Patent Publication Number: US-7900773-B2

Title: Tray for receiving musical accessories to be mounted on top of an amplifier

Description:
RELATIONSHIP TO PRIOR APPLICATION 
     This is a U.S. nonprovisional application relating to and claiming the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/963,143 filed on Aug. 1, 2007. The entire disclosure set forth in the provisional application is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to trays received on the top of amplifiers to enable musicians to store musical accessories therein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A musician often uses an electronic amplifier to broadcast sound to an audience during a performance. In some cases, the amplifier is tilted utilizing a stand or wedge device located under the amplifier to broadcast the sound out and over the audience to provide a clearer projection of the sound. A musician often uses musical accessories, such as small electronic devices, picks and slides, which the musician must have easy access to during the performance. The top of the electronic amplifier is an appropriate place for these musical accessories to rest. However, often these accessories fall off of the top of the electronic amplifier during a performance, sometimes due to vibrations and other times because the amplifier is tilted. It is therefore desirable to provide a means for permitting the musician to use the top of an electronic amplifier to store musical accessories while reducing the likelihood that such accessories will fall off of the top of the amplifier during the performance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one form of this invention, there is provided a tray adapted to be mounted on the top of a portable amplifier having a handle on the top. The tray includes a top surface. The top surface is particularly adapted to receive musical accessories. The tray includes at least one rear wall and two side walls, with each wall being adjacent to the top surface. Each wall has a bottom edge extending below the top surface, forming a lower cavity. A clip is attached to the tray and is received in the cavity. The clip includes a protrusion which is adapted to be received by the handle of the amplifier for securing the tray on the top of the amplifier. 
     In accordance with another form of this invention, there is a provided a tray adapted to be mounted on the top of a portable amplifier having a handle on the top. The tray includes a floor having a top surface which is particularly adapted to receive musical accessories. A plurality of walls extend above the top surface of the floor. A clip is attached to the floor. The clip includes a protrusion. The protrusion extends away from the floor. The protrusion is adapted to be received by the handle of the portable amplifier for securing the tray to the top of the amplifier. 
     In accordance with another form of this invention, there is provided a tray adapted to be mounted on the top of a portable amplifier which has been tilted and which has a handle on the top. The tray includes a floor. A top surface is provided over the floor. The top surface is particularly adapted to receive musical accessories. The tray includes front, rear and two side walls, with each wall being adjacent to the top surface. Each side wall has a bottom edge. At least a portion of the bottom edges are parallel to each other. The top surface is not parallel with the plane formed by the parallel portions of the bottom edges whereby the top surface of the tray is substantially level when mounted on the tilted portable amplifier. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front top perspective view showing one embodiment of the subject invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front bottom perspective view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a rear bottom perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with the rear wall removed. 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the clip shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom front perspective view showing the tray of  FIG. 1  about to be attached to a portable electronic amplifier which has been tilted upwardly. 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the subject invention with a non-skid top layer being peeled back for illustrative purposes. 
         FIG. 7  shows a portion of the bottom of the tray of  FIG. 6 , particularly illustrating the clip attachment on the bottom. 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now more particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is provided a wedge shaped vacuformed tray  10  which preferably is made of ABS plastic. Tray  10  includes top surface  12  which in the embodiment of  FIG. 1  is tilted. Preferably top surface  12  includes a layer of non-skid material such as non-skid grit tape constructed of 46 grid aluminum oxide compound with an acrylic adhesive backing for attaching the non-skid layer to the floor of the tray which will be discussed below. Alternatively, a layer of neoprene foam having a textured non-skid top surface with adhesive on the back may be used. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , top surface  12  includes major surface  14  and minor surface  16 . Minor surface  16  is at a lower level than major surface  14 . This enables the musician to segregate certain musical accessories from one another. 
     The tray of  FIG. 1  includes side walls  18  and  20  which are identical. The tray includes rear wall  22  and front wall  24 . Each side wall has portion  26  which is adjacent to rear wall  22  and portion  28  which is adjacent to front wall  24 . The height of portion  26  of side wall  18  and side wall  20  is greater than the height of portion  28  of sides walls  18  and  20 . Thus, tray  10  is somewhat wedge shaped. Side wall  18  has bottom edge  30  and side wall  20  has bottom edge  32 . Bottom edge  30  and bottom edge  32  are parallel to one other and thus form a plane. The plane of top surface  12  and bottom edge plane form angle  34  which is preferably greater than ten degree (10°) and less than forty-five degrees (45°). Tray  12  is particularly constructed to be used with a tilted amplifier, such as amplifier  36  shown in  FIG. 5 . Amplifier  36  may be tilted by using a tilt wedge  38  or a stand which is not shown. Wedge  38  may be an amp wedge commercially available from www.ampwedge.com. Preferably, angle  34  is substantially the same as the tilt angle created by amp wedge  38  so that top surface  12  will be level when tray  10  is mounted on top of amplifier  36 . 
     The area  40  shown in  FIG. 1  shows where clip  42 , shown in  FIG. 2 , is mounted to the bottom of tray  10 . Clip  42  includes mounting plate  44  which is attached to floor  46  of tray  10 . Floor  46  is situated below top surface  12 . Clip  42  includes protrusion  48  which is adapted to be received by handle  50  located on top  52  of amplifier  36 . Protrusion  48  extends away from floor  46  at a slight angle. As used herein, the term “attached” means both affixed, such as glued, and integral to. As used herein, the term “accessories” includes small instruments, performance equipment, picks and slides, as well as any other commonly used accessories and items which a musician may need during a performance. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , rear wall  22  includes cut-out portion  52  which substantially aligns with clip  42 . This cut-out portion helps enable the user to insert protrusion  48  into loop  54  created by handle  50  so as to readily secure tray  10  on top  52  of amplifier  36 . Rear wall  22  has a lower edge  56  and front wall  24  has a lower edge  58 . The lower edges  30  and  32  of side walls  18  and  20  and lower edge  56  of rear wall  22  and lower edge  58  of front wall  23  all extend below top surface  12  as well as floor  46 , forming cavity  60 . Clip  42  is therefore received in cavity  60 . 
       FIG. 6  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention described above. Tray  62  includes major portion  64  of the floor having well  66  therein. Well  66  may be embossed or vacuformed. Well  66  is used to mount clip  68  thereon. Clip  68  includes protrusion  70 , which is attached to the lower wall of well  66 . In  FIG. 6 , the top surface  12  is shown peeled back so as to illustrate floor  64  and well  66 . Barrier  72  is provided between major portion of floor  64  and minor portion of floor  74  so as to readily be able to segregate various musical accessories from one another. In the embodiment of  FIG. 6  there is yet another minor floor  76 , also having barriers. 
       FIG. 8  shows another embodiment of this invention which includes tray  78  having level major floor  80  and level minor floors  82  and  84 . Thus, the sides  86  and  88  of tray  78  are not wedge shaped. Tray  78  is designed to be placed on top of a portable amplifier which is not tilted. Tray  78  also has a clip which is connected to the bottom of tray  78  in an identical fashion as that shown in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates yet another embodiment of the invention. Tray  90  is particularly adapted to rest on the top of an amplifier which is not tilted and which has controls on the top. Element  92  functions as a clip. That is, tray  90  is rotated ninety degrees (90°) and element  92  is placed through loop  54  created by handle  50  of the amplifier as shown in  FIG. 5 , except that the controls would be on top of the amplifier and would be adjacent to element  92 . Tray  90  includes upper surface  94  and lower surface  96 , having a barrier  98  there between, also to segregate certain musical accessories from one another. 
     A tray for receiving musical accessories to be mounted on top of an amplifier is described above. Various details of the invention may be changed without departing from its scope. Furthermore, the foregoing description of embodiments of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation—the invention being defined by the claims.