High hat

Claim 1

A high hat, comprising: a ground support stand having a generally vertical hollow tube with upper and lower ends; a cymbal rod operably mounted for vertical movement within said tube; a lower cymbal connected to the upper end of said tube; said cymbal rod having an upper end projecting through an aperture in said lower cymbal; an upper cymbal connected to the upper end of said cymbal rod for movement therewith; said cymbal rod operable between an upper position wherein said upper cymbal is spaced upwardly away from said lower cymbal, and a lower position wherein said upper cymbal is in contact with said lower cymbal; an operable foot pedal operably connected to said cymbal rod to move the cymbal rod between its upper and lower positions; biasing means for biasing said cymbal rod to its upper position; said foot pedal including: a foot plate having a toe end and a heel end, pivotally connected at its heel end to a base; a variable drive assembly connecting said toe end of said foot plate to the lower end of said cymbal rod for vertically moving the cymbal rod when the foot pedal is pivoted; said variable drive assembly including means for varying the ratio of vertical cymbal movement to pivotal foot plate movement during a stroke of the foot plate from an upper "at rest" position wherein said cymbal rod is in its upper position, and a lower "depressed" position wherein said cymbal rod is in its lower position; said means for varying the ratio of vertical cymbal rod movement to pivotal foot plate movement including: a shaft connected to said high hat stand, oriented generally perpendicularly to the cymbal rod and generally parallel to the pivotal axis of the foot plate; a first sprocket means rotatably mounted on said shaft; a first drive chain means connected at one end to the toe end of said foot plate, wrapped partially around said first sprocket and connected thereto so as to rotate said first sprocket about said shaft in a first direction when the foot plate is depressed; a second sprocket means rotatably mounted on said shaft and connected to said first sprocket means for rotation therewith; a second drive chain means connected at one end to the lower end of said cymbal rod, wrapped at least partially around said second sprocket and connected thereto so as to lower said cymbal rod when said second sprocket is rotated in said first direction; said first and second sprockets being eccentrically mounted on said shaft to vary the velocity of rotation of said sprockets with respect to the pivotal movement of the foot plate; said first and second sprockets being offset with respect to one another such that the amount of movement of the cymbal rod is large with respect to the movement of the foot plate at the beginning of a stroke, such that the amount of movement of the cymbal rod is small with respect to the movement of the foot plate at the end of a stroke, and such that the rate of change in movement of the cymbal rod varies throughout the stroke.