the musician would deploy the stabilizer with a slight tug on the foot, disengaging the magnetic catch and drawing the inner tube linearly outward, extending the stabilizer to a desired length to contact a supporting surface, positioned in nearly infinite increments, subsequently grasping the inner tube, and rotating or twisting about a sixth of a turn relative to the outer tube, thereby engaging the twist-lock mechanism causing it to frictionally lock the inner tube relative to the outer tube. The contactor plate ball joint typically accommodates an angle of the stabilizer, relative to and generally perpendicular, to the contacted surface of seventy to ninety degrees, the angle formed by the intersection of a plane of the musical instrument horn bell flare with a longitudinal axis of the stabilizer. When the occasion arrives to retract and stow the stabilizer, the musician grasps the inner tube, rotates it approximately sixty degrees in an opposite direction from that of the locking rotation, disengaging the twist-lock mechanism, and then linearly pushes the inner tube back into the outer tube whereby the magnetic catch pole pieces engage again, retaining the inner tube in the retracted position. 
         [0008]    Additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following illustration of the contemplated embodiment presented in the detailed description, operation, and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The detailed description of a contemplated device embodiment of the present invention makes reference to the accompanying figures in which 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  depicts an exploded perspective view showing all parts of the example stabilizer locking mechanisms and 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts a partial cross-section view revealing locking mechanisms assembled. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  depicts a vertical view of a typical installation on a large brass horn such a tuba from the first branch side, with 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  showing a view of the same instrument facing the bell. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  depicts another horn style with a side view facing the valves. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  depicts coupling sleeves and their positions on the stabilizer, and 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a close-up of a brace coupling two tubes. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    Referring now more particularly to the figures, a following description of components and their relationships shall serve to illuminate various particulars of an illustrative embodiment of the disclosures and teachings of the present invention. Throughout the following description are several references to specific components which serve to clarify various aspects of the invention. It will be understood that these specific component references are not limitations and that the teachings and disclosures of the present invention may be practiced with alternative components. In other instances, structures and methods well known to those skilled in the art have been omitted in order to avoid unnecessary complexity which would tend to obscure the teachings and disclosures of the present invention. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  of an example embodiment of a the twist-lock mechanism, of the horn stabilizer, an assembly, shown in aggregate as  FIG. 2 , of a pair of concentric telescopically arranged cylindrical tubes, comprising, an outer tube, referred to by a numeral  2 , having a diameter of approximately one half to approximately one inch or as required for accommodating a manual grasp and having a receptive end  20  and a catch end  22 . Said outer tube further having at said receptive end  20  and partially incorporated within it, an inner tube  1 , said inner tube  1  having a section of a locking end  6  within said outer tube  2 . Said inner tube may be of a solid filled type in a basic configuration. Said locking end  6  is axially coupled to a frictional twist-lock mechanism  3  comprising a cam shaft  7 , coupled to a cam crank  8 , that in turn is coupled to a cam head  10  having a head bore  9 , wherein, said cam crank  8  center is offset from said cam shaft  7  center by approximately 10% of said cam shaft  7  diameter and is approximately 45% of the diameter of cam shaft  7 . Mounted on said cam crank  8  is a cam ring  11  having a figure eight shape cam bore  12  relieved by a cam ring slot  23 , said cam bore  12  having a diameter of approximately 125% of said cam crank  8 . A preferred type of material for said cam ring  11  is polypropylene or alternatively, polyethylene. Said cam ring  11  should have a diameter of approximately a few thousandths of an inch less than the inner diameter of said outer tube. Said cam shaft  7  and said cam crank  8  may be from a range of materials as used by those skilled in the art. A preferred type of tube employed is of a “thin-wall” variety possessing a thickness of approximately 3% of the diameter of the tube and having a precision telescoping clearance of approximately one half of a percent of the tube diameter. In this embodiment, said outer tube  2  is of a non-magnetic or non-ferrous material such as aluminum, copper alloys, brass, resin bonded fiber, and the like. 
         [0019]    Said cam head  10  is coupled to a magnetic catch mechanism  4  comprised of a traveling pole  13 , a floating magnet  14 , a fixed pole  15 , a pole mount  16  and a mount bore  25 , wherein said traveling pole  13  is fastened in said head bore  9  in said cam head  10  and said pole mount  16  is fastened internally within said outer tube  2  at the catch end  22 . Said fixed pole  15  is fastened in said mount bore  25  of said pole mount  16 , facing said traveling pole  13 , and is magnetically coupled to said floating magnet  14 . Additionally, said outer tube  2  is depicted having an air vent hole  21  adjacent to said fixed pole  15 . One advantage of utilizing a magnet in a floating configuration is that of avoiding adhesives, threaded fasteners or press fits and the like, thereby affording simplicity and greater durability over the life of the device. Said floating magnet  14  may be fashioned in a variety of shapes, including, but not limited to, cylindrical and cubic. 
         [0020]    One possible embodiment of the invention, as depicted here, additionally has a foot or engagement assembly  5  coupled to a distal end  24  of said inner tube  1 , said engagement assembly  5  being comprised of a shaft  19  having a ball joint  18  coupled to a plate  17 . Said ball joint  18  should have a range of motion of approximately +/−30 degrees. 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  depicts a vertical view of a typical installation on a large brass horn  26  such a tuba in a perspective view of a large branch tube  28 , also known as the “first branch”, said large branch coupled to a bell flare horn  27 , with an opening bore  32  and coupled to a second branch bow  36 . Said stabilizer inner tube  1  is coupled to said engagement assembly  5  and said outer tube  2 . A lower cylinder tube  34  and an upper cylinder tube  33  are depicted coupled to the outer tube  2 . Included for positional reference are shown a third branch  29  and a tuning slide tube  30  to the left above edges of three finger buttons  31 , and to the right, a mouth pipe  35  is depicted.  FIG. 4  showing a view of the same instrument with a view facing said opening bore  32  of said bell flare horn  27 . Said large branch tube  28  is depicted adjacent to the outer tube  2  while said mouth pipe  35  is shown for positional reference. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  depicts another horn style with a side view facing said three finger buttons  31 , with corresponding elements as above with an addition of a brace assembly  38  coupled to the large branch tube  28 . A brace plate  37 , also known as a flange, is coupled to a brace connector  39 , also known as a brace rod, in turn, coupled to upper cylinder tube  33 .  FIG. 6  depicts an alternative means for coupling the stabilizer outer tube  2  to said large branch tube  28  and/or said a third branch  29 , for example. A connector sleeve  40  having an u-bracket anchor  41  bonded at bonding location  42  is depicted by reference line coupled to outer tube  2 . A second embodiment of a brace connector sleeve  43  having a bracket brace  44 , with bore hole  45 , is also depicted by reference line coupled to outer tube  2 . These connector sleeves are configured to be utilized for field retro-fitting of an instrument with stabilization, the sleeves being received by a technician, in a slidable state and then located for fitting to an instrument and subsequently bonded to the outer tube  2  and clamped to a large branch  28 , for example, with clamping means  46 . Said clamping means  46  passed through u-bracket anchor  41  of said connector sleeve  40  and circumferentially enclosing said large branch  28 . Said brace connector sleeve  43  having a bracket brace  44 , with clamping means  46  passing through bore hole  45  and circumferentially enclosing said brace connector  39 .  FIG. 7  depicts a close-up of said brace assembly  38  wherein, coupled to the large branch tube  28  is said brace plate  37 , in turn, coupled to said brace connector  39 , in turn, coupled to upper cylinder tube  33 . These coupling means depicted in  FIG. 7  are typically a bonded type. 
         [0023]    Those skilled in the art will recognize a variety of means for fastening or coupling the components, such as braces, cylinders and plates described above, including, but not limited to, chemical adhesive bonding; thermal bonding, including the addition of solders or rods of metal or plastic material; and mechanical methods including threaded fasteners, rivets, swaging and staking. Thermal bonding techniques, particularly utilizing thermoplastics, are the preferred means of bonding in the field retrofit configuration. Said clamping means  46  can be selected from a variety of types and materials, however, preferred types would include materials of plastic that would not mark the surface of the tubing. Ratchet types of clamps, such as zip-ties, and hook and loop types would be preferred type of mechanisms for fastening and tightening the clamps. Metal clamps or clamping means such as metal bands could be bonded to connectors and branches, E.G.: soldered, by a technician as a field modification, however, the cost might be a factor, in which case, various threaded fasteners might be used if lined with a softer material. The selection of clamps could be made by a technician skilled in the art. 
         [0024]    A description of the operation of the locking mechanisms is now presented for illustrative purposes. Referring now to the embodiment of the Invention, as depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and assuming it would be in an initial retracted state before use, a linear force is applied to inner tube  1  along the main axis of the inner tube  1  relative to the outer tube  2 , releasing the magnetic catch mechanism  4 , disengagement of the magnetically coupled floating magnet  14  being from either the traveling pole  13  or the fixed pole  15 , and subsequently moving the inner tube  1  away from the catch end  22 , thereby lengthening the stabilizer. Said inner tube  1  may then be linearly positioned in nearly infinite increments along the length of the outer tube  2 . At the desired position, the twist-lock mechanism  3  is engaged by the rotation of the inner tube  1  in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction through an approximately sixty degree rotation, wherein the cam shaft  7  rotates the cam crank  8 , said rotation subsequently converted by the combined motion of the cam crank  8  and cam ring  11  assembly into a radial force applied to the outer tube  2  by the cam ring  11 , thereby creating a frictional lock between the two tubes. The tubes specified herein are of the precision type, resulting in an assembly that requires an air vent hole  21  in the outer tube  2  adjacent to the fixed pole  15  to permit the escape of air due to the displacement of air in the outer tube when the inner tube is moved in relation to it and thus avoiding a build-up of air pressure in the outer tube  2  that would resist such movement. 
         [0025]    Those skilled in the art will identify many instruments and models that require a device based upon the present invention. Although one possible embodiment has been described to illustrate the teachings and disclosures of the present invention, it is not limited to the specific foregoing illustrative embodiment or applications and that various and several modifications in design, arrangement, and use may be made within the scope and spirit of the invention as expressed in the following claims: