US2960901A

US2960901A - Tuning means for stringed instruments

Info

Publication number: US2960901A
Application number: US810295A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oopa David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-05-01
Filing date: 1959-05-01
Publication date: 1960-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-22

Description

Nov; 22, 1960 D. OOPA 2,960,901

TUNING MEANS FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed May 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5@ FIG. 1

FIG. 2.

IN VEN TOR.

DKJV/D OOPfl I A TTOQ/VEYS.

Nov. 22, 1960 TUNING Filed May 1, 1959 D. OOPA MEANS FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 3a J? 2% JNVENTOR. 0411/0 G I; rates titted David Oopa, Quartier Manuhoe, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia Filed May 1, 1959, Ser. No. 810,295

Claims. (Cl. 84-306) This invention relates to musical instruments and, more specifically, the instant invention pertains to musical instruments of the string type having a tuning head and comprises a tuning device for the individual strings and which may be built into the instrument as it is being manufactured, or the same may be substituted for existing tuning devices on conventional tuning heads.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a tuning device for a stringed instrument having a tuning head, the device eliminating the necessity for having a tuning key for each string of the instrument and substitutes in lieu thereof a single key therefor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tuning device for stringed instruments of the type generally referred to supra, wherein a single tuning key for the several tuning mechanisms is employed, the key being mounted on the tuning head of the instrument for selective engagement with one of the tuning mechanisms.

This invention contemplates, as a still further object thereof, the provision of a tuning device for stringed instruments, the device being non-complex in construction and assembly, inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, and being durable in use.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the tuning head of a conventional string instrument and illustrates the application of this invention thereto;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the tuning head and tuning device illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the tuning head and tuning device illustrated in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view taken substantially on the vertical plane of line 4-4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view taken substantially on the horizontal plane of line 55 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the tuning device, per se.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, reference numeral 10 designates, in general, a stringed instrument such as, for example, a guitar having a conventional throat portion 12 across which transversely extend a plurality of frets or stops designated at 14. The throat 12 is integral with one end of a tuning head 16 of conventional design.

The tuning device constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention is generally designated at 18 (see Figure 6) and comprises an elongated substantially hollow rectangular housing 20 which includes a pair of oppositely disposed spaced and substantially

parallel side walls

22, 24, a bottom wall 26 and a top substantially rectangular plate 28 having the same lengthas the side and bottom walls but being appreciably wider than the latter whereby a portion 28A projects laterally beyond atent ice the side Wall 22. The housing 20 is preferably integrally formed of a single blank of metal and the upper end of the side wall 22 is provided with a plurality of tongues 30 which extend through suitable apertures in the plate 28 and are peened thereover whereby the rectangular configuration of the housing 20 is prevented from distortion. At spaced intervals along the outer marginal edge of the extension 28A is provided a plurality of groups of openings designated at 32 and 34, respectively, to which further reference will be made below. Disposed Within the housing 20 for longitudinal reciprocation therein is a substantially rectangular block or carriage 36 having a side 38 thereof normally engaging the adjacent side of the side wall 24. The side wall 24 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 40 through which extend headed screws 42 which also extend through the carriage 36 and are secured thereto as by nuts 44. Behind the heads 46 of the screws 42 are placed washers 48 which span the slot 40. It is thus seen that the carriage 36 may reciprocate within the housing 20 a distance equal to the distance between the remote ends of the slot 40.

Extending inwardly from the other side 50 of the carriage 36 is a recess 52 intermediate the ends thereof, the recess comp ising, as will be seen below, a spring seat. The recess 50 is in open communication with a cylindrical passage 53 which extends transversely of the carriage, the recess 50 and passage 53 being adapted to receive therein the shank 54 of a tuning key 56 having an enlarged manually operated head 58 at the outer end thereof. The other or inner end of the shank 54 terminates in an outwardly extending radial flange 60,

A helicoidal spring 62 encompasses the shank 54 with one end thereof abutting against the inner end of the recess 52 and its other end engaging the flange 60 whereby the key 56 is constantly biased for movement in a direction towards the side wall 22.

To serve a function to be described, a substantially cylindrical socket 64 extends inwardly from the inner end of the shank 54 and one or more keyways (not shown) extend axially thereof.

At longitudinally spaced intervals the etxension 28A of the plate 28 is provided with depending opposed pairs of

bearing brackets

66, 68 and 70 which rotatably support therein, respectively,

worm gears

72, 74 and 76.

As is seen in the drawings, tuning string shafts 78. and 82 project upwardly through the extension plate 28A, the shafts having enlarged bosses 84 (only one being shown) engaging the underside of the extension plate 28A. Integral with the bosses 84 and depending therefrom are

sprocket gears

86, 88 and 90, these gears being permanently in mesh with the

worm gears

72, 74 and 76, respectively. From the drawings it is seen that the outer ends of the

worm gear shafts

92, 94, 96 are provided with diametrically opposed laterally extending

keys

98, 100, and 102, respectively, and that these ends are coaxially aligned, respectively, with spaced apertures 103 formed in the side wall 22.

The shafts 78. 80 and 82 extend transversely through suitable bores 104 adjacent each longitudinal marginal edge of the head 16 and are rotatable therein, and for tuning purposes the upper ends of the shafts are provided with diametrically extending openings 106 adjacent their respective upper ends to receive therein adjacent ends of the strings designated at 108, and the device 18 is secured to the underside of the head 16 as by screws which extend through the openings 32.

With the tuning devices connected and assembled with the head 16 in the manner described, the tuning of individual ones of the strings 108 may be easily achieved. The user merely grasps the keyhead 58 and pulls the same outwardly in the direction of the arrow, as illustrated in Figure 4, against the tension of the spring 62 until the flange 60 is drawn through one of the apertures 103. Thereafter, the carriage 36 is slid towards the selected one of the

shafts

92, 94 or 96 and the shank 54 is then aligned therewith and with the aperture 103 associated with the shaft. The keyhead 58 is then released to permit the shank 54 to move, under the influence of the spring, through the aperture 103 towards the selected one of the

shafts

92, 94 or 96, for example, shaft 92, and receives the keyed end of the shaft 92 in the recess 94. The keyhead 58 is then turned in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction causing the worm gear 72 to rotate and, since the gear 72 is in mesh with the sprocket gear 86, the latter will also rotate. Now since the sprocket gear 86 is connected with the shaft 78, it too will rotate causing the tension on the spring 108 Wound thereon to increase or decrease until the desired tuning frequency is obtained. This process is repeated until all of the strings 108 are properly tuned.

Since the shank 54 of the key 56 carried on the carriage36 extends through the slot 40, the carriage is free to reciprocate within the housing 20 the shank 54 may be selectively engaged and disengaged from any selected one of the

shafts

92, 94 or 96. In the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, two of the tuning devices 18 are shown, the devices being identically constructed and are connected to opposite sides of the head 16 to accommodate the fixed strings of the musical instrument.

Having described and illustrated one embodiment of this invention in detail, it will be understood that the same is offered merely by way of example, and that the instant invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tuning device for a stringed instrument having a tuning head, said device comprising an elongated housing secured to said head and having a carriage mounted for reciprocation therein, a plurality of tuning shafts rotatably mounted on said head, means for connecting one end of one of said strings, respectively, with one of said tuning shafts for winding or unwinding thereon, means connected in driving relation with respect to said shafts for rotating each of said shafts independently, one from another, and means on said carriage for selectively engaging a selected one of said last named means to drive the same. 7

2. A tuning device for a stringed instrument having a tuning head, said device comprising an elongated housing secured to said head and having a carriage mounted for reciprocation therein, key means mounted for reciprocation on said carriage in a direction transverse to its path of movement, a plurality of tuning shafts rotatably mounted on said head, means for connecting one end of one of said strings, respectively, with one of said shafts for winding or unwinding said one string thereon, means for rotating each of said shafts independently of one another, said means comprising a sprocket gear fixedly secured to one end of each of said shafts, a spur gear supported on said housing and constantly in mesh with said sprocket gear, there being one worm gear for each of said sprocket gears, each of said worm gears being supported on a worm gear shaft having an extension, and said carriage being reciprocable within said housing to effect frictional engagement of said key with a selected one of said shaft extensions, whereby, rotation of said key in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction will impart to said tuning shafts rotation in the same directions.

3. A tuning device for a stringed instrument having a tuning head, said device comprising'an elongated housing having a substantially rectangular configuration and including a pair of oppositely disposed laterally spaced and substantially parallel side walls, a bottom wall, and a plate vertically spaced from and parallel to said bottom wall, said plate spanning said side walls and having an extension thereof projecting laterally beyond one of said side walls, means for connecting said extension to said tuning head, a tuning shaft for each string of said instrument, each of said tuning shafts extending through said extension and said head and being rotatably mounted therein, each of said shafts adjacent said extension having a sprocket gear fixedly secured thereto for rotation therewith, a worm gear for each of said sprocket gears, means for supporting said worm gears on said extension, said worm gears being constantly meshed with their respective associated sprocket gear, each of said Worm gears having an extension shaft at one of their respective ends, a carriage mounted for reciprocation within said housing, said carriage comprising a substantially rectangular block having a side thereof in sliding engagement with the other of said side walls, said other of said side walls having a longitudinally extending groove formed therein, a tuning key having a shank, said shank extending through said slot and through said carriage, said one side wall having a plurality of apertures extending transversely therethrough and aligned, respectively, with each of said shaft extensions, said shank having an end portion thereof extendable through a selected one of said apertures in said side wall for releasable engagement with said selected one of said shaft extensions, whereby rotation of said key will effect rotationof one of said tuning shafts.

4. A tuning device for a stringed instrument having a tuning head, said device comprising an elongated housing including a pair of oppositely disposed laterally spaced and substantially parallel elongated side walls, a bottom wall, and a plate spanning said side walls in spaced parallel relation relative to said bottom wall and having an extension projecting laterally beyond one of said side walls, said one side wall having a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings formed therein, means for connecting said extension of said plate to said tuning head adjacent a side thereof, said other of said side walls having an elongated slot formed therein, a tuning shaft for each string of said instrument, each of said tuning shafts having an end thereof projecting through said extension and said tuning head and projecting from the other side thereof, the other end of each of said tuning shafts having an enlarged boss formed thereon for'engagement against said extension, each of said bosses having a sprocket gear integrally formed therewith, a plurality of pairs of brackets fixedly secured to said extension and projecting laterally therefrom, each pair of brackets being disposed adjacent one side of each of said sprocket gears, a worm gear each having a shaft rotatably supported between each pair of said brackets and with said Worm gear constantly in mesh with said sprocket gears, each of said shafts of said worm gears having integrally formed extensions, each of said shaft extensions being aligned, respectively, with one of said apertures formed in said one side wall, a carriage mounted for reciprocation within said housing, said carriage being substantially rectangular in configuration and having 'a side thereof engaging against the other of said side walls, an elongated tuning key having a shank, said shank extending through said slot and through said carriage for reciprocation in a direction transverse to the path of movement of said carriage, said tuning key having an enlarged head integrally formed therewith adjacent one of its ends, the other end of said shank having a socket formed therein, said carriage being reciprocable within said housing whereby said shank may be aligned with a selected one of said shaft extensions to permit engagement of the latter within the former whereby rotation of said head will effect rotation of said selected one of said tuning shafts.

5. A tuning device for a stringed instrument as defined in claim 4, and said carriage having a recess formed therein and surrounding a portion of said shank, said shank having a radial collar at the'other end' thereof, and a helicoidal spring surrounding said shank and having an end thereof engaging the inner end of said recess, and the other end thereof abutting against said collar,

5 whereby said key is constantly biased for movement in 713,390 a direction towards said shaft extensions. 2,104,995 2,128,460 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,615,360

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 416,715 Cubley Dec. 10, 1889 14,808 657,493 Lang Sept. 4, 1900 508,395

6 Brandt Nov. 11, 1902 Hutcheson Jan. 11, 1938 Harlin Aug. 30, 1938 Hawy Oct. 28, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1898 Italy Jan. 7, 1955