The present disclosure relates to control knobs and in particular to a repositionable control knob assembly and method of using the same.
Control knobs typically utilize a potentiometer which rotates freely between a maximum setting and a minimum setting. Examples of control knobs include guitar knobs, tone knobs, and volume knobs. In addition, control devices with rotating variable resistors may be incorporated into musical devices, such as guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, keyboards, mixing boards, etc. Fixing the rotatable portion of the potentiometer or other rotating variable resistors to a position between the maximum and minimum settings allows for customized settings desirable to a user. However, to recall any customized setting, the user must remember the exact rotational position of the knob.
Control knobs of musical instruments and accessories typically utilize a potentiometer which rotates freely between a maximum and a minimum setting. As mentioned above, examples of control knobs can be found on electric guitars/basses, where each control knob affects a certain characteristic of the sound that the instrument produces, for example, volume and tone control knobs. Within the range of a potentiometer's rotation, there are settings which can be desirable.
A need exists for a knob which allows for tactile confirmation of the attainment of a previously customized setting.
Furthermore, there are some situations during use of a knob in which a user needs to rapidly recall a specific setting, such as mid-performance when the knob controls a musical instrument. In mid-performance, it is neither practical nor possible for a performer to recall a specific setting by sight, sound, or memory. In addition, many musicians employ multiple instruments or musical equipment, such as amplifiers with rotatable knobs, and so remembering or recalling individual settings for each knob of such instruments or equipment becomes tedious and impractical.
A need exists for a knob which attains a customized rotational setting which does not rely on the memory of the user.
Some mechanisms in the prior art facilitate the saving of a rotational setting of a potentiometer. One example is commercially available as a GUITAR CLUTCH, which allows the saving of a rotational setting by temporarily reducing the rotational range of a potentiometer. Such reduction of the rotational range is caused by the user pushing down on a knob using a push/pull type switch, so that the rotational setting desired by the user becomes a new minimum rotational setting. This causes the potentiometer to be unable to physically rotate past the new minimum setting, once the knob is engaged. Similarly, if the user wants to regain the full rotational range of the potentiometer, then the user must disengage the mechanism, which in turn removes the saved rotational setting.
A need exists for a knob with a potentiometer which retains the full and original functionality of the potentiometer during use, allowing the potentiometer to still rotate within a full range.
Other mechanisms in the prior art have a repositionable knob with a detent for a potentiometer, rheostat, or other settings-based devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,287 describes a mechanism which causes the knob to be more difficult for the user to rotate by the introduction of friction, such as by a disk sandwiched between and simultaneously in contact with a bottom face of a knob on one side and having a spring on another side which applies a force normal to an adjacent face of the disk. Such engagement pushes the disk into contact with the knob, creating friction and a perceptible extra resistance. Accordingly, due to the extra resistance, techniques such as volume swell in a volume-controlling knob become more difficult or even impossible to perform since the knob is more difficult to turn due to such extra resistance.
In addition, in such a mechanism in the prior art, there is no way to remove the detent and to have the potentiometer function normally while installed, and so there is always a detent somewhere in the rotational range of the potentiometer. The mechanism has a thumb screw control located on a knob, with the thumb screw having a position which rotates with the knob. The detent is activated when the disk is coupled to the knob by the thumb screw, which engages the disk axially. In addition, a half detent pair or spring is disposed in the same space, and is secured under a potentiometer nut.
A need exists for a mechanism for a knob with a potentiometer without any perceptible extra resistance to rotational motion.
Another mechanism in the prior art is described in U.S. Pub. No. 2017/0060169 A1, which shows an adjustable detent for an instrument knob in
A need exists for a detent mechanism of a knob which can be rapidly and easily set and reset.
The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
In an example embodiment, the present invention is a repositionable detent on a component of a control knob, which maintains full original functionality and rotational movement of a potentiometer connected to the control knob. The component has a tab which acts as a switch and which provides a user with the ability to cause the knob to click into place at any specific desired position within the rotational range of the knob by pushing the tab. Accordingly, every time that the knob rotates past the specific position, the knob clicks into place at that specific position. The user can remove and reset the location of the detent by a flip of the switch, by moving the tab between open and closed states, that is, between first and second setting states.
When the tab is in an open or first setting state, the knob is allowed to rotate normally. When the tab is moved, pressed, or depressed to be in a closed or second setting state, a detent is placed at the current rotational position of the knob. If the knob is rotated any further in either direction, an internal pair of components separate, and the user feels a click, signaling to the user that the user has marked or set the desired rotational position of the knob. When the knob is rotated back past that set position, the knob clicks into place, letting the user know that the knob has arrived back at the position desired by the user.
If the user then pulls the tab into the open or first setting state, the detent is removed and the potentiometer behaves normally, in which the potentiometer freely rotates between a maximum and a minimum setting without encountering any detent. If the switch is again depressed, a detent is again placed at the current position of the knob.
Subsequently, if the user pulls the tab into the open state without the knob being in the position of the detent in which the knob is clicked into place, the user has to simply rotate the knob either to the maximum or minimum settings until the knob again clicks. Then the next time that the tab is moved or depressed, a detent is placed at the position of the knob.
As such, in one aspect, the present invention provides a control knob assembly comprising: a stationary shaft; a rotating shaft operably coupled with a controllable device, the rotating shaft extending from the stationary shaft and rotatably coupled thereto, wherein the rotating shaft and stationary shaft extend through a mounting surface; a base having: a base opening formed by a base lip, a base surface extending radially outward from the base lip, a plurality of stubs extending upwardly from the base surface, and an engaging surface, wherein the base is positioned on the mounting surface with the rotating shaft and stationary shaft extending through the base opening; a fork having: a pair of opposing leg members extending from a body, a fork opening formed between the pair of leg members, a plurality of slot members positioned on the body and leg members for receiving the plurality of stubs, a detent extending upwardly from the body, and a tab extending radially outward from the body, wherein the fork is positioned on the base with the rotating shaft and stationary shaft extending through the fork opening; a gear having: a gear opening, a plurality of teeth positioned on a radially outer section and configured to receive the detent, a limiting member extending radially outward from the radially outer section and positioned thereon, and an upper groove positioned on an upper edge, wherein the gear is positioned on the base surface with the rotating shaft and stationary shaft extending through the gear opening; a fastener having a fastener opening, wherein the fastener is positioned within the gear opening and engaged with the base lip while being fixed to the stationary shaft such that the base is fixed to the mounting surface; and a knob having: a cavity extending longitudinally within an underside of the knob and fixedly engaged to the rotating shaft above the base, fork, gear and nut with the tab extending radially outwardly from underneath the knob, and a biasing member secured on the underside and extending downwardly therefrom, wherein the biasing member is configured to engage the gear upper groove such that when engaged the gear rotates with the knob.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a control knob assembly comprising: a rotating shaft operably coupled with a controllable device, the rotating shaft extending through a mounting surface; a base having a base opening, the base fixed to the mounting surface with the rotating shaft extending through the base opening; a fork having a detent extending upwardly therefrom and a tab extending radially outwardly therefrom, the fork positioned on top of the base and slidably engaged therewith; a gear having a gear opening, a plurality of teeth with the teeth configured to receive the detent, and an upper groove positioned on an upper edge, the gear being positioned on top of the fork with the rotating shaft extending through the gear opening; a knob having a cavity extending longitudinally within an underside of the knob and fixedly engaged to the rotating shaft above the base, fork and gear with the tab extending radially outwardly from underneath the knob; and a biasing member secured on the knob underside and extending downwardly therefrom, wherein the biasing member is configured to engage the gear upper groove such that when engaged the gear rotates with the knob.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method for setting a controllable device to a set position using a control knob assembly, the control knob assembly comprising: a rotating shaft operably coupled with a controllable device, the rotating shaft extending through a mounting surface; a base having a base opening, the base fixed to the mounting surface with the rotating shaft extending through the base opening; a fork having a detent extending upwardly therefrom and a tab extending radially outwardly therefrom, the fork positioned on top of the base and slidably engaged therewith; a gear having a gear opening, a plurality of teeth with the teeth configured to receive the detent, and an upper groove positioned on an upper edge, the gear being positioned on top of the fork with the rotating shaft extending through the gear opening; a knob having a cavity extending longitudinally within an underside of the knob and fixedly engaged to the rotating shaft above the base, fork and gear with the tab extending radially outwardly from underneath the knob; and a biasing member secured on the knob underside and extending downwardly therefrom, wherein the biasing member is configured to engage the gear upper groove such that when engaged the gear rotates with the knob; wherein when the tab is in first position the detent is not engaged with the gear teeth, and when the tab is in a second position the detent is engaged with the gear teeth.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
In the drawings:
To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical reference numerals have been used, when appropriate, to designate the same or similar elements that are common to the figures. Further, unless stated otherwise, the features shown in the figures are not drawn to scale and are shown for illustrative purposes only.
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The article “a” is intended to include one or more items, and where only one item is intended the term “one” or similar language is used. Additionally, to assist in the description of the present invention, words such as top, bottom, side, upper, lower, front, rear, inner, outer, right and left may be used to describe the accompanying figures. The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
As shown in
A gear 26, a fork 28, and a base 30 are disposed between the knob 12 and the mounting surface 20, with the rotating shaft 16 extending through the aperture 22 and through a central region of each of the components 24-30. Referring to
A cross-sectional view of the assembled device 10 is shown in
Referring to
The various components such as the knob 12, the gear 26, and the base 30 are composed of plastic, but may alternatively be composed of metal or other rigid materials. The fork 28 is composed of brass, but alternatively may be composed of other metals or rigid materials. It is to be understood that each component can be composed of, but not limited to, any type of metal, plastic, composite material, or any combination of known materials.
A cross-sectional view of the knob 12 is shown in
As shown in
With the fork 28 in the open or first setting state, when the ball 66 of the ball spring 14 is captured by the upper groove 64 of the gear 26, the knob 12 and the gear 26 rotate together. With the fork 28 in the closed or second setting state, the detent 56 on the fork 28 meshes with the teeth 60 of the gear 26, as shown in
For resetting the device 10, if the user pulls the tab 32 to a first position and into the open or first setting state, as shown in
Accordingly, the device 10 of the present invention retains the full, original functionality and rotational movement of the shaft 16 of the potentiometer 18 during use. Therefore, the knob 12 and the attached shaft 16 can still rotate within a full range of the potentiometer 18, with a click felt and/or heard somewhere within the full rotational range when the ball 66 is engaged with the upper groove 64 of the gear 26. Accordingly, when the detent 56 is set, i.e., second position of the tab 32, and the ball 66 is not engaged with the upper groove 64 of the gear 26, the knob 12 rotates freely and unencumbered in either of the two regions; that is, between the detent 56 and the maximum setting of the knob 12, and the detent 56 and the minimum setting of the knob 12. However, when the detent 56 is disengaged from the teeth 60 of the gear 26, i.e., the first position of the tab 32, the potentiometer 18 functions normally, such that the shaft 16 rotates normally and unencumbered without encountering any clicks or detents.
In addition, the rotation of the knob 12 and the potentiometer 18 do not have any perceptible extra resistance, which preserves the feel and free rotation of the knob 12 and the potentiometer 18. Such a free rotation capability of the knob 12 permits volume swell and other audio techniques to be performed when the knob 12 acts as a volume control knob. Furthermore, unlike the prior art, the device 10 of the present invention allows the detent 56 to be removed from the teeth 60 and/or from the limiting member 62 obstructing the rotational motion of the gear 26, and so the potentiometer 18 is always capable of functioning normally. Also, the push/pull operation of the tab 32 to engage or disengage the detent 56 from the teeth 60 of the gear 26 provides for convenient and intuitive operation of the device 10 to control the rotation of the knob 12 and/or the potentiometer 18, as opposed to a thumb screw type of control knob in the prior art. In addition, the control interface of the device 10, in the form of the linearly movable tab 32, is located in a fixed location under the bottom rim 34 of the knob 12, and so the tab 32 is conveniently fixed and accessible, unlike control interfaces in the prior art which are located on the knob, and so have a position which rotates as the knob in the prior art rotates.
The device 10 of the present invention is also advantageous by having the gear 26 decoupled from the knob 12, and only engaging the knob 12 when the ball spring 14, attached to the knob 12, has the ball 66 disposed in the upper groove 64 of the gear 26. Such decoupling of the gear 26 from the knob 12 allows the detent 56 to be removably coupled to the gear 26 radially by engaging the teeth 60 when the tab 32 is moved linearly relative to the base 30 and the gear 26. On the contrary, knobs with detent mechanisms in the prior art engage, in an axial arrangement, a disk or other rotational component, and so the disk is coupled to the knob and lacks the freedom of the disk in the prior art to rotate independent of the knob.
In addition, the device 10 of the present invention has the tab 32, as a pull/push switch, incorporated into the fork 28 which engages the base 30 via the stubs 44, 45 constrained to move in respective slots 54, with only the base 30 secured to the mounting surface 20 by the nut 24. Thus, the device 10 has the fork 28 maintaining the freedom to be linearly moved to activate or deactivate the setting of the detent 56 to engage the teeth 60 and/or to be in the rotational path of the limiting member 62 of the gear 26. Accordingly, the nut 24 secures the base 30 to the potentiometer 18, but the nut 24 does not interfere with operation of the tab 32 and the setting of the detent 56 in the teeth 60. However, knobs with detent mechanisms in the prior art have detents or springs which inhabit the same space and are secured under a nut to the potentiometer in the prior art, and so rotational motion of the detents or springs is limited.
Still referring to
As shown in
The fork 174 includes curved surfaces 182, 184 with cusps 186, 188, respectively, which form additional slot members in the form of grooved engagements or curved slots 190, 192, 194, 196 on either side of respective cusps 186, 188. Stubs 144 on the base 131 are disposed in respective curved slots 190, 192, 194, 196, with the cusps 186, 188, respectively, preventing linear movement of the stubs 144 until sufficient linear force is applied to the tab 198. Such linear force causes the leg members 178 to part slightly, allowing the stubs 144 to move from the curved slots 190, 194 to adjacent curved slots 192, 196, and vice versa, depending on the direction of linear movement of the tab 198. As such, the device 10 is maintained in either the open or closed states as desired. Importantly, the device 10 is maintained in the closed state when desired because the force necessary to move the fork 174 from one state to the other, i.e., to move the stubs 144 past the cusps 186, 188, is greater than any force generated by the biasing mechanism 14 engaging and disengaging the upper groove 64 when the knob 12 is rotated while the device 10 is in the closed or second state, such that the detent 56 remains engaged with the teeth 60. Due to this feature, the base end member 46 shown in the earlier embodiment (see, e.g.,
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Now referring to
The device 10 of the present invention is not necessarily limited to a ball spring 14 with a ball 66 which engages the upper groove 64. Instead, in an alternative embodiment, the device 10 may employ a strip of metal which deflects, instead of the ball 66 of the ball spring 14. Alternatively, the device 10 can use a magnet, a stamped piece of sheet metal forming a spring to engage the upper groove 64, or any pair of components or features that can provide tactile feedback and resistance during rotation of the knob when engaged, but which does not completely interrupt or suspend rotation of the knob.
In further alternative embodiments, the rotation of the gear 26 can be stopped in other ways, such as with components engaging each other and being constrained in movement via magnets. Alternatively, a band disposed around the gear 26 may be configured to be pulled tight by linear motion of the tab 32, which stops rotation of the gear 26. In another alternative embodiment, a pad may be moved by linear motion of the tab 32, such that the pad is compressed against the gear 26 like a brake, resulting in sufficient friction to prevent rotation of the gear 26.
An additional alternative apparatus may include any device which consists of a detent pair, in which one component of the detent pair is positioned on an independently rotating disk, and the other component of the detent pair is on the knob, such that the disk and knob rotate concentrically. Rotation of the knob and disk can be coupled by the detent itself and stopping the disk from rotating sets the position of the detent. A push/pull switch, a button, a lever, etc. can be used to stop the disk from rotating.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The control knob assembly of the present invention could be used on a variety of applications pertaining to controllable devices. For example, in addition to setting volume levels on speakers and amplifiers, the control knob assembly of the present invention could be used for lighting fixtures, cooling and heating units, and home appliances.
Therefore, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention, therefore, will be indicated by claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes, which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims, are to be embraced within their scope.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/970,824, filed on Feb. 6, 2020, entitled “Repositionable Detent for a Control Knob,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3561287 | Lawrence, Jr. | Feb 1971 | A |
6710565 | Maeda | Mar 2004 | B2 |
20170060169 | Stroh et al. | Mar 2017 | A1 |
20180038478 | Arakawa | Feb 2018 | A1 |
Entry |
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Guitar Clutch, Clutch—The Sound Marker, Dec. 8, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMWRlkDLolo. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210247796 A1 | Aug 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62970824 | Feb 2020 | US |