The present invention relates to the field of microphone stands, in particular an adapter, an assembly and a method of mounting a microphone boom to a support.
In the field of stage performance of any kind as well as in several other fields, microphone stands are indispensable and form part of the standard equipment of any performer and sound technician, in any economical, professional or quality class. An extremely common microphone stand design comprises a vertical shaft, mainly for elevating the microphone, and a microphone boom mounted on top of it, mainly for removing the microphone horizontally from the stand and facilitating free positioning of the microphone, both vertically and horizontally. The vertical shaft is typically supported by a tripod base or other supporting arrangement. As regards the mounting of the microphone boom on the shaft, almost all mountings comprise the top of the shaft being threaded on the outside, and the microphone boom comprising a vertical socket correspondingly threaded on the inside. Regarding the threading, two industry standards exist, i.e. a North American standard of ⅝″ thickness and 27 threads per inch, and a European standard of ⅜″ thickness and 16 threads per inch. The microphone boom is typically of a considerable length in order to allow as much freedom in relation to the positioning and the distance between a performer and the microphone stand as possible. Moreover, the microphone boom is typically mounted in a predominantly horizontal direction, as opposed to vertical. When assembling a microphone stand, in particular when mounting the microphone boom on the shaft, it is thus inconvenient to screw the boom on to the shaft by rotating the boom socket, as it typically requires the considerably long, substantially horizontal boom to be rotated. Instead the boom is typically held above the shaft, the shaft lifted from the ground and the shaft rotated, thereby avoiding having the boom swinging round and round while fastening the socket.
For some applications, however, a microphone boom has to be mounted on other kinds of support than a simple, vertical shaft. The fact that only two significant microphone boom mounting standards exist, i.e. the North American and the European as described above, only strengthens the motivation for providing alternatives to the conventional shaft or for providing different applications for microphone booms as anyone can easily obtain a suitable microphone boom, if not in possession of one already. However, some of the alternative stands and other applications, on which a microphone boom is to be mounted using the standard threaded joint, may not be as easily lifted and rotated as is common praxis when mounting a boom on a conventional shaft, as described above. Hence, for some applications, the use of the industry standard threaded joints in order to allow the use of readily available booms forces the boom to be swung round and round when fastening it.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a mount for mounting a possibly completely conventional microphone boom on a support without having to rotate the boom itself.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the microphone boom and the support, which may e.g. comprise a microphone stand or e.g. an audio monitor fastened on a microphone stand, may be mutually attached by means of a slide and lock connection. This connection is advantageous compared to traditional torque mounting of microphone booms on a support as such torque mounting typically requires that the support can be rotated at the time of mounting and as rotation of the complete boom may be quite inconvenient if not completely impossible.
The invention facilitates an advantageous mounting of a microphone boom on a support by a simple slide and lock arrangement, and fixation may more or less be obtained in one straight movement which may be performed quite fast. The further mechanical releasable locking arrangement may be established in several different ways as long as they facilitate the other part of the assembly being slid into the sliding slot and then being mechanically fixated to prevent sliding within the sliding slot, and thereby fixating the two parts of the assembly mutually.
A monitor is broadly understood as an active loudspeaker, comprising both an amplifier and a loudspeaker unit. Monitors may typically be defined as a stand-alone speaker which may often, e.g., be used by a performing artist.
The present invention relates to an adapter 40 comprising a threaded pin 41 and a base 42 wherein said threaded pin comprises a threading corresponding to an industry standard microphone boom mount threading 31.
According to the present invention, two major industry standard boom mount threadings exist. They are a North American standard of ⅝″ thickness and 27 threads per inch, and a European standard of ⅜″ thickness and 16 threads per inch. By providing an adapter for such standards, it is very likely that almost any microphone boom can be fitted by means of the adapter of the present invention. When said base 42 fits within a sliding slot 50 of a support 26, 120, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said base fits within said sliding slot of said support in a sliding manner, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support comprises a monitor 26, 120, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support comprises a microphone stand, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said adapter comprises a lock nut 43, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said base 42 is edged, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said base 42 is round, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said adapter is a microphone boom mount adapter, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said adapter is provided together with said support, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
The present invention further relates to an assembly comprising a microphone boom 10, 20 and a support 26, 120, wherein said assembly is assembled by a sliding-slot 50 and a corresponding mechanical arrangement 40 fitting into said sliding slot by a sliding movement between said microphone boom and said support, and wherein said assembly further comprises a further mechanical releasable lock arrangement 70, 100, 150, 160 for mutual fixation of said microphone boom and said support in the slide direction of said sliding slot.
When said slide direction is the longitudinal direction of said sliding slot, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding slot 50 is comprised by said microphone boom 10, 20, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding slot is comprised by said support, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement is comprised by said microphone boom, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement is comprised by said support, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support forms part of a microphone stand, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support forms part of a monitor 26, 120, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said monitor is mounted on top of a microphone stand 13, 23, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support comprises a monitor 26, 120, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said corresponding mechanical arrangement fitting into said sliding slot is integrated with said microphone boom, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said corresponding mechanical arrangement fitting into said sliding slot forms part of an adapter which is releasably attached to said microphone boom, and wherein said microphone boom comprises a conventional microphone boom, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said corresponding mechanical arrangement fitting into said sliding slot comprises a threaded pin, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said threaded pin comprises industry standard microphone mount threading, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said corresponding mechanical arrangement fitting into said sliding slot comprises an edged base 42, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding-slot comprises a flange 53 which may cooperate with said corresponding mechanical arrangement 40, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement comprises an automatically engaging lock, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement comprises a manually engaged lock, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement comprises a pivotal lid 70, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said lid is spring-loaded, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement comprises a socket and plug arrangement 100, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement comprises a spring-loaded clip 160 or locking arm 150, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support comprises a compartment 80 suitable for receiving said corresponding mechanical arrangement fitting into said sliding slot, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further mechanical releasable lock arrangement forms part of said compartment 80, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said assembly can be disassembled, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said corresponding mechanical arrangement fitting into said sliding slot comprises an adapter according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
The present invention further relates to a method of mounting a microphone boom 10, 20 on a support 26, 120 whereby said microphone boom or said support comprises a sliding member 40 which is slid into a slot 50 of the other part and locked by a further locking mechanism 70, 100, 150, 160.
When said sliding member is comprised by said microphone boom, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding member is comprised by said support, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said microphone boom comprises an industry standard screw threading and said sliding member is screwed on to said microphone boom before it is slid into said slot, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding member forms part of an adapter according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said method comprises assembling an assembly according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
The present invention further relates to a method of mounting a microphone boom 10, 20 on a support 26, 120, said microphone boom comprising a socket 30 with inside threading 31 and said support comprising a sliding slot 50, said method comprising the steps of screwing a threaded pin 41 of an adapter 40 into said socket and sliding a base 42 of said adapter 40 into said sliding slot 50.
When said method further comprises the step of engaging a further locking mechanism 70, 100, 150, 160, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further locking mechanism is automatically engaged, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said further locking mechanism is manually engaged, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said adapter comprises an adapter according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
present invention further relates to a system comprising a microphone boom 10, 20 and a support 26, 120, wherein said microphone boom is fitted to said support by means of a slide and lock engagement 40, 50, 70, 100, 150, 160, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said slide and lock engagement is releasable, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support comprises a microphone stand, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said microphone boom is fitted to a monitor positioned on said support, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said slide and lock engagement comprises an adapter according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said system comprises an assembly according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
The present invention further relates to a support 26, 120 comprising a mount 50 for mounting a microphone boom 10, 20, wherein said mount comprises a sliding slot 50.
When said support comprises a monitor 26, 120, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding slot is designed to cooperate with a base 42 of an adapter 40 for enabling mounting of an industry standard microphone boom mount, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said support further comprises a further locking arrangement 70, 100, 150, 160, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said adapter comprises an adapter according to any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
When said sliding slot enables mounting of a microphone boom according to the methods of any of the above, an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is obtained.
In the following, the invention will be described with reference to the drawings where
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the threaded pin 41 of the adapter 40 is screwed into the socket 30 of the microphone boom mount 12, thereby providing the microphone boom mount with a slidable mount instead of the conventional screw mount. It is noted that the scale of
It is noted that in the following, the adapter is shown in different mountings without the microphone boom mount 12. This mount has been removed due to clarity, and in any practical use, the microphone boom mount should preferably be mounted on the adapter by the screw mount prior to sliding the adapter into position in the sliding slot.
An embodiment of the invention may be applied in a microphone stand application as described in PCT/DK2005/000645, hereby incorporated by reference.
In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the lock nut 43 of the adapter 40 is screwed further down into the threaded pin 41 when the adapter is positioned in the sliding slot, instead of up against the microphone boom mount. Thereby, the lock nut cooperates with the adapter base 42 in squeezing the flange 53 of the sliding slot 50. The adapter is thereby securely fastened to the flange 53 and cannot be removed without loosening the lock nut. In an alternative embodiment, the adapter is provided with two lock nuts, one for fastening the microphone boom mount and one for locking the adapter when slid into the sliding slot.
It is noted that within the scope of the present invention, several locking mechanisms can be provided to lock the adapter into position inside the sliding slot. The locking mechanism may be divided into passive locking mechanisms which require the user to slide the adapter into position and then do a further action, e.g. open and close a lid, insert a plug into a socket, etc., and active locking mechanisms which automatically engage when the adapter is slid into the sliding slot, e.g. the embodiments of
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 00076 | Jan 2006 | DK | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DK06/50051 | 10/3/2006 | WO | 00 | 8/27/2008 |