US1780361A - Banjo mute - Google Patents

Description

4, 1930. 'C W PERSON ET AL BANJO MUTE Filed June 6, 1929 0/77576. .gaat sa;

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Nov. 4, 1930 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES W. PIERSON, CECIL Y. FITZGERALD, AND

GEORGE E. TI-IOMAE, F LUS AN- Genus, CALIFORNIA, assreuoas or ONE-FOURTH "ro ROBERT D. PEAR-son, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA BANJO MUTE Application med June e, 1929. serial No. 368,795.

This invention relates to a mute attachment for a banjo which is adapted to mute the tone of the instrument simply by changing the position thereof and without itbeing neces- 5 sar f for the musician to alter the position of his hands while playii'ig the instrument.

An object of th'e invention is to provide a device of this character which is an improvement upon other devices of its class with respect to simplicity vof construction and dependability of operation, and which at the same time may readily be attached to banjos already on the market.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which will either diminish the tone of the banjo or completely mute it, at the will of the musician, the extent to which the sound is deadened depending upon the angle to ,which the banjo is tilted., j

Other objectsand advantages may hereinafter appear. Y y j Referring to the accompanying drawings,

which illustrate what is at present deemed v to be a prefe red embodiment of the invenii tion F l is an end elevation of the device,

the position of the membrane or head of the banjo whereinthe device isvmounted being indicated by dotted lines.

f Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking at Fig. 1 from right to left, the membrane of the banjo being omitted. l g

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional detail on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. j l r 3L Fig. 4 is a crosssectional detail on line 4&4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is afsection on line 5-5 of Fig. 3. Fic, n

r o is back view of a complete banjo showing the device mounted therein. i Referring in detail to the drawings, the device comprises a frame or base 7 which is supported withinthe banjo head 8 by means of the pair 'of Yrods 9 which form a part of the b anjo.

Said base 7 is securely clamped to and between said rodsA 9 by means of a clamping device V'cempraising affollower 14, screwvbolt 15, sleeve 16 andthuiiib nut 17. Said clamping .device kalso comprisesa spacing element 18 which is provided at each end of the' follower 14 with a` ears 19.

From one side of base 7 extends an arm to the outer or upper end of which, as viewed in the drawings, is pivotally secured-by a pivot bolt 25, a. pendulum 26 which carries at its free end a counter` weight 27.

Said pendulum 26 is provided with a guide plate 28 held against. spacing sleeves 29 by means of screws 30 which are screwed into a bracket 31 attached to the recited arm 9.

Said pendulum 26 has attached thereto an arm 35 which operates they mute proper as will be described later. Said arm 35 is desirably a flat metal strip which is secured to the pendulum 26 by screws 26n and 26b and which is provided throughout its projecting portion with a part 36 which, by a twist 37 is disposed at a right angle to the part thereof which is attached to the pendulum 26.

The arm 3611s adjustable in order to control its action upon the parts with which it cooperates.V For this` purpose the screw or rivet 26b acts as a pivot, the screw 26at is threaded into the arm, and an adjusting slot 26 is provided in the pendulum, said screw 26j extending loosely through said slot and when screwed down serving as a clamp to hold the arm 36 in the desired position.

rdjustably secured to the upper face of the base 7 is an angular clip 40 the upper end of which carries an elongated bearing 41 which supports an oscillatory shaft 42, one end of said shaft projecting beyond said bearing and being there provided with an singularity projecting operating arm 43, the outer end of said arm being preferably provided with an antifriction sleeve 44. wiere it is engaged bythe mute operating arm 35.

The adjiistability of said clip 4^' allor l ed by providing in the base portionL thereof slots through which loosely entend the screws 40') which are screwed into the lbase "i".

The oscillatory shaft 42 also has iiied thereto means for supporting the mute proper 45.

Suc-h supporting means comprise the supporting arm 46 which carries at its free end the pivot arm 47 which in turn pivotally support-s mute disk by means of the mute bracket 48.

its entire face portion kproper isin its retracted position',

The return movement of the mute proper is accomplished by means of the tension coil spring 50. Said coil spring' 50 may be anchored at one end to the base 7 by means oi a clip 5l and at its other end is attached to opposite side thereof, andthe operating arm arm 46.' v

When, by varying the position olf thebanjo, the base 7 and the parts carried thereby are moved Vwith relation Htothe pendulum, the arm ot' Vsaid, pendulum.willac't'upon'the arm 43 and will oscillate the shaft thereby swinging the mute proper 45 against the j banjo membrane indicated by dottedlines in Fig. l. Owing to the mute proper 45 be,A ing pivotally mounted' upon its" supporting shaft 47 it will readily adjustitsell so that will press againstthe banjolmembrane 55. A wealr leaf spring (SO l'is `provided to hold the mute proper paral- .lel'to the ,banjo'm'embraneom when said mute thus insuring that noI portion of said mute properwill Itouch the membrane kof V,the Y banjo at' such times. .,Said leaf spring GO is shown secured .to'a screw-,6l whichis attached to the outer end of sl'iaft42.` Y Y ik The action of said spring upon the mute proper Vwillbe understood best byreference -to Fig".V '5 where the positionjoil the vmute vproper with relation to the arm46 is :that

Vposition which these parts occupy with rela- .tiont'o each otherwhen the arm 46 1s in its fully retracted position, or else the lower edge loi the mute as'fseen in Fig.; 5 is just beginning to contactrwith the surface of the banj o `membrana -W-heii, after suchcontact has begun, the arm 46 has vbeen swung upon its shaft 61 towardthe membrane of j thebanjo, the mute proper 45'will rock farther i upon itspivot 47 until all portions ci' yits 'ace contact with. thevmembrane of the banjo.v The aceof the mute proper is preferably provided with a cork layer v45a which is'secured toametalplate.A

The operation otthedevice need not be urtherdescribed except to state ythat ifthe .banjo `drum. is not tilted sufciently to bring the entire face portion of the mute yproper f into-contact with. the banjo membrane, then only apartial muting of L. place. I Hence .Y the. musician may the-sound will taire either merelyidiminish the tone of the banjo or com- '.pletelygmute it, atwill, the extent to which theisoundis deadened depending uponthe .angle towhieh the banjo is tilted.

By oscillating the banjo while the instru-v ment isbeing played and at the same. time isl being held in such a position that the muteVV proper is only inapproximate contact with the banjo membrane, arelative oscillation is- 'produced between the pendulum Vand the parts :operatively ,connected therewith, thus Acausing themute properto repeatedly engage .v

and 'disengage the banjo membrane thereby producing a vibrato tone effect.V

It will be observed that the pivot 25 of pendulum 26 is located relatively near one side of the banjo head while the pendulum weight 27 swings close to the diametrically 1. In adeviceoi` the character described,

a frame,"means to support said frame within a banjoin iXed relation-thereto, a pendulum mounted on'- said frame, a movableV mute mountedwlon,saidframeto swingat right anglesto the plane Ainwhiclfl-said pendulum swings, means tovtransmita swinging ,move-v mentirom` said pendulum to said mute to Abri'ngsaid.mutemto contact Awith the membrane of thebanjo, andmeans operable byv a manual movement'A of 'the'V instrument y to Y retract, said mute froin'the vposition wherein it engagesthe meinbraneof the banjo.

2.1In a device of the character described, a frame, means to support'said frame within a banjoin fixed-relation thereto, pendulum mounted onsaidframe, a Vmute supporting frame mounted on the first'recited frameto swing in a. plane at right angles to the plane in which said pendulum swings, ajmutecarsoA riedby said'm'ute supporting frame, an arm Y Acarried-.by saidgpendulurnto swing said mute supporting frame to bring saidv mute into contact Vwith thefmembranes of the; banjo, v and means operable by a wmanual vmovement -of kthe instrument to rctract'said `mute and its frame.4 y v f f3. VIn a deviceofthe character described, in combination, al banjo'body and its membrane, a gravity operable plate tov mute said membrane, meansnormally to support Vsaid plate spacedv away from and parallel tosaid membrane, said supportingrmeans comprising means to pivotally support-said plate, means to swing said platey supportingrmeans toward'the banjo membrane tocause an edge portion of saidplate irst to comeiintoicoir j tact with said membrane and then; the entire-face oisaidplateto contact therewith, and a spring-to restore said plate to parallelism with said membranaup'on its Vcomplete withdrawalV from contact therewith.

,inY combination, af banj obody andl its membrane, a support mounted withinfsaidfb'ody, a plate mounted upon saidsupport, said `plate Vbeing lbodily 'movable'to and tromv a position in Ywhichfitsfiface;portion contacts with :said membranegand.- being also .tiltable about f aIfaXis; extending transversely. there-` of, swinging gravity ,controlled mf ,toV j move'sad' plate inte-andi out v-O Contact With 1 ,'4L'In a device of the character described, n

said membrane, and a spring to restore said plate to parallelism with said membrane When said swinging means is in the retracted position.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination with thevhead and membrane of a. banjo, a mute, means Within the head to support the mute in operative relation to the membrane, a pendulum pivotally supported Within the head, the point of pivotal support being,` located at one side of the axial center of the head, said pendulum having' a Weighted portion swingable thru a path located on the diametiicall;7 opposite Side of the point of pivotal support, and means carried by the pendulum intermediate its Weighted portion and point of pivotal supportto operate the mute.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination With the head and membrane of a banjo, a mute, means Within the head to support the mute in operative relation to the membrane, a pendulum pivotally supported Within the head, the opposite end of the pendulum characterized by a Weighted portion, and means carried b v the pendulum intermediate its Weighted portion and point of pivotal support to slidably engage the mute supporting means to operate the mute.

In testimony Wliereoie We hereby aix our signatures.

CHARLES WV. PIERSON. CECIL Y. FITZGERALD. GEORGE E. THOMAE.

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