TWI850032B - Kalimba - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a Kalimba, comprising a box body, an elastic mechanism, a limiting component, a latching mechanism, and a set of tines. The box body has a continuous surrounding wall with a bottom plate at its base, forming a chamber between the surrounding wall and the bottom plate. The surrounding wall has an open opening on its top and a movable top plate is positioned within the open opening and the chamber. The surrounding wall is provided with a hole. The elastic mechanism comprises a first spring, one end of which is connected to the top plate, and the other end is connected to the bottom plate. One end of the limiting component is connected to the top plate, and the other end forms a free end with a latching structure on it. The latching mechanism consists of a rod body and a second spring, wherein the front end of the rod body has a latching portion, and the rod body has a front protrusion and a rear protrusion. The rod body is inserted through the hole in the surrounding wall. The set of tines is arranged on top of the top plate, which is held in place at the position of the open opening to close it under the action of the first spring, forming a closed resonance chamber. At this time, the set of tines can be played. When external force pushes the top plate down into the chamber, the latching portion of the rod body latches onto the latching structure of the limiting component. The first spring is loaded with energy, and at this moment, the top plate and the set of tines are stored and protected inside the box body. Releasing the latching portion, the first spring releases its energy, pushing the top plate back to the open opening.

Description

Kalimba

This case concerns a kalimba, particularly a kalimba that can protect the keys and facilitate storage and transportation.

Generally, the keys of kalimbas on the market are exposed on the surface. The size of a kalimba is small and it can be moved by hand, which is very convenient. However, it is often accidentally dropped, causing damage to the keys and making it impossible to play. Moreover, the exposed keys may accidentally hurt people when not being played. In addition, the keys exposed on the surface are not easy to stack during transportation. They are easily damaged due to the heavy weight of the stacked keys or the shaking and collision during transportation. They are also difficult to stack during storage. Therefore, how to provide a kalimba that is easy to store, transport and well protected is the main subject of the present invention.

The present invention provides a kalimba that can be well stored, protect the person and the keys when used by an individual, and can also save space and reduce the damage rate when stored and transported in large quantities.

The present invention provides a kalimba, comprising: a box, an elastic mechanism, a limiting member, a latch mechanism, and a key set, wherein the box has a continuous surrounding wall, a bottom plate is provided at the bottom of the surrounding wall, a containing chamber is formed between the surrounding wall and the bottom plate, an opening is provided on the top of the surrounding wall, a top plate is movably provided at the opening, the top plate can move in the opening and the containing chamber, and a hole is provided in the surrounding wall; the elastic mechanism has a first spring, one end of the first spring is connected to the top plate, and the other end of the first spring is connected to the bottom plate; the limiting member has one end connected to the top plate and the other end is a free end, and a latch structure is provided on the limiting member; the latch mechanism has a rod body and a The second spring has a latching portion at the front end of the rod, a front convex portion and a rear convex portion on the rod, the rod is inserted into the hole of the surrounding wall, the front convex portion and the latching portion of the rod are in the box, the rear convex portion of the rod is outside the box, and the second spring is between the front convex portion and the surrounding wall; the key assembly is arranged on the top plate; the top plate is supported by the first The top of the spring is supported and positioned at the position of the opening to close the opening, and the box body forms a closed resonant box chamber to become a resonance cavity. The top plate is moved down to the position in the chamber by external force, and the latching part of the rod body is latched in the latching structure of the limiting part. The first spring is stressed and stores energy, and the latching part is released. The first spring releases energy to push the top plate to the opening.

In one embodiment, the kalimba of the present invention includes a sleeve, the limiting member is a hollow tube, the latch structure is an opening, the inner diameter of the sleeve is larger than the outer diameter of the hollow tube, the bottom end of the sleeve is fixed to the bottom plate, and the upper end is a free end, the hollow tube and the sleeve are telescopically overlapped together, one end of the first spring is in the hollow tube, and the other end is in the sleeve, the sleeve has a through hole, and at least a portion of the latch portion of the rod body passes through the through hole.

In one embodiment, the front end of the locking portion of the rod has an upper inclined surface, and the lower end of the limiting member has a lower inclined surface corresponding to the upper inclined surface.

In one embodiment, the rear protrusion of the rod body has an internal thread, the rear end of the rod body has an external thread, and the rear protrusion is threadedly connected to the rear end of the rod body.

In one embodiment, the surrounding walls are surrounded by a flange inwardly, and the top plate has a notch edge at the upper part of the surrounding area, and the notch edge corresponds to the shape of the flange.

In one embodiment, the kalimba of the present invention comprises a rail and a sliding sleeve, wherein the upper end of the rail is fixed to the top plate and the lower end is a free end, the sliding sleeve is fixed to the surrounding walls, and the rail is linearly slidable in the sliding sleeve.

In one embodiment, the kalimba of the present invention includes a cover plate, the top plate and the key set are moved down into the chamber, and the cover plate covers the opening.

In one embodiment, the kalimba of the present invention includes a buckle set, which has a first buckle and a second buckle. The first buckle and the second buckle can be separably combined together. The first buckle and the second buckle are respectively arranged at relative positions of the top plate and the surrounding walls. The first buckle and the second buckle are magnets with opposite magnetic poles, or one of the first buckle and the second buckle is a magnet and the other is iron or iron-containing metal.

Effects of the invention:

1. When the present invention is played, the top plate closes the opening to form a closed resonant box with the inside of the box, and the chamber becomes a resonance cavity, so that the timbre produced when playing is better, the volume is larger, and the sound can be transmitted better.

2. The top plate and the key set of the present invention can be moved between the opening and the containing chamber of the box. When playing, the top plate is closed to allow the key set to be placed on the surface of the box. After playing, the key set is moved to the containing chamber of the box for storage, and then the cover plate is placed on the opening to close the opening. The key set can be protected from damage during placement or movement, and the keys can also be prevented from hurting people.

3. When the keyboard set of the present invention is stored in the container of the box, it can be better stacked during large-scale storage or transportation. In addition to the protection function, it can also reduce the volume or material, facilitate storage and transportation, and improve economic benefits.

In order to enable the examiner to have a further understanding of the features and characteristics of the present invention, the following preferred embodiments are listed and illustrated with drawings as follows:

1 to 3 , the present invention is a kalimba 100 , which includes a housing 10 , an elastic mechanism 20 , a limiting member 30 , a latch mechanism 40 and a key set 50 .

In one embodiment, the box body 10 has a continuous surrounding wall 11, and the bottom of the surrounding wall 11 has a bottom plate 111, a chamber 12 is formed between the surrounding wall 11 and the bottom plate 111, and an opening 13 is provided on the top of the surrounding wall, and a top plate 14 is movably provided at the opening 13, and the top plate 14 can move between the opening 13 and the chamber 12, and a sound hole 16 is provided on the bottom plate, and the sound hole 16 can make the sound be transmitted better. The sound hole 16 can be provided outside the bottom plate 111, and can also be provided on the top plate 14 or the surrounding wall 11. In addition, the surrounding wall 11 has a hole 112.

In one embodiment, the elastic mechanism 20 has a first spring 21, one end of the first spring 21 is connected to the top plate 14, and the other end of the first spring 21 is connected to the bottom plate 111. In one embodiment, the first spring is a compression spring, and other springs may also be used in other embodiments.

In one embodiment, one end of the limiting member 30 is connected to the top plate 14 and the other end is a free end. A latch structure 31 is disposed on the limiting member 30 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , in an embodiment, the kalimba 100 of the present invention includes four sets of rails 70 and sleeves 71, each rail 70 corresponds to a sleeve 71, the upper ends of the four rails 70 are respectively fixed to the four corners of the top plate 14, and the lower ends are free ends, and the four sleeves 71 are respectively fixed to the surrounding walls 11 at positions corresponding to the four rails 70, and the rails 70 are linearly slid in the sleeves 71. By setting the rails 70 and the sleeves 71, the top plate 14 can be smoother during the up and down movement, and will not interfere with the surrounding walls 11.

The latch mechanism 40 has a rod 41 and a second spring 42. The front end of the rod 41 has a latch portion 43. The rod has a front protrusion 44 and a rear protrusion 45. The rod 41 is inserted into the hole 112 of the surrounding wall 11. The front protrusion 44 and the latch portion 43 of the rod are in the box 10. The rear protrusion 45 of the rod is outside the box 10. The rear protrusion 45 has an internal thread 451. The rear end of the rod has a thread that is aligned with the internal thread 45. 1 corresponding to the outer thread 452, the rear convex part 45 is screwed to the rear end of the rod body 41 through the inner thread 451 and the outer thread 452, and the second spring 42 is between the front convex part 44 and the surrounding wall 11. During assembly, the rear end of the rod body 41 passes through the hole 112 of the surrounding wall 11 from the chamber 12 of the box body 10, and then the rear convex part 45 is combined with the rear end of the rod body 41 from the outside of the box body 10. The use of such a structure is conducive to the speed and convenience of assembly. In addition, the second spring 42 adopts a compression spring, and other springs can also be used in other embodiments.

In one embodiment, the key set 50 is composed of a plurality of keys. The material of the key set 50 can be metal such as stainless steel or other iron-containing metals. The structure and characteristics of the key set are not the focus of this case and will not be elaborated here. The key set 50 is disposed on the top plate 14. The top plate 14 is supported by the first spring 21 and is kept at the position of the opening 13 when the top plate 14 is not subjected to a downward external force, so as to close the opening 13. When the opening 13 is closed, the box body 10 forms a closed resonance box, and the chamber 12 becomes a resonance cavity. The sound generated by playing the key set 50 resonates with the resonance cavity formed by the chamber 12 to amplify the sound effect. On the other hand, when a downward external force is applied to the top plate 14, the top plate 14 moves downward into the chamber 12 and compresses the first spring 21. The first spring 21 stores energy after being compressed. As the top plate 14 moves downward into the chamber 12, the key set 50 disposed on the top plate 14 also moves downward into the chamber 12 to be accommodated. , and the limiting member 30 also moves downward along with the top plate 14 and contacts the latching portion 43 of the rod 41. After the rod 41 contacts the limiting member 30, it moves backward (to the right side of FIG. 3 ) and squeezes the second spring 42 to store energy. When the latching structure 31 of the limiting member 30 moves downward to the same level as the latching portion 43 of the rod 41, When the limiting member 30 is in the position, the second spring 42 is released so that the latching portion 43 of the rod 41 can be latched in the latching structure 31 of the limiting member 30 to fix the limiting member 30 in the position, and the top plate 14 and the key set 50 are kept in the chamber 12 to accommodate the key set 50. In the embodiment (see FIG. 3 ), the front end of the latching portion 43 has an upper inclined surface 431, and the lower end of the limiting member 30 has a lower inclined surface 301 corresponding to the upper inclined surface 431. When the limiting member 30 contacts the latching portion 43, the upper inclined surface 431 and the lower inclined surface 301 make the contact between the two smoother, which is not easy to damage the components and can also reduce the sound generated during the contact. When the key set 50 is to be played, the rear protrusion 45 of the rod 41 is pulled backward (to the right side of FIG. 4 ) to release the latch portion 43 and separate it from the latch structure 31 . At this time, the first spring 21 releases energy. After the first spring 21 releases energy, the top plate 14 is pushed upward to the position of the opening 13 and closes the opening 13 . The key set 50 then moves upward to the top of the box 10 along with the top plate 14 .

In one embodiment, a flange 113 is formed around the upper end of the surrounding wall 11, and a notch edge 141 is formed around the upper part of the top plate 14. The notch edge 141 corresponds to the shape of the flange 113. When the top plate 14 is supported by the first spring 21 and closes the opening 13 without being subjected to a downward external force, the notch edge 141 is engaged with the flange 113. With such a structural combination, there is no gap between the surrounding wall 11 and the top plate 14, and the transmission of vibration is not affected. Therefore, the sound produced by the key set 50 can be accurately transmitted to the resonance box formed by the box body 10, and the sound is perfectly amplified and transmitted.

In one embodiment, the kalimba 100 of the present invention includes a sleeve 60, and the limiting member 30 is a hollow tube 302, and the latch structure 31 is an opening. The inner diameter of the sleeve 60 is larger than the outer diameter of the hollow tube 302. The bottom end of the sleeve 60 is fixed to the bottom plate 111, and the upper end is a free end. The hollow tube 302 and the sleeve 60 are telescopically overlapped together, so that the hollow tube 302 can move up and down. The first spring 21 is inserted into the sleeve 60 and the hollow tube 302, one end of which is in the hollow tube 302, and the other end is in the sleeve 60. The sleeve 60 has a through hole 61 in the radial direction, and at least a portion of the latch portion 43 of the rod 41 passes through the through hole 61. When the hollow tube 302 moves downward to the same horizontal position as the latch structure 31 (opening) and the latch portion 43 of the rod 41, the latch portion 43 is latched in the latch structure 31 (opening) to fix the hollow tube 302. The sleeve 60 can stabilize and limit the hollow tube 302 and the first spring 21, and the through hole 61 has a stabilizing effect on the rod 41, so that the latch portion 43 of the rod 41 will not swing or deform when contacting the limiting member 30.

Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. In one embodiment, the kalimba 100 of the present invention includes a cover 80 and a buckle set 90. The buckle set 90 has a first buckle 91 and a second buckle 92. The first buckle 91 and the second buckle 92 can be separably combined together. The first buckle 91 and the second buckle 92 are respectively arranged at relative positions of the cover 80 and the surrounding wall 11. In the embodiment, the first buckle 91 and the second buckle 92 are combined by magnetic force. The first buckle 91 and the second buckle 92 are set to magnets with different magnetic poles, or one of the first buckle 91 and the second buckle 92 is a magnet, and the other is iron or iron-containing metal. When the top plate 14 and the key set 50 are moved downward into the chamber 12 by external force, the opening 13 is in an open state. At this time, the cover plate 80 can be used to cover the opening 13 to seal it. The first buckle 91 on the cover plate 80 is connected to the second buckle 92 on the surrounding wall 11 by magnetic force, so that the cover plate 80 can more firmly seal the opening 13. The opening 13 is closed by the cover plate 80 to protect the key set 50 accommodated in the chamber 12 from damage. The overall structure is relatively complete, the appearance is quite beautiful, and it is also quite convenient to collect and stack.

The above is an introduction to the components and features of a kalimba 100 provided in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and then its usage features are described as follows:

When the kalimba 100 of the present invention is played, the sound generated by pressing the keyboard set 50 is transmitted to the chamber 12 of the closed box 10 to generate resonance, thereby amplifying the sound effect and making it more pleasant to listen to. When in use, the top plate 14 and the key set 50 are raised to the top plate 14 to close the opening 13 of the box body 10. When the playing is finished and it is to be stored, force is applied to push the top plate 14 downward, and the key set 50 located on the top plate 14 and the limiting member 30 below will move downward into the receiving chamber 12 of the box body 10 along with the top plate 14. The top plate 14 is continuously applied with force to lower the limiting member 30 until it contacts the front end of the rod 41 of the latch mechanism 40, and the rod 41 is squeezed backward to store the second spring 42. When the latch structure 31 of the limiting member 30 and the front end latching portion 43 of the rod 41 are at the same horizontal position, the second spring 42 releases energy to latch the two together. Together, at this time, the position of the limiting member 30, the top plate 14 and the key set are fixed and accommodated in the accommodation chamber 12, and the opening 13 is in an open state, and then the cover plate 80 is covered on the opening 13 to close it to protect the key set 50 placed in the accommodation chamber 12, and avoid damage to the key set 50 and personnel during storage or movement. When playing, the cover plate 80 is removed to make the opening 13 open, and then the rear protrusion 45 of the latch mechanism 40 is pulled backward to release the latch part 43, and the first spring 21 releases energy to push the top plate 14 upward to the position of the opening 13 to close it, and drive the key set 50 back to the top of the box body 10 for playing.

The above disclosure is only the preferred embodiment provided by the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. All equivalent changes made by relevant technical personnel in the technical field based on the present invention should fall within the scope covered by the present invention.

100: Kalimba 10: Box 20: Elastic mechanism 30: Limiting member 40: Latch mechanism 50: Keyboard 11: Surrounding walls 111: Bottom plate 12: Chamber 13: Opening 14: Top plate 112: Hole 21: First spring 31: Latch structure 70: Rail 71: Sliding sleeve 41: Rod body 42: Second spring 43: Latch part 44: Front protrusion 45: Rear protrusion 451: Inner thread 452: Outer thread 431: Upper slope 301: Lower slope 113: Flange 141: Notch edge 60: sleeve 61: through hole 80: cover plate 90: fastener set 91: first fastener 92: second fastener 302: hollow tube 16: sound hole

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the appearance of the kalimba of the present invention in one state. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the appearance of the kalimba of the present invention in another state. FIG. 3 is a 3-3 cross-sectional line diagram of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a 4-4 cross-sectional line diagram of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the appearance of another embodiment of the kalimba of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a 6-6 cross-sectional line diagram of FIG. 5.

100:Kalimba

10: Cabinet

20: Elastic mechanism

30: Restricted items

40: latch mechanism

50: Keyboard set

11: Surrounding walls

111: Base plate

12: Room

13: Open mouth

14: Top plate

112: Hole

21: First spring

31: latch structure

70: Rails

71: Sliding sleeve

41: Rod

42: Second spring

43: Clamping part

44: Anterior convex part

45: Posterior convexity

451: Internal thread

452: External thread

431: Upper slope

301: Lower slope

113: flange

141: Gap Fate

60: Casing

61:Through hole

92: Second buckle

302: Hollow tube

16: Sound hole

Claims (13)

A kalimba comprises: a box body, the box body has a continuous surrounding wall, the bottom of the surrounding wall has a bottom plate, a containing room is formed between the surrounding wall and the bottom plate, the top of the surrounding wall has an opening, a top plate is movably provided at the opening, the top plate can move in the opening and the containing room, and the surrounding wall has a hole; an elastic mechanism, the elastic mechanism has a first spring, one end of the first spring is connected to the top plate, and the other end of the first spring is connected to the bottom plate; a limiting member, one end of the limiting member is connected to the top plate, and the other end is a free end, and a latch structure is provided on the limiting member; A latch mechanism, the latch mechanism has a rod and a second spring, the front end of the rod has a latch part, the rod has a front convex part and a rear convex part, the rod is inserted into the hole of the surrounding wall, the front convex part and the latch part of the rod are in the box, the rear convex part of the rod is outside the box, and the second spring is between the front convex part and the surrounding wall; A keyboard set, the keyboard set is arranged on the top plate; The top plate is supported by the first spring and is located at the position of the opening to close the opening. The box body forms a closed resonant box. The top plate moves down into the chamber. The latching part of the rod body is latched in the latching structure of the limiting member. The first spring is stressed and stores energy. The latching part is released. The first spring releases energy to push the top plate to the opening. A kalimba as described in item 1 of the patent application, wherein the limiting member is a hollow tube. The kalimba as described in item 2 of the patent application, includes a sleeve, the inner diameter of the sleeve is larger than the outer diameter of the hollow tube, the bottom end of the sleeve is fixed to the bottom plate, and the upper end is a free end, the hollow tube and the sleeve are telescopically stacked together, one end of the first spring is in the hollow tube, and the other end is in the sleeve, the sleeve has a through hole, and at least a part of the locking portion of the rod passes through the through hole. A kalimba as described in any one of items 1 to 3 of the patent application scope, wherein the front end of the locking portion of the rod body has an upper inclined surface. As described in item 4 of the patent application scope, the kalimba has a lower slope at the lower end of the limiting member corresponding to the upper slope. As described in item 4 of the patent application scope, the kalimba, wherein the latch structure is an opening. As described in item 1 of the patent application scope, the kalimba, wherein the rear convex portion of the rod body has an internal thread, the rear end of the rod body has an external thread, and the rear convex portion is screwed to the rear end of the rod body. A kalimba as described in any one of item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the surrounding walls are surrounded inwardly with a flange, and the upper part of the top plate has a notch edge, and the notch edge corresponds to the shape of the flange. The kalimba as described in item 1 of the patent application scope includes a rail and a sliding sleeve, wherein the upper end of the rail is fixed to the top plate and the lower end is a free end, the sliding sleeve is fixed to the surrounding walls, and the rail is linearly slidable in the sliding sleeve. The kalimba as described in item 1 of the patent application scope includes a cover plate, the top plate and the key set are moved down into the chamber, and the cover plate covers the opening. The kalimba as described in item 10 of the patent application scope includes a buckle set, which has a first buckle and a second buckle. The first buckle and the second buckle can be separably combined together, and the first buckle and the second buckle are respectively arranged at relative positions of the top plate and the surrounding walls. The kalimba as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the first fastener and the second fastener are magnets with opposite magnetic poles. As for the kalimba described in item 11 of the patent application scope, one of the first fastener and the second fastener is a magnet, and the other is iron or iron-containing metal.