Patent Grant
10127898
Horn players are able to drain accumulated saliva through the spit valve that manufacturers place at a low point on the instrument. Harmonica players are not so fortunate. There has been no suitable method for removing the saliva, any other liquid and/or debris that collects in the fragile interior of the harmonica—until now. The present invention relates to the cleaning of the interior of a harmonica by the removal of accumulated saliva, any other liquid, and/or debris therefrom.
When a harmonica is played, saliva, and possibly other liquids such as condensation from the player's breath, and even beverages and food particles, will accumulate in the interior of the instrument. This accumulation of liquid and debris is not only unsanitary and odorous, but also accelerates the corrosion and deformation of the harmonica's delicate reeds which, in turn, significantly shorten the playable life of the instrument,
For more than a century, it has been the practice of harmonica players to attempt to periodically remove the saliva and/or other liquid and debris from the instrument by rapping it against their leg, arm or other suitable surface, whereby the inertia of the saliva, any other liquid, and debris will cause them to be ejected. However, players are left to guess how forceful the rapping should be, and how long the rapping should continue. And even if they see moisture appear, they have no way of knowing how successful the removal attempt has been.
The practice of subjecting the harmonica to the impact from such rapping is undesirable because it can cause one or more of the delicate reeds to deform, become stuck or go out of tune and immediately make the instrument unplayable, ruining the instrument for future use. Rapping presents a threat to the integrity and life of the reeds, and not rapping (not removing saliva, other liquid and debris) also presents a threat to the integrity and life of the reeds.
Lastly, after practicing or performing on stage with as many as three or four harmonicas, it is likely that a majority of players will forget or neglect to clear the saliva, other liquid and debris from their harmonicas. And each time no effort is made, the saliva, other liquid and debris dries and hardens inside the harmonica's comb and around the reeds, and contributes to the premature failure of the instrument. Virtually all harmonica players consider a failure as one sour note or one missing note, and the instrument becomes unplayable.
The present invention generally provides a method and apparatus for removing accumulated saliva, other liquid and/or debris from the interior of a harmonica without subjecting the harmonica to any potentially harmful impacts. The invention contemplates placing the harmonica in a cavity of a carrier which is connected to a flexible member, such as a cord or cable, and then twirling the harmonica and carrier in an orbital path, whereby the saliva, other liquid and/or debris will be subjected to substantial centrifugal force and thereby ejected from the harmonica's comb through the holes of the harmonica.
Flexible members 6, 6′ of approximately equal length extend from securement points adjacent each end of the carrier 1 on the side opposite the slot 4. The flexible members 6, 6′ are joined at their distal ends to form a loop. A cylindrical handle 7 has a screw 8 or other suitable fastener at one end, and two washers 9, 9′ are carried by the screw 8. The loop at the ends oldie flexible members 6, 6′ is located between the washers 9, 9′ and around the screw 8 to attach the flexible members to the handle 7. Thus the handle 7 is located at a point approximately equidistant from the ends of the carrier.
The position of the harmonica is indicated by dashed lines in
Holes 16, 16′ are provided adjacent each end of the carrier 10, and the ends of a flexible member 17 are seemed in holes 16, 16′ by glue or other suitable means, such as by a knot formed in each end of the flexible member 17, with the knots compressed in counterbores in the lower end of the body of the carrier 10. As indicated in
Alternatively, carrier 10 may be provided with two flexible members and a handle 7, as described above with regard to the embodiment of
The material of the flexible members 6, 6′ or 17 may be wire, for example, but it is preferred to use a more flexible and collapsible material, such as parachute cord. The more flexible material allows the flexible member to be easily wrapped around the carrier or stuffed into the slot 11 when the apparatus is stored with the harmonica or placed in the player's pocket. To facilitate this, channels 18, 18′ may extend from holes 16, 16′ to slot 11.
The carrier may be made of any suitable material such as wood, plastic or metal. It may be fabricated from one or more parts, or may be injection molded in a single piece from a suitable plastic material.
In use of the embodiments described above, when it is desired to remove saliva, other accumulated liquid and/or debris from the interior of a harmonica, the harmonica is placed within the bore of carrier 1 (
When using the carrier 1 of
When twirling the carrier 10 of
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limited sense, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the act that various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the invention, can be made. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications as may fall within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8802950 | Bibollet | Aug 2014 | B2 |
