Patent Publication Number: US-8967585-B2

Title: Stand for musical instrument

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a stand for musical instruments to be used for setting a musical instrument such as a guitar or a bass guitar upright thereon. 
     As stands for musical instruments, guitar stands are used. In general, a guitar stand  100  is provided with a pipe member  102  having a tripod  101 , and a placing section  103  fixed to a lower end of the pipe member  102  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The body of a guitar is placed on the placing section  103 . The neck of the guitar is set on an upper end  102   a  of the pipe member  102  upright. 
     Players occasionally play the guitars not only indoors, such as in concert halls and clubs with live music, but also outdoors such as on streets and in parks. However, since the guitar stand shown in  FIG. 8  has approximately the same size as that of a guitar and cannot be folded, this guitar stand is generally not convenient to carry around and store. For this reason, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-62256, some foldable guitar stands have been proposed to be more convenient to carry around and store. In these conventional foldable guitar stands, however, the handling from a folded state to a use state (state for use) is bothersome, and thus the guitar stands are not easy to use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide a stand for musical instrument that is more convenient to carry around and store and is user-friendly. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, a stand for musical instrument to be used for setting a musical instrument upright thereon includes a base section, a pair of first leg portions that are connected to the base section and are arranged at an opened position where they are opened about the base section and at a closed position where they are closed about the base section, a pair of second leg portions that are connected to lower ends of the pair of first leg portions and are arranged at a use position where they are opened with respect to the first leg portions and a folded position where they are folded with respect to the first leg portions, and a holding member that is mounted to the first leg portions and holds the pair of first leg portions at the closed position and the pair of second leg portions at the folded position. When the holding member is operated, the pair of first leg portions at the closed position is re-arranged to (positioned at) the opened position and the pair of second leg portions at the folded position to the use position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an entire guitar stand at the time of use according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the vicinity of a slider of the guitar stand at the time of use; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the vicinity of the slider of the folded guitar stand; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged front view illustrating the vicinity of a restricting device of the guitar stand at the time of use; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged front view illustrating the vicinity of the restricting device of the folded guitar stand; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating the entire folded guitar stand; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating the guitar stand of a modification; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a conventional guitar stand. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A preferred embodiment of a stand for musical instruments in accordance with the present invention as implemented for a guitar stand  10  will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the guitar stand  10  has a base section  12 , first frames  13  as a pair of first leg portions, second frames  15  as a pair of second leg portions, third frames  16  as a pair of third leg portions, and a slider  14  as a holding member. 
     The first frames  13  are connected to the base section  12  and are capable of being opened and closed about the base section  12 . A leaf spring  21 , which serves as a first biasing device, is mounted in the base section  12 . One end of the leaf spring  21  is fixed to the first frame  13  shown on the left side in  FIG. 1 , and the other end is fixed to the first frame  13  on the right side in  FIG. 1 . The leaf spring  21  is fixed to the base section  12  and the first frames  13  in a state where it is folded approximately into a U-shape about the base section  12  as the center. For this reason, the leaf spring  21  is biased in a direction for opening the first frames  13  about the base section  12 . Therefore, the first frames  13  are maintained at an opened position where the first frames  13  are opened about the base section  12  by biasing force from the leaf spring  21  at the time of using the guitar stand  10 . 
     The first frames  13  are portions that face the rear surface of the body of a guitar set upright on the guitar stand  10 . The first frames  13  are made of a steel material with an approximate U-shaped cross section, and are arranged so that openings  13   a  face forward. The openings  13   a  of the first frames  13  are used as housing spaces for housing the second frames  15 . The first frames  13  extend in an inclined manner from the base section  12  to a placing surface S on which the guitar is set. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the slider  14  is located in the vicinity of the upper end of the left first frame  13  and can slide between a locked position and an unlocked position. As shown by lines formed by a long dash alternating with two short dashes in  FIG. 2 , the unlocked position is on a side slightly closer to the base section  12  than the locked position of the slider  14  shown by a solid line in  FIG. 2 . A spring  20  as well as the slider  14  is mounted to the left first frame  13 . For this reason, as shown by arrow X 1  in  FIG. 2 , the slider  14  is held at the locked position in a state where it is biased by the spring  20 . 
     A groove  41  is formed on the slider  14  so as to extend along an axial line of the left first frame  13 . A tapered surface  42  is formed on the slider  14  so as to extend from its end to its side wall. On the other hand, the right first frame  13  has a release recess  13   b  at a position corresponding to a thick wall portion  43  of the slider  14 . A pair of protrusions  44  is mounted to the slider  14  so as to be capable of extending and retracting. The protrusions  44  protrude towards each of the second frames  15 . A pair of springs  45  is mounted to the slider  14 . Each spring  45  corresponds to one of the protrusions  44 . For this reason, as shown by the arrows Y 1  in  FIG. 2 , the protrusions  44  are held at a protruded position while being biased by the springs  45 . A rubber cap  17  is attached to respective lower ends of the first frames  13 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  5 , the second frames  15  are connected to the lower ends of the first frames  13 , respectively, via connecting shafts  18 . The second frames  15  are foldable and are connected to the first frames  13 . Torsion coil springs  19 , which serve as second biasing devices, are mounted to lower ends of the first frames  13 , respectively. One end of each torsion coil spring  19  is fixed to the lower end of each first frame  13 , and the other end is connected to the proximal end of each second frame  15 . The torsion coil springs  19 , bias the first frames  13  toward a direction for opening the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18 . For this reason, the second frames  15  are held at a use position where they are opened with respect to the first frames  13  by the biasing forces from the torsion coil springs  19  when using the guitar stand  10 . 
     Pins  23  that pass through side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13  are supported on the lower ends of the first frames  13 . Disc-shaped stoppers  25  are supported from the pins  23  via springs  24 . Cylindrical buttons  26  are formed integrally with the stoppers  25 . As shown by the arrow P 1  in  FIG. 4 , the springs  24  bias the stoppers  25  towards inner surfaces of the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13 . The stoppers  25 , which serve as restricting devices, restrict rotation of the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18  while the stoppers  25  are abutted against the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13 . On the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 5 , when the stoppers  25  are separated from the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13 , the restriction of rotation of the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18  is removed. 
     The second frames  15  are portions that face the bottom surface of a guitar when the guitar is set upright on the guitar stand  10 . The second frames  15  are arranged parallel to each other and extend from the lower ends of the first frames  13  along the placing surface S. The second frames  15  are made of a steel material with a U-shaped cross section and have openings  15   a , or channels, facing downward. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the openings  15   a  of the second frames  15  are used as spaces for housing the third frames  16 . 
     The third frames  16  are connected to distal ends of the second frames  15 , respectively, via connecting shafts  30 . The third frames  16  are foldable and are connected to the second frames  15 . Proximal ends of the third frames  16  are connected to the lower ends of the first frames  13 , respectively, via wires  31 . The third frames  16  extend downward from the distal ends of the second frames  15  during use of the guitar stand  10 . The third frames  16  are held by the wires  31  in the use position where they are opened with respect to the second frames  15 . Rubber caps  33  are attached to the lower ends of the third frames  16 , respectively, in a manner similar to the first frames  13 . 
     The operation of the guitar stand  10  will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 6 . 
     An operating sequence from the use state (open state) of the guitar stand  10  to a folded state will now be described. In the guitar stand  10 , after an operation for closing the first frames  13 , an operation for folding the second frames  15  and an operation for folding the third frames  16  are performed at the same time. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , in the operation for closing the first frames  13 , the first frames  13  are moved rotationally about the base section  12  toward one another. At this time, the side wall  13   c  near the release recess  13   b  on the right first frame  13  moves towards an entrance of the groove  41  while sliding on the tapered surface  42  of the slider  14 . Further, as shown by the arrow X 2  in  FIG. 2 , the slider  14  is pushed up toward the base section  12  against the biasing force of the spring  20  by the side wall  13   c , which slides on the tapered surfaces  42 . When the side wall  13   c  enters the groove  41  of the slider  14 , the slider  14  is returned to an original locked position by the biasing force of the spring  20 . When the slider  14  is arranged at the locked position, the first frames  13  are held at the closed position. 
     When the first frames  13  are held at the closed position, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the lower ends of the closed first frames  13  closely contact each other, and the buttons  26  of the first frames  13  are pressed against each other. As a result, as shown by the arrows P 2  in  FIG. 5 , the stoppers  25  of the first frames  13  are separated from the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13  against the biasing forces of the springs  24 . As a result, the restriction from rotation of the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18  is removed. For this reason, the second frames  15  move pivotally about the connecting shafts  18  and are folded with respect to the first frames  13  to be housed in the openings  13   a  of the first frames  13 . The position of the second frames  15  when folded with respect to the first frames  13  is referred to as a folded position of the second frames  15 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , when the second frames  15  are arranged at the folded position, tapered surfaces  44   a  of the protrusions  44  of the slider  14  are pressed by distal ends  15   b  of the second frames  15 . At this time, as shown by the arrows Y 2  in  FIG. 2 , the protrusions  44  are pushed up to the side of the base section  12  by the distal ends  15   b  of the second frames  15 . As a result, the protrusions  44  partially retract into the slider  14  against the biasing forces of the springs  45 . When the distal ends  15   b  of the second frames  15  are further pushed beyond the protrusions  44 , the protrusions  44  are returned to the original protrusion positions by the biasing forces of the springs  45 . When the protrusions  44  return to the original protrusion positions to lock the distal ends  15   b  of the second frames  15 , the second frames  15  are held at the folded position. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , during the folding operation of the second frames  15 , distal ends of the third frames  16  are pulled by the wires  31 , and the third frames  16  move pivotally about the connecting shafts  30 . As a result, the third frames  16  are folded with respect to the second frames  15  to be housed in the openings  15   a  of the second frames  15 . The position of the third frames  16  when folded with respect to the second frames  15  is referred tows the folded position of the third frames  16 . 
     An operating sequence from a state in which the guitar stand  10  is folded to the use state will now be described. In the guitar stand  10  according to the embodiment, when the slider  14  is operated, an operation for opening the first frames  13  and an operation for opening the folded second frames  15 , and an operation for opening the folded third frames  16  are performed simultaneously and quickly. 
     When the guitar stand  10  is opened, the slider  14  is moved manually from the locked position to the unlocked position. As a result, the side wall  13   c  near the release recess  13   b  of the right first frame  13  escapes from the groove  41  of the slider  14 , and the protrusions  44  of the slider  14  separate from the distal ends  15   b  of the second frames  15 . When the holding of the first frames  13  and the second frames  15  by means of the slider  14  is removed, the leaf spring  21  quickly opens the first frames  13 , and the torsion coil springs  19  quickly open the second frames  15  with respect to the first frames  13 . At the same time, the wires  31  open the third frames  16  with respect to the second frames  15 . Further, the first frames  13  are held at an opened position by the leaf spring  21 , and the second frames  15  are held at the use position by the torsion coil springs  19 . The third frames  16  are also held at the use position by the wires  31 . In this way after the folded guitar stand  10  is opened, the slider  14  is returned to the original locked position by biasing of the spring  20 . 
     According to this embodiment, the following advantages are achieved. 
     (1) The slider  14  is located near the upper end of the left first frame  13 . The slider  14  holds the pair of first frames  13  at the closed position, and the pair of second frames  15  can be held at the folded position. As a result, the guitar stand  10  can be folded compactly. On the other hand, when the slider  14  is operated, the pair of first frames  13  at the closed position is re-arranged to (positioned at) the opened position, and the pair of second frames  15  at the folded position is re-arranged to (positioned at) the use position. As a result, the folded guitar stand  10  is opened to be brought into the use state. Therefore, the guitar stand  10  can be provided that is convenient to carry around and store and is user-friendly. 
     (2) The slider  14  is mounted to a portion near the upper end of the left first frame  13  to slide between the locked position and the unlocked position. For this reason, the guitar stand  10 , which is folded compactly, can be opened into the use state merely by a simple sliding operation of the slider  14 . That is to say, the folded guitar stand  10  can be opened with a single operation at the time of use. 
     (3) The leaf spring  21  serves as the first biasing device in the base section  12 . The leaf spring  21  biases the first frames  13  in a direction for opening the first frames  13  about the base section  12 . For this reason, the pair of first frames  13  is quickly opened about the base section  12  by the biasing force of the leaf spring  21 , and can be held in the opened state. 
     (4) The groove  41 , which is formed on the slider  14 , extends along the axial line of one of the first frames  13 . For this reason, the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13  are locked to the groove  41  of the slider  14 , so that the pair of first frames  13  can be held in the closed state. 
     (5) The torsion coil springs  19  as second biasing devices are mounted to the lower ends of the first frames  13 , respectively. The torsion coil springs  19  bias the first frames  13  toward the direction for opening the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18 . For this reason, the biasing forces of the torsion coil springs  19  pivotally move the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18  from the folded position to the use position quickly, and the second frames  15  can be held at the use position. 
     (6) The pair of protrusions  44  is attached to the slider  14  and is capable of extending and retracting. For this reason, the distal ends  15   b  of the second frames  15  are locked to the protrusions  44  of the slider  14 , so that the pair of second frames  15  can be held at the folded position. 
     (7) The stoppers  25 , or restricting devices, restrict the rotational movement of the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18 , while being abutted against the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13 . Since the stoppers  25  can fix the second frames  15  to the use position, the state of the guitar stand  10  at the time of use is stabilized. 
     (8) When the second frames  15  are folded, the lower ends of the closed first frames  13  closely contact each other, and the buttons  26  of the first frames  13  are pressed against each other. As a result, as shown by the arrow P 2  in  FIG. 5 , the stoppers  25  of the first frames  13  are separated from the side walls  13   c  of the first frames  13  against the biasing forces of the springs  24 . As a result, the restriction of rotational movement of the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18  is removed. This allows the operation for arranging the pair of first frames  13  at the closed position and the operation for removing the restriction of the rotational movement of the second frames  15  about the connecting shafts  18  to be performed at the same time. Therefore, the series of operations for folding the guitar stand  10  is simplified. 
     (9) The third frames  16  are connected to the distal ends of the second frames  15 , respectively, via the connecting shafts  30 . In this case, since the distal ends of the second frames  15  are supported by the third frames  16 , the state of the guitar stand  10  at the time of use is stabilized. 
     (10) The second frames  15  are folded with respect to the pair of first frames  13  to be housed in the openings  13   a  of the pair of first frames  13 . Further, the third frames  16  are folded with respect to the second frames  15  to be housed in the openings  15   a  of the second frames  15 . For this reason, the guitar stand  10  can be folded more compactly. 
     The above illustrated embodiment may be changed as follows. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the third frames  16  may be omitted from the guitar stand  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . In this case, instead of the third frames  16 , supporting pieces  71  that protrude towards the placing surfaces S are fixed to the distal ends of the second frames  15 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , stoppers  72  may be provided on upper surfaces  15   c  of the second frames  15  to prevent a guitar resting upright on the guitar stand  10  from slipping off the second frames  15 . In this case, stoppers may have any suitable shape, for example, L-shaped or U-shaped stoppers, may be used. For the same purpose as that of the stoppers  72 , rubber sheets or cushion materials or the like may be adhered to the upper surfaces  15   c  of the second frames  15 . 
     In the above illustrated embodiment, the leaf spring  21 , or the first biasing device, may be replaced with any suitable spring such as a torsion coil spring. The torsion coil springs  19 , or the second biasing devices, may be replaced with any suitable springs such as leaf springs. 
     In the above illustrated embodiment, the folded guitar stand  10  is opened by a sliding operation of the slider  14 , but the guitar stand  10  may be opened by, for example, a pushing operation. 
     In the above illustrated embodiment, as long as the second frames  15  are folded with respect to the pair of first frames  13  with the guitar stand  10  being folded, the second frames  15  do not have to be housed in the openings  13   a  of first frames  13 . Similarly, as long as the third frames  16  are folded with respect to the second frames  15 , the third frames  16  do not have to be housed in the openings  15   a  of the second frames  15 . 
     In the above illustrated embodiment, magnets may be fixed to the left first frame  13  and the right first frame  13 , respectively, to hold the first frames  13  at the closed position. 
     In the above illustrated embodiment, the first and second leg portions are implemented as the first and second frames  13  and  15  made of steel materials with U-shaped cross sections. However, the cross-section may take on any shape as long as the leg portions are composed of rigid, elongated members, and any materials such as wood or resin may be used to form such members. 
     In the above illustrated embodiment, the stand a musical instrument is implemented as a guitar stand, but it may be implemented as a stand for setting upright other stringed instruments such as bass guitars, violins or ukuleles thereon, or a stand for setting musical instruments other than stringed instrument upright thereon.