Abstract:
A tune stabilizing device comprising a string clamping means comprising a floating base plate and a clamping means adapted to cooperatively engage and releasably secure one or more instrument strings, a fine-tuning means, having a plurality of fine tuning screws in one-to-one correspondence with said instrument strings, whereby turning one of said screws presses on one of said strings, altering the tune of the string, and a deflection arresting means, capable of preventing said tune stabilizing device from deflecting away from the instrument strings when said fine tuning screws press against said strings.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/970,984, filed Aug. 20, 2013, which is entitled “Tune Stabilizing Device for a Stringed Instrument,” and is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    It is known to have precisely tensioned wires in a wide variety of contexts including musical instruments such as guitars. With particular regard to electric guitars, it is known to equip such an instrument with a tremolo system allowing the user to radically and quickly fluctuate the tension in the strings. Furthermore, such variation is known to cause the string tension to change even after the tremolo is relaxed, i.e. the instrument goes out of tune. 
         [0003]    One component of this change in tension is due to the strings hanging up on the nut of the guitar. It is known to use lubricants on the nut to prevent such hang ups; however, this is also known to be an imperfect solution which merely mitigates rather than eliminates the tendency to go out of tune. It also tends to be a messy and short-lived solution. 
         [0004]    Clamps have been installed in guitars which typically are bolted to the instrument, replacing the nut. This can be effective, but it requires radically and irreversibly modifying the instrument. This is undesirable to many musicians, and may be unacceptable in the case of particularly valuable or collectible instruments. Even when a clamp is installed, the user is inconvenienced because he must compensate for the fact that the string tension is affected by the clamping process. Therefore, in order to maintain perfect tuning pitch, the musician must install a tremolo system, or a tail piece, which houses a fine-tuner system. Similar to installing a clamp, it may not be desirable to install a new tremolo system and may require milling or otherwise irreversibly modifying the instrument. 
         [0005]    What is needed is a device which helps to prevent an instrument from going out of tune, while not requiring physically altering the instrument. Some embodiments of the present invention may provide one or more benefits or advantages over the prior art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A tune stabilizing device comprising a string clamping means comprising a floating base plate and a clamping means adapted to cooperatively engage and releasably secure one or more instrument strings, a fine-tuning means, having a plurality of fine tuning screws in one-to-one correspondence with said instrument strings, whereby turning one of said screws presses on one of said strings, altering the tune of the string, and a deflection arresting means, capable of preventing said tune stabilizing device from deflecting away from the instrument strings when said fine tuning screws press against said strings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of the present invention mounted against the leading edge of the fret board of a guitar; 
           [0009]      FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the present invention mounted against the nut of a guitar; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1C  is a side view of the present invention mounted on the strings of a guitar; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view drawing of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2A  is an alternate embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a fine tune side view of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  is an exploded elevation view; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  is a cross sectional perspective side view showing the recessed compression face and fine tuners in more detail; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is an elevation view showing placement of strings within the embodiment, and placement of a magnetically retained tool; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view from below; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6A  is an alternate embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7A  is a front view of a clamping block assembly; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7B  is a side view of a clamping block assembly; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7C  is an exploded elevation view of a clamping block assembly; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a side view of an alternate embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    The present invention relates to a device for clamping and tuning the strings on an instrument. According to some embodiments, such a device may include a base plate and one or more clamping blocks mountable thereto. The clamping blocks may be adapted to develop a clamping force between a surface of the clamping blocks and a surface of the base plate such that one or more instrument strings or tensioned wires may be held between the clamping blocks and the base plate in a fixed relation. In this context, a fixed relation includes a lack of any relative motion between the instrument strings, and the clamping blocks and base plate. Furthermore, the device can be adapted to abut a predetermined anchor point, such as the nut of an instrument, so as to hold the portion of the instrument strings in contact with the device in a fixed position relative to the anchor point. As used herein, the terms tensioned wires, wires, strings, and instrument strings may be used interchangeably. 
         [0024]    Embodiments disclosed herein are largely described in terms of stringed musical instruments. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited to stringed musical instruments which represent only one of many applications. Embodiments of the invention may also find application in any technical area where wires must be maintained at a precise tension despite large or violent transient fluctuations in tension. 
         [0025]    The tune stabilizing device might include a base plate having a generally planar compression face. In this context, the term generally planar can include exactly planar surfaces, slightly arched surfaces, and/or knurled or textured surfaces. The base plate can be a floating base plate, meaning that the base plate is not bolted, glued, affixed, or otherwise mounted to the neck or body of an instrument, which fixes its position. For instance, in the context of a stringed musical instrument, a floating base plate would not be bolted or cemented to the instrument but rather may only make contact with, and/or abut, one or more predetermined instrument surfaces. A “floating” base plate would include a base plate that might touch or rest upon the surface of the instrument, and is able to slide along the surface. Notwithstanding, the device may be clamped to the strings of the stringed instrument and still be within the meaning of floating as used herein. Floating further includes a floating base plate that does not contact the neck, headstock, fret or finger board of the instrument, and is capable of being secured on the strings of a stringed instrument between a nut and a plurality of tuning pegs, and is suspended only by the instrument strings such that it contacts no part of the instrument apart from the strings (see  FIG. 1C ). The tune stabilizing device could be affixed to the instrument to hold it in place, such as clipping, tying, strapping, gluing, screwing, or bolting it to the neck, headstock, or nut. However, it is preferred to keep the device unaffixed since the fixing means inevitably damages or alters the instrument and most instrument owners, especially those of high end or collectable/vintage instruments, go to great lengths to avoid any such damage or alteration. 
         [0026]    A floating base plate may include one or more female threads, which may be adapted to receive a screw such as, without limitation, a machine screw or other suitably threaded screw. In general, such threads may be perpendicular to the compression face of the floating base plate; however, other embodiments may include threads disposed at an oblique angle without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0027]    Floating base plates may include an abutment surface adapted to abut an arbitrary anchor point so as to hold the portion of the strings in contact with the device in a fixed position relative to the anchor point. An abutment surface may simply be a side of the floating base plate. However, in some embodiments, the abutment surface may be specially adapted to mate with particular anchor points. For instance, in the context of a guitar, a suitable anchor point may be the nut of the guitar or a leading edge of the fret board. In some guitar models, the nut may be about a quarter inch from the leading edge of the fret board, and the strings may be oriented so that the device cannot slide between the strings and the fret board to contact the nut. In such instances, if the nut is the desired anchor point, then the abutment surface may be specially adapted to extend past the leading edge of the fret board. For example, a portion of the abutment surface may or may not abut the leading edge of the fret board, but a relatively thin extension thereof may extend past the leading edge of the fret board through the thin gap between the strings and fret board. Accordingly, the extension may abut the nut such that the nut bears some of the load imposed by tension in the wires. In some embodiments, this relatively thin extension of the abutment surface may comprise a unitary or permanently joined part of the floating base plate, or it may be an optional accessory or attachment. 
         [0028]    A clamping block may have a planar compression face. Similar to the floating base plate, a planar compression face in this context may comprise an exactly planar surface, a slightly arched surface, and/or a knurled or textured surface. Notwithstanding, the compression face of the clamping block must mate with that of the floating base plate, and therefore must have a complementary shape. Suitable clamping blocks may include at least one unthreaded through-hole adapted to receive a screw, such as, without limitation, a machine screw or other suitably threaded screw permitting a smooth turning action and precise positioning of the screw. The unthreaded through-hole of the clamping block must be oriented to cooperate with the female threads of the floating base plate so that both may simultaneously receive the same screw. Together, the compression faces of the floating base plate and the clamping block cooperate to receive one or more strings in a clamping relation. As used herein the term clamping relation includes applying a compression force sufficient to fix the position of a work piece, such as instrument strings, relative to the clamping block and floating base plate. Furthermore, as used herein, the term work piece means a thing upon which an embodiment acts and is separate and distinct from the embodiment. 
         [0029]    The compression face of the floating base plate may define a recessed clamp seat. The recessed compression face may be partially or completely surrounded by a perimeter wall within the boundaries of which clamping blocks may be received in a mating relation by the compression face of the floating base plate. According to some embodiments, the compression face may include one or more dividing walls which cooperate to divide the compression face into a plurality of discrete clamp seats each receiving one clamping block. In such embodiments, the dividing walls may function to align the clamping blocks according to a preferred orientation. 
         [0030]    A perimeter wall may include a plurality of apertures on opposing sections of the perimeter wall, which cooperate to allow the strings to pass therethrough parallel to the compression face of the floating base plate, which impede deflection of the tune stabilizing device, as discussed in greater detail below. For instance, a first set of apertures may be defined in a first perimeter wall section, and a second set of corresponding apertures may be defined in a second perimeter wall section disposed on an opposing side of the compression face of the floating base plate, which permit a single tensioned wired to pass through the pair of cooperating apertures in a straight line. 
         [0031]    One skilled in the art will appreciate that the act of applying a clamping force to a set of precisely tensioned wires may change the tension in the wires. Accordingly, the present invention may include a set of fine-tuners for adjusting wire tension after the embodiment has been installed. In one embodiment, a set of fine-tuners is defined by extending the base plate from an upper edge of a perimeter wall so as to define a generally planar surface comprising a fine-tuner plate oriented approximately parallel to the compression face of the floating base plate. The fine-tuner plate may include a plurality of female threaded apertures, each being adapted to receive a fine-tuner screw. Suitable screws may include, without limitation, machine screws or other precisely threaded screws permitting fine control over the position of the screw. Accordingly, the fine-tuner screws and female threaded apertures cooperate to contact and precisely deflect a tensioned wire underlying the fine-tuner plate. 
         [0032]    The tune stabilizing device may further comprise an abutment wall extending from the fine-tuner plate at an edge opposing the perimeter wall. The wall may include a plurality of apertures, wherein the apertures may be sized, and their center points may be placed, so as to accommodate a predetermined range of wire spacings. In some embodiments, the apertures in the abutment wall may have a larger radius in a direction generally parallel to the fine-tuner plate, and a shorter radius in a direction generally perpendicular to the fine-tuner plate. Use of the term radius in this context is not intended to limit the shape of such apertures to circular. The shape of the apertures is not critical. Rather the shape of such apertures may be any shape including elliptical or generally oblong. However, for practical manufacturing purposes, a circular or round opening might be preferred due its lowering production costs. As used herein, the term aperture means a hole or opening through a surface, and having a continuous, unbroken perimeter or edge. 
         [0033]    An abutment wall may include a bumper member which may function as a cushion between an embodiment and an abutment surface such as a fret board or nut of a musical instrument. Such a cushion may be desirable to protect the musical instrument from damage due to the device pressing against, and/or moving relative to, the instrument. Suitable bumpers may be made from an elastomeric material such as a rubber or Teflon, or similar materials, but in general the bumper material must be softer than the material against which it abuts so as to avoid damaging such material. 
         [0034]    One skilled in the art will appreciate that in the context of musical instruments such as guitars, the strings might not lie in a flat plane but rather may lie in a curved or arched plane relative to a fret board or finger board. Accordingly, it may be desirable to have an embodiment wherein the floating base plate, the clamping block(s), their respective compression faces, and/or the apertures through which the strings pass, may be arranged in a corresponding arch which generally tracks the arch of the strings. In other words, the several apertures are not aligned in a straight line, but rather are aligned with respect to each other in a curve or arch (See  FIG. 3 ). This arch matches the radius of the curve of the neck or fret/finger board of the instrument, which also matched the curved plane of the strings. As used herein, the terms “fret board” and “finger board” mean the portion of the instrument where the player&#39;s fingers press the strings to adjust tune regardless of the presence or absence of frets, and may be used interchangeably. 
         [0035]    Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same,  FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a tune-stabilizing device  100  installed on a guitar. The tune-stabilizing device  100  is shown abutting the leading edge  110  of the guitar&#39;s fret board, which offsets the tune-stabilizing device  100  roughly a quarter inch from the nut  120  of the guitar.  FIG. 1A  also illustrates the proper orientation of the tune-stabilizing device  100  when installed on a guitar. Namely, the fine tuners face the nut of the guitar and the clamps face the tuning pegs or posts  130  of the guitar. Accordingly, as used herein, the side of the device facing the nut of a stringed instrument when properly installed is referred to as the fine tuner side  100 A, and the opposing side which faces the tuners of the instrument is referred to as the clamping side  100 B of the tune-stabilizing device  100 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 1B  shows another installation of a tune-stabilizing device  100  on a different style of guitar. In this case, the nut  120  of the guitar is at the leading edge of the fret board rather than being offset. Therefore, the tune-stabilizing device  100  abuts the nut  120  directly. 
         [0037]      FIG. 1C  shows another installation of the tune-stabilizing device  100  mounted entirely on the strings  240  of an instrument, such that the entire device does not contact the surface  121  of the instrument. As used herein, surface includes, but is not limited to, the neck, headstock, fret or finger board of the instrument. The tune-stabilizing device  100  is secured on the strings of a stringed instrument between the nut  120  and the tuning pegs  130 , which leaves a gap  122  between the tune-stabilizing device  100  and the instrument surface  121 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a tune-stabilizing device  100  installed on a set of six precisely tensioned strings  240  of a six-stringed musical instrument. The tune-stabilizing device  100  includes a floating base plate  210  having three clamping blocks  220  for locking the tune-stabilizing device  100  onto the wires  240 . The clamping blocks  220  are seated in recessed compression faces defining clamp seats, which are surrounded by a perimeter wall  212 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that the clamp seats need not be recessed, but that recession may provide certain advantages related to aligning clamping blocks  220  during installation. The tune-stabilizing device  100  of  FIG. 2  includes a set of three clamping blocks  220  which are each shown bolted to the floating base plate  210  with machine screws  222 . Each clamping block  220  according to this particular embodiment clamps two of the tensioned wires  240  between the compression faces of the clamping block  220  and the floating base plate  210 . 
         [0039]    Also shown in  FIG. 2  are a set of six fine-tuner screws  232  engaging female threads formed in the fine tuner plate  230 , wherein each fine-tuner screw  232  impinges upon a single tensioned wire  240  in a side-on relation so as to enable fine adjustments to the wires&#39; tension. The embodiment further includes an abutment wall  234  having a bumper  238  at its lower edge. The bumper functions as a cushion between the tune-stabilizing device  100  and a musical instrument to which it may be mounted, thereby protecting the instrument from scratches or other damage. The abutment wall  234  further includes a set of elongate apertures  236  through which the strings  240  pass. The specific size and configuration of the elongate apertures  236  may vary from one embodiment to the next, but in general they are sized to accommodate a variety of string spacings. Particularly, the elongate apertures  236  are positioned so that the embodiment  100  can be installed on a plurality of makes and models of guitar, each of which may position the strings slightly differently. 
         [0040]    In another embodiment, the lower edge of the tune-stabilizing device  100  extends downwardly to an extended lip  239 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . This optional extended lip  239  positions the device slightly further away from the nut, which in turn lowers the contact/abutment point on the nut or leading edge of a fret board and helps to prevent the device from riding up and over the nut or leading edge during heavy use in certain applications which otherwise could cause the strings to lift up from the nut creating an undesirable buzzing string sound. The extended lip  239  acts as a stop or brake, anchoring the device when it comes into contact with the leading edge of the fret board, when used in an arrangement with an instrument such as in  FIG. 1A , as discussed above. The extended lip  239  acts as a stop or brake, anchoring the device against the nut, when used in an arrangement with an instrument such as in  FIG. 1B , as discussed above. The angled lip  239  in conjunction with the downward tension of the strings helps in keeping the device from riding up along the leading edge of the fret board, and/or over the nut, and thus the device as a whole is limited in sliding further, which prevents the strings from lifting and dislodging from the nut. The lip  239  is also a guide for positioning the device during installation. 
         [0041]      FIG. 3  is fine tuner side view of a tune-stabilizing device  100  illustrating the curvature  300  of the floating base plate  210 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that such a curvature  300  may not be necessary but that it may be advantageous when an embodiment is to be installed on a stringed musical instrument where the strings lie in an arch or curved plane rather than a flat plane. Thus, the curvature  300  of the floating base plate  210  may approximately track the curvature or radius of the plane upon which the strings lie, so that a central axis of the apertures  236  through which the strings  240  pass generally align with a central axis of the respective strings  240  which are threaded through said apertures  236 , wherein said arch matches the radius of the curvature of the fret or finger board of the instrument. The bottom of the base plate  210  can be straight, but the apertures  236  are aligned in an arch. Embodiments which include a floating base plate  210  having a curvature  300  may also provide clamping blocks  220  and/or fine-tuner plates  230  with similar and/or cooperating curvatures. 
         [0042]    The present tune-stabilizing device  100  is floating, which, when installed on a stringed instrument, requires a deflection-arresting means. According to Newton&#39;s third law of motion, when the fine-tuners  232  press on the strings  240 , the strings  240  press equally and oppositely against the fine-tuners  232 , which would cause the device to deflect, rotate, or pivot upward, away from the strings, with the pivot point located at the internal apertures  416 , which are near the clamping means  220 . Each time a fine tuning knob is turned, the distal end, or the end of the device furthest from the pivot point  416 , would deflect further, and the previous tuned strings would fall out of tune as a result of the deflection. This would lead to an iterative and tedious process of tuning one string, tuning another, then going back re-fine-tuning the previous strings. The apertures  236  of the tune-stabilizing device  100  function as a deflection-arresting means, engaging the strings and preventing the device from rotating or deflecting away from the strings. The through holes or apertures  236  prevent the tune-stabilizing device  100  from lifting or deflecting upwardly when the fine tuning screws  232  press against the strings  240 . When the fine tuning screws press against the strings, the device will tend to deflect upward, pivoting at the internal aperture  416 , but the bottom edge of the aperture  236  will contact the underside of the string  240 , thus impeding the deflection, and keeping the distal end, and thus the whole device, in position. Subsequent fine tuning screws contacting the strings will not cause the previous fine-tuned strings to go out of tune as would happen absent the deflection arresting means. 
         [0043]    As noted above, the shape of an aperture can vary, and can include, but is not limited to, an unbroken circle, and unbroken ellipse or oval, an unbroken semicircle or other unbroken oblong shape, an unbroken square or rectangle, an unbroken triangle or other unbroken polygon. As used herein, “unbroken” means a shape that has no gaps, cuts, openings, or other discontinuities in its perimeter. 
         [0044]    The deflection arresting means is not limited to holes or apertures in a wall or surface. The deflection arresting means can be a surface, such as a bar  237 , that is positioned beneath the strings  240 , such the alternative embodiment shown in  FIG. 2A . As the fine-tuner screws  232  are tightened, the tune-stabilizing device  100  will tend to rotate, but the anti-deflection bar  237  will contact the underside of the strings  240 , preventing or arresting the rotation or deflection. This will keep the tune-stabilizing device  100  in place, and thus keep the instrument in tune. The exact shape of the anti-deflection bar  237  is not critical and can be round, like a cylinder; flat, like a plank; or faceted, like a polygonal prism, or combinations of these. 
         [0045]      FIG. 4A  is an exploded elevation view of tune-stabilizing device  100  showing the components thereof in greater detail. According to  FIG. 4A  the components of a clamping block assembly include a clamping block  220 , a clamping screw  222  with a notch  222 A which receives a clip  423 . Thus, the clamping block  220  is retained on the clamping screw  222  by the clip  423  and moves in an upward direction as the clamping screw  222  is loosened.  FIG. 4A  also shows the placement of magnets  450 , which are seated in apertures  550  in the fine turner plate  230  located between the fine tuner screws  232  and the clamping screws  222 .  FIG. 4A  also shows a set of six optional shims  490 , which can be positioned between the ends of the fine tuner screws  232  and the strings  240  as a means of reducing wear on the strings  240  by the turning action of the fine tuner screws  232 . Finally,  FIG. 4A  shows one of a first set of apertures  414  where strings  240  enter the tune-stabilizing device  100 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 4B  shows the tune-stabilizing device  100  in cross section from an alternate angle and illustrates a first set of apertures  414  in a first section of the perimeter wall  212 , and a second set of cooperating apertures  416  disposed on an opposing second section of the perimeter wall  212 . The first and second sets of apertures  414 ,  416  are aligned such that the six strings  240  pass through cooperating apertures in a straight line. Furthermore, this view illustrates the fact that the respective central axes of the apertures  236 ,  414 ,  416  are aligned. Thus, a string  240  may be threaded through the embodiment  100  in a straight line, i.e. without bends. Also shown in  FIG. 4B  is the clamp seat  418  which receives the compression face of the clamping block  220 . Accordingly, this view clearly illustrates how a clamping block affixes a tune-stabilizing device  100  to the strings  240 . The particular clamp seat  418  shown in  FIG. 4B  includes optional texturing or knurling  480  to aid in gripping strings  240 .  FIG. 4B  further illustrates the placement of optional shims  490 . As shown, one edge of a shim  490  is attached to the underside of the tune-stabilizing device  100  so as to position it between the end of a fine tuner screw  232  and a string  240 . 
         [0047]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of tune-stabilizing device  100  showing the placement of magnets  550  in the fine tuner plate  230  and how the magnets  550  receive an Allen wrench  551  or similar tool. Thus, the magnets  550  hold the tool  551  between the fine tuners  232  and the clamping screws  222 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an underside of tune-stabilizing device  100  which shows three fine-tuner cavities  610 . The number of fine-tuner cavities is not critical, and can be one large cavity or six separate cavities as discussed below (see  FIG. 6A ). The three fine-tuner cavities  610  are separated from each other by reinforcing walls  600 . The reinforcing walls  600  provide added strength to the abutment wall  234  which may prevent it from flexing under load. Also visible are the posts of the fine-tuner screws  232  which are shown impinging the tensioned strings  240  side-on. Such side-on impingement results in a controlled deflection of a tensioned string  240 , thus finely adjusting its length and tension. Also visible in  FIG. 6  are two optional shims  490 .  FIG. 6  shows four shims  490  are left out for the purpose of illustration only. 
         [0049]      FIG. 6A  shows an alternate embodiment of the device with individual/separate cavities for each string. A tapered, fluted, or funnel shaped individual fine tuning cavity assists the string threading process in that it guides a string passing through the fine tuner cavity and entering into the clamp block cavity through outer clamp-end aperture  414 . The cavity walls taper down to flank the fine tuner screw preventing a string  240  from slipping off of the end of the fine tuner screw  232  and around to its side, rendering the fine tuner screw ineffective. 
         [0050]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a clamping block assembly  700  of an tune-stabilizing device  100 . A clamping block assembly  700  may include a clamping block  220  and a clamping screw  222 . The clamping block  220  is retained on the clamping screw  222  using a clip  423 . Thus, the clamping block  220  is free to rotate about the clamping screw  222 , as the clamping block moves away from the floating base plate  210  when the clamping screw  222  is loosened. This may be especially convenient when threading strings  240  through the embodiment  100 , and may obviate the need for removing the clamping block  220  from the embodiment  100  thereby decreasing the risk of losing parts or improper reassembly. Also shown in  FIG. 7A  is the U-shaped design of the clamping block  220 . This U-shaped configuration allows for a complementary relief between the compression faces  220   a  of the clamping block  220  and the compression face  418  of the floating base plate  210 , which allows the compression screw  222  to have a larger number of threads in contact with the female threads of the floating base plate  210 , thus mitigating the potential for stripping threads. 
         [0051]      FIG. 7B  is a side view of the assembly  700  which further illustrates that each of the two compression faces  220   a  of the clamping block  220  include an arch  220   b.  One skilled in the art will appreciate that while an arch may not be critical, it may tend to provide better clamping characteristics than a simply flat compression face.  FIG. 7C  shows the clamping block assembly  700  in an exploded view and further illustrates the notch  222   a  in which the e-clip  423  is retained. 
         [0052]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods and apparatuses may be changed or modified without departing from the general scope of the invention. The invention is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.