Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6265649
-
Patent Number
6,265,649
-
Date Filed
Thursday, November 18, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, July 24, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
- Webb Ziesenheim Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 084 385 R
- 084 380 R
- 084 382
- 084 385 P
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A wind instrument, such as a saxophone, generally includes a hollow elongate body with at least one mouthpiece and a plurality of low holes at different distances from the mouthpiece. At least one of the low holes is provided with a swingable low valve which is fixed to a control element mounted hingedly on the body and which is operable by a finger key. The control element has an open position which is bounded by a stop device. The wind instrument further includes a stop for the stop device which is positioned outside a surface of the low valve.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to wind instruments and more particularly to saxophones.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At their largest valves, saxophones of the type described in WO 90/21923 have guards which protect the valves against impacts and which carry stops against which the valves, pressed open by springs, strike in their open position. This makes a sound disturbing noise. The saxophone of the present invention reduces this disturbing noise.
The more visible the large valves which form essential elements of the wind instrument are, the more attractive the instrument becomes. Stops fixed to the bell and situated outside the surface of the belonging valves are generally applied for the higher tone values of saxophones like in WO 96/21923 and FR 1404555.
Mentioned and other features of the invention will become apparent from the description following hereinbelow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a side view of a wind instrument according to the invention;
FIG. 2
is a schematic view of detail II of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a schematic cross-section along line III—III of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is a schematic view of a portion of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5
is a cross-section along line V—V of
FIG. 2
; and
FIG. 6
shows a preferred embodiment of a cross-section along the line V—V of FIG.
2
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention can be applied to existing wind instruments, for instance in all saxophones available commercially at the present time. The per se known construction and design of this instrument is deemed interpolated herein. Only some of the guards and stops thereof are described, modified according to the invention as hereinbelow.
Referring to
FIG. 1
wind instrument
1
comprises a hollow, elongate body consisting of a tube
2
, a band
3
and a bell
4
with a plurality of holes
6
which are arranged at different distances from a mouthpiece
5
, are practically always formed as a round chimney and which can each be closed with a valve
13
, while the wide open end
60
of bell
3
has no valve. The holes
6
are covered by valves
13
in FIG.
1
.
According to
FIGS. 2-4
, a control element
14
of a valve
13
for diverse low holes
6
(also in the known wind instrument
1
) consists in each case of a pivot shaft
9
mounted in bridges
8
, a control lever
10
fixed rigidly to the shaft
9
and having a finger key
11
and a valve arm
12
carrying a valve
13
. Practically every low valve
13
is provided with a spring
44
urging it to the open position. Above values
13
B flat,
FIG. 1
13
B,
13
c
and
13
E flat the known wind instrument
1
has guards which cover the valves
13
for a considerable part. These guards bear stops which determine the open position of the valves
13
.
FIG. 5
shows a round chimney
22
and its hole
6
with associated valve
13
consisting of a cover
23
which is fixed to valve arm
12
and in which a felt cushion
24
with a leather envelope
25
is fixed by means of a glue or other adhesive.
According to
FIG. 4
the control element
14
B flat of valve
13
B flat is occasionally operated, as is usual, by control element
14
B of valve
13
B, for which purpose these are mutually coupled with interposing of a soft stop
45
. In addition, control element
14
B flat has its own finger key.
According to the invention the control element
14
has a stop
15
which as seen in the plane of
FIG. 2
of the associated value
13
is arranged outside the surface of the valve
13
which is cross-hatched in FIG.
2
. The stop
15
preferably consists of a screw
16
with an adjusting knob
17
which is easy to adjust manually and which co-acts with control lever
10
, preferably via a cushion
18
, for instance of cork, as shown in FIG.
3
. Referring, in particular, to
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the stop
15
, which is a fixed stop means, is positioned at a maximum of 2 cm from a pivot axis of the control element
14
. The stop
15
is preferably positioned at a maximum 1.5 cm from the pivot axis of the control element
14
.
A foot
19
of screw
16
, formed for instance from two nuts, is preferably arranged adjustably on screw
16
to form an easily reproducible adjustable stop
15
. The knob
17
can be used to close valve
13
after playing. Screw
16
is screwed into an angled stop support
21
which is fixed to the bell
4
. The above described stop
15
according to the invention is preferably applied to all low open valves
13
, namely the E flat valve
13
, the B valve and the B flat valve. These low valves
13
are provided, as is the C sharp valve, with arcuate guards
20
which extend slightly higher from the bell
4
than the height of the associated valves
13
. Arcuate guards
20
thus also extend slightly higher from the bend
3
than the associated valves
13
.
In order to reduce the noise still further and to reduce the required operating force of the finger, particularly of the little finger, valve
13
is preferably constructed according to the invention as in
FIG. 6. A
round metal valve support
28
is fixed to valve arm
12
centrally relative to hole
6
. The valve support
28
has a diameter which is not greater than half the diameter of the associated hole
6
. Preferably, the valve support
28
extends radially in all directions only to less than a fourth and, more preferably, to less than a sixth of the diameter of the associated hole
6
. A mounting element
29
is glued to valve support
28
, optionally with interposing of a selected filler plate
30
. Valve
13
consists of a stiff, thin metal plate
31
having adhered thereon on the side facing toward the hole
6
a sealing layer
32
of foam material such as a thin layer of cellular rubber with a thickness in the order of magnitude of 0.5 to 2 mm. Edge
33
of chimney
22
is well-leveled so that the surface of the sealing material of the sealing layer
32
can make good sealing contact. The thin layer of cellular rubber of the sealing layer
32
preferably consists of cellular rubber with small closed cells. The average cell diameter is smaller than 0.5 mm, for instance smaller than 0.3 mm and preferably smaller than 0.2 mm. This sealing material is optionally coated on the outside with a sealing film of the sealing layer
32
to prevent infiltration of moisture.
The plate
31
is preferably a levelled metal plate, so that it extends accurately at a constant distance from the edge
33
and the sealing surface is thus supported accurately in one plane. Depending on the type of metal and the diameter of hole
6
the plate
31
has a stiffness such that the deflection of the plate
31
resulting from loud playing force (roughly 2 N) is preferably smaller than 0.3 mm, more preferably smaller than 0.2 mm, for instance in the order of magnitude of 0.1 mm. In the case of stainless steel (SS 430), the plate
31
thicknesses are 0.1 to 1 mm, preferably 0.15 to 0.8 mm, most preferably in the order of magnitude of 0.3 to 0.5 mm.
The plate
31
is adhered centrally to the valve arm
12
with interposing of yielding means
34
, which in
FIG. 6
consist of a solid rubber core (hardness 40°-80° Shore) with a diameter of 2-7 mm and a height of 1-5 mm.
The plate
31
is preferably completely flat, but can be spherical, permanently or slightly under the influence of the closing force.
All given dimensions and values serve as examples and as an indication of the order of magnitude. The springs which tension the control means control element
14
are adapted to the necessary impressions for closing the valves
13
, i.e. tensioned considerably less than usual. The instrument
1
according to the invention hereby plays very lightly. It is less tiring and it is possible to play faster and better. In a rest position tension of the springs in the closed valves
13
is preferably limp such that as a result of hard blowing they are only just prevented from being blown open by the then occurring air pressure. In addition in the rest position, the tension of the spring in the opened valves
13
is preferably limp such that these valves
13
move up and downward with just enough speed to adequately follow the fingers during fast playing. The spring tensions are herein chosen slightly higher for safety reasons.
The valve
13
comprises a mounting disc
25
i.e. leather envelope fixed to valve arm
12
and having a small diameter which amounts to a maximum of half the diameter of hole
6
and is most preferably smaller than one third of this diameter. The mass of the valve
13
is hereby reduced, so that the valve
13
is lighter to play.
The inner edge of a flexible, substantially non-stretchable, thin membrane
46
is affixed around the rubber core i.e., yielding means
34
, to the mounting element
29
, while the outer edge thereof is affixed to the outer edge of the plate
31
of the sealing layer
32
with a glue bead
88
.
The following dimensions and material specifications are given by way of example.
The mounting element
29
consists of a metal plate with a diameter of 14 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm. Prior to its assembly, the mounting element
29
has on its top side a self-adhesive layer covered by pull-off paper. The filler plate
30
is of aluminium and then has on one side a self-adhesive layer covered with pull-off paper.
The membrane
46
consists for instance of rubber used for packaging jewellery (foam rubber) which is non-stretchable, or hardly so. The thickness is 1 mm and the glue bead
88
has a width of 2-3 mm.
Claims
- 1. A saxophone, comprising:a hollow elongate body with at least one mouthpiece having a plurality of low holes at different distances from the mouthpiece, wherein at least one of the low holes is provided with a swingable low valve which is fixed to a control element mounted hingedly on the body and which is operable by a finger key, wherein the control element has an open position which is bounded by fixed stop means fixedly connected to the body and movable stop means connected to the low valve and configured to strike the fixed stop means, wherein the low valve is provided with a guard, wherein the low valve includes a thin plate having a sealing layer of foam material which is fixed via yielding means to a valve support fixed to a valve arm, with the yielding means including a central elastic cushion, wherein the valve support has a diameter which is less than half the diameter of the associated low hole, and wherein the fixed stop means as well as the associated guard is situated substantially outside a projection of the low valve as viewed in a closing movement direction of the low valve.
- 2. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed stop means is positioned closer to a pivot axis of the control element than to a centre of the associated low valve.
- 3. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed stop means is positioned at a maximum of 2 cm from the pivot axis of the control element.
- 4. The saxophone as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control element is mounted on a tube of the body and strikes against a cushion fixed to the fixed stop means.
- 5. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed stop means is positioned at a maximum of 1.5 cm from the pivot axis of the control element.
- 6. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control element is mounted on a tube of the body and strikes against a cushion fixed to the fixed stop means.
- 7. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fixed stop means includes a screw with an adjusting knob.
- 8. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guard is substantially arcuate and is positioned on an outside of the associated low valve.
- 9. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the yieldable means includes a membrane, and wherein the membrane connects an edge of the thin plate to a mounting element connected to the valve arm.
- 10. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the thin plate with the sealing layer of foam material is fixed via the yielding means to the valve arm, wherein the yielding means includes a membrane, and wherein the membrane connects an edge of the thin plate to a mounting element connected to the valve arm.
- 11. The saxophone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the valve support is fixed to the valve arm of the low valve, and wherein the valve support extends radially in all directions only to less than a fourth of the diameter of the associated low hole.
- 12. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control element is mounted on a tube of the body and strikes against a cushion fixed to the fixed stop means.
- 13. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed stop means includes a screw with an adjusting knob.
- 14. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guard is substantially arcuate and is positioned on an outside of the associated low valve.
- 15. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the yieldable means includes a membrane, and wherein the membrane connects an edge of the thin plate to a mounting element connected to the valve arm.
- 16. The saxophone as claimed in claim 15, wherein the mounting element is connected directly to the valve arm.
- 17. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thin plate with the sealing layer of foam material is fixed via the yielding means to the valve arm, wherein the yielding means includes a membrane, and wherein the membrane connects an edge of the thin plate to a mounting element connected to the valve arm.
- 18. The saxophone as claimed in claim 17, wherein the mounting element is connected directly to the valve arm.
- 19. The saxophone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve support is fixed to the valve arm of the low valve, and wherein the valve support extends radially in all directions only to less than a fourth of the diameter of the associated low hole.
- 20. The saxophone as claimed in claim 19, wherein the valve support extends radially in all directions only to less than a sixth of the diameter of the associated low hole.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
9700172 |
Feb 1997 |
BE |
|
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
102e Date |
371c Date |
PCT/NL98/00113 |
|
WO |
00 |
11/18/1999 |
11/18/1999 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO98/37540 |
8/27/1998 |
WO |
A |
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1404555 |
Nov 1965 |
FR |
2615646 |
Nov 1988 |
FR |
2721743 |
Dec 1995 |
FR |
634347 |
Mar 1950 |
GB |
9621923 |
Jul 1996 |
WO |