US 7,563,972 B2 · Musical instrument signaling system

Abstract

A musical instrument signaling system (10) that is designed to alert a player of a hand-held musical instrument when to commence and stop playing the instrument. Typically, the hand-held musical instrument consists of a handbell as used by members of a bell choir. The system (10) is disclosed in five embodiments, wherein each embodiment has a transmitting circuit that includes a musical instrument such as a keyboard, and a receiving circuit. In the first, third and fifth embodiments a set of electrical signals containing the notes are transmitted through space. In the second and fourth embodiments the signals containing the notes are transmitted from the transmitter circuit to the receiving circuit by a hard-wired cable. In all five embodiments only the selected notes of a musical performance are sent to the bell ringers.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A musical instrument signaling system comprising:

a) means for producing a set of musical notes,
b) means for converting the set of musical notes into a corresponding set of electrical signals,
c) means for passing the electrical signals to at least one remotely located musical instrument that is played by a person,
d) means for receiving the electrical signals at the at least one remotely located musical instrument,
e) at least one signaling device that is activated by a specific electrical signal, wherein when said at least one signaling device is activated, the person at the at least one remotely located musical instrument is alerted to commence playing the at least one remotely located musical instrument, and wherein when the specific electrical signal stops, said signaling device is deactivated, alerting the person to stop playing the at least one remotely located musical instrument,
f) means for producing a set of musical notes, that is selected from the group consisting of an electrical keyboard, a piano, an organ, an xylophone and a pre-recorded device, and
g) means for converting the set of musical notes into a corresponding set of electrical signals, comprising a first set of cables that pass the musical signals to a keyboard interface having means for processing and passing the electrical signals through a second set of cables to said at least one signaling device, wherein said first set of cables further comprise a set of series connected switches, wherein only those switches that correspond to a set of selected musical notes that will be used by the person playing the at least one musical instrument are closed.

4 more elements

A musical instrument signaling system comprising:

a) a transmitting circuit comprising:
(1) at least one musical instrument that includes a MIDI processor having an output, wherein when an instrument note is activated said musical instrument produces a MIDI output signal containing coded digital data pertaining to the musical note selected, including a note ON and a note OFF,
(2) a MIDI interface card that is applied the MIDI output signal and that produces a corresponding coded digital signal,
(3) an electronic processor that is operated by a MIDI software program, wherein said electronic processor decodes the coded digital signal from the MIDI interface card and produces a set of three decoded serial digital signals consisting of a decoded note signal, a decoded note ON signal, and a decoded note OFF signal, wherein said software is programmed to only allow the notes applicable to a specific musical performance to be activated and transmitted,
(4) an R.F. transmitter having means for receiving and modulating the three decoded digital signals applied from said electronic processor and producing a corresponding R.F. signal that is transmitted into space by a transmitting antenna,
b) a receiving circuit comprising:
(1) a fixed-frequency R.F. receiver connected to a receiving antenna, said R.F. receiver having means for receiving the R.F. signal from said R.F. transmitter and producing a coded note signal that corresponds to the note being produced by said musical instrument,
(2) a decoder that decodes the specific coded note signal from said R.F. receiver and produces a vibrator enabling signal and/or an LED enabling signal, and
(3) a vibrator and/or an LED display that is activated respectively by the vibrator enabling signal, and the LED enabling signal, wherein when said vibrator and/or said at least one LED display are activated, a person playing the at least one remotely located musical instrument, which is selected from the group consisting of handbells, Belleplate™, chimes and pipes, is alerted to play the instrument.

6 more elements

A musical instrument signaling system that utilizes an infrared transmitting and receiving circuit that functions in combination with an electronic keyboard, a piano or an organ, each having a plurality of keys, and a person assigned to play a musical instrument, said infrared transmitting and receiving circuit comprising:

a) said infrared transmitting circuit comprising:
(1) a voltage divider consisting of a pressure sensitive resistor (R1) and a resistor (R2), wherein the pressure sensitive resistor (R1) is attached, by an attachment means, to a lower surface of each key, wherein the resistor (R1) and has a first end connected to a junction J1 and a second end connected to circuit ground, wherein said resistor (R2) has a first end connected to a positive voltage (B+) and a second end connected to the junction J1, from where a positive voltage A, as set by the voltage divider, is produced,
(2) a transistor (Q1) having a base connected to the positive voltage A applied from the junction J1, that keeps transistor (Q1) initially turned off, an emitter connected to a junction J2 from where an ON-OFF digital signal B is produced, and a collector connected to circuit ground,
(3) a current limiting resistor (R3) having a first end connected to B+ and a second end connected to the junction J2,
(4) an encoder (IC1) having a first input that is applied the ON-OFF digital signal B, a second input connected to B+, a third input connected to circuit ground and an output consisting of a digital signal C,
(5) an infrared transmitter (IT1) that comprises an internal driving transistor and an infrared diode, a first input that is applied the digital signal C, a second input connected to B+, a third input connected to circuit ground, and an output consisting of a digitally encoded infrared (IR) signal, wherein the initial voltage present at the junction J1 keeps said transistor (Q1) and said encoder (IC1) turned off, wherein when a key on the keyboard is pressed, the resistance of said pressure sensitive resistor (R1) drops, thereby causing the voltage at the junction J1 to also drop, which causes the transistor (Q1) to turn on which causes the voltage at the emitter of said transistor (Q1) to drop, which then turns on said encoder (IC1), wherein the enabled encoder (IC1) produces the digital signal C that corresponds to the specific key pressed, which is applied to the infrared transmitter (IT1), wherein the digital signal C modulates the output of the infrared diode to produce a modulated, digitally encoded IR signal that is radiated outward into space,
b) said infrared receiving circuit comprising:
(1) an infrared receiver having a first input that receives the encoded (IR) signal applied from said infrared transmitter, a second input connected to B+, a third input connected to circuit ground, and an output consisting of an amplified digital output signal D,
(2) a decoder (IC2) having a first input that is applied and decodes the digital output signal D from said infrared receiver (IR1), a second input connected to B+, a third input connected to circuit ground, and an output consisting of a digital alert signal E, and
(3) a signaling device that when applied the signal E from said decoder (IC2), the bell choir member is alerted to ring the particular handbell.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Musical instrument signaling system

Life of this patent

Musical instrument signaling system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22