US2263668A - Microphone support - Google Patents

Description

Nov 25, 1941.-

W. L. WOODWORTH MICROPHONE SUPPORT Filed Sept. 12, 1958 Patented Nov. 25, 1941 MICROPHONE SUPPORT William L. Woodworth, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The Astatic Corporation, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 12, 1938, Serial No. 229,608

. 1 Claim.

This invention relates to supports and more particularly to supports for microphones and the like and has as its principal object the provision of an apparatus for this purpose which as a unitary assembly includes meansto adjustably mount the microphone and an illuminating .de-

vice or devices for selectively illuminating either the person using the microphone or an adjacently supported manuscript which the person may be reading.

It is, of course, common practice to illuminate the face of a speaker or singer when the speaker or singer is using a microphone to amplify or broadcast his voice particularly when such person is located within a theater, auditorium, ball room or other public place, but heretofore such illumination has been accomplished by the use of spot lights positioned among the foot lights of the stage or at other points remote from the person. This is objectionable in that the positions of the microphone and the person and the direction of the light beams must be predeterminedly correlated for smoothness of performance and in that an attendant is required for control and manipulation of the light sources. Moreover, considerable time is required to accomplish the arrangement and in places where considerable smoke or dust is in the atmosphere the long beams are objectionable as they are particularly noticeable and overindicate the presence of impurities in the atmosphere. Also, such as illuminating arrangement casts objectionable shadows of the microphone and sometimes a portion of its support on the person and of the person on the background of the stage. Because of unavoidable diffusion the long beams also illuminate persons or objects to the side or the rear of the performer which may not be desirable.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of my invention to provide an arrangement for supporting the microphone and illuminating the performer, in which the objectionable aspects of the conventional methods are obviated.

Another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement for the purpose described which may alternatively be used to illuminate a manuscript placed in front of the speaker or singer and to illuminate the face of the speaker or singer.

A further object of my invention is to provide an assembly for the purpose described which is pleasing in appearance, practical and rugged in operation, and which may be economically manufactured and assembled.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a considerr ation of the drawing and the following detailed specification wherein is disclosed specifically a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a front elevational View of a device constructed according to the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 showing the same in cooperative position relative to a manuscript support;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the microphone housing and its immediate support;

and

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a lighting unit used in the assembly.

The illuminating and microphone support assembly is preferably supported on an adjustable stand having a base 34, a fixed tubular upright 35 and a movable tubular vertical member 36 adapted to telescope within member 35 and to be fixed relative thereto by a suitable clamp 31 the operation of which is well understood in the art. Secured to the upper end of tubular member 36 is the four-way fitting 38 adapted toreceive the inner ends of the laterally extending arms 39 and the forwardly extending arm 50. An up wardly extending member 52 having its lower end connected with the forwardly extending arm 50 by a suitable coupling 5| supports at its upper end the microphone housed within and carried by the casing Ill. The casing is rotatably mounted on the disk 20 by means of pin 2| which is held in position by spring 23 and screw 24 all as more specifically disclosed in application Serial #182,512, filed Dec. 30. 1937, by Frank J. Malat. l2 designates the usual protective screen, 16 the translator and 32 a standard part secured to the upper end of member 52 and rigidly carrying the disk 20.

Attached to the outer ends of members 39 are the light projectors each having a casing 40 preferably of a shape similar to that of the microphone housing Hl, a light source 42 suitably supported therein, and a lens 43 which may be of colored translucent or transparent material. The light projectors are immediately supported on the arms 39 by the universal joints 4| thereby enabling the projectors to be readily aligned in any desired direction.

Light sources 42 are preferably of a miniature type and conventional dry cell batteries, transformers or other suitable low voltage current supplying means may be provided therefor. The required current conducting cords connecting the translator IS with the transmitting or amplifying apparatus and the bulbs 42 with a suitable source of current may be threaded through the various tubular parts of the support, if desired, passing out of the same at selected locations. Also it should be apparent that suitable switch means controlling the current flow to the bulbs 42 and the operation of the translator may readily be incorporated in supporting members or on the vconductors themselves as is well understood in the art.

In operation, the various elements heretofore described having been assembled as shown .in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the "standard .35-36 is adjusted as to length so as-tomosition l substantially :horizontally the microphone aligned with or slightly below the users :mouth. If the assembly is being used .to illuminate a manuscript, as indicated at 55 supported on stand 54 in Figure 2, the light projectors 40 ;-are downwardly directed, .as shown, .to project the lightrays onto the surface of the manuscript. *In pasethe assembly is being used to illuminate the face 'o'f'th'e speaker or "singer, the light projectors 40 are inclined upwardly as suggested in dotted lines in FigureZ. 'The projec'torsflbeing universally adjustable, may be also directed in- .wardly whereby the rays projected therefrom mayjzbeconverged'on the subject. 'Theforwardly extending arm 51] enables the microphone 'to'be positioned the proper distance from the user "while the base part of the assembly is kept a substantial distance from the person allowing l'lim ample space for movement and enabling a sup- "port, as 54, 'to be positioned between the person and base, if desired. This also enables the pro- Iiectors "4 0 to be mounted considerably behind the microphone andfurther spaced from the face of -lthe user "resulting in more :difiused illumination thereof. vThe use of two projectors quite laterally 'spacedby the arms '39 results in balanced illumination of the subject with the microphone 'aandits support out of the path of the illuminating rays. Thus no shadows ofxany kind areoast 7011 the subject.

Inasmuch as the light sources 42 are of comparatively low intensity no discomfort is experienced by the user because of their presence. If lenses 43 of translucent material are used they present merely a glowing appearance to the person in front of the microphone. Adequate illumination results from their proximity to the subjectrand from the fact that two converging vprojectors are used. Due to their arrangement and low intensity no substantially general illumination is attained and no appreciable shadow of the subject is thrown onto the background of "the'stage 'or other area in which the assembly is positioned. The lights may be continuously "energized throughout a performance during zwhichtthmmicrophone may be utilized by difierent performers without undesirable intermittent general illumination visible to the immediate audience.

The above specific embodiment of my invention shouldbe'considered as illustrative only as "obviously many changes may "be made therein without departing from the spirit 'or scope of my invention. The "specifically described microphone :and light projector assemblies together with'th'eir supports should be taken as merely representative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

Apparatus of'the character described comprising a base, a standard on said base, a microphone "mounted on the upper end of said standard, a pair of opposed'laterally extended arms secured "to said standard, 'a "light projector swivably .mounted on 'the outer end of each of said arms, sai'd'light projectorsbeing positioned to the rear of said microphone and a'dap'te'dto project beams of light towards a restricted area in front of said microphone, a casing for said microphone, said light projectors'being of low intensity and being of a size substantially that of said casing.

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