US1959169A - Musical cane - Google Patents

Description

MUSICAL GANE Filed July 20, 1935 Patented May 15, 1934 MUSICAL CANE Pasqualle Marinacci and Salvatore Bonacci, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application July 20, 1933, Serial No. 681,336 y 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a musical cane having a relatively movable handle and a sound-producing device incorporatedtherein in such manner that when the handle is moved in one direction it will cause the operation of said device.

The main object is toprovide a cane of inconspicuous construction composed of coaxial sections telescopically assembled for relative axial movement and to conceal within one of the sections a pneumatic sound-producing device (preferably musical) adapted to be operated by the relative axial movement of the sections.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cane embodying the various features of my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional View of the upper portion of the cane taken on line 2 2, Figure 1.`

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken in the plane of line 3 3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of the upper portion of a modied form of the handle section on a smaller scale than that shown in Figure 2.

As illustrated, this cane comprises an elongated downwardly tapered ground-engaging section 1, a handle section 2, and a sound-producing device 3.

The upper portion of the section 1 is cylindrical and is provided with a reduced upwardly projecting central stem or extension 4 having one or more diametrical and vertically elongated slots 5, both of which are closed at their lower and upper ends, as shown more clearly in Figure 2 for a purpose presently described.

The handle section 2 preferably comprises a vertically elongated tubular cylindrical body 6 having its upper end provided with a cap section 7 rigidly secured thereto by any suitable fastening means.

Within the upper end of the tubular body 6 is secured a plug 8 having a central upwardly tapered opening 9, the walls of which form a seat for the musical device 3 to hold the latter against upward displacement while permitting it to be inserted from the underside upwardly through said opening before the parts of the handle are assembled.

A tubular bushing 10 is secured within the tubular handle section 6 between and in spaced relation to the plug 8 and an annular shoulder 4 at the base of the stem 4 forming a part of the ground-engaging section 1.

This bushing 10 is preferably secured within the tubular section 1 by means of a cross pin 11 extending diametrically through one or the other of the slots 5,`the object in providing two slots, as shown, being to facilitate assembling of the bushing 10 within the tubular section 6.

A coil spring l2 surrounds the portionof the stem 4 between the bushing 10 and shoulder-4' and has one end bearing upon said shoulder and its other end engaged with the underside of the bushing for yieldingly holding the handle section 2 in its normal elevated position.

If the handle section2 is made'of metal, the cap section 'l and plug 8 may be weldedor otherwise secured to the upper end of the section 6, or,

if the handle sections are made of wood, the parts 6, '7, and 8 may be glued or otherwise cemented to each other. .pj

In Figure 4 is shown a modied form of cap section 'l' having its lower end reduced and closelyl tted in the upper end of the tubular sectionv and releasably held in operative position by one or more set screws 13. v

These cap sections 7 and 'l' are provided with upwardly flaring central openings 14 for the emission of sound produced by the operation of the sound-producing device 3.

This sound-producing device preferably comprises a compressable air bulb 15 arranged and concealed within the upper end of the handle section 2 and having its lower end seated in a concave seat 16 on the upper end of the bushing 10 and its upper end tapered and extended into the lower end of the opening 4, the intermediate portion of the bulb being seated against the upwardly tapered walls of the opening 9 in the plug 8, as shown in Figure 2. f

Arranged within the upper open end of the pulb 15 is a musical reed 17 or equivalent soundproducing device adapted to be operated by the expulsion of air from the bulb 15 when the latter is compressed, in a manner presently described.

It will now be understood that the bulb 15 and its reed 17 constitutes a pneumatic horn which is held and entirely concealed within the handle section 2.

The bushing 10 is provided with a central lengthwise opening 18 for receiving the upper end of the stem 4 of the lower ground-engaging section 1, said stem having its upper end equipped with a bearing plate 19 of rubber or otherl yielding material adapted to engage the lower end face of the bulb 15 when the sections ist 1 and 2 are moved endvm'se relatively to each other.

Operation When the Walking cane is used in the usual manner, the lower end is adapted to engage the ground o1' pavement while the handle section 2 is adapted to be depressed by hand in the act of leaning upon the cane, thereby forcing the -handle section, together with the sound producing device 3 downwardly to bring the lower end of its bulb 15 into engagement with the upper end of the stem 4 of the lower section 1.

Through this operation the bulb 15 will be compressed to force the air through the reed 1'7 for producing a musical tone or sound but as soon as the downward pressure upon the handle section 2 is relieved, thespring 12 will automatically return the handle section and sound-producing device to their normal up positions ready for a repetition of the sound-producing operation, it being understood that the upward movement of 'the handle section will be limited by ,the engagement of the cross pin 11 with'the upper end wall of the slot 5, thus preventing accidental displacement ofthe handle section Yfrom the ground-engaging section.

It will also be understood that the lower end of the handle section 6, although iitting rather closely upon the upper cylindrical end of the section 1,',is .nevertheless suiciently loose to permit the sections 1 and 2 to move freely and axially one upon the other.

-Instead of applying the lowersectionl to the ground, the'two sections 1 and 2 may be moved telescopically endwise one upon the other by hand to produce the same effect Vupon the soundproducing device 3.

The objectof the yielding pad A19 on the upper end ,of the stem 4 is to `prevent undue wear of the lower end of the bulb 15 as the stem 4 is moved into and out of engagement therewith.

The device as shown is particularly simple, practical and efficient and while it is adapted to be used by paraders vand other persons for amusement purposes, it nevertheless may be used in the usual manner as a walking cane, the operation of the sound-producing device being optional with the user.

It is evident, however, that other sound-proing devices might be used with equal efciency within or upon the cane and that other changes may be made in the detail construction of the cane Without departing from the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A musical cane comprising a lower` relatively long section having its upper end reduced in diameter to form a central stem, a relatively shorter tubular handle section slidable telescopically-of and upon the stem to extend upwardly above-said stem and having its upper end provided with a chamber of greater diameter than and in axial alinement with the stem, a spring normally urging the handle upwardly, an airbulb seated in said chamber and adapted to engage -the upper end of the stem to be vcompressed by the same when the handle is moved downwardly against the action or said spring, and -a sound-producing device actuated by the air expelled from the bulb.

2. A cane comprising a lower relatively long section and a relatively shorter tubular handle section slidable telescopically upon the upper end ofthe longer section and provided with an air outlet, in combination with a spring within the f' handle section and engaging both sections for normally urging 'the handle section upwardly, means for limiting the upward movement of the handle by said spring, an air -bulb within the handle wholly below the upper end thereof and having an air outlet communicating with the rst outlet and adapted to be compressed between the upper ends of the handle and lower section as the handle is moved downwardly against the action of the spring for producing i ist

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