Abstract
A universal drumstick for use by a drummer, the drummer having a hand with a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a pinkie finger, comprising, a distal tip, a shaft proximal to the distal tip, a handle proximal to the shaft, the handle having a grip therethrough, the grip sized to allow the drummer's little finger and ring finger to extend therethrough, the shaft angled relative to the handle such that at least a portion of the shaft is above the drummer's middle and index fingers when the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers are within the grip, whereby the drummer can play a stick-drum with the universal drumstick and also play a hand-drum without removing the universal drumstick from the drummer's hand.
Claims
1. A universal drumstick for use by a drummer, the drummer having a hand with a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a pinkie finger, comprising: a distal tip; a shaft proximal to the distal tip; a handle proximal to the shaft, the handle having a grip therethrough, the grip sized to allow the drummer's little finger and ring finger to extend therethrough, the shaft angled relative to the handle such that at least a portion of the shaft is above the drummer's middle and index fingers when the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers are within the grip, and a curve within the grip, the curve inwardly contoured with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers; whereby the drummer can play a stick-drum with the universal drumstick and also play a hand-drum without removing the universal drumstick from the drummer's hand.
2. The universal drumstick of claim 1, further comprising: a finger pad, the finger pad disposed distally to the grip and on the lower surface the shaft, the finger pad contacting the top of a portion of the drummer's middle finger; whereby the finger pad minimizes abrasions to the drummer's middle finger while playing.
3. The universal drumstick of claim 2, further comprising: the finger pad is circular or oval.
4. The universal drumstick of claim 2, further comprising: the universal drumstick is made from a material selected from the group consisting of: a wood, a nylon, a polycarbonate, a polypropylene, a plastic, a metal, and a carbon fiber.
5. The universal drumstick of claim 2, further comprising: the handle and the shaft of the universal drumstick are made from dissimilar materials.
6. The universal drumstick of claim 2, further comprising: the shaft is detachable from the handle of the universal drumstick.
7. A universal drumstick for use by a drummer, the drummer having a hand with a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a pinkie finger, comprising: a distal tip; a shaft proximal to the distal tip; a handle proximal to the shaft, the handle having a pinkie-finger hole and a ring-finger hole therethrough, the shaft angled relative to the handle such that at least a portion of the shaft is above the drummer's middle and index fingers when the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers are within their respective hole; whereby the drummer can play a stick-drum with the universal drumstick and also play a hand-drum without removing the universal drumstick from the drummer's hand.
8. The universal drumstick of claim 7, further comprising: a finger pad, the finger pad disposed distally to the grip and on the lower surface the shaft, the finger pad contacting the top of a portion of the drummer's middle finger; whereby the finger pad minimizes abrasions to the drummer's middle finger while playing.
9. The universal drumstick of claim 8, further comprising: the finger pad is circular or oval.
10. The universal drumstick of claim 8, further comprising: the universal drumstick is made from a material selected from the group consisting of: a wood, a nylon, a polycarbonate, a polypropylene, a plastic, a metal, and a carbon fiber.
11. The universal drumstick of claim 8, further comprising: the handle and the shaft of the universal drumstick are made from dissimilar materials.
12. The universal drumstick of claim 7, further comprising: the shaft is detachable from the handle of the universal drumstick.
13. A universal drumstick for use by a drummer, the drummer having a hand with a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a pinkie finger, comprising: a distal tip; a shaft proximal to the distal tip; a handle proximal to the shaft, the handle having a grip therethrough, the grip sized to allow the drummer's little finger and ring finger to extend therethrough, the shaft angled relative to the handle such that at least a portion of the shaft is above the drummer's middle and index fingers when the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers are within the grip, the handle further comprising a gap and opposing segments, wherein when universal drumstick is in use, the opposing segments contour with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and the gap is situated proximate the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers; whereby the drummer can play a stick-drum with the universal drumstick and also play a hand-drum without removing the universal drumstick from the drummer's hand.
14. The universal drumstick of claim 13, further comprising: a finger pad, the finger pad disposed distally to the grip and on the lower surface the shaft, the finger pad contacting the top of a portion of the drummer's middle finger; whereby the finger pad minimizes abrasions to the drummer's middle finger while playing.
15. The universal drumstick of claim 14, further comprising: the finger pad is circular or oval.
16. The universal drumstick of claim 13, further comprising: the universal drumstick is made from a material selected from the group consisting of: a wood, a nylon, a polycarbonate, a polypropylene, a plastic, a metal, and a carbon fiber.
17. The universal drumstick of claim 13, further comprising: the handle and the shaft of the universal drumstick are made from dissimilar materials.
18. The universal drumstick of claim 13, further comprising: the shaft is detachable from the handle of the universal drumstick.
19. The universal drumstick of claim 18, further comprising: the shaft is attachable to the handle of the universal drumstick by a male-female connector.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional stick-drum that is typically played with conventional drumsticks.
(2) FIG. 1B illustrates a close up view of the fingers of the drummer's right hand.
(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a typical bongo drum on the left and a typical conga drum on right. As discussed above, bongo and conga drums are typical hand-drums.
(4) FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a universal drumstick.
(5) FIG. 3B illustrates a right side view of the universal drumstick. The left side view is a mirror image.
(6) FIG. 3C illustrates a top view of the universal drumstick.
(7) FIG. 3D illustrates a bottom view of the universal drumstick.
(8) FIG. 3E illustrates a front view of the universal drumstick.
(9) FIG. 3F illustrates a rear view of the universal drumstick.
(10) FIG. 4A illustrates a perspective view of a drummer's right hand using the universal drumstick.
(11) FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of a drummer's left hand using the universal drumstick.
(12) FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick.
(13) FIG. 5B illustrates a right side view of the first alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick. The left side view is a mirror image.
(14) FIG. 5C illustrates a bottom view of the first alternative embodiment universal drumstick.
(15) FIG. 5D illustrates a top view of first alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(16) FIG. 5E illustrates a front view of first alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(17) FIG. 5F illustrates a rear view of first alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(18) FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick.
(19) FIG. 6B illustrates a right side view of the second alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick. The left side view is a mirror image.
(20) FIG. 6C illustrates a bottom view of the second alternative embodiment universal drumstick.
(21) FIG. 6D illustrates a top view of second alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(22) FIG. 6E illustrates a front view of second alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(23) FIG. 6F illustrates a rear view of second alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(24) FIG. 7A illustrates a perspective view of a third alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick.
(25) FIG. 7B illustrates a right side view of the third alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick. The left side view is a mirror image.
(26) FIG. 7C illustrates a bottom view of the third alternative embodiment universal drumstick.
(27) FIG. 7D illustrates a top view of third alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(28) FIG. 7E illustrates a front view of third alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(29) FIG. 7F illustrates a rear view of third alternative embodiment the universal drumstick.
(30) FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the drummer using the universal drumstick to play a hand-drum and a stick-drum.
(31) FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a fourth alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(32) Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings and specification.
(33) FIG. 3A illustrates a perspective view of a universal drumstick 100. Universal drumstick 100 comprises a tip 110, a shaft 120, and a handle 130. A grip 132 is disposed therethrough handle 130. In a preferred embodiment, a curve 134 is within grip 132 and is inwardly contoured. When universal drumstick 100 is in use, preferably, curve 134 contours with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and particularly the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(34) When used, the term “proximal” means closer to the drummer's body and the term “distal” means further away from the drummer's body. Thus, when the drummer is playing the drums using universal drumstick 100, tip 110 is distal to shaft 120. Correspondingly, shaft 120 is proximal to tip 110. By way of another example, in human anatomy, the wrist joint is distal to the elbow joint. Correspondingly, it can be said that the elbow joint is proximal to the wrist joint. The terms might also be thought of as further away and closer to the drummer's body. When used, the term “bottom” refers to the surface below the top surface. For example, the palm of the drummer's hand may be described as the bottom of the hand and the back of the hand may be referred to as the back or top of the hand. This top and bottom description is particularly apparent if a person is holding their hands parallel to the floor with the palms open and facing toward the floor.
(35) FIG. 3B illustrates left side view of the universal drumstick 100. Grip 132 is disposed therethrough handle 130. In a preferred embodiment, curve 134 is within grip 132 and is inwardly contoured. When universal drumstick 100 is in use on a drummer's hand, curve 134 contours with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and particularly the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(36) FIG. 3C illustrates is a top view of the universal drumstick 100. Tip 110, shaft 120, and grip 130 are also illustrated.
(37) FIG. 3D illustrates a bottom view of the universal drumstick 100. Tip 110, shaft 120, and grip 130 are also illustrated.
(38) FIG. 3E illustrates a front view of the universal drumstick 100. Grip 130 is also illustrated.
(39) FIG. 3F illustrates a rear view of universal drumstick 100. Grip 130 is also illustrated.
(40) FIG. 4A illustrates universal drumstick 100 positioned on the drummer's right hand. When the drummer slides his pinkie and ring finger therethrough grip 130, at least a portion of shaft 120 is positioned above the drummer's middle and index fingers, i.e. on top of the drummer's middle and index fingers. Unlike conventional drumsticks illustrated in FIG. 1A, the drummer's fingers are not wrapped around the conventional drumstick. Phrased differently, when using universal drumstick 110, the drummer's palm is open. As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the drummer's palm is open, he can play hand-drums such as bongos or congas. FIG. 4A also illustrates the grip 132 therethough handle 130 is sized to allow the drummer's little finger and ring finger to extend therethrough, the shaft 120 is angled relative to the handle 130 such that at least a portion of the shaft 120 is above the drummer's middle and index fingers when the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers are within the grip
(41) Similarly, FIG. 4B illustrates universal drumstick 100 positioned on the drummer's left hand. When the drummer slides his pinkie and ring finger therethrough grip 130, at least a portion of shaft 120 is positioned above the drummer's middle and index fingers. Unlike conventional drumsticks illustrated in FIG. 1, the drummer's fingers are not wrapped around the conventional drumstick. Phrased differently, when using universal drumstick 100, the drummer's palm is open. As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the drummer's palm is open, he can play hand-drums such as bongos or congas. FIG. 4B also illustrates the grip 132 therethough handle 130 is sized to allow the drummer's little finger and ring finger to extend therethrough, the shaft 120 is angled relative to the handle 130 such that at least a portion of the shaft 120 is above the drummer's middle and index fingers when the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers are within the grip.
(42) Experimental use has determined that it is possible for the drummer to play both stick-drums and hand-drums with the universal drumstick 100 with the ring finger and middle finger slid therethough grip 130.
(43) FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the universal drumstick can be used to play both hand-drums and stick-drums without the need to put down or pick up universal drumstick 100.
(44) FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 8 illustrate that the drummer's palm is open and the drummer can play a hand-drum B or C with his fingers and palm without removing universal drumstick 100. Correspondingly, the drummer may also use the universal drumstick 100 to play stick-drum D.
(45) FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of universal drumstick 200. Universal drumstick 200 comprises a tip 210, a shaft 220, and a handle 230. A pinkie-hole 232 and a ring-finger hole 233 are disposed therethrough handle 230. In a preferred embodiment, a curve 234 is within grip 230 and is inwardly contoured. When universal drumstick 200 is in use, preferably, curve 234 contours with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and particularly the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(46) FIG. 5B illustrates left side view of the universal drumstick 200. The pinkie-hole 232 and a ring-finger hole 233 are disposed therethrough handle 230. In a preferred embodiment, the curve 234 is within grip 230 and is inwardly contoured. When universal drumstick 200 is in use, preferably, curve 234 contours with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and particularly the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(47) FIG. 5C illustrates is a bottom view of the universal drumstick 200. Tip 210, shaft 220, and grip 230 are also illustrated. As a further preferred embodiment, universal drumstick 200 comprises finger pad 222. Finger pad 222 is discussed in greater detail below.
(48) FIG. 5D illustrates a top view of the universal drumstick 200. Tip 210, shaft 220, and grip 230 are also illustrated.
(49) FIG. 5E illustrates a front view of the universal drumstick 200.
(50) FIG. 5F illustrates a rear view of the universal drumstick 200. Grip 230 is also illustrated.
(51) FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of universal drumstick 300. Universal drumstick 300 comprises a tip 310, a shaft 320, and a handle 330. In a preferred embodiment, handle 330 further comprises grip 332, a gap 335, and opposing segments 336 and 337. When universal drumstick 300 is in use, preferably, segments 336 and 337 contour with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and gap 335 is situated proximate the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(52) FIG. 6B illustrates left side view of the universal drumstick 300. Grip 332 is disposed therethrough handle 330. In a preferred embodiment, handle 330 further comprises the grip 332, the gap 335, and the opposing segments 336 and 337. When universal drumstick 300 is in use, preferably, segments 336 and 337 contour with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and gap 335 is situated proximate the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(53) FIG. 6C illustrates is a bottom view of the universal drumstick 300. Tip 310, shaft 320, and grip 330 are also illustrated. As a further preferred embodiment, universal drumstick 300 comprises finger pad 322.
(54) FIG. 6D illustrates a top view of the universal drumstick 300. Tip 310, shaft 320, and grip 330 are also illustrated.
(55) FIG. 6E illustrates a front view of the universal drumstick 300.
(56) FIG. 6F illustrates a rear view of universal drumstick 300. Grip 330 is also illustrated.
(57) FIG. 7A illustrates a third alternative embodiment of the universal drumstick 400 and is the preferred embodiment. FIG. 7A illustrates a perspective view of universal drumstick 400. Universal drumstick 400 comprises a tip 410, a shaft 420, and a handle 430. A grip 432 is disposed therethrough handle 430. In a further preferred embodiment, a curve 434 is within grip 432 and is inwardly contoured. When universal drumstick 400 is in use, preferably, curve 434 contours with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and particularly the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers. Universal drumstick 400 further comprising a finger pad 422 disposed distally to grip 430 and on the lower surface of shaft 420. Finger pad 422 contacts the top side of a portion of the drummer's middle finger. It has been found that during prolonged playing and especially vigorous playing, that the top of the drummer's middle finger may be abraded also referred to as rubbed, unpleasantly by universal drumstick 400. Finger pad 422 is a preferred embodiment and is preferably circular or oblong in shape. It has been found that finger pad 422 minimizes or prevents abrasions to the drummer's middle finger while playing. FIG. 7A illustrates finger pad 422 on universal drumstick 400 used for the drummer's left hand, finger pad 422 may also be used on the universal drumstick used on the right hand or the left hand or both. Finger pad 422 may be thought of as distributing the force when the drumstick is playing drums. During experimental use, it has been found that use of the finger pad 422 reduces bruises and otherwise mitigates wear and tear on the drummer's hands. Particularly, the drummer's middle finger. As illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5F and 6A-6F, finger pad 422 may be used in conjunction with other embodiments of the universal drumstick. Finger pad 422 may also be used in the first embodiment of the universal drumstick 200 and the second embodiment of the universal drumstick 300 and serves the same purpose as when used with universal drumstick 400.
(58) FIG. 7B illustrates left side view of the universal drumstick 400. Grip 432 is disposed therethrough handle 430. In a preferred embodiment, curve 434 is within grip 432 and is inwardly contoured. When universal drumstick 400 is in use on a drummer's hand, curve 434 contours with the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers and particularly the interstitial space between the drummer's pinkie and ring fingers.
(59) FIG. 7C illustrates is a bottom view of the universal drumstick 400. Tip 410, shaft 420, and grip 430 are also illustrated. Tip 210, shaft 220, and grip 230 are also illustrated. As a further preferred embodiment, universal drumstick 400 comprises finger pad 422.
(60) FIG. 7D illustrates a top view of the universal drumstick 400. Tip 410, shaft 420, and grip 430 are also illustrated.
(61) FIG. 7E illustrates a front view of the universal drumstick 400.
(62) FIG. 7F illustrates a rear view of universal drumstick 400. Grip 430 is also illustrated.
(63) FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the drummer using the universal drumstick 100 to play a hand-drum and a stick-drum at the same time using a pair of universal drumsticks 100. FIG. 8 illustrates that the drummer can concurrently play both stick-drums and hand-drums without putting down or picking back up the drumstick 100. As discussed above, if the drummer were using the conventional drumstick S, the drummer would have to put down drumstick S in order to play the hand-drum.
(64) Universal drumsticks 100, 200, 300, and 400 may be made from wood, nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and other types of plastics. Most typically, wooden drumsticks are made from hickory, maple or oak wood. The universal drumsticks could also be made of metal or carbon fiber. These are non-limiting examples and the universal drumsticks could be made of other materials.
(65) For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a fourth embodiment of universal drumstick 500, a stainless steel handle that is screwed into a wooden shaft or attachable by a male-female connector. Alternatively, the universal drumsticks 100, 200, 300, and 400 may be made from dissimilar materials. As a further alternative, drumstick 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 could have a tip made from a material that is different than the rest of the drumstick. A still further alternative could be drumsticks of different lengths.
(66) While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and description, the same is to be considered as an illustration and is not limited to the exact embodiments shown and described. All equivalents, changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are also protected by the claims that are set forth below.
