Kettledrum - Patent Review 4730531

Description Submit all comments and votes

This invention relates to improvements in support bases and tensioning and pedal mechanisms of the type disclosed in our U.S. Ser. No. 667,217 and our U.S. Ser. No. 617,747.

According to one aspect of the invention, a percussion instrument comprises a body member, means for supporting the body member, a percussion head carried by the body member, tensioning rods, means for operatively coupling the tensioning rods to the percussion head and a master tensioning member for tensioning the percussion head. The master tensioning member includes a central portion and radially outer portions. Means are provided for coupling the tensioning rods to the radially outer portions, for mounting the master tensioning member for movement relative to the means for supporting the body member, and for moving the master tensioning member relative to the body member to tune the tension on the portion of the percussion head stretched across the body member selectively. The means for moving the master tensioning member comprises a pedal, a first lever for engaging the pedal, a shaft, means for rotatably mounting the shaft on the means for supporting the body member, means for mounting the first lever to the shaft to turn the shaft in response to movement of the first lever, a second lever, and means for pivotally mounting the second lever from the means for supporting the body member. The second lever includes means for engaging the master tensioning member such that pivotal movement of the second lever moves the master tensioning member. The instrument further includes a third lever, means for pivotally coupling the third lever to the second lever intermediate the ends of the second lever and intermediate the ends of the third lever, and a linkage for coupling the shaft to the third lever such that movement of the first lever causes a corresponding movement of the master tensioning member.

According to an illustrative embodiment of this aspect of the invention, a tuning gauge comprises a gauge face, an indicator, means for relatively movably mounting the indicator and the gauge face, and means for mounting the gauge on the percussion instrument. A first end of a cable sheath is mounted stationarily relative to one of the gauge face and indicator. The second end of the cable sheath is mounted stationarily relative to one of the master tensioning member and the means for supporting the body member. The first end of the sheathed cable is mounted stationarily relative to the other of the gauge face and indicator, and the second end of the sheathed cable is mounted stationarily relative to the other of the master tensioning member and the means for supporting the body member. Relative movement of the master tensioning member and means for supporting the body member thus results in relative movement of the indicator and gauge face.

According to another aspect of the invention, a percussion instrument comprises a body member, means for supporting the body member, a percussion head carried by the body member, tensioning rods, means for operatively coupling the tensioning rods to the percussion head, and a master tensioning member for tensioning the percussion head. The master tensioning member has a central portion and radially outer portions. Means are provided for coupling the tensioning rods to the radially outer portions, and for mounting the master tensioning member for movement relative to the means for supporting the body member. Means are provided for moving the master tensioning member relative to the means for supporting the body member to tune the tension on the portion of the percussion head stretched across the body member selectively. A tuning gauge comprises a gauge face and an indicator, means for relatively movably mounting the indicator and the gauge face, a sheathed cable, means for mounting a first end of the cable sheath stationarily relative to one of the gauge face and indicator, means for mounting the second end of the cable sheath stationarily relative to one of the master tensioning member and the means for supporting the body member, means for mounting the first end of the cable stationarily relative to the other of the gauge face and indicator, and means for mounting the second end of the cable stationarily relative to the other of the master tensioning member and the means for supporting the body member. Relative movement of the master tensioning member and means for supporting the body member thereby results in relative movement of the indicator and gauge face.

According to another aspect of the invention, a percussion instrument comprises a body member, a percussion head carried by the body member, a variable tension-exerting means for exerting variable tension on the head to vary the pitch of sound produced when the head is struck and an actuating means for actuating the variable tension-exerting means. The actuating means comprises a pedal having a generally planar user-engageable top surface and a bottom surface on the side of the pedal opposite the top surface. The bottom surface includes means providing a pivot, a lever pivotally mounted on the pivot and including a portion extending toward the heel of the pedal and accessible by the foot of the user of the pedal along one side of the heel thereof while the user's foot is positioned on the top surface. The lever also includes a portion extending to the toe of the pedal and providing an engaging means. The instrument also includes a positioning means selectively engageable with the engaging means for fixing the position of the pedal.

The invention may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view showing certain details of the tuning mechanism of a kettledrum of the type described in the above-mentioned co-pending U.S. patent applications;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing certain details of the tuning mechanism of a kettledrum of the type described in the above-mentioned co-pending U.S. patent applications;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing certain details of a tuning gauge for a kettledrum;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing certain details of a tuning mechanism of a kettledrum of the type described in in the above-mentioned U.S. Ser. No. 667,217; and,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing certain details of a universal tuning gauge for a kettledrum.

A foot actuable pedal 10 for actuating the variable tension exerting means 12 of a percussion instrument, such as a kettledrum, is shown in FIG. 1.

Pedal 10 is mounted on a movable pedal mechanism which permits the user to adjust the location of the pedal 10 relative to the frame of the drum. Pedal 10 provides a user-engageable top surface 18. A heel-actuable lever 26 includes a heel-engageable portion 28 and a lever portion which extends under the pedal 10 and is pivotally mounted at 32 to the underside of the pedal 10. Stops 34, 36 extend forward from pivot 32 and diverge from each other toward the toe end 38 of the pedal 10 to define between them a somewhat pie-shaped, or V-shaped, sector 40. The pedal 10 is configured so that it can be operated by the player's right foot or left foot. Levers 26 having both right side- and left side-actuable configurations are provided, but either configuration of lever 26 can be attached at pivot 32 to the single-configuration pedal 10. If a right side-actuable lever 26 is chosen, then a compression spring 42 is placed between stop 34 and lever 26 between pivot 32 and the toe end 38 of pedal 10 to restore lever 26 to its rest position when it is forced from the rest position by the player's heel pressure against the heel-engageable portion 28. If a left side-actuable lever 26 is chosen, then compression spring 42 is placed between stop 36 and lever 26 between pivot 32 and toe end 38 to provide the restoring force.

A mechanism 50 is provided for enabling the user to change the location of the pedal 10. The user can change both the vertical and horizontal locations of the pedal 10 to place the pedal 10 in a position most comfortable for the user. The mechanism 50 includes a vertically extending member 52 which includes a knuckle 54 at its upper end. Knuckle 54 is positioned between the knuckles 56 provided on the underside of pedal 10 at its heel end 22. The knuckles 54, 56 are provided with aligned openings through which a rod 24 extends. The bolts 20 fix the position of the rod 24 in the openings in knuckles 56 and thereby fix the pedal 10 pivotally on member 52. Member 52 includes a slot 60 which extends substantially its full length. A horizontally extending member 62 has an end portion 64 adapted for engagement in the slot 60. Bolts 66 with washers are threaded into end portion 64 to fix the position of vertically extending member 52 relative to horizontally extending member 62. Horizontally extending member 62 is provided with a slot 68 which extends for substantially the full length of member 62. Bolts 70 with washers are threaded into the base 72 of the percussion instrument to fix the position of the pedal 10 relative to the base 72. The mechanism 50 can be mounted on either the right or left side of the base 72.

Pedal 10 includes a guide means in the form of a wedge or inclined plane 74 which is fixed to the bottom surface 76 of pedal 10. The wedge 74 includes a lower surface 78 which is inclined away from the bottom surface 76 of the pedal 10 toward the heel end 22 relative to the user-engageable surface 18 of the pedal 10. Wedge 74 thus provides an inclined surface on which a roller 80 (FIG. 2) of a variable tension exerting means 82 can roll. The roller 80 is generally similar to the rollers 232, 763 shown and described in our U.S. Ser. Nos. 617,747 and 667,217.

Spring 42 is provided for normally biasing a tooth 84 provided on the toe end 86 of lever 26 into engagement with a selected tooth of a position fixing means 85 (FIG. 2), which is similar to the position fixing means 426, 726 of our earlier filed applications.

Roller 80 is pivotally mounted on the end 92 of a lever arm 94. The other end 96 of lever arm 94 is fixed to a shaft 98 so that depression and releasing of the pedal 10 rotates the shaft 98. Shaft 98 works through a linkage 100 which includes crank arms similar to crank arms 252, 258, 272 and 276 of our earlier filed U.S. Ser. Nos. 617,747 and 667,217. Linkage 100 acts upon a transmission arm 102 similar in configuration to transmission arm 294 of U.S. Ser. Nos. 617,747 and 6