US2799198A - Xylophone construction - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1957 H. IZIMMERMAN XYLOPHONE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 23, 1954 i INVENTOR. 3 HARRY ZIMMERMAN mL MALT-[1W United States Patent i XYLOPHONE CONSTRUCTION Harry Zimmerman, New York, N. Y.

Application August 23, 1954, Serial No. 451,481

5 Claims. (Cl. 84-403) My invention relates to musical toys of the xylophone type, and its object is to produce clear and strong sounds with a structure that is simple and can be made and assembled easily, quickly and inexpensively.

More specific objects are to improve the sound quality by a resonant sound board supporting tone bars, to aflix this board simply by engagement with studs extending in which they are spaced from each other and from the frame whereby undesirable contacts which would impair the sounds are made impossible, and to simplify the structure and its essemblage by using the mentioned studs simultaneously for two purposes, for holding the sound board in a vibratory condition and for preventing excessive lateral movement of the tone bars.

Further objects are to provide a simple structure which makes it easy to produce the frame by molding the same as one piece, and which allows simple assemblage of the xylophone in upside-down turned position, to insert the tone bars by simply dropping the same on the studs while the frame is turned upside-down, and to attach the sound board by pressing the same in this frame position on the same studs, thereby to make possible an assemblage requiring only one easy fastening operation, and further thereby to provide a frame without parts connected along lines of junction, such a seamless frame having better sound effects than a composed frame.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from the appended claims and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a top view of an illustrative embodiment of my invention, portions of the upper ledges of the frame being broken off.

Fig. 2 shows a partially sectional side view of the same embodiment, the sectionally represented parts being out along the broken line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. l.

The embodiment shown in the drawing comprises a frame formed by four substantially vertical side walls and by top ledges extending from the upper edges of these side walls substantially horizontally and inwardly. The side Walls are arranged in the shape of a trapezoid and comprise a longer end side 4, a shorter end side 5 and two identical, somewhat converging side walls 6. The walls 4, 5 and 6 have extensions at the four corners of the frame which reach down and form feet 7. The lower ends of these extensions or feet determine the ground level on which the xylophone stands.

2,799,198 Patented July 16, 1957 Two ledges 8 extend along the side walls 6 and, from the upper edges of these walls, toward each other. Other, preferably narrower, ledges may extend similarly along the upper'edges of the end walls 4 and 5. For example a ledge 9 extends along the wall 4. Between these ledges, an elongated and broad area is left free.

Studs or pins 11 extend from the ledges 8 down less far than to the ground level. These studs are arranged in two rows, one row belonging to each ledge 8. Each stud 11 of one row forms with a stud of the other row a pair of juxtaposed studs. The studs 11 have preferably cylindrical shape.

The frame comprising the walls 4, 5 and 6 and the ledges 8 and 9 is molded as one seamless piece, preferably of plastic material. This piece preferably includes also the studs 11 which may be molded integrally with the ledges 8.

A sound board 12 made of thin, resonant material has two rows of openings through which the studs 11 pass tightly whereby these studs engage the board 12 and secure the same in a horizontal position in which the board extends between and abuts the side walls of the frame, is located between the level of the ledges 8 and the ground level and is spaced from these two levels. The resonance of the board 12 may be improved by one or more apertures, for example by a centrally located, circular aperture 13.

Two strips 14 of soft material, for example of felt, overlie the board 12 and extend from the board end neighboring the wall 5 to the opposite board end.

, A plurality of tone bars of different length and adapted to produce different tones are arranged in a row, the extreme bars of this row being indicated by 15 and 16. The bars rest on the strips 14 whereby the bars are supported by the strips and by the board 12. The longitudinal extension of the bars is parallel to the inward extension of the ledges 8. The ends of the bars reach under the ledges 8 and are provided with perforations through which the studs 11 pass with clearance. The tone bars are spaced from each other and from all parts of the frame. The clearance formed by the mentioned perforations about the studs is sufficiently small to prevent the bars from excessive lateral movement which might bring the bars into undesirable contact with the frame side walls, but this clearance is large enough to allow free and Well sounding vibrations of the bars. The crosssection of the bars may have any suitable and desirable shape. Preferably, the bars form simple elongated rectangles With slightly curved uniform cross-sections.

The described xylophone is assembled in the following manner:

The frame is placed in upside-down turned position so that it rests on the top ledges. The tone bars are dropped into this frame so that the studs 11 enter the perforations of the bars. Then the board 12 provided with the strips 14 is pressed on the studs 11 so that the latter engage the openings of the board tightly. If desired some heat and pressure may be applied to the stud ends at the same time whereby the extreme ends of the studs are slightly broadened and the board is securely riveted to the studs.

I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular embodiment shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other ways within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention as it is obvious that the particular embodiment shown and described is only one of the many that may be employed to attain the objects of my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A xylophone comprising a frame having substan tially vertical side walls having lower ends determining a ground level, said frame further having two ledges extending from opposite upper edges of said side walls substantially horizontally toward-each other, leaving free an area between them, tone bars having perforated ends and extending parallel to the mentioned extension of said ledges and under said area, studs extending from said ledges down and passing through the perforations of said bars with clearance, and a sound board extending horizontally between said walls at a level between and spaced from said ground level and said ledges and having openings engaged by said studs, said tone bars being supported on said board and being spaced from said frame.

2. A xylophone comprising a frame forming a seamless body of material molded in one piece and having substantially vertical side walls having lower ends determining a ground level, said frame further having two ledges extending from opposite upper edges of said side walls substantially horizontally toward each other, leaving free an area between them, tone bars having perforated ends and extending parallel to the mentioned extension of said ledges and under said area, studs extending from said ledges down and passing through the perforations of said bars with clearance, and a sound board extending horizontally between said walls at a level between and spaced from said ground level and said ledges and having openings tightly engaged by said studs, said tone bars being supported on said board and being spaced from said frame.

3. A xylophone comprising a frame having substantially vertical side walls having lower ends forming feet and determining a ground level, said frame further having two ledges extending from opposite upper edges of said side walls substantially horizontally toward each other, leaving free an area between them, tone bars having perforated ends and extending parallel to the mentioned extension of said ledges and under said area, studs extending from said ledges down and passing through the perforations of said bars with clearance, and a sound board extending horizontally between said walls at a level between and spaced from said ground level and said ledges and having openings tightly engaged by said studs, and tone bars being supported on said board and being spaced from said frame.

4. A xylophone comprising a frame having substantially vertical side walls having lower ends determining a ground level, said frame further having two ledges extending from opposite upper edges of said side walls substantially horizontally toward each other, leaving free an area between them, tone bars having perforated ends and extending parallel to the mentioned extension of said ledges and under said area, soft strips underlying said tone bars, studs extending from said ledges down and passing through the perforations of said bars with clearance, and a sound board extending horizontally between said walls at a level between and spaced from said ground level and said ledges and having openings tightly engaged by said studs, said strips being supported on said board, said tone bars being supported on said strips and thereby on said board and being spaced from said frame.

5. A xylophone comprising a frame having substantially vertical side walls having lower ends determining a ground level, tone bars having perforated ends and extending to directions crossing said frame, projections affixed to said frame and having end portions extending down through the perforations of said bars with clearance, and a board extending under said bars at a level spaced from said ground level and being attached to the ends of said projections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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