Patent Publication Number: US-10332493-B2

Title: Illuminated musical instrument display

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/605,676, filed Aug. 22, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure generally relates to instrument displays and, more particularly, to illuminated instrument displays that are mounted to a surface. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Musical instruments are commonly placed in storage cases to protect the instruments from damage and to keep the musical instruments clean. Once placed in cases, the musical instruments are often tucked away and stored out of sight. However, some instruments are made using painstaking and time consuming manufacturing processes. Such processes include handcrafting various string instruments such as violins, cellos, and guitars, or various brass instruments such as trumpets or French horns. An owner of such an instrument might want to display the instrument because of the craftsmanship that went into making the instrument, rather than putting the instrument into a case. 
     To remedy this, owners can turn to stands that sit on the floor and hold the instrument. For example, a guitar stand typically includes a base to prevent the instrument and stand from tipping and a portion that extends vertically from the base to hold the instrument. However, placing instruments in such stands that sit on the floor causes clutter and may take away from the presentation of the instrument. Thus, existing musical instrument displays add clutter and take up considerable amount of space in addition to interfering with the aesthetic display of the musical instrument. 
     SUMMARY 
     An illuminated musical instrument display includes a musical instrument holder for holding and displaying an instrument. The musical instrument holder includes a housing, a hook, an illumination device, and a mounting device. A cavity is formed within a portion of the housing and receives the illumination device. The hook is carried by the housing and projects from a front surface of the housing. An instrument may be hung from the hook. The illumination device is disposed at a lower surface of the housing and is adapted to project light below the holder and behind the musical instrument when the musical instrument is hung. The mounting device is carried by the housing and mounts the musical instrument holder to a supporting wall surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features of this disclosure which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present disclosure may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the several figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example illuminated instrument display bracket constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the example illuminated instrument display bracket depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the example illuminated instrument display bracket depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another side view of the example illuminated instrument display bracket depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the example illuminated instrument display bracket depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the example illuminated instrument display bracket depicted in  FIG. 1  with a back piece and holder removed; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of an example of a musical instrument display system constructed in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of the musical instrument display system of  FIG. 7  with an illumination device emitting light. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is generally directed to an instrument display and, in particular, to an illuminated musical instrument display bracket. The instrument display can be mounted to a surface, such as a wall, thus raising the instrument off the ground eliminating clutter. The instrument display may also include an illumination device to illuminate the instrument held by the instrument display. The illumination device also aids in the aesthetic presentation of the instrument in a store display or at home, for example. 
       FIGS. 1-5  depicts an example of an illuminated instrument display bracket  10  including a housing  12 , a hook  14  carried by the housing  14 , an illumination device  16 , and a mounting device  18  carried by the housing  14 . The housing  14  includes a front surface  20 , at least one side surface  22 , and the mounting device  18 , and may take the form of a shape that is readily hidden behind an instrument  11  carried by the instrument display  10 . For example, the housing  12  in the depicted version takes the shape of a rectangle. In such an example, the rectangularly shaped housing can be readily hidden behind the head and/or neck of a guitar. In other examples, however, the housing  12  may take the form of a square, circle, oval, or triangle. Additionally, a cavity  24  is formed within a rear surface  26  of the housing  12 , opposite the front surface  20  of the housing  12 . The cavity  24  may take the form of a shape substantially similar to the housing  12 . In particular, if, for example, the housing  12  is rectangular, the cavity  24  can also take the form of a rectangle. The cavity  24  may extend from a top surface  28  of the housing  12  up to, and through, a bottom surface  30  of the housing  12  and between a first and second side  22  of the housing. In other examples, the cavity  24  can extend from the bottom surface  30  up and through the top surface  28 , and between a first and second side  22  of the housing  12 . Thus, the cavity  24  creates a hollow area in the housing  12  capable of hiding electronic components (e.g., a power source, a controller, one or more drivers, etc.) of the illumination device  16 . 
     In addition to the cavity  24 , the housing  12  includes a structure  32  that extends perpendicularly from the front surface  20  of the housing  12 . In particular, the structure  32  can receive a portion of the hook  14 . For example, the structure  32  can be an elongated cylinder  32   a  with a hollow core  32   b . In such an example, the hollow core  32   b  extends through the housing  12  creating a passage through the elongated cylinder  32   a  to the cavity  24  of the housing  12 . 
     The elongated cylinder  32   a  may be integrally formed with the housing  12 . However, in other examples, the elongated cylinder  32   a  may be attached to the housing  12 . In particular, the elongated cylinder  32   a  may be attached to the housing  12  using an adhesive. The elongated cylinder  32   a  may also be attached to the housing  12  by mechanical means. For example, the elongated cylinder  32   a  may be attached to the house  12  by screwing one end of the elongated cylinder  32   a  into an aperture of the housing  12 , by tongue and groove, or by snap fit. The housing  12  and elongated cylinder  32   a  (herein “housing”) may be formed using an injection molded plastic. Additionally, the housing  12  may be formed of a wood, a plastic, a metal, or a composite material, for example, or any other suitable material. 
     The hook  14  is carried by the housing  12  and includes an engagement portion  14   a  and a support portion  14   b . The engagement portion  14   a  holds the instrument  11  to be displayed and the support portion  14   b  is coupled to the engagement portion  14   a . The engagement portion  14   a  and the support portion  14   b  may be integrally formed to increase the strength, and overall carrying capacity. Additionally, the support portion  14   b  may be integrally formed with the housing  12  to increase the strength, and overall carrying capacity of the hook  14 . However, the engagement portion  14   a  and the support portion  14   b  may be formed separately and later joined. For example, the engagement portion  14   a  can include a threaded portion and the support portion  14   b  can include a threaded bore that receives the threaded portion of the engagement portion  14   a . In such an example, various engagement portions  14   a  may be attached to a threaded portion of the support portion  14   b . Such a feature allows for instruments having various shapes to be held by the instrument display  10 . 
     The engagement portion  14   a  may take any shape capable of holding the instrument  11  to be displayed. For example, the engagement portion  14   a  can be lyre shaped hooks, v-shaped hooks, c-shaped hooks, u-shaped hooks, or an s-shaped hook to hold multiple instruments. The engagement portion  14   a  may also include a coating to prevent damaging the instrument  11  while it is in contact with the hook  14 . In particular, the engagement portion  14   a  may be at least partially covered with a non-abrasive material. For example, the non-abrasive material can be a foam. The engagement portion  14   a  may also include a coating to prevent the instrument  11  from slipping or sliding out from the engagement portion  14   a . In particular, the engagement portion  14   a  may be at least partially covered with a non-slip material. For example, the non-slip material can be a rubber, felt, foam, fabric, silicone, Dycem, or another suitable material. 
     The engagement portion  14   a  and the support portion  14   b  may also be rigid, so as to maintain their shape when holding the instrument  11 . However, in other examples, the support portion  14   b  can be rigid and the engagement portion  14   a  can be flexible. In such an example, the engagement portion  14   a  can be manipulated to securely engage the instrument  11 . Thus, an instrument having a shape that does not lend itself to be held by a hook may be securely engaged by the engagement portion  14   a  of the hook  14 . Additionally, a flexible engagement portion may allow an instrument to be displayed at various angles without the need for an additional element to secure the instrument to the hook  14 . 
     As discussed above, the hook  14  is carried by the housing  12 . In particular, the support portion  14   b  is carried by the structure  32  extending perpendicularly from the front surface  20  of the housing  12 . For example, the elongated cylinder  32   a  can receive the support portion  14   b  of the hook  14 . A portion of the support portion  14   b  extends through the hollow core  32   b  of the elongated cylinder  32   a  and extends through to the cavity  24 . The support portion  14   b  may then be attached to the housing  12  by a securing mechanism disposed within the cavity  24 . For example, an end of the support portion  14   b  can extend into the cavity  24  and be attached to the housing  12  via the securing mechanism. In such an example, the securing mechanism may be a threaded nut that engages a threaded portion of the end of the support portion. In other examples, the support portion  14   b  can include a threaded portion that engages a threaded portion inside of elongated cylinder&#39;s hollow core  32   b.    
     The illumination device  16  is disposed on the bottom surface  30  of the housing  12 . In particular, at least one aperture  34  is disposed in the bottom surface  30  of the housing  12  to allow the illumination device  16  to pass from the cavity  24  through the bottom surface  30  of the housing  12 . The illumination device  16  may be a variety of light emitting devices that do not cause damage to the instrument  11  being held by the instrument display  10 . For example, the illumination device  16  can be at least one light emitting diode (“LED”). In such an example, the at least one LED is placed in the cavity  24  and inserted through the at least one aperture  34  to illuminate the instrument  11 . The at least one LED may emit a single color of light steadily when turned on. However, in other examples, the at least on LED can emit multiple colors of light (e.g., red, green, blue, orange, pink, etc.). In such an example, the at least one LED can include multiple LEDs all of the same color (e.g., orange) or, in other examples, can include multiple LEDs of various colors (e.g., red, green, blue). Additionally, the at least one LED may emit light in various patterns. For example, the at least one LED can emit a flash, a strobe, or a specific pattern that a user inputs. While the illumination device  16  has been discussed as being disposed on the bottom surface  30  of the housing  12 , the illumination device  16  may also be disposed on the top surface  28  of the housing  12 , if desired for illuminating instruments that might stand on top of the hook. Additionally, the illumination device  16  may be disposed on both the top and bottom surfaces  28 ,  30 , thus, projecting light both above and below the housing  12  and instrument. 
     As best depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the illumination device  16  projects a pattern of light below the holder  10  and behind the instrument  11  when the instrument  11  is hung. The illumination device  16  provides a light distribution pattern in the shape of a fan to provide a dramatic effect behind the instrument. In some examples, the illumination device  16  provides a soft backlight. In other examples, however, the illumination device  16  may provide a stronger light source that has a greater dispersion of light. Such an illumination device  16  may be useful in a storefront display where a great amount of light may be required to properly illuminate the instrument on display. 
     Additionally, the illumination device  16  includes a power source  36 . The power source  36  may be stored within the cavity  24  and, thus, hidden from view. In such an example, the power source  36  can be a battery. However, the power source  36  may be located externally from the housing  12 . For example, the illumination device  16  can be directly plugged into a power outlet or, if used in a windowed storefront display, electronically coupled to a solar panel. 
     Once the power source  36  is provided, the illumination device  16  may be turned on. In particular, the illumination device  16  may be turned on and off using a switch  38 , as depicted in  FIG. 4 . However, other means may be used. For example, the illumination device  16  can be turned on remotely. In such an example, the illumination device  16  includes an transceiver (not depicted) capable of wireles sly communicating with a Bluetooth remote. Additionally, the Bluetooth remote may be capable of wireles sly communicating with at least two illumination devices  16  disposed in separate housings  12 . Such a feature allows multiple instrument displays  10  to be turned on and off, either, selectively or all at once. Using a remote also decreases the likelihood that the instrument  11  is knocked off the instrument display  10  when a user turns off the illumination device  16  using a switch. 
     Finally, the mounting device  18  carried by the housing  12  mounts the instrument display  10  to a surface as depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In particular, the mounting device  18  may be a back mounting plate  40  that attaches to the housing  12 . In such an example, the back mounting plate  40  takes a substantially similar shape as the housing  12 . As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the back mounting plate  40  may take the form of a rectangle that is received by the housing  12 . The back mounting plate  40  includes a first at least one securing element  42  for attaching the back mounting plate  40  to a surface (e.g., a wall) and a second securing element  44  for releasably attaching the housing  12  to the back mounting plate  40 . The first at least one securing element  42  may take the form of any known securing mechanism for attachment to a surface. In particular, the first at least one securing element  42  may be a fastener. In such an example, the back mounting plate  40  can include at least one aperture  46  for receiving the fastener, as depicted in  FIG. 5 . The fastener may be a screw that is threaded through the at least one aperture  46 . In other examples, the first at least one securing element  42  can be an adhesive. In particular, the adhesive may be a multiple use adhesive that allows the back mounting plate  40  to be placed on a first surface, removed from the first surface, and then placed on a second surface using the same adhesive. However, the adhesive may also be a single use adhesive that allows the back mounting plate  40  to be affixed to only a single surface (e.g., a wall). 
     The back mounting plate  40  may be attached to the housing  12  in a variety of ways using the second securing element  44 . For example, the back mounting plate  40  can be slidably received by the housing  12 . In such an example, the second securing element  44  can be a tongue that projects from at least one side  48  of the back mounting plate  40  and engages a groove  50  of the housing  12  such that the housing  12  slides onto the back mounting plate  40  in a first direction and slides off of the back mounting plate  40  in second direction that is opposite the first direction. For example, the housing  12  can be slid onto the back mounting plate  40  in a first vertical direction and slid off the back mounting plate  40  in a second vertical direction that is opposite the first vertical direction. In such an example, the tongue and groove does not allow the housing  12  to move, relative to the back mounting plate  40 , in a horizontal direction. In another example, the housing  12  can slide on to the back mounting plate  40  in a horizontal direction the same way the housing  12  can slide onto the back mounting plate  40  in a vertical direction as discussed above. In yet other examples, the second securing element  44  can be a hook and loop fastener, a threaded fastener, or a snap fit securing element. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described examples without departing from the scope of the disclosure, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.