US2776592A

US2776592A - Guitar pick attachment for the forefinger

Info

Publication number: US2776592A
Application number: US373016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Preta Michael S Di
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-08-07
Filing date: 1953-08-07
Publication date: 1957-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1974-01-08

Description

1957 M. s; m PRETA 2,776,592

GUITAR PICK ATTACHMENT FOR THE FOREFINGER Filed Aug. 7, 1953 I NVENTOR WZ W flW/M a m V ATTORNEY GUITAR PICK ATTACHMENT non run FOREFINGER lyiichael S. Di Preta, Sharon, Pa.

Application August 7-, 1953, Serial No. 373,016

1 Claim. (Cl. 84-322) Thisinvention relates to guitar picks, and more particularly has reference to a guitar pick that is adapted to be attached to ones forefinger, to facilitate playing of a Spanish guitar, banjo, or related stringed instrument.

From time to time, it happens that a guitar player, whether a beginner or a professional, will accidentally drop his or her pick, and obviously, this is embarrassing should the dropping of the pick occur during the playing of a composition before an audience. One important object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide a guitar pick attachment for the forefinger which will be so designed as to effectively preclude accidental dropping thereof.

Another object of importance is to provide a guitar pick attachment which will be so designed as to permit the pick to be swiftly adjusted to an out-of-the-way, inoperative position whenever desired. This particular feature is of importance, in view of the fact that during the playing of some compositions, the instrumentalist may desire to play part of the composition with a pick, and another part with the bare fingers. This is not possible when an ordinary pick is used, since there is insuflicient time during the playing of a composition, to discard a pick.

I am aware of pick attachments that have previously been devised, one of these attachments being a thumb pick. A thumb pick is not used, however, on Spanish guitars or banjos because it lacks flexibility, the thumb being too awkward for playing compositions on instruments'of this type. The present invention, as distinguished from a thumb pick of the type referred to, is attachable directly to ones forefinger, rather than to the thumb, and is adjustable upon the forefinger between operative and inoperative positions.

Another object of importance is to provide a pick attachment as stated which will be inexpensive, so as to be capable of manufacture at little increase of cost above that required for the manufacture of a conventional pick, and which is additionally so designed as to retain the shape and flexibility of a conventional pick.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a pick attachment formed in accordance with the present invention, as it appears when in use, a guitar on which said attachment is being used being illustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the pick attachment adjusted to an inoperative position;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the attachment per se; and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

The reference numeral has been applied generally 2,776,592 I Patented Jan. 8, 1957 2. in the several figures of the drawing to designate a stringed instrument, and at this point, it should be noted that the device constituting the invention can be used With any of various instruments falling within this category. The device is used to particular advantage, in this regard, on Spanish guitars or banjos, but can be used on other instruments as well.

in any event, the pick attachment has been designated generally by the reference numeral 12, and has been illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; as it appears when applied to a forefinger F. The attachment includes a clamping band 14, the cross sectional configuration of which complements the cross section of the forefinger, so as to permit the clamping band to be snugly engaged about the forefinger. The clampingband is of springable characteristics, and can be of plastic or metal material, whichever is desired. The clamping band has inwardly bent spring arms terminating at their free ends in spaced relation to one another as shown in Figure 4, thus to permit the arms to be spread apart for application of the device to the forefinger, or for removal of the device from the finger.

Medially between its ends, the clamping band 14 has a rivet 16, the rivet 16 extending outwardly from the mid-length portion of the clamping band, through an opening formed in the free end of a tongue 18 that is integral, at its other end, with a pick body 20. The pick body 21} is of generally triangular outer configuration, with rounded corners, this being the general configuration of a conventional pick.

in use of the device, the clamping band is applied to the forefinger as shown in Figure l, and the pick is swingable about the axis defined by the rivet 16, to an operative position shown in Figure 1. In this position, the tongue 18 is extended in the direction of the length of the outer end of the forefinger, so as to cause the pick body 20 to project beyond said outer end of the finger. The rivet 16, while permitting pivotal movement of the pick body in the general direction of the strings of the instrument, does not permit pivotal movement of the pick body in a direction transverse of the strings. The pick body will, of course, flex during movement thereof transversely of the strings, in the same manner as a conventional pick will flex during playing of a musical composition.

Assuming that it is desired to shift the pick to an in operative position during the playing of a musical composition, one need merely flick the pick body and tongue upwardly, about the axis of the rivet 16, to an inoperative position shown in Figure 2. In this position of the pick body and tongue, the body is extended in a direction away from the outer end of the finger, thus to permit the strings to be contacted directly by the bare finger.

The movement of the pick between the inoperative and operative positions thereof can be effected with minimum loss of time, thus to interfere in no way with the playing of a musical composition. It may be noted that the construction differs from ordinary thumb picks in this respect, since a conventional thumb pick cannot be adjusted to an inoperative location, and must be removed entirely from the finger if the strings are to be picked with the bare fingers.

It is also considered to be of importance that while the pick has free pivotal movement in one direction, it has no pivotal movement in a direction at right angles to the first-named direction, while still being allowed to flex in the second-named direction. This causes the pick to be usable in the manner of a conventional guitar pick, without sacrificing quality during the playing of a musical composition.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confied to the specific use or uses thereof 'described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

A guitar pick attachment for the forefinger comprising a resilient clamping band adapted to be circumposed about a forefinger, said clamping band including a pivot pin projecting radially outwardly therefrom medially between the opposite ends of the clamping band; an elon gated, narrow tongue having an opening at one end re ceiving the pivot pin, said tongue being pivotally connected to the pin to swing thereon solely in a plane tangential to the band and normal to the radius thereof, between opposite extreme positions in one of which the tongue extends in the direction of the upper end of the forefinger from the clamping band, and in the other of which the tongue extends in an opposite direction from the clamping band toward the inner end of the forefinger, the tongue being flexible in a direction at right angles to said plane; and an approximately triangular pick body integrally secured to the other end of the tongue in the plane thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 413,579 Stewart Oct. 22, 1889 557,293 Wahl Mar. 31, 1896 FOREIGN PATENTS 314,159 Germany Sept. 3, 1919