Patent Publication Number: US-9837055-B2

Title: Hybrid plectrum

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/296,375 filed on Feb. 17, 2016, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC AND INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF THE MATERIAL 
     Not Applicable. 
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a hybrid plectrum for plucking and strumming strings on musical instruments. More particularly, the invention relates to a hybrid plectrum having a bottom plucking region and a second material protruding from the top of the pick for actuating strings to provide alternate sounds. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Plectra for plucking or otherwise impinging strings of musical instruments have existed for as long as there have been stringed instruments. They take many forms, but the most common are relatively flat and have a shape that approximates a Reuleaux triangle. Plectra are manufactured from an almost endless number of materials including turtle shells, seashells, plastics, stones, bones and metals. Each of these materials provide plectra having unique structural and audio features. 
     In addition to plectra, several other devices of been developed for impinging on or manipulating the strings of a stringed instrument that produce different sounds and/or transitions between notes. For example, tubes of brass or other material are placed over one or more fingers and slide along the strings to produce a glissando. Other sound effects may be produced by plucking strings with a finger, tapping, and dotting using fingers or other objects. Dotting is a technique that uses a tapping motion with one&#39;s fingers on the strumming hand to press against the guitar strings against the neck of the guitar. It is sometimes desirable to use two or more of these techniques during a single song. However, this can be difficult because it requires a musician to switch between two or more plectra, slides or other devices. 
     Plectra have been developed that have corners of different thicknesses. A musician can rotate the plectra between his or her fingers relatively quickly to pluck the strings with material of different thickness. Other plectra exist that allow a musician to adjust the flexibility of the plucking bottom region of a plectrum by adjusting his or her grip in the Central gripping region of a plectrum. However, these modifications provide relatively little variety in the types of sounds that may be created. 
     The above-described deficiencies of today&#39;s systems are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional systems, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of the art and corresponding benefits of some of the various non-limiting embodiments may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description. 
     In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a single plectrum that allows a musician to create different sounds while providing a better grip. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed is a plectrum for playing a stringed musical instrument includes a body with two opposing sides, a lower plucking region, a central gripping region and a top region having a transverse groove. A wedge shaped piece of material is secured into the transverse groove on the top of the plectrum to provide a second surface for impinging or actuating the strings of the instrument. Typically, the body of the plectrum is composed of a semi rigid or flexible plastic, while the wedge of material is composed of a harder substance, such as glass, polished stone or metal. 
     In one embodiment, A hybrid plectrum for use with stringed instruments comprises a body comprised of a first material, having two opposing sides, an oblong top region, a central gripping region and a bottom plucking region. A transverse wedge shaped groove extending downward from the oblong top and between the two opposing sides to a joint where the opposing sides meet. A wedge of a second material secured within the groove and having a top that extends above the oblong top region of the body. 
     The hybrid plectrum may optionally include a wedge having symmetric opposing sides, each of the opposing sides having a concavities corresponding to the central gripping region of the body of the plectrum. The central gripping region of the body may be comprised of a pliant material that depresses into the concavities of the wedge when the plectrum is gripped by a thumb and forefinger. 
     In another embodiment, a hybrid plectrum includes a wedge that is removably secured within the groove by two opposing barbs extending inward from two inside walls of the groove and engaging two complimentary slots on opposing sides of the wedge. The first material is selected from the group consisting of celluloid, nylon, acetyl, polyetherimide, polycarbonate, and acrylic. The second material is selected from rubber, wood, metal, glass, and stone. The wedge of the hybrid plectrum may have a curved top, or a planar top. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid plectrum that provides a musician with multiple surfaces with which to actuate the strings of a stringed musical instrument. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front plan view of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of a wedge of an alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of a wedge of an alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective exploded view of another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional exploded view of another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a side cross-sectional view of an assembled other alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a side cross-sectional view of another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a front plan view of another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     The disclosed subject matter is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of the subject disclosure. It may be evident, however, that the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the various embodiments herein. 
     In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a” and “an” as used in the subject specification and annexed drawings should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. 
     As used herein, the “top” of a plectrum generally refers to the wider part of an approximately triangular plectrum. The “bottom” of a plectrum generally refers to the lower corner commonly used for plucking strings of a stringed instrument. “Length” generally refers to the distance from the top to the bottom. “Transverse” generally refers to a plectrum&#39;s width, and “depth” or “thickness” refers to a plectrum&#39;s thickness. As used herein, the plectrum refers generally to a device used for plucking or otherwise actuating strings on a musical instrument, often referred to as a guitar pick. 
     Disclosed is a plectrum for playing a stringed musical instrument includes a body with two opposing sides, a lower plucking region, a central gripping region and a top region having a transverse groove. A wedge shaped piece of material is secured into the transverse groove on the top of the plectrum to provide a second surface for impinging or actuating the strings of the instrument. Typically, the body of the plectrum is composed of a semi rigid or flexible plastic, while the wedge of material is composed of a harder substance, such as glass, polished stone or metal. 
       FIGS. 1, 2 and 3  show a hybrid plectrum  10  in accordance with the principles of the invention. The plectrum  10  has a wide, flat body  11  which includes two opposing sides  12  and  14 . The top region  16  of the plectrum  10  is oblong and has a slightly curved upper surface  17 . A bottom region  18  is generally used for plucking the strings of a musical instrument, and ends in a blunt point  19 . The central region  20  of the plectrum  10  is generally gripped between the thumb and forefinger on each of the opposing sides  12  and  14 . A V-shaped groove  22  extends from the oblong top  17  to about half way down the length  29  of the plectrum  10 , ending at the bottom, or junction,  23 . The groove  22  extends transversely between the lateral edges  15 , and separates the upper portions of the two opposing sides  12  and  14  of the body  11 . The bottom  23  of the groove is the junction of the two opposing sides. The groove  22  and the junction  23  give the plectrum  10  a Y shaped cross-section. In this embodiment, the groove  22  extends downward entirely through the top region  16  and partially into the Central gripping region  20 . 
     A wedge  24  is secured inside the groove  22 . The top  26  of the wedge  24  extends upward from the groove and at least partially beyond the top  17  of the plectrum  10 . The top  26  of the wedge  24  is slightly curved along both its width  28  and its depth  30 . 
     In use, a musician grasps the plectrum  10  by holding it between his or her thumb and forefinger, which are position on opposing sides of the central gripping region  20 . The bottom region  18  is used to pluck the strings of an instrument. At any point, the musician may rotate the plectrum  10  about the center gripping region  20  while still holding it with his or her thumb and forefinger. Thus, a musician can switch from plucking strings with the bottom region  18  two tapping, dotting and/or sliding on the strings with the top  26  of the wedge  24 . 
     Typically, the plectrum is made of any material commonly used for manufacturing guitar picks including, for example, turtle shells, seashells, glass, plastics, stone, metals or other types of plastics or rigid materials. The wedge  24  is made of a different material, which may or may not be turtle shells, seashells, class, plastics, stone, metals or other types of plastics or rigid materials. For example, a thin flexible plastic may be used to form the body  11 , thereby providing a flexible plucking region  18 , and the wedge  24  may be comprised of glass which is much more rigid and is generally preferred for tapping or sliding the strings. 
     In this embodiment, the plectrum  10  is composed of polyoxymethylene and the wedge  24  is composed of glass. The top  26  of the wedge  24  extends between one and 3 mm above the top  17  of the plectrum  10 , and the top  26  has a depth  30  ranging between 0.25 cm two 0.75 cm. The wedge  24  may be secured inside groove  22  using glue, an adhesive, molding the body  11  of the plectrum  10  onto the wedge, melting the plastic of body  11  inside the groove so that it is essentially welded onto the glass wedge  24  or other methods known in the art. 
       FIGS. 4, 5 and 6  show an alternative embodiment of a wedge  50  for a hybrid plectrum  52  in accordance with the principles of the invention. In this embodiment, the wedge  50  has two concave depressions  54  on each of its opposing sides  56 . The concave depressions  54  are semicircular and extend from the bottom edge  51  upward to a point about halfway between the bottom  51  in the top  57 . The wedge  50  has a top  57  that curves between the two lateral ends  59 . The top of wedge  50  has a smaller radius of curvature in the transverse direction than the wedge  24  of  FIGS. 1-3 . Thus, the top  57  of wedge  50  curves almost 180° as it extends transversely between the two lateral ends  59 . When the wedge  50  is inserted into the groove  58  of the hybrid plectrum  52 , the concave depressions  54  are positioned in the opposing gripping region  60  of the hybrid plectrum  52 . The gripping region  60  of the body  51  of plectrum  50  of this embodiment is pliant. When the plectrum  52  is grasped by a musician&#39;s thumb and forefinger, the opposing gripping region  60  are depressed into the depressions  54  of the wedge  50 , creating concavities  62  in the gripping region  60 . This gives a musician a stronger grasp of the plectrum  52 , allowing a musician to hold it securely even when his or her hands or sweaty. The opposing gripping region  60  may also optionally include a textured surface such as for example ribs or knurls to further improve the gripping of the plectrum  52 . 
       FIG. 7  shows another alternative embodiment of a plectrum  80  having a body  82  and a wedge  84 . The body  82  has a groove  86  extending across its top  88  transversely between lateral sides  90 . The body includes a central gripping region  92  having a textured surface and a bottom picking region  94  for plucking strings on a musical instrument. In this embodiment, the top  88  of the body  82  is straight, not curved. The wedge  84  has two opposing rectangular sides  96  and a rectangular top  98 . 
     The wedge  84  of this embodiment also includes an internal electric module  95 . Pickups used in electric guitars pickup disturbances in a magnetic field caused by a vibrating string. Generally, interfering with the magnetic field is considered detrimental to the quality of the music. However, the electric module  95  in the wedge  84  is specifically designed to interfere with a pickups magnetic fields. The electric module  95  may be a transducer, a simple coil, a modulating capacitor or other electronic device capable of influencing a proximate magnetic field. This allows the plectrum  82  generate additional unique sounds when actuated, i.e. called upon. The electric module  95  may be adjusted or triggered using an app on a smart phone via Bluetooth® or other transmission technology, such as a USB port. The electric module  95  may also optionally be adjusted by squeezing the plectrum  80  during use. In this embodiment, the wedge  84  is comprised of a semi-rigid material so that it may be squeezed, thereby triggering the electric module  95  to alter the magnetic field proximate to an electric guitar pickup. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum  100  in accordance with the principles of the invention. The plectrum  100  has a body  102  having a groove  104  extending from the top  106  of the plectrum  100 , and a bottom plucking region  108 . The groove  104  extends from the top  106  to a joint  107  between symmetric opposing sides  112 . In this embodiment, the inside walls  114  of the groove  104  includes inward pointing two barbs  118 . The wedge  122  has two complementary sockets  124  on both of its symmetric opposing sides  128 . When the wedge  122  is pushed into the groove  104 , the barbs  118  engage the sockets  124 , thereby securing the wedge  122  in place. The wedge  122  may be removed by pulling apart the opposing sides  112  near the top  106  of the plectrum  100 , which disengages the barbs  118  from the sockets  124 , allowing the wedge  122  to be withdrawn from the groove  104 . 
       FIG. 10  shows another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum  130  in accordance with the principles of the invention. Plectrum  130  has a body  132  with a Y shaped cross-section, a bottom plucking region  134  and a wedge  136  inside a groove  138  extending downward from the top  140  of the plectrum  130  to a joint  142  where the opposing sides  144  meet. In this embodiments, the groove  138  and wedge  136  extend more than half way down the length of the body  132 , and the central gripping region  146  is above the joint  142 . 
       FIG. 11  shows another alternative embodiment of a hybrid plectrum  150  in accordance with the principles of the invention. Plectrum  150  has a body  152  having a shape roughly approximating a Reuleaux triangle, having an oblong top region  154 , a bottom plucking region  156  and a central gripping region  158 . The central gripping region  158  includes a striated pad  160  having a plurality of small ribs to assist in gripping the plectrum  150 . The oblong top region includes two separate pockets  162 , each pocket containing a wedge  164  of a different material. The wedges  164  may be retained within the pockets  162  using glue, an adhesive, complementary barbs and sockets or other mechanisms known in the art. Because each of the wedges  164  may be comprised of a different material, each wedge  164  provides a musician with different options for generating sound from a strained musical instrument. 
     Whereas, the present invention has been described in relation to the drawings attached hereto, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention. Descriptions of the embodiments shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting or defining the ordinary and plain meanings of the terms of the claims unless such is explicitly indicated. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.