Patent ID: 7265284

Claim:
A shoulder rest for use with a violin or the like instrument having a shoulder engaging bridge, said bridge including (a) an elongated body having a top surface, an underside, a first end, a second end and a cushion portion secured to said underside; (b) a pair of generally fork-shaped clamping members disposed one at each end of said body, for engagement with an associated instrument; (c) a generally L-shaped carrier having a foot portion and an upright portion ( 53 ); (d) one of said clamping members being mounted on said upright portion; (e) said foot portion being coincident with said top surface near said first end and being slidable longitudinally of the body; (f) carrier foot guide means including: (i) a slot, extending longitudinally of the body; (ii) a first guide member proximate to a front end of said foot portion and adapted to sliding guide said front end along the slot but preventing the displacement of said front end in a direction from said underside to said top surface; (iii) rear guide means disposed at a location distal from the front end of said foot portion and adapted to slidingly guide the foot portion along the slot; (g) pressure applicator means including a pressure plate turned towards the underside of the body and secured to the body at said location distal from the front end of said foot portion; (h) elastomeric brake pad means disposed between said pressure plate and the underside of the body, whereby, on raising the pressure applicator means, the brake pad means is compressed between the pressure plate and the underside; (i) braking force actuating means disposed at said top of the bridge and operatively associated with the pressure applicator means and with the carrier and adapted to selectively displace said plate toward, or away from, said underside to engage said elastomeric brake pad means with, or disengage same from, the underside thus fixing the carrier to, or releasing it for a free sliding movement along the body; (j) clamping force generating means adapted to displace the carrier in a direction longitudinally away from said first end simultaneously with said fixing of same to the body.