| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 084312000 | Tunings | 13 |
| 20080289474 | Tension Equalizer - In one embodiment, a device includes: first, second, and third paired-strand levers each configured to receive a pair of tensile strands at locations spaced apart from one another along the paired-strand lever; first, second, and third fulcrums each supporting a corresponding one of the paired-strand levers between the tensile strand receiving locations; a fourth lever linked to the first and second paired-strand levers through the first and second fulcrums, respectively, at secondary lever link locations spaced apart from one another along the fourth lever; a fourth fulcrum supporting the fourth lever between the secondary lever link locations; a fifth lever linked to the third paired-string lever and the fourth lever through the third and fourth fulcrums, respectively, at primary lever link locations spaced apart from one another along the fifth lever; and a fifth fulcrum supporting the fifth lever between the primary lever link locations. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20090272247 | Mechanical string tuner - A mechanical metal instrument that can be attached to every electronic and acoustic guitar with the purpose of fast and reliable tuning of the strings to various variations/combinations. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20100218661 | WIRELESS RECEIVER - A wireless receiver for receiving a wireless transmitted audio signal from a wireless transmitter is provided. The wireless receiver comprises a tuning assisting unit for assisting in the tuning of a music instrument coupled to the wireless transmitter. The tuning assisting unit indicates whether the audio signal from the music instrument corresponds to a specified frequency. The wireless receiver furthermore comprises an audio amplifier for amplifying the received audio signal. The wireless receiver furthermore comprises a housing which incorporates the tuning assisting unit and the audio amplifier. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20110067548 | Intonation cantilever - An aspect of the system relates to an intonation control mechanism for controlling, for example, the pitch of a plucked or vibrated string of a stringed instrument through a string contact point located at an appropriate intonation harmonic. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110067549 | Torsion oscillated spring corded contrabass guitar - The present invention is directed to a contrabass guitar which oscillates the pitch of the guitar by the use of torsion. The strings of the guitar are adjusted by use of a torsion control means connected to a foot pedal to allow a player to easily adjust the pitch of the guitar while playing. The contrabass guitar includes a floating bridge and a stationary torsion block with a plurality of helically twisted tuning control rods attached. The floating bridge contains a plurality of pitch tuning cylinders connected on one end to respective strings and on the other to the tuning rods. The floating bridge moves along the body of the guitar in response to the torsion control means causing the tuning cylinders to slide over the tuning control rods and to rotate according to the twists of the rods creating greater or lesser torsion uniformly in the strings. Depressing and releasing the foot pedal allows a player to adjust the string torsion force by using only the foot pedal without having to manually adjust string tension interrupting the playing of the guitar. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110271816 | DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT OF LEVER TO TREMOLO BRIDGE AND KIT - The present disclosure is a new solution for attachment of lever to the tremolo bridge made by a device that can be sold as a kit. Such device for attachment of lever to the tremolo bridge is made of a cylindrical device ( | 11-10-2011 |
| 20120144972 | STRINGED INSTRUMENT - A stringed instrument has a body, a neck connected to the body, strings extending from the body to a distal end of the neck, frets on the neck under the strings, and at least one spike between two of the frets and under at least one of the strings. The strings are arranged so that the thickest string and the thinnest string are adjacent to each other. | 06-14-2012 |
| 20120174731 | Virtual Tuning of a String Instrument - In an un-tuned state, the strings of a string instrument are excited, and a standard adjustment factor is determined for each string. When a pitch is generated as a result of a string being strummed (e.g., during normal playing of the instrument), the pitch generated by the string is adjusted by the standard adjustment factor and an intonation adjustment factor that accounts for intonation errors. An adjusted pitch is output that is in-tune and has accurate intonation. | 07-12-2012 |
| 20120234154 | Intonators - A system and method for guitar string lengthening and shortening by hand, wherein the screws originally attached to the tailpiece string retainer bridge and connected to a movable string saddle with a guitar string are each replaced by a substitute screw with an enlarged head or knob having a knurled surface and a smooth mating surface between the head or knob and the existing bridge that allows easy, accurate, and convenient hand adjustments to the intonation on the bridge of an electric guitar. It is preferred for the replacement screws having heads or knobs with a knurled surface to be made from stainless steel to avoid corrosion. Optionally, the replacement screws may have a tool slot and a chamfered top edge. Also, for a guitar with six strings, three of the replacement screws would typically have a threaded stem approximately three-fourths of an inch in length, with the other three of the replacement screws typically having a threaded stem of approximately five-eights of an inch in length. | 09-20-2012 |
| 20130139670 | ADJUSTER FOR STRING INSTRUMENTS - An adjuster for tuning of a string instrument. | 06-06-2013 |
| 20130167706 | BEARING AND SHAFT ASSEMBLIES, INCLUDING TUNING KEYS AND TUNER ASSEMBLIES FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS, METHODS OF USING BEARING AND SHAFT ASSEMBLIES, AND METHODS OF MAKING BEARING AND SHAFT ASSEMBLIES - Bearing and shaft assemblies include a shaft with at least one depressed region. A first one-way bearing can be positioned on the shaft in a manner such that the first one-way bearing facilitates clockwise rotation and resists counterclockwise rotation. A second one-way bearing can be positioned on the shaft in a manner such that the second one-way bearing facilitates rotation in the second direction and resists rotation in the first direction. The first one-way bearing and the second one-way bearing can be displaced axially along the shaft so the first one-way bearing, the second one-way bearing, or both one-way bearings is/are positioned around the one or more depressed regions of the shaft to facilitate rotation in one direction, both directions or neither direction, as described herein. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also included. | 07-04-2013 |
| 20110167980 | PITCH ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR STRING INSTRUMENTS - A pitch adjustment device for selectively adjusting the pitch of the string(s) of a stringed musical instrument. Each string of the instrument is attached to a respective pitch adjustment device. Each pitch adjustment device comprises a pivotable string puller wherein pivoting of the string puller adjusts the pitch on the string. A pulley is rotatably mounted to the string puller such that movement of the pulley causes the string puller to pivot. A cable is wrapped around the pulley and has a first side extending from one side of the pulley and a second side extending form the other side of the pulley. A plurality of actuators are operably coupled to the first and second sides of the cable. The actuators move the cable, which moves the pulley, which in turn pivots the string puller, thereby adjusting the pitch of the string. Alternatively, the cable and pulley may be replaced by a mechanism of levers and pull rods. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20160019871 | Transformable stand with an improved foot operated pitch changing mechanism for stringed instruments - Disclosed are apparatus and related methods for changing the pitch of a stringed instrument, such as an standard, fixed-pitch, resonating or Dobro-type guitar, by attaching the stringed instrument onto a transformable stand comprising a foot pedal assembly and string pitch changing mechanism. In one embodiment, the apparatus and related methods involve affixing the strings from an existing guitar to an improved pitch-changing mechanism, such as disclosed string pitch changer housing, that does not require the deconstruction of the guitar body. Rather, the existing guitar is securely placed on its back on a transformable stand with the use of specially designed plates that hold the instrument with screws, securing the body of the instrument to the stand. | 01-21-2016 |
| 084312000 | Pedal operated steel guitars | 2 |
| 20080289474 | Tension Equalizer - In one embodiment, a device includes: first, second, and third paired-strand levers each configured to receive a pair of tensile strands at locations spaced apart from one another along the paired-strand lever; first, second, and third fulcrums each supporting a corresponding one of the paired-strand levers between the tensile strand receiving locations; a fourth lever linked to the first and second paired-strand levers through the first and second fulcrums, respectively, at secondary lever link locations spaced apart from one another along the fourth lever; a fourth fulcrum supporting the fourth lever between the secondary lever link locations; a fifth lever linked to the third paired-string lever and the fourth lever through the third and fourth fulcrums, respectively, at primary lever link locations spaced apart from one another along the fifth lever; and a fifth fulcrum supporting the fifth lever between the primary lever link locations. | 11-27-2008 |
| 20090272247 | Mechanical string tuner - A mechanical metal instrument that can be attached to every electronic and acoustic guitar with the purpose of fast and reliable tuning of the strings to various variations/combinations. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20100218661 | WIRELESS RECEIVER - A wireless receiver for receiving a wireless transmitted audio signal from a wireless transmitter is provided. The wireless receiver comprises a tuning assisting unit for assisting in the tuning of a music instrument coupled to the wireless transmitter. The tuning assisting unit indicates whether the audio signal from the music instrument corresponds to a specified frequency. The wireless receiver furthermore comprises an audio amplifier for amplifying the received audio signal. The wireless receiver furthermore comprises a housing which incorporates the tuning assisting unit and the audio amplifier. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20110067548 | Intonation cantilever - An aspect of the system relates to an intonation control mechanism for controlling, for example, the pitch of a plucked or vibrated string of a stringed instrument through a string contact point located at an appropriate intonation harmonic. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110067549 | Torsion oscillated spring corded contrabass guitar - The present invention is directed to a contrabass guitar which oscillates the pitch of the guitar by the use of torsion. The strings of the guitar are adjusted by use of a torsion control means connected to a foot pedal to allow a player to easily adjust the pitch of the guitar while playing. The contrabass guitar includes a floating bridge and a stationary torsion block with a plurality of helically twisted tuning control rods attached. The floating bridge contains a plurality of pitch tuning cylinders connected on one end to respective strings and on the other to the tuning rods. The floating bridge moves along the body of the guitar in response to the torsion control means causing the tuning cylinders to slide over the tuning control rods and to rotate according to the twists of the rods creating greater or lesser torsion uniformly in the strings. Depressing and releasing the foot pedal allows a player to adjust the string torsion force by using only the foot pedal without having to manually adjust string tension interrupting the playing of the guitar. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110271816 | DEVICE FOR ATTACHMENT OF LEVER TO TREMOLO BRIDGE AND KIT - The present disclosure is a new solution for attachment of lever to the tremolo bridge made by a device that can be sold as a kit. Such device for attachment of lever to the tremolo bridge is made of a cylindrical device ( | 11-10-2011 |
| 20120144972 | STRINGED INSTRUMENT - A stringed instrument has a body, a neck connected to the body, strings extending from the body to a distal end of the neck, frets on the neck under the strings, and at least one spike between two of the frets and under at least one of the strings. The strings are arranged so that the thickest string and the thinnest string are adjacent to each other. | 06-14-2012 |
| 20120174731 | Virtual Tuning of a String Instrument - In an un-tuned state, the strings of a string instrument are excited, and a standard adjustment factor is determined for each string. When a pitch is generated as a result of a string being strummed (e.g., during normal playing of the instrument), the pitch generated by the string is adjusted by the standard adjustment factor and an intonation adjustment factor that accounts for intonation errors. An adjusted pitch is output that is in-tune and has accurate intonation. | 07-12-2012 |
| 20120234154 | Intonators - A system and method for guitar string lengthening and shortening by hand, wherein the screws originally attached to the tailpiece string retainer bridge and connected to a movable string saddle with a guitar string are each replaced by a substitute screw with an enlarged head or knob having a knurled surface and a smooth mating surface between the head or knob and the existing bridge that allows easy, accurate, and convenient hand adjustments to the intonation on the bridge of an electric guitar. It is preferred for the replacement screws having heads or knobs with a knurled surface to be made from stainless steel to avoid corrosion. Optionally, the replacement screws may have a tool slot and a chamfered top edge. Also, for a guitar with six strings, three of the replacement screws would typically have a threaded stem approximately three-fourths of an inch in length, with the other three of the replacement screws typically having a threaded stem of approximately five-eights of an inch in length. | 09-20-2012 |
| 20130139670 | ADJUSTER FOR STRING INSTRUMENTS - An adjuster for tuning of a string instrument. | 06-06-2013 |
| 20130167706 | BEARING AND SHAFT ASSEMBLIES, INCLUDING TUNING KEYS AND TUNER ASSEMBLIES FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS, METHODS OF USING BEARING AND SHAFT ASSEMBLIES, AND METHODS OF MAKING BEARING AND SHAFT ASSEMBLIES - Bearing and shaft assemblies include a shaft with at least one depressed region. A first one-way bearing can be positioned on the shaft in a manner such that the first one-way bearing facilitates clockwise rotation and resists counterclockwise rotation. A second one-way bearing can be positioned on the shaft in a manner such that the second one-way bearing facilitates rotation in the second direction and resists rotation in the first direction. The first one-way bearing and the second one-way bearing can be displaced axially along the shaft so the first one-way bearing, the second one-way bearing, or both one-way bearings is/are positioned around the one or more depressed regions of the shaft to facilitate rotation in one direction, both directions or neither direction, as described herein. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also included. | 07-04-2013 |
| 20110167980 | PITCH ADJUSTMENT DEVICE FOR STRING INSTRUMENTS - A pitch adjustment device for selectively adjusting the pitch of the string(s) of a stringed musical instrument. Each string of the instrument is attached to a respective pitch adjustment device. Each pitch adjustment device comprises a pivotable string puller wherein pivoting of the string puller adjusts the pitch on the string. A pulley is rotatably mounted to the string puller such that movement of the pulley causes the string puller to pivot. A cable is wrapped around the pulley and has a first side extending from one side of the pulley and a second side extending form the other side of the pulley. A plurality of actuators are operably coupled to the first and second sides of the cable. The actuators move the cable, which moves the pulley, which in turn pivots the string puller, thereby adjusting the pitch of the string. Alternatively, the cable and pulley may be replaced by a mechanism of levers and pull rods. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20160019871 | Transformable stand with an improved foot operated pitch changing mechanism for stringed instruments - Disclosed are apparatus and related methods for changing the pitch of a stringed instrument, such as an standard, fixed-pitch, resonating or Dobro-type guitar, by attaching the stringed instrument onto a transformable stand comprising a foot pedal assembly and string pitch changing mechanism. In one embodiment, the apparatus and related methods involve affixing the strings from an existing guitar to an improved pitch-changing mechanism, such as disclosed string pitch changer housing, that does not require the deconstruction of the guitar body. Rather, the existing guitar is securely placed on its back on a transformable stand with the use of specially designed plates that hold the instrument with screws, securing the body of the instrument to the stand. | 01-21-2016 |
