Patent Publication Number: US-7723594-B2

Title: Drum with sectional shell, sections joined by magnets

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to a drum, and more particularly, to a drum that is easy to assemble and disassemble and that is easy to carry accordingly. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   As life in modern times gets complex, people are spending more and more time for leisure than for work. Modern people are demanding a satisfactory spiritual life as well as a satisfactory material life. For people pursuing a good spiritual life, listening to music is one of the most common interests or enjoyments since music may relieve stress and help to improve health. 
   Drums are very common among musical instruments in the world. It is common to see drums in concerts or religious rituals. As an important type of musical instrument, drums are often used in activities that prefer the performance of percussion music, such as religious activities. Drums suit well with other percussion instruments, delivering a passionate or cheerful, lively mood in the activities. 
   Drums need to be brought to places where activities are held; however, conventional drums are generally not convenient to transport. Bigger drums are heavy and consume a lot of space; smaller drums may be lighter, but they consume much space as well when many of them are transported at one time. Usually, a conventional drum is made one-piece with its drumhead connecting to its shell and may not be dismantled into parts before transportation. This causes inconveniences for users to carry or to transport drums. Therefore, it is needed to overcome this disadvantage for prior art drums. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The object of the present invention is to provide a drum. Through the use of a first joining component and a second joining component, each of a plurality of shell members is joined with one another and a shell can thus be formed. Then, by magnetism associated with a first magnetic component and with a second magnetic component, a first drumhead and a second drumhead can be joined with the shell of the drum. A drum formed in such manner is easy to assemble and disassemble, and therefore, it is highly convenient whether to carry or to transport the drum. 
   To achieve the objective described above, a drum of the present invention comprises: a shell having a plurality of shell members, wherein each shell member can be joined with one another to form the cylindrical shell, which has an upper rim provided with at least one first magnetic component and a lower rim provided with at least one second magnetic component; a first drumhead provided with a third magnetic component which corresponds in location to the first magnetic component of the shell so that the two magnetic components can be coupled together; and a second drumhead provided with a fourth magnetic component which corresponds in location to the second magnetic component of the shell so that the two magnetic components can be coupled together, wherein the shell members use a first joining component and a second joining component to be joined with one another so as to form the shell, and wherein by magnetism between the first magnetic component and the third magnetic component and magnetism between the second magnetic component and the fourth magnetic component, the first drumhead, the second drumhead and the shell can be joined with one another. 
   Preferably, the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component are provided with a securing post each; the third magnetic component is provided with a securing hole corresponding to the securing post of the first magnetic component; the fourth magnetic component is provided with a securing hole corresponding to the securing post of the second magnetic component. 
   Preferably, the upper rim and the lower rim of the shell are provided with a securing post each; the first drumhead and the second drumhead are each provided with a securing hole corresponding to the securing post of the shell. 
   Preferably, the first magnetic component and the third magnetic component are both magnets. 
   Preferably, the second magnetic component and the fourth magnetic component are both magnets. 
   Preferably, the first magnetic component is secured at the upper rim of the shell through the use of a third joining component along with a fourth joining component. The second magnetic component is secured at the lower rim of the shell through the use of the third joining component along with the fourth joining component. 
   Preferably, the shell member is provided with an aperture. 
   Preferably, the shell member further comprises a ring and a foldable sheet. The foldable sheet pierces through the ring first and then through the aperture so that the ring can be fixed outside the aperture of the shell member. 
   In another embodiment, a drum of the present invention comprises: a shell having a plurality of shell members, wherein each shell member can be joined with one another to form the cylindrical shell, which has an upper rim provided with at least one first opening and a lower rim provided with at least one second opening; a first drumhead provided with an L-shaped rod which corresponds in location to the first opening of the shell; and a second drumhead provided with an L-shaped rod which corresponds in location to the second opening of the shell, wherein the shell members use a first joining component and a second joining component to be joined with one another so as to form the shell, and wherein when a user covers the upper and lower rims of the shell with the first and second drumheads respectively and rotates them a bit, the L-shaped rods can be secured to the first and second openings respectively so that the first drumhead, the second drumhead and the shell can be joined with one another. 
   Preferably, the shell member is provided with an aperture. Preferably, the shell member further comprises a ring and a foldable sheet. The foldable sheet pierces through the ring first and then through the aperture so that the ring can be fixed outside the aperture of the shell member. 
   In another embodiment, a drum of the present invention comprises: a shell having a plurality of shell members, wherein each shell member can be joined with one another to form the cylindrical shell, which has an upper rim provided with at least one first opening, close to which at least one first magnetic component is provided, and a lower rim provided with at least one second opening, close to which at least one second magnetic component is provided; a first drumhead provided with an L-shaped rod which corresponds in location to the first opening of the shell, wherein a third magnetic component is provided close to the L-shaped rod; and a second drumhead provided with an L-shaped rod which corresponds in location to the second opening of the shell, wherein a fourth magnetic component is provided close to the L-shaped rod, wherein the shell members use a first joining component and a second joining component to be joined with one another so as to form the shell, wherein when a user covers the upper and lower rims of the shell with the first and second drumheads respectively and rotates them a bit, the L-shaped rods can be secured to the first and second openings respectively, and wherein by magnetism between the first magnetic component and the third magnetic component and magnetism between the second magnetic component and the fourth magnetic component, the first drumhead, the second drumhead and the shell can be joined with one another. 
   In yet another embodiment, a drum of the present invention comprises: a shell having a plurality of shell members, wherein each shell member is provided with a dovetail slot and a dovetail protrusion at two opposite ends, and is provided with a male thread at each of another two opposite ends; a first drumhead, the inner wall of which is provided with female threads corresponding to the male threads of the shell members; and a second drumhead, the inner wall of which is provided with female threads corresponding to the male threads of the shell members, wherein the shell members use a dovetail slot and a dovetail protrusion to be joined with one another so as to form the shell, and wherein by coupling the female threads of the first drumhead to the male threads of the shell member and by coupling the female threads of the second drumhead to the male threads of the shell member, the first drumhead, the second drumhead and the shell can be joined with one another. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a drum according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the drum according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead with the shell according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead with the shell according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic view of assembling the shell members according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of a drum according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead with the shell according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead with the shell according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  shows a schematic view of assembling the shell members according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of a drum according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead with the shell according to the third embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead with the shell according to the third embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  shows a schematic view of assembling the shell members according to the third embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  shows an exploded view of a drum according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead with the shell according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead with the shell according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of a drum according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9A  shows a perspective view of two shell members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9B  shows a top view of two shell members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of the first drumhead and the shell members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a perspective view and exploded view of a drum  1  are shown respectively, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the drum  1  comprises a shell  2 , a first drumhead  8 , and a second drumhead  10 . The shell  2  has a plurality of shell members  3 . Each shell member  3  can be joined with one another, and the cylindrical shell  2  can be formed when all of the shell members  3  are assembled together. The shell  2  includes an upper rim  4  provided with at least a first magnetic component  6 , and a lower rim  5  provided with a second magnetic component  7 . The first drumhead  8  of the drum  1  is provided with a third magnetic component  9  corresponding in location to the first magnetic component  6  of the shell  2  so that the third magnetic component  9  of the first drumhead  8  can be coupled to the first magnetic component  6 . The second drumhead  10  of the drum  1  is provided with a fourth magnetic component  11  corresponding in location to the second magnetic component  7  of the shell  2  so that the fourth magnetic component  11  can be coupled to the second magnetic component  7 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2A , a schematic view of joining the first drumhead  8  with the shell  2  is shown. The first magnetic component  6  is provided with a securing post  12 , and the third magnetic component  9  is provided with a securing hole  13  corresponding in location to the securing post  12 . The securing hole  13  and the securing post  12  serve to secure the position of both the third magnetic component  9  of the first drumhead  8  and the first magnetic component  6  of the shell  2 , when the two magnetic components are coupled together. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2B , a schematic view of joining the second drumhead  10  with the shell  2  is shown. The second magnetic component  7  is provided with a securing post  14 , and the fourth magnetic component  11  is provided with a securing hole  15  corresponding in location to the securing post  14 . The securing hole  15  and the securing post  14  serve to secure the position of both the fourth magnetic component  11  of the second drumhead  10  and the second magnetic component  7  of the shell  2 , when the two magnetic components are coupled together. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3  along with  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  shows a schematic view of assembling the shell members  3  of the drum  1  according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The shell members  3  use a first joining component  42  and a second joining component  43  to be joined with one another and form the shell  2  together. Further, the first drumhead  8  is joined to the top of the shell  2  by magnetism between the first magnetic component  6  and the third magnetic component  9 , and the second drumhead  10  is joined to the bottom of the shell  2  by magnetism between the second magnetic component  7  and the fourth magnetic component  11 . 
   More specifically, the first magnetic component  6  is secured at the upper rim  4  of the shell  2  through the use of a third joining component  16  along with a fourth joining component  17 . Likewise, the second magnetic component  7  is secured at the lower rim  5  of the shell  2  through the use of the third joining component  16  along with the fourth joining component  17 . The first magnetic component  6  and the third magnetic component  9  are both magnets; also, the second magnetic component  7  and the fourth magnetic component  11  are both magnets. 
   Each shell member  3  is provided with an aperture  18 , and the drum  1  of the present invention further comprises a ring  19  and a foldable sheet  20 . The foldable sheet  20  pierces through the ring  19  first and then through the aperture  18  so that the ring  19  can be fixed outside the aperture  18  of the shell member  3 . 
   Reference is now made to  FIGS. 4 ,  4 A,  4 B and  5 , all of which illustrate a drum  21  according to a second embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the drum  21 ;  FIG. 4A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead  8  with the shell  2 ;  FIG. 4B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead  10  with the shell  2 ;  FIG. 5  shows a schematic view of assembling the shell members  3  into the drum  21 . In this embodiment, each of the upper rim  4  and the lower rim  5  is provided with at least one securing post  22  respectively, and each of the first drumhead  8  and the second drumhead  10  is provided with a corresponding securing hole  23 . The securing posts  22  together with the securing holes  23  help to secure the entire drum construction. The rest of the parts of the drum  21  in the second embodiment are substantially identical to those of the drum  1  in the first embodiment, and hence, further details are to be omitted herein. 
   Reference is now made to  FIGS. 6 ,  6 A and  6 B, all of which illustrate a drum  31  according to a third embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of the drum  31 ;  FIG. 7A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead  39  with the shell  32 ;  FIG. 4B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead  41  with the shell  32 . In this embodiment, the drum  31  of the present invention comprises a shell  32 , a first drumhead  39  and a second drumhead  41 . The shell  32  has a plurality of shell members  33 . Each shell member  33  can be joined with one another, and the cylindrical shell  32  can be formed when all of the shell members  33  are assembled together. Moreover, the shell  32  has an upper rim  34  provided with at least one first opening  36 , and a lower rim  35  provided with at least one second opening  37 . The first drumhead  39  is provided with an L-shaped rod  40  corresponding in location to the first opening  36  of the shell  32 , and the second drumhead  41  is also provided with an L-shaped rod  40  corresponding in location to the second opening  37  of the shell  32 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 7  along with  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 7  shows a schematic view of assembling the shell members  33  of the drum  31  according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The shell members  33  use a first joining component  42  and a second joining component  43  to be joined with one another and form the shell  32  together. When a user covers the upper rim  34  with the first drumhead  39  and rotates it a bit, the L-shaped rod  40  can be secured to the first opening  36 . Similarly, when the user covers the lower rim  35  with the second drumhead  41  and rotates it a bit, the L-shaped rod  40  can be secured to the second opening  37 . Consequently, the first drumhead  39 , the second drumhead  41  and the shell  32  can be joined together to form the drum  31  of the present invention. 
   Each shell member  33  is provided with an aperture  46 , and the drum  31  of the present invention further comprises a ring  47  and a foldable sheet  48 . The foldable sheet  48  pierces through the ring  47  first and then through the aperture  46  so that the ring  47  can be fixed outside the aperture  46  of the shell member  33 . 
   Reference is now made to  FIGS. 8 ,  8 A and  8 B, all of which illustrate a drum  51  according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 8  shows an exploded view of the drum  51 ;  FIG. 8A  shows a schematic view of joining the first drumhead  60  with the shell  52 ;  FIG. 8B  shows a schematic view of joining the second drumhead  63  with the shell  52 . In this embodiment, the drum  51  of the present invention comprises a shell  52 , a first drumhead  60  and a second drumhead  63 . The shell  52  has a plurality of shell members  53 . Each shell member  53  can be joined with one another, and the cylindrical shell  52  can be formed when all of the shell members  53  are assembled together. The shell  52  includes an upper rim  54  and a lower rim  55 . The upper rim  54  is provided with at least one first opening  56 , close to which at least one first magnetic component  57  is provided, and the lower rim  55  is provided with at least one second opening  58 , close to which at least one second magnetic component  59  is provided. The first drumhead  60  is provided with an L-shaped rod  61  corresponding in location to the first opening  56  of the shell  52 , and close to the L-shaped rod  61 , a third magnetic component  62  is provided. The second drumhead  63  is also provided with an L-shaped rod  61  corresponding in location to the second opening  58  of the shell  52 , and close to the L-shaped rod  61 , a fourth magnetic component  64  is provided. 
   The shell members  53  use a first joining component  42  and a second joining component  43  to be joined with one another and form the shell  52  together (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). When a user covers the upper rim  54  of the shell  52 , the lower rim  55  of the shell  52  respectively with the first drumhead  60  and the second drumhead  63 , and rotates the drumheads  60 ,  63  a bit, the L-shaped rods  61  can be secured to the first opening  56  and the second opening  58 . Further, by magnetism between the first magnetic component  57  and the third magnetic component  62 , and also by magnetism between the second magnetic component  59  and the fourth magnetic component  64 , the first drumhead  60 , the second drumhead  63 , and the shell  52  can be joined with one another. 
   Each shell member  53  of the drum  51  in this embodiment further comprises an aperture  18 , a ring  19  and a foldable sheet  20 , all of which are identical to those of the drum  1  in the first embodiment (referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 ), and hence, further details are to be omitted herein. 
   Reference is now made to  FIGS. 9 ,  9 A,  9 B and  10 , all of which illustrate a drum  71  according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of the drum  71 ;  FIG. 9A  shows a perspective view of shell members  73 ;  FIG. 9B  shows a top view of the shell members  73 ;  FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of a first drumhead  77  joined with the shell members  73 . The drum  71  according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention comprises a shell  72 , a first drumhead  77  and a second drumhead  79 . The shell  72  comprises a plurality of shell members  73 . Each shell member  73  is provided with a dovetail slot  74  and a dovetail protrusion  75  at two opposite ends, and is provided with male threads  76  at another two opposite ends. The inner wall of the first drumhead  77  is provided with a female thread  78  corresponding to the male thread  76  of each shell member  73 . The inner wall of the second drumhead  79  is provided with another female thread  78  corresponding to the male thread  76  of each shell member  73 . 
   Each shell member  73  can be joined with one another by coupling the dovetail slot  74  to the dovetail protrusion  75 , and the cylindrical shell  72  can be formed when all of the shell members  73  are assembled together. Furthermore, the female thread  78  of the first drumhead  77  is coupled to the male thread  76  of the shell member  73 , while the female thread  78  of the second drumhead  79  is coupled to the male thread  76  of the shell member  73 . In consequence, the first drumhead  77 , the second drumhead  79  and the shell  72  can be joined together with one another. 
   Each shell member  73  of the drum  71  in this embodiment further comprises an aperture  18 , a ring  19  and a foldable sheet  20 , all of which are identical to those of the drum  1  in the first embodiment (referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 ), and hence, further details are to be omitted herein. 
   A drum of the present invention is advantageous in that it is easy to assemble and disassemble the drum, and accordingly, it is highly convenient whether to carry or to transport the drum. 
   While this invention has been described by way of examples and in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited hereto, and that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.