Violin/viola wearable support
OwnerCurt Dennis Homaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The wearable support article contains a clamping mechanism, an orienting mechanism, and a support mechanism. These components are combined to support an instrument, such as a viola or violin, when is it being played by a musician. The clamping mechanism attaches the article to the instrument. The orienting mechanism attaches to the clamping mechanism, providing an orientation support platform upon which the clamping mechanism and thus the instrument will be held. The support mechanism of the entire wearable support article provides a loop that is worn by the musician while playing the instrument, and a peg or sleeve attached to the loop allows the instrument to be put up or down at will by the player during a performance.
Claims15
A wearable support device for providing hands-free support of an instrument comprising a viola and a violin;
- the wearable support device comprises:
- a clamping mechanism comprising:
- two upper clamp pieces, each with a paddle-like head that forms a slightly acute angle with a tubular and interiorly threaded body, a bend between a head and a body of an upper clamp piece being a neck and thus a back of the neck being an obtuse angle;
- a lower clamp piece with a flat part whose edges approximate a curve of a lower end of the instrument;
- a pair of flange-like parts, one on each side of the lower clamp piece, angled slightly upward from the flat part of the lower clamp piece;
- a pair of holes, one in each of the flange-like parts;
- a slot running a length of an underside of the lower clamp piece;
- and
- a bolt attached by a rectangular head in the slot;
- a pair of screws that pass upward through the pair of holes of the lower clamp piece and have threads that are mated with interior threads of tubular bodies of the two upper clamp pieces, permitting the two screws to join the lower clamp piece to the upper clamp pieces;
- an orienting mechanism comprising:
- an attachment nut whose threads are mated to threads of a bolt on the underside of the lower clamp piece;
- a casing fused to the attachment nut and composed of a slightly more than hemispherical part and a semi-cylindrical part;
- a ball, more than half of which is housed in the more than hemispherical part of the casing;
- a support mechanism comprising:
- a rigid loop, fitted with a hinge and clasp, that is worn around a neck of a musician, permitting the wearable support to be worn by the musician playing the instrument;
- a medallion through which the rigid loop passes allowing the medallion to rotate;
- a retaining device that fixes the medallion in a selected position, preventing the medallion from rotating;
- and
- one or more attachment points on the medallion and the rigid loop that accommodate various means of connection to the musician.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.