Drumhead with overtone suppression
AssigneeEvans Products Company
InventorsRobert C. Beals, Robert A. Gatzen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drumhead having a tone control ring which suppresses unwanted overtones while preserving the desirable fundamental tones. The tone control ring has its outside edge fixed to the drumhead hoop and extends along the inwardly facing surface of the drumhead sheet with its inside edge free to move and located inwardly of the bearing area of the drumhead. Small vent openings may be provided in the peripheral area or some other vibrational area of the drumhead to accelerate the decay of vibrations for further muffling of overtones. In an embodiment of the invention applicable to bass drums, the batterhead of the base drum is provided with an imperforate annular flap interposed loosely between the control ring and the drumhead for additional overtone suppression.
Claims26
A drumhead comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having an inwardly facing surface and an outwardly facing surface and terminating in a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against a drum shell;
- a drumhead hoop secured to said peripheral edge portion of the drumhead sheet;
- a tone control ring constructed of a thin film and having inside and outside edges;
- means for securing said outside edge of the ring to said hoop with said ring adjacent the inwardly facing surface of said sheet and said inside edge free of the sheet at a location inwardly of said bearing area of the sheet and
- a plurality of openings through said sheet at locations adjacent to said ring.
A drumhead comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having a substantially planar portion and a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against a drum shell;
- and
- a plurality of vent openings extending through said planar portion of the drumhead sheet at a location inwardly of said bearing area to vent air therethrough and accelerate decay of vibration of the sheet, said openings being spaced apart substantially equidistantly and being located on a circle centered at the center of the drumhead sheet.
In a bass drum, a batter drumhead comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having an inwardly facing surface and an outwardly facing surface and terminating in a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against a drum shell;
- a drumhead hoop secured to said peripheral edge portion of the drumhead sheet;
- a tone control ring constructed of a thin film and having inside and outside edges, said outside edge being secured to said drumhead hoop to mount said ring adjacent the inwardly facing surface of said sheet with said inside edge being free and located inwardly of said bearing area of the sheet;
- and
- an annular flap interposed between said drumhead sheet and said tone control ring, said flap having an inside edge spaced inwardly from the inside edge of said tone control ring.
In a bass drum having a drum shell and a batter drumhead on one end of the shell, an improved front drumhead for the opposite end of the shell, comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having inwardly and outwardly facing surfaces and a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against said opposite end of the shell;
- a drumhead hoop secured to said peripheral edge portion of the sheet;
- a tone control ring constructed of a film and having inside and outside edges, said outside edge being secured to said drumhead hoop to mount said ring adjacent the inwardly facing surface of said sheet with said inside edge being free of the sheet and located inwardly of said bearing area of the sheet;
- and
- a plurality of vent openings through said drumhead sheet to vent air therethrough.
A drumhead comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against a drum shell;
- a plurality of tension rods for adjusting the tension of the drumhead sheet;
- and
- a plurality of vent openings extending through said drumhead sheet at a location inwardly of said bearing area to vent air therethrough and accelerate decay of vibration of the sheet, one of said openings being substantially aligned with each of said tension rods on a line oriented radially on the sheet.
A drumhead comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against a drum shell, said sheet including multiple plies overlying one another;
- and
- a plurality of openings extending through at least one of said plies but less than all of said plies at a location inwardly of said bearing area to accelerate decay of vibration of the sheet.
In a base drum having a drum shell and a batter drumhead on one end of the shell presenting a batter area that is struck when the drum is played, an improved front drumhead for the opposite end of the shell comprising:
- a drumhead sheet having a peripheral edge portion presenting a bearing area for bearing against said opposite end of the shell, said sheet presenting a substantially planar portion inwardly of said bearing area;
- and
- a plurality of miking openings through said sheet at a preselected location aligned with said batter area of the batter drumhead to transmit sound and air through the sheet when the batter area is struck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.