US3009379A

US3009379A - Sizzler

Info

Publication number: US3009379A
Application number: US41665A
Authority: US
Inventors: George A Thomas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-07-08
Filing date: 1960-07-08
Publication date: 1961-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-21

Description

Nov. 21, 1961 G. A. THOMAS SIZZLER Filed July 8, 1960 HG. Z /15 IN VEN TOR. 660]96 A. 772021145 C'Ziiarneys United States Patent 3,009,379 SIZZLER George A. Thomas, 8444 N. Karlov, Skokie, Ill. Filed July 8, 1960, Ser. No. 41,665 9 Claims. (Cl. 84402) This invention relates to a sizzler and particularly to a sizzler that may be used with a cymbal without requiring alteration of the cymbal.

In the use of cymbals as percussion instruments where in they are struck with sticks or brushes, it is desirable to obtain a sound known as and described as a sizzle." A sizzle is a loose, irregular sound that is desirably superimposed on the normal sound obtained from a cymbal. The sizzle sound has been obtained by taping coins loosely on a cymbal so that they may bounce on the vibrating cymbal and vibrate independently at their own unique frequency when the cymbal is struck. The flat disc shape of the coin and the presence of the tape, however, tend to damp the vibrations of the cymbal and alter its own sound.

Special sizzle cymbals are made by drilling holes through ordinary cymbals and placing loose rivets in the holes. This construction changes the sound of the cymbal so that a different sound is obtained rather than a superimposed sizzle and it also requires permanent modification of the cymbal so that an additional instrument, that is an unmodified cymbal, is required when the sizzle is not desired.

It is an object of this invention to provide a sizzler that easily adapts to existing cymbals and one that may be used without modification of that cymbal. It is another object of this invention to provide a sizzler that may be placed in operation and removed from operation without dismantling, and it is another object of this invention to provide a sizzler that produces a minimum of interference with the nonmal sound of the cymbal with which it is used.

These and other objects are obtained by the sizzler of this invention, a specific embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top View of a sizzler embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional front view along the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a sizzler embodying this invention installed on a cymbal in operating position, and

FIG. 4 is a front view of the sizzler of FIG. 3 in inoperative position.

In the embodiment shown, the sizzler of this invention has a disc-like central body portion having a central threaded bore 11. The body section 10 is provided with at least one but preferably two or more slots 12 which pass entirely through the body section 10 and terminate in a diagonal rear shoulder 13. The slots are oifset and not on radii so that the arms that rotate in them will not interfere with each other. A bore 15 passes through the edge of the disc with its axis perpendicular to the wall of the slot 12 and intersecting the slot 12. The bore 15 may be threaded or otherwise adapted to hold a pivot member 16 which is fixed in the bore 15 to intersect both of the side walls of the slot 12.

A rod 17 having a flattened end portion 18 is connected to the body section 10 by inserting the flattened portion 18 in the slot 12 and passing the pivot member 16 through a hole 30 bored through the flattened portion 18. The rear shoulder 13 is far enough from the terminal portion of the rod 18 so that the rod may rotate around the pivot 16 through an angle of more than 180. The flattened portion 18 should be substantially narrower than the width of the slot 12 so that it is free to rotate with a minimum of resistance.

At the other end of rod 17 is a flattened portion 20 which is flattened a plane perpendicular to the plane of flattened portion 18. A hole 31 is also bored through the flattened portion 20 and this hole is adapted with a rivet 23 to hold a concave shaped cymbal-engaging member 21 to the rod 17. The cymbal-engaging member 21 is loosely connected so that it may rotate and wobble with relation to the rod 17. The cymbal-engaging member 21, herein shown in a bell or dish shape, terminates in a rim 22 that is adapted to be in contact with the cymbal.

As particularly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sizzler of this invention is used in combination with a cymbal 25. The cymbal is mounted conventionally on a stand 27 and connected to the stand by passing a threaded projection 26 through a hole 32 in the cymbal. Ordinarily a wing nut holds the cymbal to the stand when screwed onto projection 26. In the embodiment shown, the threaded bore 11 takes the place of the wing nut. In operative position, as in FIG. 3, the arms 17 extend and the rim 22 of each cymbal-engaging member lies upon the upper surface of the cymbal 25. The wobbly connection permits the cymbal-engaging member 21 to conform to the shape of the cymbal so that the rim 22 is in contact with the surface of the cymbal. Preferably the cymbal-engaging members 22 are from about 1 /2" to about 4" from the periphery of the cymbal. It may be seen from FIG. 3 that any cymbal may be employed with the sizzler of this invention and that no modification of the cymbal is required to adapt it for this purpose. In FIG. 4, there is illustrated a cymbal having the sizzler of this invention attached to it but in inoperative position. Since the arms 17 may rotate more than around the pivot 16, they may be pushed past the vertical position so that gravity holds them against diagonal wall 13 and maintains them out of contact with the cymbal 25. Therefore, a musician may employ the sizzler of this invention or may use the cymbal without it by simply raising or lowering the arms 17 past the vertical dead center position.

Although described as dish or bell members, elements equivalent to cymbal-engaging member 21 may have various shapes. It is desirable within the scope of this invention that any member used as equivalent to member 21 be concave so that there is only rim contact between the sizzler and the cymbal, thereby avoiding damping efi'ects that distort the normal sound of the cymbal.

As hereinbefore stated, the arms 17 are desirably long enough to place the cymbahcontacting members 21 between l fiz" and 4" from the periphery of the cymbal 25. It is obvious that the sizzler of this invention may be used with cymbals of various diameters and it is within the contemplation of the invention to employ dilferent length arms 17 or to employ arms 17 that are adjustable in length. Also the body section or hub 10 may have a bore 11 that is not threaded but that is held to the cymbal with other means.

The sizzler of this invention is preferably constructed from aluminum, copper, brass, plastic, magnesium or other suitable material. Arms 17 should be as light in weight as possible and may even be tubular to keep their weight down. The sizzler arms may be made of steel, particularly when used in light-weight cross sections such as flat straps or tubes. The cymbal-engaging members may be made from any of the above mentioned materials or any others that are capable of producing a desirable sound. When these members are of steel, brass or copper and constructed in a bell shape, they will produce a ringing sound, and when they are 3 of aluminum, magnesium or plastic they will produce more of a buzzing sound.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A sizzler comprising a body having a bore for attachment to a cymbal support stand, said body having a slot-like opening formed therein, said slot-like opening being defined by sidewalls normal to a plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore, and a backwall, an elongated arm loosely pivotally connected between said sidewalls to rotate more than 180 in a plane normal to said plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore, and a cymbal-engaging member, having a concave configuration, loosely connected to pivot and wobble on the opposite end of said arm.

2. A sizzler comprising a body having a threaded bore for attachment to a cymbal support stand, said body having a plurality of slot-like openings formed therein, each slot-like opening being defined by sidewalls normal to a plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore, and a backwall, an elongated arm loosely pivotally mounted between the sidewalls of each opening to rotate more than 180 in planes normal to said plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore, and a cymbal-engaging member, having a concave configuration, loosely connected to pivot and wobble on the opposite end of each of said arms.

3. The combination comprising a cymbal supported on a stand, a sizzler connected to said stand above said cymbal, said sizzler comprising a body having a bore for attachment to said cymbal support stand, said body having a slot-like opening formed therein, said slot-like opening being defined by sidewalls normal to the plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore, and a backw all, an elongated arm loosely pivotally held between said sidewalls to rotate more than 180 in a plane normal to said plane perpendicular to the axis of said bore, and a cymbal-engaging member, having a concave configuration, loosely connected to pivot and wobble on the opposite end of said arm.

4. The sizzler of claim 1 further characterized in that said cymbal-engaging member is a bell shaped member connected to said arm at a medial portion thereof.

5. The sizzler of claim 1 further characterized in that the rear wall slopes diagonally so that said side walls are longer at the top than at the bottom.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 3 further characterized in that the rim of said cymbal-engaging member is in contact with said cymbal between 1 /2 and 4" from the periphery of said cymbal.

7. A sizzler comprising a body, means for mounting said body in axial relationship with a cymbal, a cymbal engaging member, an anm having at one end a wobbly connection to said cymbal engaging member, means for pivotally connecting said arm to said body, and said arm connected to said pivotal connecting means at the end opposite said cymbal engaging member freely to rotate in a vertical plane.

8. The sizzler of claim 7 further characterized in that stop means intercept said arm in a position to limit rotation around said pivot at a point beyond the top dead center position in said vertical plane.

9. In combination, a centrally suspended cymbal, a sizzler comprising a body mounted axially with said cymbal, a cymbal engaging member, an arm having at one end a wobbly connection to said cymbal engaging member, means for pivotally connecting said arm to said body, and said arm connected to said means freely to rot-ate in a vertical plane from an operative position in which it holds said cymbal engaging member in contact with said cymbal, to an inoperative position which is past top dead center in said vertical plane, and stop means to engage said arm and hold it in said inoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 922,706 Ludwig May 25, 1909 1,362,271 Stathopoulos Dec. 14, 1920 2,417,972 DArcy Mar. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 591,800 Great Britain Aug. 28, 1947 165,677 Sweden Dec. 16, 1958