Patent Publication Number: US-7595442-B2

Title: Ergonomic drumstick

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   1. Technical Field 
   The invention relates to drumsticks. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Musicians use drumsticks to play instruments such as drums, cymbals, chimes, xylophones, etc. The prior art teaches several variations on drumsticks to make the grip more comfortable, but none of the references discloses a drumstick with a removable grip having an apex portion and a load face portion designed to ergonomically fit the profile of a user&#39;s two fingers. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,194 to Simpson (hereinafter Simpson), discloses position rings for drumsticks to assist the drummer in holding onto the sticks, to help properly position the drummer&#39;s hand on the stick, and for providing comfort in the gripping area. The patent discloses a detachable pair of rings which may be positioned on each drumstick at positions preferred by the user. However, the O-rings in Simpson are positioned by means of holes that are formed in the drumstick. They cannot be positioned at any location on the drumstick. Also, there is no discussion as to how to make the rings ergonomically fit the user&#39;s hand. 
   U.S. Patent Application 2006/0027073 by Richard (hereinafter Richard) discloses a drumstick including a plurality of rings forming ridges designed to circumferentially encompass a drumstick. This is described as an ergonomic drumstick. Richard teaches that the drumstick grip may be adjustable to provide greater comfort to the drummer&#39;s hand and that it may be removable to allow it to be transferred from one drumstick to another. The types of drumstick grips shown in the Richard application are rings and spiral wraps. The rings and wraps are not ergonomically designed to mate with a drummer&#39;s fingers. Specifically, the Richard design does not describe how a ring may fit between a user&#39;s two fingers such that the fingers will engage ergonomically with the grip. Richard does not disclose a grip having a load face portion and an apex portion. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,339 to Brennan (hereinafter Brennan) discloses a triangular sleeve which is either slipped over the end of the drumstick or slipped over the drumstick which has been milled to receive the triangular grip. Brennan does not teach a grip which ergonomically engages two of a drummer&#39;s fingers. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,768 to Swift describes a rubber ball mounted on a drumstick shaft to provide a grip to be held in the palm of the hand as in a ball of a ball and socket joint. This grip is designed to be held in the palm of the hand rather than between two fingers. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,470 to Larrain discloses drumsticks which have serially disposed length portions of reducing diameter from the butt end to the tip end of the drumstick. Grooves are formed around and in the handle end to improve the grip of the drummer. These are manufactured into the drumstick and are not adjustable. Also, like the other inventions, these drumsticks are not designed to ergonomically engage the fingers of a user&#39;s hand. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,583 to Mizuno, et al. describes a drumstick including an elastic component forming a handle used for holding the stick. The elastic component appears to aid the drummer&#39;s grip and also to absorb some of the vibration of playing the instrument. However, the elastic component is not removable, and it cannot be adjusted in different positions on the stick. Additionally, the elastic component does not ergonomically engage the fingers of a user&#39;s hand. 
   SUMMARY 
   In one embodiment, disclosed is a drumstick comprising a shaft member and a grip member including a load face portion, an apex portion, and a bore. 
   In another embodiment, disclosed is an ergonomic grip configured to circumferentially encompass a percussion instrument, wherein the ergonomic grip comprises a load face portion, an apex portion, and a bore. 
   Other systems, devices, methods, features and/or advantages of this disclosure will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, devices, methods, features and/or advantages be included within this description and be within the scope of the present disclosure. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an ergonomic drumstick; 
       FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of an ergonomic drumstick; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a hand gripping another embodiment of an ergonomic drumstick; and 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a hand gripping an alternate embodiment of an ergonomic drumstick. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   A drumstick having a grip designed to ergonomically engage a user&#39;s fingers is provided. In this regard, several exemplary embodiments are described. 
   A drumstick is a percussive musical instrument designed for use in the playing of drums, cymbals, xylophones, and chimes. A user may grip drumsticks for extended periods of time while practicing or playing a musical composition. In particular, conventional drumsticks made of wood or other materials have smooth surfaces. A conventional drumstick may not fit a user&#39;s hand comfortably and may be prone to slipping during play. Ergonomics is concerned with the fit between people and the tools they use to carry out activities. Conventional drumsticks lacking an ergonomic fit can place stress on the joints in the hands and wrists, which may result in injuries such as “drummer&#39;s elbow,” tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or blisters. A grip feature ergonomically fitting the profile of a user&#39;s fingers enables the user to retain a drumstick in a particular position and play comfortably for extended periods of time. An ergonomic drumstick allows a relaxed grip, reducing the shock transfer to the user&#39;s hands, which in turn reduces fatigue. The ergonomic drumstick can be fully adjustable and reusable, with a grip selectable for fit, profile and size. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an ergonomic drumstick  100  featuring an unobtrusive, elegant and simple design. The ergonomic drumstick  100  comprises both a shaft member  102  and a grip member  108 . In this embodiment, the shaft member  102  is cylindrical and elongated. Shaft member  102 , where cylindrical, has a diameter, which is typically in the range of ¼- to ⅝-inch. The shaft member  102  may include other shapes such as elliptical or angular. The shaft member  102  may be made of wood, plastic, metal, or other materials. The shaft member  102  may be a conventional drumstick already in production by various manufacturers. Thus, consumers can create their own ergonomic drumsticks. The ergonomic drumstick  100  includes the grip member  108  attached to the shaft member  102 . The grip member  108  is made of rubber, but it also may be made of other materials such as plastic or any of a number of synthetic, elastomeric materials. The shaft member  102  may be covered with a durable heat shrink material, (not shown) thereby giving the ergonomic drumstick  100  a great feel and making the grip member  108  easy to apply and remove. 
   The grip member  108  has a bore  110 . The grip member  108  is attached to the shaft member  102  through bore  110 . Bore  110  is shaped to match shaft member  102 , which may have an elliptical or angular cross-section, for example. In this embodiment, bore  110  is cylindrical and has a diameter, which may be 20 to 30% smaller than the diameter of the shaft member  102  in order to supply sufficient tension to fix grip member  108  to shaft member  102 . However, because of the elastic properties of grip member  108 , the bore  110  may accommodate other shaft members having varying diameters, including shaft members with dipped coatings or covered by wraps. 
   The grip member  108  comprises two portions: an apex portion  112  and a load face portion  114 . The apex portion  112  and load face portion  114  may vary in width as desired. The apex portion  112  has a back end  113 , which may be flat and substantially perpendicular to the axis of the bore  110 . The load face portion  114  is curvilinear with a concave taper in this embodiment. In another embodiment, the load face portion  114  may instead be conical, with a taper having an angle relative to the shaft member  102 . This taper angle may be between 30 and 60 degrees, for example. 
   The grip member  108  divides the shaft member  102  into two ends: a handle end  104 , and a tip end  106 . The tip end  106  is normally used for contacting an instrument. 
   Multiple grip members may be disposed on the ergonomic drumstick  100 . For example, a user may use the tip end  106  as a handle to play, for example, a xylophone. Depending on the selected composition of the grip member  108 , the user may utilize grip member  108  itself as a mallet head to contact, for example, a xylophone. In such an embodiment, the user may fit the tip end  106  with a second grip member  116 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Second grip member  116  is typically smaller than grip member  108 . Second grip member  116  may also facilitate the use of the handle end as a mallet head, thereby providing the musician with the same advantageous, ergonomic grip when the drumstick is reversed in the user&#39;s hand. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the ergonomic drumstick  100 . In this embodiment, a second grip member  117  is disposed on shaft member  102  so that the musician can effectively shorten the drumstick. This may be advantageous for younger musicians or when the musician needs a different effect which is achieved using a shorter drumstick. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates an alternative embodiment of an ergonomic drumstick  200 . In this embodiment, a hand  204  grips the ergonomic drumstick  200 . The hand  204  could be either a left hand or a right hand, unless the consumer specially adjusted the drumstick for a particular hand. The distance between the handle end  206  and the apex portion  208  is wider than the width of a first finger  210 . Depending on the position of the grip member  202  on the shaft member  212 , the distance between the handle end  206  and the apex portion  208  may accommodate a plurality of the user&#39;s fingers on the ergonomic drumstick  200 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first finger  210  engages ergonomically with the back end  209  of the apex portion  208  of the grip member  202 . A second finger  216  rests on the load face portion  218 . Thus, the hand  204  retains the ergonomic drumstick  200  with the grip member comfortably received between the fingers. The apex portion  208  blocks against the first finger  210  to restrict undesired movement of the ergonomic drumstick  200  toward the handle end  206 . The slope of the load face portion  218  will also comfortably accommodate any of the fingers of the hand  204 . For example, while  FIG. 3  illustrates the drumstick retained between the little finger and the ring finger, the drumstick may also be held between the ring finger and the middle finger, and so on. The design is meant to be universal in this regard so that musicians, depending on their style of play, the music being played, or the requirements of the particular instrument, can comfortably and ergonomically achieve a comfortable and effective grip. The grip member  202  may consist of a softer material than the shaft member  212 , which would also assist a comfortable grip. 
     FIG. 4  illustrates a hand gripping an ergonomic drumstick similar to that shown in  FIG. 2 . An additional grip member  220  is disposed between grip member  202  and the tip end (not shown). The grip of the user is essentially the same as shown in  FIG. 3  with the first or little finger  210  disposed against the back end  222  of the apex  224 . The load face  226  rests between the first finger  210  and the second or ring finger  216 , thereby resulting in an ergonomic fit between the fingers and the drumstick. 
   It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of this disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.