Music – Instruments – Drum and cymbal beaters
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-16
2003-04-01
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Drum and cymbal beaters
C084S422200, C084S422300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06541686
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
None.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical pedal design beater, a base plate is attached at one end to a percussion instrument, typically a bass drum, and a footboard is hinged to the base plate at or near the opposite end. The footboard rotates about the hinge and is constrained by springs or other means to rest in a position approximately 30 to 45 degrees above the base. The footboard is attached to a beater such that when the user presses down on the footboard, the beater strikes the drumhead once. The footboard must return essentially to its resting position in order for the user to strike the drumhead again.
This mechanism provides a steady, controllable, sensitive means of playing percussion instruments. However, playing speed is limited to the speed that the user can press the pedal since only one beat can be produced for each depression of the pedal. No beats are produced when the musician lifts his foot from the pedal. Thus for each up and down movement of the musician's foot, only one drum beat can be produced. This has the effect of limiting the role of the foot to that of a timekeeper, playing only the tempo of the music. In some more sophisticated configurations, the pedal beater may play offbeat patterns combined with the hands, but will still be unable to execute more than three or four quick strokes at a time. While it is true that a select few players demonstrate considerable speed for several measures using conventional pedal beaters, such players are only able to play a string of even notes in such manner, and never complicated patterns like those played by the hands. A musician may attempt to overcome this limitation by utilizing two foot pedals simultaneously to increase playing speed and obtain more complex beat patterns. However, the musician then sacrifices the use of the cymbal assembly, commonly known in the field as the hi-hat, and such rapid foot motions are both difficult and very tiring.
Several attempts have been made to invent double beater drum pedals. However, all prior attempts have a number of disadvantages which have limited their commercial applications. It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a double beater drum pedal which overcomes these disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,484,302 to Lavernts discloses a double beater pedal mechanism in which the foot pedal hinge is placed in a very awkward position compared to pedals in common usage. Additionally, the beater striking positions are in musically undesirable positions because one beater strikes close to the rim, while the other strikes close to the middle of the head, thus producing drastically different timbres and amplitudes.
The pedal assembly shown as U.S Pat. No. 3,988,957 to Escanilla also places the musician's foot in an awkward position. Playing fast heel/toe motions requires either suspending the entire leg to obtain the proper position or relaxing the leg thus causing one beater to rest on the head while the other beater is striking, causing a buzz or muting effect. Also, the pivot point in Escanilla is below the foot, causing the whole lower leg to move.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,853 to Bills shows another double beater mechanism with strong disadvantages. The fulcrum is placed below the heel, increasing lower leg movement. While the downward toe stroke is made with a downward motion, the up stroke must be performed with an upward motion of the toe, an action not empowered with strength, control or routine muscular movement. The toe clip also creates a lack of foot position mobility.
The double beater mechanism in U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,842 to Aluisi offers an unmanageable action created by the horizontal pivot which adds much weight to the beater adversely affecting its sensitivity. Much of the striking energy is deflected in rotation, rather than in increased amplitude. Control of the timing accuracy is also sacrificed because of the “flop” rotation of the second beater.
Finally, in U.S. Pat No. 4,782,733 to Herring, the double beater drum mechanism results in poor timing control of the secondary beater because it is spring activated. This same spring activation results in poor amplitude control of the secondary beater. Additionally, maximum speed would be determined by the spring tension activating the secondary beater, rather than the action of the player.
Many of these disadvantages are readily evident to a person knowledgeable in the art of drumming and explains why none of these ideas are implemented in the current commercial market.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resides in a foot pedal device with at least two beaters and a footboard attached to the beaters that swings freely above the base of the device. Upon a single back and forth swing cycle of the footboard, both beaters strike a desired percussion instrument at intervals generally reciprocal to one another. Specifically, one beat is produced when the footboard is swung forward, and another drum beat is produced when the footboard is swung backward. This allows the musician to accomplish two percussion beats with a single foot swing cycle, while freeing the musician's other foot to play another percussion instrument such as a hi-hat. This is in contrast to the typical drum pedal design where a foot stroke of one downward and one upward movement of the foot only produces a single beat. The musician can thereby play at twice the speed of a conventional foot pedal beater.
More particularly, the swing motion allows greater control over, and sensitivity to, the timbre, amplitude and tempo of the beats, and enables the musician to perform complex rhythms and beat patterns. The reciprocally striking beaters and the footboard swing motion combine to form a unique pedal operation which is more ergonomic and less fatiguing than a conventional hinged footboard beater system. The present invention therefore allows the musician to perform more sustained and demanding percussion parts, including novel percussion playing concepts such as layered percussion patterns, polyrhythms, “third hand” patterns, and orchestration for two instruments on one foot pedal.
The present invention is readily adaptable to numerous percussion instruments, such as a base drum, two or more cow bells, wood blocks, and bongos.
Additional features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1042904 (1912-10-01), Fraser
patent: 1508390 (1924-09-01), Gladstone et al.
patent: 2446508 (1948-08-01), Crowell
patent: 2484302 (1949-10-01), Laverents
patent: 3618441 (1971-11-01), Fearns
patent: 3677128 (1972-07-01), Simpson
patent: 3988957 (1976-11-01), Escamilla
patent: 4188853 (1980-02-01), Bills
patent: 4235146 (1980-11-01), Purdy
patent: 4644842 (1987-02-01), Aluisi
patent: 4782733 (1988-11-01), Herring
patent: 4945803 (1990-08-01), Norwood
patent: 5090289 (1992-02-01), Holcomb
patent: 5767428 (1998-06-01), Bloch
Hsieh Shih-Yung
Polster Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi L.C.
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