AU2432884A - A plate, especially for supporting sheets of music - Google Patents

Description

"A plate, especially for supporting sheets of music."

The present invention relates to a pla e especial¬ ly for supporting sheets of music, manuscripts or similar sheets of informative material.

^' Musicians playing a wind-instrument in front of a microphone have considerable problems not only in getting the sheets of music placed in a suitable way relative to the wind-instrument and the microphone, but also in catch- ing the sound of their own instrument, as this is very often completely drowned by the other instruments of the orchestra. Corresponding difficulties are often occurring to singers and to musicians playing other instruments in front of a microphone. These problems are solved all at once and in a surprisingly simple way by means of the plate according to the invention, which is characteristic in that it consists of a material with a strong sound-reflective power and is adapted to be secured in arbitrary, adjusted positions relative to a rod of a microphone stand or a similar rod.

By means of such a plate, the sheet of music may be placed in any desired position relative to the microphone, and this position may be individually adapted to the play¬ ing style of the instrument and the musician, so that the music is always standing in a convenient, easily readable position, the instrument at the same time being correctly placed relative to the microphone. When the plate is used by musicians playing a wind-instrument or by singers, it is a great advantage that it may be placed in a way so as to act as a sound reflector making it possible to the musician to hear his own instrument even if it is surrounded by other strongly sound-producing instruments.

It is known to use in practising a sound reflector placed on a saxophone to make it possible to the saxophonist to hear his own instrument, even under bad acoustic con¬ ditions and surrounded by loud-playing instruments. Such a sound reflector, however, cannot be used in front of a

O PΪ microphone in an orchestra where the purpose of the reflect¬ or is that of guiding the musician during the intonation and where the sound from the instrument must propagate freely to the microphone round the reflector in so to speak all other periods of time. This problem does not exist,in connection with the plate according to the invention, where a small change of the position of the instrument makes the reflector plate ineffective.

According to the invention, the plate which may act as an effective sound reflector is preferably transpar¬ ent so that the sheet of music may be placed at the back thereof. According to the invention the plate may consist of two layers, between which the sheet of music is placed. The plate is usually pivotally mounted at one end of an arm., and according to the invention it is preferably articulated with the arm in a way so as to pivote about an axis of rotation in or adjacent to and parallel to the plane of the plate, and is secured in an arbitrarily adjust¬ ed position, and at the opposite end the arm is adjustably and fixably articulated with a holder adapted to be clamped around a rod, preferably of a microphone stand, in a way so as to pivot about an axis at right angles to the rod. As the holder may be pivoted relative to the rod, and the rod may be pivoted relative to the holder, and the plate may be rotated about its axis of rotation, it is possible by means of simple mounting means to place the plate as required in a great number of different positions. If desired, the articulations may be ball joints, but this is a relatively expensive solution which may even complicate the correct adjustment of the plate. Usually it is preferred that the articulations are mere hinged connections comprising a single, firm axis of rotation. The axis of rotation of the plate may according to the invention be parallel to the axis of rotation of the holder at right angles to the rod, which allows the inclined position of the plate to be adjusted • independently of the position of the arm. In other cases, however, it is preferred according to the invention to let the axis of rotation of the plate extend in a plane parallel to the rod to which the holder is secured, as this makes it possible to support sheets consisting of two pages ex¬ tending beyond the side edges of the plate, as e.g. at the lower edge thereof the plate may be provided with a groove to support the sheet of music. If desired, the in¬ clination of the axis of rotation of the plate and, conse¬ quently, the inclination of the very plate may be made in¬ dependent of the inclined position of the arm by mounting the plate pivotally about its axis of rotation in an artic¬ ulation at the outer end of the arm. The hinge joint may then be fixed in an arbitrary angular position relative to the arm.

In the following the invention will be described in details with reference to the drawing, in which

Figure 1 shows schematically a microphone stand with two different embodiments of the plate according to the invention.

Figure 2 a plan view of a part of a first embodi- ment of the plate with holder and carrying arm.

Figure 3 the part shown in Figure 2, viewed in the direction of the arrow III in Figure 2, and

Figure 4 a view corresponding to that in Figure 3 but showing another embodiment of the plate according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows a microphone stand 1, a rod 2 of which carries a holder 3 which is secured to the rod 2 at an arbitrary place thereon, and in which an arm 4 is pivot¬ ally mounted. The arm 4 may be swung out to any desired position and secured in the holder 3 in this position. At the outer end thereof the arm 4 carries a plate 5 which is articulated with the arm 4 so that it may pivote about an axis of rotation 12 in or parallel to the plane of the plate and be secured in any desired position.

The plate 5 may be provided with holding means of any suitable kind for holding sheets of music or similar sheets. When it is used by a musician playing a wind- instrument or possibly by a singer, however, it will have another important function, as adjusted in a suitable way it may act as a sound reflector returning part of the sound when the instrument is directed towards it, so that the musician will be in a position to hear the sound from his own instrument, even if it is surrounded by other strongly sound-producing instruments in an orchestra. An effective aid to be used during intonation and for practice is there¬ by provided. On the other hand, the plate does not prevent free play of the instrument under full force in an or¬ chestra, as any influence by the plate may be stopped only by turning the instrument into another position. It appears that the plate may be adjusted in an infinite number of different positions relative to the microphone so that it will always be possible for a musician to adjust the plate in a suitable manner in consideration of the individual style of playing, the kind and the size of the instrument etc.

When the plate must function as a holder of music and at the same time as a sound reflector, it may accord¬ ing to the invention consist of a hard, strongly sound reflecting, transparent material so that, if desired, the sheet of music may be placed at the side of the plate re¬ mote of the musical instrument, thereby obtaining a complete sound reflection.

In Figure 1 the upper plate 5' according to the invention is placed on a rod 2' of a microphone holder. It could just as well be placed on the rod 2, and the plate 5 could as well be placed on the rod 2* of the microphone holder. The plate 5' is rotatable about an axis of rotation 12' in a plane parallel to or through the rod 2' or the rod 2, if the plate is placed thereon. This mounting of the plate 5' permits it to support a double sheet of music ex¬ tending beyond the side edges of the plate and resting e.g. in a groove 14 at the lower edge of the plate. In most cases it is sufficient that the plate 5' forms a fixed angle of for instance 90° with the arm 4. In the drawing, however,

OMPI a hinge joint 13 is indicated, which makes it possible to alter the angle between the plate and the arm.

Figures 2 and 3 on an enlarged scale show an em¬ bodiment of the holder 3 which is formed as a cylindrical block clutching the rod 2 by a recess, it being secured by turning a head 8 of a tightening screw in a threaded bore extending from one end of the block to the recess 6. At the opposite end of the block a bent end portion of the arm 4 carrying the plate 5 is received in a transverse bore, and the arm is secured in an adjusted position by means of a tightening nut 11 which is screwed onto a threaded pin at the end of the block and presses a split bushing 10 round the end of the arm 4. At the opposite end thereof the arm 4 comprises a head 15 with a through-going bore which receives a projecting pin 16 of a cam 17 secured to the back of the plate 5 at right angles to the centre of the nearest plate edge. A tightening, screw 18 is carried through the pin 15 and into a thread of the cam 17, so that when tightened it holds the plate 5. in position relative to the head 15 with assistance of an intermediate lock washer 19.

Figure 4 shows the corresponding rotating connect¬ ion between the plate 5' and the head 15* which in this case is formed in a way so that the axis of rotation 12' lies in a plane at right angles to the plane determined by the arm 4 and the bent end thereof. Between the arm 4 and the head 15' a hinge joint 13 is indicated which, however, can usually be dispensed with.

The pivot joints at the ends of arm 4 may be elab¬ orated otherwise than shown in the drawing. Thus, the arm 4 could be S-shaped with its ends being frictionally held in holes in plate 5 and in a clip member on rod 2, respect¬ ively. Further, the head 15 upon an L-shaped arm 4 may be rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm and be secured in adjusted position by friction or by a screw.

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Claims (10)

Patent Claims;

1. A plate (5) , especially for supporting sheets of music, manuscripts or similar material, of information, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it consists of a material with a strong sound-reflective power and is adapt¬ ed to be secured in arbitrary, adjusted positions relative to a rod (2) of a microphone stand or a similar rod.

2. A plate according to claim 1, c h a r a c t - e r i z e d in that it is transparent and is- provided with means for holding a sheet of music or a corresponding sheet at^' the back of the plate.

3. A plate according to claim 2, c h a r a c t ¬ e r i z e d in that it comprises two layers and is adapted to hold a sheet of music between the two layers.

4. A plate (5) according to claim 1, pivotally mounted at one end of an arm (4), c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the plate (5) is articulated with one end of the arm (4) so as to pivote about an axis of rotation (12) in or adjacent to and parallel to the plane of the plate, and is secured in an arbitrarily adjusted position, and that the arm (4) at the opposite end thereof is ad¬ justably and fixably connected to a holder (3) adapted to be clamped around a rod (2.) , preferably of a microphone stand, in a way so as to pivot about an axis at right angles to the rod.

5. A 'plate according to claim 4, c h a r a c t ¬ e r i z e d in that the axis of rotation (12) of the plate is parallel to the axis of rotation of the arm (4) in the holder (3) , at right angles to the rod (2) .

6. A plate according to claim 4, c h a r a c t ¬ e r i z e d in that the axis of rotation (12*) of the plate (5') is lying in a plane parallel to or through the rod (2, 2*) carrying the holder (3).

7. A plate according to claim 6, c h a r a c t ¬ e r i z e d in that it is pivotally mounted about the axis of rotation (12') thereof in a hinge joint (13) at o the outer end of the arm (4) .

8. A holder (3) for the plate (5) according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it comprises a preferably cylindrical, block having 5 a recess (6) opening towards one side of the block and adapted to clutch a rod (2) of a microphone stand by the bottom wall and two opposed walls slanting from the bottom wall towards a tightening screw (8) which is received in a threaded bore extending from one end surface of the block to one slanting wall, and that a transverse bore is pro¬ vided in the opposite end of the block, to receive an angular end of the arm (4) carrying the plate (5) , and clamping means (10,11) holding the arm in an adjusted po¬ sition.

9. A plate according to claim 4, c h a r a c t ¬ e r i z e d in that the arm (4) is S-shaped and at its ends is frictionally engaged in holes in the plate (5) and in a clip member on rod (2) , respectively.

10. A plate according to claim 4, c h a r a c t - e r i z e d in that it is supported by a head (15) upon one end of arm (4) , said head being rotatable about the long¬ itudinal axis of said arm (4) .

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