Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-23
2003-12-02
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
C084S31400N, C084S291000, C084S267000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06657112
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to musical instruments, specifically those with strings.
2. Description of Prior Art
Musicians commonly look for new sounds and combinations of sounds to enhance their pieces, in addition to perfecting the execution of the pieces they preform. A common practice to this end is for a musician to move a finger which is holding a note or chord (by virtue of depressing strings above a fret) transversely across the fret or finger board. This slightly changes the length of the strings from fret to bridge. The result is a note which changes pitch (or bends) as the performer executes the operation—either holding or oscillating. Bending a sound in this manner is satisfactory, though rather subtle. However, it is difficult to bend some chords because three or four fingers depressing different strings must all move transversely in unison.
Several inventors have attempted to alleviate this difficulty by having the above mentioned string length change by a re-positioning of the neck. U.S. Pat. No. 1,747,650 to Sawyer (1930), U.S. Pat. No. 1,755,019 to Parker (1930), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,550 to Lacroix (1984) all propose a neck which is either flexible or hinged at the instrument body. The problem with these innovations is that they change the height (or action) of the strings above the finger board because they vary the angle of the neck and body from a common longitudinal plane. U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,412 to Marshall (1969) proposes a guitar which does this and is also capable of a “rotary displacement” of said parts. Assuming that the angular displacement of the Marshall invention could be controlled, the pivot mentioned would still have to be very slight in order to not compromise the action, resulting in a very subtle change of sound.
The action of a stringed musical instrument is so important that many patents have been issued just for the purpose of controlling it. U.S. Pat. No. 1,671,942 to Strupe (1928), U.S. Pat. No. 1,707,192 to Overton (1929), U.S. Pat. No. 1,785,266 to Lange (1930), U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,910 to Steinberger et al. (1997), U.S. Pat. No. 5965,830 to Carlson (1999), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,030 B1 to Rose (2001) all address this problem. These adjustments and such are all of a semi-permanent nature and are not used during play.
Another method of achieving bending is presently accomplished by moving the bridge on the body of the instrument away from the nut. This operation is generally referred to as Tremolo or Vibrato, and is so well established that numerous patents have been issued just to fine tune the mechanics of the process. Refer to U.S. Pat. No. 607,359 to Forrest (1898), U.S. Pat. No. 1,716,747 to Warner (1929), U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,923 to Fender (1961), U.S. Pat. No. 3,124,991 to Costen (1964), U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,201 to Storey (1982), U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,389 to Fender (1987), U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,936 to Steinberger (1987), U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,750 to Storey (1988), U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,393 to Xenidis (1991), U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,818 to Fishman (1997), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,166 to Lee (2000); representing only a few of these inventions.
The disadvantage of all current tremolo devices is that they require operation (by means of a lever or push buttons or paddles) from the same arm which is involved in playing the strings—compromising the complexities which this hand can achieve. The only exception to this may be the truly innovative U.S. Pat. No. 134,679 issued to Knaffl in 1873 which achieved “tension of the strings, and thus to sharpen the sounds independently . . . by means of a (foot) treadle,”. The disadvantage of this invention falls into the category addressed below.
With the advance of electric musical instruments, the field of sound enhancement has expanded to also include tone, volume, wah, wammy, delay speed, echo, decay, intonation, overdrive, distortion, dimensional processing, etc. I will refer to all these enhancements and those that have yet to be developed as “effect”. Some of these are built into the modern-electric instruments in the form of knobs and levers. These need to be operated by one of the hands which could be used on the strings —like the tremolo referred to above. Other effects are accessed through a host of foot peddles (not unlike the Knaffle) and similar controls which the musician operates while using both hands to play the instrument. Many effects are made by the musician actually turning away and operating controls or even rubbing the instrument on the amplifier, while playing.
Though done, an effect which requires the musician to use one hand to accomplish is less than ideal because one losses the ability of that hand to continue playing the strings. By the same token, an effect which limits the musician to an area directly behind foot controls (or worse yet, facing an amplifier) does not allow one the freedom to move to other musicians or into the audience, which is one reason that today's new music is so dynamic.
Many pivotal adjustments of the neck of a stringed instrument which do not change the angle to the body and therefore the action have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,578 to Raymer (1995) concerns rotating the neck of a guitar into the body for storage purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,633 to Norton (1999) also pivots the neck relative to the body to facilitate storage but it also may be locked into a position askew to the plane of the body to the taste and comfort of the player. U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,260 to Burrell (1985), U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,249 to Steinberg et al. (1998), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,308 to Little (2000), also address the issue of skew; but all these inventions refer to the alignment being fixed permanently or a least not during the course-of play. U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,063 to Roberts (1991) appears to be a multitude of guitar necks which can pivot into position as the instrument is played.
However, the Roberts invention is actually 4 individual instruments, each complete with its own bridge and pick up (usually found on the body of the instrument). The pivoting brings a different instrument into play rather than changing the sound of the instrument in play
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide a method of easily bending the notes and chords of a stringed musical instrument by slightly pivoting the neck in relationship to the body while keeping those parts in their same relative longitudinal plane;
(b) to provide a method of varying any electrically produced effect on a stringed musical instrument by slightly pivoting the neck in relationship to the body while keeping those parts in their same relative longitudinal plane;
(c) to provide a method of producing the above mentioned effects while allowing one hand to freely select and change notes and chords on the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument;
(d) to provide a method of producing the above mentioned effects while allowing one hand to freely strum, pick, pluck, or in any way vibrate the strings of the musical instrument;
(e) to provide a method of producing the above mentioned effects with a stringed musical instrument and be free to move about to any location on the floor or stage.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1671942 (1928-05-01), Strupe
patent: 1932975 (1933-10-01), Kuhrmeyer
patent: 4433603 (1984-02-01), Siminoff
patent: 5994633 (1999-11-01), Norton
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