GB2446610A - Drumhead clamp assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A drumhead assembly has a natural or synthetic drum skin 6A which is clamped between two ring members 1, 3 prior to attachment to a drum shell. The drum skin is stretched over a first ring member 1 provided with through-holes at intervals in its surface. A second ring member 3 provided with a similar arrangement of through-holes is positioned over the periphery of the drum skin such that the holes in the first and second ring members are aligned. Threaded bolts 3A are inserted through the holes in the two ring members and holes pierced through the skin and secured by means of threaded inserts 1A, clamping the skin between the two ring members. Additional holes may be provided in the second ring member through which a line or string can be looped to enable the drumhead to be attached to a drum shell. Alternatively, the drumhead may be attached by means of lugs and bolts.

Description

Patent Application for: Drumhead clamp

Background

This invention relates to the attachment of a skin to form a drumhead.

Traditionally, this kind of drumhead has involved stitching a skin onto a circular medium, usually rope with loops attached. These loops are then linked with a separate rope laced back and forth to an identical system the other side of the hollow hour-glass shaped drum, forming a double headed drum.

This invention eliminates the stitching thereby saving a great deal of work when re-heading a drum, and also hugely reducing the weakness of the drum incurred by having to stitch the actual skin thereby creating many holes.

Statement of Invention:

This invention overcomes the need for stitching, by a clamp system whereby the skin is clamped between two rings.

Advantages: The weak point created by stitches is thereby eliminated. When a skin does wear out and break, the clamp has just to be unbolted, the skin removed and a new one put in place. This saves a great deal of time, and also more vigorous playing of the instrument can be enjoyed without so much worry of breakage and subsequent downtime.

Example:

An example of the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings. The line looped as in figure 3 is optional: Figure 1 shows Ring A with holes into each of which threaded inserts are fixed (figure Ia) Figure 2 shows Ring A over which a wet skin (6a) has been stretched.

Figure 3 shows Ring B which has matching holes through which bolts (figure 3a) are passed and screwed into the inserts on ring A thereby clamping the skin in between two rings. A hole has been made in the skin to correspond with each bolt. There are also holes drilled into ring 13 only, through which a line is looped, the upper-side of which becomes invisible once the two rings are bolted together to form the skin clamp.

Figure 4 shows the two rings in place clamping the skin which has been stretched over ring A, the edge of the skin now being in between rings A and B, with only the loops from the line showing, and the bolt heads from figure 3a.

Figure 5 is the same as figure 4 except inverted 2.

Figure 6 shows a cut out section profile of the clamp in place with 1.RingA 1 A threaded insert 3 Ring B 3A bolt 6A skin 3.

Claims (4)

1. Claims 1. A drumhead clamp system for attaching a druinhead (synthetic

   or natural skin) to a frame.
2. 2. System within claim I whereby a skin is stretched over a ring, a hole is pierced through the skin to correlate with a bolt which passes through a second ring, through the pierced skin and is screwed into the first ring thereby forming a clamp.
3. 3. Within the second ring as mentioned in claim 2, a series of holes have been drilled through which such as but not limited to fishing line has been looped which then provides a medium for connecting the entire clamp to a drum.
4. 4. Alternatively, loops may not be used, but alternative systems for attaching the preformed clamp system to a drum such as lugs, bolts or any other tuning device.