Music – Instruments – Wind
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-26
2003-11-04
Lockett, Kim (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Wind
Reexamination Certificate
active
06642443
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to woodwind instrument and, more particularly, those types of woodwind instrument equipped with key mechanisms for closing holes formed in tubes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
The woodwind instrument has a wide variety of family members such as, for example, flutes, recorders, clarinets, oboes, saxophones and bassoons. Although the word “woodwind” is a compound word produced from the words “wood” and “wind”, the word “woodwind” does not imply the material of the wind instruments. The bassoons and clarinets are usually made of wood. However, the saxophones are made of metal. Several family members such as flutes are directly blown by players. On the other hand, players require reeds for other family members. The players blow the clarinets by means of reeds, by way of example. Although the players give rise to vibrations of air columns in different manners, they are the family members of the woodwind instrument. Nevertheless, all the family members of woodwind instrument have tubes formed with holes, and the players selectively open and close the holes for changing the pitch of notes emitted. The tubes of recorders are not so long that the players can selectively open and close the holes with their fingers. However, the flutes, saxophones, oboes and bassoons have the tubes formed with the holes, which are widely spaced from one another. The intervals are too long for the players to selectively open and close them with their fingers. For this reason, these family members require unique key mechanisms. The present invention appertains to those family members of the type having the key mechanisms.
A flute is, by way of example, broken down into a tube, which may be separable into plural parts, and a key mechanism. The tube is formed with a mouthpiece and holes. The mouthpiece is formed at one end portion of the tube, and the holes are arranged along the centerline of the tube toward the other end. The key mechanism includes plural keys, with which a player selectively opens and closes the holes for changing the pitch of tones.
FIG. 2
illustrates the prior art key
4
incorporated in the flute. The prior art key
4
is broken down into a pad
10
, a pad cup
11
and a fastener
12
. The pad cup
11
is formed of metal or alloy, and has a recess where the pad
10
is snugly received. The fastener
12
prohibits the pad
10
from being unintentionally separated from the pad cup
11
. A tone hole chimney
5
encircles one of the holes
2
formed in the tube, and the upper edge
5
a
of the tone hole chimney
5
is rounded. The pad
10
is pressed to the rounded edge
5
a
for closing the hole
2
.
The pad
10
is to be air-tight, adaptable and durable. While a player is playing on the flute, the moist breath passes through the tube, and vents through the hole
2
, which the player keeps opened. The pads
10
are expected to confine the wet air in the tube. If the breath is leaked through the pads
10
, the tones become unstable, and the player feels the pitches, loudness and timbre less controllable. In order hermetically to seal the breath in the tube, the pads
10
are expected to adapt themselves to the holes
2
. Thus, the pads
10
are to be adaptable and airtight.
The pads
10
are exposed to the wet air during the practice and performance. Although the player wipes the condensate from the inner wall of the tube
1
after the practice, the condensate is liable to be left on the pads
10
. The pads
10
are dried until the next practice/performance. Thus, the pads
10
are repeatedly exposed to the wet air and dried thereafter. Nevertheless, the pads
10
are expected to maintain the adaptability and the air-tightness. If the pads
10
lose the adaptability and air-tightness within a short time, the player frequently changes the pads
10
from the waste ones to new pieces. The exchange work is time-consuming, and players hate it. For this reason, the pads
10
are to be durable.
From those viewpoints, the pad
10
is designed to have a core
10
a
/
15
and a sealing layer
10
b.
The core
10
a
/
15
imparts the adaptability to the pad
10
, and the sealing layer
10
b
makes the pad
10
airtight. A core layer
10
a
and a backing cardboard
15
as a whole constitute the core. The backing cardboard
15
is made of paper, and the core layer
10
a
is made of air-permeable material such as compression felt. The core layer
10
a
is laminated on the backing cardboard
15
, and sealing layer
10
b
is fixed to the core layer
10
a
reverse to the backing cardboard
15
. The sealing layer
10
b
is expected to hermetically seal the air column inside the tube. Skin and bladder are available for the sealing layer
10
b.
It is preferable to make the sealing layer
10
b
from sheepskin, calfskin and bladder of sheep and calf. The pad
10
is formed with a center hole. The center hole is increased in diameter from the core/sealing layers
10
a
/
10
b
to the backing cardboards
15
so that a step takes place at the boundary between the backing cardboard
15
and the core layer
10
a.
The pad cups
11
are formed from a sheet of metal/alloy through a drawing. Each of the pad cups
11
has a peripheral wall portion
11
a
so as to define the recess. The recess has an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the pad
10
so that the pad
10
is snugly received in the recess. However, the recess has the depth greater than the thickness of the pad
10
. A player directly depresses the pad cups
11
with his or her fingers, and pushes levers, which are connected through shafts to the other pad cups
11
, with his or her thumb and fingers for closing the holes
2
. When the player removes the force from the pad cups
11
or the levers, return springs make the pad cups
11
open.
The fastener
12
consists of a center nut
13
, a bolt
14
and a circular plate
12
a.
The center nut
13
is brazed to the inner surface of the pad cup
11
, and an internal thread is formed along the centerline of the center nut
13
. The center nut
13
has an end surface
13
a
where the internal thread is open, and the end surface
13
a
is flat. The center nut
13
has a wide boss portion substantially equal in diameter to the hole formed in the backing cardboard
15
, and the remaining portion is substantially equal in diameter to the hole passing through the core layer
10
a
and the sealing layer
10
b.
Thus, the center nut
13
is snugly received in the center hole of the pad
10
.
The bolt
14
has a head portion
14
a
and a threaded stem portion
14
b,
and the threaded stem portion
14
b
projects from the reverse surface of the head portion
14
a.
The reverse surface of the head portion
14
a
is also flat.
The circular plate
12
a
has major surfaces, which are also flat, and is formed with a hole at the center area thereof. The hole in the circular plate
12
a
has an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the threaded stem portion
14
b
so that the threaded stem portion
14
b
loosely passes through the hole formed in the circular plate
12
a.
The circular plate
12
a
has an outer diameter less than the outer diameter of the pad
10
and, accordingly, the inner diameter of the recess.
The key
4
is assembled as follows. An assembling worker puts the pad
10
into the recess. The center nut
13
is inserted into the center hole of the pad
10
, and the flat end surface
13
a
is inside the center hole. Subsequently, the assembling worker puts the circular plate
12
a
on the sealing layer
10
b,
and aligns the hole formed in the circular plate
12
a
with the hole formed in the center nut
13
. The assembling worker inserts the threaded stem portion
14
b
into the center nut
13
, and turns the bolt
14
. The threaded step portion
14
b
is brought into threaded engagement with the center nut
13
, and the bolt
14
is screwed into the center nut
13
. The flat reverse surface of the head portion is brought into face-to-face contact with the flat major surface of the circular plate
12
a,
and the head portion
14
Okada Shigeru
Shibamiya Jun
Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP.
Lockett Kim
Yamaha Corporation
LandOfFree
Woodwind instrument with key mechanism perfectly closing holes does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Woodwind instrument with key mechanism perfectly closing holes, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Woodwind instrument with key mechanism perfectly closing holes will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3139705