US3837255A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Portable guitar chorder
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1973-06-28
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Granted: 1974-09-24
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Expires: 1993-06-28
Abstract
Abstract A portable guitar chording device using battery powered logic and selection circuitry is provided for producing desired chords on a conventional guitar or other stringed musical instruments. Two sets of switches, a key signature set and a chord type set operated by one hand activate the logic circuitry to cause selection of appropriate interposer selector bars by interaction of electromagnets with permanent magnets carried on the interposer. String depression plungers are mechanically moved from a position away from the strings to a position toward the strings by depression of a hinged plate member by this same hand. However only those string-fret locations in which the interposer selector means are activated by the logic circuitry cause actual depression of the strings. The second hand of the player strumming all six guitar strings then produces harmonious chords.
Inventors
- 👤 R Starns
- 👤 W Witt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 19:41
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10D; G10D3/00; G10D3/06; G10D3/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
255 words
A portable chord selector for a stringed musical instrument having a sounding board and a neck portion, comprising: support means adapted for attachment to the neck portion of said instrument; a plurality of interposer spacer means each having a portion thereof adapted to engage a string on such an instrument and each of which is pivotally mounted on said support means and adapted for a pivotal motion between a first position away from the strings of the instrument and an intermediate position between said first position and a position of touching engagement with a string of the instrument; interposer actuator means in one to one correspondence with said interposer spacer means and having a passive state and an active state for actuating, in said active state, individual ones of said interposer spacer means to move from said first position to said intermediate position; depressor means movably attached to said support means and movable between a position away from the strings of the instrument and a second position toward the strings of the instrument and arranged so as to be cooperatively engageable with only those interposer spacer means which assume said intermediate position for causing further pivotal motion of said interposer spacer means from said intermediate position to a position of touching engagement with a string; chord selector means for selectively activating individual ones of said inteRposer actuator means into said active state thereof according to a plurality of predetermined relationships corresponding to desired musical chords being produced when all strings of the instrument are strummed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
255 words
A portable chord selector for a stringed musical instrument having a sounding board and a neck portion, comprising: support means adapted for attachment to the neck portion of said instrument; a plurality of interposer spacer means each having a portion thereof adapted to engage a string on such an instrument and each of which is pivotally mounted on said support means and adapted for a pivotal motion between a first position away from the strings of the instrument and an intermediate position between said first position and a position of touching engagement with a string of the instrument; interposer actuator means in one to one correspondence with said interposer spacer means and having a passive state and an active state for actuating, in said active state, individual ones of said interposer spacer means to move from said first position to said intermediate position; depressor means movably attached to said support means and movable between a position away from the strings of the instrument and a second position toward the strings of the instrument and arranged so as to be cooperatively engageable with only those interposer spacer means which assume said intermediate position for causing further pivotal motion of said interposer spacer means from said intermediate position to a position of touching engagement with a string; chord selector means for selectively activating individual ones of said inteRposer actuator means into said active state thereof according to a plurality of predetermined relationships corresponding to desired musical chords being produced when all strings of the instrument are strummed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said string depressor means comprise spring biased plunger means situated over each string of the instrument and in the spaces between the upper five frets on the neck of the stringed instruments.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
The apparatus of claim 2 wherein twenty four string depressor means and twenty four interposer spacer means are utilized, each one being positioned over one of the six strings of a guitar and in the keyboard spaces between the upper five frets away from the body end of the neck of the guitar, thereby allowing the selection of any theoretically possible chord on the diatonic scale on the guitar by appropriate activation of said selector means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said interposer spacer activator means includes electrically activated means for positioning said interposer spacer means for cooperative engagement with said string depressor means according to predetermined chord relationships.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said interposer actuator means includes plural electromagnets selectively electrically activated by D. C. current supplied by logic circuitry for positioning said selector means for cooperative engagement with said string depressor means, said logic circuitry being operable to activate only those electromagnets associated with the string and fret positions usable to produce harmonious chords on the diatonic scale.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus of claim 5 aand further including means, in said interposer actuator means, for shutting off the flow of D. D. current to said electromagnets once cooperative engagement between said string depressor means and said interposer spacer means is achieved.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said electromagnets selectively activated by D. C. currents supplied by said logic circuitry cause movement of said interposer activator means by interaction of the magnetic field produced by the electromagnets with the magnetic field of permanent magnets mounted on said actuator means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said electromagnets and said permanent magnets are mounted in the apparatus with like magnetic poles aligned.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said logic circuitry acts to electrically activate any of said electromagnets associated with said actuator means independently of any other actuator means according to predetermined harmonious relationships.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said logic circuitry is activated by two sets of selection switches, a key signature switch set and a chord type set, the combination of which causes the logic circuitry to select appropriate ones of said electromagnets to produce a chord of the type and key signature selected according to the diatonic scale.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
145 words
A portable chord selector for a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar or the like, comprising: a support member adapted for attachement to the neck of the musical instrument; a plurality of string depressor means mounted on said support means and moveable between a position away from the strings of the instrument and a position engageable with the strings of the instrument; depressor activator means for moving said string depressor means toward said engageable positions only when depressor movement is first initiated; selector means, in one to one relationship and cooperatively engageable with said depressor means and arranged so as to initiate movement of said string depressor means toward said engageable position; and electromagnet selector activator means, operable by switch selected logic circuitry, to cause cooperative engagement of selected predetermined pairs of said selector means and said depressor means in predetermined harmonious chordal relationships.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
145 words
A portable chord selector for a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar or the like, comprising: a support member adapted for attachement to the neck of the musical instrument; a plurality of string depressor means mounted on said support means and moveable between a position away from the strings of the instrument and a position engageable with the strings of the instrument; depressor activator means for moving said string depressor means toward said engageable positions only when depressor movement is first initiated; selector means, in one to one relationship and cooperatively engageable with said depressor means and arranged so as to initiate movement of said string depressor means toward said engageable position; and electromagnet selector activator means, operable by switch selected logic circuitry, to cause cooperative engagement of selected predetermined pairs of said selector means and said depressor means in predetermined harmonious chordal relationships.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
207 words
A portable chord selector for a stringed musIcal instrument comprising: a base plate member adapted for attachment to a musical instrument; a plurality of string depressor interposer members pivotally attached to said base plate member and each moveable between a position away from the strings and a position engageable with the strrings and positioned over each string off the instrument; first lever plate means hingedly attached to said base plate member and moveable about a hinge axis from an upward limiting position to a downward limiting position; second lever plate means hingedly attached to said base plate member and moveable about a second hinge axis from an upward limiting position to a downward limiting position and engageable with said first lever means; a plurality of depressor activator bar members attached to said second lever means and engageable with said interposer members only when said movement of said members toward said engageable position is initiated prior to movement of both of said lever means; and means, including interposer activator means, for causing preselected combinations of said interposer members corresponding to string positions required to produce melodious chords when all of the strings of said instrument are strummed, to initiate movement toward said engageable position of said interposer means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
207 words
A portable chord selector for a stringed musIcal instrument comprising: a base plate member adapted for attachment to a musical instrument; a plurality of string depressor interposer members pivotally attached to said base plate member and each moveable between a position away from the strings and a position engageable with the strrings and positioned over each string off the instrument; first lever plate means hingedly attached to said base plate member and moveable about a hinge axis from an upward limiting position to a downward limiting position; second lever plate means hingedly attached to said base plate member and moveable about a second hinge axis from an upward limiting position to a downward limiting position and engageable with said first lever means; a plurality of depressor activator bar members attached to said second lever means and engageable with said interposer members only when said movement of said members toward said engageable position is initiated prior to movement of both of said lever means; and means, including interposer activator means, for causing preselected combinations of said interposer members corresponding to string positions required to produce melodious chords when all of the strings of said instrument are strummed, to initiate movement toward said engageable position of said interposer means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said base plate member is provided on both its longitudinal edges with curved lip portions to provide longitudinally extensive receptacles for said first and second lever plate means which receptacles form the hinge receptacles for said lever plate means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said interposer activator means for initiating movement of said interposer members comprises solenoid operated plunger members in one to one relationship with said interposer members and logic circuitry for supplying a D. C. current to predetermined ones of the solenoids for activating said plunger.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 14 and further including means for interrupting the flow of D. C. current to said solenoid means when engagement is made between said depressor bars and the selected ones of said interposer members.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said logic circuitry includes circuitry to supply D. C. current to solenoid combinations corresponding to all major, minor and seventh chords playable on said stringed instrument.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein twenty-four of said string engageable interposer members are positioned one over each of six strings of said instrument in each of the spaces between the first five frets from the string tension adjusting end of the neck of said instrument.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said interposer members are constructed of a vibration absorbtive material so that when they engage said strings a vibration damping effect is produced.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said base member is fixedly attached to the neck of said stringed instrument by clamping means which is adjustable to different neck sizes.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-09-23 | 1978-03-25 | 1978-09-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-09-23 | 1982-03-25 | 1982-09-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-09-23 | 1986-03-25 | 1986-09-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |