Year: 1889

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declaro tho nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The purpose of my invention is to construct a rest which shall enable the player to
maintain more erect and easy position of the head, while at the saine time he has a
firmer hold upon the violin than is secured by the use of the ordinary chin rest.
Another purpose of my invention is to leave the back of the violin free and
unobstructed in its vibration.
In the accompanying drawing Figs. 1 and 2 are end views of the lower part of a
violin having my improved rest attached, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the same. Fig. 4
is a section of a portion of the rest taken on line 4-4, Fig. 1.
As seen from the drawings, the chin rest consists of a clamping frame in two
parts A, B, connected by a tightening screw C. The form of the parts A, B and the
mode of clamping the same may be varied indefinitely, as there are inany ways known,
and this feature has nothing to do with my present invention. To the upper end of
clamp A is attached the chin rest proper, D, which is hollowed to conform to the
player's chin in the manner shown, which conforms more closely to the shape of the
jaw-bone than the usual shape.
As indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3 the chin rest is hollowed out much more
deeply than usual and the hollow extends out through the left side of the chin rest as
may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the violin is as easily held with the head
in an inclined as in an upright position. The right hand of the chin rest extends
over the tail piece, so that the player's chin may occupy a more central position.
The mode of fastening the chin rest by screws E, E, passing through slots F, F
permits the rest D to be raised or lowered or tilted to better accommodate the player.
The lower end of clamp B has a hinge-joint G, upon which the piece H turns. Said

page_text: piece EI has at the edge farthest from the hingo-joint, a curved strip 1, whose ends are
preferably rounded as shown at i, i. The curved strip I may be a separate piece
riveted or otherwise secured to the hinge piece H, as soon in Figs. 1 and 2, or it may
be formed integrally with the hinge pieco II, as seen in Fig. 3. The strip I is bont
as shown, or approximately so, the curvature being such that when the hinge piece H
is turned up, as shown in Fig. 2, the strip will lie close enough to the ribs or sides of
the violin as to be out of the way and permit the violin to fit into an ordinary case.
The strip I is preferably made of some matorial, such as spring steel, which is elastic,
the player being thereby afforded a more secure and easy hold, and also an opportunity
to change the sidewise inclination of the violin by pressing the chin on one side or
the other of the rest; when the spring will yield and allow the violin to tilt
nccordingly.
When in use the strip 1 occupies the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A spring J
is inserted over the hinge pivot as shown in Fig. 4 and serves, by pressing against the
flat surface of the piece H, to maintain it in position when opened. The left hand
end of the strip rests upon the shoukler of the player and the right hand end upon
his chest. The support for the violin is thus furnished by the ends of the arched
strip L, and the left end reaches far enough back on the shoulder to counteract the
tendency to slip forward, experienced when the support is all derived from the chest
or collar bone. By the use of a rest constructed in the manner set forth the player
may dispense with the pad usually worn, which is so liable to slip and be misplaced.
Nothing comes in contact with the vibrating parts of the violin. The hold of the
chin upon the violin is so much strengthened as to relieve the left hand of the
player from the support of the violin entirely, thereby facilitating his execution of
rapid shifts materially.
While I have described the strip I as being pivotally attached to the violin I do
not wish to bo confined to that mode of attachment, as it is not essential to the use of
the strip I, but simply affords a convenient way of disposing of it when not in use.
The essential feature lies in the adaptation to the violin of the strip I, in such a position
and of such a shape as before described that the support is derived from a point upon
the shoulder and another upon the chest of the player.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent 1 declare that what I claim is:-
1. The combination with a violin, of an arched strip as I, the ends of which are
adapted to rest upon the shoulder and chest respectively of the player.
2. The combination, with a violin, of an arched strip, as 1, attached pivotally
thereto, and adapted, when turned down, to rest upon the chest and shoulder of
the player, and having a curvature corresponding approximately to that of the ribs
of the violin, so that when folded up it may permit the violin to go into an ordinary
case.
3. The combination, with the clamp frame of a violin chin rest, of an arched strip,
as 1, the onds of which are adapted to rest upon the shoulder and chest respectively
of the player.
4. The combination of the clamp A and chin rost D, of screws E, E and slots F, F,
whoroby the rest. D may be adjusted, as described.