CN111989737A

CN111989737A - Support device for musical instrument

Info

Publication number: CN111989737A
Application number: CN201980004380.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 塞洛斯·弗鲁格; 沙赫拉姆·雷兹瓦尼; 萨义德·雷兹瓦尼
Original assignee: Cyrus Creation Co ltd
Current assignee: Cyrus Creation Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-19
Filing date: 2019-02-18
Publication date: 2020-11-24
Also published as: TW201937477A; AU2019221590A1; EP3756182A4; CA3070075A1; TWI734961B; EP3756182A1; WO2019161332A1

Abstract

A shoulder support for a stringed musical instrument may include a body portion, a neck portion, and first and second cradles. The body portion has a first side and a second side. The first side may define a concavity for placement against the shoulder of the musician. The neck portion extends from the body portion and has a width less than a width of the body portion. The first bracket may include a first flange, a hook extending from the first flange, and a first coupling member extending from the first flange in a direction opposite the hook. The second bracket may include a second flange, a hook extending from the second flange, and a second coupling member extending from the second flange in a direction opposite the hook. The first and second coupling members may engage the body portion and the neck portion, respectively.

Description

Support device for musical instrument

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims benefit and priority from U.S. provisional application No. 62/632,263 filed on 19/2/2018. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to support apparatus for musical instruments, and more particularly to comfortable support apparatus for bowed string musical instruments.

Background

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

Many musicians spend countless hours playing their instruments. Musicians playing bowed stringed instruments such as viola, violin or fiddle (fiddle) often feel their bowman (bow hand) and their shoulder and chin discomfort for supporting the weight of the instrument. The present disclosure provides an apparatus for reducing this discomfort while allowing musicians to play their instruments in an appropriate form.

Disclosure of Invention

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

The present disclosure provides a shoulder support for a stringed musical instrument having a back plate and a bent edge (bout edge). The shoulder support may include a body portion, a neck portion, a first brace, and a second brace. The body portion has a first side and a second side. The first side may define a concavity configured to be placed against a shoulder of a musician. The second side may define a first mounting boss. The neck portion may extend from the body portion and may have a width less than a width of the body portion. The neck may include a second mounting boss. The first bracket may include a first flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a first pair of hooks defining a first channel configured to engage the crimp. The first bracket may include a first coupling member configured to engage the first mounting boss. The second bracket may include a second flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a second pair of hooks defining a second channel configured to engage the crimp. The second bracket may include a second coupling member configured to engage the second mounting boss.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of the above paragraph, the first and second coupling members are studs and the first and second mounting bosses each define a threaded bore configured to selectively receive the stud.

In some configurations of the shoulder supports of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first mounting boss and the second mounting boss define a plurality of threaded holes.

In some configurations of the shoulder supports of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the padding layer is disposed on the concave surface.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body portion defines an axis, the first mounting boss has a first plurality of threaded holes, each of the first plurality of threaded holes is centered along the axis, and the second mounting boss defines a second plurality of threaded holes, each of the second plurality of threaded holes is centered along the axis.

In some configurations of the shoulder supports of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first brace includes a compressible layer disposed on the first flange and the first pair of hooks.

In some configurations of the shoulder supports of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first pair of hooks includes an outer resilient layer.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first and second mounting bosses include first and second planar surfaces, respectively, and the first and second planar surfaces are coplanar with one another and each have a plurality of threaded holes.

The present disclosure also provides a shoulder support comprising a body portion, a neck portion, a first mounting bracket and a second mounting bracket. The body portion has a first side and a second side. The first side may define a concavity configured to be placed against a shoulder of a musician. The neck portion may extend from the body portion and may include a width that is less than a width of the body portion. The first mounting bracket may include a first flange, a pair of first hooks extending from the first flange, and a first coupling member extending from the first flange in a direction opposite the first hooks. The first coupling member may engage the body portion. The second mounting bracket may include a second flange, a pair of second hooks extending from the second flange, and a second coupling member extending from the second flange in a direction opposite the second hooks. The second coupling member may engage the neck.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of the preceding paragraph, the first mounting bracket extends from a planar surface on the second side of the body portion.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, a plurality of threaded holes are formed in the planar surface, and the first coupling member selectively engages any one of the threaded holes.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the neck comprises a planar surface having a plurality of threaded holes.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the second mounting bracket extends from the planar surface of the neck and selectively engages any one of the threaded holes of the neck.

In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first flange comprises a resilient covering.

The present disclosure also provides a finger support for a bow of a stringed instrument. The finger support may include a body having a first side defining a groove configured to be attached to the bow and partially receive fingers of a musician, and a second side defining a through-hole configured to receive a stem of the bow such that the body is positioned adjacent to a cinching nut of the bow.

In some configurations of the finger support of the above paragraph, the body is formed of a compressible material.

In some configurations of the finger supports of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body comprises a dotted (pinned) surface.

In some configurations of the finger support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body has a square cross-section.

In some configurations of the finger support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body has a first portion defining the channel and a second portion defining the through-hole.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a shoulder support coupled to a stringed musical instrument according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the musical instrument shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the instrument with shoulder supports mounted thereon;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a shoulder support;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of the shoulder support;

FIG. 6 is yet another perspective view of the shoulder support;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the shoulder support;

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the shoulder support;

figure 9 is a side view of a shoulder support;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the shoulder support;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket of the shoulder support;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a musician playing a stringed musical instrument with a bow having finger supports according to the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of a bow with finger supports;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the finger support;

FIG. 15 is another perspective view of the finger support;

FIG. 16a is an end view of the finger support;

FIG. 16b is a bottom view of the finger support;

FIG. 16c is another end view of the finger support;

FIG. 16d is a top view of the finger support; and

figure 16e is a side view of the finger support.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1-11, a shoulder support 10 for a bowed stringed instrument 12 is provided. The stringed musical instrument 12 (e.g., a viola, violin, or national violin) has a back plate 14, a lower bent edge 16, and a top plate 17. As best shown in fig. 1, the instrument 12 has a chin bar 18, the chin bar 18 being attached to a lower bow 22 of the instrument 12 by a bracket 20. It should be understood that the shoulder supports 10 may be manufactured in a variety of sizes to suit different stringed musical instruments.

The shoulder support 10 may be removably mounted to the instrument 12 and includes a body portion 24 and a neck portion 26 extending from the body portion 24. The body portion 24 includes a first side 27 defining a contoured concavity 25, the contoured concavity 25 configured to rest against a shoulder of a musician. As shown in fig. 7, the body portion 24 has a first width W1, and the neck portion 26 has a second width W2 that is less than the first width W1. The first side 28 of the neck 26 may be generally planar.

A second side 29 (fig. 10) of the body portion 24 defines a first mounting boss 30. A second side 31 (fig. 10) of the neck 26 defines a second mounting boss 32. Each of the first and second mounting

bosses

30, 32 includes a plurality of threaded holes 34, the plurality of threaded holes 34 adjusting the width of the shoulder support 10 required for various sizes of instruments 12. In some configurations, as shown in fig. 9, the

planar surfaces

36, 38 of the mounting bosses 30, 32 (i.e., the planar surfaces in which the apertures 34 are formed) may be substantially coplanar. In some configurations, threaded holes 34 may be formed as metal or plastic inserts that are embedded in or attached to shoulder support 10.

For example, the body portion 24 and the neck portion 26 may be formed of a rigid material such as wood or plastic. In some configurations, a backing layer 50 (fig. 9) may be attached to the concave surface 25 of the body portion 24. The padding layer may be attached to the recessed surface 25 by adhesive, threaded fasteners, or the like. For example, the cushion layer 50 may be an open or closed cell foam layer or a nonwoven layer, such as a felt made of textile fibers. In some configurations, the thickness of the filler layer is less than 3 mm.

As shown in fig. 3, the shoulder support 10 may be removably attached to the downturn 22 of the instrument 12 by a pair of mounting brackets 40. One mounting bracket 40 may be attached to the first mounting boss 30 and the other mounting bracket 40 may be attached to the second mounting boss 32. As shown in fig. 11, each mounting bracket 40 includes a flange 42 and a pair of hooks 44, the hooks 44 being spaced apart from each other and extending from the flange 42. The flange 42 is configured to contact the backplate 14 and the hook 44 is configured to snap into engagement with the kick-down edge 16 of the instrument 12. The flanges 42 and hooks 44 of the mounting bracket 40 may be coated with a thin compressible resilient material (e.g., less than 4mm thick) that serves to increase friction between the shoulder support 10 and the instrument 12 and prevent scratching on the instrument 12. Additionally, friction ribs 46 (fig. 11) may be formed on the surface of the flange 42 to increase engagement and allow further compression of the resilient material.

Each mounting bracket 40 may include a stud or fastener 48 extending from the flange 42 in a direction opposite the hook 44. The stud 48 of one mounting bracket 40 may engage one threaded hole 34 of the first mounting boss 30 and the stud 48 of the other mounting bracket 40 may engage one threaded hole 34 of the second mounting boss 32. A plurality of apertures 34 in the mounting

bosses

30, 32 are provided so that a user can selectively position the mounting bracket 40 on the shoulder support 10 to accommodate various instrument sizes and/or to customize the positioning of the shoulder support 10 relative to the instrument 12. As shown in fig. 3, when the shoulder support 10 is attached to the musical instrument 12 with the mounting brackets 40, the brackets 40 are arranged on opposite sides of the chin rest bracket 20.

Referring now to fig. 12-16d, a finger rest 60 is provided. The finger supports 60 may be mounted to a bow 62 (e.g., a bow for exciting the strings of the (excite) instrument 12). As shown, the finger supports 60 are positioned on the rods 63 of the bow 62 adjacent to the stringing nuts (frog)64 of the bow 62. The finger supports 60 provide a support surface for the fifth finger (i.e., little finger or little finger) of the musician.

As shown in fig. 13, the finger support 60 defines a through hole 66 (fig. 16a-16e), the through hole 66 receiving (receive) the rod 63 and the fastening screw 65 adjacent the tightening nut 64. A plurality of ribs 67 may be disposed in the aperture 66 and may span the length of the aperture 66. The ribs 67 may improve the grip on the bar 63 and may reduce or eliminate accidental sliding of the finger supports 60 on the bar 63. The finger rest 60 may also include an engagement channel 70, the engagement channel 70 being aligned with the aperture 66 and fitting over the stem 63. The body 72 of the finger support 60 may include a hole or recess 74 (e.g., a dimple) into which a musician may insert the tip of the musician's fifth finger into the hole or recess 74 (as shown in fig. 12) to support the fifth finger while the musician is playing the instrument 12. By positioning his or her fifth finger on the body 72 of the finger support 60 or in the groove 74 while playing the instrument 12, fatigue of the musician's fifth finger and hand may be reduced while still maintaining a proper grip on the bow 62.

For example, the finger supports 60 may be made of a compressible material such as rubber or a closed foam polymer. In some configurations, for example, the finger supports 60 may be formed of wood or a hard polymeric material. The body 72 may have a generally square cross-section and may include dots 80 (fig. 13).

It should be understood that finger support 60 may be used with a bow for any bowed stringed instrument, such as a viola, violin, national violin, or the like.

The exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "including," "has," "having," and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," or "connected to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," directly engaged to, "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements (e.g., "between … …" versus "directly between … …", "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent", etc.) should be interpreted in a similar manner. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer," "lower," "below," "lower," "over," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may also be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same can also be modified in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such variations are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A shoulder support for a stringed musical instrument having a back plate and a curl, the shoulder support comprising:

a body portion having a first side defining a concave surface configured to be placed against a shoulder of a musician and a second side defining a first mounting boss;

a neck portion extending from the body portion and having a width less than a width of the body portion, the neck portion including a second mounting boss;

a first bracket having a first flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a first pair of hooks defining a first channel configured to engage the crimp, the first bracket having a first coupling member configured to engage the first mounting boss; and

a second bracket having a second flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a second pair of hooks defining a second channel configured to engage the crimp, the second bracket having a second coupling member configured to engage the second mounting boss.

2. The shoulder support of claim 1, wherein the first and second coupling members are studs, and wherein the first and second mounting bosses each define a threaded bore configured to selectively receive the stud.

3. The shoulder support of claim 1, wherein the first mounting boss and the second mounting boss define a plurality of threaded holes.

4. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a padding layer disposed on the concave surface.

5. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body portion defines an axis and the first mounting boss has a first plurality of threaded holes, each of the first plurality of threaded holes being centered along the axis and the second mounting boss defines a second plurality of threaded holes, each of the second plurality of threaded holes being centered along the axis.

6. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first brace comprises a compressible layer disposed on the first flange and the first pair of hooks.

7. The shoulder support of claim 1, wherein the first pair of hooks includes an outer resilient layer.

8. The shoulder support of claim 1, wherein the first and second mounting bosses include first and second planar surfaces, respectively, and wherein the first and second planar surfaces are coplanar with one another and each have a plurality of threaded holes.

9. A shoulder support for a stringed musical instrument, the shoulder support comprising:

a body portion having a first side and a second side, the first side defining a concavity configured to be placed against a musician's shoulder;

a neck portion extending from the body portion and having a width less than a width of the body portion;

a first mounting bracket having a first flange, a pair of first hooks extending from the first flange, and a first coupling member extending from the first flange in a direction opposite the first hooks, the first coupling member engaging the body portion; and

a second mounting bracket having a second flange, a pair of second hooks extending from the second flange, and a second coupling member extending from the second flange in a direction opposite the second hooks, the second coupling member engaging the neck.

10. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first mounting bracket extends from a planar surface on the second side of the body portion.

11. A shoulder support according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of threaded holes are formed in the planar surface, and wherein the first coupling member selectively engages any one of the threaded holes.

12. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 11, wherein the neck includes a flat surface having a plurality of threaded holes.

13. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second mounting bracket extends from the planar surface of the neck and selectively engages any one of the threaded holes of the neck.

14. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first flange comprises a resilient covering.

15. A shoulder support as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a padding layer disposed on the concave surface.

16. A finger support for a bow of a stringed instrument, the finger support comprising:

A body having a first side and a second side, the first side defining a groove configured to be attached to the bow and partially receive fingers of a musician, the second side defining a through-hole configured to receive a stem of the bow such that the body is positioned adjacent to a cinching nut of the bow.

17. The finger support of claim 16 wherein said body is formed of a compressible material.

18. The finger support of claim 16 wherein said body comprises a dotted surface.

19. The finger support of claim 16 wherein said body has a square cross-section.

20. The finger support of claim 16 wherein said body has a first portion defining a channel and a second portion defining said through hole.