US478611A - knittei - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. KNITTEL. DRUM.

UNrTEp STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN KNITTEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE T. KOLLAS, OF SAME PLACE.

DRUM.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 478,611,5dated July 12, 1892. Application tiled December 8, 1891. Serial No. 414,354. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, .I OHN KNITTEL, of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drums or Drum-Heads for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

1o My invention relates to improvements in drums or drum-heads for musical instruments and it consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and designated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of a drum constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on the line a; of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a side elevazo tion, partially broken away, showing the exterior surface of the drum. Fig. at is a side elevation of the tool which I employ in connection with the drum. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail View of the adjusting device for the shares, and Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modiication of my invention.

The object of myinvention is to effectually and evenly tighten the heads of the drum or other instruments having a hide stretched 3o thereon, and, further, to dispense with the ordinary strings which form the snare on the bottom of the drum and in place thereof form a snare of such construction which is entirely located within the drum, and which can be 3 5 accurately adjusted from the outside of said drum.

IVith these objects in view, I shall proceed to describe the construction in detail, and the manner in which the same is carried out.

4o The drum that I am about to describe is constructed entirely of metal, and will present a neat and finished appearance.

Referring to the drawings, l represents the body of the drum, the upper and lower edges of which are similarly constructed, and therefore I shall only describe one in detail-namely, the upper part of said drum. Adjacent to said upper edge, and at a suitable distance therefrom, are formed external screw-threads 5o 2, which may be of any suitable number in order to accomplish the desired result. In

order to be more explicit as to the construction of this portion of the drum, an annular ange 3 is formed entirely around the bodyl of the drum, upon the circumference of which 5 5 said screw-threads are formed, by means of which a suitable space is left from said annuy lar flange to the upper edge of the body l, for the purpose as hereinafter more fully setforth.

4- represents a rim which is a little larger 6o than the upper edge of the drum l, and having formed upon its inner circumference internal screw-threads 5, which are adapted to receive the screw-threads 2 when the said rim is adapted to be secured to the body of the drum for uniting the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth. The upper edge of the rim at is rounded in cross-section, and has an internally-formed flange 6, the under surface of which flange is provided with an annular 7o groove 7.

8 represents a metallic ring, which is of such a size and dimension as to fit snugly within the annular groove 7 of the rim, as shown in Fig. l, which when so placed in said rim presents a smooth surface for the head of the drum.

9 represents a metallic ring similarly constructed-naniely, in size and dimensionsas the ring 8, over which the head l0 of the 8o drum is placed and stretched before the same is inserted or placed in its proper position in the rim 4. When the ring 9 is covered with the rawhide or, more properly, the dru m-head, as above stated, the ring, together with the head, is placed upon the ring S in the rim e and while in this position the parts are united, as shown in Fig. l.

The upper edge 1l of the body of the drum is of such a size in circumference as to bear 9o upon the inner surface of the ring 8, and thereby come in contact with the hide to form the head of the drum and firmly clamp the said hide to the ring S. If this were not true, the said head would have a tendency to with- 9 5 draw from the said ring 8 when the head of the drum was stretched tothe desired tension.

IVhen the parts have been united, as above described, andthe internal threads formed on roo the rim 4 in position to receive the external screw-threads formed on the flange 3 by turningthe said rim in the proper direction or to the right, the ring 8, carried by said rim, will be brought in contact with the upper surface of the head 1, and by further turning the said rim in the same direction the proper tension to the head is obtained.

It will be readily perceived that it would be impossible to give the desired tension to the head of the drum without some additional eontrivance or tool constructed for the purpose. This I accomplish by means of a tool 12, constructed and applied in a manner as hereinafter described. 13 represents a series of holes formed in the riln 4, within which holes the said tool is easily'inserted.

The tool 12 is composed of a handle 14, by means of which the same is manipulated, and havinglateral extensions 15, the base of which conforms to the shape of the rim 4 and is adapted to come in contact therewith. To said base portion is secured a hook 1G, which hook is adapted to be inserted into the openings 13, formed in the rim. IVhen the tool 12 is applied in the proper manner, the hook will pass into said openings or in whatever opening it is desired to be inserted and by a slight pressure upon the handle of said tool in either direction the rim 4 may be turned and the desired tension given to the drum-head.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings I have shown a modification in which the tool employed to tighten the drum is dispensed with, and consequently the openings formed in the rim 4 are also dispensed with. In this instance I effect the desired tension in a manner as hereinafter described.

17 represents tine gear-teeth formed upon the outer circumference of the riin 4, which teeth are adapted to mesh with a suitable worm carried by the body of the drum.

1S represents the worm, which is mounted in suitable bearings 19, carried by the body of the drum 1. Said worm is provided with an extension 19', by means of which the said worm is turned, in order to accomplish the desired result.

From the foregoing' description it will be seen that when the worm 18 is turned the rim 4 will also be turned, causing the head of the drum to be effectually stretched.

To the inner cylindrical surface of the body A of the drum l, at any suitable location, is secured a block 20, having a series of vertical apertures 2l formed therein.

22 represents a series ot' steel wires corresponding to the number of openings formed in the block 20, one end of said wires being suitably bent at an angle and said ends passed into the openings 2l in the block 20. The opposite ends of said wires are provided with balls 23, which are adapted to come in contact with or be adjusted to and from one of the heads of the drums. From the block 2O the said wires converge, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in order that the lower ends of said wires will come in contact with the drum-head properly in order to elfectthe result.

24 represents a screw-threaded opening formed in the side of the body of the drum, through which a screw-threaded bolt 25 is adapted to be turned for adjusting the wires simultaneously. To one end of the screw is secured a knob 26, by means of which the same is manipulated or turned, and formed on the opposite end of said bolt is an annular depression 27.

28 represents a washer, which is adapted to snugly tit in said recess 27, and formed with said washer at the edge thereof are two perforatedears 29, which are oppositely located.

30 represents a curvilinear bar or plate which rests upon the upper surface of the wires 22, and to the ends of said curvilinear plate are secured two wires 31, leading to and connected to the ears 29, forming a part of the washer 28. It will be premised in this connection that the wires employed being constructed of steel will always have a tendency to raise the lower end thereoffrom the head of the drum. Vhen the screw 24 is turned to the right, the curvilinear plate 30 will be pressed upon the wires and cause the ends of the same to be brought in contact with the head of the drum; but when said screw is turned in the opposite direction the said curvilinear plate 30 will allow the wires or the lower ends thereof to rise from the head of the said drum.

By the use of the snare, as described, the ordinary strings generally employed for the purpose are entirely dispensed with and the result obtained in a more eicient manner.

My invention is equally applicable to ban-s jos or to any other instruments having a head, and therefore I do not wish to limit myself to any one application.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A drum or drum-head for musical instruments having` external screw threads formed on the body of the instrument and a rim having internal screw-threads formed upon the same for receiving the said external threads, substantially as set forth.

2. A drum or drum-head for musical in struments, consisting of a body, external screw-threads formed on the same,a rim pro vided with internal screw-threads for receivA ing the serew-threads formed upon the said body, and a head adapted to be clamped be tween said rim and body, substantially as set fort 1.

3. A drum or drum-head for musical inn struments, consisting of a body, external screw-threads formed upon the same,a rim having,r internal screwthreads adapted to receive the said external screw-threads, a head adapted to be clamped by said rim, and means for turning said rim, substantially as set forth.

4. A drum or drum-head for musical inn IOO struments, consisting of a body l, having an annularllan ge formed thereon, external screwthreads formed on the said flange, arirn, such as 4, provided with internal screw-threads adapted to receive the said external threads, an annular flange internally arranged upon said rim, a groove formed in the said flange for receivinga ring, ahead, such as lO, adapted to be stretched overa ring 9, and the same interposed between the first-named ring and the upper edge of the body l, substantially as set forth.

5. A drum or drum-head for musical instruments, consisting of a body, external screw-threads formed upon the same, a rim having internal screw-threads adapted to receive said external threads, holes forlned in

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