Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-27
2001-02-13
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
C084S267000, C084S293000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188005
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The disclosed invention relates to stringed instruments and, in particular to an improved stringed instrument soundboard system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Guitars generally consist of a body and an elongated neck and a plurality of strings, which are tensioned between a headstock at one end of the neck and a bridge, which is attached to the guitar body. In an acoustical guitar, the guitar body consists of spaced panels, including a body face panel, a body back panel and body side panels, which define a resonance chamber to provide the instrument with a desired tonal qualities.
The rigid attachment of the neck to the body and the size of the body causes the guitar to be relatively large and cumbersome to handle, transport and store. However, the need for strength within the body and neck to allow the guitar strings to be tensioned, and the requirement for the resonant chamber of the body has dictated acoustical guitar construction and bulk. A number of inventions have considered guitar constructions, which attempt to reduce the bulk of guitars for transportation and storage purposes. Examples of such inventions can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,073,211; 4,111,093; 4,433,603; 4,686,882; and 5,058,479. Many of these prior art collapsible guitars still result in a bulky size and require special carrying cases and special care when transporting. Others are more compact and are easily transportable. However, in order to provide such compactability, these guitars sacrifice acoustic performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,391, which issued to and is commonly owned by the applicant of the present invention, discloses an inflatable knock-down guitar, which overcame many of the deficiencies found in many of the prior art knock-down guitar patents. This reference teaches a knock-down guitar, which can be utilized in either an acoustic or electric mode, and which includes a plurality of guitar components that disassemble in such a manner as to permit the instrument to be placed within a conventional suitcase, thus eliminating the need for special carrying cases.
The '391 patent teaches that an inflatable bladder can be utilized as a resonance chamber for the guitar system disclosed therein when it is used in its acoustical mode. This guitar system, which is known as the CHRYSALIS™ Universal Guitar System, includes a family of interchangeable guitar components, which provides a number of features including: the ability of a guitarist to break down a full-size, full-function electric guitar to a shirt box size package for transport and to re-assemble the instrument to playing condition in a minimal time period, including the re-tuning and re-tuning of the guitar strings; allowing the same electric guitar to be quickly and easily converted to a full-size, full-function acoustic guitar by attaching an inflatable acoustic chamber to the guitar body; allowing a musician to easily and quickly make a variety of significant alterations to the guitar's quality or function by providing a plurality of separately available interchangeable components, including, headstocks, necks, body panels and bridges.
The advantages of the CHRYSALIS™ guitar system include the ability to assemble the instrument in any configuration and to maintain that configuration entirely by string tension. Furthermore, the CHRYSALIS™ guitar system teaches that all system components can be manufactured out of injection molded plastics common carbon fiber composites or lightweight metals, which allows a wide range of system performance characteristics and associated price ranges. Additionally, with the CHRYSALIS™ guitar system, all action, neck, and intonation adjustments could be made with three easily accessible set screws at the junction of the CHRYSALIS™ guitar's neck and body.
However, perhaps the most significant advance taught by the CHRYSALIS™ guitar system is the use of a new type of acoustic sound board analogue composed of a carbon fiber composite grillwork, which, in the CHRYSALIS™ guitar's acoustic mode supports a polymer membrane under tension.
One embodiment of a prior art modular guitar system
1
is shown in FIG.
1
. Guitar
1
consists of a guitar body
2
, a guitar neck
4
, a headstock
6
, bridge
8
and a plurality of strings (not shown). The strings are attached to the bridge
8
at one end and, at the headstock, the strings are attached to individual guitar string tuning machines
12
.
The prior art guitar body
2
includes a face panel
14
consisting of first and second face panel sections
14
A and
14
B, respectively. The face panel sections are preferably formed in a lattice configuration and are made of any one of a number of synthetic materials, such as fiberglass and resin. The face panel
14
includes a periphery
16
panel which defines the shape of guitar body
2
when guitar body sections
14
A and
14
B are assembled.
Guitar body sections
14
A and
14
B are each provided with a pair of dovetail recesses
18
, which are configured to accept corresponding dovetail projections
20
, which are provided on the underside of guitar bridge
8
.
The guitar body sections
14
are also provided with recesses
22
, which are configured to accept neck section
4
. The body section
14
is maintained in its proper relationship by joining corresponding mating surfaces
24
and
26
, inserting neck section
4
into recesses
22
and inserting bridge projections
20
into their corresponding dovetail recesses
18
on body sections
14
A and
14
B.
The prior art neck section further includes dowels
30
, which extend through neck wings
34
and into holes
32
in body face panels
14
A and
14
B. This configuration maintains the alignment of neck section
4
with respect to body
2
.
At its outer end, neck
36
is provided with an angle block
38
, which engages the outer end of the neck and includes a pair of elongated rectangular pins
40
received within neck slots
42
. A retainer plate
44
attaches to the underside of neck
36
overlapping slots
42
to maintain pins
40
within their respective slots. A screw
46
holds retainer plate
44
in place.
Angle block
38
also includes two angled pins
48
, which extend from angle block
38
in a direction opposite elongated rectangular pins
40
, which is the direction of headstock
50
.
The headstock
50
includes holes, not shown for receiving angled pins
48
in order to align headstock
50
with neck
36
via angle block
50
. The headstock
50
also includes a recess on its underside for receiving a tensioning lever
52
pivoted about pivot shaft
54
. Tensioning lever
52
includes a convex cam surface adapted to engage the angle block between pins
48
and, as will be appreciated, rotation of lever on
52
vary the distance between angle block
38
and headstock
50
. Thus, the guitar strings attached to tuning machines
12
at one end and bridge section
8
at their other ends may be tensioned and detensioned as lever arm
52
is repositioned.
The body section
2
further includes an inflatable acoustic chamber, which is made up of a flexible envelope
60
within which an inflatable bladder
62
is inserted. The envelope
60
is attached to the periphery of body face panels
14
using an attachment means
72
such as a zipper, Velcro components, snaps or similar fasteners.
The prior art also discloses interchangeable bridges, such as electrical guitar bridge
8
′. Electric guitar bridge
8
′ includes components necessary to convert the modular guitar system
1
from an acoustic mode
2
and electric mode. Electric guitar bridge
8
thus includes pickups
82
, and controls
84
. The electric guitar bridge
8
′, like acoustic guitar bridge
8
includes dovetail projections
20
′, which are configured to be accepted within dovetail recesses
18
on body base panels
14
A and
14
B respectively.
As disclosed in the '391 patent, the CHRYSALIS™ guitar body is comprised of two separate body grills, which are held together and in planner alignment by the guitar's bridge and a common neck
Bourque & Associates P.A.
Chrysalis Guitar Company
Witkowski Stanley J.
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