AU2019221590A1

AU2019221590A1 - Support devices for musical instrument

Info

Publication number: AU2019221590A1
Application number: AU2019221590A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Cyrus FOROUGH; Saeid REZVANI; Shahram REZVANI
Original assignee: Cyrus Creations LLC
Current assignee: Cyrus Creations LLC
Priority date: 2018-02-19
Filing date: 2019-02-18
Publication date: 2020-02-27
Also published as: CA3070075A1; TW201937477A; TWI734961B; EP3756182A1; CN111989737A; EP3756182A4; WO2019161332A1

Abstract

A shoulder support for a string instrument may include a main body portion, a neck portion, and first and second brackets. The main body portion has a first side and a second side. The first side may define a concave surface that is placed against a musician's shoulder. The neck portion extends from the main body portion and has a width that is smaller than a width of the main body portion. The first bracket may include a first flange, hooks extending from the first flange, and a first coupling member extending from the first flange in a direction opposite the hooks. The second bracket may include a second flange, hooks extending from the second flange, and a second coupling member extending from the second flange in a direction opposite the hooks. The first and second coupling members may engage the main body portion and the neck portion, respectively.

Description

SUPPORT DEVICES FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit and priority of United States Provisional Application No. 62/632,263, filed on February 19, 2018. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD [0002] The present disclosure is related to support devices for musical instruments, and more particularly to comfort support devices for a bowed string instrument.

BACKGROUND [0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] Many musicians spend countless hours playing their instrument(s). Musicians who play a bowed string instrument such as the viola, violin, or fiddle often experience discomfort in their bow hand and in their shoulder and chin which are used to support the weight of the instrument. The present disclosure provides devices for reducing such discomfort while allowing the musician to play their instrument using proper form.

SUMMARY [0005] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a shoulder support for a string instrument having a back plate and a bout edge. The shoulder support may include a main body portion, a neck portion, a first bracket, and a second bracket. The main body portion has a first side and a second side. The first side may define a concave surface configured to be placed against a musician’s shoulder. The second side may define a first mounting boss. The neck portion may extend from the main body portion and may have a width that is smaller than a width of the main body portion. The neck portion may include a second mounting boss. The first bracket may include a first flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a first pair of hooks defining a first channel configured to engage the bout edge. The first bracket may

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PCT/US2019/018416 include a first coupling member configured to engage the first mounting boss. The second bracket may include a second flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a second pair of hooks defining a second channel configured to engage the bout edge. The second bracket may include a second coupling member configured to engage the second mounting boss.

[0007] In some configurations of the shoulder support of the above paragraph, the first and second coupling members are threaded studs, and the first and second mounting bosses each define a threaded aperture configured to selectively accept the threaded studs.

[0008] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first and second mounting bosses define a plurality of threaded apertures.

[0009] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, a padding layer is disposed over the concave surface.

[0010] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the main body portion defines an axis, the first mounting boss has a first plurality of threaded apertures each centered along the axis, and the second mounting boss defines a second plurality of threaded apertures each centered along the axis.

[0011] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first bracket includes a compressible layer disposed over the first flange and the first pair of hooks.

[0012] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first pair of hooks include an outer elastomeric layer.

[0013] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first and second mounting bosses include first and second flat surfaces, respectively, and the first and second flat surfaces are coplanar with each other and each have a plurality of threaded apertures.

[0014] The present disclosure also provides a shoulder support that includes a main body portion, a neck portion, a first mounting bracket, and a second mounting bracket. The main body portion has a first side and a second side. The first side may define a concave surface configured to be placed against a musician’s shoulder. The neck portion may extend from the main body portion and may include a width that is smaller than a width of the main body portion. The first mounting bracket may include a first flange, a pair of first hooks extending from the first flange, and a first coupling

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PCT/US2019/018416 member extending from the first flange in a direction opposite the first hooks. The first coupling member may engage the main body portion. The second mounting bracket may include a second flange, a pair of second hooks extending from the second flange, and a second coupling member extending from the second flange in a direction opposite the second hooks. The second coupling member may engage the neck portion.

[0015] In some configurations of the shoulder support of the above paragraph, the first mounting bracket is extends from a flat surface on the second side of the main body portion.

[0016] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, a plurality of threaded apertures are formed in the flat surface, and the first coupling member selectively engages any one of the threaded apertures.

[0017] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the neck portion includes a flat surface having a plurality of threaded apertures.

[0018] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the second mounting bracket extends from the flat surface of the neck portion and selectively engages any one of the threaded apertures of the neck portion.

[0019] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the first flange includes an elastomeric covering.

[0020] In some configurations of the shoulder support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, a padding layer is disposed over the concave surface.

[0021] The present disclosure also provides a finger support for a bow for a string instrument. The finger support may include a body having a first side defining a recess configured to be attached to the bow and to partially receive a musician’s finger, and a second side defining a through aperture configured to receive a stick of the bow such that the body is positioned adjacent to a frog of the bow.

[0022] In some configurations of the finger support of the above paragraph, the body is formed from a compressible material.

[0023] In some configurations of the finger support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body includes a stippled surface.

[0024] In some configurations of the finger support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body has a square cross section.

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PCT/US2019/018416 [0025] In some configurations of the finger support of any one or more of the above paragraphs, the body has a first portion defining a channel and a second section defining the through aperture.

[0026] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS [0027] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1 is a bottom view of a shoulder support coupled to a string instrument according to the principles of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a top view of a portion of the instrument shown in figure 1;

[0030] Figure 3 is an end view of the instrument with the shoulder support mounted thereto;

[0031] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the shoulder support;

[0032] Figure 5 is another perspective view of the shoulder support;

[0033] Figure 6 is yet another perspective view of the shoulder support;

[0034] Figure 7 is a top view of the shoulder support;

[0035] Figure 8 is another perspective view of the shoulder support;

[0036] Figure 9 is a side view of the shoulder support;

[0037] Figure 10 is a bottom view of the shoulder support;

[0038] Figure 11 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket of the shoulder support;

[0039] Figure 12 is a perspective view of a musician playing the string instrument with a bow having a finger support according to the principles of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 13 is a perspective view of a portion of the bow with the finger support;

[0041] Figure 14 is a perspective view of the finger support;

[0042] Figure 15 is another perspective view of the finger support;

[0043] Figure 16a is an end view of the finger support;

[0044] Figure 16b is a bottom view of the finger support;

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PCT/US2019/018416 [0045] Figure 16c is another end view of the finger support;

[0046] Figure 16d is a top view of the finger support; and [0047] Figure 16e is a side view of the finger support.

[0048] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0049] With reference to Figures 1-11, a shoulder support 10 for a bowed string instrument 12 is provided. The string instrument 12 (e.g., a viola, violin, or fiddle) has a back plate 14, a lower bout edge 16, and a top plate 17. As best seen in Figure 1, the instrument 12 has a chin rest 18 which is attached to a lower bout 22 of the instrument 12 by a bracket 20. It will be appreciated that the shoulder support 10 can be fabricated in various sizes to fit different stringed instruments.

[0050] The shoulder support 10 can be removably mounted to the instrument 12 and includes a main body portion 24 and a neck portion 26 extending from the main body portion 24. The main body portion 24 includes a first side 27 defining a contoured concave surface 25 configured to be placed against a musician’s shoulder. As shown in Figure 7, the main body portion 24 has a first width W1, and the neck portion 26 has a second width W2 that is less than the first width W1. A first side 28 of the neck portion 26 may be generally planar.

[0051] A second side 29 (Figure 10) of the main body portion 24 defines a first mounting boss 30. A second side 31 (Figure 10) of the neck portion 26 defines a second mounting boss 32. Each of the first and second mounting bosses 30, 32 includes a plurality of threaded apertures 34, which give adjustment to the width of the shoulder support 10 needed for varying sizes of instruments 12. In some configurations, flat surfaces 36, 38 of the mounting bosses 30, 32 (i.e. flat surfaces in which the apertures 34 are formed) may be substantially coplanar, as shown in Figure

9. In some configurations, the threaded apertures 34 may be formed in metallic or plastic inserts that are embedded in or attached to the shoulder support 10.

[0052] The main body portion 24 and the neck portion 26 can be formed from a rigid material such as wood or plastic, for example. In some configurations, a padding layer 50 (Figure 9) can be attached to the concave surface 25 of the main body portion 24. The padding layer can be attached to the concave surface 25 by an adhesive, threaded fasteners, etc. The padding layer 50 can be an open or closed pore

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PCT/US2019/018416 foam layer or a non-woven layer such as felt made of fabric fibers, for example. In some configurations, the padding layer is less than 3mm in thickness.

[0053] As shown in Figure 3, the shoulder support 10 can be removably attached to the lower bout 22 of the instrument 12 by a pair of mounting brackets 40. One of the mounting brackets 40 may be attached to the first mounting boss 30, and the other one of the mounting brackets 40 may be attached to the second mounting boss 32. As shown in Figure 11, each of the mounting brackets 40 includes a flange 42 and a pair of hooks 44 that are spaced apart from each other and extend from the flange 42. The flange 42 is configured to contact the back plate 14, and the hooks 44 are configured to snap into engagement with the lower bout edge 16 of the instrument

12. The flange 42 and hooks 44 of the mounting brackets 40 can be coated with a thin compressible elastic material (e.g., less than 4 mm thick) which is used to increase friction between the shoulder support 10 and the instrument 12 and prevent scratching on the instrument 12. Additionally, frictional ribs 46 (Figure 11) can be formed on the surface of the flange 42 to increase engagement and allow further compression of the elastomeric material.

[0054] Each of the mounting brackets 40 may include a threaded stud or fastener 48 that extends from the flange 42 in a direction opposite the hooks 44. The threaded stud 48 of the one of the mounting brackets 40 may engage one of the threaded apertures 34 of the first mounting boss 30, and the threaded stud 48 of the other one of the mounting brackets 40 may engage one of the threaded apertures 34 of the second mounting boss 32. The multiple apertures 34 in the mounting bosses 30, 32 are provided so that the user can selectively position the mounting brackets 40 on the shoulder support 10 to accommodate various instrument sizes and/or to customize the positioning of the shoulder support 10 relative to the instrument 12. As shown in Figure 3, when the shoulder support 10 is attached to the instrument 12 with the mounting brackets 40, the brackets 40 are disposed on opposite sides of the chin rest bracket 20.

[0055] Referring now to Figures 12-16d, a finger support 60 is provided. The finger support 60 can be mounted to a bow 62 (e.g., a bow that is used to excite the strings of the instrument 12). As shown, the finger support 60 is positioned over a stick 63 of the bow 62 adjacent a frog 64 of the bow 62. The finger support 60 provides a support surface for a musician’s fifth finger (i.e., the little finger or pinky finger).

[0056] The finger support 60 defines a through aperture 66 (Figures 16a-16e) that receives the stick 63 adjacent to the frog 64 and the tightening screw 65, as shown

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PCT/US2019/018416 in Figure 13. A plurality of ribs 67 may be disposed in the aperture 66 and may span the length of the aperture 66. The ribs 67 may improve the grip on the stick 63 and may reduce or eliminate unintentional sliding of the finger support 60 on the stick 63. The finger support 60 may also include an engagement channel 70 that is aligned with the aperture 66 and fits over the stick 63. A body 72 of the finger support 60 may include an aperture or recess 74 (e.g., a concave depression) into which a musician may insert a tip of the musician’s fifth finger (as shown in Figure 12) to support the fifth finger while the musician is playing the instrument 12. By positioning his or her fifth finger on the body 72 or in the recess 74 of the finger support 60 while playing the instrument 12, fatigue in the musician’s fifth finger and hand can be reduced while still maintaining a proper grip on the bow 62.

[0057] The finger support 60 may be made from a compressible material such as rubber or a closed foam polymer, for example. In some configurations, the finger support 60 can be formed from wood or a hard polymeric material, for example. The body 72 may have a general square cross section and may include stippling 80 (Figure 13).

[0058] It will be appreciated that the finger support 60 can be used with a bow for any bowed string instrument such as a viola, violin, fiddle, etc.

[0059] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0060] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms a,” an, and the may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms comprises, comprising, “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and

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PCT/US2019/018416 operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0061] When an element or layer is referred to as being on, “engaged to,” connected to, or coupled to another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on, “directly engaged to,” directly connected to, or directly coupled to another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0062] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0063] Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” beneath, below, lower, above, upper, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as below”, or beneath other elements or features would then be oriented above the other elements or features. Thus, the example term below can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

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PCT/US2019/018416 [0064] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and 5 can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A shoulder support for a string instrument having a back plate and a bout edge, the shoulder support comprising:

a main body portion having a first side and a second side, the first side defining a concave surface configured to be placed against a musician’s shoulder, the second side defining a first mounting boss;

a neck portion extending from the main body portion and having a width that is smaller than a width of the main body portion, the neck portion including a second mounting boss;

a first bracket having a first flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a first pair of hooks defining a first channel configured to engage the bout edge, the first bracket having a first coupling member configured to engage the first mounting boss; and a second bracket having a second flange configured to be disposed against the back plate and a second pair of hooks defining a second channel configured to engage the bout edge, the second bracket having a second coupling member configured to engage the second mounting boss.
2. The shoulder support according to claim 1, wherein the first and second coupling members are threaded studs, and wherein the first and second mounting bosses each define a threaded aperture configured to selectively accept the threaded studs.
3. The shoulder support according to claim 1, wherein the first and second mounting bosses define a plurality of threaded apertures.
4. The shoulder support according to claim 1, further comprising a padding layer disposed over the concave surface.
5. The shoulder support according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion defines an axis, and the first mounting boss has a first plurality of threaded apertures each centered along the axis, and the second mounting boss defines a second plurality of threaded apertures each centered along the axis.

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PCT/US2019/018416
6. The shoulder support according to claim 1, wherein the first bracket includes a compressible layer disposed over the first flange and the first pair of hooks.
7. The shoulder support according to claim 1, wherein the first pair of hooks include an outer elastomeric layer.
8. The shoulder support according to claim 1, wherein the first and second mounting bosses include first and second flat surfaces, respectively, and wherein the first and second flat surfaces are coplanar with each other and each have a plurality of threaded apertures.
9. A shoulder support for a string instrument, the shoulder support comprising:

a main body portion having a first side and a second side, the first side defining a concave surface configured to be placed against a musician’s shoulder;

a neck portion extending from the main body portion and having a width that is smaller than a width of the main body portion;

a first mounting bracket having a first flange, a pair of first hooks extending from the first flange, and a first coupling member extending from the first flange in a direction opposite the first hooks, the first coupling member engaging the main body portion; and a second mounting bracket having a second flange, a pair of second hooks extending from the second flange, and a second coupling member extending from the second flange in a direction opposite the second hooks, the second coupling member engaging the neck portion.
10. The shoulder support according to claim 9, wherein the first mounting bracket is extends from a flat surface on the second side of the main body portion.
11. The shoulder support according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of threaded apertures are formed in the flat surface, and wherein the first coupling member selectively engages any one of the threaded apertures.
12. The shoulder support according to claim 11, wherein the neck portion includes a flat surface having a plurality of threaded apertures.

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13. The shoulder support according to claim 12, wherein the second mounting bracket extends from the flat surface of the neck portion and selectively engages any one of the threaded apertures of the neck portion.
14. The shoulder support according to claim 9, wherein the first flange includes an elastomeric covering.
15. The shoulder support according to claim 9, further comprising a padding layer disposed over the concave surface.
16. A finger support for a bow for a string instrument, the finger support comprising:

a body having a first side defining a recess configured to be attached to the bow and to partially receive a musician’s finger, and a second side defining a through aperture configured to receive a stick of the bow such that the body is positioned adjacent to a frog of the bow.
17. The finger support according to claim 16, wherein the body is formed from a compressible material.
18. The finger support according to claim 16, wherein the body includes a stippled surface.
19. The finger support according to claim 16, wherein the body has a square cross section.
20. The finger support according to claim 16, wherein the body has a first portion defining a channel and a second section defining the through aperture.