Patent Publication Number: US-6664457-B1

Title: Percussion instrument aid

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of aids to enable the play of percussion instruments. More particularly, the present invention relates to structures implementing a means to impact a percussion device. Ever more particularly, the present invention relates to the field of structures designed to transfer, the force imparted by a hand, to a percussion device, resulting in the characteristic acoustic vibrations of the percussion device. The present invention also relates to the field of aids to assist with physical therapy. 
     BACKGROUND 
     While there are percussion instruments, namely bongo drums, that are used, or played, using only the hands, percussion instruments are more commonly used by a musician using drumsticks. Accordingly, drumsticks that are grasped by a musician, such as those taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,716 issued to Donohoe (“Donohoe &#39;716”) are fairly ordinary in the art. Most inventions in the art related to the present invention provide the means for accommodating instruments that are played using grasped drumsticks. However, those who choose not to use drumsticks, or those unable to grasp drumsticks, are not accommodated. It would be desirable to accommodate those individuals who either choose not to use drumsticks, or who are unable to use drumsticks. 
     The ordinary way in which various percussion instruments are accommodated for use is taught in the related art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,645 issued to Grauso et al. (“Grauso”), U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,646 issued to Austin (“Austin”), U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,808 issued to Donohoe et al. (“Donohoe &#39;808”) teaches devices for supporting percussion instruments that are typically played with drumsticks. The utility of the structures taught by these patents is in the ability to accommodate multiple sizes and types of percussion instruments, organized in multiple combinations, and situated at various angles. However, these patents however do not teach a structure for permitting play with other than a musician&#39;s drumstick. Moreover, the devices that are taught by these patents are generally suited to relatively complex percussion arrangements. 
     Another type of percussion instrument support is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,913 issued to Hoshino (“Hoshino”). Hoshino teaches a stand for a bass drum. The Hoshino stand is particularly suited for a bass drum and does not, nor intends to, teach a means or method of support instruments other than bass drums. Moreover, the Hoshino device teaches a foot driven pedal to play the bass drum. Thus, the Hoshino device is also not suited to be played by hand. 
     Thus, a desirable characteristic of a percussion instrument would be the ability to accommodate the desire to play by hand. Additionally, it would be desirable to accommodate the physically disabled. In particular, it would be desirable to be able to play a variety of percussion instruments without requiring the use of a drumstick. Not Grauso, Austin, Donohoe &#39;808 nor Hoshino teach either of these accommodations. Thus, there is a need for a aid to playing percussion type instruments that obviates holding a musicians drumstick, and that facilitates the play of percussion instruments by those unable to hold a musicians drumstick. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a structural aid to playing percussion instruments. It is another object of the invention to provide a structural instrument aid that allows playing of percussion instruments with the force imparted by a hand. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an aid to playing percussion instruments that permits adjustment of said force imparted necessary to enable play of the percussion instrument. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its structure and its operation together with the additional object and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of the subject invention using a bell. 
     FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment having adjustable striking pad length and brace length. 
     FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment having static striking pad angle and brace length. 
     FIG. 4 depicts a close view of the pivot joint of the subject invention. 
     FIG. 5 depicts a close view of another pivot joint implementation. 
     FIG. 6 depicts a variable tension spring implementation of the pivot joint. 
     FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of the subject invention using a single leaf spring. 
     FIG. 8 depicts a top view an adjustable brace of the present invention with a stand attachment joint. 
     FIG. 9 depicts an implementation of multiple instrument aids as used by a musician. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While these descriptions directly describe the above embodiments, it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and/or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein. Any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well. It is understood that the description herein is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention described herein is limited only by the claims appended hereto. 
     The present invention, a percussion instrument aid  1 , is useful to aid in the creation of acoustic vibrations, or more generally, music. The subject instrument  1  comprises a striking pad  10  and a striking tip  12 , positioned distally on a lever arm  14 . Further, said lever arm  14  is pivotally attached at a pivot joint  16  to a brace  18 , said brace  18  having a percussion device  20  attached distally from where said lever arm  14  is pivotally attached. FIG. 1 depicts the subject instrument aid  1 . 
     Most commonly, the instrument aid  1  is used by displacing the striking pad  10  with a force conveyed by a hand. The imparted force may range in magnitude and be relatively gentle or comparatively severe. The actual force to be used is determined by the musician who is using the device and depends on the acoustic effect desired. As the striking pad  10  is displaced, the pivotally attached lever arm  14  is also displaced thereby causing a complementary displacement of the striking tip  12 . The displacement of the striking tip  12  eventually impacts upon the percussive device  20  causing the characteristic vibrations of the percussive device  20 . 
     The striking pad  10  of the subject instrument  1 , comprises a striking pad surface  100 , a back side  101 , and a striking pad attachment joint  102 . A rigid material composes the structure of the striking pad  10 . Metals, woods, plastics or other equivalent rigid materials provide the best materials of construction. A properly constructed pad  10  will be rigid enough to transfer substantially all of the force from a hand strike upon the pad  10 . Additionally, the pad  10  is structurally robust to withstand repeated hand strikes. 
     Preferably, the surface  100  of the striking pad  10  is covered by relatively firm padding. The padding may be attached by any means ordinary in the art. Firm padding permits a more efficient transfer of force from a hand strike and also avoids an excessive time lapse between, a hand strike upon the pad  10 , and the impact of the striking tip  12  upon the percussion device  20 . Padding  102  on the striking pad surface  100  is also preferred to avoid hand trauma due to repeated hand strikes. The preferred padding  102  is foam rubber, however, the actual type of padding may be any material ordinary in the art that achieves the desired characteristics. 
     Generally, the back side  101  of the striking pad  10  is uncovered material that is used to construct the string pad  10 . The striking pad attachment joint  102  is preferably swiveling, such as with a butterfly screw, to enable securing various particular angles for the striking pad  10 . An embodiment with a swiveling joint  102  is depicted in FIG. 2. A swivel joint permits many alternate angles for the striking pad surface  100 . Alternately, the attachment joint  102  may be non swiveling such that the end of the arm  18  to which the striking pad  10  is attached is a platform onto which the striking pad  10  is attached with screws or any other equivalent fastener. Such joint  102  is depicted in FIG.  3 . 
     The striking tip  12  of the instrument aid  1  is generally an exposed knob composed of the construction material of the lever arm  14  and positioned at a distal end from where the striking pad  10  is attached. As with drumsticks, musicians often desire alternate striking tip  12  compositions to affect different sounds. Thus, tip  12  compositions desirable to ordinarily skilled practitioners and musicians are contemplated for use with the invention. 
     Similar to the back side  101  of the striking pad  10 , the lever arm  14  of the instrument aid  1  is also composed of rigid material such as metal, wood or plastic. Generally, the lever arm  14  has the dimensional ratio of an ordinary musical drumstick. Preferably however, the size of the lever arm  14  is roughly five to ten percent (5%-10%) larger than an ordinary musical drumstick. The lever arm  14  is pivotally attached by a pivot joint  16  to a brace  18 . 
     Although the pivot joint  16  could be embodied using one spring, the preferred pivot joint  16  is embodied in dual spring gears  160  comprising first and second springs,  161  and  162  respectively, recessed within first and second cavities,  163  and  164  respectively. Said first and second springs,  161  and  162 , having end segments  1611 ,  1612  and  1621 ,  1622  projecting perpendicular to the cylinders formed by the helicoid of the springs, and said first end segments being received by apertures in the pivot joint  16  of the brace  18 . The springs of the pivot joint function to retain the lever arm  14  in the cocked, or ready, position before a hand strike, and return the lever arm  14  to the cocked position after a hand strike. The springs,  161  and  162 , of the pivot joint  16  are contemplated to be standard off-the-shelf spiral springs. 
     Both first and second cavities,  163  and  164 , are positioned at a distal end of the brace  18  and are fashioned either by milling or by cast molding. FIG. 4 depicts the preferred design of the spring mechanism  160 . First and second end caps,  165  and  166  respectively, enclose the cavities,  163  and  164 , and are attached to the pivot joint  16  by threads tapped on the walls of the cavities,  163  and  164 . A shaft  167 , extending through each end of the lever arm  14  provides the pivot axis of the lever arm  14 , and is secured by cavities in the end caps  165  and  166 . Preferably the end caps,  165  and  166 , and the shaft  167  will rotate upon bearings located in the end of the lever arm  14 . End cap washers having a notch in the perimeter and a notch in the inner aperture can be used to secure the end segments,  1612  and  1622 , of the springs,  161  and  162 , and the shaft  167 . 
     The spring mechanism  160  of the pivot joint  16  is also capable of alternate designs having different levels of complexity. For instance, FIGS. 5 and 6 show a relatively complex design of the pivot joint  16  having numerous pieces. On the other hand, FIG. 7 shows a relatively simple single leaf spring  30  design. The embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 features adjustable tension, whereas the embodiment of FIG. 7 requires changing of the leaf spring  30  to affect the tension of the lever arm  14 . 
     The embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of one design of the pivot joint  16 . In addition to the aforementioned components of the instrument aid  1 , the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 comprises: two pivot joint heads,  183  and  184  having spring cavities,  163  and  164 , two semi-shafts,  1671  and  1672  upon which the lever arm  14  pivots, at least one anti-slip tab,  1831  and  1841  with corresponding anti-slip tab receiving apertures on the lever arm,  1832  and  1842 ; at least one head retaining screw,  185  and  186 , with corresponding head retaining screw apertures,  1851  and  1861 , and lever arm retaining screw apertures,  1851  and  1861 ; two retaining plates,  187  and  188 , having at least two plate retaining screws,  1871  and  1881 , and apertures for said head retaining screw,  185  and  186 , said semi-shafts,  1671  and  1672 , said anti-slip tab,  1831  and  1841 , and said plate retaining screws,  1871  and  1881 . 
     FIG. 6 shows how the embodiment of FIG. 5 can be designed to implement variable coil tension in the springs  161  and  162 . Coil tension in springs,  161  and  162 , of the lever arm  14  refers to the force required to cause the desired impact of the striking tip  12  and the percussion device  20  and to the characteristic manner in which the arm  14  returns to the default position. Variable coil tension in the springs,  161  and  162 , permits the instrument aid  1  to be used by many different individuals with varying strength capability. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, the two retaining plates,  187  and  188 , further comprise a ratcheting mechanism  190  for the spring end segments,  1611 ,  1612  and  1621 ,  1622 , such that discrete increments of tension are possible. The design of the ratchet mechanism  190  can be accomplished by any means applicable in the art for imparting variable coil tension to springs. 
     For a relatively strong musician, the springs  161  and  162 , could be coiled relatively tightly so that the striking pad  10  of the lever arm  14  must be forced relatively hard to cause an impact of the striking tip  12  with the percussion device  20 . Accordingly, for this relatively tight setting, the lever arm  14  would recoil quickly back to the default position to await the next hand strike. Conversely, for a less strong musician, the springs  161  and  162 , could be coiled relatively loosely so that less force is required to cause impact of the striking tip  12  upon the percussion device  20 . Variable tension and recoil is particularly useful when the instrument aid  1  is being used as a physical therapy aid for individuals with diminished strength. As the individual&#39;s strength improves, the coil tension of the springs,  161  and  162 , can be increased to provide progressively challenging physical therapy. 
     The brace  18  of the subject invention is preferably fashioned from woods, metals, plastics or an equivalent thereof. Generally, the brace  18  supports and couples the lever arm  14  and the percussion device  20 . More particularly, the brace  18  is adjustable for alternate angles and lengths. FIG. 8 depicts a two segment brace  18 , with telescoping segments, which is lengthened by a butterfly pressure screw  181 . Moreover, a brace attachment joint  182  is included to removably attach the instrument aid to a stand to accommodate a drum set. FIG. 8 is depicted without the lever arm  14  and without the striking pad  10  or percussion device  20  for clarity. 
     The percussion device  20  of the instrument aid  1  can be any percussion instrument capable of being attached to the brace  18 . Generally, it is contemplated that bells, drums, symbols and other ordinary percussion instruments will be used. These instruments can either be removably attached, much in the same way that they&#39;re attached currently in the art, or manufactured to be a permanent part of the brace  18  of the aid  1 . FIG. 9 depicts a multi-percussion device  20  embodiment of the subject invention.