US2466344A

US2466344A - Guitar steel

Info

Publication number: US2466344A
Application number: US18029A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wright Francis William
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-03-30
Filing date: 1948-03-30
Publication date: 1949-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1966-04-05

Description

April 5, 1949. F. w. WRIGHT 2,466,344

GUITAR STEEL Filed March 30, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

Rake/s 14/. M5 115. BY

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in guitar steels for stopping the strings of guitars and similar musical instruments in a manner to give certain qualities to the strings, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a more efiicient, more easily manipulatable, and more comfortable device of this kind, which can be produced of highest grade material at relatively low cost.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing the illustrated device in position on a guitar players finger.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a left-hand end elevation of the device, with the retaining spring removed.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the device shown comprises a body 5 preferably of ZO-gage stainless steel, of semi-circular cross-section, to receive the finger 6 of a guitar player lengthwise, the rear end of the body being open and the forward end closed by a semi-circular segmental portion 8, conforming to the rounded finger tip 9.

For securing the body 5 in place on the players finger 8, outturned tabs or lugs I0, I are provided on the opposite side edges I I, l I of the body at a point about one-third the length of the body from its rear end I, with which are engaged the terminals l2, l2 of a flat expandin spring [4, on the order of that embodied in expansible watch bands, likewise of stainless steel, and stretched tightly enough to exert sufilcient pressure upon the back of the players finger 6 to hold the body engaged with the underpart of the finger B and to preclude endwise movement of said body relative to the finger in ordinary service.

The body 5 with its spring retaining lugs l0, l0 can be produced by a single stamping operation from a single blank of material, and different sizes can be provided if desired, all at very little cost for materials and manufacture.

What is claimed is:

1. A guitar steel comprising a sheet metal body of semi-circular cross-section elongated to conformably receive a major portion of the underside of a players finger, the rear end of said body being open and the forwardend of said body being closed by a semi-circular segmental portion to conformably receive the tip of the players finger, and contractile means extending across said body between the side edges thereof to overlie the back of the players finger in a manner to retain the said body engaged with the underside of the players finger and preclude forward endwise movement of said body relative to the players finger.

2. A guitar steel comprising a sheet metal body of semi-circular cross-section elongated to conformably receive a major portion of the underside of a players finger, the rear end of said body being open and the forward end of said body being closed by a semi-circular segmental portion to conformably receive th tip of the players finger, and contractile means extending across said body between the side edges thereof to overlie the back of the players finger in a manner to retain the said body engaged with the underside of the players finger and preclude forward endwise movement of said body relative to the players finger, said contractile means comprising a fiat expanding spring stretched across the side edges of said body and having its ends secured to the latter.

3. A guitar steel comprising a sheet metal body of semi-circular cross-section elongated to conformably receive a major portion of the underside of a players finger, the rear end of said body being open and the forward end of said body being closed by a semi-circular segmental portion to conformably receive the tip of the players finger, the side edges of said body being straight for substantially their entire length and parallel to the bottom of said body, a lug on each of the side edges of said body, and contractile means embodying a flat expanding spring stretched between said lugs and secured at its ends to the latter to overlie the back of the players finger in a manner to retain the said body engaged with the underside of the players finger and preclude forward endwise movement of said body relative to the players finger.

FRANCIS WILLIAM WRIGHT.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,690,860 Gonzalez Nov. 6, 1928 1,748,053 Blair Feb. 25, 1930