Music – Instruments – Wind
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2001-05-29
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Wind
C084S38500A, C084S400000, C206S314000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06239338
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to mutes for wind instruments and more particularly to an improved mute for a saxophone which may also function as a saxophone carrying case.
BACKGROUND ART
Many conventional mutes for saxophones are known in the art. They generally comprise a structure adapted for fitting to the bell of a wind instrument.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,864 to Hamanaga et al. discloses a mute for a wind instrument, the mute being formed of paper, wood, metal or synthetic resin and shaped in such a manner that it fits the bell portion of a saxophone. The mute has an inner surface shaped in such a manner that standing waves of representative harmonic tones have respective final nodes therein close to final nodes of the standing waves generated without the mute, and the pitch of the sound is hardly changed between a performance with the mute and a performance without the mute.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,808 to Tarrant discloses an acoustic practice mute for brass musical wind instruments having a bell end, which acoustically transmits muted sound to the ears of the player without distortion. The volume of sound reaching the ears of the player can also be regulated.
Other variations embodying the concept of muting the sound emanating from a wind instrument by adapting the mute to fit the bell portion of the wind instrument are known in the art. However, it must be noted that none of the mutes for wind instruments embodying the above mentioned principle can efficiently mute the sound emanating from a saxophone because the design of the saxophone differs from other wind instruments such that the saxophone not only allows sound to pass through its bell but also through its keys. Therefore a mute attached to the bell of a saxophone can only reduce the sound from the lower notes while the higher notes would remain relatively unmuted.
Hence, it can be seen that there exists a need for a muffler (mute),designed especially for saxophones, which can reduce the sound emanating from its keys as well as its bell. The saxophone muffler will have to be designed so that it is easily portable and it will allow a saxophonist unhindered use of all the saxophone keys. In addition, it will be advantageous to have a saxophone muffler that can also act as a carrying case for the saxophone, so that the saxophonist can avoid needing to carry a separate mute while traveling. This carrying case will be designed to protect the saxophone from impacts and also to act as a mute for the saxophone.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is therefore desired to provide a muffler, especially designed for a saxophone, overcoming the above mentioned inadequacies in the prior art by effectively reducing the sound emanating from the saxophone by about 50% without impinging on the tonality of the sound produced.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a saxophone muffler that can effectively mute the entire range of tonal frequencies produced by a saxophone, thereby serving as a practice aid for professional saxophone players as well as beginners.
It is yet another objective of the invention to provide a saxophone muffler that is light, compact, easily transportable, and capable of fitting a saxophone stand.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a saxophone muffler that can act as a saxophone carrying case capable of protecting the saxophone from impact stress and from exposure to the elements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a saxophone muffler that can be used in performance situations as well as practice, since only the volume and not the tonal quality of the instrument is reduced.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a muffler which can be readily adapted for use with other wind instruments, such as clarinets, to achieve the same advantageous results.
In accordance with the above-described and other objects, the saxophone muffler of the present invention generally comprises a muffling bag having an interior layer made of soft layers of sound reducing materials, and an exterior layer made of a vinyl polymer, both being attached together and formed in the shape of a saxophone. The saxophone muffler covers the saxophone entirely, except for the mouthpiece. The two sides of the saxophone muffler are each provided with a pocket to enable the saxophonist to have unrestricted access to the keys of the saxophone. Because the saxophone is almost entirely ensconced inside the saxophone muffler, the sound emanating from the bell and the keys of the saxophone are equally muted to provide a muted output that does not impinge on the pitch but only reduces the volume of the output.
In the second embodiment the exterior layer of the saxophone muffler is modified to a light and rigid plastic material capable of protecting the saxophone from accidental impact and also equipped with means to allow it to function as a saxophone carrying case.
In both cases the muffler reduces volume considerably while the tonal quality of the instrument is not affected. Thus, the saxophone muffler can be used in performance situations as well as practice. Moreover, the muffler can be readily adapted for use with other wind instruments, such as clarinets, to achieve the same advantageous results.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4738180 (1988-04-01), McKnight
patent: 5875890 (1999-03-01), Bernardini
Hsieh Shih-yung
Law offices of Royal W. Craig
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