Patent Publication Number: US-5829088-A

Title: Swab for wiping condensate from inner wall of wind instrument

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a swab used for a musical instrument and, more particularly, to a swab for wiping condensate from the inner wall of a wind instrument. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
     While a player is breathing into a wind instrument, the column of air vibrates inside of the wind instrument, and the vibration is radiated from the wind instrument as sounds. However, the breath is warm and wet, containing water vapor which tends to condense on the inner wall of the wind instrument. The condensate is usually wiped away with a swab after the performance. 
     The wind instrument has various structure, and is usually broken down into tubular pieces. The air passages of the tubular pieces are usually not constant. For example, a crook and a bell joint are indispensable tubular pieces of a bassoon. The air passages of the crook is several millimeters, and the bell joint defines an air passage as wide as several centimeters. Most of the other wind instruments are analogous, and the wiping away of condensate for a narrow air passage is not easy. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a crook 1 of a bassoon. The crook 1 is gently curved, and defines an air passage 1a. The air passage 1a is decreased from a blowing end 1b toward a connecting end 1c, and a double reed (not shown) is attached to the blowing end 1b. A player blows into the crook 1, and the breath causes the double reed to vibrate. The air passage guides the air flow to the next tubular piece called a tenor joint. The water vapor of the breath is condensed on the inner surface of the crook. 
     After the performance, the player usually wipes the condensate from the inner surface of the crook 1 with a swab. The prior art swab 2 is illustrated in FIG. 2, and comprises a square piece 2a of hygroscopic cloth, a guide string 2b sewed on the square piece 2a and a guide weight 2c attached to the leading end of the guide string 2b. The guide string 2b is formed from cotton yarn or artificial silk yarn, and is sewed along a diagonal line 2d of the square piece 2a. The guide weight 2c is elongated, and is thin enough to pass the narrow air passage at the connecting end 1c. The guide weight 2c is not so heavy. 
     When the player wipes the condensate from the inner wall of the crook 1, the crook 1 is disassembled from the tenor joint (not shown), and the player keeps the crook 1 in the position where the blowing end 1b is upwardly directed. The player picks up the guide weight 2c, and drops the guide weight 2c into the air passage at the blowing end 1b. The player moves the crook 1 so that the guide weight 2c slides on the inner wall of the crook 1, and the guide string 2b follows the guide weight 2c. The player takes the guide weight 2c from the connecting end 1c, and pulls out the guide weight 2c. The guide string 2b and, accordingly, the square piece 2a of hygroscopic cloth proceed through the air passage toward the connecting end 1c, and the condensate is wiped away from the inner wall of the crook 1 with the square piece 2a of hygroscopic cloth. 
     Another prior art swab 3 is illustrated in FIG. 3, and is different from the prior art swab 2 in the shape of the hygroscopic cloth. The prior art swab 3 also comprises a triangle piece 3a of hygroscopic cloth, a guide string 3b sewed along the perpendicular line 3c of the triangle piece 3a and a guide weight (not shown) attached to the leading end of the guide string 3b. A player uses the prior art swab 3 in a similar manner to the prior art swab 2. 
     However, a problem is encountered in the prior art swabs 2 and 3 in that the crook 1 is liable to be clogged with the swabs 2 and 3. 
     Another problem inherent in the prior art swabs 2 and 3 is difficulty of taking out the wet square/triangle piece 2a/3a from the crook 1. 
     The present inventors contemplated the first problem, and noticed that the guide weight 2c was too light to pull the guide string 2b/3b clinging to the wet inner surface of the crook 1. While the guide weight 2c and the guide string 2b/3b were slowly advancing through the air passage 1a, the square/triangle piece 2a/3a of hygroscopic cloth absorbed the condensate, and became heavy. The light guide weight 2c could not pull the heavy wet square/triangle piece 2a/3a, and the crook was clogged. 
     If a heavy guide weight effective against the clog was attached to the leading end of the guide string 2b/3b, the heavy guide weight per se clogged the air passage, because such a heavy guide weight was too large to pass the narrow air passage 1a at the connecting end. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a swab which smoothly passes through a piece of tubular member of a wind instrument. 
     To accomplish the object, the present invention proposes to form a thin guide member of flexible non-hygroscopic material. While a player is thrusting the thin guide member into an air passage, the thin guide member can propagate the thrust to the leading end portion thereof; however, the thin guide member deforms the shape thereof along the inner wall defining the air passage, and the leading end of the guide member advanced toward the other end of the air passage. 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a swab for wiping condensate from an inner surface of a tubular member forming a part of a wind instrument, comprising: a piece of hygroscopic material insertable into an inner space of the tubular member; a flexible guide member deformable along an inner wall of the tubular member defining the inner space when the flexible guide member is thrust into the inner space; and a coupling member for fixing the piece of hygroscopic material to one end of the flexible tenacious guide member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features and advantages the swab according to the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the crook of the standard bassoon; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the prior art swab used for the crook; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another prior art swab; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view showing a swab for a wind instrument according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a front view showing a coupling incorporated in the swab; and 
     FIGS. 6A to 6C are perspective view showing wiping away condensate with the swab according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 4 of the drawings, a swab embodying the present invention comprises a piece 10 of hygroscopic cloth, a flexible guide string 11 and a coupling member 12 for connecting the piece of hygroscopic cloth 10 to the flexible guide string 11. 
     The piece 10 of hygroscopic cloth is formed from cotton fiber, silk fiber, hemp yarn, artificial silk fiber, nylon fiber, polyester fiber, a commingle yarn of nylon and polyester. A piece of non-woven hygroscopic fabric and a sheet of hygroscopic paper are available for the swab according to the present invention. 
     The piece 10 of hygroscopic cloth is shaped into a generally rhombic configuration, and is folded back along a long center line so as to overlap the two edges 10a and 10b with the other two edges 10c and 10d, respectively. The halves of the piece 10 are sewed with a string 10e along the edges 10a/10c and 10b/10d, and the piece 10 of hygroscopic cloth is shaped into a generally isosceles triangle. Two holes are formed at both ends of the base of the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10. The width W ranges from 5 millimeters to 10 millimeters, and the ratio between the length L and the height H falls within the range from 5:1 to 30:1. The length L and the height are dependent on the air passage of a tubular member from which the swab wipes condensate. 
     The flexible guide string 11 has a diameter ranging from 1 millimeter to 2 millimeter, and is formed of flexible material having sufficient rigidity so that the flexible guide string maintains its shape under no load conditions but deforms to the curvation of the air passage when it is inserted therein. The rigidity allows the flexible guide string 11 to withstand thrust exerted thereon during wiping, and the flexible guide string 11 advances along an air passage without forming a coil. Non-hygroscopicity is another desirable property for the flexible guide string 11, because hygroscopic material is liable to lose its rigidity. For this reason, the flexible guide string 11 is formed of nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene or chloroethylene, and a vinyl coated flexible metal wire is available for the flexible guide string 11. Especially, the nylon string is desirable, because a manufacturer can purchase it from a commercial market at a reasonable price. 
     FIG. 5 shows the coupling member 12 encircled in broken lines BL in FIG. 4. One end portion 11a of the flexible guide string 11 is inserted into the inner space of the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 through the hole formed at a leading end portion thereof. The coupling member 12 is implemented by a synthetic resin tube, and the leading end portion of the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is inserted into the synthetic resin tube 12 together with the flexible guide string 11. The synthetic resin tube is caulked. Then, the synthetic resin tube presses the leading end portion 10f of the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 against the outer surface of the flexible guide string 11, and fixes the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 to the flexible guide string 11. Thus, the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is connected to the flexible guide string 11 by means of the synthetic resin tube or the coupling member 12. 
     In this instance, the total length TL of the flexible guide string 11 and the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is longer than an air passage 13a of a crook 13 (see FIGS. 6A to 6C), because a trailing end portion 10g of the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 should be outside of the blowing end portion 13b when the leading end 11a of the flexible guide string 11 reaches the connecting end 13c of the crook 13. However, another swab according to the present invention is shorter than an air passage, because the flexible guide string may be taken out from an intermediate portion of the air passage. 
     Subsequently, description is hereinbelow made of wiping condensate from the crook 13 forming a part of a bassoon with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C. 
     First, the swab shown in FIG. 4 is prepared. A worker puts the leading end portion 11a of the flexible guide string 11 into the air passage 13a at the blowing end portion 13b, and thrusts the flexible guide string 11 into the air passage 13a as indicated by arrow AR1 (see FIG. 6A). The flexible guide string 11 well withstands the bending moment due to the thrust, and propagates the thrust to the leading end 11a. For this reason, a weight is not necessary for the swab according to the present invention. 
     The tenacity of the flexible guide string 11 is so large that the thrust causes the flexible guide string 11 to advance along the air passage 13a of the crook 13 toward the connecting end 13c without forming a coil. Even though the inner surface of the crook 13 is wet with condensate, the non-hygroscopic flexible guide string 11 slides on the wet inner surface of the crook 13 without loosing its rigidity. Moreover, the non-hygroscopicity prevents the flexible guide string 11 from clinging to the inner wall of the crook 13. When the flexible guide string 11 passes a curved portion of the air passage 13a, the flexible guide string 11 is deformed. 
     When the leading end portion 11a reaches the connecting end 13c of the crook 13, the worker picks up the leading end portion 11a, and pulls the flexible guide string 11 as indicated by arrow AR2 (see FIG. 6B). The generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 follows the flexible guide string 11, and advances along the air passage 13a toward the connecting end 13c. While the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is passing through the air passage 13a, the condensate is absorbed by the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10, and is wiped from the inner surface of the crook 13. The generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is taken out from the connecting end 13c as shown in FIG. 6C. 
     The generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is widely shrunk depending upon the air passage 13a, because the piece of hygroscopic cloth is sewed into a tube-like configuration. Moreover, the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is less liable to be twisted in the air passage 13a by virtue of the tube-like configuration and the ratio between the length L and the height H. Thus, the air passage 13a is hardly clogged with the swab according to the present invention. 
     Even if the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is coiled in the air passage 13a before the leading end 11a reaches the connecting end 13c, the trailing end 10g is still outside of the blowing end portion 13b (see FIG. 6B), and the worker can easily pull the trailing end 11g back. 
     As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the swab according to the present invention passes through an air passage without clog by virtue of the flexible tenacious guide string 11. The tube-like generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 is less liable to be twisted in the air passage, and causes the swab according to the present invention to smoothly pass through the air passage. Moreover, when the total length TL is longer than the air passage 13a, the worker can pull the generally isosceles triangle shaped hygroscopic cloth 10 back, and the air passage is easily recovered from the clog. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     For example, the piece of hygroscopic cloth may be shaped into a bundle of strings, a ribbon or a braid. The swab shown in FIG. 4 may be modified in size so as to use in another wind instrument.