Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to supporting and positioning a guitar or similar instrument, hereinafter referred to as a guitar, which is supported by a shoulder strap system by increasing the shoulder strap system support at the strumming end of the guitar and uniformly distributing the weight of the guitar over the player&#39;s shoulders and body. 
     The weight of a guitar is very heavy and uncomfortable to hold over long periods of time. Various suspension systems for supporting the guitar on the front of the body have been used. A type of suspension strap commonly used is a single strap slung over one shoulder. However the strap rests on very sensitive muscles close to the player&#39;s neck. Within a short period of time, the player develops fatigue and discomfort. Other types offer double strap type solutions which attempt to split the weight in half and attempt to evenly distribute the weight across the shoulders or affixed to a belt but the result is that it appears to make the suspension system rigid, uncomfortable and less appropriate for guitar use. Applicant has recently developed a Double Strap Harness for a Guitar, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/363,812, filed Jul. 30, 1999 that overcomes the defeciencies of these prior shoulder strap systems. The present invention is directed improving the effeciencies of these prior shoulder strap systems when they are being used. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present inventions overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art single and double shoulder strap systems which are attached to the protruding mounting buttons or other attachable means at the guitar&#39;s right end or strumming end and the left end or fret end, hereinafter referred to as the right end or left end of the guitar. This is accomplished with the present unique additional right end mounting attachment which is attached to the guitar&#39;s right end mounting button means extending over the prior art right end attached shoulder element attached to the button. 
     The present harness system encompasses a resilient, flexible lower member, preferably a slit fabric or leather tongue sleeve, movably attached to the bottom bar of a connecting bracket, and an upper adjustable strap loop member, preferably a sturdy, resilient fabric strap or similar item, slidably attached to the top bar of the connecting bracket. The slit tongue sleeve fits over the attached shoulder strap right end element and is itself attached to the protruding guitar right end button. The upper loop member is slidably attached to the clothing or waiste belt of the player by various means and hangs down adjacent the player&#39;s right hip area. 
     By combining the present harness right end mounting system with the prior art shoulder strap systems, the player is able to uniformly distribute the weight of the guitar away from sensitive shoulder muscles to more comfortable positions. By being able to set the guitar&#39;s right end a little higher off the right hip due to the adjustable loop, this tends to push the guitar&#39;s weight of the right end to the tongue sleeve which removes the weight off the left shouder for a single shoulder strap, or off of both shouders for a double shoulder strap system. The player is thus able to adjust the guitar to the most comfortable position not previously available. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view of a player wearing the harness of the invention supporting a guitar. 
     FIGS. 2A and B are top and side views of one embodiment of the harness of the invention with a suspender clip. 
     FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a connector bracket. 
     FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a strap adjuster. 
     FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a suspender clip. 
     FIG. 6 is a view of another embodiment of the harness attached to a waiste belt. 
     FIG. 7 is a view of a further embodiment of the harness with a contiguous loop. 
     FIG. 8 is a view of an embodiment of the harness with a surface engaging contiguous loop. 
     FIG. 9 is a view of an embodiment of the harness with a strap adjustable surface engaging strap adjustable contiguous loop. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a player wearing a harness attchment  10  of the invention supporting a guitar  1  at the front of the player&#39;s body. Shown are the protruding right end or strumming end  2  of the guitar and the strummung end button  3  for mounting the guitar to the prior art shoulder straps harnesses. Shown also is a known shoulder strap system  4  representing prior art shoulder strap systems that are used with guitars and the type of shoulder strap system which can be used with the present harness attachment of this invention. Each of the guitar buttons has an enlarged head or other type of mounting means over which the prior art right end strap  5  and left end strap not shown are mounted. 
     Shown in FIGS. 2A and B are overall isolated top and side views of harness attachment  10  featuring one embodiment of the present invention and is the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 attached to the right end strummung button  3  extending over the right end strap  5  of the shoulder strap. Harness attachment  10  as seen in the drawings includes a resilient slit fabric or leather tongue sleeve  12  movably mounted on the bottom bar of connecting bracket  14  by sewing to itself or other means. Tongue sleeve  12  fits over the guitar&#39;s right end button  3  in securing harness attachment  10  to the guitar. An adjustable strap loop member  16  made of resilient durable fabric or similar material is slidably looped through the top bar of connecting bracket  14 . One end of loop member  16  is adjustably mounted through triple bar strap adjuster  18  and the opposite end is slidably mounted on bar  21  of suspender clip  20  by sewing to itself or other means. Short strap  22  movably attaches strap adjuster  18  to loop member  16  by being movably mounted at one end to the middle bar of strap adjuster  18  by sewing to itself or other means and is secured to loop member  16  by sewing to the loop member at the suspender clip bar  21  thereby forming loop  24 . 
     Each of the above three connections: of the tongue sleeve  12  to connecting bracket  14 ; of one end of loop member  16  to suspender clip bar  21 ; and of short strap  22  to strap adjuster  18  are movably mounted by small connecting loops  11 ,  15  and  23  formed at their connections on the bars of the devices. One of the benefits of these amall loop connections and of long loop  24  is that it allows the uniform distribution of the weight of the right end of the guitar to be distributed away from the sesitive shoulder muscles and placed on a more comfortable body position on the when the guitar is moved about. For example, when the tongue  12  is set higher off the right hip, this tends to push the weight of the right end of the guitar to the tongue which in turn removes the shoulder strap weight off of the left shoulder for single shoulder strap systems and off of both shoulders for double shoulder strap systems. 
     As seen in FIG. 1, harness attachment  10  hangs loosely off the right hip, generally tongue  12  is about six to eight inches off the hip. Suspender clip  20  is seen clipped on to the player&#39;s pants. However, there are no limitations as to where the suspender clip can be attached for instance to other areas of the player&#39;s clothing or to a waiste belt or other belt. 
     A preferred connector bracket  14  is shown in FIGS. 2A and B and  3 . Generally, it is the double bar rectangular bracket, such as a dee, but also can be a multibar bracket or ring or similar device which movably attaches items at each end of the bracket. A preferred strap adjuster  18  is shown in FIGS. 2A and B and  4 . Generally, it is the triple bar rectangular strap adjuster allowing one end of the strap to be adjustably mounted for lenght through the bars and the opposite end of the same strap or another strap to be movably attached to the center bar by sewing to itself or other means. A preferred suspender clip  20  is shown in FIGS. 2A and B and  5  which is a typical suspender clip generally secured to a double bar bracket  21 . 
     Shown in FIG. 6 is a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the adjustable loop member  16 ( a ) is slidingly attached to the waiste belt  26 ( a ). One end of adjustable loop member  16 ( a ) is adjustably attached through strap adjuster  18 ( a ) and is movably attached at its opposite end to the middle bar of the strap adjuster by sewing to itself or other means. Connecting bracket  14 ( a ) is movably attached to loop member  16 ( a ) at the lowest point of loop  24 ( a ). Waiste belt  26 ( a ) is shown adjustably attached to belt strap adjuster  18 ( ab ) through belt loops xx. 
     There are several advantages provided by this embodiment which includes the waiste belt. In particular, the combined movably mounting connections of the upper portion of loop  24 ( a ) being movably mounted on waiste belt  26 ( a ), and connecting bracket  14 ( a ) being movably mounted at the lowest point in loop  24 ( a ) and slit tongue  12 ( a ) being movably mounted on connecting bracket  14 ( a ), not only increase the freedom of movement of the guitar but also reduce the weight of the guitar on sensitive muscles which has not been previously obtainable with prior shoulder strap harnesses. 
     FIG. 7 depicts the preferred contigious waist belt embodiment of the invention in which the adjustable loop member  16 ( b ) is formed from the contingious extension of waiste belt  26 ( b ) forming contigious loop  24 ( b ). In this embodiment, the front end of waiste belt  26 ( b ) is movably attached to the top bar of triple bar bracket  14 ( b ) by sewing to itself or other means. The opposite end of the of the waiste belt encircles the waiste and then passes through the center bar of bracket  14 ( b ) forming adjustable loop member  16 ( b ) which overlaps the front end of the waiste belt extending from the top bar of bracket  14 ( b ) providing a double strap support at the right strumming end of the guitar. The opposite end of the adjustable loop-member is adjustably mounted through strap adjuster  18 ( b ) which is movably mounted to the front end of the waiste belt by short strap  22 ( b ). Slit tongue  12 ( b ) is movably supported on the bottom bar of supporting bracket  14 ( b ). 
     In this contiguous waiste belt embodiment, contiguous loop  24 ( b ) is formed from the front section of waiste belt and adjustable loop member  16 ( b ) which overlaps the front end of the waiste belt forming a double strap loop support. Another double support for an element is also provided for triple bar connecting bracket  14 ( b ) wherein the top and middle bars are movably supported by waiste belt  26 ( b ). Thus, in addition to the other benefits provided by the harness attachment of the invention, the increased support of loop  24 ( b ) and connector bracket  14 ( b ) allows for greater movement and conformable positioning of the guitar. 
     Shown in FIG. 8 is the preferred embodiment of the invention in which the adjustable loop member  16 ( c ) is formed from the contigous extension of waiste belt  26 ( c ), having front end  28 ( c ) and back end  30 ( c ), forming surface engaging contiguous loop  24 ( c ). The description of this embodiment is more clearly defined in reverse order starting with the front end  28 ( c ) of loop member  16 ( c ). 
     The front end  28 ( c ) is movably attached to the middle bar of strap adjuster  18 ( c ) by sewing to itself or other means. The front end extends outwardly and loops under the top bar of triple bar bracket  14 ( c ) initiating the formation of the area where loop  24 ( c ) is to be formed. Front end  28 ( c ) extends back through strap adjuster  18 ( c ) at which time waiste belt  26 ( c ) is formed. The extension of the front end through the strap adjuster forms the contiguous extension of back end  30 ( c ) which overlaps, and is releasably adhesively secured to, the mating surtfaces of the front end  28 ( c ) preferably by Velcro. Back end  30 ( c ) loops under the middle bar of bracket  14 ( c ) extending therethrough in releasble contact with front end  28 ( c ) forming surface engaging contiguous loop member  16 ( c ) and contiguous loop  24 ( c ). The size of loop  24 ( c ) is controlled by adjusting the overlapping adhesively engaging surfaces to the desired configuration having Velcro or similar adhesive material thereon. Slit tongue  12 ( c ) is movably supported on the bottom bar of bracket  14 ( c ). 
     In this surface engaging adjustable loop embodiment, surface engaging contiguous loop member  16 ( c ) and loop  24 ( c ) are formed by the back end  30 ( c ) of waiste belt  26 ( c ) overlapping and being secured to the surface of front end  28 ( c ), overlapping the middle bar of strap connector  14 ( c ) and onto the engaging surface of the opposite end of front end  28 ( c ). In addition to the other benefits provided by the harness attachment of this invention, the enormous support of the doubly engaged surfaces of loop member  16 ( c ), of the encased movably mounted middle bar of bracket  14 ( c ), and of the overlapped and secured front and back ends of the waiste belt  26 ( c ) allows for the greatest movement and most comfortable positioning of the guitar previously unobtainable with shoulder strap systems. 
     Shown in FIG. 9 is a modification of the surface engaging waiste belt  26 ( d ). In this embodiment the strap adjuster  18 ( c ) of FIG. 8 is eleminated and the strap adjustments are made by front end  28 ( d ) and back end  30 ( d ) waiste belt engaging surfaces. 
     Front end  28 ( d ) is movably attached to the top bar of triple bar bracket  14 ( d ) by sewing to itself or other means. The front end extends outwardly around the waiste forming waiste belt  26 ( d ) and forms the contiguous extension back end  30 ( d ) which loops under the center bar of bracket  14 ( d ) forming the contiguous loop member  16 ( d ) and contiguous loop  24 ( d ). The back end overlaps, and is releasably secured to, the mating top surface of front end  28 ( d ) preferably by Velcro or equivalent adhesive means forming surface engaging contiguous loop  24 ( d ). The length and size of loop member  16 ( d ) and loop  24 ( d ) and of waiste belt  26 ( d ) are controlled by adjusting the overlapping adhesively engaging surfaces to the desired configuration. Slit tongue  12 ( d ) is movably supported on the bottom bar of bracket  14 ( d ). 
     In this modified surface engaging adjustable loop embodiment, surface engaging contiguous loop member  16 ( d ) and loop  24 ( d ) are formed by the back end  30 ( d ) overlapping and being secured to the upper surface of front end  28 ( d ) and being adjustably sized by manipulating the engaging surfaces. In this embodiment also, the increased support of front end  28  and back end  30 ( d ) around the top and middle bars of bracket  14 ( d ) and of the overlapped and secured front and back ends of waiste belt  26 ( d ) allow for the greatest movement and most comfortable positioning of the guitar previously unobtainable with shoulder strap systems. 
     While the present invention has been described and illustrated with respect to the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that variations of the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appending claims.

Technology Category: 4