Patent Publication Number: US-10777173-B1

Title: Magnetic tool for instrument setup

Description:
Electric guitars have had vibrato systems mounted to them since early in the guitar&#39;s existence. These systems created a desirable vibrato effect that mimicked the sounds of a lap steel guitars. These systems are sometimes called “tremolo” systems, though their effect is not tremolo, a change in output amplitude, but vibrato, a change in frequency or pitch. These early systems created vibrato by changing the string tension using a rocking system. One of the problems with these early systems was tuning instability, where the guitar would go out of tune due to friction in the string&#39;s contact points on the guitar. For example, when the bar was depressed, the string would slacken, and the tension of the string would go down and the note would lower, but at some tension value, the string would “slip” on the guitar&#39;s nut and slacken the length of string between the nut and the tuning machine. Upon returning the vibrato bar to its original position, the tension between the nut and the tuning machine would not return to its prior value and thus, neither would the string over the fretboard, thus the guitar would be out of tune and unusable for music making. The same effect is true of raising the bar, tightening the strings, and returning the bar to its original position. Raising and lowering the bar, to create a more prominent vibrato effect, thus greatly increases the chance of the instrument being out of tune once returned to the original position. 
     In the late 1970&#39;s a company called Floyd Rose® created a “double locking” system which completely eliminated the problem. By clamping the string at two points, at the bridge and at the nut, a musician could use the vibrato system with great effect and the instrument would come back to perfect pitch. These “double locking” systems completely fixed the problem as long as the metal strings stayed stable. Slight changes to the tuning were often a problem with these systems do to instability in the temperature of the wire, perhaps due to stage lights or playing, or the change in the elastic deformation or plastic deformation of the metal used in making the string. These slight changes were remedied in the Floyd Rose® “double locking” system with the addition of “fine tuners” to the system. The fine tuners are made of a threaded rod with a knurled end to allow a musician to use their hand to make the fine adjustments. Because of a clever lever arm system, the force to turn the fine tuners does not require a wrench and can be easily turned by hand. 
     To lock the strings in place, the “double locking” system uses a hex screw to push on a platen toward a base. The string is inserted in a gap between the platen and the base, and the platen is moved toward the base by turning the hex screw, pinching the string between the platen and the base “locking” it in place. The forces required to close the locking platen to the base require considerable leverage and a tool is used, typically a standard 3 mm hex wrench. 
     As the strings are played they vibrate and as they are repeatedly strummed or struck with a pick or fingers, they are both stretched and slackened by the vibrato system, causing them to lengthen slightly. This lengthening of the strings is the motivation for “fine tuner” adjustments. However, over time, the fine tuner is turned until the length of the threads is exceeded. The only remedy to tune the strings to their appropriate pitch is to unlock the “nut” end of the “double locking” system with a hex wrench, reset the fine tuners to the middle of their thread range, use the instrument&#39;s standard tuning keys to bring the instrument to pitch and, then using the hex wrench, tighten the nut down on the string, “locking” it in place. 
     Given that a musician may perform under hot lights, or outside, where temperatures are changing during their performance, there is sometimes a need to make fine tuner adjustments between songs. At some performances, there may be a need to go beyond find tuner only adjustments and reset the tuning using the method of unlocking the nut. Having the hex tool nearby is an important capability in this situation. 
     Today there is a product that allows musicians to mount a hex tool holding device to their guitar, but requires screws be driven into the guitar, which is something many musicians try to avoid and thus, it is not a popular solution, especially with professional musicians. Also, this mounting device is only effective if you mount it to every guitar you own, one per guitar, and is not readily transferrable without a drill, a drill bit, a drilling template, a depth guide, and a screwdriver. For some instruments with a double locking system, especially those with a “3 per side” headstock, there is not enough room on the back of the instrument to mount the system and fit the hex wrenches making it ineffective for use for some guitars. 
     SUMMARY 
     A general aspect of the invention relates to a tool for use with a locking mechanism of an instruments setup of a stringed musical instrument. The tool comprises a body having a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a first surface extending along the longitudinal axis, and a second surface substantially parallel to the first surface of the body. The tool also includes a key disposed on the first surface and extending substantially along the transverse axis and a magnet disposed on the second surface of the body and configured to be attached to a magnetic surface on the stringed instrument. The key is configured for being received within a socketed head of the locking mechanism of the vibrato system. 
     Embodiments of this aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features. 
     The key is hexagonal in cross section to be received within a hexagonal socketed head. The body is formed of a polymer and has a substantially rectangularly prismatic shape. The body includes end regions spanned by a central region, the end regions having a first thickness greater than a second thickness of the central region. The end regions are rounded. 
     The magnet is disposed in the central region and substantially hallway along the longitudinal axis. The magnet comprises a neodymium alloy. 
     Among other advantages, the instrument setup tool allows a musician to quickly and effectively access a tool from their instrument during performance. This invention results in an instrument setup tool (e.g., hex wrench) that is securely stowed and hidden from view, away from the areas where the musician plays the instrument, and without requiring holes to be drilled in the instrument. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view of the hex wrench being used to tighten hex screws on the body of a guitar for a double-locking vibrato system. 
         FIG. 2  is a view of the hex wrench being used to tighten hex screws on the neck of a guitar for the double locking vibrato system 
         FIG. 3  is a view of the hex wrench showing the positioning of the embedded magnet. 
         FIG. 4  shows a view of the hex wrench showing the male hexagonal member. 
         FIG. 5  shows a view of the hex wrench when not in use, magnetically attached to the guitar “tuners” or “tuning machines.” 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a double-locking vibrato system as manufactured by Floyd Rose allows you to lock the strings  2  on your guitar in place at two points, at the bridge  4  itself, and at the locking nut  6 . The bridge  4  features locking saddles  7 , which the strings  2  are inserted into and locked into place by tightening bolts  8  on the back of the bridge with a hex wrench  10 . The bridge features fine tuners  11 , one for each string  2 . This configuration allows players to adjust their tuning if strings  2  sharpen or flatten from extensive use or temperature changes. 
     The locking nut  6 , shown in  FIG. 2 , is used in place of a traditional bone or synthetic nut, has a similar locking design whereby three plates  13  lock down two strings  2  each. These are also tightened with a hex wrench  10 , preventing the strings from sliding over the nut and going out of tune when using a whammy bar  16 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in a particular embodiment of the invention, the hex wrench  10  comprises a flattened handle  12  with a roughly rectangular-prismatic shape, with a top side  15  and a bottom side  20 . Handle  12  is typically formed of a non-metallic polymeric material (e.g., plastic). Embedded in the top side  15  is a magnet  25 , and projecting from the bottom side  20  is a male hexagonal member  30  that inserts into and fits snugly in female hexagonal screw-heads  35  on the tightening bolts  8 . The female hexagonal screw-heads  35  are configured so that when torque is applied to the male hexagonal member  30  the tightening bolts  8  will turn, resulting in tightening or loosening of the locking plates  13 , locking the string tension or freeing the string to move during the tensioning of the string during tuning. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in this embodiment, the magnet  25  is centrally disposed on the top side  15  of the handle  12  and the male hexagonal member  30  is centrally disposed on the bottom side  20  of the handle  12  perpendicular to the plane of the bottom side  20  of the handle  12 . The handle  12  has a proximal side  45  that is rounded and a mirror image distal side  50  that is similarly rounded. The rounded proximal side  45  and distal side  50  facilitate gripping the handle  12  by hand. Spanning the proximal side  45  and the distal side  50  are flattened surfaces  55 . The rounded proximal side  45  and rounded distal side  50  spanned by flattened surface  55  form a configuration in which the handle thickness is greater at the ends than in the middle region between those ends. When the hexagonal member  30  is inserted into a female hexagonal screw-head  35 , and the handle  12  is gripped by hand and turned about the axis  40 , this results in torque being applied to the tightening bolts  8 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the hex wrench  10  unobtrusively tucks away under tuning machines  60  at the neck of a guitar or similar stringed instrument and is held in place by the magnets  25  that are in contact with metal casings  65  of the tuning machines. 
     It will be appreciated that a handle  12  for which the proximal side  45  and the distal side  50  have bulbous ends will facilitate a good “thumb hold” on the end. Similarly, a handle  12  that is smooth on each end will facilitate wider surface area of pressure, minimizing pressure points on the user&#39;s hand. It will likewise be appreciated that a plurality of differently shaped handles  12  may be optimized for each brand, type and style of instruments including, but not limited to, guitar and bass. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the hex wrench  10  is used with a metal bolt  8 . It is helpful to the musician if, when standing and tuning, as when on stage, the hex wrench  10  does not fall from the guitar. Therefore, the magnet  25  and hex shaft  30  are assembled in a way that the magnet  25  transfers magnetism through the hex shaft  30  so that when the hex wrench  10  is inserted into the screw-head  35  it is attracted magnetically to the bolt  8  and the hex wrench  10  will not fall out of the screw-head  35  due to the force of gravity, and in many embodiments with strong magnets, due to many kinds of hits or bumps that might happen accidentally on stage. The magnetic force is transferred best when the hex shaft  30  is touching the magnet  25  in assembly, but some gap can be present and still transfer effective magnetic force to retain the hex wrench  10  in the bolt  8  effectively for a musician on stage. This allows for “one hand” operation of the hex wrench  10  on stage which is helpful with speed and convenience when making this adjustment at a performance. 
     Embodiments may include a plurality of magnets  25  embedded in the top side and a plurality of male hexagonal members  30  projecting from the bottom side. Two or more magnets  25  may for example be set at a spacing that maximizes the effective holding power of the magnets  25  to a particular instrument&#39;s metal tuning machine casings  65 . Multiple hexagonal members  30  will provide flexibility for different sized screw-heads  35  on the same instrument, and/or for hexagonal members  30  with different lengths. Hexagonal members  30  may be made shorter or longer in order to obtain a desired balance of effectiveness against taking up less space on the instrument. 
     Hexagonal members  30  may comprise one or more of a 3 mm hex shaft, a 2 mm hex shaft, or a ⅛″ hex shaft, or any hex shaft size that is appropriate for a particular instrument. In other embodiments, hexagonal members  30  may be replaced by one or more tools such as, but not limited to, a Phillips (i.e., “cross-recess”) screw driver, a flat head screw driver, a hexagonal socket, a square shaft, a Torx (i.e., star) shaft, etc., or any other type of tool end that may be used for tuning or modifying instruments today, or in the future. 
     Embodiments may be optimized for guitars that do not have a “double locking” system but are created with tool types that are useful for some musicians to have handy on their guitar like saddle set screws and truss rod adjusters. These embodiments might include a foldable section of the invention to allow for longer tool shafts that do not protrude from the back of the guitar and are more streamlined when not in use. 
     It is apparent that the structural features of the invention can be obtained by a variety of materials and construction methods. In order to obtain a light-weight hex wrench  10 , the holder can be constructed of a durable plastic. The hexagonal member  30  may be constructed of any suitable metallic alloy, or of high strength polymer materials. The magnet  25  may be an ordinary refrigerator magnet, or, preferentially, a rare-earth “super” magnet constructed using a neodymium alloy or other alloy incorporating rare earth metals. 
     It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.