US2472681A

US2472681A - Toy musical instrument

Info

Publication number: US2472681A
Application number: US725656A
Authority: US
Inventors: Proll Gustave
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-01-31
Filing date: 1947-01-31
Publication date: 1949-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 1966-06-07

Description

June 7, 1949. G. PROLL TOY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Jan. 51, 1947 INVENTOR. awzzyfidzz,

Patented June 7, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Gustave Proll, Newark, N. J.

Application January 31, 1947, Serial No. 725,656

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wind musical instruments of the tuned reed type; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to toy musical instruments of the tuned reed type in the form of a clarinet or similar style of instrument.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel, simple and easily produced and assembled means for mounting a succession of tuned reeds within the tubular body of a toy instrument so that the same are operatively positioned relative to the sound emission apertures of said body; said mounting means being so characterized as to space the supported reeds away from the sound emission apertures of the body, and also so as to provide therein a resonance chamber between each so spaced reed and the sound emission aperture of the body to which the reed is related.

The invention has for another object to provide a novel carrier member or bar having longitudinally spaced, perpendicular openings therethrough corresponding in number and positions to the number and positions of the spaced sound emission apertures with which the body of the instrument is provided; said carrier member or bar having a slideway in its bottom or under face portion into which can be slidably entered a reed supporting plate provided with a plurality of tuned reeds, which are attached to said plate in longitudinally spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of the openings of said carrier member or bar; said reed supporting plate being adjustably positioned in assembled relation to the carrier member or bar so as to dispose the respective reeds beneath and across said respective openings of the latter; and the top face of said carrier member or bar being adapted to be sealed to the inner side of the tubular body of the instrument, whereby to align the openings of said carrier member or bar with the sound emission apertures of the instrument body.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional View of a toy musical instrument of the tuned reed type constructed according to the principles of this invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View of the same, taken on line 22 in Fig. 1, but drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top or plan view of the reed carrier member or bar with the reed supporting plate operatively assembled therewith; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken on line 4- in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the reed carrier member or bar and the reed supporting plate in disassembled relation, but relatively positioned ready to be assembled.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character it indicates the tubular body portion of a toy instrument of the clarinet type, to one end of which is affixed a mouth piece H having an axial passage !2 through which air may be blown into the interior of said body portion. The opposite end of said body portion I0 is closed by an end plug it, the outer portion IA of which is suitably formed to simulate the bell-shaped mouth of a Wind instrument, such as one of the clarinet type. Said tubular body portion i9 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced sound emission apertures l5. Manipulatable mechanical stop means of any well known construction may be employed to normally close the sound emission apertures it, or said apertures may be closed and opened merely by application of the players fingers thereto. An illustrative form of manipulatable mechanical stop means, as shown, comprises a base plate It which is suitably secured to the exterior of the body portion ill adjacently parallel to the row of sound emission apertures l5. Struck up from said base plate It are fulcruming ears H to cooperate with corresponding hinge ears 18 with which the finger levers [9 of the aperture stop members 28 are provided. Said fulcruming ears i? and hinge ears l8 are pivotally joined by a hinge pintle wire 2| arranged to extend therethrough. Spring means 22 is provided in operative relation to each finger lever I9 whereby to yieldably turn the same about its pivotal connection so as to normally hold the stop member 20 in closed relation to the sound emission aperture served thereby. The inner sides of the stop members 25 are preferably faced with a relatively soft sealing pad 23 of suitable material, such e. g. as felt, whereby to assure closure of the engage-d sound emission aperture against outward passage of air therethrough. By selectively pressing upon the free end portions of the finger levers IS, the stop members 20 may be moved to aperture uncovering position as required.

The novel means according to this invention for holding and positioning a plurality of tuned reeds within the interior of the instrument body portion l and beneath the sound emission apertures I 5 of the latter comprises a rigid carrier member or bar 24 of substantial thickness and of suitable width and length. Said carrier member or bar 24 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced, perpendicular openings or chambers 25 which extend therethrough between its bottom and top sides or faces. Said openings or chambers 25 correspond in number and positions to the number and positions of the sound emission apertures l5 of the instrument body portion l0. Provided in connection with the bottom or underside of the carrier member or bar 24 is a longitudinal slideway. Said slideway is formed by preferably integral beads 26 which respectively depend from the longitudinal marginal portions of the carrier member or bar. The inner sides of said beads 26 are provided with longitudinally extending, endwise open guide channels 27 which are bounded at their upper sides by the under face of the carrier member or bar and at their undersides by ledges 28. The upper face of the carrier member or bar 24 is transversely curved or arched to provide the same with a convexity adapted to conform to the concavity of the interior wall surface of the tubularbody portion ID of the instrument. The under face of carrier member is preferably flat.

The reference character 29 indicates a reed plate. This reed plate comprises a, preferably metallic, rectangular fiat strip or plate of a width to correspond to the widthv of the slideway with which the under face of the carrier member or bar 24 is provided, and of a thickness to fit the guide channels 21 of said slideway. Said reed plate 29 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending air passage slots 30 which correspondin number and spacing to the number and spacing of the openings or chambers 25 of the carrier member or bar 24. Affixed tothe underside of the reed plate 29, by riveting or otherwise suitably securing the same thereto, are the butt portions 3! of vibratory reeds 32. Said reeds 32 are respectively registered in alignment with the respective air passage slots 30, so as to be vibrated with musical tone producing effect, when air is permitted to pass upwardly through said slots.

To operatively assemble the reed plate 29 with the carrier member or bar 24, said reed plate is slid endwise, reed side down, into and through the slideway of the carrier member or bar, so that the longitudinal marginal portions of the reed plate engage in the guide channels 21 of saidslideway. Since the slideway is contiguous to the underface of the carrier member or bar 24, the fiat upper face of the reed plate, when said reed plate is entered in and supported by the slideway, will abut said flat underface of the carrier-member or bar, whereby, when the reed plate is positioned so that its respective air passage slots 30 register in alignment with the respective openings or chambers 25 of the carrier member or bar, there can be no intercommunication of air between the respective sets of thus related air passage slots '30 and openings or chambers 25.

The carrier member or bar 24 having the reed plate 29 operatively assembled therewith is entered within the tubular body portion In of the instrument before the mouth. piece H and end plug I 3-l4 are applied to the ends of the latter. The entered carrier member or bar is dis posed with its upper convex face abutted against the concave interior wall surface of the body portlon l0 and is longitudinally adjusted to bring its respective openings or chambers 25 into operative opposed and aligned relation to the air emission apertures l5 of said body portion, whereupon the same is affixed to the body portion against shift or displacement by any uitable means, but preferably by gluing or cementing the same to said body portion. Since the upper convex face of the carrier member or bar conforms to the concavity of the interior wall surface of the body portion, after said carrier member or bar is fixed in place, the same will be sealed to the body portion I!) so as to prevent intercommunication of air between the upper ends of the openings or chambers 25, so that air can Vent from the respective opening or chambers 25 only through the particular air emission apertures l5 of the body portion to which they are operatively related.

Since the carrier member or bar 24 is of substantial thickness, the reeds supported at the underside thereof are spaced a substantial distance from the corresponding air emission apertures 15 of the body portion of the instrument, and so that the openings or chambers 25 of the carrier member or bar are interposed between said reeds and the air emission apertures. As a consequence of this, individual air columns are provided in said openings or chambers 25 between each reed and its corresponding air emission aperture, whereby resonance is added to the sound waves generated by the air stream vibrated reeds.

By the above it will be understood that, from the standpoint of manufacturing production, the novel assembly of carrier member or bar and reed plate provides a very quick and easy means for introducingthe series of tuned reeds into and operatively mounting the same relative to the tubular body of the instrument, which is calculated to save considerable time and labor in the assembling of the instrument parts; and, furthermore, from the standpoint of sound production and emission in use of the instrument, the tones of the reeds are greatly improved due to the provision of the openings or chambers of the carrier memher or bar, whereby resonance inducing spaces are provided between the reeds and the air emission apertures of the instrument body portion.

Since changes could be made without departing from the scope of this invention as defined by the here following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A toy musical instrument comprising a tubular body closed at one end and having a mouthpiece at its opposite end, said body having a plurality of spaced air emission apertures therealong, a carrier member of substantial thickness, said carrier member having a transversely convex top surface conforming to and sealed to the concave interior surface of said tubular body beneath the air emission openings thereof, said carrier member having a flat under face and bein provided with longitudinal resonance chamber forming openings of substantial depth extending between its under and top sides, said openings being spaced correspondingly to the spacing of said body apertures respectively for communication therewith, slideway means contiguous'to and extending along the said flat under face of said carrier member, and a flat reed plate having a plurality of longitudinally disposed tuned reeds spaced therealong, said reed plate being slidably entered in said slideway means so as to be disposed in face to face abutment against the said flat under face of said carrier member with the reeds respectively resonance aligned with the bottom ends of the resonance chamber forming openings of said carrier member, whereby adjacent resonance chambers are sealed against intercommunication.

2. A toy musical instrument comprising a tubular body closed at one end and having a mouthpiece at its opposite end, said body having a plurality of spaced air emission apertures therealong, a carrier member of substantial thickness, said carrier member having a transversely convex top surface conforming to and cemented to the concave interior surface of said tubular body beneath the air emission openings thereof, said carrier member having a flat under face and being provided with longitudinal resonance chamber forming openings of substantial depth extending between its under and top sides, said openings being spaced correspondingly to the spacing of said body apertures respectively for communication therewith, said carrier member having opposed channeled guide portions dependently extending along the margins of its said flat under face with the channels thereof contiguous to the said under face of the carrier mem- 20 Number Name Date 173,652 Lightsinger Feb. 15, 1876 2,188,157 Proelsdorfer Jan. 23, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Date 18,557 Austria Dec. 10, 1904 ber, and a fiat reed plate having air passage slots longitudinally spaced therealong and vibratory reeds afiixed thereto with their free end portions registered over said slots, said reed plate bein slidably entered in and between said guide portions so as to be disposed in face to face abutment against the said flat under face of said carrier member with the reeds respectively longitudinally aligned with the bottom ends of the resonance chamber forming openings of said carrier member, whereby adjacent resonance chambers are sealed against intercommunication.

GUSTAVE PROLL.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS