Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-24
2003-10-21
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
C084S299000, C084S300000, C084S301000, C084S302000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06635812
ABSTRACT:
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in German applications No. 101 25 443.1 of May 25, 2001 and No. 101 42 587.2 of Aug. 31, 2001, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a string holder for a musical instrument with a holding body, on which a holding device for strings of the musical instrument is disposed and which is provided with an attachment element forming an attachment bow for fixing the holding body to the musical instrument.
Such string holders are used, for example, for fixing strings to violins, violas, cellos or double basses. In this case, the string holder is fixed by means of the attachment element to a saddle button of the musical instrument, one end of the strings of the musical instrument being fixed to the string holder via the holding device and the other end of the strings being fixed, for example, to a peg box of the musical instrument.
String holders are shown or described, for example, in DE 195 15 166 A1, EP 0 242 221 A2, DE 297 12 635 U1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,318, DE 28 45 241 A1 or EP 0 273 499 A1.
In a string holder known from the prior art a recess is disposed on an underside of a corresponding holding body. The respective ends of the attachment element are guided into the recess via two cutouts and the ends of the attachment element are provided with a thread. A knurled nut is disposed at both ends and the extent of the attachment bow can be varied by this.
The object forming the basis of the invention is to provide a string holder of the aforementioned type which is easily usable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved according to the invention with a generic string holder in that an adjusting device for adjustment of the distance of an attachment bow apex of the attachment element from the holding body is disposed on the holding body, and that the adjusting device is operable from outside the holding body.
In a stringed instrument such as a violin, viola, cello or double bass, for example, it is not only the tension under which the string stands that is significant for the tone, but also the ratio of the primary string to the secondary string. The primary string is the string region which is located between a saddle and a bridge and the secondary string is the string region which is located between the bridge and the string holder. Because an adjusting device for adjustment of the distance of an attachment bow apex of the attachment element in relation to the holding body, and therefore in relation to the holding device is provided according to the invention on the holding body, the length of the secondary string can be adjusted via the string holder. Since the adjusting device may be operated from outside the holding body, the strings do not need to be released at the pegs of the musical instrument and the string holder detached from the musical instrument in this case. Instead, the adaptation of the ratio of the length of the primary string to the secondary string may be adjusted with the musical instrument stringed. Necessary corrections can thus be easily made. The outside of the string holder in this case is the region of the string holder which does not face the musical instrument and in particular a covering board of the musical instrument.
Since the attachment element is under tension when the string holder is fixed, this attachment element can stretch. As a result, the length of the secondary string in turn changes. These stretching movements can be compensated easily according to the invention by the adjusting device by the distance of the attachment bow apex being subsequently adjusted accordingly.
The fact that the adjusting device may be operated from outside the holding body firstly enables the adjustment to be conducted easily. Secondly, it enables damage in particular to the surface of the musical instrument to be prevented, since the operation of the adjusting device is easily accessed.
It is particularly advantageous if the adjusting device comprises an adjusting element for adjusting the distance of the attachment bow apex, and, in particular a single adjusting element, which may be operated from outside the holding body. This single adjusting element then enables the distance of the attachment bow apex from the holding device for the strings to be adjusted easily.
For easy adjustability in this case, the adjusting element may be operated advantageously from an end of the holding body remote from the holding device for the string of the musical instrument and in particular from an end of the holding body, via which the attachment element is connected thereto. As a result of this, the risk of damage to a surface of the musical instrument, e.g. by means of a screwdriver for operation of the adjusting element, is minimized, since the impact area of the screwdriver on a covering board of the musical instrument is minimized. Moreover, in such an arrangement the adjusting device can be constructed in a structurally simple manner, and therefore simply with respect to production, since the direction of the change in the distance of the attachment bow apex from the holding device (the holding body) essentially coincides with the direction of access to the adjusting element. In particular, this also then allows the adjusting element of the adjusting device to retain its translational position relative to the musical instrument, i.e. not to move in a translational manner to the musical instrument, while the distance of the attachment bow apex is changed. This ensures that when, for example, the length of the secondary string is decreased and the string holder shifts in the direction of the bridge, the position of the impact point for the adjusting element for its operation does not lie deeper above the covering board of the musical instrument, and thus the risk of damage to the musical instrument is not increased, e.g. by a screwdriver.
It is beneficial if the adjusting device is disposed on an underside of the holding body which has a trough-shaped construction at least in the region of the adjusting device. This enables the adjusting device to be covered by the holding body to the outside and in particular towards an upper side, when the string holder is disposed on the musical instrument, i.e. the underside of the string holder points to a covering board of the musical instrument.
It is most particularly advantageous if the adjusting element is capable of translational movement relative to the holding body and in particular the adjusting element is capable of translational movement essentially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the holding body. As a result of this translational movement the distance of the apex of the attachment bow of the attachment element in relation to the holding device can then be adjusted. However, when a string holder is fixed to the musical instrument, this also enables the adjusting element to be fixed relative to the musical instrument in a translational manner, i.e. a rotation of the adjusting element leads to a displacement of the apex of the attachment bow relative to the holding body, but not to a displacement of the adjusting element relative to the musical instrument.
It is favorable from the design point of view if the adjusting element is an adjusting screw. Such an adjusting screw may be operated easily in order to generate a translational movement by means of a rotational movement, e.g. caused by a screwdriver, this translational movement changing the distance of the apex of the attachment bow of the attachment element from the holding body.
Such a change in distance may be achieved in a simple manner with respect to production if a threaded guide device, e.g. via a nut for an adjusting screw, is disposed to be secure against rotation and non-displaceable on the holding body, so that upon rotation of the adjusting screw relative to the holding body said screw is capable of translational displacement. Therefore, upon rotation of the adjusting screw its transla
Boehmer Klaus
Roth Ernst Heinrich
Roth Wilhelm
Vochezer Georg
Hsieh Shih-Yung
Lipsitz Barry R.
Rudolf Wittner GmbH u. Co.
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