Abstract:
The present invention is a guitar pick with an integral strap holder. The present invention comes in a variety of embodiments. In one set of embodiments, a slot can be made in the guitar pick, for accommodating a guitar strap. In another set of embodiments, a breakaway shaft can be connected to the guitar pick. The breakaway shaft contains a toothed slot for accommodating a guitar strap.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of musical instruments, specifically to picking devices. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     The inventor of the present invention is also the inventor of U.S. Pat. No. 8,742,239 (“Patent &#39;239”). The present invention is a different approach then Patent &#39;239 to provide a guitar player a pick in a timely fashion. For the sake of clarity, the background of Patent &#39;239 is repeated here, with appropriate modifications and additions. 
     Musicians who play stringed instruments, in particular guitars, use picks, also called plectrums. A pick is a small piece of thin plastic, metal, stone, bone, or other thin, rigid material, used to strum the strings of an instrument. Picks are usually, roughly speaking, triangular or teardrop in shape. The material, thickness, geometry, and tip of the pick affect the sonic characteristics of the instrument. For example, a really stiff, thick pick will have a very different sound from a thin, softer pick. The angle, depth, and direction of motion of the pick striking the strings is called the attack. The attack is individualized for each musician. Some musicians have quite an aggressive attack, striking the strings with a substantial portion of the pick, while using a locked thumb, putting quite a bit of force on the pick. 
     During extended playing, such as concerts, recording sessions or practices, stringed instrument musicians often find a need to use a new pick, for a variety of reasons. After playing for a while, a musician&#39;s hands may become sweaty or moist, making it more likely that the musician will drop or mishandle the pick. While rapidly strumming, many musicians lose their grip on their pick, and drop the pick. Additionally, due to the thin, brittle nature of picks, they tend to break during prolonged play, especially when used with an aggressive attack. Lastly, with extended play, the point of the pick can be rubbed away due to string friction. As the pick loses its point, it changes sonic characteristic and the attack on the string. Relatively speaking, thin and medium thickness picks tend to crack or break more than thicker ones. 
     Ideally, when a musician needs a new pick during a session, a pick should be available to the strumming hand of the musician, with no time lag. If the musician must stop to grab a pick, it can affect the quality of the concert or recording. Additionally, it can disrupt the group with whom the musician is practicing. An ideal pick holder would allow the musician to get a new pick with a quick, reliable movement, without interrupting playing. The solution should allow the musician to get a new pick a number of times. In other words, the solution should allow multiple picks to be presented in close proximity to the strumming hand, with relatively unfettered access. 
     Currently, when a musician needs a new pick during a session, they have a limited number of options. First, they can stop playing and get a new pick. Second, they can use their nails, instead of the pick. Third, they can use a deformed or partially broken pick, until they have a reasonable chance to replace the pick. Fourth, they can use one of the existing solutions for a pick holder. Fifth, they can use the invention described in Patent &#39;239. 
     PRIOR ART REVIEW 
     None of the current solutions in the prior art are ideal. Some musicians use small, clear plastic bags to hold picks. The musician will keep this bag nearby while playing. The problem with this solution is that the musician has to stop playing, pick up the bag, remove a pick, and resume playing. 
     Some musicians use pick-holder products that are designed to fit on the neck or headstock of the instrument near the tuning, such as the Wedgie Headstock Pick Holder. There are a substantial number of patents for pick holders mounted on or near the headstock, including the following: U.S. Pat. No. 1,784,934, by named inventor Johansson, entitled, “Plectrum holder” (“Johansson &#39;934”); U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,300, by named inventor Silverman, entitled, “Pick holder for stringed musical instrument” (“Silverman &#39;300”); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,136, by named inventor Judd, entitled, “Guitar pick holder” (“Judd &#39;136”). The problem Johansson &#39;934, Silverman &#39;300, and Judd &#39;136 is that, since the picks are stored on the headstock, the picks are presented, or made available, to the wrong hand of the musician. In order to access a new pick, the musician still needs to cease strumming the instrument, reach to the headstock with his or her strumming hand, and then resume playing. 
     Some musicians use pick holders that offers access to a spring-loaded stack of picks. The prior art contains many patents disclosing various types of spring loaded pick holders, including the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,299, by named inventors Zovko, et. al., entitled, “Self-contained pick dispenser” (“Zovko &#39;299”); U.S. Pat. No. 7,626,103, by named inventor Phillips, entitled, “Musical instrument pick holder” (“Phillips &#39;103”); and U.S. Pat. No. 7,629,522, by named inventor Isaacson, entitled, “Stringed pick pincher” (“Isaacson &#39;522”). Zovko &#39;299, Phillips &#39;103, and Isaacson &#39;522 are sub-optimum for the same of reasons. First, the pick holder will respond to picks differently, based on the surface texture, thickness, and material of the pick. Many musicians have a wide variety of picks, with the picks coming in variety of hardnesses, thicknesses, and surface finishes. Spring loaded pick holders jam-up when loaded with textured picks. Additionally, thicker picks tend to be difficult to remove from spring loaded pick holders. Lastly, due to the varying thicknesses of picks, the spring loaded holders that stack the picks, such as Zovko &#39;299, tend to dispense more than one pick when filled with thinner picks. 
     Some musicians use pick holders that retain the picks using some form of friction fit. The prior art contains many patents disclosing various types of pick holders that use friction fits to retain the pick, including the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,485, by named inventor Denton, entitled, “Stringed instrument pick and slide holder” (“Denton &#39;485”); U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,468, by named inventor Irizarry, entitled, “Holder for thin planar objects” (“Irizarry &#39;468”); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,052, by named inventors Giddens, et. al., entitled, “Guitar pick holder” (“Giddens &#39;052”). Denton &#39;485, Irizarry &#39;468, and Giddens &#39;052 share a common cluster of problems. First, due to the retention force of the invention, the musician has to use two fingers to remove the pick. This means the musician&#39;s strumming hand must stop. Additionally, retention force varies greatly with the style, finish, and thickness of the pick. These types of pick holders make the musician prone to mishandling the pick, when attempting to remove one quickly. 
     Some musicians use pick holders that retain picks in a pocket, or pockets, sized to hold guitar picks. The prior art contains many patents disclosing various types of pick holders, pick slots, or both, including the following: U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,708, by named inventor (Stevie Ray) Vaughan, entitled, “Pick holder for stringed instruments” (“Vaughan &#39;708”); U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,217, by named inventor Byers, entitled, “Pick holder” (“Byers &#39;217”); U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,590, by named inventor Kulik, entitled, “Arm sheath for use with a stringed instrument” (“Kulik &#39;590”); and U.S. Pat. No. 8,097,799, by named inventor Tran, entitled, “Plectrum receptacle systems” (“Tran &#39;799”). Just a raw pocket, roughly sized to fit a guitar pick, makes a poor pick holder. The pocket will fit some picks snuggly and other picks loosely. Some of the prior art tried to overcome this problems, such as Stephen Ray Vaughan&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,708. This patent uses slots within each pocket to create proper retention force. The problem with Vaughan &#39;708 is that it requires two fingers to remove a pick, precisely because it provides positive retention force. The Tran &#39;799 also uses a retainer to forcibly hold the pick. Kulik &#39;590 is for a pick holder sewn into a flexible arm sleeve. The flexible arm sleeve creates a force fit of the pick, while the flexible sleeve is being worn. In essence, these three patents are using a force fit in a pocket, which creates a variable retention force, and a retention force that requires, at a minimum, a finger and a thumb, to remove a new pick. Other pocket-based solutions, such as Byers &#39;217, offer just a single pick in a pocket or sleeve. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,417,184, by named inventor Weathersby, entitled, “Portable guitar pick holder apparatus” (“Weathersby &#39;184”), discloses a hybrid between a spring-loaded pick-holder and a pick-holder sleeve. Weathersby &#39;184 teaches a spring-loaded pick-holder that has a strap, to wear on the arm while playing a guitar. Weathersby &#39;184 has a plurality of openings, shaped so that a guitar pick can be partially revealed and partially concealed. Internal springs exerts a force on a stack of guitar picks. A portion of the outer-most guitar pick extends out of the pick-holder so that it can either be drawn out by the user, or it can be dispensed by use of a switch. Weathersby &#39;184 has problems common with many other pick holders and pick dispensers. In one embodiment, it would take two hands to dispense a pick: one hand would work the selection switch and the other hand would gather the pick. In the other embodiment, Weathersby &#39;184 has the same problems as other spring-loaded pick-holders. First, the pick holder will respond to picks differently, based on the surface texture, thickness, and material of the pick. Many musicians have a wide variety of picks, with the picks coming in variety of hardnesses, thicknesses, and surface finishes. Spring loaded pick holders jam-up when loaded with textured picks. Additionally, thicker picks tend to be difficult to remove from spring loaded pick holders. Lastly, due to the varying thicknesses of picks, the spring loaded holders that stack the picks, such as Weathersby &#39;184, tend to dispense more than one pick when filled with thinner picks. 
     A number of musicians use picks that are intended to be easily retained on the finger, such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,492,630, by named inventor Wonnacott, entitled, “Musical instrument pick with replaceable strap” (“Wonnacott &#39;630”). Wonnacott &#39;630 discloses a pick with two slots, through which a removable strap may pass. The strap is used to secure the pick to the musician&#39;s finger. Wonnacott &#39;630 has several problems, common with this kind of arrangement: it requires the musician to hold the pick in a different way than what most guitar players are used to; it does not fix the broken pick problem (and, in fact, may make it worse); and it does not present a new pick an a quick and easy manner. In addition to the strap disclosed by Wonnacott &#39;630, the prior art teaches elastic bands, strings, rings, and other ways of securing the pick to the guitar player&#39;s hand. 
     A number of musicians use picks that have sticky or high friction surfaces, such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,076,560, by named inventor McKee, entitled, “Musical instrument pick grip” (“McKee &#39;560”). McKee &#39;560 teaches an abrasive disc that can be adhered to either or both sides of a pick. McKee &#39;560 does not solve the inherent problem in playing a guitar: players crack or drop the pick. Making the pick rough or sticky is a marginal solution, at best. 
     Clearly, none of the prior art offers an ideal solution for a presenting a ready pick to a musician using a guitar or other plucked instrument. The inventor&#39;s own prior patent, U.S. Pat. No. 8,742,239, by named inventor Storck, entitled, “Easy access flexible container and pick holder for stringed musical instrument picks,” (“Storck &#39;239”) cures most of the prior art problems. After repeated use, the pick-holding slots of Storck &#39;239 begin to stretch, allowing picks to unintentionally come loose. The present invention attempts to overcome this problem, by offering a guitar pick that will easy attach to a strap or belt, making a pick holder unnecessary. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a pick with an integral strap holder for use with musical instruments that are plucked. The present invention may take on a variety of embodiments, but all have the inherent core that they have a slot or other feature that will temporarily allow the pick to be attached to a belt or strap. 
     In one set of embodiments, the strap holder is created by making a slot in the main body of the guitar pick. The slot nearly bisects the main body of the guitar pick, creating a larger portion with the point of the guitar pick, and a smaller portion. The slot is sized to accommodate a standard fabric or leather guitar strap. The slot can be straight or curved. The slot can have teeth to assist in retaining a guitar strap. The slot can have a kiss cut, or region of thinned material between the slot and the nearest edge of the guitar pick. A kiss cut would allow the smaller portion of the main body to break free from the rest of the guitar pick, to insure that the pick does not bind on a guitar strap. 
     In another set of embodiments, a main portion of a guitar pick can be connected to a breakaway portion that can be attached to a guitar strap. In the example used herein, a shaft extends from the main body of the guitar pick. The shaft has two extensions, opposed to, and in proximity, with one another. The gap between the two extensions is sized to accommodate a standard guitar strap. Teeth can be added between the two extensions to improve the physical attachment to the strap. The breakaway portion can include a kiss cut, allowing the breakaway portion to easily separate from the main body of the pick. In this way, this set of embodiments insures that the pick does not bind on the guitar strap. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       There are fifteen relevant drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a standard guitar pick. 
         FIG. 2  is a isolation view of a standard guitar pick. 
         FIG. 3  is a back view of a standard guitar pick. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a first embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the first embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an isolation view of the first embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a back view of the first embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of a second embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the second embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a back view of the second embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a top view of a third embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of a third embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a top view of a fourth embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 14  is an elevated side view of the fourth embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a back view of the fourth embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description represents the inventors&#39; current preferred embodiments. The description is not meant to limit the invention, but rather to illustrate its general principles of operation. Examples are illustrated with the accompanying drawings. A variety of drawings are offered, showing the present invention with configurations for attaching a guitar pick directly to a strap, belt, or similar planar, flexible object. All of the guitar picks shown here have a thumb dimple on one side. Although this is a common feature of guitar picks, it is not a requirement for this invention, nor is a dimple on only one side a limitation of this invention. All of the guitar picks drawn in this patent are a triangular wedge. The triangular, wedge-shape of the guitar pick is not a limitation of this patent, and is merely used to highlight the differences between the standard guitar pick and the embodiments. 
       FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 , and  FIG. 3  show a representative, standard guitar pick  1 . The guitar pick  1  is constructed from a single piece of material, having a top surface  3 , a bottom surface  10 , and a variety of curved edges  8 ,  6 , and straight edges  4 . A standard guitar pick is typically triangular, tear-drop shaped, or a combination of triangular and tear-drop shaped. For the sake of this patent, all guitar picks are being drawn as a combination of triangular and tear-drop shaped. The guitar pick  1  has a dimple  5 , with a dimple perimeter  2 . The guitar pick  1  has a curved point  7 , which is used to strum the string of a guitar or other musical instrument (not shown). 
       FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5 , and  FIG. 6  show a first embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention, a guitar pick with integral strap holder  101 . The guitar pick  101  is larger than a standard guitar pick  1 . The guitar pick  101  is constructed from a single piece of material, having a top surface  103 , a bottom surface  120 , and a variety of curved edges  108 ,  106 , and straight edges  104 . The guitar pick  101  has a dimple  105 , with a dimple perimeter  102 . The guitar pick  101  has a curved point  107 , which is used to strum the string of a guitar or other musical instrument (not shown). The guitar pick  101  can be made out of a variety of useful materials, including, but not limited to, polypropylene, ABS, HDPE, LDPE, bone, stone, or metal. 
     The guitar pick  101  has a straight slot  110 , so that the guitar pick  101  can be temporarily attached to a strap, belt, or other planar, flexible material. At the inner most part of the straight slot  110 , there are two teeth  111 ,  113 , that grab and softly hold a fabric or leather strap or belt. 
       FIG. 8 ,  FIG. 9 , and  FIG. 10  show a second embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention, a guitar pick with integral strap holder  201 . The guitar pick  201  is constructed from a single piece of material, having a top surface  203 , a bottom surface  220 , and a variety of curved edges  208 ,  206 , and straight edges  204 . The guitar pick  201  has a dimple  205 , with a defined dimple perimeter  202 . The guitar pick  201  has a curved point  207 , which is used to strum the string of a guitar or other musical instrument (not shown). The guitar pick  201  can be made out of a variety of useful materials, including, but not limited to, polypropylene, ABS, HDPE, LDPE, bone, stone, or metal. The guitar pick  201  has a curved slot  210 , so that the guitar pick  201  can be temporarily attached to a strap, belt, or other planar, flexible material. 
       FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  show a third embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention, a guitar pick with integral strap holder  301 . The guitar pick  301  is constructed from a single piece of material, having a top surface  303 , a bottom surface (not shown), and a variety of curved edges  308 ,  306 , and straight edges  304 . The guitar pick  301  has a dimple  305 , with a defined dimple perimeter  302 . The guitar pick  301  has a curved point  307 , which is used to strum the string of a guitar or other musical instrument (not shown). The guitar pick  301  can be made out of a variety of useful materials, including, but not limited to, polypropylene, ABS, HDPE, LDPE, bone, stone, or metal. 
     The guitar pick  301  has a curved slot  310 , so that the guitar pick  301  can be temporarily attached to a strap, belt, or other planar, flexible material. The curved slot  310  extends most of the way through the guitar pick  301 , and is held on by a thinned piece of material, called a kiss cut  315 . The curved slot  310  and kiss cut  315  are designed to break easily when the user pulls the guitar pick  301 . In this way, the third embodiment  310  removes the possibility of the guitar pick  301  snagging or getting stuck when the musician pulls it. 
       FIG. 13 ,  FIG. 14 , and  FIG. 15  show a fourth embodiment of the present guitar-pick invention, a guitar pick with integral strap holder  401 . The guitar pick  401  is constructed from a single piece of material, having a top surface  403 , a bottom surface  420 , and a variety of curved edges  408 ,  406 , and straight edges  404 . The guitar pick  401  has a dimple  405 , with a defined dimple perimeter  402 . The guitar pick  401  has a curved point  407 , which is used to strum the string of a guitar or other musical instrument (not shown). The guitar pick  401  can be made out of a variety of useful materials, including, but not limited to, polypropylene, ABS, HDPE, LDPE, bone, stone, or metal. 
     The guitar pick  401  has a breakaway shaft assembly  450 . The breakaway shaft assembly  450  has a shaft  451 , that connects the breakaway shaft assembly  450  to the main portion  403 ,  420 ,  404 ,  406 ,  407 ,  408  of the guitar pick  401 . At the top of the shaft  451  are an upper extension  454 , and a lower extension  456 , in proximity with, and disposed in opposition to, one another. The upper extension  454  has a tooth  453  on the surface facing the lower extension  456 ; likewise, the lower extension has a tooth  455  on the surface facing the upper extension  454 . The gap between the upper extension  454  and the lower extension  456 , in which the teeth are present  455 ,  453 , is designed to allow the guitar pick to be temporarily fastened to a strap or belt (not shown). At the base of the shaft  451  are two kiss-cuts  452 . The kiss-cuts  452  are designed to make the shaft  451  breakaway from the main portion  403 ,  420 ,  404 ,  406 ,  407 ,  408  of the guitar pick  401 , when the user pulls the guitar pick  401 . This embodiment is designed to have the guitar pick  401  break-free from the breakaway shaft assembly  450 , prior to use.