US3191483A

US3191483A - Musical instrument mouthpiece

Info

Publication number: US3191483A
Application number: US418106A
Authority: US
Inventors: William R Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-12-14
Filing date: 1964-12-14
Publication date: 1965-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 1982-06-29

Description

United States Patent() 3,191,483 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MOUTHPIECE William R.v Williams, 1548 Olive Ave., Redding, Calif. Filed Dec. 14, 1964, Ser'. No. 418,106 3 Claims. (Cl. 84-398) The invention relates to mouthpieces for particular use on musical instruments of the brass variety.

Most Ibrass instruments include a tube within which is inserted, in an interference type of fit, the stern or shank of a mouthpiece.

Altogether too frequently the mouthpiece becomes tightly lodged in the instrument and becomes impossible to remove by hand. To overcome this dihculty, numerous tools and pieces of apparatus have been devised. The problem is, however, that such devices are fairly expensive, take up too much poom to be packed in the instrument case and are easily mislaid.

It is therefore .an object of the invention to provide a musical instrument mouthpiece which affords its own means for dislodging the mouthpiece from the instrument tube.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mouthpiece which is quite inexpensive, yet which is durable and long-lived.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mouthpiece which is only slightly larger in size than the conventional mouthpieces heretofore used.

It is yet a further object to provide a mouthpiece device which is reliable in operation yand which obviates the necessity for separate puller tools'.

It is another object of the invention to provide a generally improved musical instrument mouthpiece.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in the embodiment described in the following description and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is a median longitudinal sectional view showing the shank of the mouthpiece lodged in the tube of a musical instrument, portions of the tube being cut away to reduce the extent of the figure; and,

FIG. 2 is `a view comparable to that of FIG.k 1 but illustrating the relative position of the parts at the conclusion of the dislodging operation.

While the device of the invention is susceptible of numerous physical embodiments, depending upon the environment and requirements of use, substantial numbers of the herein shown and described embodiment have been made, tested and used, and all have performed in an eminently satisfactory manner.

The musical instrument mouthpiece of the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 12, comprises a circular cylindrical bell member 13, or mouthpiece element, of the conventional variety including a bellshaped `cavity 14 to receive the lips of the musician.

Mounted on the inner end of the bell, and coaxially therewith, is an elongated hollow shank 16 including a flange portion 17, ya threaded portionA 18 and a stem portion 19.

The stem portion 19 is provided with .a slightly converging tapered portion 21 adjacent its end 22 for ready insertion into the tube 26 of a musical instrument (not shown),

such as a trumpet. The taper feature is conventional in many mouthpieces and serves to provide a wedge or interference type of fit within the tube walls. v

The taper portion 21, as can be seen by reference to FIG. 2, which somewhat emphasizes the extent of the taper to illustrate the point, also facilitates the removal of the stem once the seal or wedge lit between the interfaces is broken. y

The problem is that the stem often becomes so tightly lodged in the tube as to make its removal by hand .ex-

3,191,483 Patented Junef2n9., 1965 ICAC tremely diflcult, if not impossible, as every knows.

I have therefore incorporated in the mouthpiece as an integral part thereof, a member which can becalled a puller, and whi-ch is generally designated by the reference numeral 31.

The puller 31 is located coaxially on the shank 16 and is normally interposed between the inner end 32 of the mouthpiece member 13 `and the shoulder 3-3 of the instrument tube 26.

The puller 31 includes a hollow circular cylindrical portion 36 having its outer periphery knurled as at 37. The cylinder 36 connects with a conical transition portion 38 which, in turn, is joined to a slightly tapered hollow stem portion 39 terminating in a shoulder 41 adapted to abut the tube shoulder 33 when the mouthpiece is being used to play the instrument.

FIG. l illustrates the mouthpiece in its norm-a1, installed position, with the tapered stem portion 21 inserted snugly into the tube 26, and with the puller shoulder 41 in close juxaposition with respect to the tube shoulder 33.

The interior walls of the puller are provided with threads 46 in engagement with the exterior threads 18 on the shank 16.

Thus, when it is desired to dislodge the mouthpiece device from the instrument tube, it is only necessary f-or the musician to grasp the knurled portion 37 of the puller and appropriately rotate the puller about its own axis.

This action first causes the puller shoulder 41 to come into tight abutment with the tube shoulder 33. Further rotation of the puller effects an unscrewing of lthe mouthpiece, urging 4the mouthpiece in a left hand direction (see FIG. 2), and withdrawing the tapered mouthpiece stem 21 from the tube 26 with great force.

It has been `found that by suitably dimensioning the threads, sufficient force can be generated to dislodge even the tightest t; and this can be accomplished, furthermore, by making the cylinder portion 36 of the puller the same ydiameter as the cylindrical por-tion 13 of the mouthpiece, thus giving the entire device a uniform, pleasing appearance,

When the seal is broken, as in FIG. 2, the mouthpiece stem 21 can readily be removed from the tube 26.

It can therefore be seen that I have provided a very useful and compact musical instrument mouthpiece device which includes within itself all structure necessary to dislodge the mouthpiece from an instrument tube.

What is claimed is:

l1. A musical instrument mouthpiece for use on an instrument tube, said mouthpiece comprising:

(a) a mouthpiece bell;

(b) a hollow shank mounted on one end of said bell,

musician said shank having exterior screw threads formed thereon adjacent said bell and being tapered on the end remote from said bell for wedging engagement with the interior walls of van instrument tube; and, (c) a mouthpiece dislodging member including a hollow circular cylindrical head portion provided with interior screw threads in threaded engagement with said exterior screw threads on said shank and a hollow stem portion mounted on `one end of said head portion and extending into abutting engagement withV the shoulder onthe end of an instrument tube for disc) Y lon said bell portion, said shank terminating adjacent as said cylinder is rotated relative to said shank and the `other end in -a tapered stern for engagement with thereby dislodge said shank from the tube. the hollow tube; and, References Cited by the Examiner (c) a puller member including an interiorly threaded FORE N P TE cylinder in threaded engagement with the threads on 'f IG A NTS said shank, said cylinder being formed at one end to 397865 5/09 France- `bear against the adjacent end yof the instrument tube LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MOUTHPIECE FOR USE ON AN INSTRUMENT TUBE, SAID MOUTHPIECE COMPRISING: (A) A MOUTHPIECE BELL; (B) A HOLLOW SHANK MOUNTED ON ONE END OF SAID BELL, SAID SHANK HAVING EXTERIOR SCREW THREADS FORMED THEREON ADJACENT SAID BELL AND BEING TAPERED ON THE END REMOTE FROM SAID BELL FOR WEDGING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INTERIOR WALLS OF AN INSTRUMENT TUBE; AND, (C) A MOUTHPIECE DISLODGING MEMBER INCLUDING A HOLLOW CIRCULAR CYLINDRICAL HEAD PORTION PROVIDED WITH INTERIOR SCREW THREADS IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID EXTERIOR SCREW THREADS ON SAID SHANK AND A HOLLOW STEM PORTION MOUNTED ON ONE NEND OF SAID HEAD PORTION AND EXTENDING INTO ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SHOULDER ON END OF AN INSTRUMENT TUBE FOR DISLODGING SAID SHANK AS SAID THREADS ARE SCREWED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER.