US2649827A - Sounding board for stringed musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

g- 1953 M. MACCAFERRI 2,649,827

SOUNDING BOARD FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS INVENTOR ATTORNEY6 Patented Aug. 25, 1953 SOUNDING BOARD FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Mario Maccaferri, Rye, N. Y., assignor to French American Reeds Manufacturing 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application March 15, 1950, Serial No. 149,741, now Patent No. 2,597,154, dated May 20, 1952. Divided and this application January 3, 1952, Serial No. 264,715

2 Claims. 1

My invention relates to certain improvements in sounding boards for stringed musical instruments; and the nature and objects of the invention will be readily understood and recognized by those skilled in the arts involved in the light of the following explanation and detailed description of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I at present consider to be the preferred embodiments or mechanical and functional expressions of the invention and of the various features thereof, from among other forms, expressions, embodiments, modifications, constructions and combinations, of which the invention is capable within the broad spirit and scope thereof as defined by the claims hereto appended.

This application is filed as a division of my copendin application Serial No. 149,741, filed March 15, 1950, now U. S. Patent 2,597,154, dated May 20, 1952, for Stringed Musical Instruments.

The present invention is primarily directed to those general types of stringed musical instruments which are characterized by a hollow body having a sounding board formed with a sound opening therein, secured over and closing the upper side of the body, with a finger board mounting neck extending from one end of the hollow body and terminating at its outer end in a head for mounting therein of the string adjusting and tuning keys. Such types of instruments also include spaced strings secured to the head mounted keys and extended therefrom inwardly along and over the finger board on the neck, to and across the sounding board and the sound opening therein, to a bridge member secured to the sounding board. More specifically my invention is concerned with such types of instruments formed and constructed of plastic materials, or having the sounding board thereof formed of a plastic material.

A main object of my invention is to provide a construction of sounding board by which the volume, resonance and tone of an instrument are improved.

Another object is to provide such a sounding board of plastic material.

A further object is to provide a sounding board having a sound opening therethrough with an integral structure surrounding the sound opening and so formed and positioned as to 1mprove the tonal and resonance qualities of an instrument incorporating such sounding board.

Another object is to provide an all-plastic sounding board having a sound opening therethrough, with an annular plastic flange formed integral with and extending inwardly from the board around and defining an inward continuation of the sound opening.

With the foregoing objects, features and results in View, as well as certain others which will be readily apparent from the following detailed description, my invention consists in certain novel features in design, constructions and combinations, all as will be more particularly referred to and described hereinafter.

Referrin to the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several figures thereof:

Fig. 1 is a view in top plan of a stringed musical instrument of the ukulele type having a sounding board and sound opening constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the body and sounding board of the instrument of Fig. 1, taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken ascn the line 33 of Fig. 1.

An all-plastic stringed musical instrument of the ukulele type embodying the inventions of my application Serial No. 149,741, above identified, has been selected and is disclosed herewith as embodying a plastic sounding board having the integral, inwardly extended flange or ring of my present invention, positioned surrounding and forming a continuation of and defining a passage opening outwardly through the sound opening. While the disclosed example embodiment may be considered to be a preferred form, it is to be understood however that the invention is not restricted to this form and embodiment as it contemplates and includes adaptations to sounding boards of other materials and to musical instruments of other than the ukulele type of this example, and formed from materials other than plastics.

The stringed musical instrument of the example is formed of a moldable thermoplastic, specifically a polystyrene which lends itself to injection molding and which when constructed as disclosed in my copending application, has the required characteristics to form an instrument of fine musical qualities. Referring to the drawings, the example instrument in the form of a ukulele, is comprised of a hollow body or bell B having a sounding board S over and closing the upper side thereof, with a sound opening E formed through the sounding board. A neck N extends. from one end of the body B and terminates at its outer end in a tuning key mounting 3 head N. A fretted finger board F is mounted or provided on neck N and extends between the inner end of head H and the adjacent end of body B and sound board S. A cover plate C is mounted on and covers the outer or upper side of head H. A bridge D is secured in transversely disposed position on the outer side of sounding board S between the outer end of body B and the sound opening E. In the ukulele type of stringed instrument four (4) strings are usually provided, and four (4) string tuning keys GI, G2, G3, and G4 are iournaled in and extend transversely through head H and the cover plate C to which are attached the ends of the strings l,"2, '3 and 4, respectively.

The strings I, 2, 3 and-4 are stretched from the tuning keys GI, G2, G3 and G l, inwardly across finger board F, sounding board S and the sound opening E therein, to the bridge D towhich they are attached and secured in spaced relation, as will be clear by reference to Fig. 1. The strings i, 2, 3 and 4 are stretched between the tuning keys and the bridge D under tension, which may be varied by means ofthe rotatable keys to thereby tune the strings.

In the example instrument the body portion B has a maximum overall length along its longitudinal center of approximately nine inches (9) and a maximum transverse width at the portion thereof between the sound opening El and the outer end wall 12 of the body, of approximately six inches (6") The body B comprises the outer end wall E2, the inner end wall it, "with the opposite side walls H and the bottom wall 10. It

is to be noted that walls II, 12 and Hi form a continuoushn'd 'unbro'ken'wall structure around the body B, so that the interior of the body or bell is defined by "continuous, unbroken and smooth surfaces symmetrical iroinside to side and end to end of the body. The overall thickness or depth or thebody B is, in this instance, approximately two inches ('2'). In the illustrated instrument formed of polystyrene the thickness of the bottom well this approximately eight hundr'e'dths or an inch (.08"), and the side Walls ii and op osite end walls [2 and iii are or the same thickness.

"The soundingboard S is a'se'parate component formed ofpolystyrene and has a plan form to conform totheplan form of the body B. In the particular example instrument hereof havin the overall dimensions as above, the sounding board S has a thickness of approximately eight hundredths of an'inch (1)8) The soundingboard s has at the underside thereof a depending flange 20 therearou'nd of "a shape to form a relatively snu slip fit within and around the internal contour of the side and walls of a body B, with this flange inset from the outer edge of the sounding 'board'to provide a shoulder $2! which'seats upon the continuous up er or outer edges of the side "and end walls ii, and lint the body. This is clearly shown in Figs. and The sounding boards is suitably" emented in assembled position on and "over the-cuter silenl': body '13 'to'thus form the complete hollow, resonant body or bell of the in- In accordance withthe present invention, the sound "opening E "i'nthe sounding board S is 4 opening E in the sounding boar-d. Referring t6 Fig. 2, it will be noted that this flange 22 may be of funnel-like design and construction, so that the bore or passage therethrough is of conical shape decreasing in internal diameter outwardly from the inner end of the flange to and defining the sound opening E. Such decrease in internal diameter may as in the instant example, be constant and equal throughout substantially the length or depth of flange 22 so as to provide the planar annular inner surface 220 extending from the inner edge 22d of the flange to the outer edge 22c which latter edge may if desired be slightly beveled 'or rounded.

The sound opening E in the illustrated instrument has an internal diameter in the plane of the upper surface of sounding board S of approximately l%,-and as referred to above is located with its center spaced approximately 6" from the outer end wall l2 and approximately 3 from the inner end wall I 4. The sound opening E is centered laterally of the body with its center located on the longitudinal axis of the body. At the inner end or edge 22d of flange 22, the open inner end of the sound passage formed and defined by the flange has an internal diameter of approximately 1 while the Width or depth of the flange from the plane of the upper surface of sounding board S is approximately By such construction of sound passage formed by the depending flange 22 of substantial depth inwardly and formed integral with sounding board B while opening through that board through the sound opening E, there is effected a retarding and amplifying of the sound waves produced by vibration Within the resonant bell B, with the result that a magnification of vibration on the outer surface of the sound board is obtained and the tonal and resonance qualities of the instrument are improved. In addition to the improvement in the musical qualities of the instrument the provision of the integral flange or band 22' adds rigidity and strength to the sounding board S with the sound opening E of substantial diameter formed therethrough.

If desired the sounding board S may be molded with an annular recess 22a in the outer side thereof around sound opening E and a decorative ring 221) may be inset therein of plastic material preferably of .contrastingcolor to the color of the plastic material of which the sounding board is formed.

The passage formed and defined by the integral band or flange 22, while disclosed in the present example as of decreasing internal diameter outwardly, is not necessarily limited to such formation, or to the particular angle of the inner, annular surface-22c to a plane normal to the outer surface of board B.

It will also be evident that various other forms, embodiments, and constructions may be resorted to without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the appended claims, and hence I do not wish to limit my invention in an respects to the exact-and specific disclosures hereof.

What I claim is: V 1. As a new article of manufacture, a hollow resonant plastic body for a stringed musical instrument; said body being comprised of relatively thin plastic end, side and bottom walls molded to form an integral, continuous and unbroken wall structure open at its top side; a relatively thin plastic sounding board cemented directly to said wall structure in position over and closing the open top side thereof to form with said wall structure a hollow, substantially one-piece resonant body; said sounding board having a circular sound opening therethrough; an annular flange of plastic molded as an integral component of said sounding board and being extended inwardly into the space within the body from the inner side of said sounding board in position thereon surrounding the said sound opening; said annular flange having a depth to extend a distance into the space within said body from the inner side of said sounding board not to exceed one-half the distance between said sounding board and said bottom wall but at least equal to approximately one-fifth /5) of the latter distance; and said annular flange being adapted to form a passage of circular cross section extending therethrough from and in axial continuation of said sound opening to and opening at the inner end edge of said flange into the space within said thin walled hollow resonant plastic body.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a hollow, resonant plastic body for a stringed musical instrument; said body being comprised of plastic end, side, bottom and top walls; said top Wall forming a plastic sounding board having a circular sound opening therethrough; an annular flange of plastic formed integral with said sounding board and being extended inwardly into the space Within said hollow body from the inner side of said sounding board in position thereon surrounding said sound opening; said flange hav ing a depth to extend into the space within said body a distance equal to approximately one-fifth /5) of the distance from the upper surface of said sounding board to said bottom wall of said body; and said annular flange forming and defining therewithin a passage of circular cross section extending therethrough from and in axial continuation of and opening at its outer end through said opening in the sounding board to and at its inner end opening into the space Within said body at the inner edge of said flange.

MARIO MACCAFERRI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 27,276 Roth June 29, 1897 1,304,914 Smith May 27, 1919 1,559,108 Kirk Oct. 27, 1925 1,804,802 Pastor May 12, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,266 Great Britain Nov. '7, 1907

Images