Claims
- 1. A modified musical wind instrument having a key assembly comprising:a first post mounted to an instrument body; a second post mounted to the instrument body; at least one rotatable tubular section axially mounted between the first post and the second post, the at least one tubular section having a first end and a second end, the at least one tubular section having at least one key disposed thereon; and at least one wear protection member comprising a wear-resistant, non-metallic interface insert fixed in at least one of the first post, the second post, the first end, the second end, and the key; wherein the insert reduces friction, key wear, and noise made by movement of the key.
- 2. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the first end of the tubular section is positioned against the first post, and wherein the at least one wear protection member is fixed in the first end, thereby preventing contact between the first end and the first post, wherein the at least one wear protection member is annular.
- 3. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the first end of the tubular section is positioned against the first post, and wherein the at least one wear protection member is fixed in the first post, thereby preventing contact between the first post and the first end.
- 4. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the first end of the tubular section is positioned against the first post, and wherein the at least one wear protection member is fixed, each in the first end and in the first post, thereby preventing contact between the first post and the first end.
- 5. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 4, wherein the at least one wear protection member fixed in the first end is annular and the at least one wear protection member fixed in the first post is tubular.
- 6. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the first end and the second end of the tubular section are each positioned against the first post and the second post respectively, wherein the at least one wear protection member is fixed in each of the first end, the first post, the second end, and the second post, and wherein each wear protection member contacts a corresponding wear protection member.
- 7. The musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the interface insert is an annular member.
- 8. The musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the interface insert is a tubular member.
- 9. The musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the interface insert is a cone shaped member.
- 10. The musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the interface insert is a solid material selected from the group consisting of plastic and ceramic.
- 11. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the key comprises a roller bolt mounted to the tubular section and a roller bolt housing substantially covering the roller bolt, wherein the at least one wear protection member is disposed between the roller bolt and the roller bolt housing.
- 12. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1 further comprising a shaft axially disposed within the at least one tubular section, the shaft having a mating end mated to a cone shaped member, the cone shaped member being configured to be received in a corresponding aperture in the first post, thereby preventing direct contact between the shaft and the first post.
- 13. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the first post and the second post each have a groove configured to receive the at least one wear protection member therein.
- 14. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 13, wherein the interface insert is an annular member or a tubular member.
- 15. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the at least one tubular section has a groove disposed in an end point, wherein the groove is configured to receive a wear protection member therein.
- 16. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1 having three rotatable tubular sections arranged end-on-end, wherein the at least one wear protection member is disposed at the areas of contact between each of the three tubular sections.
- 17. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the at least one wear protection member is positioned between all sections of the instrument mechanism which come into contact with each other.
- 18. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the wind instrument is a flute.
- 19. The modified musical wind instrument of claim 1, wherein the wind instrument is a piccolo.
- 20. A method of modifying a musical wind instrument comprising:providing a musical wind instrument having a key assembly comprising a first post mounted to an instrument body, a second post mounted to the instrument body, at least one rotatable tubular section axially mounted between the first post and the second post, the at least one tubular section having a first end and a second end, the at least one tubular section having at least one key disposed thereon; fashioning at least one groove into at least one of the first post, the second post, the first end, the second end, and the key; inserting at least one wear protection member into the at least one groove, the at least one wear protection member comprising a wear-resistant, non-metallic interface insert, wherein the at least one wear protection member is fixed into the at least one groove.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/919,154, filed Jul. 31, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,539, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/919154 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Child |
10/685133 |
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US |