US3758696A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Foot operated electric bass
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-05-11
•
Granted: 1973-09-11
•
Expires: 1992-05-11
Abstract
Abstract A floor mounted electric bass played solely by striking its strings with a player''s shoe and thereby depressing its strings against its frets. The base is a stringed instrument with a neck having two transversely oriented fretted surfaces. One string, or one string unit comprising multiple strings tuned as a unit for playing in unison, is secured above each of the fretted surfaces and when not depressed is contacted by a vibration inhibiting pad. A magnetic pickup converts the string vibration to electrical signals when a string is depressed against a fret.
Inventors
- 👤 M Miller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 21:26
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10H; G10H3/00; G10H3/12; G10H3/14; G10H3/18; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S84/00; Y10S84/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
An electric bass stringed instrument comprising: a. a body portion including a neck having a longitudinal, fretted surface and string anchor means at opposite ends of said fretted surface; b. at least one bass string unit means mounted to said anchor means, spaced from said surface and other structure and tuned for being exclusively actuated as a unit by a hammer means; c. a footmounted hammer means adapted for striking exclusively the entire string unit means and depressing it against a selected fret; d. a transducer pickup means mounted to said instrument body portion for converting vibrations of said string unit means to electrical signals; and e. a vibration inhibiting pad fixedly mounted to said body portion in contact with said string means on the side opposite said fretted surface and adapted to disengage a depressed string.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
137 words
An electric bass stringed instrument comprising: a. a body portion including a neck having a longitudinal, fretted surface and string anchor means at opposite ends of said fretted surface; b. at least one bass string unit means mounted to said anchor means, spaced from said surface and other structure and tuned for being exclusively actuated as a unit by a hammer means; c. a footmounted hammer means adapted for striking exclusively the entire string unit means and depressing it against a selected fret; d. a transducer pickup means mounted to said instrument body portion for converting vibrations of said string unit means to electrical signals; and e. a vibration inhibiting pad fixedly mounted to said body portion in contact with said string means on the side opposite said fretted surface and adapted to disengage a depressed string.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
An instrument according to claim 1 wherein said string unit means comprises a plurality of strings tuned in unison.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
An instrument according to claim 1 wherein said string unit means comprises a single string.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
84 words
An instrument according to claim 1 wherein a second longitudinal fretted surface is provided on said neck transversely oriented to the first surface and having a second string unit means spaced from said second surface and from said first string unit to permit exclusive actuation of either unit by said hammer means and actuable as a unit and wherein said hammer means is strikable against either of said string units for depressing exclusively the entirety of the struck string unit against a selected fret.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
An instrument according to claim 4 wherein said fretted surfaces are oriented at an obtuse angle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
An instrument according to claim 5 wherein a vibration inhibiting pad is fixedly mounted to said body portion in contact with said string means when said string means is undepressed on the side opposite said fretted surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
122 words
An electric bass stringed instrument comprising: a. a body portion including a neck member having at least two transversely oriented longitudinal fretted surfaces including a plurality of longitudinally spaced frets; b. string anchor means mounted to said body portion at opposite ends of said neck member and positioned for securing tension strings in spaced relationship to said surfaces; c. a pair of bass string units secured to said anchor means, each unit secured in spaced relationship to a different one of said fretted surfaces and sufficiently spaced from each other to permit the exclusive actuation of either by a shoe; and d. a transducer pickup means mounted to said instrument body for converting vibrations of said string units to corresponding electrical signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
122 words
An electric bass stringed instrument comprising: a. a body portion including a neck member having at least two transversely oriented longitudinal fretted surfaces including a plurality of longitudinally spaced frets; b. string anchor means mounted to said body portion at opposite ends of said neck member and positioned for securing tension strings in spaced relationship to said surfaces; c. a pair of bass string units secured to said anchor means, each unit secured in spaced relationship to a different one of said fretted surfaces and sufficiently spaced from each other to permit the exclusive actuation of either by a shoe; and d. a transducer pickup means mounted to said instrument body for converting vibrations of said string units to corresponding electrical signals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
An instrument according to claim 7 wherein said fretted surfaces are oriented at an obtuse angle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
An instrument according to claim 8 wherein each of said string units comprises a plurality of strings tuned in unison
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
An instrument according to claim 11 wherein each of said units is a single string.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
An instrument according to claim 10 wherein a vibration inhibiting pad is fixedly mounted to said body portion in contact with each of said string units on the side opposite said fretted surface and adapted to disengage a depressed string means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
An instrument according to claim 14 wherein the frets of each fretted surface are spaced twice the distance of conventional bass fret spacing.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
An instrument according to claim 14 wherein three feet forming a tripod are provided on the underside of the instrument for supporting it on a floor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
An instrument according to claim 14 wherein a protective receptacle is attached to enclose said transducer and the anchor means at one end of said neck, said receptacle having a opening through which said strings extend and wherein a vibration inhibiting pad is mounted to said receptacle in contact with each of said string units on the side opposite said fretted surface.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
An instrument according to claim 14 wherein said fretted surfaces are oriented at 135*.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-09-10 | 1977-03-12 | 1977-09-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-09-10 | 1981-03-12 | 1981-09-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-09-10 | 1985-03-12 | 1985-09-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |