Carrier assembly for percussion instruments

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant's applications Ser. No. 08/588,244 filed Jan. 18, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,492, issued Nov. 25, 1997 and Ser. No. 08/976,999 filed Nov. 24, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,257, issued Feb. 22, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for carrying percussion instruments, particularly drums of various kinds. Further, the present invention relates to a carrier hardware including a novel support for percussion instruments and to carrier assemblies supporting percussion instruments on a person while standing, walking or marching. The carrier assembly has an adjustable construction and relationship of parts to transfer the weight of the percussion instrument(s) to the body of a person carrying the same to maintain a stable attitude while walking or marching about and avoid pressure or other forms of detrimental forces on the shoulders and lower back

2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

The prior art discloses many examples of apparatus for supporting percussion instruments but none providing the combination of features disclosed and claimed herein.

La Flame U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,683 discloses a carrier for percussion instruments having an abdominal plate connected at one end of a unitary frame partly encircling the wearer at the waist and having an upstanding rear portion pivotally connected to a back pressure plate. Shoulder bars are connected to the back-pressure plate and wrap about shoulders and support straps connect to the abdominal plate.

Hsieh U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,610 shows a carrier for percussion instruments having a “T” bar, a pair of shoulder bars, a belly plate. The shoulder bars are bolted on a lateral plate of the “T” bar. The lateral plate has arc-like slots and spaced semi-circular holes permit bolts to slide in the slots. The fastening end of each shoulder bar has a hole and an arc-like slot from the upper portion to the lower portion permitting angular adjustment of the shoulder rightward or leftward for various applications.

La Flame U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,032 shows a carrier for various instruments such as marching bells, a marching xylophone or a marching marimba, which are supported on the apparatus by the use of suitably-constructed extension arms. The carrier frame is a U-shaped bent bar welded or otherwise attached to a belly plate and has extension arms which project from the belly plate to engage and support the instrument.

La Flame GB patent 2,123,676 (based on U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,442) discloses a carrier for percussion instruments or the like which includes the combination of a belly plate with a carrier bracket for supporting an instrument at an outwardly-overhung position about a fulcrum area of contact with the front waistline area of the person, a rigid band with a generally bent contour to extend along a portion of the waistline area of the person to the back of the person, a back-plate riser arm supported by the ban to extend in a generally upward direction such that a portion of the arm will extend along the back thoracic region of the person, and means carried by the arm for imparting to the thoracic back region of the person a reactive force to the overhung weight of the instrument about the aforesaid means forming a fulcrum area of contact with the person.

Dranchak U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,839 discloses a drum-supporting harness having two shoulder hooks with cushion pads or liners, a breast plate secured to the hooks, and a hanger structure attached to the breast plate and depending therefrom. Upwardly-facing hooks, a spacer bar extending downward from the hooks, and a spacing abutment carried by the spacer bar and extending forward therefrom are carried by the lower portion of the hanger structure. The hooks and the spacing abutment engage upper and lower portions of the body of the drum. The hanger structure is adjustable or extensible by means of overlapping strips which can be secured in a number of different positions. An adapter assembly attaches to the upper rim portion of the drum for connecting of hooks 16 to the drum.

Other possibly relevant prior art is Pyle U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,357; May U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,910 and May U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,810.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carrier for percussion instruments comprising a novel T-bar carrier with belly plate, shoulder straps, and back bar in which the shoulder straps are removable and/or adjustable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carrier for percussion instruments comprising a novel vest-type carrier with back bar and removable and/or adjustable shoulder straps.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carrier for percussion instruments having shoulder straps and an adjustable back bar.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carrier for percussion instruments in which the supporting elements are of rod or tubular construction.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a front isometric view of hardware for supporting a drum in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2

is a rear isometric view of hardware for supporting a drum as shown in FIG.

1

.

FIG. 3

is a front isometric view of hardware for supporting a drum and having vertical articulated supports in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4

is a side view of the articulated joint in the hardware shown in FIG.

3

.

FIG. 5

is a front isometric view of an embodiment with the back bar removed.

FIG. 6

is a front isometric view of supporting hardware with vertical and horizontal adjustability of the supports on the belly plate and adjustable shoulder straps and back bar.

FIG. 7

is a detail isometric view of connection of the shoulder straps of

FIG. 6

with optional J-hooks for supporting a bass drum.

FIG. 8

is a front isometric view of the fully assembled carrier and supporting hardware of

FIG. 6

with J-rods positioned in an inverted position for supporting the drum.

FIG. 9

is a rear isometric view of the embodiment of FIG.

8

.

FIG. 10

is a front isometric view of the fully assembled carrier and supporting hardware of

FIG. 8

with J-rods positioned in a normal position for supporting the drum.

FIG. 11

is a detail isometric view of the clamp shown in

FIG. 10

showing the connection of the vertical supporting rods and/or tubes.

FIG. 12

is a detail isometric view of clamp for the shoulder straps shown in FIG.

10

.

FIG. 13

is a detail isometric view of the adjustable supporting clamp on the belly plate of the drum-supporting hardware of FIG.

10

.

FIG. 14

is an isometric view of another embodiment of the invention shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

in which the abdominal belly plate is replaced by a vest-type support.

FIG. 15

is a detail isometric view of another embodiment of the shoulder strap connecting hardware.

FIG. 16

is a detail end view of the shoulder strap connecting hardware of FIG.

15

.

FIG. 17

is a detail isometric view of another embodiment of the shoulder strap connecting hardware having a fixed connection to the vertical supporting plate of a T-bar assembly.

FIG. 18

is a detail end view of the shoulder strap connecting hardware of FIG.

17

.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Marching T-Bar Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, there is shown a T-bar-type carrier

10

for percussion instruments which comprises a belly plate

11

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

12

and

13

having outturned portions

14

and

15

supporting rigid shoulder straps

16

and

17

and back bar

18

. Back bar

18

may be removably secured to shoulder straps

18

or may be fixed as by welding or the like.

Belly plate

11

is removably secured on the lower ends of vertical rods or tubes

12

and

13

by clamping receptacles

19

and

20

. J-rod receptacles

21

and

22

are secured on belly plate

11

in slots

23

and

24

by screws or bolts or the like. J-rods

25

are secured in receptacles

21

and

22

by bolts

26

. The upper, out-turned ends

14

and

15

of supporting rods or tubes

12

and

13

are supported in clamping receptacles

27

and

28

on shoulder straps

16

and

17

. A clamp

29

holds rods or tubes

12

and

13

against lateral displacement.

The materials of construction used in this carrier

10

are very important for achieving the desired result. The belly plate

11

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

12

and

13

, shoulder straps

16

and

17

and back bar

18

are rigid and made of a light material such as plastic or a light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium. The metal shoulder straps have the advantage that different sizes are readily accommodated.

Operation

The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier

10

is worn by the musician with the shoulder straps

16

and

17

positioned over the shoulders and the belly plate

11

supported against the abdomen. J-rods

25

are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts

26

. The short outer ends of the J-rods

25

are inserted into the J-rod receptacles on the percussion instrument being carried, e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like.

The carrier is adjustable to comfort of the wearer and also to fit different sized instruments. Clamp-receptacles

27

and

28

permit pivotal, lateral and angular adjustment of shoulder straps

16

and

17

on the out-turned ends

14

and

15

of rods or tubes

12

and

13

. Clamp-receptacles

19

and

20

permit vertical sliding adjustment of rods or tubes

12

and

13

. Slots

23

and

24

in belly plate

11

allow lateral adjustment of clamp-receptacles

21

and

22

and angular adjustment of J-rods supported therein.

An Articulated Embodiment of Marching T-Bar Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIG. 3

, there is shown a T-bar-type carrier

30

for percussion instruments which comprises a belly plate

31

, lower and upper vertical supporting rods or tubes

32

and

33

. Lower rod or tube

32

is U-shaped with parallel portions

32

a

and

32

b

supporting belly plate

31

. Upper rod or tube

33

is U-shaped with legs

33

a

and

33

b

having out-turned portions

34

and

35

supporting rigid shoulder straps

36

and

37

and back bar

38

. Back bar

38

may be removably secured to shoulder straps

36

and

37

or may be fixed as by welding or the like. Shoulder straps

36

and

37

and back bar

38

have cushions

36

a,

37

a

and

38

a,

respectively. The cushions are of a type used to pad the interior of football and other sports helmets and are shown in more detail in copending application Ser. No. 08/976,999. The cushions have a backing strip of polyvinyl plastic film. A thin sheet of polyvinyl film encloses blocks of closed pore plastic (e.g., polystyrene or polyurethane) foam and is sealed to the backing strip to enclose separate blocks which are separately compressible and provide more comfort to the wearer of the carrier when fully loaded.

Belly plate

31

is removably secured on the lower ends

32

a

and

32

b

of vertical rod or tube

32

by clamping receptacles

39

and

40

. J-rod receptacles

41

and

42

are secured on belly plate

31

in slots

43

and

44

by screws or bolts or the like. J-rods

45

are secured in receptacles

41

and

42

by bolts

46

. The upper, out-turned ends

34

and

35

of supporting rod or tube

33

are supported in clamping receptacles

47

and

48

on shoulder straps

36

and

37

. A clamp

49

holds rods or tubes

32

and

33

in an articulated relation to permit angular flexing as shown in FIG.

4

.

The materials of construction used in this carrier

30

are very important for achieving the desired result. The belly plate

31

, supporting rods or tubes

32

and

33

, shoulder straps

36

and

37

and back bar

38

are rigid and made of a light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium. The metal shoulder straps have the advantage that different sizes are readily accommodated.

Operation

The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier

30

is worn by the musician with the shoulder straps

36

and

37

positioned over the shoulders and the belly plate

31

supported against the abdomen. J-rods

45

are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts

46

. The short outer ends of the J-rods

45

are inserted into the J-rod receptacles on the percussion instrument being carried, e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like.

The carrier is adjustable to the comfort of the wearer and also to fit different sized instruments. Clamp-receptacles

47

and

48

permit pivotal, lateral and angular adjustment of shoulder straps

36

and

37

on the out-turned ends

34

and

35

of rod or tube

33

. Clamp-receptacles

39

and

40

permit vertical sliding adjustment of rod or tube

32

. Slots

43

and

44

in belly plate

31

allow lateral adjustment of clamp-receptacles

41

and

42

and angular adjustment of J-rods

45

supported therein.

Another Embodiment of Marching T-Bar Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIG. 5

, there is shown a T-bar-type carrier

50

for percussion instruments which comprises a belly plate

51

, an inverted U-shaped vertical supporting rod or tube

52

. Rod or tube

52

has parallel portions

52

a

and

52

b

supporting belly plate

51

. Rigid shoulder straps

56

and

57

are secured on bar

53

.

Belly plate

51

is removably secured on the lower ends

52

a

and

52

b

of vertical rod or tube

52

by clamping receptacles

59

and

60

. J-rod receptacles

61

and

62

are secured on belly plate

51

. J-rods

65

are secured in receptacles

61

and

62

by bolts

66

. The upper U-portion of supporting rod or tube

52

is supported in clamping receptacle

67

on bar

53

to support shoulder straps

56

and

57

. The materials of construction used in this carrier

30

are very important for achieving the desired result. The belly plate

51

, supporting rod or tube

52

, and shoulder straps

56

and

57

are made of a light material such as plastic or a light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium.

Operation

The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier

50

is worn by the musician with the shoulder straps

56

and

57

positioned over the shoulders and the belly plate

51

supported against the abdomen. J-rods

65

are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts

66

. The short outer ends of the J-rods

65

are inserted into the J-rod receptacles on the percussion instrument being carried, e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like.

The carrier is adjustable to comfort of the wearer and also to fit different sized instruments. Clamp-receptacle

67

permits pivotal adjustment of shoulder straps

56

and

57

. Clamp-receptacles

59

and

60

permit vertical sliding adjustment of rod or tube

52

. Clamp-receptacles

61

and

62

permit angular adjustment of J-rods

65

.

Another Embodiment of Marching T-Bar Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIGS. 6 and 7

, there is shown a T-bar-type carrier

70

for percussion instruments which comprises a belly plate

71

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

having out-turned portions

74

and

75

supporting rigid shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

. Back bar

78

may be removably secured to shoulder straps

78

or may be fixed as by welding or the like.

Belly plate

71

is removably secured on the lower ends of vertical rods or tubes

72

and

73

by clamping receptacles

79

and

80

. J-rod receptacles

81

and

82

are secured on belly plate

71

in slots

83

and

84

by screws or bolts or the like. J-rods

85

are secured in receptacles

81

and

82

by bolts

86

. The upper, out-turned ends

74

and

75

of supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

are supported in clamping receptacles

87

and

88

on shoulder straps

76

and

77

. A clamp

89

holds rods or tubes

12

and

13

against lateral displacement.

Shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

have cushions

76

a,

77

a

and

78

a,

respectively. The cushions are of a type used to pad the interior of football and other sports helmets and are shown in more detail in copending application Ser. No. 08/976,999. The cushions have a backing strip of polyvinyl plastic film. A thin sheet of polyvinyl film encloses blocks of closed pore plastic (e.g., polystyrene or polyurethane) foam and is sealed to the backing strip to enclose separate blocks which are separately compressible and provide more comfort to the wearer of the carrier when fully loaded. Clamp/receptacles

88

may have a retaining slot

88

a

which receives and supports an optional J-hook

88

b

(

FIG. 7

) for connection to an upper part of a drum supported on carrier

70

.

The materials of construction used in this carrier

70

are very important for achieving the desired result. The belly plate

71

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

, shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

are rigid and made of a light material such as plastic or light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium. The metal shoulder straps have the advantage that different sizes are readily accommodated.

Operation

The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier

70

is worn by the musician with the shoulder straps

76

and

77

positioned over the shoulders and the belly plate

71

supported against the abdomen. J-rods

85

are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts

86

. The short outer ends of the J-rods

85

are inserted into the J-rod receptacles on the percussion instrument being carried, e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like.

The carrier is adjustable to comfort of the wearer and also to fit different sized instruments. Clamp-receptacles

87

and

88

permit pivotal, lateral and angular adjustment of shoulder straps

76

and

77

on the out-turned ends

74

and

75

of rods or tubes

72

and

73

. Clamp-receptacles

79

and

80

permit vertical sliding adjustment of rods or tubes

72

and

73

. Slots

83

and

84

in belly plate

71

allow lateral adjustment of clamp-receptacles

81

and

82

and angular adjustment of J-rods

85

supported therein.

Three additional embodiments of this carrier are shown in

FIGS. 8-13

.

Another Embodiment of Marching T-Bar Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIG. 8

, there is shown a T-bar-type carrier

70

, as in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, for percussion instruments which comprises a belly plate

71

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

having out-turned portions

74

and

75

supporting rigid shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

. Back bar

78

may be removably secured to shoulder straps

78

or may be fixed as by welding or the like.

Belly plate

71

is removably secured on the lower ends of vertical rods or tubes

72

and

73

by clamping receptacles

79

and

80

. J-rod receptacles

81

and

82

are secured on belly plate

71

in slots

83

and

84

by screws or bolts or the like. J-rods

85

are secured in receptacles

81

and

82

by bolts

86

. The upper, out-turned ends

74

and

75

of supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

are supported in clamping receptacles

87

and

88

on shoulder straps

76

and

77

. J-hooks

88

b

are installed in slots

88

a

on receptacle/clamp

88

and the J-rods

85

are inverted for a different drum being supported thereon. A clamp

89

holds rods or tubes

12

and

13

against lateral displacement.

Shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

have cushions

76

a,

77

a

and

78

a,

respectively. The cushions are of a type used to pad the interior of football and other sports helmets and are shown in more detail in copending application Ser. No. 08/976,999. The cushions have a backing strip of polyvinyl plastic film. A thin sheet of polyvinyl film encloses blocks of closed pore plastic (e.g., polystyrene or polyurethane) foam and is sealed to the backing strip to enclose separate blocks which are separately compressible and provide more comfort to the wearer of the carrier when fully loaded. Clamp/receptacles

88

may have a retaining slot

88

a

which receives and supports an optional J-hook

88

b

(

FIG. 7

) for connection to an upper part of a drum supported on carrier

70

.

The materials of construction used in this carrier

70

are very important for achieving the desired result. The belly plate

71

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

, shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

are rigid and made of a light material such as plastic or a light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium. The metal shoulder straps have the advantage that different sizes are readily accommodated.

Operation

The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier

70

is worn by the musician with the shoulder straps

76

and

77

positioned over the shoulders and the belly plate

71

supported against the abdomen. J-rods

85

are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts

86

. The short outer ends of the J-rods

85

are inserted into the J-rod receptacles on the percussion instrument being carried, e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like.

The carrier is adjustable to comfort of the wearer and also to fit different sized instruments. Clamp-receptacles

87

and

88

permit pivotal, lateral and angular adjustment of shoulder straps

76

and

77

on the out-turned ends

74

and

75

of rods or tubes

72

and

73

. Clamp-receptacles

79

and

80

permit vertical sliding adjustment of rods or tubes

72

and

73

. Slots

83

and

84

in belly plate

71

allow lateral adjustment of clamp-receptacles

81

and

82

and angular adjustment of J-rods

85

supported therein.

Another Embodiment of Marching T-Bar Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIG. 9

, there is shown a T-bar-type carrier

70

, as in

FIG. 8

, for percussion instruments which comprises a belly plate

71

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

having out-turned portions

74

and

75

supporting rigid shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

. Back bar

78

may be removably secured to shoulder straps

78

or may be fixed as by welding or the like.

Belly plate

71

is removably secured on the lower ends of vertical rods or tubes

72

and

73

by clamping receptacles

79

and

80

. J-rod receptacles

81

and

82

are secured on belly plate

71

in slots

83

and

84

by screws or bolts or the like. J-rods

85

are secured in receptacles

81

and

82

by bolts

86

. The upper, out-turned ends

74

and

75

of supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

are supported in clamping receptacles

87

and

88

on shoulder straps

76

and

77

. J-hooks

88

b

are installed in slots

88

a

on receptacle/clamp

88

and the J-rods

85

are inverted for a different drum being supported thereon. A clamp

89

holds rods or tubes

12

and

13

against lateral displacement.

Shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

have cushions

76

a,

77

a

and

78

a,

respectively. The cushions are of a type used to pad the interior of football and other sports helmets and are shown in more detail in copending application Ser. No. 08/976,999. The cushions have a backing strip of polyvinyl plastic film. A thin sheet of polyvinyl film encloses blocks of closed pore plastic (e.g., polystyrene or polyurethane) foam and is sealed to the backing strip to enclose separate blocks which are separately compressible and provide more comfort to the wearer of the carrier when fully loaded. Clamp/receptacles

88

may have a retaining slot

88

a

which receives and supports an optional J-hook

88

b

(

FIG. 7

) for connection to an upper part of a drum supported on carrier

70

.

Back bar

78

has a two-piece slotted construction of the back bar which permits adjustment of the size thereof. The two pieces of back bar

78

are connected by connecting plate

178

having slots

179

and secured by bolts

180

for adjustment of its width.

The materials of construction used in this carrier

70

are very important for achieving the desired result. The belly plate

71

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

72

and

73

, shoulder straps

76

and

77

and back bar

78

are rigid and made of a light material such as plastic or a light metal such as aluminum, magnesium or titanium. The metal shoulder straps have the advantage that different sizes are readily accommodated.

Operation

The operation of this carrier should be apparent but will be described briefly for clarity. The carrier

70

is worn by the musician with the shoulder straps

76

and

77

positioned over the shoulders and the belly plate

71

supported against the abdomen. J-rods

85

are inserted in position and secured in place by tightening bolts

86

. The short outer ends of the J-rods

85

are inserted into the J-rod receptacles on the percussion instrument being carried, e.g., drums (single or array), cymbals, xylophone, marimba, or the like.

The carrier is adjustable to comfort of the wearer and also to fit different sized instruments. Clamp-receptacles

87

and

88

permit pivotal, lateral and angular adjustment of shoulder straps

76

and

77

on the out-turned ends

74

and

75

of rods or tubes

72

and

73

. Clamp-receptacles

79

and

80

permit vertical sliding adjustment of rods or tubes

72

and

73

. Slots

83

and

84

in belly plate

71

allow lateral adjustment of clamp-receptacles

81

and

82

and angular adjustment of J-rods

85

supported therein.

FIG. 10

shows the embodiment of

FIGS. 9

with the cushioning of the shoulder straps and back bar omitted. The back bar

78

adjustable as in FIG.

9

.

Marching Vest-Type Support for Drums and Other Percussion Instruments

Referring to

FIG. 14

, there is shown a vest-type carrier

100

for percussion instruments which comprises a vest

101

, vertical supporting rods or tubes

102

and

103

having outturned portions