US2276846A

US2276846A - Percussion musical instrument

Info

Publication number: US2276846A
Application number: US374633A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leroy J Jeffries
Original assignee: Conn Ltd C G
Current assignee: CG Conn Ltd
Priority date: 1941-01-16
Filing date: 1941-01-16
Publication date: 1942-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 1959-03-17

Description

L. J. JEFFRIES PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 16, 1941 Mardi 17, 1942.

. INVENTOR Away JEFF/WES I UO 00W w M ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1942 UNETE STTES ear T DFFICE PERCUSSICDN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Leroy J. Jefiries, Eikhart, Ind, assignor to C. G. Conn, Ltd, Eikhart, Ind, a corporation of Indiana 3 Claims.

This invention relates to percussion musical instruments and more particularly to timpani in which the tension of the head can be Varied to adjust the tuning.

It has been proposed to provide timpani and like instruments with means to vary the tension of the head by means of a foot pedal or hand lever so that the pitch of the instrument can be changed quickly. In some cases these have provided adjustment between two fixed positions only and in others toothed ratchets have been used to provide a variable adjustment by a series of fixed steps.

The present invention has for one of its objects to provide a timpano or the like of simple and inexpensive construction in which the tension of the head can be changed in an infinite number of steps and which can be released to loosen the head quickly.

Another object of the invention is to provide 1 a percussion instrument in which the head is held in adjusted position by a gripping device providing an infinite number of adjusted positions and which can be released at will.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a timpano embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a partial plan view on an enlarged scale of the pedal mechanism; and

Figure 3 is a central axial section through the clutch mechanism.

The illustrated timpano comprises a base ii) adapted to rest on the floor and supporting a vertical tubular column l2 extending upwardly from the base and clamped therein by a clamp I4. A bowl seat It is secured to the upper end of the column l2 by a clamp I 8 and supports a hollow body or kettle 20. The upper surface of the kettle is closed by a vibratile head 22 which is secured at its edges to a flesh hoop 20 surrounding the upper surface of the bowl. The flesh hoop is engaged by a flanged pressure ring 26 which carries a plurality of brackets by which the head is held in place on the kettle.

Brackets 3i complementary to the brackets 28 are secured at spaced points around the periphery of the kettle and pivotally support a series of hell crank levers 32. Each of the bell crank levers at one end carries a nut member into which tuning pins 34 are threaded, the tuning pins passing through the brackets .38 for drawing the head tightly over the upper edge of the kettle.

At its opposite end each of the bell crank levers 32 is connected to a rod 35 passing through an opening in the kettle, all of the rods being secured to a common crown member 38 inside of the kettle. A pull rod 40 is secured to the crown member 38 and extends vertically downward therefrom, terminating in a threaded end portion 42.

A pull rod extension 44 extends through the column l2 and is provided at its upper end with a rotatably mounted nut adapted to be threaded to the end portion 42. By this construction the pull rod can be disconnected so that by loosening the clamp E8 the kettle can be removed from the base when desired.

A link 48 is pivoted to the lower end of the pull rod extension 44 and to a guide link 50 pivoted in the lower portion of the base. The guide link 5!! is connected by a link 52 to a pedal lever 54, pivoted to the base so that when the pedal lever is swung downwardly, the pull rod M will be pulled downwardly to increase the tension on the head.

In order to hold the pedal in any desired adjusted position against the tension of the pull rod, there is provided according to the present invention a second rod 56 pivoted to the base 10 and extending upwardly therefrom. As best seen in Figure 2, the rod 56 extends between spaced arm portions 58, forming the lever 54 and through a collar 60 carried between the arm portions 58. The collar 60, as shown in Figure 3, carries a sleeve 62, formed with an internal conical cam surface 64 converging downwardly and through which the rod 56 extends. A plurality of friction grippers shown as spherical balls 66 are loosely mounted in the collar between the conical surface and the rod and are urged downwardly by a sleeve 68 and a spring 10 which is anchored in place by a strip I2 secured to the collar. In operation, the balls will grip the rod 56 and will prevent upward movement of the collar relative thereto while permitting downward movement of the collar.

In order that the balls may be released for raising the pedal to release the tension on the head, a sleeve 14 slidably extends through the lower end of the sleeve 62 in a position to engage the balls 66. Normally the sleeve M is lowered to the position shown in Figure 3, and is adapted to be raised by a toe-piece l6 pivoted on the outer end of the pedal and connected by a rod 18 to a bell crank lever pivotally carried.

by the collar and terminating in a yoke portion 82 underlying the sleeve 14. By tilting the toepiece clockwise, as seen in Figure 1, the collar '14 will be raised to engage the balls 66 and lift them to a position in which the cam surface 64 will not press them against the rod 56. At this time the pedal will rise under the influence of tension exerted on the pull rod by the head 22 so that the tension of the head may be decreased.

In normal use the head 22 is tuned to the lowest desired pitch by means of the several tuning pins 34. If thereafter it is desired to increase the pitch of the instrument, the pedal may be depressed to any desired point and will be held at such point by action of the clutch mechanism on the rod 56, as described above. To release the tension and permit the head to return to its original tuning, the toe-piece 16 need only be tilted forwardly to release the clutch, at which time the pedal may rise quickly to its uppermost position.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that this is for purposes of illustration only and is not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A percussion instrument comprising a supporting base, a hollow body supported on said base, a vibratile head closing one side of said body, a pedal pivotally mounted on said base and connected to the head to vary the tension thereof, and means to hold the pedal and the head in adjusted position comprising a rod, a collar around the rod formed on its inner surface with a conical cam surface, a plurality of gripping members loosely mounted in said collar and engageable with said cam surface to be cammed thereby into gripping engagement with said rod, a sleeve slidable around said rod into said collar to move said gripping members away from the cam surface, and a toe-piece pivoted on the pedal and connected to said sleeve to move it.

2. A percussion instrument comprising a supporting base, a hollow body supported on said base, a vibratile head closing one side of said body, a pedal pivotally mounted on said base, a pull rod connected to said edal and having means connecting it to said head to vary the tension thereof, a rod pivoted on said base, a collar carried by the pedal surrounding the rod and having an internal conical surface, a plurality of friction balls loosely mounted in the collar and engageable with said surface to be cammed thereby into gripping engagement with said rod, a toe-piece pivoted on the pedal, and a sleeve operated by said toe-piece to move said friction balls out of engagement with said conical surface to release the rod.

3. A percussion instrument comprising a supporting base, a hollow body supported on said base, a vibratile head closing one side of said body, a pedal pivotally mounted on said base, a pull rod connected to said pedal and having means connecting it to said head to vary the tension thereof, a rod pivoted on said base, a gripping device carried by the pedal and engageable with the rod to hold the pedal in adjusted position, a toe-piece pivoted on the pedal, and means operated by said toe-piece to release the gripping device at will.

LEROY J. JEFFRIES.