US3595119A

US3595119A - Xylophonelike sound producing unit

Info

Publication number: US3595119A
Application number: US844786A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leendert Hendrik Kuijpers
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-07-25
Filing date: 1969-07-25
Publication date: 1971-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1988-07-27

Abstract

A sound producing unit comprises a plurality of resonator members of equal size arranged in a row to form an xylophonelike musical instrument. Each resonator member has a contact opening and over the contact opening of each resonator there is positioned a sound bar of a size chosen to produce a distinctive note or tone. The construction includes an additional opening defined in each resonator member to provide for variations of tonal quality and character and it permits the construction of the resonators so that they are all of equal size.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Leendert Hendrik Kuijpers illlversum, Netherlands Appl. No. 844,786

Filed July 25, 1969 Patented July 27, 1971 XYLOPHONELIKE SOUND PRODUCING UNIT 1 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 84/403, 84/410 1m. c|...; 010 l3/ 08 Field of Search 84/402, 403, 4 l 0 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,234,140 7/ l 9 l 7 Deagan 84/403 2,020,150 ll/l935 Ludwig 3,443,469 5/1969 Hiraoka Primary Examiner-Richard B Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-John F. Gomales Attorney-McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT: A sound producing unit comprises a plurality of resonator members of equal size arranged in a row to form an xylophonelike musical instrument. Each resonator member has a contact opening and overthe contact opening of each resonator there is positioned a sound bar of a size chosen to produce a distinctive note or tone. The construction includes an additional opening defined in each resonator member to provide for variations of tonal quality and character and it permits the construction of the resonators so that they are all of equal size.

PATENTEU JUL27 an I lNVEN/OR leena'erfl-lenar/k MIL/PR5 ATTORNEYS XYLOPHONELIKE SOUND PRODUCING UNIT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to a construction of musical instruments and in particular to a new and useful xylophonelike sound producing unit which includes a plurality of resonator members of substantially the same size wherein a different tonal or note quality is effected by the provision of a distant tonal opening in each resonator.

So-called sound bars or sound boards are known and consist essentially of two elements namely on the one hand the resonator part and on the other hand the sound bar. The energy connection between the resonator part and sound bar is effected via a contact opening provided in the wall of the resonator.

It is known to provide an instrument with sound bars which are made of substantially the same length as the resonator and to combine a series of such sound bars and resonators of distinctive tonal quality into a musical instrument of a xylophonelike character. The individual resonator parts have different lengths and a disadvantage in the construction of a xylophone using a different length resonators is that it is difficult to fix all of the parts together and each part must be separately manufactured individually.

The invention is based on the problem of providing a sound bar which can be combined in the simplest manner in conjunction with other sound bars into a series so that the manufacturing costs for such an instrumentare low.

This object on which the invention is based is attained in that the resonators of a series of sound bars forming a musical unit have at least the same length and are provided outside-the area of the sound plate in their walls with tuning openings.

According to the invention, each resonator is provided witha tuning opening inaddition to the contact opening which is made of a size selected in accordance with the type of sound bar employed to achieve a certain tonal or note quality. For example, the front of the resonator box may be left completely open or an upper closure surface outside the sound plate range may also be leftopen.

By this measure according to the invention the resonator boxes may be mass-produced in one or also in a small number of different types and thereby may also be stored. As desired combinations of these boxes may be combined in standard lengths to form a musical instrument or a musical unit. Hereby the quality as well as the price can be improved.

The construction of the resonator boxes with'separate and distinct tonal openings but all of the same structural size facilitates their manufacture and also their assembly into a complete unit.

According to the invention it is furthermore arranged for the so called contact opening under the sound plate to be drawn up outward crater-shaped whereby an intensifying of the energy transmission is attained.

According to the invention several contact openings may be provided below the sound plate as well as also several tuning openings may be provided.

Further advantages and features of the apparatus according to the invention follow from the following description with reference to the drawings. The drawings show in:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a plurality of different resonator assemblies;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a resonator assembly accord ing to an other embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of another embodiment of sound producing units.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on a larger scale of a resonator assembly according to the invention.

In FIG. 1 different resonator assemblies are indicated with the references 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 which are designed differently in order to make clear the various possibilities of the invention whereby such differently designed assemblies may be combined into a series or a unit whereby it is however also possible to combine rods designed alike.

Each resonator assembly comprises resonator 6 and a sound plate or sound bar 7 whereby the sound plate 7 are fixed on the resonator freely in so'called supports Sand 9 which are mounted in the nodal lines of the sound. plate. Below each sound plate 7 there is located a so-called contact opening 10 which serves for the transmission of energy between the sound plate and the tone chamber or interior of the resonator. V

The so-called tuning openings may be provided in different design. With the resonator assembly designated with the reference 1 the tuning openings 11 and 12 are formed at each end of the upper side of the top wall of the resonator 6. From the illustration of the resonator assembly I however it can be clearly seen that in the area of the sound plate 7 the top is kept solid.

The resonator assembly 2 has tuning openings disposed in the sidewalls, the tuning opening 13 being visible in FIG. I

The resonator assembly 3 has a tuning opening which is produced such that the two end walls of the resonator are cut away or are not built in at all so that if results in the tuning opening I4 which is visible but the tuning opening provided on the opposite side is not visible in FIG. 1.

The resonator tuning assembly 5 has tuning opening defined as a simple bore 15. It should be appreciated that in some instances several sueh bores may be provided in the sidewalls. With very long tuning openings 13 these may be interrupted in the middle so that two tuning openings are provided.

In the same way several contact openings 10 are provided if the stability of the resonator box allows this.

In FIG. 1 it can furthermore be seen that the individual assemblies 2 and 4 are provided with spacing ribs 16 and 17 which ensure the access space for the tuning openings when the assemblies are positioned in a container (not shown).

From FIG. 2 it can be seen that the resonators boxes may be formed as round drums whereby in the embodiment illustrated a longitudinal tuning opening 18 is provided in the sidewall. In the same way however also, as in the assembly I, the tuning openings may be obtained by cutting away a part of the top.

In FIG. 3 a resonator assembly is shown in which an asymmetrical construction is realized in that the actual sound plate 7a, is not disposed in the middle. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 the procedure is furthermore such that the end wall part 19 lying nearest the sound plate 7a is solid whilst the end wall which is furthest away is cut away'so that in this area the resonator is formed open. In FIG. 3 likewise again the tuning opening 20 can be seen.

In FIG. 4 a resonator assembly is shown on an enlarged scale in which again the sound plate 717 can be seen and the tuning opening 21. The contact opening 10a is thereby so designed that the edge of this contact opening which is indicated with the reference 22 in FIG. 4 is drawn up cratershaped. Hereby an intensifying of the energy transmission between the sound plate and the resonator is obtained.

The necessary holding means for the combining of the different sound bars with the resonators and the devices required for the fixing of the sound bars on the holding means are not shown in particularity in the drawings butthey generally cornprise the supports 9 which resiliently support each bar.

From the drawing and the foregoing description it can be seen that the individual resonators have substantially the same length and also the same width so that a mass production of these resonator boxes is possible independently of what musical pitch is attempted. The musical pitch of the resonator is then attained by means of the construction of the correspond ing sound plate and the application of the tuning openings designed differently in adaptation to the sound plate whereby the tuning openings can be made subsequently without difficulties and in fact at easily accessible places of the resonator box so that a reliable and efi'ective turning of the musical instrument is possible.

The invention is of course not limited to the embodiments illustrated and described, on the contrary modifications are possible without departing from the basic ideas of the invention. a

What I claim is:

l. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, comprising a plurality of hollow resonator members, the interior of each of said members defining a tone chamber, said tone chambers being of substantially the same size, each resonator member including a contact opening in communication with the tone l, wherein said contact openings are of crater shape.

4. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of contact openings arranged beneath at least some of said sound bars of some of said resonator members.

5. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, according to claim 1, including holding means supporting a row of said resonator members.

6. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, according to claim 5, including spacing ribs disposed between each of said resonator members.

7. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, according to claim 1, including rib spacing means on said resonator for holding said resonator at a spaced location to a surrounding container for maintaining access space in respect to said tuning opening.

Claims

1. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, comprising a plurality of hollow resonator members, the interior of each of said members defining a tone chamber, said tone chambers being of substantially the same size, each resonator member including a contact opening in communication with the tone chamber, a sound bar of distinct size for each resonator member selected to produce an appropriate distinctive tone, means resiliently supporting each sound bar over its respective contact opening of each said resonator member, and at least one tuning opening defined in said resonator member and in communication with said tone chamber for cooperation with the distinct sound bar for providing selective high and low notes.

2. A xylophonelike sound producing unit, according to claim 1, including at least one additional tuning opening in said resonator.

3. A xlophonelike sound producing unit, according to claim 1, wherein said contact openings are of crater shape.