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US 5,492,044 AGranted
String support having a base with string support members and method
OwnerRobert J. Sperzelinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerRobert J. Sperzelinventor
Estimating the term…
A stringed musical instrument of the guitar type has a plurality of strings which extend from tuning devices on a head portion, along a neck portion, to a body portion of the instrument. A string support includes a base which extends beneath the strings. A plurality of spheres have lower segments which are disposed in apertures in the base. The base is positioned in a groove with centers of curvature of the spheres in a plane which contains a flat front side surface of the groove. Positioning members engage the bottom of the groove to locate the base relative to the groove. The base can be resiliently deflected to have a curvature which is the same as the curvature of an upper side surface of the neck portion of the guitar. To facilitate deflection of the base, slots are formed part way through the base. To enable the position of the base to be adjusted relative to the groove when the base is in the groove, the positioning members are accessible from an upper side of the base.
A string support for use in a stringed musical instrument and across which a plurality of strings extend, said string support comprising a base extending beneath the plurality of strings, said base having an upper side surface facing toward the plurality of strings, a plurality of pairs of apertures extending downwardly from the upper side surface of said base, a plurality of spheres connected with said base, each of said spheres having a lower segment disposed in one of said apertures and a center of curvature which is disposed above the upper side surface of said base.
A string support for use in a musical instrument and across which a plurality of strings extend, said string support comprising a base, a plurality of pairs of spheres disposed on said base in engagement with said plurality of strings, means for holding spheres of each pair of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres adjacent to each other while the plurality of strings press against said plurality of pairs of spheres, and means for forming an area of reduced thickness in said base to enable said base to be deflected to move at least one of said pairs of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres relative to the musical instrument.
A string support as set forth in claim 9 wherein said area of reduced thickness includes a groove extending from a lower side surface of said base toward an upper side surface of said base.
A stringed musical instrument said musical instrument comprising a body portion, a neck portion connected with and extending outwardly from said body portion, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said neck portion and body portion of said musical instrument, a groove formed in said musical instrument adjacent to the connection between said head portion and neck portion, said groove having a side surface area disposed in a plane which extends transversely to longitudinal axes of said strings, a base at least partially disposed in said groove and extending beneath said strings, a plurality of pairs of spheres disposed on said base, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with a pair of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres, each of the spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres having a center of curvature which is disposed in the plane containing the side surface area of said groove.
A stringed musical instrument said musical instrument comprising a body portion, a neck portion connected with and extending outwardly from said body portion, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said neck portion and body portion of said musical instrument, said neck portion having a curved side surface which faces toward said plurality of strings, a base mounted on said musical instrument and extending beneath said strings, a plurality of pairs of spheres disposed on said base, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with a pair of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres, and means for deflecting said base from a first condition in which the centers of curvature of the spheres of said plurality of spheres are disposed along a first axis having a first configuration to a second condition in which the centers of curvature of the spheres of said plurality of spheres are disposed along a second axis having a second configuration which corresponds to the configuration of the curved side surface of said neck portion.
A method of mounting a string support in a groove formed in a musical instrument which is has a neck portion with a curved upper side surface, said method comprising the steps of positioning a portion of a base of the string support in the groove with a plurality of spheres on the base, and deflecting the string support while the string support is in the groove, said step of deflecting the string support including changing the configuration of an axis extending through centers of the plurality of spheres disposed on the base of the string support from a first configuration to a second configuration which corresponds to the configuration of the curved upper side surface of the neck portion of the musical instrument.
A method comprising the steps of providing a musical instrument having a groove with a flat side surface adjacent to a connection between a head portion and a neck portion of the musical instrument, and positioning a string support in the groove, said step of positioning a string support in the groove including positioning a flat surface of a base portion of the string support in engagement with a flat side surface of the groove and positioning a plurality of spheres disposed on the base portion of the string support in locations in which centers of the spheres are disposed in a plane containing the flat side surface of the groove.
A stringed musical instrument, said musical instrument comprising a body portion, a neck portion connected with and extending outwardly from said body portion, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said neck portion and body portion of said musical instrument, said neck portion having an arcuately curved upper side surface which faces toward said plurality of strings, a groove formed in said musical instrument adjacent to the connection between said head portion and neck portion, said groove having a side surface area disposed in a plane which extends transversely to longitudinal axes of said strings, a base at least partially disposed in said groove and extending beneath said strings, said base having an upper side surface which faces toward said plurality of strings, means for deflecting said base so that the upper side surface of said base has a configuration which corresponds to the arcuately curved configuration of said upper side surface of said neck portion, a plurality of pairs of spheres disposed on said base, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with a pair of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres, each of the spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres having a center of curvature which is disposed in the plane containing the side surface area of said groove.
A stringed musical instrument, said musical instrument comprising a body portion, a neck portion connected with and extending outwardly from said body portion, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said neck portion and body portion of said musical instrument, a groove formed in said musical instrument adjacent to the connection between said head portion and neck portion, said groove having a side surface area disposed in a plane which extends transversely to longitudinal axes of said strings, a base at least partially disposed in said groove and extending beneath said strings, a plurality of pairs of spheres disposed on said base, a plurality of pairs of apertures extending from an upper side of said base which faces toward said plurality of strings, each sphere of said plurality of pairs of spheres having a lower segment disposed in one of said apertures, each of said apertures having a center which is disposed in the plane containing the side surface area of said groove, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with a pair of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres, each of the spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres having a center of curvature which is disposed in the plane containing the side surface area of said groove.
A stringed musical instrument, said musical instrument comprising a body portion, a neck portion connected with and extending outwardly from said body portion, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said neck portion and body portion of said musical instrument, a groove formed in said musical instrument adjacent to the connection between said head portion and neck portion, said groove having a side surface area disposed in a plane which extends transversely to longitudinal axes of said strings, a base at least partially disposed in said groove and extending beneath said strings, a plurality of pairs of spheres disposed on said base, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with a pair of spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres, each of the spheres of said plurality of pairs of spheres having a center of curvature which is disposed in the plane containing the side surface area of said groove, and means for resiliently deflecting said base to deform an upper side surface of said base which faces toward said plurality of strings while maintaining said base in engagement with the side surface area of said groove.
A method comprising the steps of providing a musical instrument with a groove having a flat side surface adjacent to a connection between a head portion and a neck portion of the musical instrument, positioning at least a portion of a string support in the groove, said step of positioning a string support in the groove including positioning a flat surface area on a base portion of the string support in engagement with a flat side surface of the groove and positioning a plurality of spheres disposed on the base portion of the string support in locations in which centers of the spheres are disposed in a plane containing the flat side surface of the groove, and deflecting the base portion of the string support while at least a portion of the string support is in the groove to change the configuration of the base portion of the string support.
A string support for use in a musical instrument and across which a plurality of strings extend, said string support comprising a base, a plurality of pairs of members disposed on said base in engagement with said plurality of strings, each member of said plurality of pairs of members having an outer side surface which has a circular cross sectional configuration, means for holding members of each pair of members of said plurality of pairs of members adjacent to each other while the plurality of strings press against the outer side surfaces of the members of said plurality of pairs of members, and means for forming an area of reduced thickness in said base at a location between a first pair of members of said plurality of pairs of members and a second pair of members of said plurality of pairs of members to enable said base to be deflected to move at least one of said pairs of members of said plurality of pairs of members relative to the musical instrument.
A method comprising the steps of providing a musical instrument having a groove adjacent to a connection between a head portion and a neck portion of the musical instrument, providing a string support having an upper side surface with a plurality of pairs of apertures in which a plurality of pairs of members are mounted, each of the members of the plurality of pairs of members extends into one of the apertures of the plurality of pairs of apertures, positioning at least a portion of the string support in the groove, deflecting the string support while the string support is at least partially disposed in the groove, said step of deflecting the string support being performed while the plurality of pairs of members extend into the apertures in the upper side surface of the string support, said step of deflecting the string support includes changing the configuration of the upper side surface of the string support from a first configuration to a second configuration which corresponds to a configuration of a curved upper side surface of the neck portion of the musical instrument, and, thereafter, positioning a plurality of strings in engagement with the plurality of pairs of members, said step of positioning the plurality of strings in engagement with the plurality of pairs of members includes positioning a string in engagement with each pair of members of the plurality of pairs of members.
A string support for use in a stringed musical instrument and across which a plurality of strings extend, said string support comprising a base extending beneath the plurality of strings, a plurality of pairs of apertures formed in said base, a plurality of spheres, each of said spheres having a segment disposed in one of said apertures, and connecting material bonded to outer side surfaces of each of said spheres and to said base to fixedly interconnect said spheres and said base, said connecting material extending into each of said apertures.
A stringed musical instrument, said musical instrument comprising a neck portion, said neck portion having an arcuately curved outer side surface, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said arcuately curved outer side surface of said neck portion, a base extending beneath said strings, a plurality of pairs of members disposed on said base, each member of said plurality of pairs of members having an outer side surface which has a circular cross sectional configuration, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with outer side surfaces of a pair of members of said plurality of pairs of members, and means for connecting said base with said head and neck portions of said musical instrument and for deflecting said base from a first configuration to a second configuration which corresponds to the configuration of said arcuately curved outer side surface of said neck portion.
A stringed musical instrument, said musical instrument comprising a neck portion, a head portion connected with said neck portion, a plurality of tuning devices mounted on said head portion, a plurality of strings each of which extends from one of said tuning devices along said neck portion, said neck portion having an arcuately curved upper side surface which faces toward said plurality of strings, a groove formed in said musical instrument adjacent to the connection between said head portion and said neck portion, said groove having a side surface area disposed in a plane which extends transversely to longitudinal axes of said strings, a base at least partially disposed in said groove and extending beneath said strings, said base having a first surface area which is disposed in abutting engagement with the side surface area of said groove to locate said base relative to said neck portion of said musical instrument, said base having a second surface area which faces toward said plurality of strings, said base having a third surface area which is disposed in engagement with said arcuately curved upper side surface of said neck portion, and a plurality of pairs of members disposed on said base, each string of said plurality of strings being disposed in engagement with a pair of members of said plurality of pairs of members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.