Endpin stand apparatus for stringed instruments

Abstract

Improved endpin stand apparatus for large stringed instruments are provided. The endpin stand apparatus comprises an endpin shaft and/or a hole for receiving an endpin shaft which supports a large stringed instrument, and components to elevate the endpin shaft from the floor on which the endpin stand apparatus rests. The endpin stand apparatus allows for adjustment of the height of the apparatus and thus of the stringed instrument, and may allow of adjustment of the angle of the instrument relative to the axis defined by the apparatus. The endpin stand apparatus allows a user, the musician, to stand while playing the instrument, and allows the user to move both forward and back and side-to-side through a range of motion. The adjustable endpin stand apparatus height and angle allow for a range of instrument locations and angles, and increased range of motion by the musician while playing the instrument.

Claims

1. An endpin stand apparatus for support of a stringed instrument on a surface, comprising: a ground tube; a rocker-stabilizer affixed to the ground tube; a ground plate to which a plurality of ground blocks is affixed, and wherein the ground tube rotates within the plurality of ground blocks; an upright tube; an upright-ground connector to attach and detach the ground tube and the upright tube; an internal tube; and an upright-internal fastener which reversibly fastens the upright tube and the internal tube.

2. An endpin stand apparatus for support of a stringed instrument on a floor, comprising: a ground tube; an upright tube; an upright-ground connector to attach and detach the ground tube and the upright tube; an internal tube; and an upright-internal fastener which reversibly fastens the upright tube and the internal tube.

3. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the endpin stand apparatus meets the stringed instrument at such an angle that the upright tube is approximately vertical and approximately perpendicular to the floor.

4. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an endpin shaft, which endpin shaft is disposed to be fixedly and immovably part of the internal tube.

5. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an endpin shaft, which endpin shaft is disposed to be inserted into and removed from the internal tube.

6. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an endpin shaft, which endpin shaft is disposed to be interchangeable.

7. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an endpin shaft, which endpin shaft is disposed to be a straight endpin shaft, an angled endpin shaft, or a hinged endpin shaft.

8. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 7, wherein the endpin shaft is a hinged endpin shaft, and wherein a hinge-angle of the hinged endpin shaft is disposed to be fixed or adjustable.

9. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an endpin shaft, which endpin shaft is approximately 2 to 8 long.

10. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground tube comprises more than one piece of material, which more than one piece of material can be reversibly joined together and disassembled and reassembled as the ground tube.

11. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground tube has a shape selected from a list comprising straight, curved, split, branched, or another shape.

12. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the endpin stand apparatus further comprises more than one rocker-stabilizer, and each rocker-stabilizer is connected to the ground tube.

13. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground tube further comprises at least two ends, and the ground tube has a plurality of ground feet mounted on the ground tube, disposed at or near the at least two ends of the ground tube.

14. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground tube is attached to a plurality of ground blocks.

15. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ground tube can rotate axially while remaining attached to the plurality of ground blocks.

16. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of ground blocks are affixed to a ground plate.

17. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ground tube can be reversibly connected to and disconnected from the upright tube with the upright-ground connector.

18. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein the upright tube and the internal tube are concentric, and the internal tube slides within the upright tube, and can be reversibly fixed in place relative to the upright tube, by use of the upright-internal fastener, such that a height of the endpin stand apparatus is approximately 20 to 30.

19. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, wherein a connection between the ground tube and the upright tube is by means of an upright-ground slot.

20. The endpin stand apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an endpin shaft and an internal-endpin shaft hole, and wherein an internal-endpin set screw is used to affix the endpin shaft in the internal-endpin shaft hole.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of various aspects, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplary aspects; but the presently disclosed subject matter is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same components or steps of the device throughout the different figures. In the following detailed description, various aspects of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a musician playing a stringed instrument (here, a cello) with an aspect of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a front elevation view of a musician playing a stringed instrument (here, a cello) with an aspect of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a front elevation view of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(9) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

(11) FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary endpin stand apparatus of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(12) The presently disclosed invention is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. But, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the claimed invention might also be presented in other aspects, to include different steps or elements similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the term step may be used herein to connote different aspects of methods employed, the term should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described. The word approximately as used herein means within 5% of a stated value, and for ranges as given, applies to both the start and end of the range of values given.

(13) In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. But, the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Structures and techniques that would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art have not been shown in detail, in order not to obscure the invention. Referring to the figures, it is possible to see the various major elements constituting the methods and systems of the present invention.

(14) The present subject matter discloses aspects of improved endpin stand apparatus for use on and support of stringed instruments. At a high level of overview, the endpin stand apparatus 100 of the present invention is made, in various aspects, so that the endpin stand apparatus 100 may be used with a stringed instrument 200 with little or no modification of the instrument's body, and the endpin stand apparatus 100 allows a musician 220 using the stringed instrument 200 with the endpin stand apparatus 100 to stand, or sit in a higher seat than is possible with prior-art endpins, and allows the musician 220 a choice of the height of the endpin stand apparatus 100 and a choice of the endpin shaft 160 used with the stringed instrument 200, providing better support of the stringed instrument 200 and an improved range of positions which the musician 220 may employ while playing the stringed instrument 200.

(15) With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a musician 220 is shown playing a stringed instrument 200 that is supported by an endpin stand apparatus 100 of the present invention.

(16) With reference to FIG. 3, an aspect of the invention is depicted. The endpin stand apparatus 100 comprises a ground tube 120, an upright tube 110, an upright-ground connector 112, an internal tube 140, and an upright-internal fastener 150.

(17) The ground tube 120 is disposed to sit on or at the floor or ground where the musician 220 has the stringed instrument 200. As used herein, the term floor is to be understood as encompassing any object or surface on which a stringed instrument 200 may be placed, including but not limited to the interior of a building, the ground or a rock, a vehicle, a platform, or any structure or object. The endpin stand apparatus 100 of the present invention should sit on the floor or ground, and should meet the stringed instrument 200 at such an angle that the upright tube 110 (and the internal tube 140 inside the upright tube 110) are approximately vertical and approximately perpendicular to the floor or ground. It has been found advantageous to have the upright tube 110 be approximately perpendicular to the floor or ground, so that the ground tube 120 and the ground feet 124 (or the plurality of ground blocks 128 or the ground plate 126, as disclosed below in other aspects of the present invention) meet the floor with most of the weight of the stringed instrument 200 directed down so as to maximize the frictive forces between the floor and the endpin stand apparatus 100 and therefore reduce the risk of the endpin stand apparatus 100 sliding along the floor, as opposed to having a significant component of the force directed sideways, which would reduce the frictive forces between the floor and the endpin stand apparatus 100 and increase the risk of the endpin stand apparatus 100 sliding and the stringed instrument 200 being damaged. As is discussed below in greater detail, an endpin shaft 160 component of the present invention may be a straight endpin shaft 161 or an angled endpin shaft 162 or a hinged endpin shaft 163, and a plurality of endpin shaft 160 may be used and may be interchangeable, such that the angle between the internal tube 140 and the stringed instrument 200 is such that the upright tube 110 is approximately vertical and approximately perpendicular to the floor or ground, and the stringed instrument 200 is not vertical so that it is at a comfortable position to be played. To that end, an angled endpin shaft 162 may be desirable when in use with a stringed instrument 200 using a traditional round endpin support that allows only for a straight path of a traditional endpin in and out of the lower rib area of the stringed instrument 200 (that is, along the long axis of the stringed instrument 200). In contrast, a straight endpin shaft 161 may be desirable when in use with a stringed instrument 200 using an endpin support that allows for an endpin to be supported at an angle relative to the long axis of the stringed instrument 200.

(18) The ground tube 120 may comprise a single piece of material, as is shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, or may comprise more than one piece of material, as is shown in FIG. 3, in which the ground tube 120 comprises a ground tube first piece 122 and a ground tube second piece 123, which may be joined together with screw threads, a pressure fitting, one or more spring-locking latches, a set screw, or other means now known or later invented. Where the ground tube 120 comprises more than one piece of material, the ability to disassemble and reassemble the ground tube 120 makes storage and transport of the endpin stand apparatus 100 simpler. The ground tube 120 may advantageously be circular in cross-section, though other cross-sectional shapes of the ground tube 120 are possible. The ground tube 120 may be straight, or may be curved, or have another shape including but not limited to a split or branched shape. The ground tube 120 may have a rocker-stabilizer 130 attached to the ground tube 120 with a ground-rocker connector 132. The rocker-stabilizer 130 may be an approximately flat rectangle of material, or may be any other shape, or may advantageously be shaped like a half of a cylinder, with a section cut out from each side to match the shape of the ground tube 120, such that the rocker-stabilizer 130 is shaped to closely align with the ground tube 120. The rocker-stabilizer 130 may be used by the musician 220 as a footrest when playing the stringed instrument 200 mounted on the endpin stand apparatus 100, and/or to adjust the angle of the stringed instrument 200 by movement of the foot of the musician 220, whether the musician 220 is currently playing or not. The rocker-stabilizer 130 may also be used to stabilize the endpin stand apparatus 100 when the musician 220 is mounting the stringed instrument 200 on the endpin stand apparatus 100, or when the musician 220 is removing the stringed instrument 200 from the endpin stand apparatus 100. In some aspects, there may be one or more than one rocker-stabilizer 130, providing an advantage to a musician 220 who wishes to switch which foot the musician 220 is using on the rocker-stabilizer 130.

(19) The ground tube 120 may comprise at least two ends, at its extremities distal from the upright tube 110, and may have a plurality of ground feet 124 mounted on the ground tube 120, disposed at or near the ends of the ground tube 120. The plurality of ground feet 124 serve to provide a frictive connection between the endpin stand apparatus 100 and the floor, such that the endpin stand apparatus 100 does not slip or slide while the musician 220 is playing the stringed instrument 200. Any such movement of the endpin stand apparatus 100 along the floor could lead to damage to the stringed instrument 200, injury to the musician 220, and errors in the performance by the musician 220, or a distraction during the performance.

(20) The ground tube 120 may be connected to and disconnected from the upright tube 110 with the upright-ground connector 112. The upright-ground connector 112 may comprise screw threads, a pressure fitting, a clamp such as that depicted in FIG. 5, one or more spring-locking latches, a set screw, or other means now known or later invented. The upright-ground connector 112 serves to allow the ground tube 120 to be attached to and detached from the upright tube 110. When detached, the storage and transport of the endpin stand apparatus 100 is simpler as the endpin stand apparatus 100 may be packed into a relative small package or container, and carried with the stringed instrument 200 in the case of the stringed instrument 200, or alongside such a case. The upright-ground connector 112 may be fixedly attached to the upright tube 110, or may be fixedly attached to the ground tube 120, or the upright-ground connector 112 may be removably attached to each of the upright tube 110 and the ground tube 120. The upright tube 110 attaches to either the upright-ground connector 112 or directly to the ground tube 120 at an upright-tube joint 116.

(21) The upright tube 110 and the internal tube 140 are, advantageously, concentric with the upright tube 110 larger than the internal tube 140, such that the internal tube 140 may be disposed snugly within the upright tube 110, and the internal tube 140 may slide within the upright tube 110 so that the musician 220 may adjust a height of the endpin stand apparatus 100 by sliding the internal tube 140. The endpin stand apparatus 100 may be used at a height of approximately 20 or higher, such as a height of approximately 24-25 high for a musician 220 of approximately average height, or may be used at a height of approximately 28-30, or higher, for a musician 220 who is taller than an average height. The internal tube 140 may be fixed in place relative to the upright tube 110 by use of the upright-internal fastener 150, at the height of the endpin stand apparatus 100 selected by the musician 220 for playing the stringed instrument 200, or may be collapsed as short as possible for storage and transport. The upright-internal fastener 150 may be a set screw, as is shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, or may be a quick-release clamp or other suitable fastener mechanism now known or later invented that will serve to reversibly fasten and be released, to secure the upright tube 110 and the internal tube 140 together, as will be understood by one of skill in the art. The upright tube 110 and the internal tube 140 may advantageously be circular in cross-section, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, or may advantageously be square in cross-section, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, though other cross-sectional shapes of the upright tube 110 and the internal tube 140 are possible.

(22) With reference to FIG. 4, an aspect of the present invention is that the connection between the ground tube 120 and the upright tube 110 may be by means of an upright-ground slot 114, in which a protrusion from the ground tube 120 aligns with the upright-ground slot 114 in the lower end of the upright tube 110, such that the upright-ground slot 114 may slide over the ground tube 120. The upright tube 110 may then be fastened to the ground tube 120 by clamping the upright-ground connector 112 around at least part of the upright tube 110 at the upright-ground slot 114, so as to secure the upright tube 110 to the ground tube 120.

(23) Also with reference to FIG. 4, the cross-sectional shape of the ground tube 120 does not have to be the same as the cross-sectional shapes of the upright tube 110 and the internal tube 140.

(24) With reference to FIG. 5, in an aspect of the present invention, the ground tube 120 may be attached to a plurality of ground blocks 128 with freedom of movement to rotate axially while remaining attached to the plurality of ground blocks 128, which plurality of ground blocks 128 are advantageously larger than the plurality of ground feet 124 present in other aspects of the present invention. The ground tube 120 may be rotated by the musician 220 within and relative to the plurality of ground blocks 128, such as by use of the rocker-stabilizer 130 as previously described, to allow adjustment of the angle and position of the endpin stand apparatus 100 and to stabilize the endpin stand apparatus 100 as described herein, while the plurality of ground blocks 128 may provide more stability and frictional connection to the floor, in this aspect of the present invention, than the plurality of ground feet 124 may.

(25) With reference to FIG. 6, in an aspect of the present invention, the endpin stand apparatus 100 may further comprise a ground plate 126, to which the plurality of ground blocks 128 may be affixed. In such aspects of the present invention, the ground plate 126 would sit on the floor or ground, and the plurality of ground blocks 128 may allow the ground tube 120 to rotate within the ground blocks 128, to provide the aforementioned adjustability and stability of the endpin stand apparatus 100, as previously disclosed herein.

(26) With reference to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, and with reference to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the endpin stand apparatus 100 may comprise, at the upper end (the end away from the upright tube 110 and the ground tube 120) of the internal tube 140, an endpin shaft 160, which, as discussed previously, may be a straight endpin shaft 161 or may be an angled endpin shaft 162 or may be a hinged endpin shaft 163, and any of the foregoing aspects of an endpin shaft 160 may be, it has been found advantageous, interchangeable in use with the endpin stand apparatus 100. Any endpin shaft 160 may, it has been found advantageous, be a cylinder of material suitably strong to support the weight of the stringed instrument 200; specifically this includes but is not limited to a straight endpin shaft 161 or an angled endpin shaft 162 or a hinged endpin shaft 163. In contrast to traditional adjustable endpins, the endpin shaft 160 may be approximately 2 to approximately 8 long, and, it has been found advantageous, is not adjustable, though an endpin shaft 160 as described herein may be adjustable as may be desirable in some aspects, including but not limited to the hinged endpin shaft 163 that is hinged and can be fixed at a hinge-angle as desired by the musician 220, which allows for a range of adjustment of the hinged endpin shaft 163 to allow the musician 220 to adjust the angle at which the musician 220 holds the stringed instrument 200, and the angle at which the endpin stand apparatus 100 meets the floor. The hinged endpin shaft 163 comprises a top end and a bottom end disposed opposite each other, and an endpin shaft catchment 164, which allows the two ends of the hinged endpin shaft 163 to be adjusted relative to each other and remain fixed as a hinged endpin shaft 163, and an endpin shaft fastener 165 to fasten the endpin shaft catchment 164 and fix the hinged endpin shaft 163 at a particular angle chosen by the musician 220. The upper end of the internal tube 140 may comprise an internal-endpin shaft hole 166. In some aspects of the present invention, the upper end of the internal tube 140 may comprise both an endpin shaft 160 and an internal-endpin shaft hole 166. The upper end of the internal tube 140 may further comprise an internal-endpin connector 168, which internal-endpin connector 168 may be threaded, or hinged, or a ball-bearing or pressure fit mount, or other connection now known or later invented, which serves to connect the endpin shaft 160 to the internal tube 140. In an aspect of the present invention, the internal-endpin connector 168 may allow the endpin shaft 160 to be affixed to and removed from the internal tube 140. In an aspect of the present invention, the internal-endpin shaft hole 166 may allow the endpin shaft 160 to be inserted into and removed from the internal tube 140.

(27) An internal-endpin set screw 170 may be used with aspects of the present invention having the internal-endpin shaft hole 166 to affix the endpin shaft 160 in the internal-endpin shaft hole 166. The internal-endpin set screw 170 may not be needed in some aspects of the present invention, as the weight of the stringed instrument 200 may prevent the stringed instrument 200 and/or the endpin shaft 160 from moving relative to the rest of the endpin stand apparatus 100, though in some aspects of the present invention the internal-endpin set screw 170 may be desired to prevent the stringed instrument 200 and/or endpin shaft 160 from rotating or moving relative to the rest of the endpin stand apparatus 100. In some aspects of the present invention, the endpin shaft 160 may be made fixedly and immovably part of the internal tube 140. In other aspects of the present invention, the endpin shaft 160 may be removable from the internal tube 140, and it may be possible to replace an endpin shaft 160 of the endpin stand apparatus 100 with any of various different aspects of an endpin shaft 160. For instance, and without limiting the foregoing, the endpin shaft 160 that is used or placed with an aspect of the present invention may be a straight endpin shaft 161, an angled endpin shaft 162, or may be an endpin shaft 160 of a different length than is illustrated in the present disclosure.

(28) Certain aspects of the present invention were described above. From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages, which are obvious and inherent to the system and method of the present invention. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. It is expressly noted that the present invention is not limited to those aspects described above, but rather the intention is that additions and modifications to what was expressly described herein are also included within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it is to be understood that the features of the various aspects described herein are not mutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations and permutations, even if such combinations or permutations were not made express herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In fact, variations, modifications, and other implementations of what was described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the invention is not to be defined only by the preceding illustrative description.