Abstract
A manufacture for supporting a guitar having a neck and a base that extends downward from a distal end of said neck, the apparatus comprising a neck cradle and a leg that comprises a first section, the first section extending downward from the neck cradle, wherein the neck cradle comprises a first face, a second face, and a third face that is opposite the second face, wherein the first section of the leg comprises a first surface, and wherein the first face comprises a curved section that extends between the second and third faces and that supports a neck of a guitar, as a result of which, when the first face supports the guitar, there exists a force vector having first and second components.
Claims
1. A manufacture for supporting a guitar having a neck and a base that extends downward from a distal end of said neck, said manufacture comprising a neck cradle and a leg that comprises a first section, said first section extending downward from said neck cradle, wherein said neck cradle comprises a first face, a second face, and a third face that is opposite said second face, wherein said first section of said leg comprises a first surface, and wherein said first face comprises a curved section that extends between said second and third faces and that supports a neck of a guitar, as a result of which, when said first face supports said guitar, there exists a force vector having first and second components that are perpendicular to each other, said first component being directed downwardly and perpendicular to said second face and said second component being directed perpendicular to said leg in a direction away from said neck.
2. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said first surface is beveled at an angle that conforms to an angle at which said guitar leans, thereby maximizing contact between said first surface and said neck.
3. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said third face comprises a notch for accommodating a cable.
4. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said leg is fixed to said neck cradle.
5. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said leg is separable from said neck cradle.
6. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said cradle comprises a groove that accommodates said leg.
7. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said third surface forms a recess for accommodating items.
8. The manufacture of claim 1, further comprising a base support and a third suction surface, wherein said base support has a top side and a bottom side, wherein said top side supports said base of said guitar and wherein said third suction surface on said bottom side.
9. The manufacture of claim 8, wherein said top side includes a recess to accommodate a strap button of said guitar.
10. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said leg comprises a second section that extends from said first section in a direction away from said guitar.
11. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said leg is separable from said neck cradle, wherein said leg is a first leg, wherein said manufacture comprises a second leg that is separable from said neck cradle, wherein said second leg includes a first section that, when said second leg is attached to said neck cradle, extends downward from said neck cradle and a second section that extends from said first section in a direction away from said guitar.
12. The manufacture of claim 1, further comprising first and second suction surfaces, wherein said first suction surface is disposed on said first surface and said second suction surface is disposed on said second face.
13. The manufacture of claim 1, further comprising padding on at least one of said first and second surfaces.
14. The manufacture of claim 1, further comprising padding on said first and second surfaces.
15. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said leg comprises a second section that extends from said first section in a direction away from said guitar, wherein there exists a gap between said first section and said second section and said second face, whereby in response to a clamping force, said second section and said first surface are clamped to a ledge that is inserted in said gap.
16. The manufacture of claim 15, wherein said gap comprises a surface, at least a portion of which is padded.
17. The manufacture of claim 15, wherein said gap comprises a pad surface.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is a view of the stand system showing a one-piece design.
(2) FIG. 2 is a view of the stand system connected to a guitar amplifier with a guitar leaning against the device and shows an optional base component and optional cable capture features.
(3) FIG. 3 is a view of the stand system connected to a table and the optional base component.
(4) FIG. 4 shows a view of a stand system base component.
(5) FIG. 5 shows a view of the stand system as a multi-piece design.
DESCRIPTION
(6) FIG. 1 shows the device 1 in an embodiment where the device is a single molded piece with a cup shaped area for picks 2 and a curved and angled face 3 for cradling the guitar neck as the guitar leans against the device 1. The horizontal face 8 is set on top of an amplifier or table where the vertical leg 5 has a face 9 that rests against the side of the amplifier or table. The horizontal and vertical faces have a layer of microsuction 10 that the musician uses to “stick” the device in place, and yet allows the device to be removed readily. The design uses the forces generated by the guitar leaning against the stand neck cradle 3 to transfer a normal force into the microsuction covered faces, 8 and 9, reinforcing the holding force of the microsuction 10 with each use. A useful addition to the device is a cable holding feature 4 which assists in holding an instrument cable in place when the cable is not in use. This feature may be used in one or more places and can create additional functionality when two or more are aligned across from one another, creating a natural bending point in the device 1 for removing the device using a peeling motion for when it is not needed or wanted on the amplifier or tabletop. The device may be held in place by any number of materials such as microsuction tape, two-sided adhesive tape, Velcro, or any other removable or reusable products as known to those knowledgeable in the art. The device in most embodiments is made from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), thermoplastic urethane (TPU), or thermoplastic rubber (TPR), as these materials allow the device to be readily flexible in the shown design shape and construction. However, in other embodiments, the device may be made of wood or metal, and have features that allow these stiffer materials to flex for improved removal. Similarly, embodiments may have sliding or fastener features that allow the vertical member 5 to be easily detached, as in FIG. 5, for removal and attachment of the device to the amplifier or tabletop. The material of choice is dependent on the preferences of the consumer and application; many types of materials and corresponding designs can be used by those knowledgeable in the art.
(7) FIG. 2 shows a view of the device as it might be used by a musician in their studio, home or at a performance. The device 1 has been attached to an amplifier 22 using the microsuction 10 by aligning the vertical 9 and horizontal 8 faces to the faces of the amplifier 22 and pressing down at a 45-degree angle to engage the micro-suction 10. The guitar 21 is then leaned against the device 1 and the neck cradle 3 prevents the instrument from falling over. The neck cradle is designed at an angle to maximize the holding friction on the guitar neck by maximizing the contact surface area, and to transfer the maximum amount of force from the leaning guitar to the microsuction 10. The neck cradle may be more or less flexible than the rest of the design, via materials or shape, to maximize clamping force or rigidity of the cradle, depending on the needs of the instrument and the application. FIG. 2 also shows how the cable holding feature 4 works when shown from a top view. Likewise, FIG. 2 shows the optional stand base component in application. The base is detailed in FIG. 4.
(8) FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the device 1 when used on a thinner surface, such as a tabletop 31 in a recording studio with a guitar in place. It shows a second view of the device 1 and the optional base 41 without the guitar in place.
(9) FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of a base 41 design for the device. In some applications the amplifier 22 or table 31 may be placed on a hard surface, like a tile floor, thus rendering the stability of the guitar's bottom as insufficient to stand alone or survive a small bump without sliding away, or falling over, and damaging the instrument. While carpets, rugs, and other soft materials are often used in studios and homes to absorb sound, at performances the floor is often wood or some other hard surface material, and these materials minimize the friction required to reliably hold the base of the guitar in place. Many instruments 21 have a strap holding protrusion called a “strap button” 44 that is typically made of a rigid material like metal, held in place with a screw, and rounded on the edges to accommodate the easy addition and removal of the strap. The strap button 44 creates a small contact area on the floor for the instrument 21 and makes the instrument standing on hard surfaces unstable. Yet the button 44 acts as a “spear” on carpets, providing greater stability when the device 1 is used with a carpeted floor. The bottom of the base 41 may also have a layer of microsuction applied to its bottom 42 to create greater holding power against accidental bumps and/or adding or removing the instrument at an awkward angle when placing it down in the stand hastily. The bottom 42 may contain features meant to generate traction, like those on the bottom of a shoe. In this embodiment the base is formed with a curved face shape 45 designed to optimize the holding force no matter what the insertion angle is of the instrument. In this embodiment, the base has a cupped area 43 to allow relief for the strap button 44 and to optimize moldability to lower the cost of production. In this embodiment, the base 41 is made wide enough to allow a standard guitar strap to remain on the instrument without coming between the base 41 and the instrument 21, in order to maximize stability of the instrument when set on the base 41. The base 41 may be made from a flexible material or a rigid material, similar to the device 1, depending on the desired application for the base 41 and the device 1. The base 41 and the device 1, may be made of the same material, or different materials, depending on the desired features needed for a plurality of applications. Different materials, and manufacturing techniques, can be applied to a plurality of embodiments of the base 41 by those known to those knowledgeable in the art.
(10) As shown in FIG. 5, the device 1 may be made of a multi-piece design to allow for a plurality of features such as easier storage in travel, shipping efficiencies, material optimization, ease of removal when in use, ease of setup, and any plurality of capabilities known by those knowledgeable in the art of a modular, multi-piece design. In a multi-piece design embodiment, the device 51 may have a locking mechanism, or sliding mechanism, to allow for easy assembly of the multi-piece design's horizontal face component 51 and its vertical leg component 52. Using simple features such as locking keys shapes, rotating features, snap fits, and any plurality of connection methods known to those knowledgeable in the art, the device can be assembled and disassembled quickly and without tools. However, using a screw, pin, quarter-turn fastener, or similar fastener method may be advantageous for some embodiments and is anticipated. In the example of a sliding key shape, the horizontal component 51 has a dovetail shape in the device to accommodate the matching dovetail shape 55 in the vertical leg 52 which slides in and out. Having a multi-piece design also allows for application customization where desired. For example, FIG. 5 shows two different leg designs, 52 and 53. The leg depicted in item 53 uses the same dovetail feature of component 52 but has a different profile and design shape. Component 53 has been optimized for 0.5″ tabletop use by creating a face 54 to grab under a standard 0.5″ thick recording studio desk. In this embodiment, the holding force is greatly enhanced through the use of a two-parallel-faces design and optimized for recording studio users. A user may wish to have both types of vertical legs, 52 and 53, at their disposal and a multi-piece design allows for a plurality of application specific vertical legs to be used to optimize performance of the stand device.
(11) In some embodiments, the face 54 is padded to avoid marring the surface against which it is held by the holding force. In such embodiments, it is useful for the downwardly-facing face of the horizontal component 51 to likewise be padded.
(12) It is apparent that the structural features of the invention can be obtained by a variety of materials and construction methods to those knowledgeable in the art.
(13) It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
