Patent Application
20250239238
The present disclosure relates to music accessories and, more particularly, to guitar picks.
Guitarists utilize different playing styles when playing a guitar. These styles include, for example, strumming, fingerstyle, hybrid picking, and lead-guitar picking, etc. In connection with these different playing styles, different types of guitar picks are used, for example, thumbpicks and flat-picks, are frequently used by guitarists. Strummers commonly strum with a flat-pick, and lead-guitar players also commonly play with a flat-pick. While many guitarists play fingerstyle without any pick, some fingerstyle players play with a thumbpick, which is secured to the thumb, and four free fingers. Finally, hybrid pickers, use a flat-pick (held between the thumb and the index finger) and the three free fingers. Prior to this invention, there has not been a device that enables a pick to be readily and interchangeably utilized as both a thumbpick and as a flat-pick. The “Pivot Pick”™, described below, overcomes this limitation.
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a pivot pick. A pivot pick includes a thumb ring configured to fit on a thumb of a user. The pivot pick also includes a pick assembly movably coupled to the thumb ring. The pick assembly includes a pick. When placed on the thumb of the user, the pick is oriented in a thumbpick position. When a force is applied to the pick by the index finger, the pick assembly rotates relative to the thumb ring to orient the pick in a flat-pick position. The pivot pick includes a tether coupled between the thumb ring and the pick assembly. The tether restricts the rotation of the pick assembly beyond the thumbpick position.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the disclosure, since the scope of the disclosure is best defined by the appended claims.
As discussed above, while flat-picks and thumbpicks are conventional and popular in the music community, these separate and different guitar picks have drawbacks. Thumbpicks have a fixed orientation which extends in a plane substantially parallel with the ground, referred to herein as the “thumbpick position.” Flat-picks, on the other hand, assume an orientation, when held between the thumb and index finger, which extends in a plane at an angle of approximately 15-22 degrees relative to the plane which is parallel to the ground, referred to herein as the “flat-pick position.” In other words, the optimal and conventional thumbpick position is substantially different from the optimal and conventional flat-pick position. Hence, in the course of playing a song, guitarists generally cannot readily avail themselves of the benefits of both a thumbpick and a flat-pick, without changing guitar picks.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a Pivot Pick that overcomes the above drawbacks by providing a single pick that easily switches between the thumbpick and flat pick position. Referring now to
In embodiments, the thumb ring 12 includes two partial hoops, a proximal hoop 11 and a distal hoop 13. The proximal hoop 11 and the distal hoop 13 each have the approximate shape of a “C.” In some embodiments, the distal hoop 13 can have lower and/or smaller profile relative to the proximal hoop 11 to prevent any potential interference with guitar during usage. With reference to their position relative to the thumb of the user, the distal hoop 13 traverses across the thumbnail, and the proximal hoop 11 traverses across the knuckle, as discussed below with reference to
The pick assembly 24 includes a pick 26 resembling a traditional flat-pick. As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the thumb ring 12 and pick assembly 24 can be adjoined to each other through a procedure of temporarily spreading the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16 further apart from each other and inserting the rotation pins 30 and 32 into the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16, after which the rotation pins 30 and 32 rotate freely within the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16. As the rotation pins 30 and 32 rotate within the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16, the pick assembly rotates relative to the thumb ring. As discussed below, the rotation allows the pick 26 to move from the flat-pick position to the thumbpick position, and vice versa. The tether 41 can be coupled to the back portion 52 of the pick and the lower bridge 44. The tether 41 can be constructed of a flexible or semi-flexible material.
In embodiments, the thumb ring 12 includes a gap 60 between the upper bridge 42, and the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16. The gap 60 provides an opening for the medial edge of the thumb, which minimizes the danger of a guitar string coming into contact with the thumb ring 12 during use. The thumb ring 12 includes an underside opening 62 designed to accept the fatty portion of the thumb. This underside opening 62 allows free movement of the pick 26 and avoids any interference by the thumb ring 12 with the direct tactile engagement of the pick 26 with both the fatty portion of the user's thumb and the user's index finger, when applied to the pick 26.
In some embodiments, the thumb ring 12 can be constructed of a flexible material, e.g., nylon. The flexibility can allow aforementioned spreading apart of the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16 in order to insert the rotation pins 30 and 32 into the distal pin housing 20 and the proximal pin housing 16.
In some embodiments, the ramp 28 of the pick assembly 24 can add stability to the Pivot Pick 10 when in use. Such stability can minimize the possibility of the Pivot Pick inadvertently slipping off of the user's thumb. If utilized, the ramp 28 should not have a height from the pick 26 surface sufficient to cover the medial edge of the thumb, such limitation being desirable in order to preserve the benefits of gap 60 discussed above.
The tether 41 can be coupled to the back portion 52 of the pick 26 and the lower bridge 44. The tether 41 can be constructed for a flexible or semi-flexible material. The attachment can be with strong adhesive or any other means of attachment. The tether 41 should be light-weight and flexible. The tether 41 serves to restrict the extent of potential pivoting of the back portion 52 of the pick 26 away from the lower bridge 44. The length of the tether 41 can be that length that allows movement of the back portion 52 of the pick 26 away from the lower bridge 44, but only to the extent necessary to achieve the thumbpick position.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. While the above is a complete description of specific examples of the disclosure, additional examples are also possible. Thus, the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure which is defined by the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
The foregoing disclosure encompasses multiple distinct examples with independent utility. While these examples have been disclosed in a particular form, the specific examples disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter disclosed herein includes novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above both explicitly and inherently. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite “a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims is to be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more of such elements. As used herein regarding a list, “and” forms a group inclusive of all the listed elements. For example, an example described as including A, B, C, and D is an example that includes A, includes B, includes C, and also includes D. As used herein regarding a list, “or” forms a list of elements, any of which may be included. For example, an example described as including A, B, C, or D is an example that includes any of the elements A, B, C, and D. Unless otherwise stated, an example including a list of alternatively-inclusive elements does not preclude other examples that include various combinations of some or all of the alternatively-inclusive elements. An example described using a list of alternatively-inclusive elements includes at least one element of the listed elements. However, an example described using a list of alternatively-inclusive elements does not preclude another example that includes all of the listed elements. And, an example described using a list of alternatively-inclusive elements does not preclude another example that includes a combination of some of the listed elements. As used herein regarding a list, “and/or” forms a list of elements inclusive alone or in any combination. For example, an example described as including A, B, C, and/or D is an example that may include: A alone; A and B; A, B and C; A, B, C, and D; and so forth. The bounds of an “and/or” list are defined by the complete set of combinations and permutations for the list.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and that modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.
