Music – Instruments – Drum and cymbal beaters
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-19
2001-11-20
Hsieh, Shih-Yung (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Drum and cymbal beaters
C084S422100, C084S422200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320109
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a hi-hat percussion instrument for generating sounds by causing cymbals to come together, with one cymbal being attached to a fixed tube and the other cymbal being mounted on a bar that moves up and down and is caused to move by means of an operating device.
During musical performances, in addition to various drums and kettledrums, use is made of convex cymbal plates or cymbals. Individual or several cymbals can be used as percussion instruments, and they are hit with sticks or other appropriate devices to generate a sound. The cymbals can be caused to strike each other, and in this case two cymbals, preferably of the same size, are used to come together at their rims. At the time of such strike, the cymbals, which are preferably made of metal, oscillate, and, as a result, an especially long sound is generated. So-called hi-hats belong to standard percussion equipment. The main components of such instruments are two cymbals, which are caused to come together under a pedal control when the sound is generated in such a manner as to touch each other at their rims. Generally, the upper cymbal is movable, and the lower cymbal is fixed. When the pedal is moved, a bar, which is mounted at the lower end of the pedal by means of a spring and has its upper end attached to the upper cymbal, moves down inside a tube. The upper cymbal strikes the oppositely mounted cymbal that is attached to the tube. This results in generation of a typically metallic long-sustained sound. During concerts, as well as during recording on a sound carrier in a studio, hi-hats are used as rhythmic instruments, which are generally operated in a timely fashion the percussion instruments with the foot control. The other foot is likewise used for a bass drum.
There is a problem that with a single operating device, normally a pedal, only single strikes of maximum two cymbals can be performed. The footwork of the drummer is normally limited to the operating of the bass drum with one foot and to the bringing together the two cymbals while generating one sound with the other foot. In the best case, the variation capabilities reside in the fact that cymbals of different size can be used to generate different sounds. During a concert, a plurality of such hi-hats can be played by several persons simultaneously in order to generate an intensive or saturated sound. Certain effects, e.g., two offset sounds cannot be realized with the state-of-the art instruments. It can be achieved by using modern techniques during a studio recording session by receiving the sound through a plurality of channels in order to obtain a reach or offset sound. However, this requires high technology and take time, and such results cannot be accomplished during a live concert.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the problem of providing an instrument that would allow for improving sound quality with various tuning capabilities.
This problem is solved by the fact that the cymbals are provided with at least one more cymbal that is movable up and down, which can be operated by the operating device with the movable cymbal or independently thereof and which can be caused to come together with, and to strike the fixed cymbal and/or the other cymbal.
Such hi-hat can be referred to as a triple hi-hat, in which at least three cymbals are available that can be caused to come together with the middle cymbal or with each other for striking each other. This gives an enormous variety of additional sounds, which could not be achieved with prior art hi-hats. This also assures an obvious improvement of the play capabilities, and the operating device, which is partly based on the known devices that assure the movement of the upper cymbal to the fixed cymbal, allows for tuning, which will be described below. Other solutions are also possible, and, among other things, a purely hand operated operating device can be used, with both movable cymbals being moved to the fixed cymbal. Such operating device certainly does not meet today's requirements, and pneumatic and mechanical operating devices could still be used as described below.
According to one preferred embodiment, one more cymbal that is provided under the fixed cymbal is mounted on an outer tube which is movable by the operating device and which is surrounded by a fixed tube. Now, with the help of the operating device, with the same operating direction, the upper cymbal is moved to the middle cymbal and, at the same time, the lower cymbal is moved to the middle cymbal and strikes it. The direction of movement of the upper cymbal movable bar will now be explained in detail.
In the most preferred embodiment of a mechanical operating device for the triple hi-hat described herein, in which the bar is pivotally connected to a known pedal acts which upon a cable tie connected to the outer tube, with the cable tie, which is guided by a deflection roller, being attached to the outer tube. As will be explained below, it is possible, with the operating device of this type, that the upper cymbal will move down to the middle cymbal and, at the same time, the lower cymbal will move up to the middle cymbal. With this operating device, it is possible to assure that all three cymbals will come together at the same time, or they can come together with a predetermined time shift, which is exactly needed for the drummer. It is important that he uses one and the same pedal movement both for moving the bar down and, at the same time, to move the outer tube up through the cable tie and the deflection roller. Only one pedal is required for operating both movable cymbals, so the other foot can be used for operating other instruments, or it can rest.
The up and down moving bar and the cable tie that moves respectively can be moved by one and the same “foot” of the hi-hat, and the invention provides that the bar can be composite and can comprise a pedal part, a sleeve part, and a cymbal bar, with the pedal part being made as a tube supporting the deflection roller for the cable tie, and the attached sleeve part being made as an intermediate bar, which surrounds the deflection roller and connects to the cymbal bar. In this case, no through-going bar is used, and the mechanical system assures simultaneously the movement of the cable tie and its deflection over the deflection roller, whereby the downward movement of the bar can be transformed into the upward movement of the outer tube.
In order to assure the smooth upward movement of the additional cymbal on the one hand and to assure the uniform return to the initial position on the other hand, the foot of the outer tube that carries the additional cymbal is guided in a cylindrical tube that surrounds the fixed tube and has at the end an outer flange, which is positioned between two cylindrical springs located in the cylindrical tube. It is understood that both cylindrical springs should be supported on top and bottom in the cylindrical tube, and for that purpose, the cylindrical tube is provided with a cover on both ends. Both cylindrical springs are installed in such a manner as to assure the uniform up and down movement of the cymbal on the supporting outer tube.
The cable tie extends inside a hollow bar or pedal part. Its movement is respectively transmitted to the outer tube through the surrounding part. The invention provides that the cable tie, which is connected to the pedal, has its other end connected through a cam plate to the outer tube, the connecting cams being received in a groove of the fixed tube. This arrangement assures that the outer tube is reliably guided in its up and down movement and is prevented from rotating as the connecting cams are received in the groove and maintain the tube position during the up and down movement.
The distance from the additional cymbal to the fixed cymbal can be preferably varied by making the outer tube as a telescopic tube, which has an end piece on the cymbal to adjust the distance from the additional cymbal to the fixed cymbal and which has an appropriate clamp.
Creighton Wray James
Hsieh Shih-yung
Narasimhan Meera P.
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