GB2211648A

GB2211648A - Guitar strap attachment

Info

Publication number: GB2211648A
Application number: GB8824783A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Stuart Higgins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-10-23
Filing date: 1988-10-21
Publication date: 1989-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-21
Also published as: GB2211648B; GB8724888D0; GB8824783D0

Abstract

A guitar strap attachment comprises an attachment member (1) having first attachment means (2) at one end for attachment to a guitar strap (23), an aperture (7) for cooperation with the head of a button stud (25) on the guitar (20) and second attachment means (4) for the attachment of a wire or cable (26) to the attachment member (1). The wire or cable may connect to a microphone. <IMAGE>

Description

GUITAR STRAP ATTACHMENT This invention relates to a guitar strap attachment.

A guitar is a musical instrument which is usually played against the chest of the musician. For this reason, it requires to be supported so that the musician's hands are free and this is achieved by means of a strap which is attached to opposite ends of the sounding box of instrument and is passed around the back and one shoulder of the musician. The usual method of attachment of the strap to the instrument is by means of two button studs which cooperate with button holes at either end of the strap.

While this works satisfactorily when the strap is new and relatively stiff, after a little while, the strap softens and it is relatively easy for the button studs to pass through the button holes, detaching the strap from the guitar. If the strap comes off while the instrument is being played, apart from interrupting the music, the guitar can be dropped and become seriously damaged.

Also, where an electric guitar is being used or where the guitar is carrying a microphone, the guitar has, of necessity, a trailing wire or cable. Without proper control of this wire or cable, the wire or cable can get in the way, seriouisly impeding the playing of the instrument.

One solution to this problem lies in tucking the cable between the carrying strap and the sounding box near to the attachment point but this is not really satisfactory since it does not really hold the wire or cable and makes the problem of premature detachment of the guitar strap worse.

The present invention seeks to provide a guitar attachment which is relatively inexpensive to produce, which is easy to use and which reduces or obviates some or all of the above disadvantages.

According to the invention, a guitar strap attachment comprises an attachment member having first attachment means at one end for attachment to a guitar strap, an aperture for cooperation with the head of a button stud on the guitar and second attachment means for the attachment of a wire or cable to the attachment member.

Preferably, the attachment member is a substantially rigid plastics moulding.

The aperture may be in the form of a keyhole type slot, the wider part being of substantially the same diameter as the head of the button stud and the remainder or narrower portion of the slot being of a width less than the diameter of the head of the button stud but substantially the same as the diameter of the stem of the button stud.

The first attachment means may comprise a slot in the attachment member through which a loop in the end of the guitar strap can pass and the second attachment means may comnprise a flexible strap member attached permanently at one end to the attachment member and releasably attached to the attachment member at the other end so as to form a loop through which the wire or cable can pass.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a guitar strap attachment in accordance with the invention with the wire or cable retainer in closed condition; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a guitar strap attachment in accordance with the invention with the wire or cable retainer in open condition, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of one end of a guitar fitted with the guitar strap attachment shown in figures 1 and 2.

Referring firstly to figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, one form of guitar strap attachment in accordance with the invention is shown. The guitar strap attachment 1 is moulded from a suitable hard wearing and, in the form shown, generally rigid plastics material such as polypropylene. It is generally of triangular shape with an attachment slot 2 along one side 3 of the triangle and a flexible extension piece 4 extending from the opposite apex 5 of the triangle.

In the central area of the attachment, there is provided a key hole type aperture 7. This aperture 7 comprises a circular portion 10 leading into a parallel sided portion 11 which in turn leads into a second, smaller diameter circular portion 12. At the end of this second circular portion 12 is a second parallel sided portion 14 of a width smaller than that of the first parallel sided portion 12.

The flexible extension piece 4 is formed with a "T" shaped end by the provision of a cross piece 15 which cooperates with the second parallel sided portion 14 to provide a wire or cable retainer as will be explained thereafter.

Figure 3 shows one end of a guitar 20 having a sounding box 21 and a guitar strap 23. Only the attachment of the guitar strap at the bottom end of the sounding box 21 is shown, the attachment at the other end being of similar design. The guitar 20 is provided with a button stud 25 for attachment of the strap 23.

The method of attaching the strap attachment 1 to the guitar 20 will now be described together with its action in securing the wire or cable 26: The guitar attachment 1 is firstly attached to the guitar strap 23. This may be either a permanent attachment with the guitar strap passing through the slot 2, being folded back on itself to form a loop which may be secured, for example by stitching, or, if the loop in the guitar strap 23 is formed as a buckled arrangement, the attachment 1 is detachable.

Prior to the attachment of the guitar strap 23 to the guitar 20, the wire or cable 26 is secured to the guitar strap attachment 1. This is achieved by laying the wire or cable 26 across the centre part of the flexible extension 4 which is then folded round the wire or cable to form a loop. The free end of the extension 4 provided with the cross piece 15 is inserted in the larger width circular part 10 of the keyhole slot 7 so that the cross piece 15 protrudes from the other side of the attachment 1. Then the loop is pulled backwards so that the extension 4 enters the reduced width portions 11 and 12 of the slot. It will be appreciated that the loop cannot now be pulled out since the cross piece 15 is too wide to pass through the slot at this point. Finally it enters the narrowest part 14 of the slot.This part of the slot is arramged to be only slightly wider than the width of the extension 4 so that the extension 4 fits snugly therein. It will be understood that, in this position it in no way obstructs the remaining larger parts 10, 11 and 12 of the slot 7.

Then the circular part 10 of the slot or aperture 7, which is of larger diameter than the head of the button stud 25, is passed over the button stud 25 and the strap is pulled to force the button stud into the smaller width slot 11, this slot 11 being slightly narrower than the stem of the button stud 25 to ensure a tight fit. Further movement of the stud along the slot 7 will bring it into the second circular portion 12 which, being slightly wider than the diameter of the stem, will maintain the stem therein and allow the attachment to swivel thereon. In this way the strap 23 will be firmly attached to the guitar 20. The weight of the guitar will assist in retaining the attachment member 4 in this position. It will be appreciated that the stud 25, in this position, blocks the entrance to the smallest slot 14 and thus prevents an accidental release of the wire or cable.

Detachment of the strap is carried out by a reversed procedure.

As mentioned previously, a second attachment of similar design may be used at the other end of the strap and this other attachment may be provided with or without the wire or cable attachment means as desired.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, although the attachment has been shown as triangular, any other suitable shape such as rectangular square or circular could be used. The attachment of the strap to the attachment member coud be varied by forming a double slot arrangement so that the attachment member acts as a buckle.

Although the attachment member has been described as being substantially rigid and moulded from plastics material, other materials, eg. flexible materials such as leather, could be used. The type of the aperture 7 could be varied depending on the material used. Thus, for example, it could take the form of a relatively small circular aperture with a radiai slit extending therefrom, the slit being long enough to accomodate both the stud and the extension 4. Instead of a cross piece, any other type of head could be used which is larger than the extension itself and will not pass through the narrower portions of the aperture 7.

Where it is desired for the extension to form a fairly tight fit around the wire or cable, the cross piece could be such that it can be twisted round against the natural resilience of the extension so that it can be pushed through the narrower parts of the slot. Then, once it has passed through the slot, the resilience of the extension would rotate the cross piece into its original orientation so that it takes up a position transverse to the slot.

From the above, it will be seen that the described embodiments of the invention provide a guitar strap attachment which can be both cheap to produce and easy to use.

Claims

1. A guitar strap attachment comprising an attachment member having first attachment means at one end for attachment to a guitar strap, an aperture for cooperation with the head of a button stud on the guitar and second attachment means for the attachment of a wire or cable to the attachment member.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment member is a substantially rigid plastics moulding.

3. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the aperture is in the form of a keyhole type slot, the wider part being of substantially the same diameter as the head of the button stud and the remainder or narrower portion of the slot being of a width less than the diameter of the head of the button stud but substantially the same as the diameter of the stem of the button stud.

4. An attachment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the narrower part of the slot is of a width very slightly narrower than the diameter of the stem of stud and ends in a slightly enlarged portion slightly wider than the diameter of the stem of the stud.

5. An attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first attachment means comprises a slot in the attachment member through which a loop in the end of the guitar-strap can pass.

6. An attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first attachment means comprises a pair of slots through both of which the end of a guitar strap can pass so that the attachment can be attached to the guitar strap in the form of a buckle.

7. An attachment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second attachment means comnprises a flexible strap member attached permanently at one end to the attachment member and releasably attached to the attachment member at the other end so as to form a loop through which the wire or cable can pass.

8. An attachment as claimed in claim 7, wherein the flexible strap member comprises a "T" shaped end which cooperates with a narrow slot extending out of the narrow end of the aperture.

9. A guitar strap attachment substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.