Patent Publication Number: US-6211448-B1

Title: Drum set

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a drum set comprising a plurality of drums including a bass drum. 
     2. Prior Art 
     A drum set used in, for instance, jazz and rock band performances generally includes a 20-inch (or 22- or 18-inch) bass drum, a plurality of tom-toms set over the bass drum, a floor tom set on the left of the bass drum, high-hat cymbals set on the right, and a snare drum. 
     A problem with these conventional drum sets, however, is that each drum needs to be carried individually when the drum set is moved, and this makes the transportation of the drum set difficult. Another problem is that the drum set takes up quite a large floor space when the drums are stored next to each other. If they are stacked on top of each other, the stack becomes so high and unstable that there is a danger that the stack of the drums may topple. 
     One known means to solve this problem is a drum set in which a drum head is fixed over the opening on one side of the shell of the bass drum, and the opening on the other side is left open, so that the other smaller drums such as the tom-toms can be put in the shell of the bass drum through the opening. However, such a single-head bass drum has a performance range narrower than a double-headed bass drum; accordingly, the problem with this approach is that the drum set with such a buss drum cannot be used in performances with ordinary band compositions. 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. S57-185487 discloses a practice drum set in which the other smaller drums are stored inside the bass drum. The problem here, however, is that this drum set is intended only for practice by beginners and cannot be used for ordinary performances because a sound-deadening pad is put on the back of the drum head. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the problems encountered in the past, and the object of the present invention is to provide a drum set that can be used in ordinary performances and is also easy to transport and stows away in a compact fashion. 
     The above object is accomplished by a unique structure for a drum set comprising a bass drum and a plurality of other drums that fit within the shell of the bass drum, wherein the shell of the bass drum is made up of first and second shell segments separated in the axial direction of the shell and detachably coupled to each other, and a drum head is provided on the open end of each one of the shell segments so as to be on the opposite side from the open end of the coupling side. In this structure, each one of the shells may have air holes. 
     With the structure above, in the present invention, the bass drum, when assembled, can be used for ordinary performances because drum heads are installed at both ends; and when the two shell segments are separated, the other drums are stowed inside. The air holes improve sound escape and facilitate the vibration of the drum heads. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drum set according to the present invention in its storage state; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the two shell segments separated; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective the drum set which is set up for a performance; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a foot pedal attached to the shell of the bass drum; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross section of the main part of the bass drum; and 
     FIG. 6 is a cross section of the drum attachment fixture. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As seen from the accompanying Figures, particularly from FIGS. 3 and 4, the drum set  1  according to the typical embodiment of the present invention comprises a bass drum  2 , two tom-toms  4  of different sizes and a snare drum  5  which are mounted to the bass drum  2  via drum attachment fixtures  3 , in addition to a foot pedal  6 . 
     The bass drum  2  comprises a shell  7  formed in a cylindrical shape from wood, fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), metal, or the like. The shell  7  consists of first and second shell segments  8  and  9  that are split in the axial direction of the bass drum  2  and detachably coupled to each other. The internal space of the shell  7  forms a storage compartment  10  for stowing the drum attachment fixture  3 , tom-toms  4  and snare drum  5 . In other words, the shell  7  is long enough in the axial direction so as to accommodate the tom-toms  4  and snare drum  5  in a stacked fashion. The bass drum  2  is one with a diameter of 14 to 20 inches. 
     The first and second shell segments  8  and  9  have the same inside and outside diameters. They are fitted together at one end by an in-low structure and are separably coupled to each other by a plurality of clamp assemblies  11  attached on the outer surfaces. The open ends on the coupled side of the first and second shell segments  8  and  9  may have a variety of shapes; and a projection  13  and depression  14  combination as shown in FIG. 5 is preferable so as to fit the segments together because with the projections  13  and depressions  14  the segments can be coupled without any rubbing. A drum head  15  is installed on the open end of each of the first and second shell segments  8  and  9  on the side opposite from the open ends where they are coupled together. The drum heads  15  are formed from a natural leather, synthetic resin film (such as a polyester resin or polycarbonate resin) or the like, and they are each supported and stretched at an even tension by a plurality of head support and stretching means  16  attached on the outer surface of the shell segments  8  and  9 . In the shown embodiment, the first and second shell segments  8  and  9  have different lengths (or depth in the axial direction). In other words, as seen from FIG. 1, the second shell segment  9  is longer (deeper) than the first shell segment  8 . Thus, the second segment  9  is used as a container for stowing the tom-toms  4 , snare drum  5 , and so on, and the first shell segment  8  is used as a lid. 
     As best seen from FIG. 5, the head support and stretching means  16  each comprises: an annular head frame  17  that supports the peripheral edge of the drum head  15  and is fitted to the outer surface of the open end of the shell  7  (or of the first segment  8  in FIG.  5 ), an annular fastening frame (hereinafter referred to as a rim)  18  that is also fitted on the outer surface of the shell  7  so as to press on the head frame  17 , tightening bolts  20  that link the rim  18  to the shell  7  via lugs  19 , and other parts. The pressure that the rim  18  exerts on the head frame  17  is changed by turning the tightening bolt(s)  20  with a tuning key (not shown) so as to shift the rim  18  in the axial direction. The tension of the drum heads  15 , that is to say the timbre of the drum, can thus easily be changed. In addition, since the drum heads  15  can thus be tuned, the drum of the present invention can be played as an ordinary acoustic drum. The lugs  19  are attached to both the first and second shell segments  8  and  9 . 
     In addition, a plurality of air holes  21  are formed in the first shell segment  8 . These air holes  21  are or improving sound escape by allowing communication between the inside and outside of the shell  7 , and also facilitate the vibration of the drum heads  15  and make the drum easier to play. 
     Furthermore, two auxiliary legs  22  that stably support the shell  7  so as not to fall over are attached to portions on either side when the shell  7  is set up on the floor facing sideways. As best seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the root portions of the auxiliary legs  22  are attached to leg support fixtures  23  fixed to the outer surface of the first shell segment  8  so as to be pivotal in the radial and axial directions of the shell  7 , and the auxiliary legs  22  are provided with rubber feet  24  at their distal ends. When not in use, these auxiliary legs  22  are brought to near the outer surface of the shell  7  and latched to the outer surface of the second shell segment  9  by latches  25 . 
     Furthermore, as seen from FIG. 6, attachment members  27  for attaching the drum attachment fixtures  3  are fixed by a plurality of bolts  28  and nuts  29  (only one shown in FIG. 6) to the outer surfaces of the first and second shell segments  8  and  9 . The attachment members  27  are located at the portions that are on top when the shell  7  is placed on the floor facing sideways. Each of the attachment members  27  is formed in the shape of a truncated cone from an aluminum alloy or the like, and it has an insertion hole  31  and a screw hole  33 . The insertion hole  31  is formed in the center of the distal end surface of the attachment member  27  so that the rod  30  of the drum attachment fixture  3  is inserted, and the screw hole  33  is formed in the peripheral wall of the attachment member  27  so that a wing bolt  32  for fixing the rod  30  to the attachment member  27  is inserted. Housed inside the attachment member  27  are a cylinder  34  through which the rod  30  is passed, a pressing plate  35  pressed against the outer periphery of the rod  30  by the wing bolt  32 , and a nut  36  that screw-engages the wing bolt  32 . 
     Each of the drum attachment fixtures  3  includes, in addition to the rod  30 , a ball joint  37  attached to the end of the rod  30  on the opposite side from the bass drum  2 . The ball joint  37  comprises a ball  38 , an enclosing member  39  having a spherical ball holder and enclosing the ball  38  so that the ball  38  can rotate by a specific angle in all directions, and a bolt  40  or the like that presses the ball  38  against the inner surface of the enclosing member  39 . A linking bar  41  is integrally projected from the ball  38  so as to be perpendicular to the rod  30 . This linking bar  41  supports a tom-tom  4  (or the snare drum  5 ) by being inserted into an attachment member  43  attached to the outer surface of the shell  42  of the tom-tom  4  (or the snare  5 ) and being fixed by a wing bolt  44 . Installed inside the attachment member  43  are a pressing plate  45  pressed against the linking bar  41  by the wing bolt  44 , and a nut  46  that screw-engages the wing bolt  44 . Furthermore, a projection  47  corresponding to the pressing plate  45  is integrally projected in the centerline direction from the inner peripheral surface of the attachment member  43 . Thus, the linking bar  41  is held between this projection  47  and the pressing plate  45 . 
     Furthermore, the outer surface of the second shell segment  9  is provided with a carrying handle  48 , and it is also provided with a height adjuster leg  50  to which the foot pedal  6  is attached. The handle  48  is gripped when the drummer or someone else transports the bass drum  2 . The height adjuster leg  50  is provided near the drum head of the second shell segment  9 ; and together with the auxiliary legs  22 , the leg  50  keeps the drum head  15  elevated off the floor, which allows the struck portion of the drum head  15  (usually the approximate center) to be roughly aligned with the beater height of the foot pedal  6 . 
     As seen from FIG. 4, the foot pedal  6  comprises a rotating shaft  54  that has a rocker  53 , a supporting frame  55  that rotatably supports this rotating shaft  54 , a beater  57  attached to the rocker  53  via a beater rod  56 , a foot board  59  coupled to the rocker  53  via a timing belt  58 , a compression coil spring  60  that imparts a rotational tendency in the return direction to the rotating shaft  54 , and so on. The foot pedal  6  thus constructed is known in the past; and with the supporting frame  55  detachably attached to the height adjuster leg  50 , when the foot board  59  is depressed and the rotating shaft  54  is rotated against the compression coil spring  60 , the beater  57  pivots integrally with this action and strikes the drum head  15 , and when the pressure is removed from the foot board  59 , the force of the compression coil spring  60  causes the foot board  59  to rise and return to its original position. 
     In the drum set  1  of the present invention as described above, the shell  7  of the bass drum  2  consists of first and second shell segments  8  and  9  which are formed so that they are split in the axial direction, and the tom-toms  4 , snare drum  5 , and other components are stowed in a stacked fashion in the interior thereof. Thus, it is easy to carry the drum set. In particular, with the handle  48 , there will be no need for a casing for the drum set, thus making the drum set even easier to carry and enhancing transportability. In addition, since only enough room to store the bass drum  2  is needed to store the entire drum set, the drum set takes up less storage space; and since the tom-toms  4 , the snare drum  5  and other components are kept inside the bass drum  2 , there is no danger of losing them. 
     Moreover, since the bass drum  2  of the present invention is a double-head drum just as an ordinary acoustic drum, it can be used with no inconvenience whatsoever in band performances; and furthermore, it can be used as a single-head drum as well if the first and second shell segments  8  and  9  are separated. 
     When a cushioning material is interposed between the first and second shell segments  8  and  9 , the impact can be softened and damage to the shell segments can be prevented. Also, by designing the bass drum  2  big enough, accessories for the set can also be stored therein. 
     As described above, according to the present invention, the drum set can be used for ordinary performances; and it is easy to transport and stows away in a compact fashion.