US3186286A

US3186286A - Educational musical toys

Info

Publication number: US3186286A
Application number: US255611A
Authority: US
Inventors: Swensson Folke Hugo Torsten
Original assignee: Lund Co
Current assignee: Lund Co
Priority date: 1963-02-01
Filing date: 1963-02-01
Publication date: 1965-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 1982-06-01

Description

June 1, 1965 F. H. T. SWENSSON EDUCATIONAL MUSICAL TOYS Filed Feb. 1, 1963 United States Patent 3,186,286 EDUCATIONAL MUSICAL TOYS Follre Hugo Torsten Swensson, lloras, Sweden Land, Angsiiarsgatan 6, Stockholm NA Sweden) Filed Feb. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 255,611 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-83) The invention refers to an educational musical toy, with which children learn to read and understand notes without any difiieulties.

This result is obtained thereby that the children themselves build up melodies by positioning after written note transcriptions plastic notes on a plastic slide having the appearance of a system of music signs. They are inspired to the work thereby that immediately upon having positioned the notes, they can have the melody played not only once but as many times as they like to. In this manner the children will soon be familiar with the notes and they enjoy themselves while they learn.

Referring now to the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line I-I in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the toy.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two note members and FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the note carrying member being provided with note members, consistingamelody.

In the drawing in, 1b, respectively designate each side wall of a tone-giving unit having blowing pipes. It is however understood that the invention is not limited to any specific kind of tonegiving units. The side walls are mutually connected by means of a block 2, containing the blow pipe members 3 or melody plates, which are positioned in grooves in said block. The one side of each melody plate communicates with an opening 4- and the other side with another opening 5, the latter conimunicat-ing in its turn with a hole 6 in which a seat 7 for the valve 8 is securely fixed. The valve stem 9 projects through a bushing 19 fixed to the outer end of the hole 6. A coil spring 1]., which is guided on a cylindrical portion 12 on the valve 8, urges to hold the valve pressed against its seat. A cover 13 is fixed to the block by means of not shown screws, and has a circular flange 14 for the reception of abuse 15.

The valves are operated by actuating arms 16, being mounted around a transverse shaft 17. The arms are guided in slots 19 in a transverse guide member 13. In their upper end the actuating arms are provided with slots 20 for the purpose of adjusting each arm by inserting a screw driver or the like in said slot to bend out the narrow portion adjacent the valve stem 9.

The arms are normally held in the position shown in FIG. 1 Where the finger 21 is positioned somewhat above the base plate of the note members 33, which will be described later on. It is desirable that each valve will open and the pipe sound exactly when the finger of its actuating arm has reached a certain point and to achieve that the aforesaid adjusting might be undertaken. The tone-giving unit also includes members for the advance-- ment of the note carrying member. For this purpose, a transverse shaft 22, journalled in the sides la, lb has fixedly secured to itself two rollers 23, each having a frictional cover 24 for example a rubber tube or hose. The shaft 22 projects outside the wall 1a and is fixedly connected to a gear 25, which gears with a pinion 26, fixed to another transverse shaft 27, which also protrudes out or" the opposite side wall 1b and is provided with a collar 28, preventing axial movements of the shaft. In its free end the shaft 27 is formed to a crank 29 (FIG. 2). The note carrying member or the slide 36 comprises a base plate 31 having longitudinal flanges 32 prefer- "ice ably on both sides. The slide is preferably extruded from plastic material.

The note members 33, which may be made from such plastic materials as polyamide or polyvinyl chloride each comprise a base plate 34 (FIG. 3) having on its under side two grooves 35, which may cooperate with two adjacent flanges 32 on the slide for detachably securing the note to the slide. On its over side each note member has a projection 36 which may be colored black and on the base plate is designated staples 37 and flags, indicating the lengths of the note in question. The projection can appear intermediate the grooves 35 (left structure in FIG. 3) or above one of them (right hand structure). The note members are also available in different lengths corresponding to different long notes 1 J J, I 3 etc.

To use the toy, the child positions the plastic note members 33 on the slide 30 just in accordance with a note transcription. If a note will appear between two note lines, a note member corresponding to the left hand structure in FIG. 3 is chosen and if the note is to appear on a line a note of the right hand structure is used. In note transcriptions the lengths of the notes are indicated by staples and flags in combination but the plastic notes in addition thereto indicate the exact proportions between the note lengths therein that the length of the projections 36 are proportionate to the time which the actual tone will tune. See for example FIG. 3 where the right hand structure will sound twice as long as the left hand note. Thus the child soon becomes familiar with the notes and understands them.

After having positioned the note members on the slide for example as in FIG. 4, the slide is guided in between the

guides

38, 39 in the slide walls 1a, 1b and the crank 29 is turned at the same time as the child blows in the hose 15. Now the projections of the note members will operate their respective actuating arms and the same will then open the corresponding valves 9, which will cause the melody plates to sound and give the melody. In FIG. 2 the arm to the right is in operating position with its follower or finger upon the projection 36.

It is possible to have the crank 29 substituted by a motor, driving the rollers and also the blowing may be made by motor for example by means of a fan or the like.

Two melodies may be built up at the same time as the under side of the slide also has flanges 32 (FIG. 2).

A slide length of about 10-42 inches has been found sufiicient even for playing rather long melodies.

The melody plates may be changed and it is therefore possible to play melodies in fiat as well as in minor. The arrows in FIG. 1 show the air passage when the valve is open.

What I claim is:

1. An educational musical toy, characterized therein that it comprises in combination a tone-giving unit, having pipes, strings or the like, adapted to be selectively operated by means of tone operating levers, a note carrying member in the form of a slide, displaceable relative to said unit and having a series of mutually parallel flanges or grooves, constituting the note lines in a system of music, and note members, each comprising a base plate, having at its under side two spaced apart grooves or flanges for co-operation with two adjacent flanges/ grooves of the note carrying member, and on its upper side a projection in form of a note, positioned either vertically above one of said grooves/flanges or intermediate the same and provided with indications such as staples and flags showing the length of the note in question, the note members being adapted to be detachably connected to said flanges or grooves in close relationship relative to each other and in such a manner that the note forming projections may selectively control the tone operating levers of the tone-giving unit, when said note carrying member is displaced relative to said tonegiving unit.

2. An educational musical toy as claimed in claim 1, characterized therein that the lengths of the projections are proportionate to the length of the note indicated, i.e. the time the tone is to sound.

3. An educational musical toy as claimed in claim 1, characterized therein that the note carrying member is provided with fianges/ grooves on both sides.

4. An educational musical toy as claimed in claim 1, characterized therein that the flanges/grooves of the note carrying member, which correspond to the main 15 note lines in a system of music are colored black to distinguish them from the secondary note lines having a different color.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 6/27 Germany. 9/ 37 Germany. 4/5 0 Norway.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN EDUCATIONAL MUSICAL TOY, CHARACTERIZED THEREIN THAT IT COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A TONE-GIVING UNIT, HAVING PIPES, STRINGS OR THE LIKE, ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY OPERATED BY MEANS OF TONE OPERATING LEVERS, A NOTE CARRYING MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A SLIDE, DISPLACEABLE RELATIVE TO SAID UNIT AND HAVING A SERIES OF NUTUALLY PARALLEL FLANGES OR GROOVES, CONSTITUTING THE NOTE LINES IN A SYSTEM OF MUSIC, AND NOTE MEMBERS, EACH COMPRISING A BASE PLATE, HAVING AT ITS UNDER SIDE TWO SPACED APART GROOVES OF FLANGES FOR CO-OPERATION WITH TWO ADJACENT FLANGES/ GROOVES OF THE NOTE CARRYING MEMBER, AND ON ITS UPPER SIDE A PROJECTION IN FORM OF A NOTE, POSITIONED EITHER VERTICALLY ABOVE ONE OF SAID GROOVES/FLANGES OR INTERMEDIATE THE SAME AND PROVIDED WITH INDICATIONS SUCH AS STAPLES AND FLAGS SHOWING THE LENGTH OF THE NOTE IN QUESTION, THE NOTE MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO BE DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FLANGES OR GROOVES IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIP RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AND IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE NOTE FORMING PROJECTIONS MAY SELECTIVELY CONTROL THE TONE OPERATING LEVERS OF THE TONE-GIVING UNIT, WHEN SAID NOTE CARRYING MEMBERS IS DISPLACED RELATIVE TO SAID TONEGIVING UNIT.