Music – Instruments – Drums
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-19
2001-10-09
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Drums
C084S416000, C084S417000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06300551
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention pertains generally to acoustical drums and more particularly to a reinforced drum shell structure for receiving a tunable head.
BACKGROUND
Acoustical drums are usually constructed with a cylindrical body, or shell, at least one tunable drumhead, and tensioning hardware. The drum shell is typically constructed from multiple-ply wood such as maple. However, to achieve the maximum projection, volume, and focus, drum shells (especially snare drum shells) are often made of brass or steel.
Depending upon the type of drum, the drum shell may have two batter ends, each of which is fitted with a tunable drumhead. However, for snare and tom drums, the drum shell typically has a batter end and a non-batter end. The batter end may be reinforced for mounting the tunable drumhead and the tensioning hardware, which one uses to adjust the tonal quality of the complete drum assembly. The non-batter end may also be reinforced in the same way.
Typically, the reinforcement is a uniformly thick band of wood along the inside or outside of the cylindrical wood shell at one end and extending a distance along the shell wall toward the opposite end. The resulting structure, although certainly an improvement upon a non-reinforced drum shell, often lacks the necessary structural integrity to support a wide range of tonal adjustment. Specifically, upon tightening of the tunable drumhead, the reinforced batter end of the shell may warp or collapse, resulting in a loss of circular symmetry, thus having a “choking” or muting effect which impairs resonance and degrades the drum's overall tonal quality.
Although many of the desired effects, e.g., increased structural integrity, as well as maximum projection, volume, and focus of sound, can be achieved by the use of a metal such as brass or steel instead of wood for the drum shell, it is widely known that such shells lose the flexibility and tonal warmth of a thin-walled wood shelled drum.
Attempts to remedy this problem by building wood-shelled drums with walls of uniformed thickness have achieved, to some extent, the volume and focus but still lack the flexibility of varied tuning and the warmth of tone and resonance that a thin-walled wood shell drum offers. Such drums are considered “one-dimensional” and are, as a rule, used as specialty drums for occasional performance or recording.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention is directed to a drum shell that includes at least one staged bridge reinforcement structure along its length. The reinforcement structure(s) strengthens the drum shell such that the drum shell can support a wide range of head tension adjustment without warping. In addition, the staged bridge design of the reinforcement structure helps to achieve the best tonal qualities of both metal and wood drums while enhancing the structural integrity and eliminating distortion throughout the head tension adjustment range.
A staged bridge reinforcement structure is typically used on wood drums to achieve the projection, volume, and focus of metal drums while retaining the warmth, resonance, and tonal quality of wood drums. Such a staged bridge reinforcement structure, however, may be used on a drum shell of any material, and furthermore may be used on a drum shell with two batter ends or on a drum shell with a batter end and a non-batter end.
One embodiment of the staged bridge reinforcement structure is used on a snare-type drum and includes a built-up structure that begins at the batter end of a drum shell, extends axially along the shell, and terminates at a distance from the non-batter end. The built-up structure is disposed along the inside of the drum shell and may be abruptly stepped or smoothly tapered. In addition, the built-up structure is constructed of multiple plies of wood or some other applicable material, and the multiple plies are laminated to one another.
The thicknesses of the built-up regions, as well as the number of regions, the placements thereof, and other design features will vary depending upon the individual shell length and the tonal objectives of the designer. The staged bridge reinforcement structure may include any number of different thicknesses in any order and may begin at the batter end or the non-batter end.
A preferred embodiment of a snare-type drum assembly includes a drum shell having a stepped staged bridge reinforcement structure disposed along the batter end of the drum shell, a drumhead extending across the batter end of the shell, and tightening hardware. In addition to the stepped staged bridge structure at the batter end of the shell, there is a short built-up region at the non-batter end of the shell for structural support. The overall stepped design of the stepped staged bridge reinforcement structure incorporates an intermediate axial region with nominal wall thickness for retaining resonance. Furthermore, the drum shell is preferably constructed of several plies of maple, but another wood or different type of material can be used.
Although with snare-type drums, there is typically a batter end and a non-batter end with the staged bridge reinforcement structure commencing at the batter end and extending toward the non-batter end, it is to be understood that on a drum having two batter ends, there can be a staged bridge reinforcement structure commencing at each batter end and extending toward the opposite end. Likewise, on a drum having a batter end and a non-batter end, there can be a staged bridge reinforcement structure commencing at the non-batter end and extending toward the batter end.
The specific type of tightening hardware used is not pertinent to the invention and may be any conventional hardware that operates to adjust the tension of the drumhead, while it is attached to the drum shell, in order to adjust the tonal quality of the drum.
The various embodiments of the invention are revolutionary because they utilize varied and “deliberately staged” thicknesses on either end of the shell to achieve not only the “pop,” volume, and focus of the metal shells but also the warmth, resonance, open tonal quality of a thin-walled, wood shell drum. In addition, the design enhances the ability to tune above and below the “sweet spot” of the drum, allowing for a wider range of tuning flexibility and open dynamics.
The “sweet spot” of the drum is defined as that point at which tensioning of a stretched drumhead causes an ovalling and inward collapse of a drum shell bearing edge. Tensioning beyond the “sweet spot” results in an exaggerated “choking” or muting effect and consequently the loss of resonance, tonal quality and projection. Such characteristics are normally associated with poor drum performance.
The incorporation of the described construction makes this drum a more useful and desirable tool for those who engage in the various aspects of the percussive arts.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1420233 (1922-06-01), Baldwin et al.
patent: 3911779 (1975-10-01), Della-Porta
patent: 4993304 (1991-02-01), Lovelet
patent: 5330848 (1994-07-01), Kluczyski et al.
Graybeal Jackson Haley LLP
Hsieh Shih-yung
LandOfFree
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