Patent Publication Number: US-7718874-B2

Title: Guitar pick

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/032,681 filed Feb. 29, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   I. Field of The Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to accessories for music instruments and, more particularly, to a guitar pick. 
   II. Description of Related Art 
   Many people enjoy playing the guitar and many of those people use guitar picks when playing the guitar. There are different kinds of picks and the picks are made of different materials. However, one popular pick is a planar pick which is generally triangular in shape. This pick is constructed of a relatively rigid material, such as hard plastic, and is held between the guitar player&#39;s thumb and one other finger. 
   In order to utilize the guitar pick, the guitar player typically holds the guitar pick between the thumb and one of the fingers, typically the index finger, so that one corner of the guitar pick protrudes outwardly from the guitar player&#39;s hand. This outwardly protruding corner is then used to strum the guitar strings while using the flat side of the guitar pick to engage and deflect the guitar string to produce the desired note. 
   Although the flat side is typically used to deflect the guitar strings for many musical pieces, for certain pieces it is desirable to deflect the guitar strings utilizing the edge, rather than the flat side, of the guitar pick. Deflection of the guitar strings utilizing the edge of the guitar pick, rather than the flat side, produces a unique sound which is desirable in some situations. 
   In order for a guitar player to change from using the flat side of the guitar pick to the edge of the guitar pick during a song, it is necessary with these previously known guitar picks for the guitar player to twist his or her hand into different positions in order to accommodate the desired position of the guitar pick. Such twisting of the guitar player&#39;s hand and/or wrist, however, is awkward for many players. Furthermore, it is difficult for many players to play the guitar when his or her hand is oriented in an unnatural position in an effort to reposition the guitar pick. 
   SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a guitar pick which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known guitar picks. 
   In brief, the guitar pick of the present invention comprises a planar triangular main body having three sides. Two of the sides join in a rounded nose protruding outwardly from one side of the main body. The guitar pick is made from any conventional relatively rigid material, such as plastic. 
   A wing extends outwardly from the top of the main body so that at least a portion of the wing lies in a plane oblique to a plane of the main body. This wing is preferably arcuate in shape, although it alternatively may be made by adjacent wing sections. 
   The wing is positioned over the playing finger, such as the index finger, of the guitar player while the guitar player&#39;s thumb holds the guitar pick against the playing finger. The wing, furthermore, is dimensioned so that it extends over at least a portion of the playing finger of the guitar player. 
   With the guitar pick held between the playing finger and the guitar player&#39;s thumb, the nose of the main body protrudes outwardly from the player&#39;s hand and may be used to deflect the guitar strings and produce the desired notes. However, by simply rolling the guitar pick along the playing finger by the player&#39;s thumb, the guitar pick may be positioned so that either the edge or the flat side of the guitar pick deflects the guitar strings and produces the desired note. Furthermore, this repositioning of the guitar pick may be obtained without the necessity of repositioning the player&#39;s hand in an awkward or unnatural position. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention from a different viewing angle; 
       FIG. 3  is an end view illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a side fragmentary view illustrating the pick positioned in one configuration; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken substantially along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4  and enlarged for clarity; 
       FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  but illustrating the guitar pick in a second configuration; 
       FIG. 7  is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6  and enlarged for clarity; and 
       FIG. 8  is a view similar to  FIG. 1 , but illustrating a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
   With reference first to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a guitar pick  10  according to the present invention is shown. The guitar pick includes a generally planar main body  14  which is generally triangular in shape and thus has three sides  16 ,  18  and  20 . Two of the sides  16  and  20  join together in a rounded nose  22 . 
   The main body  14  of the guitar pick  10  is generally planar and may be made of any suitable rigid or semi-rigid material, such as plastic. Other materials, such as metal, may alternatively be used. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , a wing  24  extends outwardly from the side  16  of the main body. This wing  24  extends from the side  18  of the main body and to a position  26  ( FIG. 2 ) which is spaced short of the rounded nose  22 . The wing  24  has generally the same thickness as the main body  14 , but is curvilinear from the side  16  of the main body  14  and to a free edge  28  of the wing  24 . As such, at least a portion of the wing lies in a plane that is oblique to a plane of the main body  14 . 
   Preferably, the main body  14  and the wing  24  are of a one piece construction. Any suitable material, such as plastic, metal or the like, may be used to form the guitar pick  10 . 
   With reference now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the guitar pick  10  is there shown held between a thumb  50  and playing finger  52 , such as the index finger, of a guitar player. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the rounded nose  22  is oriented so that a flat side of the rounded nose  22  contacts and deflects one or more strings  54  on a guitar  56  when played. In this position, the wing  24  (see  FIG. 5 ) extends over a portion of the playing finger  52  of the guitar player. 
   With reference now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the guitar player may change the position of the guitar pick  10  so that an edge  60  of the guitar pick  10  registers with and deflects the strings  54  of the guitar  56 . The guitar pick  10  may be positioned as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  by a combined movement of the thumb  50  and index finger  52  thus rotating the wing  24  about the playing finger  52  which simultaneously rotates the guitar pick  14  by approximately ninety degrees. Similarly, the guitar pick may be changed back to the position shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  by merely reversing the movement of the player&#39;s thumb  50 . 
   As is well known, the guitar exhibits a different sound or playing characteristics when the flat side of the guitar pick is used to deflect the guitar strings  54  than when the edge  60  of the guitar pick is used to deflect the strings  54 . Consequently, with the instant invention, the guitar player may rapidly change between either desired sound characteristic. 
   With reference now to  FIG. 8 , a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in which the arcuate wing  24  is replaced by two wing sections  70  and  72 , both of which are planar. These wing sections  70  and  72  each have a plane that is oblique not only to the plane of the main body  14 , but also to each other. 
   Although the pick  10  has been described as a guitar pick, it will be understood that the pick may be used on any string instrument. 
   From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides a simple and yet highly effective guitar pick especially useful for changing the position of the pick relative to the guitar strings in use. Having described my invention, however, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.