US2347287A - Xylophone - Google Patents

Description

E. SAS

XYLOPHONE April 25, 1944.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 22, 1942 NEY INVENTOR:

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XYLOPHONE April 25, 1944.

Filed May 22, 1942 I Sheets-Sheet 2 Z 0 I pmzda. a M, 0 M 4. m%, m g 0 6 \2 m 7 C. a h W W V IN V EN TOR.

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7W r m w m Patented Apr. 25, 1944 UNITED STATES -PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to xylophones, and has for its main object to provide a Xylophone of a novel, simplified construction, and a novel improved sound effect.

Another object of this invention is to provide a Xylophone as characterized hereinbefore, in which practically no metal will be used, except a few nails, screws, or similar securin devices.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a Xylophone in which the sound bars are made of wood and are of a novel, improved construction.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a Xylophone having a resonance box of inexpensive materials, like wood, cardboard, which sound box will still be reliable, well constructed, and highly satisfactory and efficient in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a Xylophone of the type indicated hereinbefore, which will have esthetio appearance and appeal. Other objects of my invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds, and among others I may mention: to provide a xylophone of the novel characteristics indicated hereinbefore, which will be simple in construction, inexpensive, easy and quick to be manufactured, and adapted for novel sound effects, like producing rolling sounds.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification and accompanying the same,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of my novel Xylophone, and

Fig. 2 is an elevational view thereof;

Figs. 3 and 4 are end views, from the wider and the narrower ends of the Xylophone, respectively;

Figs. 5 and 6 show the usual mallet to be used for playing the xylophone;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view, the section being taken on the line 1-! of Fig. 1, and, similarly,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show a substantially semicylindrical wooden tone bar used in my novel Xylophone, and they also indicate certain slots which I employ for changing and adjusting the tone of the bar;

Figs. 12 and 13 show a strip or blank of cardboard material, to form the bottom and the end walls of my novel resonance box for a Xylophone;

Figs. 14 and 15 indicate staples used for securing a cord, on which the tone bars rest, to the resonance box, and the tone bars on said cord, respectively.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, by characters of reference, my novel Xylophone is constructed of two male elements, a sound or resonance box, generally indicated by the numeral 20, and the sound bars secured across the open top of the resonance box, and being indicated by the numeral 2|.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the resonance box 20 shows two comparatively heavy side walls 22 and 23, each being made of a strip of wood and the two being set at an angle to one another converging from the wider end 24 of the ylophone towards the narrow end 25 thereof.

For inexpensive, efficient and speedy manufacturing, and alsofor using available inexpensive material, the bottom 26, the wider end wall 21, and the narrower end wall 28 of the resonance box is made of one strip or blank of material 26a, preferably cardboard, which is adapted to be bent or folded at the corners 29 and 30 to form said bottom and said end walls, as will be obvious, after which the bottom will be secured at the two sides thereof to the lower ends of the respective side walls 22 and 23, as by the nails 3|, while the wider end wall will be secured to the front faces or ends of the side walls 22 and 23 as by the ornamental nails 32, having wide heads, and the end wall 23 is similarly secured to the end faces or surfaces of the side walls 22 and 23 at the narrower end of the Xylophone by similar nails 33.

A cord 34 is placed along the center line of the top of each of the side walls 22 and 23, each 1 cord being secured near its end, as by the ornamental wide headed nails 35, and also at certain places intermediate the ends, by similar nails 36.

The tone bars of my Xylophone are particularly novel and they are made of wood and, in the preferred form shown in the figures, the tone bars 2! are generally semi-cylindrical, having an outer rounded surface 31 in the form of a segment, (as shown, one-half) of that of a cylinder, while each tone bar has a fiat lower surface 38.

Each tone bar is secured at two places to the respective two cords 34 on the top of the two side walls 22 and 23, as by the nails 39. In this manner, the tone bars are secured across the open top of the resonance box 20 to the cords 34, but, otherwise, the tone bars are separated from said walls, and they rest on the cords 34, and they also are free from the resonance box, except that they are secured to the cords 34,

by which construction said tone bars are allowed free motion and free vibrations which is essential to have musically clear tones.

In the preferred embodiment shown, two tone bars are secured side by side on the two cords 34 between each two securing means 35 or 36 for said cords, but, of course, this arrangement may be changed as desired.

My novel Xylophone is played in a similar manner as the well-known usual xylophones with metal tone bars are played, and mallets or beaters are used for this purpose, the preferred form of which is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 in side elevational and in end view, respectively, and such mallet may have a stem or holder 40 at the end of which is secured a ball 4|, preferably each, the stick 40 and the globe 4|, being made of wood.

As it is also well known, the player will hold the mallet at the end 42 of its stick between the thumb and the forefinger in an easily swingable manner and will hit the upper rounded surfaces 31 of the various tone bars 2| with quick rebounding strikes in the succession, with the force and with the timing, as necessary for the musical piece he desires to play thereon.

It will be obvious that the tone bars 2| are all of difierent lengths, the one nearest to the wide end 24 of the Xylophone being the longest and being indicated in the drawings by the numeral 43. The next to that M, is somewhat shorter and so gradually down the line, until the last one, 45 is the shortest of all the tone bars.

In cross section, all the tone bars are substantially identical, they are made of the same kind of wood, and it is a well known fact that the longer will have the deepest sound, and the shortest, the highest sound, and the sounds or tones of the intermediate bars are gradually higher or lower depending on the direction in which they are spaced from one to the other and hit in succession by the globe of the mallet.

In some musical pieces, fluctuating or rolling sounds are necessary, and my novel Xylophone easily provides for them, namely, the globe of the mallet instead of successively striking on the various tone bars may be quickly run or made to slide over the rounded upper surface of a desired number of bars, thereby producing said rolling sound, which could not be made in the same perfection or in the same manner by any other Xylophone, but those constructed with cylindrical upper surfaces entirely free and permitting the forward and backward quick running or sliding of the mallet thereover.

When manufacturing such xylophones, each tone bar 2| must be of the right tone and if upon testing, I found that some of them do not answer this requirement, the tone of the same may be changed and adjusted simply by providing one or more cross slots or grooves 46 in the lower fiat surface of the tone bar, and by a judicious application of the amount, size and depth of these slots 46, the tone of the respective bar may be adjusted.

In Figs. 14 and 15 other forms of securing the cord 34 on a side wall, and the tone bars 2| to the cord, respectively, are shown.

In Fig. 14 an elongated staple 47 may be thrust through the cord by its prongs 48, and its transverse base 49 is pressed longitudinally over the cord, while in Fig, 15, the staple 59 transversely embraces the cord 34.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a Xylophone, having two longitudinal side walls, solid Wooden sound bars secured across the tops of said side walls, said bars being in the form of sections of cylinders, having a fiat bottom surface and rounded outer surface, said rounded surfaces being turned upwardly to be played on, and said bars resting on their flat surfaces.

2. In a Xylophone, as set forth in claim 1, resilient means interposed between said flat surfaces of the bars and the tops of the walls.

3. In 'a Xylophone, as set forth in claim 1, transverse slots in the fiat undersurfaces of the bars for regulating and adjusting the tones thereof. 1

4. In a Xylophone, as set forth in claim 1, a cord secured along the topof each wall, said bars being secured to said cords.

5. In a Xylophone, as set forth in claim 1, a cord along the top of each wall, said bars being secured to said cords and said cords being secured on said walls between the bars, their portions underneath the bars being left free.

6. In a Xylophone, as set forth in claim 1, a cord secured along the top of each wall, said bars being secured to said cords, by staples driven into the wood of the bars and embracing said cord.

ELMER SAS.

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