US2718808A - Harmonica construction - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 27, 1955 F. H. MAGNUS HARMONICA CONSTRUCTION Filed July 24, 1951 INVENTOR. FINN H8 MAQNUS WyM/@My i Has ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 2,718,808 Patented Sept. 27, 1955 HARMONICA CONSTRUCTION Finn H. Magnus, Essex Fells, N. J.

Application July 24, 1951, Serial No. 238,310

2 Claims. (Cl. 84-377) The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of a harmonica and relates more particularly to the assembly of a metal cover with a reed plate and a comb section.

The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent and best understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a harmonica embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end View of the harmonica illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a reed plate for the harmonica illustrated in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the reed plate illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section along the line 5--5 of Fig. 1 with certain parts of the harmonica omitted for the purposes of illustration; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View in section corresponding to Fig. 5 of a modified construction embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the harmonica, as illustrated in Figs. l and 2, consists of a comb section 10 with reed plates 11 secured on opposite sides thereof and covers 12 extend over the outer surfaces of the reed plates.

The assembly of the reed plates and covers on the opposite sides of the comb section are the same and for the purposes of brevity, only one side of the assembly will be described hereinafter. The reed plate 11 is preferably made of a suitable thermoplastic material such as polystyrene and has a series of openings therein each of which has a reed 13 therein that is formed integrally with the reed plate. The comb section 10 is also made of plastic material and has passageways (not shown) therein which communicate with the openings for the reeds 13 in the reed plate in the usual manner. The central portion of the cover 12 is spaced from the outer face of the reed plate and is open along the top edge thereof to permit air to flow through the openings in the reed plate and the passageways in the comb section when the harmonica is being played.

The present invention relates in particular to an inexpensive and effective way in which the cover 12 may be secured to the plastic reed plate and comb section. The ends 14 of the cover 12 are at and rest against the outer face of the reed plate 11. As shown best in Fig. 5, each of the flat ends 14 of the cover 12 has an opening therein through which a pin 15 projecting from the outer face of the reed plate 11 extends. The pins 15 may be formed integrally with the reed plate and after the cover has been put in place on the reed plate, a head 16 is formed on the pin by applying heat thereto. Thus, the headed portions 16 of the pins 15 extend over the cover 12 adjacent the openings in the ends thereof and engage with the outer surface of the cover so as to hold the cover in place.

The plastic reed plate 11 may be secured to the plastic comb section 10 by suitable adhesives or solvents in the usual manner. The comb section 10 has bosses 17 at the ends thereof and the bosses 17 have recesses 18 therein into which pins 19 projecting from the inner face of the reed plate 11 extend so as to position the reed plate properly with respect to the comb section. In assembling the harmonica, the cover may be assembled to the reed plate either before or after the reed plate is secured to the comb section.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6, the comb section 10 has pins 20 projecting beyond its outer faces at each end thereof. In this construction the reed plate 11 and the cover 12 have aligned openings at the ends thereof through which the pins 20 project when the reed plate and cover are assembled with the comb section. After such assembly the heads of the pins 20 are flattened, as indicated at 21, by applying heat thereto which secures the reed plate and cover to the comb section. In such a construction the comb section and the pins 20 are molded of a thermoplastic material, but it is not essential for the reed plate to be made of a thermoplastic material.

Although the embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein relate in particular to the assembly of the component parts of a harmonica, it will be understood that the invention may be employed as an economical and effective way of assembling two or more component parts of other units where at least one of the parts is made of a thermoplastic material. It will also be understood that those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications in the embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a harmonica, the combination comprising a comb section of plastic material, said comb section having tubular bosses at the ends thereof, a reed plate of thermoplastic material, a cover extending over said reed plate, said cover having an opening located at each end thereof and pins of thermoplastic material formed integrally with and projecting from the inner and outer faces of the reed plate, the pins on the inner face of the reed plate registering with and extending into the tubular bosses on the comb section, the pins on the outer face of the reed plate registering with and extending through the openings in the cover, said last-mentioned pins having headed portions extending over and engaging with the outer surface of the cover.

2. In a harmonica, the combination comprising a comb section of plastic material, said comb section having a series of spaced openings in one face and side thereof and having tubular bosses formed integrally therewithl extending from said face, a reed plate of thermoplastic material having a series of spaced reeds thereon, pins formed integrally with the reed plate and extending from opposite faces thereof, the pins on one of said faces fitting into the tubular bosses and aligning the reeds on the reed plate with the openings in the face of the comb section and a cover extending over the reed plate, said cover having openings therein through which the pins on the other of the faces of the reed plate extend, said last-mentioned pins having headed portions extending over and securing the cover to the reed plate.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gaukstern Feb. 5, 1952

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