Patent Publication Number: US-10762883-B2

Title: Drumstick

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present teachings related to a drumstick. 
     Typically drumsticks are manufactured from wood and are produced with a number of design variations to achieve a desired sound, balance and longevity, as well as being adapted to different users and their playing styles. 
     Thinner and lighter sticks typically allow faster playing and create a lighter sound on percussion instruments such as drums and cymbals. Thicker and heavier sticks will provide more power and projection but cannot be played as quickly. 
     The overall length of a drumstick as well as its tapering towards the tip also affects the “feel” of the stick and the subject of a particular user preference. 
     It is also known to make drumsticks from materials other than wood, such as metal or plastics. 
     Further, it is known to incorporate functional components into drumsticks such as LEDs (light emitting diodes) in order that some or all of the drumstick can be lit. This may be desirable as it allows a drummer, who is typically located towards the rear of a stage, and is often hidden behind their drum kit, to have a greater visibility as part of an overall performance. 
     However, problems exist in incorporating components such as LEDs and batteries required to power said LEDs into a drumstick, whilst maintaining the playability and feel of that drumstick. 
     SUMMARY 
     A first aspect provides a drumstick comprising a first portion having a tip for striking a percussion instrument and a second portion separate from and mounted to the first portion. The second portion defines a space to house one or more functional components of the drumstick, and the second portion comprises a substantially tubular outer wall defining the space therein. The drumstick further comprises a cap arranged to close the space on an end remote from the tip. The first portion comprises an extension, which extends at least partially within the space, and the cap is arranged to be secured to the extension. 
     By providing the second portion as a tube, the space therein can be maximised. This may allow the drumstick to be thinner. Further, the length of the drumstick can be customised, e.g. for adult vs child users or different styles of drumming without significant additional tooling costs. Finally, it may enable the ‘balance’ of the drumstick to be optimised, such that the feel of a drumstick with additional functions to be tuned to be similar to that of a conventional drumstick. 
     A cap provides a convenient way of closing the space from foreign matter. 
     This arrangement effectively allows the second portion to be clamped in place between the first portion and end cap. 
     The drumstick may further comprise a light source, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED), arranged such that light is selectively emitted at least from the tip of the device. 
     The emission of light from a drumstick is a desirable feature as it enables a drummer, who is often less visible during a performance, to have a greater visual impact. 
     The light source may be housed within the space. 
     The light source is a functional component that may conveniently be housed within the space. 
     The drumstick may further comprise a light guide which is provided through first portion such that light from the light source may reach the tip. 
     The entirety of the first portion may be substantially formed from light transmissive material, such as polycarbonate. 
     This simplifies manufacture of the drumstick, and further may allow light to be emitted at other locations within the first portion. 
     The drumstick may further comprise an energy storage device, such as a battery or capacitor, housed within the space. 
     The tubular wall arrangement maximises the available space for energy storage, especially if button or cylindrical cells are used. 
     The drumstick may further comprise an accelerometer, gyroscope and/or inertial switch housed within the space. 
     An accelerometer or switch may be used to sense striking or other movement of the drumstick to assist in providing additional functions, e.g. if coupled with a light source to permit the light source to be triggered upon impact with an instrument. 
     The drumstick may further comprise a printed circuit board (PCB) housed within the space. 
     A PCB further facilitates additional functions of the drumstick. 
     The energy storage device may be mounted to the printed circuit board. 
     This further integrates multiple functional components to make the drumstick more compact and potentially ease assembly thereof. 
     The cap may further comprise a user input, such as a switch, to control operation of the drumstick. 
     The cap is at a convenient location to mount a switch where it is accessible but less susceptible to damage. 
     The cap may further comprise an interface for enabling charging of the energy storage device. 
     The cap is a convenient location to mount an interface for charging where it is accessible but less susceptible to damage. 
     The extension may comprise a boss extending in a transverse direction for fixing of the cap thereto. 
     A boss provides material to enable, for example, a female thread to be cut into the extension for a threaded fastener to mount the cap thereto. 
     The drumstick may further comprise a printed circuit board (PCB) and the boss may further locate the PCB. 
     This arrangement may further facilitate assembly of the drumstick. 
     The drumstick may further comprise a resilient element, such as an O-ring, which is provided between the first and second portions. 
     A resilient element may dampen vibrations that are generated at the tip, so the vibrations transmitted to the second portion are reduced. This may make the drumming more comfortable. Further the resilient element may seal the space to inhibit foreign material entering the space and harming function of the drumstick. 
     A second aspect provides a method of assembling a drumstick of the first aspect, the method comprising the steps of:
     a. mounting the second portion to the first portion;   b. providing at least one functional component in the space prior or subsequent to step a.; and   c. securing the cap to the extension of the first portion so as to secure the first and second components together.   

     The method may comprise a further step d., prior to step a., of injection moulding the first portion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the teachings are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a drumstick in accordance with the teachings; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the drumstick of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially dismantled view of the drumstick of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of the drumstick of  FIG. 1  in a partially assembled state; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of a portion of the drumstick as depicted in  FIG. 4  when viewed from the side; 
         FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 5  but with further functional components of the drumstick assembled therein; 
         FIG. 7  is an isometric view of a further portion of the drumstick of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of a portion of a drumstick according to another embodiment in a partially assembled state; 
         FIG. 9  is a further embodiment of a drumstick in a partially assembled state; and 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view of a further partially assembled drumstick according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  a drumstick in accordance with the present teachings is generally indicated at  10 . The drumstick comprises multiple parts along its length, specifically a tip  12  that is rounded and intended to contact a drum or other instrument to cause that instrument to generate noise, a taper  14 , a substantially cylindrical shaft  16  and a substantially cylindrical handle  18 . The drumstick  10  terminates at the end remote from the tip  12  in an end cap  20  as discussed in more detail below. 
     In this embodiment, the tip  12 , taper  14  and shaft  16  are all integrally and monolithically formed from the same piece of material. Typically, this is achieved in an injection moulding process as discussed in more detail below. In other embodiments, this may not be the case, e.g. the tip  12  may be separately attachable onto the taper. In addition, in other embodiments, no cylindrical shaft may be provided, e.g. the handle may interface with the taper. Further, in this embodiment the tip  12 , taper  14 , and shaft  16  are formed from a transparent polycarbonate material, although in other embodiments may be formed from wood or other plastics material, for example. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , the handle  18  is formed in this embodiment from a tube of the same or a similar diameter to that of the shaft  16 , but defining a hollow space therein, as described in more detail below. In this embodiment the tube is aluminium. In other embodiments, the handle  18  may be formed from other materials such as other metals, plastics such as nylon or polycarbonate or composite materials such as carbon fibre and resin, the tubular shape may be formed by extrusion, deep drawing or bending of a flat sheet of material, for example. 
     Finally, the end cap may also be made of a plastics material, as in this embodiment, or a suitable metal, e.g. aluminium. 
     In this embodiment, the tip  12 , taper  14  and shaft  16  define a first portion  22  and the handle  18  defines a second portion  24 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 to 6 , the drumstick  10  is shown in various states of assembly. In  FIG. 3  the first portion  22  is visible, together with an extension thereof  26  which is received within the handle  18  and is therefore not visible in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In addition, a screw  28  is depicted that is mounted to the extension  26 . The extension  26  is also integrally and monolithically formed with the first portion  22 , e.g. by injection moulding. As can be seen from  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5  the extension comprises the following sections, starting from its connection to the shaft  16 : a mounting portion  30 , a light housing  32 , a support  34  and a boss  36 . 
     The mounting section  30  is dimensioned to receive and support the handle  18  and in this embodiment includes two annular recesses  38  that are arranged to receive O-rings (not shown) and therefore both damp and seal the handle  18  to the first portion  22 . The mounting section  30  also includes a stop  40  that in this embodiment is an area of increased diameter with respect to the shaft  16  in order to prevent the handle  18  from sliding any further down the first portion  22 . In other embodiments the stop may simply be an annular end face of the shaft  16  such that the handle  18  and the shaft  16  are of the same overall diameter. 
     The light housing  32  is a depression in the generally cylindrical body of the first portion  22  that is open on one radial face, and closed on two sides. An axial end wall  42  is provided at the end facing the first portion  22  and is rounded so as to receive the light emitting portion of an LED  44  (shown in phantom in  FIG. 6 ). When the LED  44  is lit this enables the light to pass axially through the shaft  16 , taper  14  and be emitted at the tip  12  and along its length. The support  34  is a relatively thin elongate portion that is arranged to sit proximate to an inner surface  45  of the tubular handle  18 . As such, the support  34  provides a connection axially to the boss  36  whilst not consuming a significant amount of the space provided within the handle  18 . 
     The boss  36  extends transversely from the support  34  at its end remote from the first portion. The boss  36  is provided with a bore that extends axially, into which the screw  28  may be secured, in particular, the screw  28  may be self-tapping and the bore may act as a form of pilot hole, or a suitable threaded insert (not shown) may be provided in the bore to retain the screw. 
     As can most clearly be seen in  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 , the screw  28  is utilised to mount the end cap  20  to the extension  26  and therefore to the first portion  22 . 
     The end cap  20  comprises a section  46  that has a diameter substantially the same as that of the handle  18  (and stop  40 ), which therefore acts to confine the handle  18  between the head section  46  and the stop  40 . Two arms  48  extend from the head  46  towards the extension  26  and have curved radially outer profiles which are shaped and dimensional so as to substantially conform to the inner surface  45 . This further aids the stability of the drumstick  10  when assembled. 
     A mouth  50  also is provided in the end cap  20  and, as can be seen from  FIG. 6 , is arranged to receive a printed circuit board (PCB)  52 . As well as supporting the PCB  52  the mouth also has aperture  54  that extends through to the end face. This enables a switch  56  mounted on to the PCB to extend through to the end wall of the end cap  20  where a user can actuate the switch, e.g. to turn the light function on and off. 
     As shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the PCB  52  is also arranged to mount four button cell batteries  58  within the space adjacent to the support  34 , as well as the LED  44  using suitable mounts or “cages”  59 . However, in alternative embodiments, there may be any suitable number of cell batteries. It will be appreciated that a hole is provided in the PCB  52  in order that it may fit over the boss  36 . This further assists in the axial retention of the PCB  52 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 6  a controller  60 , e.g. a microprocessor controller, is mounted to the PCB in the space adjacent to the arms  48 . Further, this space is also used to mount an inertial switch  62 . 
     In other embodiments this space, as well as the space adjacent to the support  34  may be used to additionally or alternatively mount other functional components such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, capacitors, re-chargeable batteries, motors or actuators to provide haptic feedback, power sockets, communication interfaces, or other functional components. For the embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 1 to 6 , assembly of the drumstick is achieved as follows: 
     The first portion  22  is injection moulded and the second portion  24  is manufactured by extrusion, drawing or other suitable method. The batteries  58  are mounted to the PCB  52 , which already has the controller  60 , an inertial switch  62  and LED  44  mounted thereto (e.g. by soldering). The PCB  52  is then mounted to the extension  26  by the aperture  54  in the PCB being fitted over the boss  36  and the LED  44  being accommodated in the light housing  32 . The O-rings are then fitted into the annular recesses  38  and the handle  18  is slid over the extension  26  until it abuts the stop  40 . The end cap  20  is then slid within the space defined by the handle  18  such that the PCB is accommodated within the mouth  50  and the arms  48  are situated adjacent the boss  36 . 
     The screw  28  is then threaded into the boss  36  and tightened. The act of tightening the screw in effect clamps the axial ends of the handle  18  between the stop  40  and the head section  46 . This stabilises the handle  18  on the first portion  22  so that relative movement between the first portion  22  and the second portion  24  is minimised. However, at the same time the O-rings (not shown) within the recesses  38  act to dampen the transmission of vibrations from the tip  12  through to the handle  18  when the drumstick  10  strikes a suitable percussion instrument. To use the drumstick  10 , a drummer firstly turns on the lighting function by pressing switch  56 . In a typical mode of operation, the inertial switch  62  is arranged such that when the drumstick  10  impacts a drum or other instrument this closes the circuit connecting the cells  58  to the LED  44  and causes the LED to become illuminated and emit the light through the first portion  22  and be emitted at the tip  12  and along the first portion  22 . 
     However, in more advanced versions of the drumstick  10  the controller  60  may control the colour of the light emitted by the LED, the duration of lighting, whether the lighting is continuous or flashing, for example. 
     Further, in other variants the switch  56  may be operable to switch the drumstick  10  to operate in different modes, e.g. continuous lighting in a single colour or cycling through colours, for example. In a further variant, the inertial switch may be replaced by an accelerometer or gyroscope to provide more precise inputs to the controller  60  of the drumstick&#39;s  10  orientation or position in space. This may be utilised to further control how the light is emitted from the drumstick  10 . 
     In still further variants, the cells  58  may be replaced by a re-chargeable battery and a suitable charging interface may be provided on the end face of the end cap  20  to enable the re-chargeable battery to be charged. A suitable interface may be a micro USB or USB-C type connector. 
     With reference in particular to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , it will be appreciated that various lengths of handle  18  can inherently be mounted to the first portion simply by using the screw  28  to adjust the position of the head section  46  relative to the stop. As such the shortest length of handle to be mounted would be that of a length where the mouth  50  of the end cap  20  abuts against the boss  36 . Conversely, longer screws and end caps with longer arms  48  may be utilised to allow for a longer handle  18  without needing to change the mould tool used to mould the first portion  22 . This therefore allows the drumstick  10  to be customised to particular user requirements without expensive re-tooling. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a first portion  22  identical to that of the first embodiment is shown in enlarged plan view of the extension  26  thereof. However, in this embodiment the button cell batteries  58  are stacked in series with their planar end faces in contact with each other. The cells  58  are mounted to a smaller PCB  152  via end terminals  164 . This arrangement of cells  58  is more compact in an axial direction than the arrangement depicted in  FIG. 6 , thereby enabling the PCB  152  to be significantly smaller or other functional components to be located in the space adjacent to the support  34 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , like parts from previous figures described herein are denoted with the prefix ‘2’.  FIG. 9  depicts a further alternative embodiment where the first portion  222  has been reconfigured such that the support  234  is shortened and the boss  236  is therefore closer to the light housing  232  than in the first portion  22  of the first embodiment. Again, this allows a smaller PCB  252  to be used and optionally for the PCB to be provided with an aperture  266  to locate it thereon. This arrangement may allow for an even greater customisation of the length of the handle  18  as there is more scope for adjustment of the position of the end cap  20  relative to the boss  236 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , like parts from previous figures described herein are denoted with the prefix ‘3’.  FIG. 10  illustrates a still further variant of the first portion  322  where the extension  326  is substantially the same as the extension  226  of  FIG. 9  but the shaft  316  has been elongated by the introduction of a stop  340  that is substantially longer axially than that depicted in the first embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 6 . As this portion is of a constant cross section, the injection moulding tool for the first portion  322  can be easily reconfigured to change the length of this portion without significant re-tooling costs. This therefore provides a further opportunity for customising the length and/or balance of the drumstick  310  of  FIG. 10 . 
     It will be appreciated that numerous changes may be made within the scope of the present teachings. For example, the first portion may be manufactured from wood with a separate clear tip and clear light guide extending through the centre of the wood. Further, the tip may be frosted to alter the light emission. A handle may be formed from different tubular material such as tubular nylon or polycarbonate. The tip may be changed to be one that is mallet shaped or spherical and/or made of softer material. The drumstick may be adapted to become a foot pedal operated drumstick, the polycarbonate material may be dyed to be a different colour, may have UV fluorescent properties or be glow in the dark. The drumstick may additionally be able to output signals via BLUETOOTH® or an interface, e.g. to allow the stick to play “virtual” drums in space and still create a sound via a speaker in conjunction with a suitable accelerometer and/or gyroscope. Further or alternatively the drumstick may incorporate its own sounder within the space of the handle, the drumstick may be configured such that the LED may be used in a particular mode to indicate the charged state of the batteries, e.g. by emitting a green light to indicate that the battery charge is good, amber that it is at an intermediate level, and red to show that the batteries are almost exhausted. Alternative arrangements may be used to secure the first and second portions together, e.g. complimentary threaded connections, bayonet-type fittings and/or adhesive. In further embodiments, the drumstick may be mounted to a foot pedal so as to strike a bass drum upon operation of the foot pedal.