GB2194853A - Music box - Google Patents

Abstract

A music box has a panel of wood, for example the lid 9, with a cavity 12 enclosed in the panel. A sound making device 6 is set inside the cavity. The device 6 is preferably a music making device switched by a certain level of illumination. The wall 13 of the cavity 12 is thinner than the wall 14, light entering the cavity via the thinner wall 13 and activating the sound making device. The cavity 12 functions as an amplifier/resonator combination. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Music box The present invention concerns a music box and a panel of wood therefor.

Patent Specification U.S. 4537109 discloses a music making device.

In one aspect the invention provides a panel of wood for a music box with a cavity enclosed in the panel and a sound making device set inside the cavity.

In another aspect the invention provides a wooden and lidded box arrangement with a melody sounding function, including a box body open on one face, and a lid openably attached to the opening on the one face of the body, in which: a wood panel forming a part of the body or the lid has been cut into two portions along the grain of the wood, a recess has been formed in one or both of the cut faces such that one wall of the or each recess is thinner than the other, a melody sounding means has been inserted into the or one of the recesses, the means being capable of producing a melody upon sensing light, and the two portions have been joined together along their cut faces.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure l is a perspective view of a music box; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line Il-lI of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the lid divided into two portions; and Figure 4 is a plan view showing a music making device or melody sounding means.

Referring first to Fig. 4, a light responsive switch 1 is provided for effecting repeated ON-OFF switching in response to a light sensor for sensing a certain level of illumination, and a sound or music making or melody sounding circuit 2 is provided, which is formed of a multi-vibrator or oscillating circuit with the use of, e.g. transistors. Use of an integrated circuit enables the melody circuit 2 to be small and thin. A certain sound or melody may be generated by regulating the oscillating frequency or amplitude, or alternatively synthesizing sound pf varied oscillating frequencies and amplitudes. There are a speaker 3, formed of a thin sound generator such as one based on piezoelectric ceramics, and a thin battery 4.The light responsive switch 1, melody circuit 2, speaker 3 and battery 4 are arranged and connected to one another on a thin sheet 5 of plastics, thereby forming a music making device or a melody sounding means 6. The light sensitive switch 1 is ON when a certain amount of light falls on it thereby causing the melody circuit 2 to be operated to generate from the speaker 3 predetermined sounds for a predetermined period of time.

Fig. 1 shows a box arrangement formed of wood panels, in which the melody sounding means 6 is enclosed. The box arrangement comprises a body 8 which is open on its upper face and has therein an accommodating chamber 7, and a lid 9 openably attached to the opening on the upper face of the body 8.

The shape and size of the box arrangement and the attachment structure of the lid are not critical for carrying out the present invention, and may be subject to any change of design making use of that of known art.

Prior to assembling of the aforesaid box arrangement, a wood panel forming the lid 9 is cut into two portions along the grain 10, as shown in Fig. 3, and suitable portions of the resulting cut faces 11 are recessed at 12. The formation of recesses 12 is carried out in a eccentric manner, i.e. in such a manner that a wall 13 of the panel located on the side of the accommodating chamber 7 is thinner than the wall 14 located on the outer side.

The groove 12 is of a size large enough to accommodate the melody sounding means 6.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the sheet 5 of the melody sounding means 6 is fixedly inserted within the recess 12. Alternatively, a'bonding agent may be applied onto the rear face of the sheet 5 for fixedly bonding the melody sounding means 6 to an inner wall of the recess 12.

After the melody sounding means 6 has been fixedly provided within the recess 12, the panel portions forming the lid 9 are joined to each other in face 11 to face 11 relation by means of an adhesive to form a single recess or cavity enclosed in the panel. The melody sounding means 6 may instead be enclosed in a wood panel forming part of the body 8. However, there is a possibility that the accommodation of an object in the chamber 7 may lead to shielding of-light. Thus, preferable results are obtained, if the melody sounding means 6 is enclosed in the recess 12 formed in the wood panel forming the lid 9. The melody sounding means 6 is enclosed in the wood panel with the light sensitive switch 1 located closer to the thinner wall 13 of the wood panel in the recess 12. The melody sounding means 6 is enclosed in the recess 12 with a space 15 therearound.

According to the box arrangement constructed as mentioned in the foregoing, when the lid is opened, and a certain amount of light falls on the switch 1 through the thinner wall 13 of the wood panel, a certain melody for a certain period of time is played. Closing the lid 9 then cuts off the generation of that melody.

Thus, a wooden and lidded box arrangement is provided which can be of a great interest, in which the cut portions are not exposed to view because of the grain of wood, so that the melody sounding means is completely kept from sight.

In the prior art, since the voltage of battery 4 incorporated into the melody sounding means 6 is so low that some limitation is imposed upon the volume of sound given out by the speaker 3, such as a piezoelectric buzzer, there is a disadvantage that the generated sound is extremely low depending upon the object applied, so that only in insufficient sound effect is obtained. However, with the melody sounding means enclosed in a recess or cavity formed in the wood panel, the recess or cavity functions as a sort of an amplifier/resonator combination in association with the aforesaid space 15. In this manner, it is possible to obtain a volume of sound that has not been available in the prior art. Furthermore, the resulting sound, which may approximate to a metallic sound, is modified by the space defined in the recess into a sound of improved and very interesting quality.

Claims (4)

1. A panel of wood with a cavity enclosed in the panel and a sound making device set inside the cavity.

2. A music box having a panel of wood as claimed in Claim 1.

3. A wooden and lidded box arrangement with a melody sounding function, including a box body open on- one face, and a lid openably attached to the opening on the one face of the body, in which: a wood panel forming a part of the body or the lid has been cut into two portions along the grain of the wood, a recess has been formed in one or both of the cut faces such that one wall of the or each recess is thinner than the other, a melody sounding means has been inserted into the or one of the recess, the means being capable of producing a melody upon sensing light, and the two portions have been joined together along their cut faces.

4. A music box substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.