US2396250A - Musical toy - Google Patents

Description

March 12. 1845..

J. CLAYMAN MUSICAL TOY Filed June 30, 1944 Fay. 3

Jamed Ulaymzazz, INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MUSICAL TOY JamesClayman, Allst'on, Mass.

Application June- 30, 1944, Serial No. 542,885

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a musical toy and especially to the type of musical toy commonly referred to as a Kazoo. Such musical toys usually comprise a tubular body member, a mouth piece at one end of the body member, a vibratable diaphragm, usually of thin paper, at the mouth piece end of the body member. The instrument is used by placing the mouth piece at ones mouth and humming the melody to be played, the vibration of the vibratable diaphragm producing the musical tone peculiar to instruments of this type.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide this type of musical instrument with a drum attachment so that the person operating it may, while humming the tune through the mouth piece, at the same time beat out the rhythm of the tune on the drum.

In order to give an understanding of my invention I have illustrated a selected embodiment thereof, which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a musical toy embodying my invention taken on substantially the line I-I, Fig. 8.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the instrument.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3, Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustratin the manner in which the drum sticks are mounted.

Referring to the drawing I indicates the tubular body member of the instrument which is provided at one end with a mouthpiece 2. mouth piece has the bell-shaped inner end 3 which encircles the end 4 of the body member, said mouth piece being removably mounted on the body member. The vibratable diaphragm is indicated at 5, and it rests against the end of the body member, and the periphery thereof is clamped between the shoulder 6 of the mouth piece and the end of the body member.

Associated with the body member is a drum element indicated generally at I. This drum element may be made from a block of wood or other suitable material which has the general shape and configuration of a drum, and it is provided with an opening 8 extending transversely therethrough at right angles to its axis through which the body member may be inserted, said drum element thereby being mounted on the body member. In order to assemble the drum element I and the body member, the mouth piece 2 is re- This ter is inserted through the opening 8 in the drum element.

The drum element I is provided on its upper end with a recess 9- to receive the drum head III which may be of cardboard or of any other suitable material. The peripheral portion of this drum head rests on an annular shoulder ii at the bottom of the recess 9. The drum element I is also provided with a chamber i2 beneath the drum head I0, which chamber communicates with the through opening 8. The body member I is also provided in its upper wall with an opening I3 which communicates with the chamber I2 so that the space within the drum beneath the drum head opens into the space I4 within the tubular body member I.

The drum I is provided with one or more drum sticks I5 which are preferably pivotally mounted on the drum with the free ends I6 thereof projecting beyond the periphery of the drum. These drum sticks are not only pivotally mounted on the drum but are spring actuated so that when the outer end I6 of either drum stick is depressed and then released, the spring will give the drum stick a quick movement about its pivot to bring the end I! thereof against the drum head It).

Any suitable way of thus pivotally mounting the drum sticks on the drum may be employed without departing from my invention. However, I have herein shown a mounting for each drum stick which comprises a spring element I8 that may be made of wire and is bent to provide the spring coil I9 and also to provide a dependin arm 20 for connection with the drum and another shorter arm 2 I for connection with the drum stick. The short arm 2| may be anchored to the drum stick by being inserted into a suitable opening with which the drum stick is provided as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3. The other arm 20, Which is of some length, is inserted into an opening 22 with which the drum element I is provided. The arm 20 may conveniently be fiattened as shown and the opening 22 may have a similar shape, thereby providing means for reventing the drum stick from turning about a vertical axis. The peripheral flange 23 of the drum which bounds the recess 9 is shown as being provided with a notch 24 to receive the coil I9 of the spring element I8.

The spring coil I9 is made so that when the outer end I 6 of the drum stick is depressed thereby to raise the head end I! from the drum head. said spring coil will be tightened, hence when the end I6 of the drum stick is released, the resiliency moved from the body member and then the latof the spring coil swings the end II of the drum stick downwardly and brings it against the drum head with a sharp impact.

I have herein shown two such drum sticks l5, one situated on either side of the drum, although the invention would not be departed from if a single drum stick were used.

In using the toy the operator hum through the mouth piece 2 and at the same time manipulates the drum sticks i5 with the index fingers of his hands, and in this way he can beat out on the drum the rhythm of the tune which he is humming through the mouth piece.

The feature of having the cavity beneath the drum head l9 opening into and communicating with the bore 14 of the body member not only increases the resonance of the drum head but it gives the drumming sound a quality which blends with the tones produced by the user humming through the mouth piece 2.

I claim:

1, A musical toy comprising a tubular body member having a mouth piece at one end thereof, a vibratable diaphragm within the tubular body adjacent the mouth piece end, a drum element mounted on the body member and having a drum head, a drum stick pivotally attached to the drum element and having its outer end projecting beyond said drum element for manual manipulation, and spring means acting on the drumstick and urging the tip thereof toward the drum head said drum element having a cavit beneath the drum head and the tubular body member having an opening in its side wall communicating with said cavity.

2. A musical toy comprising a tubular body member, a mouth piece on one end of the body member, a vibratable diaphragm having its edges held between the mouth piece and body member, a drum element mounted on the body member having a drum head, a drum stick pivotally attached to the drum element and having its outer end projecting beyond said drum element for manual manipulation, and spring means acting on the drum stick and urging the tip thereof to- Ward the drum head, said drum element having a cavity beneath the drum head and the tubular body member having an opening in it side wall communicating with said cavity.

3. A musical toy comprising a drum element having an opening extending transversely through its body below the drum head portion thereof and at right angles to the axis of the drum, a tubular body member extending through said opening and projecting at each end beyond the drum element, one projecting end being provided with a mouth piece, a vibratable diaphragm within the body member at the mouth piece end thereof, a drum stick, spring means mounting said drum stick on the drum element with the outer end of the drum stick projecting beyond the drum element, said spring means acting on the drum stick and urging the tip end thereof toward the drum head, said drum element having a cavity beneath it drum head and the tubular body member having an opening in its side wall communicating with said cavity.

JABAES CLAYMAN.

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