Base drum pedal assembly

Claim 2

A bass drum pedal assembly comprising: a base; a beater head including a beater arm and a beater element carried at an outer end of said arm; means on said base supporting said beater head adjacent an inner end of said arm for pivotal movement about an axis which is disposed generally horizontally when the assembly is in use and is spaced above said base, whereby said beater element can move between a forward, beating position for contact with a drum, and a retracted position; means biasing said beater head towards said retracted position of the beater element; a foot pedal comprising: a foot plate; a foot plate support pivotally coupled at a heel end thereof to said base and inclined upwardly towards a toe end thereof disposed generally below said beater head, said foot plate being mounted on said support for free sliding movement longitudinally thereof towards and away from a rest position adjacent said heel end of the support; and means biasing said foot plate towards said rest position; and, means coupling said foot plate support to said beater head so that downward movement of the foot pedal causes said head to pivot about said axis to bring said beater element towards its beating position.

Claim 3

An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said foot plate support comprises a generally T-shaped plate having an elongated stem portion, said plate being disposed with the head of said T defining said heel end of the support, and wherein said foot plate is slidably mounted on said stem portion of the plate so as to abut against the head portion thereof in said rest position, whereby said rest position is defined by said head portion.

Claim 4

An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said stem portion of the support plate has undercut longitudinally extending side edges, and wherein the foot plate has in its underside, a longitudinally extending recess of a cross-sectional shape generally complimentary to the cross-sectional shape of said stem portion, said foot plate being fitted to the support so that its said recess receives the stem portion of the support plate, whereby the foot plate is retained on said support but is freely slidable longitudinally thereof.

Claim 5

An assembly as claimed in claim 3, further comprising low-friction bearing means disposed between an upper surface of said stem portion of a support plate and an opposing face of said recess of the foot plate, whereby said bearing means support said foot plate for free sliding movement longitudinally of said support plate.

Claim 6

An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means biasing the foot plate towards its rest position comprise two tension springs positioned one on each side of said foot plate and extending between said plate and said base, and means for adjusting the biasing effect of each of said springs.

Claim 7

An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said beater head support means includes a freely turnable shaft extending about said axis, a coupling element mounted on said shaft for turning movement therewith, and including means retaining said beater arm adjacent its inner end, said coupling element including a part cylindrical outer surface extending around said axis, and wherein said means coupling the foot plate support of the beater head comprise a strap attached at a first end thereof to said support plate and extending upwardly therefrom and around said part cylindrical surface of the coupling element, said strap being attached at the second end thereof to said coupling element, whereby downward movement of the pedal in use causes such strap to partly unwrap from said part cylindrical surface of the coupling element, turning said element to bring the beater head towards its beating position.

Claim 8

An assembly as claimed in claim 6, further comprising means adjustably clamping the first end of said strap to said support plate, said clamping means comprising a clamping bolt assembly including a bolt extending through said strap and through a longitudinal opening in said stem portion of the support plate, and a releasable clamping nut for clamping the strap against said plate.

Claim 9

In a base drum pedal assembly comprising a base, a beater head including a beater arm and a beater element carried at an outer end of said arm, means on said base supporting said beater head adjacent an inner end of said arm for pivotal movement about an axis which is disposed generally horizontally when the assembly is in use and is spaced above said base, whereby the beater element can move between a forward, beating position for contact with a drum, and a retracted position, means biasing the beater head towards said retracted position of the beater element, a foot pedal pivotally coupled outer heel end thereof to said base, and means coupling the foot pedal to said beater head so that downward movement of the foot pedal causes the head to pivot about said axis to bring the beater element towards its beating position; the improvement wherein said foot pedal comprises a foot plate, a foot plate support pivotally coupled at a heel end thereof to said base and inclined upwardly towards a toe end thereof disposed generally below said beater head, said foot plate being mounted on said support for free sliding movement longitudinally thereof between a rest position adjacent said heel end of the support and an advanced position adjacent said beater head, and wherein the pedal assembly further comprises first and second abutment means carried by said support and adapted to co-operate with said foot plate to respectively define said rest position and said advanced position of the foot plate.

Claim 10

In a base drum pedal assembly comprising a base, a beater head including a beater arm and a beater element carried at an outer end of said arm, means on said base supporting said beater head adjacent an inner end of said arm for pivotal movement about an axis which is disposed generally horizontally when the assembly is in use and is spaced above said base, whereby the beater element can move between a forward, beating position for contact with a drum, and a retracted position, means biasing the beater head towards said retracted position of the beater element, a foot pedal pivotally coupled outer heel end thereof to said base, and means coupling the foot pedal to said beater head so that downward movement of the foot pedal causes the head to pivot about said axis to bring the beater element towards its beating position; the improvement wherein said foot pedal comprises a foot plate, a foot plate support pivotally coupled at a heel end thereof to said base and inclined upwardly towards a toe end thereof disposed generally below said beater head, said foot plate being mounted on said support for free sliding movement longitudinally thereof between a rest position adjacent said heel end of the support and an advanced position adjacent said beater head, and wherein the pedal assembly further comprises first and second abutment means carried by said support and adapted to co-operate with said foot plate to respectively define said rest position and said advanced position of the foot plate.