GB2231191A

GB2231191A - A device for facilitating communication by a person

Info

Publication number: GB2231191A
Application number: GB8903278A
Authority: GB
Inventors: * Atkinson Neville
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-10-04
Filing date: 1989-02-14
Publication date: 1990-11-07
Anticipated expiration: 2009-02-14
Also published as: GB2231191B; GB8903278D0

Abstract

A device for facilitating communication by a person, e.g. playing of a musical instrument. The device comprises a number of electrical contacts A-I disposed on a hand of a person. The electrical contacts are coupled to the musical instrument which is at a remote location. Preferably the musical instrument comprises a drum machine and a keyboard. The wearer of the device, by moving the fingers to touch the thumb, enables contacts to touch, triggering a drum sound or note of the musical instrument. Players are freed from remaining stationary whilst playing the musical instrument. Furthermore, the device enables a player to easily and quickly learn how to play a musical instrument without having to know the playing technique associated with the particular musical instrument. Instead of a musical instrument, a dog whistle, an audio or visual display, or a pyrotechnic device may be triggered. The device may be used for communication by blind, deaf and dumb persons. <IMAGE>

Description

A DEVICE FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATION The present invention relates to a device for facilitating communication and in particular, but not exclusively, to a device for facilitating a musical instrument to be played.

Most musical instruments, such as a drum kit or keyboards, entail the player to be stationary, who is then unable to move freely around a stage. One known device for enabling a musician to move around whilst playing an instrument is an electronic tone generator as described in UK Patent Application No 2029070A. The device taught therein comprises a glove having switches at the fingertips. The switches are coupled to an electronic tone generator attached to the wrist of the glove. A player depresses the appropriate digit against a hard surface in order to play a note. One disadvantage of this device is that the electronic tone generator does not produce very realistic sounds and that other musical instruments cannot be played.

Another known disadvantage with playing a musical instrument is that some require knowledge of playing techniques to enable the instrument to be played easily.

The present invention seeks to provide a device for facilitating playing of a musical instrument.

According to the present invention there is described a device for facilitating communication by a person as claimed in claim 1. Embodiments of the present invention are defined in the remaining appended claims.

By way of example only, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig 1 is a schematic diagram of a right-hand glove and wiring diagrams according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig 2 is a schematic diagram of a left-hand glove and wiring diagram according to the preferred embodiment; Fig 3 is a schematic diagram of a person's hand and wiring diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig 4 is a schematic diagram of the right-hand shown in Fig 1 and an alternative wiring diagram; and Fig 5 is a table illustrating the wiring diagrams of Figs 1 and 2.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figs 1 and 2. The device comprises a glove 2 (right and/or left hand) having a number of electrical contacts 4 disposed at each fingertip, the tip of the thumb, and some along the fingers and thumb.

The electrical contacts 4 may be provided by metal or metallic mixture, such as copper, contact plates or by a conductive polymer.

Each electrical contact 4 is coupled to a communicating means (not shown) by way of wires 6. The wires 6 extend along each finger and thumb, then along the arm of the player. The wires 6 are attached to a 9-pin multicore connection which interfaces into the communicating means.

The electrical contacts 4 are coupled to the 9-pin multicore connection using the internal wiring diagrams and as illustrated in Fig 5.

The device uses pin numbers 1 to 25 on the multicore connection to provide all switching and pad function.

as well as enabling pin numbers 1 to 12 to provide s: keyboard triggering functions. (the later pin numbers being encircled in Figs 1, 2 and 5) In order to access sample sound no. 1, the thumb contact G, having pin number 8, must contact the index finger contact A, having pin number 4, of the tight-hand glove. The multicore connection from the glove couples with the multicore connection of the communication means. Accordingly pin numbers 8 and 4 correspond to numbers 10 and 13 on the multicore connection of the communication means.

In order to access rhythm no. 1, the thumb contact H, having pin number 9. must contact the index finger contact A, having pin number 4, again of the right hand contact. Accordingly pin numbers 9 and 4 from the glove correspond to numbers 4' and 13 respectively of the communication means.

All the rhythm or sample sounds can be played simultaneously by touching contacts A. B, C and D with the thumb contact H or G respectively.

The left-hand glove of the preferred embodiment is used to access a keyboard finger contacts A, B. C and D touch thumb contact G for four lower notes and touch thumb contact H for four higher notes.

The communicating means of the preferred embodiment comprises a drum machine. Each of the electrical contacts 4 correspond to a particular drum such as a snare or bass drum see Fig. 4. The electrical contacts 4 may also be used for triggering pre-recorded patterns or programmes stored in the drum machine. The player merely triggers the particular sounds by contacting one of the contacts on the thumb, with any one of the contacts 4 provided on the fingertips as discussed above.

The thumb is provided with these three contacts so as to increase the number of sounds available. For instance if the drum machine has 6 drum functions, electrical contact N2 can trigger functions 1, 2, 3 and 4 whilst N1 triggers functions 5 and 6 and N3 starts the pre-recorded patterns and is stopped by contact of N1 with contact E.

The electrical contacts 4 may, for example, be coupled to a drum brain such as Simmons SDS8. In this instance the thumb relates to a drum stick and each finger a drum. Touching of the thumb and a finger will trigger the functions of the brain in the Simmons SDS8 to produce the appropriate sound.

The device may also be used to trigger pyrotechnics.

Each contact relates to a particular pyrotechnic device, which are both coupled for example, to a battery charger. On coupling the electrical contacts, a charge sets off the particular pyrotechnic.

The device of the preferred embodiment easily enables the player to play the drum machine without requiring any knowledge of programming the drum machine or drum playing technique. Also it enables the player to play the drum machine from a remote distance, freeing the player to move about. Furthermore, it is particularly useful when coupled to a drum machine, since a more natural response may be produced.

The second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Fig 3. The hand of the musician is prepared in the following fashion; the hand is covered with an oily, non-conductive cream, strips of double backed adhesive tape are positioned down each finger for accommodating the wires; electrical contacts 4 are provided by a layer of conductive paint 8 or conductive polymer at each fingertip and extends along the fingers; and the hand is covered with plastic skin leaving the electrical contacts 4 at the fingertips and other points clear. The conductive paint 8 extends along the fingers and palm to a metal bracket 10. The metal bracket 10 is also coupled to a 9-pin multicore socket.

The device of the present invention is not restricted to playing an instrument but may be coupled to any visual or audio display means. For example, the device may be coupled to an LED display means and/or a voice box and speaker for facilitating communication by blind, deaf and dumb persons or indeed any handicapped person. The visual and/or audio display means may also be sited on a jacket worn by the player giving complete freedom of movement and communication.

A device may also be provided on each hand of the wearer to enable music to be orchestrated. For example, a sampler and keyboard may be coupled to contacts on one hand and a drum machine coupled to the other with each finger relating to a different instrument.

The device also enables wearers who have no experience in playing techniques of some instruments, to easily and quickly learn how to play the instrument using the device. The device also has applications in training animals. The communicating means may comprise an audio display, such as a dog whistle, in the audio range of a particular animal.

The foregoing description has been given by way of example only and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of wires coupling the electrical contacts 4 to the communicating means. a radio or infra-red transmitter may be provided on the wrist of the wearer and a radio or infra-red receiver is coupled to the communicating means. This totally frees the player from the musical instrument.

Claims

CLAIMS:-

1. A device for facilitating communication by a person comprising two or more electrical contacts, means for enabling at least two contacts to be disposed on a hand of the person, whereby moving the hand enables at least two contacts to touch, and each contact is coupled to a communicating means remote from said person.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the means comprises a glove upon which at least two contacts are disposed.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the means comprises a layer of conductive paint thereby providing at least two contacts.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the means comprises a layer of conductive polymer to provide the contacts.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which an electrical contact is disposed on each respective fingertip and at least one contact is disposed on the thumb of the hand.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, in which coupling at least one fingertip with the thumb enables at least two contacts to touch.

7. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which the layer of conductive paint comprises at least one strip extending along each finger.

8. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of wires for enabling each electrical contact to be coupled to the communicating means.

9. A device as claimed in claim 6, in which the plurality of wires extend along the finger and arm of the person.

10. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the communicating means comprises any one of a musical instrument, visual display or audio display or any combination thereof.

11. A device as claimed in claim 8, in which the communicating means is a percussion instrument.

12. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the any one of the accompanying drawings.