Music – Accessories
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-25
2001-01-09
Martin, David (Department: 2837)
Music
Accessories
C084S181000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06172292
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument, the latter having an instrument body, a neck and impact- and shock-sensitive parts located on said instrument body and said neck, said sensitive parts being at least formed by the strings and by a bridge supporting said strings. Such sensitive parts also can be e.g. piezo-electric pickups, magnetic pickups and tremolos of acoustic or electric guitars.
2. Background Discussion
At the present time, the prior art shows different protective covers that, however, do not give full protection to the above mentioned sensitive parts. The German patent No. 58857 shows a textile strip which can be installed to cover the strings of a violine along the finger board area. This textile strip does not protect the bridge when the violine is put into or taken out of an instrument case, nor does it protect the bridge during transportation of the violine when the case and the violine in it are subject to impacts, shocks or vibrations. As the bridge exceeds the level of the front side and is sometimes fastened to the front side of the instrument only by the tension of the strings, the bridge can be subject to physical attacks and damages during transport.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument that may readily be applied to protect the most sensitive parts and areas located on the front side of the instrument body including the strings and the bridge. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved protective cover that can be equipped with a protecting shelter space to store and transport the highly sensitive bows of the violin family, i.e. of violins, violas, violincelli and double basses.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved protective cover for use with stringed musical instruments that have sensitive parts not only in the form of strings and bridges but also in the form of piezo-electric pickups, magnetic pick ups, preamplifiers, or tremolos, i.e. for use with acoustic and electric guitars.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument, the latter having an instrument body, a neck, and impact- and shock-sensitive parts located on said instrument body and said neck, said sensitive parts being at least formed by the strings and by a bridge supporting said strings at a string supporting line at the front side of the instrument body, said string-supporting line forming the highest line of elevation relative to the front side of the instrument body as compared to the adjacent portions of the strings, said strings and said bridge defining a substantially rectangled zone within the front side area of the instrument body, the instrument body having an upper edge area adjacent said neck, a lower edge area opposite its upper edge area and instrument recesses and projections located adjacent to each other within the area of the front side of the instrument body.
The protective cover comprises a roof-like shaped shield body adapted to cover said substantially rectangled zone. The shield body has a roof portion with a substantially convex contour on the top side thereof, a substantially concave contour on its bottom side, and an inner string channel open to the bottom side. Said inner string channel forms a housing space for the strings and the bridge, when the shield body is mounted, and is defined on its upper side by an inner wall of said roof portion. Lateral wall portions of the shield body have opposed lateral flanks and define said inner string channel by both of its lateral flanks. The inner wall of the roof portion and the lateral wall portions of the inner string channel accomodate the strings as to their ascending and descending course, respectively. Fixing projections are arranged at the neck-side end and at the lower end of the shield body adapted to engage the upper and lower edge areas of the instrument body, respectively, and thereby fix the shield body, when mounted on the front side of the instrument body, against longitudinal movement.
The protective cover furthermore comprises locking means for locking the shield body in its mounted position. To the locking means belong locking projections projecting from the lateral wall portions of the shield body, suitable to engage the instrument projections. Said locking means further comprise an elastic deformability of the shield body in order to have squeezed the bottom side of the shield body onto the front side of the instrument body when applying substantially vertical directed forces upon the roof portion, thereby permitting a sliding motion of said locking projections from a premounting position into said mounted position, according to which the locking projections grip under the instrument projections, as well as having moved the fixing projections into their fixing position to engage the upper and the lower edge areas of the instrument body when simulteanously applying a longitudinally directed displacement force upon the shield body.
According to a further embodiment of the invention a window opening is provided within the roof portion of the shield body adjacent the apex area and at a side therof which faces the neck-side end. The window opening is adapted to observe therethrough the position of the locking projections which they assume in said premounting and mounted positions of the shield body and to form a handle in cooperation with the adjacent portion of the apex area and the roof portion.
According to astill further embodiment of the invention the shield body at least at one longitudinally extending side of its roof portion has an adherent trough-like base extending from the neck-side end to the lower end of the shield body, this base having a groove to embed an instrument bow therein. Preferably, the groove of the trough-like base has resilient walls adapted to fix said embedded instrument bow by elastic deformation. It is also preferred, that at each of the longitudinally extending sides of the roof portion there is provided an adherent trough-like base and that each of the two bases have a groove to accomodate one instrument bow, respectively.
According to the invention it is possible to protect the sensitive parts, especially the strings and the bridge, of a violoncello, a double bass, a viola, or a violine. With slight alterations of the shield body it is possible to match the special needs of protection in respect to acoustic guitars (with and without piezoelectric pickups) and to electric or solid body guitars having in addition to their strings and bridges piezoelectric and/or magnetic pickups and tremolos.
REFERENCES:
patent: 633776 (1899-09-01), Albert
patent: 3128664 (1964-04-01), Bango
patent: 3877501 (1975-04-01), Toth
patent: 4121494 (1978-10-01), Reno et al.
patent: 5363734 (1994-11-01), Wilenken
patent: 103591 (1926-06-01), None
patent: 58857 (1891-03-01), None
patent: 357922 (1920-07-01), None
patent: 8909306 (1989-09-01), None
patent: 9212050 (1993-02-01), None
patent: 29519257 (1996-03-01), None
patent: 0279720 (1988-08-01), None
patent: 0332063 (1989-03-01), None
patent: 625079 (1949-06-01), None
Margrave, W.: “ in Footsteps of Stradivarius.” The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., p. C-8, Apr. 23, 1971.*
Collard & Roe P.C.
Lockett Kim
Martin David
LandOfFree
Protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Protective cover for use with a stringed musical instrument will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2492109