Patent Grant
8716581
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to stringed musical instrument peripheral equipment, specifically to a device that releasably holds picks and detachably grips a musical instrument strap or a microphone stand.
2. Prior Art
Picks are used to pluck the strings of musical instruments. Due to small size and flatness, they are easily lost or misplaced during periods when not being used. The result is either pick replacement or time spent in finding the small article. During performance, searching for a pick distracts from the purpose of the event.
Musicians often insert the pick in the musical instrument's strings such that adjoining strings are alternately above and below the pick. This method has the advantages of holding the pick in place and assuring that it is available next time the musician needs it. It also takes little room and the instrument will likely fit easily into its storage case without interference. The method requires no modification of the instrument or the strap. The disadvantages include distortion of the pick from having been held in a bent position for an extended period of time. Also, if the musician sometimes uses his fingers for striking or plucking the strings, the pick must be stored somewhere else and is again subject to being lost or misplaced. In addition, if the musician needs to have convenient accessibility to more than one pick, then the additional picks cannot be stored in the strings while the instrument is being played because it would prevent the strings from vibrating. If additional picks are stored in a musician's pocket, they are not easily visible and, when retrieved, time is spent sorting through all pocket contents or selecting the desired pick of several being stored.
There are many prior art references to devices that hold picks either on or near the musical instrument. Often, the pick holder is rigidly adhered to the musical instrument itself. U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,531 to Tischer (1990) describes a coil spring device that adheres to the surface of the instrument. The patent indicates that the spring is in slight tension and therefore reduces the compression that is needed to hold the picks tightly in the helical coils. The musician must put the picks under the coils for long term storage or when transporting. The device may prevent storing the guitar in its case because the pick holder could interfere with the closure of the lid. Adherence of the device to the sound board of a musical instrument has the potential to dampen the vibrations and therefore affect the tonal qualities. U.S. Pat. No. 7,847,171 to Kidd, III (2010) describes a coil spring device that attaches alternately to either the strings or to the tuning pegs of a guitar. When attached to the strings, the device may affect tuning, may rattle, and can come loose easily. Also it must be removed prior to storing the guitar in a protective case. U.S. Pat. No. 7,629,522 to Isaacson (2009) describes a device that is attached by means of adhesive and through a matching hole in the wall or soundboard of the guitar. This device also has the potential to distort the tonal qualities of the guitar. U.S. Pat. No. 8,097,799 to Tran (2012) describes a flexible slotted element that adheres to the bottom edge of a guitar. In this configuration the picks are not visible to the musician during a performance. In general, musicians tend to avoid attaching devices to the surfaces of musical instruments for the reasons indicated and because of the potential for marring or damage.
Sometimes the pick holder is designed for releasable attachment to the musical instrument. U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,029 to Watrous (1973) describes a device that is intended for mounting adjacent to the strings and on the surface of the musical instrument for use during a performance. This device and the picks would have to be stored and handled each time the instrument is used and does not serve the purpose preventing picks from being misplaced. U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,708 to Vaughan (1988) describes a flexible strip of pick holding pockets that is attached and released from the instrument with a hook-and-loop fastening system. Picks are not compressively held in the pockets and can therefore slide out unintentionally. These picks can get lost or will require time to retrieve. Also, the picks and the holder are not visible to the musician during performance. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 355,667 to Burger (1995) illustrates a spring shape that holds a plurality of picks. However, the dimensions must match the tuning keys of the musical instrument and therefore requires multiple sizes. It would tend to vibrate, making noise during performance. Also it must be detached prior to storing the guitar in its protective case, thus providing opportunity for misplacement or lose of the picks and the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,634 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,468 both to Irizarry (1997) describe an attachment and detachment device with a curved elongated helical coil to hold the picks. The opportunity for misplacement or lose is afforded due to the requirement for detaching any time the musical instrument is to be stored in a case. Attachment by suction cup to the musical instrument is likely to impact the tonal qualities due to dampening of vibrations. When picks are inserted in the helical wire form, they must extend into the inner portion of the curve because that is where the adjacent wires press together. If multiple picks are inserted, they tend to interfere with each other in the inner portion of the spring form, thus creating a practical limit to the number of picks that can be held. The spring form will easily move thus requiring two hands when inserting a pick, one for insertion and the other for holding the spring. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 393,362 to Byers (1998) illustrates a hanging pocket. Picks are not compressively held in the pocket and can therefore slide out unintentionally. These picks can get lost or will require time to retrieve. Also picks must be extracted sequentially so that it may take several extractions to find the preferred pick. Time must then be spent re-inserting the unwanted picks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,021 to Longshore (1998) describes a pick holder with releasable adhesive pads. The adhesive properties and thus the utility of the device tend to degrade with multiple attachments and detachments due to the accumulation of debris on the adhesive surface. The device must be detached to store the musical instrument in its case for traveling. Detachment affords the opportunity for accumulation of debris on the adhesive surface and for misplacement or lose of picks and the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,136 to Judd (2003) describes an elastomer device that attaches and detaches by inserting between the musical instrument strings and twisting. The instrument cannot be played while the device is attached because it prevents the strings from vibrating. When detached, the holder and the picks can be lost or misplaced. When attached, it interferes w/ storage in the instrument's protective case.
Sometimes the device is attached to the strap that musicians use for transferring the instrument's weight to the musician's shoulders and for positioning the instrument to play while standing. Attaching to and leaving the pick holder on the strap has the advantage of assuring that the picks are always accessible to the musician every time he attaches the strap to the instrument. When the pick holder grips the strap well, there is no possibility of misplacing or losing either the picks or the holder. The picks are easily visible and the device is within easy reaching distance to either insert the pick into the holder or extract from the holder. The musician typically stores the strap in empty cavities in the musical instrument's protective case, at the same time as storing the musical instrument, creating no interference with closure of the lid of the case. Often one end of the strap remains attached to the instrument. Therefore the pick, the pick holder, and the strap are always with the guitar.
The strap mounted pick holder in U.S. Pat. No. D309,674 to Gervase (1990) is subject to unintended sliding and change of position on the strap. Picks must be inserted and retrieved sequentially. The picks are bent slightly and may retain the distorted shape if left for extended periods. U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,485 to Denton (1994) describes a device that is complicated to manufacture and requires modifying the strap with holes to accommodate attachment screws. It cannot be quickly detached from the strap. U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,564 to Pia (2000) accommodates picks of a plurality of thicknesses but wide picks would overlap causing distortion and twisting that could reduce the holding effectiveness. Also, the holder would tend to slip and perhaps fall from the strap in the presence of flexing that normally occurs during performance and usage. The close arrangement of slots in U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,052 to Giddens and others (2001) makes it difficult to grasp and extract the preferred pick. Also thicker picks will be more difficult to insert and extract than thinner ones. The single sided clip with a single arm will allow twisting of the pick holder during insertion or extraction of picks.
Some pick holders are designed to attach to the microphone stand. These have the advantage of easy accessability to the performing muscian. U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,468 to Irizarry (1997) can mount on a microphone stand but requires both hands to operate and cannot alternatively be attached to the musical instrument's strap. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,693 to Nasfell (1984) requires disassembly of the microphone stand and is partially focused on holding a multiple pick package of a specific design. Also, it cannot simultaneously accommodate individual picks of different thicknesses.
All inventions described above require either special tooling or multiple materials or multiple specialized manufacturing steps that are unique to the design.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide an improved helical coil spring device for holding a plurality of musical instrument picks of varying thickness, widths and shapes;
(b) to provide two u-shaped arms that extend from the helical coil spring and either wrap around an edge or both edges and under a musical instrument strap, or wrap around the tubing of a microphone stand;
(c) to provide a slippage preventing cleat at the end of each u-shaped arm that either firmly presses against the strap without causing damage or presses against the edges of the strap;
(d) to provide a device w/ proper dimensions and angles such that when attached to a strap the u-shaped arms lie in a flat position against the strap;
(e) to provide a pick holder that does not distort the sound of the musical instrument;
(f) to provide a device that, when attached to a strap or microphone stand, increases the adjacent spring compressing force in the section of the helical coil farthest from the attachment and thereby increases the pick holding robustness;
(g) to provide a device that when attached to a strap or microphone stand, decreases the adjacent spring compressing force in the section of the helical coil nearest to the attachment and thereby enhances ease of pick insertion;
(h) to provide a pick holder that does not distort or bend the pick;
(i) to provide a device that is small enough that it is easily stored with the musical instrument inside the instrument's protective case;
(j) to provide a device that can be both easily attached to or detached from a musical instrument strap or microphone stand;
(k) to provide a device that can be attached to the strap alternately with u-shaped arms around the strap or by inserting the u-shaped arms of the device through a slot or hole in the strap;
(l) to provide a device that fits a wide variety of strap widths, styles, and thicknesses;
(m) to provide a pick holder that allows full pick visibility and easy pick accessibility by the musician while in performance;
(n) to provide a pick holder that does not require modification or disassembly of the strap or microphone stand for attachment or detachment;
(o) to provide a device that can be manufactured without the need for a plurality of materials, manufacturing steps, tooling, or processes;
(p) to provide a device that can be manufactured with common automated spring forming equipment.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention a device that releasably grasps musical instrument picks and is strap or microphone stand attachable and detachable comprises a spring wire form with at least one helical coil section and having two u-shaped arms that each terminate with a cleat. Helical coil sections hold the picks. The two u-shaped arms wrap around an edge or edges of the strap. The cleats press against the underside of the strap to prevent pick holder slippage. The interaction of the arms and cleats with the strap modifies the compressive force distribution in the helical coil. The modified compressive force distribution enables easy insertion of the pick into one portion of the helical coil and increases the holding grip on the pick at a different portion of the helical coil. The interaction also modifies the angle of the arms, resulting in flat positioning of the pick holding device on the strap. When used on a microphone stand, the two u-shaped arms wrap around the stand's tubing. The resulting compressive force distribution is similar to that achieved on the strap.
In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffices.
Because the device is symmetrical, some parts of the device are identified by the same number to indicate an identical but oppositely formed component. Also, a part may be identified by number and a different alphabetic suffix when it appears in different orientations or is no longer symmetrical.
A preferred embodiment of a pick holder of the present invention is illustrated in
The figures show a device having a helical coil 20 comprised of a plurality of substantially parallel circular loops of a shape resilient material of substantially circular cross section. These loops are helically displaced and adjacent loops generally touch. In the spring forming industry this shape is commonly referred to as a close wound coil. Referring to
In the preferred embodiment, loops of the helical coil 20 have a generally circular shape with an inside diameter of roughly 20 mm. However, larger or smaller helical coil 20 diameters will work. Smaller diameters have the advantage of less material required for manufacture and therefore a lower cost. A larger diameter makes it easier to insert a plurality of picks into the pick holder because the compressive forces between loops are slightly lower. Also, with a larger diameter, the picks can be fanned out more, allowing more room for the musician's fingers to manipulate the pick during the insertion and extraction process. More fanning also makes it easier for the musician to see individual picks. Helical coil 20 loops do not have to be circular in shape and do not have to continuously touch. For instance, as shown in
Referring to
In the preferred embodiment the shape resilient material of substantially circular cross section has a diameter of roughly 1.6 mm. However, the shape resilient material diameter can be larger or smaller and the cross section is not restricted to circular. The preferred diameter of the shape resilient material was determined by insertion of commercially available picks of thicknesses generally from 0.52 mm to 0.93 mm to validate functionality. Larger or smaller diameters may be appropriate for picks of different thickness.
In the preferred embodiment, the shape resilient material is a rust resistant spring steel such as stainless steel wire. However the material can be any that has, without fracturing or losing strength, long life shape resilience sufficient to repeatedly compressively hold and release a pick between the loops of the helical coil 20 and to continuously supply compressive force at the cleats 24 in a direction that is toward and generally normal to a strap on which it is affixed.
One use of the pick holder is illustrated in
Generally, alternative embodiments are variations on the elements of the preferred embodiment. The alternative embodiment shown in top view in
Operation of the alternative embodiment, shown in orthogonal top view in
Operation of the additional embodiment of
Operation of the additional embodiment is the same as preferred embodiment with the following exceptions. The alternative embodiment shown in
Operation of the additional embodiment is the same as preferred embodiment with the following exceptions. Picks are inserted and held in a plane that is generally parallel to the strap. The configuration indicated in
Operation of the additional embodiment is the same as preferred embodiment with the following exceptions. The cleat 24L on the longer cantilever strut 23L allows convenient retention and extraction of a guitar slide 37. The guitar slide 37 is a hollow cylindrical or tubular device sometimes used by a guitarist to change tones by pressing it against strings instead of pressing strings against frets on the neck of the guitar. The guitar slide 37 is securely retained by inserting the cantilever strut 23L through the hollow cylindrical shape of the guitar slide 37. The guitar slide 37 is thus springily held against the strap 26. The cleat 24L acts as a retainer to prevent the guitar slide 37 from falling off the pick holder device. The position retention and firmness of gripping the strap is retained by the one cleat 24 and u-shaped arm assembly 30 of the preferred embodiment.
Accordingly the reader will see that the pick holder of this invention provides a highly reliable, easy to manufacture, economical, and convenient device for both releasably gripping one or a plurality of musical instrument picks and for detachably gripping a musical instrument strap or a microphone stand. The device prevents misplacement of picks and provides for their convenient visual accessibility during use of the musical instrument. It can grip many styles, thicknesses, and shapes of both picks and musical instrument straps. The device, with or without picks, is conveniently stored with the musical instrument and, because it is attached to the strap, has no effect on tonal qualities. In addition, the device prevents pick shape distortion.
While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but as exemplifications of the presently preferred embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the invention. For example, the shape resilient material can have a larger or smaller diameter or a cross-section shape different than circular; the tangential extension can be longer or shorter or non-symmetrical and can be at a different angle; the u-shaped arm bend can have some other configuration than a circular arc and can be other than parallel to the helical coil axis; the cantilever strut can have a plurality of lengths and can be other than parallel to the tangential extension; the cleat can be of different lengths and different angles and can be pointed or missing; the device can be fabricated in colors; it can be constructed from sub-assemblies; the shape resilient material can be plastic or elastomeric and can be molded; the configuration can distribute compression forces with greater force near the strap and lesser force away from the strap, making it easier to insert the pick from the top; the distance between adjacent helical coils can be adjusted to compressively hold other items such as cigarettes. Any combination of the elements described or shown can be combined.
Also, even though the device is conceived as a holder of picks, it can functionally hold other items useful to the musician. Examples include but are not limited to sheet music, a list of song chords, or stage notes. Also the device can be used as an attachment point for stage display such as, but not limited to, streamers, trinkets, or flowers. In addition, the device may also serve as an attachment point for a pocket or bag to temporarily hold valuables that the musician may desire not to leave back-stage during a performance. Also, the device can be attached to other straps such as those attached to a canvas musical instrument case or other bags that have a generally flat strap.
While the device was conceived as peripheral to musical instruments, it can also be useful for non-musical purposes. For instance, it can be easily affixed to straps of back-packs and used as an attachment point for carrying supplies or equipment for school or hiking trips, as examples. When detached from the backpack, the same device can be used with light cord as a grappling hook. The device can also removeably attach to tree limbs to serve as temporary and non-damaging attachment points for camping equipment such as lanterns or cords. Also, the device can be affixed to belts for the attachment of tools, key rings, etc.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3752029 | Watrous | Aug 1973 | A |
| 4467693 | Nasfell | Aug 1984 | A |
| 4785708 | Vaughan | Nov 1988 | A |
| 4890531 | Tischer | Jan 1990 | A |
| D309674 | Gervase | Aug 1990 | S |
| 5299485 | Denton | Apr 1994 | A |
| D355667 | Burger | Feb 1995 | S |
| 5649634 | Irizarry | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5651468 | Irizarry | Jul 1997 | A |
| D393362 | Byers | Apr 1998 | S |
| 5796021 | Longshore | Aug 1998 | A |
| 6140564 | Pia | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6215052 | Giddens | Apr 2001 | B1 |
| 6639136 | Judd | Oct 2003 | B1 |
| 7629522 | Isaacson | Dec 2009 | B1 |
| 7847171 | Kidd, III | Dec 2010 | B1 |
| 8097799 | Tran | Jan 2012 | B2 |
