Patent Publication Number: US-6903256-B2

Title: Holding extension for adding mass to guitar pick

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to the field of stringed musical instruments and more particularly it relates to a holding extension for a guitar pick that increases the effective mass of the pick by physically coupling the pick to the player&#39;s hand, wrist and arm. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Musicians playing stringed instruments such as guitars and banjos typically produce sound by picking the strings with a plastic (or metal) pick held between a thumb and finger. This holding arrangement fails to effectively couple the mass of the player&#39;s hand to the pick, and thus places a limit on the loudness available for loud passages, particularly with an acoustic instrument. Furthermore, the continued stress of full dependancy on the thumb/finger grip can be fatiguing, and/or the pick can unintentionally shift to an undesired position or even totally escape the player&#39;s grasp and drop, thus degrading and/or interrupting the musical performance, especially when corrective action demands the use of the player&#39;s other hand. 
   DISCUSSION OF KNOWN ART 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,243 to Christenson for a GUITAR PICK discloses a pick with an extension ring portion that fits over the player&#39; forefinger. 
   U.S. design Pat. No. 291,809 shows a GUITAR PICK fitted with an attachment band, presumably to encircle a finger or thumb. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,814 to Rowley for a NONSLIP GUITAR PICK discloses a pick attached by a flexible connection such as a chain to a palm piece, relying on “transmission of a tensile force between said pick element and said palm piece”. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,237 to Beall for a GUITAR PICK discloses a pick including a relatively stiff band movably attached to its top edge. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,643 to Chance et al for a GUITAR PICK WITH GRIPPING MEANS discloses a pick or pick holder with a curved finger grip portion on one side adapted to form a cradle for engaging either the thumb or index finger. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a holding device for attachment to a guitar pick that will add to the effective mass of the pick by virtue of coupling the pick to the player&#39;s hand, wrist and arm. 
   It is a further object that the holding device will reduce the conventional stress and fatigue caused by full dependancy on thumb-to-finger gripping of the pick. 
   It is a further object that the holding device will also serve to avoid conventionally experienced slippages and/or loss of the pick due to a momentary relaxation of the thumb-to-finger grip. 
   It is a further object that the holding device be made easily detachable from the pick and readily attached to another pick. 
   It is a further object that the holding device be made to attach in a satisfactory manner to popular picks of different thickness. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The foregoing objects have been met in the present invention of a pick-handle attached to an edge of a conventional pick via a metal shaft. The handle portion is made to be comfortably grasped in the palm of the player&#39;s hand while the pick is held in the normal manner between the thumb and forefinger. Stringed instrument playing technique is enhanced by improved control over the pick and increased volume capability due to the increased mass effectively transmitted to the pick from the hand, wrist and arm of the player. 
   Additionally, the invention improves playing comfort and reduces fatigue by reducing the necessary strong gripping force conventionally required when the thumb and forefinger alone must provide all of the holding force to retain the pick. 
   Furthermore the inventions reduces the risk of the pick slipping out of playing position or totally escaping from the thumb/finger grasp. 
   Attachment of the pick to the shaft may be implemented by a spring clip that allows easy removal of the pick and replacement by practically any commonly available pick of the player&#39;s choice. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pick and pick-holder in accordance with present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a elevational side view of the pick and pack-holder of FIG.  1 . 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the handle portion taken through axis  3 , 4 — 3 , 4  of FIG.  2 . 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pick and the clip portion taken through axis  3 , 4 — 3 , 4  of FIG.  2 . 
       FIG. 5  is a further-enlarged cross-sectional view of an upper portion of the pick, clip and shaft-core taken through axis  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pick-holder  10  holding a pick  12  in accordance with the present invention, as held in the pleyer&#39;s hand  12 . A conventional pick  14 , as utilized commonly in playing stringed musical instruments such as guitars, basses and the like, is retained frictionally by a spring clip  16  which is attached by a shaft portion  18  to a cylindrical handle portion  20 . As shown, the pick-holder  10  is held in the player&#39;s hand  12  with the pick portion  14  held between the thumb and index finger, very much in the conventional manner of holding a pick for playing a stringed instrument, while the handle portion  20  is held in the palm of the and  12  by the other three fingers. 
     FIG. 2  is an elevational side view of pick-holder of  FIG. 1  showing the pick  14 , spring clip  16 , shaft portion  18  and handle portion  20 . 
     FIG. 3  is an enlarged (2×) cross-section of the shaft portion  18  and handle portion  20  of the pick-holder  10  taken through axis  3 , 4 — 3 , 4  of FIG.  2 . The shaft portion  18  is configured with a rod-shaped metal shaft-core  18 A surrounded by a close-fitting non-metallic shaft-sleeve  18 B, typically plastic sleeving, e.g. such as used in electrical wiring. The shaft-core  18 A is typically made from metal, preferably soft copper or soft iron that, while supplied initially in straight form, can be bent slightly by the player for a more comfortable fit in the palm of the player&#39;s hand ( 12  FIG.  1 ). In handle portion  20 , a metal handle-core  20 A has a longitudinal bore that is threaded (typically 6-32). 
   At the left hand end of handle portion  20 , as shown, part of the shaft portion  18  is engaged by the threaded bore of shaft-core  20 A, including sleeve  18 A which when made from suitable compliant material, can be simply force-threaded into place without requiring pre-threading. 
   Handle-core  20 A is closely surrounded by a tubular non-metallic handle-sleeve, preferably made up from two layer portions as shown: an inner sleeve portion  20 B made from relatively solid plastic material such as polystyrene, and an outer sleeve portion  20 C made from relatively soft material such as plastic foam, closely surrounding said inner handle-sleeve portion  20 B to form the resilient exterior handle configuration. Optionally the core-to-layer and/or the layer-to layer interfaces may be adhesively fastened. 
   At the right hand end of handle portion  20 , a machine screw  20 D, threaded into shaft-core  20 A, and a flat washer  20 E serve to provide a finished aesthetic appearance and to ensure alignment and retention of sleeve portions  20 A and  20 B on shaft-core  20 A. 
   As an optional feature, handle-core  18 A is machined or otherwise formed at the end that engages shaft  16  to provide a short sleeve of reduced diameter extending from the handle portion  18  as shown. 
   Typically the handle portion  18  is made to be about ½ inch in diameter with a length of 1 to 2 inches. The length of exposed shaft portion  16  including clip  14  is typically made to be within a range from 1⅜ inches to 1¾ inches. Typically the handle-core  18 A is made with ¼ inch in diameter, the inner sleeve  18 B is made with ⅜ inches outer diameter, the shaft-core  18 A is about {fraction (1/16)} diameter copper wire, and the shaft-sleeve  18 B is made about ⅛ inch in outer diameter. 
     FIG. 4  is an enlarged (2×) cross section of the left hand end of shaft portion  18  of  FIG. 2 , showing the shaft-sleeve  18 B extending only to the edge of clip  16  while shaft-core  18 A extends through clip  6  to which it is firmly fastened by soldering, welding, adhesively or other effective fastening method. One of the two plates of clip  16  is shown in broken lines as hidden by pick  14 . 
     FIG. 5  is a further enlarged (2×2×) cross-sectional view of clip  16 , shaft-core  18 A and pick  14  taken at axis  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . Pick  14  is seen retained between the two plates of clip  16  by spring tension provided by the material of clip  16 : suitable spring metal such as spring steel or phosphor bronze and preferably nickel-plated. The entry edges are tapered to facilitate attachment. 
   The particular shape and size of the pick holder  10  may depart from that shown and described above, since it is subject to optimization, and may be made from different materials and in different variations, preferably made in a manner that it can be customized for the individual musician. For example while shaft-core  18 A is preferably made from soft steel or copper that can be bent to a desired shape to optimally accommodate a particular user&#39;s hand shape for a comfortable grip, alternatively the invention could be practiced with shaft-core  18 A made from hard steel or other rigid material, and could be practiced with or without shaft sleeve  18 B. 
   As an option to the use of spring clip  16  for easy pick removal and replacement, pick  14  could be attached in a more permanent manner to shaft  18 , e.g. by screw-type hardware. 
   The invention may be embodied and practiced in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all variations, substitutions and changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.