US493635A - Banjo - Google Patents

Description

W. MAYER.

BANJO.

No. 493,635. Patented Mar.21,1893.

Uniirao STATES PATENT Carton.

YVILLIAM MAYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,635, dated March 21, 1893.

Application filed November 2, 1892. Serial No. 450, 703.

To wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MAYER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in banjos and more particularly to the means and manner of putting the head on and securing the same.

It has for its objectamong others to dispense with the hooks and other contrivances upon the outside of the banjo, which exterior contrivances are always liable to catch into the clothing and injure the same or to be injured thereby.

It has for a further object to decrease the width of the rim whereby a better and clearer tone is produced and at the same time the expense and weight of the instrument is diminished. The rim has brackets for the reception of the hooks which are provided with threaded shanks to receive the adjusting nuts by which the head is tightened. The nuts are of peculiar construction, being beveled upon their faces adjacent to the said brackets whereby they prevent contact of the threaded portion of the hooks with the brackets.

The device is simple, cheap and durable, and in practice it has been proven that a banjo constructed in accordance with my invention is preferable by far to the prior forms.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a perspective view of my improved banjo. Fig. 2 is asectional view showing the bracket or lug on the rim and the hook and its nut. Fig. 3, is a section at right (No model.)

angles to Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a perspective view of a bracket which Iemploy for the long hooks.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in which they appear.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the rim which it will be noticed is of much less width than heretofore and at proper intervals it is provided with holes a which may assume any desired shape but preferably substantially rectangular as shown; these holes are formed by the stamping out or otherwise forming of the lugs or brackets B which extend from the inner face of the rim substantially at right angles thereto, and these lugs or brackets are notched or slotted as seen at b for a purpose which will soon be made apparent.

C represents the wire ring around which the head D is secured or held in the usual manner, and E represents the hoop.

In applying the head or skin it should be wet enough to make it pliable but not soaked until it becomes too flabby. After the head has become sufficiently pliable lay it on the rim of the banjo and then place the wire ring or flesh hoop C over the head, thus bringing it down over the rim as shown, being careful to draw the head evenly and have as few wrinkles in the skin as possible. Keep the wire ring near the top of the rim and as even as possible; then, taking the hoop or band in one hand, tuck the edge of the head under the hoop and put on a long hook E to hold the band in place; now tuck in more of the edge of the head, going around the rim, and put on another hook; do this again, going farther around the rim, and until the parts are in place.

In using thelong hooks itis necessary to have some means of holding the same and for this purpose I employ the bracket such as is shown at F in Fig. 4, the hookfengaging the bottom edge of the rim and the long hook passing through the hole f in the flange of the bracket at the other end as shown. These brackets are designed to be taken off when the head is fully on. The brackets are struck up from sheet metal or otherwise formed. Vhen the head has been drawn into the proper position in the manner above described, then the small hooks G are applied in the following manner;

the shanks of the hooks are held in the hoop or band E and are passed through the holes in the rim and engaged in the slots or notches of the brackets B as seen in Fig. 1 and then the nuts H are applied and screwed up tight to draw the head taut. These nuts are beveled as seen at it upon their faces adjacent to the brackets which latter are slightly countersunk so that the nut will be guided to its center so as to prevent the hooks from bruising the threads by rubbing against the brackets. It will be thus seen that I provide a banjo in which the means which secure the head in place are all arranged upon the inside of the rim and by such means the head can be quickly and easily tightened when desired. The long hooks are taken off after the head has been secured in place and are only employed for convenience in securing the parts.

What I claim as new is 1. In a banjo, the combination with the rim and the hoop the former being provided with inwardly slotted brackets 13, of the head, and the hooks connecting the hoop and rim and arranged upon the inside of the rim, as setforth.

2. In a banjo, the combination with the rim having integral brackets, extending inwardly 30 and slotted of the hoop, the head and its ring,

the hooks securing the hoop to the rim and the nuts on the hooks arranged within the rim, as set forth.

3. The combination with the rim having holes and brackets, said brackets being slotted and the inner walls of the slot being bev eled, of the hoop, the wire ring, the head, the hooks and the beveled nuts, all substantially as specified.

4. The combination with the rim having slotted brackets and holes, of the hoop, the hooks thereon, the wire ring, the head, and the nuts on the ends of the hooks within the rim and held in the slots of the brackets, substantially as specified.

5. In a banjo, the combination with the hoop, of the rim provided with the inwardly extending slotted brackets, the under sides of the inner wall of which are beveled from the inner edge outward, of the clamps, the bolts and the nuts having their upper ends beveled, substantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MAYER.

Witnesses:

CHRISTOPHER J. RAMSAY, JOHN G. LYLE.

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