Patent Publication Number: US-6220459-B1

Title: Saxophone stand

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to musical instrument stands in general and more particularly to an improved portable saxophone stand. 
     2. General Background 
     Generally musicians utilize instrument stands of some description to support their instruments when not in use. Such stands typical of wind instrument stands are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,187,947, 4,572,050, 5,253,563, 4,407,182, 4,695,022 and 4,145,950. However, only the 4,572,050 and 4,187,947 patent disclose designs that include accommodations for saxophones. The need to support such wind instruments is widely accepted, as well as the need to prevent damage to the instrument should the instrument be tipped over. However, other than providing a larger or more sturdy base for the stand and perhaps providing a break away peg attached to a flat support as suggested by the 4,145,959 patent, little has been done to prevent instrument damage. 
     Saxophones, due to their particular configuration, are most often damaged as a result of being tipped over while on a stand. However, the stand need not necessarily tip over to cause damage to the instrument. The saxophone need only rotate within the confines of the stand&#39;s support members, causing damage to the keys, or contact an adjacent instrument to cause damage to the instrument. As indicated by the prior art disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,572,050 and 4,187,947, saxophones can be either supported when not in use or used for strapless support while playing. In either case the instrument must be readily accessible or repeatedly removable from the stand, if required, without damage to the instrument. As discussed by the prior art and or acknowledged by the art in general, the instrument stand should be sturdy, compact, stable, light weight and collapsible for easy portability. Prior art saxophone stands in particular fail to provide many of these features by being top heavy with the instrument in place, require attendance at all times, or place severe stress on the structural elements of the instrument as is the case in U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,947 where the full weight is place on the rim of the bell mouth portion of the instrument. In this case, if the instrument is struck, severe damage to the bell mouth will occur regardless of any other damage. It should be noted that the saxophone in this case is allowed to rotate on the stand and in doing so causes damage to the rim. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,050 patent discloses a stand for supporting the instrument while playing thus, by necessity, the instrument must rotate in the support elements. In this case he instrument is off balance and subject to tipping if left unattended. It is therefore the principle object of the present invention to provide a wind instrument stand especially for saxophones which prevents accidental rotation of the instrument relative to instrument&#39;s support members. . 
     Another object is to provide a stable, and portable instrument stand that is both light weight and collapsible. 
     Still another object is to provide a stand with ability for connecting a plurality of stands and adapting such stands for use with a plurality of instruments. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses an improved saxophone stand for preventing accidental damage to the instrument due to rotation of the instrument while on the stand. The stand being stable, lightweight, collapsible and configurable to accommodate a plurality of other wind instruments. The stand including a relatively lightweight, aluminum, structural bar base supporting a vertical member and a pivotal diagonal support member. The saxophone stand further utilizing extended “U” shaped or “J” shaped support members, attached to the diagonal support member, at least one of which is slidably adjustable relative to the diagonal support member and partially surrounds both the instrument&#39;s bell portion and the principle body portion, thus resisting rotation of the instrument within the stand&#39;s “U” or “J” shaped support members. A further embodiment discloses the capability of connecting a plurality of stands together, as well as removable and interchangeable vertical column and disk members for supporting other wind instruments such as flute and or clarinet . 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, like parts are given like reference numerals, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the preferred saxophone stand embodiment; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an alternate embodiment linking two of the stands shown in FIG. 1 
     FIG. 3 is a partially expanded isometric view of an alternate embodiment linking two of the stands shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the stand shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a partial detailed, isometric, view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is an isometric exploded view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is the side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is the side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of an alternate embodiment; 
     FIG. 10 is a right side elevation view of the alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 9; and 
     FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the lower adjustable “U” shaped support member. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As first seen in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment  10  is an instrument stand primarily for supporting a saxophone  12  in the manner illustrated in FIG.  7  and includes vertical columns  14  and disk members  16  on either side of instrument stand base for supporting other wind instruments, such as the flute and clarinet. The stand  10  includes a base frame assembly  18 , a vertical post  20  and a diagonal bar  22  having upper and lower instrument support members  24 , 26 . 
     As seen in FIG. 2, any combination of the stands  10  may be attached by utilizing a bridge channel member  30  best seen in expanded view FIG.  3 . The bridge  30  is secured in position by studs  32  extending from the vertical columns  14  which pass through both the disk  16  and bridge  30  and thereby engage the base frame  18 . Looking now at FIG. 4, it is seen that the lower instrument support member  26  seen in FIG. 1 and 2 has been replaced by an extended arm support member  34 , thereby insuring that the instrument  12  cannot be accidentally dislodged from the lower support  34 . The lower instrument support  34  is also infinitely adjustable longitudinally along a slot as seen in FIG.  5 . 
     As seen in FIG. 6, the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is constructed and assembled by first forming a strong but light weight base assembly  18  from a material such as aluminum or a polymeric material. The base frame  18  includes two horizontal members centrally attached forming an approximate right angle, one member  38  having a box shaped cross section, the second member  40  having a generally flat bar or rectangular configuration. Each member having an offset or diagonally bent portion  42  at each end. The base  18  is then assembled by passing a screw through both the horizontal members  39 , 40  and threadably engaging an end of vertical post member  20 . The horizontal bar  40  is tapped adjacent each end to threadably receive the studs  30  mentioned above located in the lower end of vertical instrument support members. The diagonal channel bar  22  is pivotally pined to the upper end of the vertical post  20  adjacent one end and pivotally pined to the base member  38  at the opposite end. Upper and lower support members  24 ,  26  or the alternate support member  34  are then secured to the diagonal bar  22 . The upper instrument support bar and optional lower support  34  are simply “U” shaped flat bars  44 , having a rectangular cross section, with extended arms to prevent rotation of the saxophone relative to the stand. The support bar  44  is covered with a polymeric tubing  46  to prevent marring of the instrument  12 . The lower support member  26  illustrated in FIG. 6 is a “V” shaped flat bar  48  having turned out leg portions  50  and polymeric tubing liners  46 . The saxophone may be supported using the preferred embodiment detailed in FIG. 1 or equipped with lower adjustable support  34  in the manner shown in FIG. 8 
     An alternate embodiment may be provided for use with the larger baritone saxophones as shown in FIG.&#39;s  9  and  10 . In this case it may be necessary to elevate the stand to accommodate the player and allow the instrument to be played while on the stand due to its weight. Therefore, the base assembly  18  remains the same. However, in this case, an incrementally adjustable, telescopic, vertical post assembly  52  is substituted for the normal vertical post  20  used in the preferred embodiment. Furthermore, in this case the diagonal bar  22  is not attached to the base member  44  as shown in FIG. 6 but instead is rigidly fixed to the telescopic vertical assembly. The diagonal bar  22  is also fitted with an intermediate instrument support member  54  constructed in the same manner as support member  24 . The upper instrument support member  56  is a shortened version of the support member  24  and only accommodates the bell portion of the baritone saxophone instrument  58 . The lower support member  60  is configured as seen in FIG. 11 in a “J” shape, having a long ear portion  62  and a short ear portion  64  and having a threaded stud  66  attached for adjustable attachment to the diagonal bar  22 . The long ear  62  of the support member  60  extends upwards on the left side of the instrument as seen in FIG. 9 to include both the bell portion  57  and at least a portion of the main body portion  59  of the instrument  58 , while the short ear  64  of the rear instrument support  60  extends upwards to include at least a portion of only the bell portion  57 . It is anticipated that the stand configurations  10  and  55  may be disassembled and boxed for transport or may be further configured for collapsibility as a unit for quick assembly. 
     Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirement of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.