Patent Grant
8646666
This invention relates to a shoulder mounted percussion instrument carrier for one or an array of drums of various sizes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carrier for one or more drums and replaces traditional “J” rods components. The elimination of the “J” rod components eliminates the interference with the user's legs and more particularly the user's thighs and provides a more natural stride of the user. Since the vertical or horizontal slots or saddle are not holes, that are commonly found with “J” rod carriers, the drum mounting structure can be repositioned or translated within the vertical or horizontal slots. The carrier allows the drum to be rigidly mounted in a variety of positions relative to the user. The mounting consists of a plurality of sliding connections that move independently from any adjustments from the carrier. The cantilevered weight of the drum(s) locks the drums into a vertical or horizontal slots or saddle. The structure also eliminates the necessity of a structurally rigid fixed abdomen plate and allows for use of a flexible and conforming abdomen plate.
The prior art discloses examples of carriers using “J”-rods on an instrument carrier to support one or an array of drums. A number of drum holding apparatus have been patented and used, but none provide the combination of features disclosed and claimed herein.
La Flame U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,683 discloses a carrier for percussion instruments having an abdominal plate connected at one end of a unitary frame partly encircling the wearer at the waist and having an upstanding rear portion pivotally connected to a back pressure plate. Shoulder bars are connected to the back-pressure plate and wrap about shoulders and support straps connect to the abdominal plate.
Hsieh U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,610 shows a carrier for percussion instruments having a “T” bar, a pair of shoulder bars, and a belly plate. The shoulder bars are bolted on a lateral plate of the “T” bar. The lateral plate has arc-like slots and spaced semi-circular holes permit bolts to slide in the slots. The fastening end of each shoulder bar has a hole and an arc-like slot from the upper portion to the lower portion permitting angular adjustment of the shoulder rightward or leftward for various applications.
La Flame U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,032 shows a carrier for various instruments such as marching bells, a marching xylophone or a marching marimba, which are supported on the apparatus by the use of suitably-constructed extension arms. The carrier frame is a U-shaped bent bar welded or otherwise attached to a belly plate and has extension arms, which project from the belly plate to engage and support the instrument.
La Flame GB patent 2,123,676 (based on U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,442) discloses a carrier for percussion instruments or the like which includes the combination of a belly plate with a carrier bracket for supporting an instrument at an outwardly-overhung position about a fulcrum area of contact with the front waistline area of the person, a rigid band with a generally bent contour to extend along a portion of the waistline area of the person to the back of the person, a back-plate riser arm supported by the ban to extend in a generally upward direction such that a portion of the arm will extend along the back thoracic region of the person, and means carried by the arm for imparting to the thoracic back region of the person a reactive force to the overhung weight of the instrument about the aforesaid means forming a fulcrum area of contact with the person.
Various patents from the applicant May have been issued covering carriers with “J” rods or similar attachment mechanisms for securing musical instruments, patents with this type of mechanism are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,691,492, 6,028,257, 6,323,407, 6,329,583, 6,172,290, 6,403,869, 6,770,805, 6,881,886, 7,071,401, and published applications US2005/0040,193, US2006/0096,443, US2005/0103,183 and US2005/0183,565, but none of these disclose the carrier structure disclosed within this application.
Various prior inventions have been disclosed that attempt to provide mounting for one or a plurality of drums. Most of these products have the drum(s) fixed to the carrier or use “J” rods to secure the drum(s) to the carrier. These carriers have limitations that require an abdominal plate that is an integral part of the carrier. Because of the mechanical structure of these carriers they restrict or alter natural walking or rapid stride movement of the user. The proposed carrier provides improvements that eliminate the aforementioned limitations.
It is an object of the shoulder mounted apparatus is to provide a carrier that allows a user to carry and play one or more drums while they transport the drum such as when they are walking, marching or rapidly moving. The mounting allows for the drum(s) to be maintained in a horizontal or rotated vertical orientation where the drumheads are oriented in a horizontal configuration allowing the drum to be played by striking the drumhead(s).
It is another object of the drum mounting apparatus, when it is configured with a single sliding (mono) post, to provide a simplified mounting apparatus that allows height of the horizontal playing surface of the drum to be raised and lowered by sliding the drum mounting apparatus on the single (mono) post. The mounting apparatus on the carrier has a vertical slot and the mounting apparatus on the drum has a horizontal pin or rod that slides into the vertical slot to secure the drum on the carrier. The drum is quickly removed from the carrier by lifting the pin or rod out of the slot.
It is another object of the drum mounting apparatus, when it is configured as with two or more posts to provide a stable box structure for the drum(s) to be supported on the carrier. The box structure refers to the two sets of slides or tracks that are mounted to the carrier and a corresponding two sets of slides are mounted on hardware having vertically or horizontally oriented slots or saddle. An array of drums is mounted to a tenor rail that engages onto the vertically or horizontally oriented slots or saddle to support the drums on the carrier. The overhung cantilevered weight of the drums secures the drum array in the vertically or horizontally oriented slots or saddle. The ability to integrate the slides onto the carrier allows the drums to be more rigidly secured to the carrier and significantly reduces flexing of the drum or drum array with the carrier to improve the stability of the playing surface when the user is moving or playing the drums. When the drums are brought closer to the user the overhung distance is decreased and the cantilevered load is decreased and reduces the strain on the back of the user. Since the tenor rail rests in the vertically or horizontally oriented slots or saddle the tenor rail can be slid horizontally in the carrier to justify the drums left or right of the center of the user. A user can place one or more marks on the tenor rail to identify specific balancing or positioning locations for the drum array when drums of different sizes and weights are placed in the drum array.
It is another object of the drum mounting apparatus to allow the drum or drum array to be easily installed and removed from the carrier to allow the drum or drum array to be placed in a floor mounted stand.
Another object of the drum mounting apparatus to provide connection for an abdomen plate that can float or be removed from the carrier. This allows the abdomen plate to move with the user. Since the majority of the load from the drum(s) is from gravity the vertical load on the abdomen plate is essentially zero and the abdomen plate can be removed, secured on a pivoting mechanism with temporary securing means that does not penetrate the abdomen plate such as hook and loop fasteners.
It is still another object of the carrier to provide a carrier where structure eliminates the necessity of a structurally rigid fixed abdomen plate and allows for use of a flexible and conforming abdomen plate.
It is still another object of the carrier to integrate the two sets of dovetailed sliders is a parallel arrangement to allow the drums to be easily raised and lower on the carrier in a linear sliding arrangement.
Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.
Referring to
The lower rods or tubes 32 and 34 are bent where they independently spread to parallel portions 36 and 38 where they attach to supporting abdomen plate 30. Upper rods or tubes 42 and 44 having out-turned portions 45 and 46 supporting rigid shoulder straps 50 and 55 and back bar 70. Back bar 70 may be removably secured to shoulder straps 50 and 55 or may be fixed as by welding or the like. Shoulder straps 50, 55, and back bar 70 have cushions 53. The cushions are of a type used to pad the interior of football and other sports helmets and are shown in more detail in co-issued May U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,257. The cushions have a backing strip of polyvinyl plastic film. A thin sheet of polyvinyl film encloses blocks of closed pore plastic (e.g., polystyrene or polyurethane) foam and is sealed to the backing strip to enclose separate blocks which are separately compressible and provide more comfort to the wearer of the carrier when fully loaded. The abdomen plate 30 is removably secured on the lower ends of tubes or rods 32 and 34 by the left and right halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312 respectively where each half uses semi-circular clamping receptacle that tubes 36 and 38 fit through. In the embodiment shown the first bifurcated structure is shown and described in two halves it is contemplated that these two halves can be fabricated as a single (attached) unit. Tightening hardware 78 and 79 (not visible) clamps the tube or rod to secure them within the left and right halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312 prevent movement. The two halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312 are secured on abdomen plate 30. The clamping receptacles are shown mounted to the abdomen plate 30, and the tubes can be re-positioned within the clamping receptacle, but the clamping receptacles (part of first bifurcated structure 311 and 312) can be mounted into slots or without fasteners that penetrate the abdomen plate, such as hook and loop, that allow the locations of the clamping receptacles to be free floating on the abdomen plate. The upper, out-turned ends 45 and 46 of supporting rods or tubes are supported in clamping receptacles 92 and 94 on shoulder straps 50 and 55. Clamps 92 and 94 hold rods or tubes 45 and 46 on the shoulder supports. Clamping mechanisms 92 and 94 consist of a semi-circular receptacle that tubes 45 and 46 fit through. The bolts 98 and 99 are tightening to clamp the tube or rod to secure them within the receptacle and prevent movement as shown in May U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,401.
The materials of construction used in this carrier 10 are very important for achieving the desired result. The abdomen plate 30 is preferably made from a flexible material to aid in contouring to the players profile and size. The supporting rods or tubes 32, 34, 42, and 44, shoulder straps 50, 55 and back bar 70 are rigid and made of a light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium. The metal shoulder straps have the advantage that different sizes of users are readily accommodated by adjusting or replacing the shoulder straps in a vertical or horizontal plane.
Operation
The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier 10 is worn by a musician with the shoulder straps 50 and 55 positioned over the shoulders. The position of the shoulder straps and the upper portion of the carrier can be adjusted by loosening bolts 78 and 79 for vertical adjustment of the shoulders. When the bolts 98 and 99 are loosened, clamps 92 and 94 open to allow tubes 42 and 44 to slide within the clamps. When the clamps are loose, the position of the clamps on the shoulder straps can also be adjusted. The vertical adjustment of the shoulder straps allows users of different sizes to use the carrier. The width between the shoulder straps can also be adjusted by rotating the tubes 42 and 44 within retainer 300. When tubes 42 and 44 are rotated the width of the shoulder straps are moved in and out. The rotational adjustment allows the tubes to be toe-in so the width and or the position of the tubes can be adjusted. The toe-in adjustment is mostly used with tubular construction, but a similar adjustment could be made with other types of carrier construction. The abdomen plate 30 is attached to the left and right halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312 and then to rods 36 and 38 that are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts 78 and 79. The parallel ends of the rods 36 and 38 are inserted into the receptacles on the abdomen plate. When bolts 78 and 79 are loosened, receptacles move on tubes 36 and 38 can be moved to allow positioning of the abdomen plate on the carrier. This adjustment allows the carrier to accommodate user of various sizes. The left and right bifurcated structure 311 and 312 have an additional attachment mechanism for the percussion instrument being carried e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like that will be further described herein.
The tubular carrier shown includes an abdomen plate 30 that is secured or can float on the structure without being rigidly secured to the halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312. The support rods or tubes 34 and 36 of the carrier bend and extend into their respective halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312 where they are positionable and lockable in position. The tubes 260 slide in their respective halves of the first bifurcated structure 311 and 312 to allow for positioning 402 of the drum array 410 and drum hardware 420 independently from the positioning of the distance between the shoulder supports 50, 55 and the abdomen plate 30. In operation the drum array tube 420 from the drum array is lowered 401 into the essentially horizontal saddle 403 until the tube 420 from the drum array rests on the bottom radius of the half tube saddle portion 62. The cantilevered weight of the drum array will rotate the drum array binding the dovetail rib 66 (
Drum array tube 420 is lowered 401 into the half tube saddle portion 62 where it is retained. The retention is shown and described in more detail with
The abdomen plate 30 is secured to the bridge supports 90 with a pivot 22 that extends through ears 24 on the abdomen plate 30. The placement of the pivot through the center of the bridge support 90 allows the abdomen plate to rotate a limited amount on the pivot(s) 22. The pivoting allows the abdomen plate to move with the user without significantly altering the position of the carrier on the user. The pivots can be tightened slightly to provide frictional or limited pivoting as well as loosened to allow for free pivoting. It is also contemplated that the abdomen plate 30 is removably secured on carrier.
Clamping receptacle(s) 80 and 81 consist of a semi-circular receptacle that tubes 36 and 38 fit through. Tightening hardware 82 and 83 clamps the tube or rod to secure them within the receptacle and prevent movement. The clamping receptacle(s) 80 and 81 are secured on abdomen plate 30. The receptacles are shown mounted to the abdomen plate 30, and the tubes can be re-positioned within the receptacle, but the receptacles can be mounted to slots that allow the locations of the receptacles to be moved. The upper, out-turned ends 45 and 46 of supporting rods or tubes are supported in clamping receptacles 92 and 94 on shoulder straps 50 and 55. Clamps 92 and 94 hold rods or tubes 45 and 46 on the shoulder supports. Clamping mechanisms 92 and 94 consist of a semi-circular receptacle that tubes 45 and 46 fit through. Tightening hardware 98 and 99 clamps the tube or rod to secure them within the receptacle and prevent movement. A single tube or shaft 260 is used to connect with a single drum 11 through a sliding cradle 84.
The sliding cradle 84 connects o the single tube or shaft 260 with dovetail grooves. A second set of dovetail grooves exist on the bridge support member 90. The bridge support member 90 has male dovetail grooves that mate with the female dovetail groves in the tube or shaft 260. A similar set of male dovetail features 85 exist on the sliding cradle 84. These dovetail features are arranged to allow the sliding cradle to slide 86 past the bridge support member 90. The sliding cradle 84 has a recessed cradle 87 for connection with the hinge pins 15 of a single drum 11. The hinge pin 15 is secured to the drum 11 with a rotation hinge plate. The rotation hinge plate 12 and its connection to the drum is shown and described in more detail in
The sliding cradle 84 connects o the single tube or shaft 260 with dovetail grooves. A second set of dovetail grooves exist on the bridge support member 90. The bridge support member 90 has male dovetail grooves that mate with the female dovetail groves in the tube or shaft 260. A similar set of male dovetail features 85 exist on the sliding cradle 84. These dovetail features are arranged to allow the sliding cradle to slide 86 past the bridge support member 90.
The sliding cradle 84 is secured to plate 88 with securing blots 97. Movement of the cradle 84 on the single tube or shaft 260 is prevented by locking set screws, or similar hardware, through access hole 95. The securing plate 88 has two drum rotators 89 that where a drum is slid 96 down the elongated tabs 89 gravity holds a drum in the elongated tabs. To rotate a drum thumbscrew 91 is loosened and the drum rotors are turned in the plate 88. The rotation of the drum is limited to the travel of the thumbscrew(s) 91 is slot 93. The structure that connects this hardware to a drum is described in May patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,492.
In operation the upper tube 422, from the drum array, is lowered 401 into the essentially vertical slot until the bottom tube 421 from the drum array rests on the bottom radius or saddle (353 from
In
Thus, specific embodiments and applications for a carrier with single and dual front mounted linear slides have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant's application Ser. No. 11/021,596 filed Dec. 23, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,326,842 that issued on Feb. 5, 2008 the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
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| 20090045235 A1 | Feb 2009 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 11021596 | Dec 2004 | US |
| Child | 11893871 | US |
