Trumpet slide ring spacer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10535327-B2
Application number	US-201916244981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 11, 2018
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

Structures and methods are provided for adjusting a size of a slide ring aperture for a musical instrument. Embodiments include a trumpet slide ring spacer adapted to be mounted on an instrument and retained within a valve slide ring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A slide ring spacer for use with a musical instrument having a slide ring comprising:
a ring seating surface configured to rest against, and seat into, at least a portion of a slide ring inner circumference; and
a finger contacting surface, connected to the ring seating surface, and radially inset from the ring seating surface.

2. The slide ring spacer of claim 1 , wherein the ring seating surface contacts at least 50% of the slide ring inner circumference.

3. The slide ring spacer of claim 1 , wherein the ring seating surface contacts 50-80% of the slide ring inner circumference and wherein no portion of the spacer contacts an outer circumference of the slide ring.

4. The slide ring spacer of claim 1 , wherein the ring seating surface further comprises a seating channel.

5. The slide ring spacer of claim 1 , wherein the finger contacting surface is radially inset from the ring seating surface at a widest point by an inset distance, and wherein the inset distance is about 10-45% of a diameter of the slide ring inner circumference.

6. The slide ring spacer of claim 1 , wherein the spacer is substantially crescent-shaped.

7. A method of modifying an aperture size of a ring on a musical instrument, comprising:
identifying a breadth of a gap within a ring aperture between a finger position and an outward edge of the ring aperture along a path of travel; and
positioning a spacer into the ring aperture, wherein a widest width of the spacer corresponds to a portion of the breadth of the gap.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising providing the spacer, wherein the spacer comprises:
a ring seating surface configured to rest against, and seat into, at least a portion of an inner circumference of the ring aperture; and
a finger contacting surface, connected to the ring seating surface, and radially inset from the ring seating surface.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein no portion of the mounted spacer fully encircles an edge of the ring.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein positioning the spacer reduces the gap, whereby a maximum distance across a modified aperture, measured along the path of travel, is 60-85% of the ring aperture diameter.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the method uses no adhesive.

Assignees

• Univ Wichita State

Inventors

• Hunsicker John David

Classifications

• G10D9/04 Primary

  Valves; Valve controls · CPC title

• G10D7/10

  Lip-reed wind instruments, i.e. using the vibration of the musician's lips, e.g. cornets, trumpets, trombones or French horns · CPC title