Abstract:
A wind instrument, such as a saxophone, generally includes a hollow elongate body with at least one mouthpiece and a plurality of low holes at different distances from the mouthpiece. At least one of the low holes is provided with a swingable low valve which is fixed to a control element mounted hingedly on the body and which is operable by a finger key. The control element has an open position which is bounded by a stop device. The wind instrument further includes a stop for the stop device which is positioned outside a surface of the low valve.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to wind instruments and more particularly to saxophones. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     At their largest valves, saxophones of the type described in WO 90/21923 have guards which protect the valves against impacts and which carry stops against which the valves, pressed open by springs, strike in their open position. This makes a sound disturbing noise. The saxophone of the present invention reduces this disturbing noise. 
     The more visible the large valves which form essential elements of the wind instrument are, the more attractive the instrument becomes. Stops fixed to the bell and situated outside the surface of the belonging valves are generally applied for the higher tone values of saxophones like in WO 96/21923 and FR 1404555. 
     Mentioned and other features of the invention will become apparent from the description following hereinbelow. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a wind instrument according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic view of detail II of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-section along line III—III of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a portion of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-section along line V—V of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of a cross-section along the line V—V of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention can be applied to existing wind instruments, for instance in all saxophones available commercially at the present time. The per se known construction and design of this instrument is deemed interpolated herein. Only some of the guards and stops thereof are described, modified according to the invention as hereinbelow. 
     Referring to FIG. 1 wind instrument  1  comprises a hollow, elongate body consisting of a tube  2 , a band  3  and a bell  4  with a plurality of holes  6  which are arranged at different distances from a mouthpiece  5 , are practically always formed as a round chimney and which can each be closed with a valve  13 , while the wide open end  60  of bell  3  has no valve. The holes  6  are covered by valves  13  in FIG.  1 . 
     According to FIGS. 2-4, a control element  14  of a valve  13  for diverse low holes  6  (also in the known wind instrument  1 ) consists in each case of a pivot shaft  9  mounted in bridges  8 , a control lever  10  fixed rigidly to the shaft  9  and having a finger key  11  and a valve arm  12  carrying a valve  13 . Practically every low valve  13  is provided with a spring  44  urging it to the open position. Above values  13  B flat, FIG. 1 13 B,  13   c  and  13  E flat the known wind instrument  1  has guards which cover the valves  13  for a considerable part. These guards bear stops which determine the open position of the valves  13 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a round chimney  22  and its hole  6  with associated valve  13  consisting of a cover  23  which is fixed to valve arm  12  and in which a felt cushion  24  with a leather envelope  25  is fixed by means of a glue or other adhesive. 
     According to FIG. 4 the control element  14  B flat of valve  13  B flat is occasionally operated, as is usual, by control element  14 B of valve  13 B, for which purpose these are mutually coupled with interposing of a soft stop  45 . In addition, control element  14  B flat has its own finger key. 
     According to the invention the control element  14  has a stop  15  which as seen in the plane of FIG. 2 of the associated value  13  is arranged outside the surface of the valve  13  which is cross-hatched in FIG.  2 . The stop  15  preferably consists of a screw  16  with an adjusting knob  17  which is easy to adjust manually and which co-acts with control lever  10 , preferably via a cushion  18 , for instance of cork, as shown in FIG.  3 . Referring, in particular, to FIGS. 2 and 3, the stop  15 , which is a fixed stop means, is positioned at a maximum of 2 cm from a pivot axis of the control element  14 . The stop  15  is preferably positioned at a maximum 1.5 cm from the pivot axis of the control element  14 . 
     A foot  19  of screw  16 , formed for instance from two nuts, is preferably arranged adjustably on screw  16  to form an easily reproducible adjustable stop  15 . The knob  17  can be used to close valve  13  after playing. Screw  16  is screwed into an angled stop support  21  which is fixed to the bell  4 . The above described stop  15  according to the invention is preferably applied to all low open valves  13 , namely the E flat valve  13 , the B valve and the B flat valve. These low valves  13  are provided, as is the C sharp valve, with arcuate guards  20  which extend slightly higher from the bell  4  than the height of the associated valves  13 . Arcuate guards  20  thus also extend slightly higher from the bend  3  than the associated valves  13 . 
     In order to reduce the noise still further and to reduce the required operating force of the finger, particularly of the little finger, valve  13  is preferably constructed according to the invention as in FIG. 6. A round metal valve support  28  is fixed to valve arm  12  centrally relative to hole  6 . The valve support  28  has a diameter which is not greater than half the diameter of the associated hole  6 . Preferably, the valve support  28  extends radially in all directions only to less than a fourth and, more preferably, to less than a sixth of the diameter of the associated hole  6 . A mounting element  29  is glued to valve support  28 , optionally with interposing of a selected filler plate  30 . Valve  13  consists of a stiff, thin metal plate  31  having adhered thereon on the side facing toward the hole  6  a sealing layer  32  of foam material such as a thin layer of cellular rubber with a thickness in the order of magnitude of 0.5 to 2 mm. Edge  33  of chimney  22  is well-leveled so that the surface of the sealing material of the sealing layer  32  can make good sealing contact. The thin layer of cellular rubber of the sealing layer  32  preferably consists of cellular rubber with small closed cells. The average cell diameter is smaller than 0.5 mm, for instance smaller than 0.3 mm and preferably smaller than 0.2 mm. This sealing material is optionally coated on the outside with a sealing film of the sealing layer  32  to prevent infiltration of moisture. 
     The plate  31  is preferably a levelled metal plate, so that it extends accurately at a constant distance from the edge  33  and the sealing surface is thus supported accurately in one plane. Depending on the type of metal and the diameter of hole  6  the plate  31  has a stiffness such that the deflection of the plate  31  resulting from loud playing force (roughly 2 N) is preferably smaller than 0.3 mm, more preferably smaller than 0.2 mm, for instance in the order of magnitude of 0.1 mm. In the case of stainless steel (SS 430), the plate  31  thicknesses are 0.1 to 1 mm, preferably 0.15 to 0.8 mm, most preferably in the order of magnitude of 0.3 to 0.5 mm. 
     The plate  31  is adhered centrally to the valve arm  12  with interposing of yielding means  34 , which in FIG. 6 consist of a solid rubber core (hardness 40°-80° Shore) with a diameter of 2-7 mm and a height of 1-5 mm. 
     The plate  31  is preferably completely flat, but can be spherical, permanently or slightly under the influence of the closing force. 
     All given dimensions and values serve as examples and as an indication of the order of magnitude. The springs which tension the control means control element  14  are adapted to the necessary impressions for closing the valves  13 , i.e. tensioned considerably less than usual. The instrument  1  according to the invention hereby plays very lightly. It is less tiring and it is possible to play faster and better. In a rest position tension of the springs in the closed valves  13  is preferably limp such that as a result of hard blowing they are only just prevented from being blown open by the then occurring air pressure. In addition in the rest position, the tension of the spring in the opened valves  13  is preferably limp such that these valves  13  move up and downward with just enough speed to adequately follow the fingers during fast playing. The spring tensions are herein chosen slightly higher for safety reasons. 
     The valve  13  comprises a mounting disc  25  i.e. leather envelope fixed to valve arm  12  and having a small diameter which amounts to a maximum of half the diameter of hole  6  and is most preferably smaller than one third of this diameter. The mass of the valve  13  is hereby reduced, so that the valve  13  is lighter to play. 
     The inner edge of a flexible, substantially non-stretchable, thin membrane  46  is affixed around the rubber core i.e., yielding means  34 , to the mounting element  29 , while the outer edge thereof is affixed to the outer edge of the plate  31  of the sealing layer  32  with a glue bead  88 . 
     The following dimensions and material specifications are given by way of example. 
     The mounting element  29  consists of a metal plate with a diameter of 14 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm. Prior to its assembly, the mounting element  29  has on its top side a self-adhesive layer covered by pull-off paper. The filler plate  30  is of aluminium and then has on one side a self-adhesive layer covered with pull-off paper. 
     The membrane  46  consists for instance of rubber used for packaging jewellery (foam rubber) which is non-stretchable, or hardly so. The thickness is 1 mm and the glue bead  88  has a width of 2-3 mm.