US3910225A

US3910225A - Caroling bell system

Info

Publication number: US3910225A
Application number: US412838A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alvin J Huber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-01-12
Filing date: 1973-11-05
Publication date: 1975-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 1992-10-07

Abstract

This invention describes an improved caroling bell system in which the bell striker means is driven by a rotary drive means which includes at least one rotating arm. The striker means comprises a flexible element which supports a striker ball. The flexible element is fastened rigidly at one end and the rotating arm is adapted to strike a blow on the flexible element, causing it to move in the direction of the bell surface, so that the striker ball will strike the surface of the bell. The striker means can be positioned inside the bell, or on the outside. More than one striker means can be used on the same bell, striking it at different positions, in order to get different harmonic content from the bell.

Description

[ 'Oct.7, 1975 CAROLING BELL SYSTEM [76] Inventor: Alvin J. Huber, 5738 E. 61 P1.,

Tulsa, Okla. 74136 [22] Filed: Nov. 5, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 412,838

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 323,273, Jan. 12,

1973, Pat. No. 3,769,870.

[52] U.S. Cl 116/167; 84/103 [51] Int. Cl. G10K 1/072; GOlF H08 [58] Field of Search ..1l6/171,155,169, 143, 116/148, 167, 158; 84/103, 406, 407, 404

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 521,024 6/1894 Hamlet l16/l67 X 2,296,000 9/1942 Ojalvo 84/404 X 3,076,960 2/l963 Knutson 116/155 X 3,769,870 ll/l973 Huber 84/l03 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Queisser Assistant Examiner-Daniel M. Yasich [57] ABSTRACT This invention describes an improved caroling bell system in which the bell striker means is driven by a retary drive means which includes at least one rotating arm. The striker means comprises a flexible element which supports a striker ball. The flexible element is fastened rigidly at one end and the rotating arm is adapted to strike a blow on the flexible element, causing it to move in the direction of the bell surface, so that the striker ball will strike the surface of the bell. The striker means can be positioned inside the bell, or on the outside. More than one striker means can be used on the same bell, striking it at different positions, in order to get different harmonic content from the bell.

13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 3,910,225

,CAROLING BELL SYSTEM CROSS REFERENCE To RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a continuation-in-part of copending-applica-v tion Ser. No. 323,273, filed Jan. 12, 1973, entitled CAROLING BELLS, by the same inventor, soon'to issue as US. Pat. No. 3,769,870. US. Pat. No. 3,769,870 is inserted by reference into this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION tromagnetically operated bar carrying a striker ball so that when a signal is applied to the magnet, the ball will be caused to move and strike the bell.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved striker means for bells. It is a further object of this invention to provide a striker means for bells in which a continuing striking of the bells is maintained, so long as the electrical signal is applied. It is a still further object of this invention to provide a multiple bell carillon which has improved sound generating properties, and which can be played in accordance with electrical signals of a musical selection. Each of the bells are tied to this source of electrical signals through a separate band pass filter which is wide enough to cover the natural frequency of the bell.

These and other objects are realized and the limitations of the prior artare overcome in this invention by using a rotary driven striker means which, instead of providing simply a single impulsive striking of the bell, provides a continuing series of mechanical contacts so that the tone of the bell is continually reinforced, so long as the motor drive continues. The striker means can be mounted inside or outside of the bell and can be introduced through the closed end or the open end of the bell. The striker means comprises at least one striker ball supported on a flexible element which is fastened at one end to a rigid support. The rotating drive means includes at least one rotating arm which is adapted to strike the flexible element and cause it and the striker ball attached thereto, to move in the direction of the bell surface so that the striker ball will strike the bell.

The flexible element can be a simple linear wire or small diameter rod or flat strip mounted more or less parallel to the surface of the bell'so that as the rotary drive means turns, and the rotating arm strikes the flexible element, the striker ball will be driven against the bell and there will be a continuous repetition of the striking effort. The rotating driving means can have one striker arm or a plurality of angularly spaced striker arms. There can be more than one flexible element and striker ball, adapted for striking by the same rotating arm and there can be more than one striker ball operating against the inner and/or outer surface of the bell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects of this invention and a better understanding of the principles and details of the invention will be evident from the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents in elevation a cross section of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 represents a view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 as seen perpendicular to the plane 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of an embodiment in which the striker means is placed outside of the bell.

FIG. 4 indicates a multi arm rotary striker means.

FIG. 5 represents an embodiment showing a helical coil for the flexible element and including a plurality of striker balls placed at different positions along the flexible element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS This invention is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 323,273, which application is entered into and made part of this application by reference. There are a number of drawings and corresponding descriptions in application Ser. No. 323,273 which will be referred to and which will have the same force and effect as if they were physically made part of this application.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 represents in vertical cross section one embodiment of this invention. It comprises a bell 12 which is supported by means 14, which are well known, to a rigid support. A rotary drive means comprises a motor 16, drive shaft 18 and rotating arm means 20. The motor is supported by means 15 (well known in the art) to the same support means 14 which holds the bell. While the motor is shown inside the bell, it can be mounted outside the bell as in FIG. 3, and can be mounted outside of and on top of the bell with the shaft 18 being inserted through an opening along the axis of the bell, as in FIG. 2 of application Ser. No. 323,273. A corresponding motor driven striker means can be inserted into the bell from the open bottom end thereof, as in FIG. 2 of application Ser. No. 323,273.

The striker ball 26 is supported on a flexible means 22 which can be a metallic wire or thin rod or strip of suitable elastic properties, which is supported rigidly at its upper end by means 24. The rotating arm system 20 is shown in FIG. 2, which is a view taken perpendicular to the plane 2-2 of FIG. 1. It is seen that the rotary drive means 20 which is mounted on the shaft 18 may have one or two or more lobes or'arms, such as 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, etc., in FIG. 4. The rotating arm 20 is adapted to strike the wire or rod 22 and cause it to move outwardly, whereby the striker mass 26 will strike the inner surface of the bell 12. If there are more than one arms, there will be more frequent strikings of the flexible element 22 causing repetitive strikings of the hell by the striker mass 26.

It will, of course, be clear as is well known in the art that striker masses of different material, of different mass and different hardness, for example, will give a different tone to the bell. That is, the tone will have different harmonic content. These choices of different constructions of the flexible element, different size and material of construction of the striker ball, are factors which are available in the various embodiments of this invention.

As is well known in the acoustics, the point along the length of the bell at which the bell is struck will have some effect on the harmonic content of the tone so that more than one striker means, including flexible elements such as 22' and striker mass 26' can be used with the flexible element 22 and striker mass 26, operated by the same rotary drive means so that tones from the same bell of different harmonic content can be intermixed with each other by successively striking the flexible elements of the two or more striker means.

While the motor system of FIG. 1 is shown inserted and supported from the top of the bell it can equally well be introduced through the open end of the bell, so that the striker arm can be mounted closer to the top of the bell, for example, than might be possible in the situation shown in FIG. 1. Such a system in which the striker system is introduced through the open end of the bell is shown in FIG. 2 of application Ser. No. 323,273.

In FIG. 3 the motor 40, drive shaft 42 and rotating arm system 44 are shown outside of the bell and supported by a frame 32 which also supports the bell 12 through the means 14. The striker means including the flexible element 34 which is fastened by means 36 to the frame 32, supports the striker ball or mass 38 which can be driven against the outer surface of the bell 12. This is a system similar to that of FIG. 3 of application Ser. No. 323,273.

It will be clear also that other embodiments may be devised in which the axis of the rotating arms and the flexible element can be perpendicular (or at any other angle) to the axis of the bell.

A modification of the system of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 5 in which the flexible element, instead of being a wire or thin rod, is a closely wound helical spring of small diameter, which is fastened rigidly at its top end (not shown). This may support a plurality of

striker balls

52 and 56, which are spaced along the length of the

flexible elements

50 and 54.

Various means may be devised to provide the electrical signals to each of the plurality of bells such as shown in FIG. 1 of application Ser. No. 323,273. Such electrical controls, which may be devised from the systems such as in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7 of application Ser. No. 323,273, are incorporated into this application by reference. Thus. all of the systems indicated in the prior application are adapted to use the striker means of this invention in conjunction with other features shown in the earlier application.

While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and the arrangement of components. It is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment set forth herein by way of exemplifying the invention, but the invention is to be limited only by the scope of theattached claim or claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element or step thereof is entitled.

What is claimed is:

1. An instrument comprising a bell, a bell striker means for use on the bell, comprising:

a. rotary drive means including at least one rotating arm supported by means in close proximity to the bell,

b. striker means comprising at least one striker ball supported on a flexible element fastened at one end to a rigid support, said rotating arm exerting an impulsive force on said flexible element in its rotation and to cause said striker ball to strike said bell.

2. The instrument as in claim 1 in which the axis of rotation of said rotary drive means is coaxial with the axis of symmetry of said bell.

3. The instrument as in claim 1 in which said rotary drive means comprises a rotating shaft which passes through an axial opening in the closed end of the bell.

4. The instrument as in claim 1 in which said drive means is inserted into the bell through the open end thereof.

5. The instrument as in claim 1 in which said flexible element is a flexible wire-like linear element.

6. The instrument as in claim 1 in which said flexible element is a tightly wound helical spring of small diameter.

7. The instrument as in claim 1 including on said one bell a plurality of striker means placed at different positions on said bell.

8. The instrument as in claim 7 in which said plurality of striker means are inside said bell and operated by a single rotating means.

9. The instrument as in claim 7 in which said plurality of striker means includes at least one inside and at least one outside of said bell.

10. The instrument as in claim 7 in which each of the striker balls on the plurality of striker means is different in physical properties.

11. The instrument as in claim 7 including at least one flexible element with a plurality of striker balls thereon, spaced apart from each other.

12. The instrument as in claim 1 in which said rotary drive means includes a plurality of rotating arms.

13. The instrument as in claim 1 in which said flexible element is a thin flat strip.

Claims

1. An instrument comprising a bell, a bell striker means for use on the bell, comprising: a. rotary drive means including at least one rotating arm supported by means in close proximity to the bell, b. striker means comprising at least one striker ball supported on a flexible element fastened at one end to a rigid support, said rotating arm exerting an impulsive force on said flexible element in its rotation and to cause said striker ball to strike said bell.