Wind instrument

#This invention relates to a wind instrument made of a synthetic resin and small in wall thickness of the body portion.

#Generally, the synthetic resin made wind instruments have the advantages that they are suited for mass production, inexpensive and tough, but on the other hand they have the drawback that they are unable to produce the sympathetic sounds with soft and beautiful timbre and tone due to the intrinsic physical properties of synthetic resin. With the improvements in molding techniques in recent years, there is seen a tendency in the art of wind instruments to form the pipes small in wall thickness to prevent distortion or strain of the pipes during molding thereof so as to elevate the molding precision of the synthetic resin made wind instruments. It was found, however, that reduction of the wall thickness of the pipes greatly affects the timbre of sympathetic sounds produced by the instrument.

#There is therefore required a wind instrument so constructed that it is able to produce sympathetic sounds with excellent timbre even though the synthetic resin made pipes are formed small in wall thickness.

#The characteristic features of this invention will be easily understood from reading the following description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention and in which:

#FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of a recorder constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

#FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of the mouthpiece of the recorder shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 being shown on a larger scale than FIG. 1;

#Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4 which diagrammatically illustrate a recorder constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention, it will be seen that the recorder 1 is composed principally of a mouthpiece 2, tubular barrel 3 and foot pipe section 4. Each of said mouthpiece 2, barrel 3 and foot pipe section 4 is of a double-wall structure consisting of a thin-walled inner pipe 2i (3a, 4i) and a similarly thin-walled outer pipe 2o (3o, 4o) each of which is made of a synthetic resin (such as a thermoplastic synthetic resin). Each inner pipe is small and uniform in wall thickness, and on the back side thereof are formed integral ribs 2i', 3i', 4i' provided for the purpose of joining.

#An enlarged view of the mouthpiece having the inner pipe 2i with the protuberant integral ribs 2i on its external surface is shown in FIG. 2, and an enlarged view of the barrel 3 having the inner pipe 3i with the protuberant integral ribs 3i' on its external surface is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of said inner pipe 3i, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the outer pipe in the barrel. This outer pipe is press-fitted on the inner pipe of FIG. 3A to constitute the barrel of the instrument as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the foot pipe 4 having the ribs 4i' formed integral therewith. The inner and outer pipes of both mouthpiece and foot pipe are constructed similar to those of the barrel shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and the outer pipe is press-fitted on the inner pipe to constitute the structures shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. As shown in FIG. 3, tone holes 5 are formed in the inner pipe ribs 3i' and the corresponding parts of the outer pipe. The rib 3i' formed with a tone hole 5 shown in FIG. 3C is of a double-wall structure as further described later, but it may have other structure.

#The inner pipe 3i and the outer pipe 3o are pressfitted to ensure airtightness around the joint 6' of the outer pipe 3o and the inner pipe ribs 3i'.