Abstract
The instant invention relates to new attachments for the round tubular body of flutes. It firmly, but easily and removably, affixes the flute to the player's left index finger (and/or thumb) so that the flute is stabilized without pressure on the player's lower lip. Thus, it enhances the flexibility of the player's lips so as to more perfectly play the flute while also more exactly and repeatedly locating the player's fingers on the flute, while preventing inadvertent rotation of the flute. This is especially beneficial for the player's lower lip, which, under extant art, is forcibly pinned against the lower teeth and gums so as to stabilize the flute. This benefit is achieved by completely stabilizing the flute in the player's hands by firmly connecting the flute to the player's finger (and/or thumb) with a finger retainer incorporating an opening through which the flute player's left index finger (and/or thumb) is inserted, like wearing a ring.
In the preferred embodiment, the finger retainer is a ring-like structure built into the flute-finger connector and for economy this system is hereafter referred to as a ring. The use of a ring provides a firm connection between the player's fingers, the flute-finger connector and the flute permitting the left index finger and right thumb to completely stabilize the instrument with no pressure on the player's lips whatsoever, while completely preventing inadvertent rotation of the flute.
One benefit of the instant invention over extant art is its flexibility with respect to the types of flutes it may be connected to. In one embodiment, attachment to the flute body is by an extraneous, extant, devices, such as cable ties, hook and loop, etc., which are adjustable and flexible so as to permit attachment of the device to tubular body flutes of widely varying cross-sectional dimensions, such as alto, bass, piccolo and treble flutes, as well as the more common C flute. Thus, a player could invest substantially in a device made of high-quality material, such gold with precious stones, assured of their ability to easily move it from flute to flute and between any number of different types of flutes.
A second benefit of the instant invention over extant art is that a player can use it without altering their hand position from how they would play the flute without the device. The absence of any pad between the ring and the body of the flute means that the player's left hand index finger rests directly on the body of the flute, exactly the same as it would rest on the flute absent the invention. Thus, this invention requires no adjustment to the player's style of playing whatsoever, except that it enhances the stability of the flute and allows it to be played with any amount of pressure on the player's lower lip, including none.
Another very substantial benefit of the instant invention over extant art is that it allows the flute to be safely played by growing children without fear of distorting the proper development of their gums and teeth. Many parents permit their children to start their music education only with a piano or a stringed-instrument because wind instruments have a tendency to put severe stress and strain on the mouth, teeth and gums, which can distort their development. Because the instant invention permits, even encourages, use of the flute without strong, or even any, pressure on the teeth and gums, a flute so equipped can be used even by young children without orthodontia concerns.
Claims
1. An attachment for flutes having a round tubular flute body formed with tone holes and/or finger keys, comprising: a removable attachment, a flute-finger connector or finger retainer, comprising: a discontinuous ring which partially encircles the player's left hand index finger to partially immobilize and solidly connect it to the flute, thereby providing rotational, horizontal, and vertical stabilizing support of the flute by the player while not impeding the player's left hand index finger's performance of its functions as pivot point, pressure point, and operating finger; and spacing bars and attachment arms, for fastening onto the round tubular flute body for retention to the flute body; which is removable and relocatable along and around the tubular body of the flute; said finger retainer and spacing bars being discontinuous where the player's left hand index finger lies against the flute so that when playing the flute the player's left hand index finger rests directly against the body of the flute, and with the same orientation to the flute as if the invention were not attached to it.
2. The flute-finger connector of claim 1, which attaches to the body of the flute with a clamping mechanism.
3. The flute-finger connector of claim 1, comprising a thumb tip retainer for the flute player's right hand thumb, and spacing bars and attachment arms for fastening it onto the round tubular flute body where the thumb rests against the flute when playing it.
4. The flute-finger connector of claim 1, comprising a discontinuous ring and spacing arms, which can be removably affixed to the body of the flute by use of an extant extraneous attachment device that fully, or partially, and firmly encircles the circumference of the tubular flute body, including hook and loop, peg and hole, or cable ties.
5. The flute-finger connector of claim 1, wherein the finger retainer wraps around the player's left hand index finger to rest, via a pad, against the player's hand just below the index finger/hand joint and which rests against the body of the flute via a pad, and which is removably attachable to the flute by a partial ring of memory retaining material of a circumference of less than 360 degrees, which partially encircles the tubular body of the flute and has a diameter smaller than the flute's body, providing both support for the flute and resistance to the flute's inadvertent movement.
6. The flute-finger connector of claim 5, wherein the finger retainer wraps around the player's left hand index finger to rest, via a pad, against the player's left hand just below their index finger/hand joint and which rests against the body of the flute via a pad, which is removably attachable to the flute by an elastic band, of a length less than the circumference of the flute's body, that wholly encircles the tubular body of the flute and which removably attaches at one or both ends to the invention, providing both support for the flute and resistance to the flute's inadvertent movement.
7. The flute-finger connector of claim 1, comprising a discontinuous ring and spacing bars, which removably fastens to the flute with elastic rubber bands, of a length less than the circumference of the flute's body, which encircle the flute's body and attach to the spacing bars of the reinvention by provision of holes in the both ends of the elastic bands and mounting pegs on the spacing bars.
8. The flute attachment of claim 7, wherein only one spacing bar is provided.
9. The flute-finger connector of claim 1, wherein said ring-like opening is of adjustable circumference.
10. The flute attachment of claim 1, wherein the finger retaining ring can receive discontinuous rings of varying thickness, which allows the diameter of the finger-retaining discontinuous ring to be adjusted.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a side view of the device, showing its components; the finger retainer, which here is shown as a discontinuous ring, spacing bars that locate the ring and attachment arms in relation to one another, and attachment arms.
[0024] FIG. 2 is an environmental perspective view of the device in FIG. 1.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a view from above of the flute with the device shown in FIG. 1 attached to it.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a view from below the flute with the device shown in FIG. 1 attached to it.
[0027] FIG. 5 is an environmental perspective view of the device in an embodiment without an integral flute connecting part, but only with a discontinuous finger retaining ring and spacing bars. This example could be fixedly, but removably, attached to any transverse instrument with any of a variety of known attachment devices. For example, hook and loop, peg and hole or cable tie fasteners could attach the device to a flute by tightly encircling the spacing bars of the device and the body of the flute at appropriate points between the keys. This example is very flexible in that the spacing bars can be made of a length such that the encircling fasteners can cross the attachment arms at many different points, encircling flutes at many locations, and conforming to the key arrangements of virtually any instrument. This design permits the device to be used on an instrument of any diameter and also provides the maximum amount of flexibility in terms of conforming to the widest variety of hands and hand positions as well as variations in flute's diameters, lengths, key configurations, etc.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the flute in the player's hands with an embodiment of the device shown that wraps, in serpentine fashion, around the player's left hand index finger and around the flute with a removable elastic band.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a view from the side of the device shown in FIG. 6 attached to a flute shown in cross section.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a detail view of a portion of the device shown in FIG. 7 that displays particularly the elastic band and peg that attach the device to the flute by fastening back onto the device after wrapping around the flute.
[0031] FIG. 9 is a view of the player's hand with the device connected thereto by a serpentine partial loop, which provides a perspective view of the device in an embodiment with attachment to the flute by an elastic memory-retaining material attachment part, which is partially flute-encircling, and a clear view of how it is used.
[0032] FIG. 10 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 9 attached to a flute shown in cross section.
[0033] FIG. 11 is an environmental perspective view, similar to that shown of the device in FIG. 3, but with elastic bands and pegs on the spacing bars for mounting it to the flute. The spacing bars of this embodiment can be made longer and provided with a number of attachment pegs, so as to allow the device to be attached to flutes with varying body diameters and key configurations.
[0034] FIG. 12 is an environmental perspective view of the device as in FIG. 11, but with only one spacing bar and a finger retaining partial ring, which also can be mounted to the flute with elastic bands, as noted above, in the description of FIG. 11, which can have a spacing bar of differing length with several pegs, so as to provide additional flexibility. Similarly, the partial ring shown can be made more complete and its circumference extended so as to contact, or nearly contact, the body of the flute. It also can be made with no integral provision for attachment, and fastened to the flute with any extant, known encircling fastener, such as described above with respect to FIG. 3.
[0035] FIG. 13 shows several views of partial rings made of memory-retaining material that can be fit into the opening of a finger retainer so as to reduce its diameter. Thus, these rings permit adjusting the flute-finger connector so as to fit a wide variety of players.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION
[0036] FIG. 1 is a side view of the left hand index finger flute-finger connector comprising a finger-retaining discontinuous ring, 25, attachment arms (upper only are shown), 15, and spacing bars, 20, connecting the parts together and determining where the fastening will take place with respect to the keys of a flute, and of such length as to permit the device's attachment to the flute without interfering with the action of its keys. This same embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, in environmental perspective view, which shows, in addition to the parts described before, the lower attachment arms, 10.
[0037] A left hand index flute-finger connector comprising a finger-retaining discontinuous ring, 25, is shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, removably attached to the tubular body, 2, of the flute, 1, by its pairs of upper, 15 in FIG. 4, and lower, 10 in FIG. 5, attachment arms. The spacing of the attachment arms, 15 and 10, relative to the ring, 25, and the flute, 1, is controlled by the lengths of the left and right spacing bars, 20, which can be of varied, equal or asymmetrical length, as required to best fit the flute and the player so as to provide support for the flute, but not impeding its function and proper operation.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows an environmental perspective view of the flute-finger connector comprising a finger retainer, 25, and spacing bars, 20. This embodiment of the invention omits integral flute attachment parts in favor of independent, external, extant, alternative detachable attachment devices. This embodiment of the flute-finger connector can be affixed to the flute by, for example, hook and loop, peg and hole, cable tie, etc. The flexibility of attaching the device via extraneous devices allows great variation in locating the device on the flute and in affixing it to the widest possible variety of flutes and transversely played instruments, which can also be facilitated by providing spacing bars of sufficient length so as to accommodate a wide variety of instruments and differing key configurations. The lengths of the sides of the spacing bars (which need not be equal) coupled with a broad selection of attachment devices of varying lengths and widths also allows for the greatest possible number of different locations of the device on the flute so as to best accommodate the widest variety of players' hands.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the device in use by a player who is holding a tubular body flute with another embodiment of the flute-finger connector attached to it and connected to his left hand index finger via a discontinuous ring-like opening, 4, created by its serpentine winding around the player's finger. Said device is attached to the flute by attachment parts fully encircling the flute, 30. FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the device in FIG. 6, showing a side view of the device attached to the flute, 2. The pads, 40 and 45, provide additional friction between the flute and device, which, when coupled with tension-force applied by the elastic band, 30, retain the device and the flute in a fixed relation to one another. There is a joint, 50, that can be bent as necessary to assure that the tension-applying elastic band, 30, can be drawn around the circumference of the flute so as not to interfere with the operation of any of the keys of the flute, while permitting the player's index finger to be comfortably positioned. The finger-connecting part of the device, 4, is ring shaped, and terminated with a pad, 55, that rests against the player's hand just below the joint of the index finger and against which counter-rotational force is applied both to support the flute and to resist its inadvertent rotation.
[0040] FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the portion of FIG. 7 showing the connection of the elastic band, unconnected at one end, 30, onto the device, which, after encircling the body of the flute, 2, provides tension between the device and the flute to securely attach it. This tensioned connection is by provision of a hole in the end of the elastic band which fits over a peg, 60, which is attached to the pad, 40, or to another part of the device as may be convenient, providing for its secure and easily removable attachment to the flute. Alternatively, the elastic band could be replaced by, for example, a cable tie or hook and loop arrangement.
[0041] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the device mounted on the player's hand, absent the flute. In this embodiment, the flute attachment part, 65, is not an elastic band but a partial, more than 180 degree, ring made of an elastic memory-retention material such as spring metal or plastic and sized to be slightly smaller than that part of the body of the flute which it will partially encircle. Thus, the attachment arm, 65, removably, but securely, affixes the device to the flute by snapping around part of the flute's circumference.
[0042] FIG. 10 is a detailed side view of the device of FIG. 9 attached to the flute. The attachment is by the memory-retaining clip, 65, which only partially encircles the tubular body of the flute, 2, providing tensioning-force to the body of the flute and thence from the flute to the friction-generating pads, 40 and 45, holding the device in place. This permits the player to more easily pick up and put down the flute by inserting or removing their left hand index finger from the finger retainer, 4.
[0043] FIG. 11 is an environmental perspective view of the device configured as in FIG. 3, but with provision for detachable elastic bands, 30, of a length shorter than the circumference of the tubular flute body, so as to provide proper tension to firmly affix the device to the flute when encircling the body of the flute and attached to the device by both of the elastic bands' ends. The elastic bands fasten to the spacing bars, 20, by means of holes, 75, at each end of the bands that mount on corresponding pegs on the spacing bars, 70. In this view, at the near end of the device, an attachment band is mounted as it would be in operation after encircling the circumference of the body of the tubular flute. At the far end, an elastic band is shown resting on its side, unattached, to show the mounting peg, 70, on its spacing bar, 20, on the far end of the flute-finger connector. This embodiment of the flute-finger connector accommodates elastic bands of different lengths, or longer length bands with several properly situated holes, to be used to firmly affix the device to flutes of various sizes, such as bass, alto, piccolo, treble, etc., in addition to more common C flutes. If several pegs are provided on spacing bars of somewhat greater length, then these attachment points can be varied along the length of the flute so as to accommodate differing key configurations.
[0044] FIG. 12 is an environmental perspective view of the device configured as in FIG. 11, but with only a single spacing bar, 20, and two pegs that allow its attachment to flute with two elastic bands, as in FIG. 11, 30, and not shown here. This device has several advantages. First, if the partial finger connecting ring is made of malleable material, it can easily be bent to fit a wide variety of players' fingers. Second, it permits very quick entry and exit from the device. As above, the spacing bar can be made of various lengths, provided with different numbers of pegs, or made without any pegs so as to allow for its fastening to the flute via an extraneous fastener, such hook and loop, cable ties, etc. This partial ring can be made more or less complete to best fit a player's left hand index finger.
[0045] FIG. 13 shows one method by which the size of the flute-finger connector finger retainer may be adjusted. Shown are several views of rings that, properly sized, and with a proper gap at the bottom, 29, can be inserted into the finger retaining ring of the flute-finger connector and thereby reduce its diameter. Thus, an oversized finger-retaining partial ring, together with a variety of such inserts permits proper fitting of the device to many different player's hands.
[0046] While the invention has been described with reference to particular example embodiments it is intended to cover all modifications and equivalence within the scope of the following claims.
