EP0540978A1 - Shoulder support device for violin - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a shoulder support device for the violin. This shoulder support device comprises a clamp (2) which is attached onto the violin near its tailpiece (C) end-button (B). In order to allow off-centred fastening of the chin-piece (3), with respect to the tailpiece (C), the clamp is fitted with an additional upright (23) which is fixed in the chin-piece (3) and is clamped against the back (F) of the violin, using an attachment member (25). This construction prevents the shoulder support device from excessively stressing the rear part of the violin, when, during a performance, the instrumentalist generates a rotational couple on the support device by simultaneously bearing on the chin-piece (3) and the cross-piece (7) for support on the shoulder (4). This device is applicable to all stringed instruments played on the shoulder. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to string instruments played on the shoulder, such as the violin or viola.

More particularly, the invention relates to a shoulder support device for violin of the type comprising a clamping bracket intended to be fixed on the respective edges of the table and of the bottom of the violin in the vicinity of the tailpiece button thereof , a chin rest fixed on the stirrup on the side of the table, and a shoulder support fixed, preferably in an adjustable manner, to said stirrup on the side of the violin by means of an arm, said stirrup comprising two uprights of adjustable length to ensure tightening on the violin and a core connecting these two uprights to each other and coming to rest on the bottom thereof, while on the side of said table said uprights are provided with hooking members coming to rest on the edge of the table.

Such a support device is known from patent application FR-90 02 771 filed on March 2, 1990 in the name of the Applicant.

The present invention aims to improve said support device so as to make it either more universal or cheaper thanks to a simpler construction.

The subject of the invention is therefore a shoulder support device for violin of the type defined above and which is characterized in that the said chin strap is disposed off-center with respect to the tailpiece button, on the side of the string. ground and in that said stirrup is provided with at least one additional part used for fixing said chin rest.

The invention also relates to a shoulder support device for violin of the type defined above and which is characterized in that said core is constituted by a support plate provided with two extensions through which it is connected respectively to the first and second upright of the stirrup, and in that said arm of the shoulder support is rigidly and definitively attached to said support plate.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the description which follows of several exemplary embodiments.

• la figure 1 est une vue en élévation, partiellement coupée, du dispositif de support à l'épaule pour violon, en position de service;
• la figure 2 est une vue de côté faite selon la flèche II de la figure 1;
• la figure 3 est une vue de côté faite selon la flèche III de la figure 1;
• les figures 4 et 5 sont des vues partielles en plan, en regardant respectivement du côté de la table et du fond du violon pour montrer des organes d'accrochage;
• la figure 6 est une vue de côté, analogue à celle de la figure 2, montrant un étrier et un bras du dispositif de support, faits d'une seule pièce;
• la figure 7 montre une vue de dessous de l'étrier et du bras;
• les figures 8 et 10 sont des vues de côté analogues à celle de la figure 2, montrant deux variantes du dispositif de support suivant l'invention;
• les figures 9 et 11 montrent des étriers et des bras réalisés d'une seule pièce et appartenant respectivement aux variantes des figures 8 et 10.

In the accompanying drawings, given solely by way of example:

• Figure 1 is an elevational view, partially cut away, of the shoulder support device for violin, in the service position;
• Figure 2 is a side view taken along arrow II of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a side view taken along arrow III of Figure 1;
• Figures 4 and 5 are partial plan views, looking respectively from the side of the table and the bottom of the violin to show hooking members;
• Figure 6 is a side view, similar to that of Figure 2, showing a stirrup and an arm of the support device, made in one piece;
• Figure 7 shows a bottom view of the stirrup and the arm;
• Figures 8 and 10 are side views similar to that of Figure 2, showing two variants of the support device according to the invention;
• FIGS. 9 and 11 show stirrups and arms made in one piece and belonging respectively to the variants of FIGS. 8 and 10.

We will first refer to Figures 1 to 5 which show a first embodiment of the invention.

In these figures, we can see the case C of the violin with its table T (upper face) and its bottom F, joined by the splint E. A tailpiece CO is conventionally attached to a tailpiece button B anchored in a cleat ( not visible in the drawing) placed inside the body C to support the splint E at this location.

The violin shoulder support device according to the invention is designated by the general reference 1. It comprises a stirrup 2, a chin strap 3 and a shoulder support 4 composed of an arm 5 and a crosspiece 6 provided with a pad 7. In the variant shown, the cross member 6 is folded relative to the arm 5 as well in tilt only in a longitudinal position along it. For more details, reference may be made to the aforementioned French patent application.

By examining the drawings of the latter, we see that the chin rest is placed symmetrically with respect to the tailpiece by being fixed to the two usual amounts of the stirrup. In this case, the cleat placed in the body supports the splint and can thus take up the forces generated by the tightening of the stirrup and to a greater extent exerted by the instrumentalist during the performance, both on the chin rest than on the shoulder support.

However, many instrumentalists wish to place the chin rest more to the left (as seen in FIG. 1 of the present patent application), that is to say more on the side of the ground string.

One solution would then be to place the support device as a whole off center, but then the splint of the violin could not withstand the necessary clamping forces.

Another solution would be to fix the chin guard in overhang on the left upright of the stirrup by providing for this fixing an arrangement sufficiently solid so that the chin guard cannot be detached.

However under these conditions, not only the chin guard may break or move unexpectedly, but also, the efforts exerted by the instrumentalist both on this chin rest and on the shoulder support would generate a torque on the whole support device (counterclockwise in Figure 1), which would put too much stress on the violin at this point. It could also result in deformation of the splint and, eventually, destruction of the violin.

The invention precisely overcomes these drawbacks.

Consequently, returning more precisely to FIGS. 1 to 5, it can be seen that the stirrup 2 comprises a core 8 composed of a mounting block 9 in which the arm 5 of the shoulder support 4 is inserted by means of a dovetail clamping device 10. Two rods 11 and 12 bent at 90 ° extend on either side of the block 9 in which they are rigidly fixed, these rods ending in a threaded end 13.

The end pieces 13 form the first part of the branches 14 and 15 of the stirrup 2 which also comprises screwing sockets 16 and 17 and rods 18 and 19 which respectively terminate each of the branches 14 and 15 on the table side T of the violin. The lower ends of the rods 18 and 19 are formed by threaded end pieces 20. The rod 18 is bent at 90 ° in the direction of the tailpiece CO and parallel to it to penetrate the base of the chin rest 3 thereby ensuring the fixing on the one hand. This base thus forms one of the table-side attachment members T, of the stirrup 2.

The rod 19, for its part, is screwed into a coupling pad 21, the shape of which appears more particularly in FIGS. 2 and 4.

This tablet includes a recess 22 in which is placed the edge of the table T.

According to the invention, the stirrup 2 is further provided with an additional support piece 23 formed, in the present embodiment, by an additional branch of the stirrup. This branch is composed of a first rod 24 provided with a thread which is screwed into an attachment pad 25 coming to take on the edge of the bottom F of the violin, a threaded sleeve 26 and a second rod 27 bent square and provided with a threaded end piece 28 engaging the sleeve 26, the square-folded portion of the rod 27 being engaged in the chin strap 3 at a certain distance from the rod 18. Here also the base the chin rest therefore acts as a fastening member.

Like the pellet 21, the pellet 25 has a recess 22 in which the edge of the bottom F is placed (FIG. 5). Pads 29, in cork for example, are placed under the chinrest 3 in correspondence with the rods 18 and 27 in order to protect the table T.

It is the same with regard to the pellets 21 and 25, the bottom of the recess 22 also carries such pads (not visible in the drawings).

It will be noted by comparing Figures 4 and 5 that the pad 21 is circular and therefore partially rests on the table T. On the other hand, the pad 25 has a flat 25a which prevents it from rests directly on the bottom F which is too fragile at this point, but only on the bead bordered by the bottom F.

By examining Figures 1 to 5, we see that the entire device of the support 1 is secured to the violin by means of the bracket 2 with three branches, the first two 14 and 15 of which are usual and the third of which comes from mechanically complete the assembly to support the chin rest 3 which can thus, without resulting in excessive stress on the part of the violin, be placed completely to the left of the tailpiece CO, that is to say on the side of the ground rope. Furthermore, it will be noted that the instrumentalist is not hampered by this complementary part formed by the branch 23 since it is fixed in the same way on the violin as the usual branches 14 and 15 of the stirrup, namely by screwing a socket 26.

Figures 7 to 11 show three different embodiments of another form of the additional part, object of the invention.

These embodiments can be used indifferently with or without the construction which has just been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, it can be seen that the support device 30 comprises a stirrup 31, the core 32 of which is formed in one piece with an arm 33 of a shoulder support 34, the construction of which may be identical to that described in the aforementioned French patent application, with the exception of course, of the fixing of the arm 33 in the stirrup. In fact, in the embodiment shown, these two parts form only one and are produced by a single machining operation.

Thanks to these characteristics, a clear simplification of the construction of the support device is obtained, with the advantage that the shoulder support becomes an integral part of the support device and therefore also of the violin in the same way as the chin rest.

The core 32 comprises a plate 35 of roughly trapezoidal shape, the large base 36 of which faces outward. At the ends of this large base 36 extend backwards two extensions 37 bent at right angles to end with threaded ends 38 which cooperate with sockets 39 in a conventional manner.

It will be noted that the assembly of the arm 33, of the plate 35 and of the extensions 37 can be produced from a metal piece of uniform thickness (2 mm, for example), the extensions 37 and the end pieces 38 then being turned. to form cylindrical parts on which one can easily spare the threads of the end pieces 38. These receive sockets 39 into which are screwed rods 40, themselves integral with hooking members 41 (pad or base of the chin rest depending on the case).

We see that this construction reduces the manufacturing cost of the support device.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show another embodiment of the support device according to the invention which comprises a stirrup 50, the core 51 of which has also come from forming with the arm 52 of the shoulder support, while the two elements still came from forming with a crosspiece 53 of this support on the shoulder. In this case, it is therefore not adjustable. In Figures 8 and 9, the cross member is shown without its trim.

The assembly of the stirrup 50, of the arm 52 and of the cross-member 43 is preferably made of a metal admitting a certain deformation, such as aluminum for example, having undergone a special heat treatment.

Figures 10 and 11 show yet another embodiment similar to that of Figures 8 and 9. However, in this case, the arm 61 of the shoulder support is twisted in order to adapt this arm 61 as well as the cross 62 in relation to the violin.

Claims (6)

Shoulder support device for violin of the type comprising: - a clamping bracket (2; 30; 50; 60) intended to be fixed on the respective edges of the table (T) and the bottom (F) of the violin in the vicinity of the tailpiece button (B) thereof, - a chin rest (3) fixed on the stirrup (2; 30; 50; 60) on the side of the table (T), and - a shoulder support (47; 34) connected by an arm (5; 33 ; 52; 61), preferably in an adjustable manner, also fixed to said stirrup on the bottom side of the violin, - Said bracket comprising two uprights (14, 15) of adjustable length to ensure tightening as well as a core (9, 11) connecting these two uprights to one another by coming to bear on the bottom (F) and carrying said shoulder support (47; 34), while on the side of said table (T), said uprights are provided with hooking members (3, 21) coming to bear on the edge of the table , - said shoulder support device being characterized in that said chin strap (3) is disposed off-center relative to the tailpiece button (B), on the side of the ground cord, and in that, - Said stirrup (2; 30; 50, 60) is provided with at least one additional part (23; 35; 51) used for fixing said chin rest (3). Support device according to claim 1, characterized in that said additional part is a third upright (23) of adjustable length extending parallel to the two uprights (14, 15) of the stirrup on the side thereof corresponding to the ground rope, and in that said third upright (23) is provided with a hooking member (25) engaging the edge of the bottom (F) and is fixed in said chin strap (3) which is, by elsewhere, integral with the upright (14) of the stirrup (2) adjacent to the third upright (23). Support device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hooking member (21, 25) of at least one of the uprights is formed by a pellet hollowed out for taking on the edge of the table ( T) and / or the bottom (F) of the violin, and in that a rod (19, 24) forming part of said upright is fixed in said pad. Shoulder support device for violin of the type comprising: - a clamping bracket (2; 31; 50; 60) intended to be fixed on the respective edges of the table (T) and the bottom (F) of the violin in the vicinity of the tailpiece button (B) thereof, - a chin rest (3) fixed to the stirrup (2; 31; 50; 60) on the side of the table (T), and - a shoulder support (47; 34) connected by an arm (5; 33 ; 52; 61), preferably in an adjustable manner, also fixed to said stirrup on the bottom side of the violin, - Said bracket comprising two uprights (14; 15) of adjustable length to ensure tightening as well as a core (9; 11; 32; 51) connecting these two uprights to each other and coming to bear on the bottom (F), while on the side of said table (T), said uprights are provided with hooking members (3; 21) coming to bear on the edge of the table, - said shoulder support device being characterized in that said core (32; 51) is constituted by a support plate (35) provided with two extensions (37) by means of which it is connected respectively to the first and the second upright (38; 39; 40) of the stirrup, and - In that said arm (33; 52; 61) of the shoulder support is rigidly and definitively attached to said support plate. Support device according to claim 4, characterized in that said support plate (35) is made in one piece with the arm (33; 52; 61) of the shoulder support. Support device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said arm (61) is twisted.

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