Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-08
2004-02-24
Lockett, Kimberly (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
active
06696628
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stand for a musical instrument and more particularly to a musical instrument stand used for, for example, marimbas, xylophones and vibraphones.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 9
is a schematic perspective view of a conventional marimba set with some of the components omitted.
The marimba set
1
includes a musical instrument stand
4
that is comprised of a musical instrument mounting holder
2
and a stand main body
3
. The stand main body
3
supports the musical instrument mounting holder
2
so that the height of the holder
2
can be adjusted. A plurality of tone bars
5
and resonator tubes
6
are mounted on the musical instrument mounting holder
2
. At the time of playing, the height of the musical instrument mounting holder
2
is changed in accordance with the height and preference, etc. of the person playing the instrument.
Various types of stands have been proposed in the past as musical instrument stands that support a musical instrument mounting holder in a height adjustable fashion. The musical instrument stands disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. 2-43913 and 63-62896 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,207) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. 1-116695 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,442) and 11-242479 are typical examples of such musical instrument stands.
For example, the musical instrument stand described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 11-242479 uses a direct action type gas spring as a height adjustment device. The height adjustment device, utilizing gas pressure, supports the musical instrument mounting holder so that the height of the holder can be adjusted. The gas springs are built into the respective leg columns of the stand main body.
More specifically, in the above-described conventional musical instrument stand
4
, as seen from
FIG. 9
, a total of four leg columns
7
, i.e., two each on the low-tone side and high-tone side, are disposed on the stand main body
3
. The musical instrument mounting holder
2
is horizontally mounted on the upper ends of these leg columns
7
. In cases where the height of the musical instrument mounting holder
2
is to be adjusted, the adjustment is accomplished by raising or lowering the respective leg columns
7
on the high-tone side and low-tone side one side at a time by way of using elastic deformation and an extra margin in the dimensions of the respective elements that make the stand main body
3
.
However, in the case of an integrated musical instrument mounting holder in which lateral frames
8
and longitudinal (or side) frames
9
that form the musical instrument mounting holder
2
are disassembled, it is difficult to raise and lower the leg columns
7
one side at a time. Accordingly, it is necessary to raise both sides simultaneously. Especially for a musical instrument that has a great number of tone bars and is thus long in the left-right (lateral) direction, such an adjustment needs a team of two persons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above-described problems with the conventional musical instrument stand.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a musical instrument stand in which the angle between a musical instrument mounting holder and a stand main body is changeable.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a musical instrument stand in which the stress, which is generated in the joint portions between the lateral frames and the side frames of the musical instrument mounting holder and in the joint portions between the musical instrument mounting holder and stand main body, when the height is adjusted, is alleviated.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a musical instrument stand in which the adjustment of the height is facilitated, and a playing environment can be created so as to suit the preference of the person playing the musical instrument.
The above objects are accomplished by a unique structure for a musical instrument stand that supports a musical instrument mounting holder by means of a stand main body so that the height of the musical instrument mounting holder is adjusted; and in the present invention, the musical instrument mounting holder is supported by an angle adjustment mechanism so that the angle of the musical instrument mounting holder, relative to the stand main body, is adjusted.
In this structure of the present invention, no strain is generated in the musical instrument mounting holder when the musical instrument mounting holder is inclined during the height adjustment of the musical instrument mounting holder. Thus, the stress that would generate in the joint portions between the lateral frames and the side frames that make the musical instrument mounting holder and in the joint portions between the musical instrument mounting holder and the stand main body can be alleviated. In addition, it is possible to set the musical instrument on the musical instrument mounting holder inclined at an angle preferred by the person playing the musical instrument.
In the above structure, the angle adjustment mechanism supports the musical instrument mounting holder so that the angle of the musical instrument mounting holder is adjusted in its front-rear direction or in its left-right direction.
In other words, the angle adjustment mechanism allows the musical instrument mounting holder to be inclined in the front-rear direction or in the left-right direction.
In the above structure, the angle adjustment mechanism supports the musical instrument mounting holder in such a manner that the angle of the holder can be adjusted in any desired direction. This is accomplished by the use of a universal joint as the angle adjustment mechanism.
Accordingly, in the present invention, the musical instrument mounting holder can be inclined in the front-rear or left-right directions. When the leg columns on the front side of the stand main body are set to be lower than the leg columns on the rear side, the musical instrument mounting holder inclines toward the player, so that a new playing environment can be created.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4848207 (1989-07-01), Kawai
patent: 4881442 (1989-11-01), Stevens
patent: 5479843 (1996-01-01), Yanagisawa
patent: 6096955 (2000-08-01), Ter Heide
patent: 2-45913 (1990-12-01), None
patent: 11-242479 (1999-09-01), None
Koda & Androlia
Lockett Kimberly
Yamaha Corporation
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