Music – Instruments – Rigid vibrators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-30
2001-09-11
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Rigid vibrators
C084S403000, C446S419000, CD17S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288314
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of musical instruments and more specifically to a noise making type of musical instrument known as a maraca or a musical shaker.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Maracas and musical shakers are often used in the rhythm sections of orchestras and other musical groups to establish rhythm in musical performances of all kinds. The maraca generally comprises a spherically shaped dried and hollowed gourd containing dried seeds or other pellets that produces a “rattle” sound when it is shaken.
Another musical shaker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,973 to White. The White musical shaker comprises a generally tubular, hollow casing having a reduced geometry at one end and which is filled with popcorn kernels or other sound generating kernels, pellets or the like that generate musical or other tones when shaken by the user.
Another musical shaker, this one having an egg shape, is presently sold by Daito Incorporated under the registered trademark CHICKEN SHAKE. The device is fabricated in a manner similar to toy plastic eggs, i.e., it is formed by injection molding such that a seam is formed between two egg shape members joined around the widest portion of the shell. There are a number of very undesirable problems associated with this particular design. First, the egg shaped device has a tendency to break along the seam when the instrument is dropped. The expense associated with continually replacing a cracked device may become prohibitive. Second, children playing with the device may be injured if it cracks because they may eat the fill inside the device or cut themselves with the jagged edges of the cracked device. Third, a relatively large amount of adhesive is required for assembly because the seam is located at the widest section of the device. Fourth, assembly of the device takes an excessive amount of time because during assembly the excess adhesive oozing from the seam must be cleaned or scraped away from the outer surface of the shell. Thus, there is a clear need for a musical shaker, and particularly an egg shaped musical shaker which overcomes the above-mentioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to disclose an egg shaped musical shaker which does not easily crack when it is dropped on the ground.
Another object of the invention is to provide an egg shaped shaker which is safe for children.
Another object of the invention is to provide a musical shaker that has an internal joint which is not exposed to the external surface of the shaker.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a musical shaker which does not have a seam around the widest portion of its shell.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a musical shaker that is durable, easy to handle and easy to store.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a musical shaker having a shell which is formed with an opening at one end and a cover that is secured over the opening and glued in place.
Another object of the invention is to provide a musical shaker that requires less adhesive to assemble.
Another object of the invention is to provide a musical shaker that can be simply and inexpensively manufactured.
Another object of the invention is to disclose an egg shaped musical shaker having a handle and a variety of shapes.
A first embodiment of the present invention is a musical shaker comprising an egg shaped shell and pellets enclosed within the shell. The egg shaped shell is formed in two parts, a first large shell part and a second small shell part. The first large shell part is blow-molded. This production method differs from the injection-molded method used to produce the prior art CHICKEN SHAKE device. The first large shell part has an exterior surface forming one end portion and a central portion. The first large shell part is truncated in the other end portion of the shell and includes an opening with a bottleneck extension. The second small shell part comprises an end portion of the egg shaped shell. The second small shell part further comprises a cap member having an internal hub for receiving the bottleneck extension and closing the opening in the first large shell part. After the first large shell part is fabricated by blow molding, the pellets are inserted therein through the opening. A small amount of adhesive is placed on the bottleneck of the opening and the internal hub is secured over the opening. The bottleneck and the internal hub form an internal joint which is not exposed to the external surface of the device. When the adhesive dries, the second small shell part is permanently secured to the first large shell part. Assembly of this device is simpler than prior art devices because there is no need to scrape away excess glue from an exposed joint. In addition, the joint is less likely to crack because it is not directly exposed to external forces acting upon the surface of the shell.
The egg shaped shell has an axis of rotational symmetry. The shell has its maximum dimension along this axis. The shell also has a plane of maximum transverse radius which is perpendicular to the axis of rotational symmetry. The plane of maximum transverse radius is located closer to the larger end of the shell than it is to the smaller end of the shell. The first large shell part is truncated on a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotational symmetry, between the plane of maximum transverse radius and one end of the shell. In a preferred embodiment the plane of truncation is between the plane of maximum transverse radius and the small end and is closer to the small end than to the plane of maximum radius.
In a second embodiment, the musical shaker comprises a first part, i.e., an egg shaped shell section and pellets enclosed therein. The first part has an exterior surface forming an end portion and a central portion of the egg shaped shell section. The first part is truncated in the other end portion thereof and includes an opening in the truncated small end portion. The musical shaker has a plug for scaling the opening in the first part to contain the pellets inside the first part. The second embodiment also includes a handle for covering the sealed opening. The handle has an internal hub for receiving the bottleneck extension from the opening. The internal joint formed by the bottleneck and the internal hub is not exposed to the external surface of the shaker.
A third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment in construction, but the first part is shaped like the body of a bottle and the handle is formed like a bottle neck.
The proposed device is much safer and more durable than prior art devices because the weakest point of the structure, i.e., the internal joint, is not exposed to an external surface. In addition, assembly of the proposed device is more efficient because less glue is required and excess glue does not have to be cleaned from the external surface. Additionally, the proposed device is an aesthetic improvement because the joint is not located in a prominent position in the center of the shaker. Finally, the device is safer because it is less likely to crack or break.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Cohen Wayne
Kralik Donald
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Hsieh Shih-yung
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