Violin shoulder rest

Details Violin shoulder rest Violin shoulder rest

2003-01-16

2004-01-20

Lockett, Kimberly (Department: 2837)

Music

Instruments

Stringed

C084S278000, C084S280000, C084S281000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06680431

ABSTRACT:

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
N/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to shoulder rests for use with musical instruments such as violins and similar stringed instruments, and more specifically to a violin shoulder rest configured to mount a positionable microphone, and to accommodate one or more electrical signal inputs.
Violin shoulder rests are known that allow a violin player to rest a violin against his or her body with increased comfort and reduced physical stress while playing the instrument. A conventional violin shoulder rest is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,474 (the “'474 patent”) filed Aug. 20, 1990 entitled VIOLIN OR THE LIKE SHOULDER REST. The conventional violin shoulder rest described in the '474 patent includes an elongated base configured to conform to a violin player's shoulder, a pair of clamping members coupled to opposing ends of the base and configured to clamp the shoulder rest to a violin, and a mechanism for securing the respective clamping members to the base, and for allowing limited pivotal movement of the clamping members. The conventional violin shoulder rest allows the violin player to adjust the transverse inclination of the shoulder rest base relative to the violin, thereby facilitating the positioning of the violin to increase the comfort of the violin player while playing the instrument.
In recent years, many violin players have sought to amplify or otherwise electronically process the sound that they produce with their violins. Such violin players typically position themselves and their violins near one or more standalone microphones, which generate electrical signals representative of the sound produced by the instruments. The electrical signals generated by the microphones are normally provided to amplification circuitry or other signal processing circuitry, which subsequently provides amplified or otherwise processed signals to one or more loudspeakers, thereby producing sound having the desired volume and tonal qualities.
One drawback of using a standalone microphone when amplifying and/or conditioning the sound produced by a violin is that it is often difficult to optimally position the microphone relative to the violin. This is typically because violin players rarely remain stationary when playing their instruments. For example, during musical performances, violin players frequently make significant bodily movements to attain the desired emotional impact of a piece. As a result, the violin may significantly deviate from the optimal positioning near the microphone, and the desired amplification and conditioning of the sound may not be achieved.
It would therefore be desirable to have a violin shoulder rest that allows a violin player to rest a violin against his or her body with increased comfort and reduced physical stress while playing the instrument. Such a violin shoulder rest would facilitate the optimal positioning of the violin relative to the violin player's body. It would also be desirable to have a mechanism for facilitating the optimal positioning a microphone near the violin during a musical performance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a violin shoulder rest is disclosed that not only facilitates the optimal positioning of a violin relative to a violin player's body for increased comfort and reduced physical stress, but also facilitates the optimal positioning of a microphone relative to the violin to achieve the desired volume and tonal qualities of the sound produced by the instrument. The presently disclosed violin shoulder rest is configured to mount a positionable microphone near the violin, and to accommodate electronic circuitry for amplifying and/or otherwise processing electrical signals provided by the microphone and optionally at least one more electrical signal input device.
In one embodiment, the violin shoulder rest includes an elongated base configured to be conformable to a violin player's body, a pair of clamping members coupled at opposing ends of the base and configured to clamp the shoulder rest to a violin, and a securement mechanism configured to secure the respective clamping members to the base. The securement mechanism is further configured to allow pivotal movement of the clamping members to facilitate the optimal positioning of the violin relative to the violin player's body, and linear movement of the clamping members for fine adjustment of the spacing between the clamps, and the spacing between each clamp and the elongated base.
The violin shoulder rest is configured to accommodate at least one electrical signal input, and optional amplification circuitry or other signal processing circuitry for pre-amplifying or otherwise processing the electrical signal input. The elongated base of the violin shoulder rest includes a pair of substantially rigid hollow enclosures at opposing ends of the base, and a flexible hollow section disposed between the opposing enclosures. The opposing hollow enclosures are configured to house the amplification and/or signal processing circuitry, which may include at least one printed circuit board and one or more active/passive integrated and/or discrete electrical/electronic components. The opposing enclosures are further configured to accommodate a plurality of connectors for receiving the electrical signal input and for providing at least one electrical signal output, and one or more controls for mixing a plurality of electrical signal inputs and/or for adjusting sound volume and tone. A respective hollow enclosure may be configured to house a wireless transmitter circuit to obviate the need for a cable to convey the processed signal output. The flexible section between the rigid enclosures not only allows the violin shoulder rest to conform to the contours of the violin player's body, but also serves as a conduit for conductors passing between the circuitry, connectors, and controls disposed within the opposing rigid enclosures. At least one of the opposing enclosures is further configured to accommodate a compartment for housing a battery to power the active electrical/electronic components. The connectors, the controls, and the battery compartment are optimally situated relative to the rigid enclosures for easy access by the violin player. Moreover, a foam pad is attached to the elongated base of the violin shoulder rest for enhanced violin playing comfort.
The violin shoulder rest is further configured to mount a positionable microphone subassembly adjacent a respective signal input connector. The microphone subassembly includes a flexible boom, a microphone attached to the distal end of the boom, and a connector coupled to the opposing end of the boom and configured to connect to the signal input connector. In the preferred embodiment, the flexible boom is configured as a conduit for conductors passing between the microphone and the microphone connector. Further, the boom has length and flexibility characteristics that allow the microphone to be easily and optimally positioned near the violin, for example, adjacent one of the violin sound holes. A foam cover may be placed over the microphone to minimize the adverse effects of wind and vibration on the amplified violin sound.
Other features, functions, and aspects of the invention will be evident from the Detailed Description of the Invention that follows.


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patent: 6278044 (2001-08-01), Ruan
patent: 6369303 (2002-04-01), Hvezda
patent: 6441292 (2002-08-01), Donnell

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