Abstract:
A drumstick with a laser disposed therein for emitting light to be shown upon a distant object which may include a photo detector coupled with audio visual equipment to be controlled, via drumstick, by a musician.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation in part application of application Ser. No. 09/115,531 filed on Jul. 15, 1998, abandoned by Francis C. Lebeda for “TUBULAR DRUMSTICK OR BATON WITH LASER OR HIGH-INTENSITY LIGHT INSERT”. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to musical instruments, and more particularly relates to drumsticks, batons, and drum mallets, and even more particularly relates to a system and method for emitting laser light from a drumstick, baton, or mallet. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the past, designers of drumsticks have endeavored to provide drumstick systems with the capability of making the tip of the drumstick become illuminated. One crucial element in such systems has been the use of an encapsulating transparent tip which surrounds a light source disposed at the tip of the drumstick. One example of such a drumstick is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,035 entitled “DRUMSTICK WITH LIGHT EMITTING DIODE” issued to Rapisarda. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,163 entitled “ILLUMINATED DRUMSTICKS” issued to Welcomer. 
     While these illuminated tip drumsticks have some advantages, such as enhancing the visual effect of a drummer&#39;s performance when observers are watching the drummer play, they also have significant drawbacks. 
     First of all, the encapsulating material around the light source tends to have a dimming effect on the light which can be observed. 
     Secondly, the location of the light source at the tip of the drumstick affects the weight and balance of the drumstick. 
     Thirdly, the location of the light source at the tip of the drumstick, where impact occurs, results in mechanical shocks being transmitted to the light source. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide enhanced visual performance of a baton twirler, drummer or other percussion instrument musician. 
     It is a feature of the present invention to include a hollow drumstick with a laser disposed in the handle. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention to reduce the undesired impact forces affecting the light source during use of the drumstick. 
     It is another feature of the present invention to include a tip having a light-emitting orifice therein. 
     It is another advantage of the present invention to allow laser light to be transmitted undisturbed by any tip material, to a distant object or objects. 
     The present invention is an apparatus and method for emitting laser light from a drumstick, baton or mallet which are designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out with an “encapsulating tip-less” instrument tip in a sense that attenuation of light caused by passage of light through an encapsulating tip material has been greatly reduced. 
     Accordingly, the present invention is a system and method for emitting laser light from an instrument having a light emitting orifice therein through which laser light is allowed to pass. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a drumstick of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial cut-away side view of portions of the drumstick of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a drumstick of the present invention, where the centerline represents a laser beam. 
     FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a light show system of the present invention, which utilizes the drumstick of FIG. 1 to remotely control a lighting system around a musician. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Now referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like matter throughout, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a side view of drumstick of the present invention, generally designated,  100 , having a hollow drumstick shank  10 , a drumstick tip  12  with a light emitting orifice  11  therein. Disposed at an opposite end from drumstick tip  12  is retaining cap  8  and retaining clip  9 . The materials used to construct the drumsticks, caps, clips etc. throughout this detailed description are a matter of designer&#39;s choice and may include various material such as wood, nylon, aluminum, other metals, fiberglass, carbon fiber, Kevlar reinforced fiberglass, plastics, and any other suitable material for a drumstick. 
     Now referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a partial cut-away side view of portions of the drumstick,  100 , of FIG.  1 . Drumstick shank  10  has a cut-away section  16 , therein exposing an inwardly disposed laser insert  13  with said retaining clip  9  coupled thereto. Laser insert  13  shows coupled thereto a compression ball bearing switch  15  disposed thereon. (Laser insert  13  may be similar to laser  308  described below.) When laser insert  13  is placed inside of drumstick shank  10 , the compression ball bearing switch is compressed, due to the tight fit of the laser insert  13  into the drumstick shank  10 . This compression of compression ball bearing switch  15  causes the laser insert to emit laser light. When the musician no longer desires the laser insert  13  to emit light, the musician merely removes the laser insert  13  from the drumstick shank  10 , thereby releasing the pressure on compression ball bearing switch  15 , which terminates the laser emission. When laser insert  13  is disposed in drumstick shank  10 , the laser emission occurs in a focused beam  17  which travels through the hollow drumstick shank  10  in a direction which is parallel with the longitudinal direction of drumstick shank  10 . Note that the placement of the laser insert  13  at the retaining cap  8  (not shown in FIG. 2) end of the drumstick shank  10  results in a weight balance characteristic of the drumstick  100  being shifted toward the retaining cap  8  end, the handle end, of the drumstick  100 . However, many of the advantages of the present invention can be achieved with a drumstick having the laser disposed at the drumstick tip  12  (FIG. 1) end of the drumstick shank  10  or at any intermediate position within the drumstick shank  10 . The present invention and the claims below are intended to include all such variations in design. 
     Now referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a tapered drumstick, generally designated  300 , of the present invention, which shows a bulbous tip  302 , for striking a drum. Tip  302  has a laser light-emitting orifice  304  therein. Preferably, orifice  304  has no encapsulating cover or lens material; however, in some alternate embodiments, transparent covers and/or lenses or other optical devices, such as beam splitters, prisms, etc., could be place in, at, or about orifice  304 . Drumstick  300  has a hollow core  305  surrounded by a tapered drumstick shank  306  which has a decreasing diameter characteristic along a line extending from the laser end  307  toward the tip end  301  where the bulbous tip  302  reverses the decreasing diameter characteristic. Disposed inside of hollow core  305  at the laser end  307  of drumstick  300  is laser  308 , which may be any laser, super luminescent diode, or other high intensity light source capable of emission of a high intensity focused beam of light. A preferred laser  308  is a 650 nm wave length, maximum output less than 5 mW Class  111 A laser product, which is commercially available and well known in the industry. It should be understood that numerous other lasers or light sources could be substituted, depending upon the particular design requirement for the drumstick being designed. Also, it should be understood that laser  308  may be disposed in or at any point of the hollow core  305  from laser end  307  to the orifice  304 . Laser  308  is shown having several examples of switches thereon. Rear switch  310  represents a switch on the non-light-emitting end of laser  308 , which could be actuated by pressing a button on the rear switch  310  or by twisting a cap  318  having grooves  320  therein for cooperation with threads  322  on said drumstick so as to advance and retract when twisted. Said threads and grooves can be reversed or substituted with other surface features. Also shown is a handle end orifice  324  which could be used to allow a switch to extend or be manipulated therethrough, or in an alternate embodiment, the laser  308  could be reversed to emit a beam out the handle orifice  324 . This may be desirable for various purposes, including educational or instructional use. For example, the beam can be used to assist an instructor in determining how the drumstick is being held and used by a student. 
     Also shown is an exterior switch  312  disposed on the exterior of the drumstick  300 . Either switch  312  is a sliding switch disposed in a slot in the drumstick shank  306 , or button switch disposed through a hole. Various other common switches could be used as well. A compression ball bearing switch, similar to switch  15  of FIG. 2, could be used if laser  308  is designed to be removed when not in use. Irrespective of which switch type is used, laser  308  emits light in a narrow focused beam  316 , which passes through hollow core  305  and exits through orifice  304  and continues in a straight narrow focused beam until striking and thereby illuminating matter located a distance away from the tip  302 , causing such matter to reflect light in a direction other than merely back in the direction of the narrow focused beam  316 . This illumination of distant objects is a key advantage of the present invention. If smoke, fog, mist, dust or other small airborne particles are present in the environment around the drumstick  300 , a line of light may be seen extending away from the orifice  304 . This line of light is the result of scattering of the narrow focused-beam  316  off these airborne particles, resulting-in a dramatic and entertaining performance by the musician using the drumstick. This is especially entertaining when the drummer twirls, tosses, and otherwise manipulates the drumstick in a manner that the orifice  304  is pointed in a direction away from the drum surface. 
     Now referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a block diagram of an appliance control system of the present invention generally designated  400 , having a drumstick  402  of the present invention as described above for FIGS. 1-3, which emits a laser beam  404  which is aimed by the musician to hit a photo detector  406  which cooperates with control switch  408  to affect the operation of an appliance  410 , which may be a lighting or sound system to be controlled by the musician. 
     While the present invention has been heretofore described as a drumstick, it should be understood that many of the advantages of the present invention can be achieved with alternate embodiments of the present invention, such as batons used by drum majorettes and baton twirlers etc., as well as in mallet like instruments used to strike larger drums. In such cases, the dimensions, shape, and design details of the instrument are usually quite different from the drumsticks described herein in detail, but it should be understood that the present invention and the claims herein are intended to include such alternate embodiments of the present invention. 
     It is thought that the method and apparatus of the present invention will be understood from the foregoing description and that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construct steps, and arrangement of the parts and steps thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of their material advantages. The form herein described is merely a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof.