Electronic apparatus

• US 4,235,141 A
• Filed: 09/18/1978
• Issued: 11/25/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Franklin N. Eventoff
• Original Assignee: Franklin N. Eventoff
• Inventors: Eventoff, Franklin N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truhe, J. V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US05/943,501
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.08, 84/1.24, 84/DIG. 7, 84/DIG. 20, 84/1.16, 338/69
• US Class Current: 84/672
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/342 for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/07 Electric key switch structure

Abstract

An apertured insulating strip permits closing a circuit only at contact points defined by the apertures between a low resistance conductor and a high resistance conductor in an electronic circuit of the type which produces musical notes each having a frequency dependent upon the resistance downstream of a particular contact point.

Claims

1. In combination with a variable resistor for controlling the operation of an electronic musical instrument including a tone generator for generating musical notes each having a frequency dependent upon the amount of resistance in an electrical circuit connecting the variable resistor to the tone generator, said variable resistor including low resistance and high resistance conductor strings disposed along their lengths in open circuit relationship, the improvement which comprises:

an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material electrically insulating said low and high resistance conductor strips from each other and defining a plurality of selected discrete open locations spaced from each other lengthwise along said high resistance conductor strip corresponding to the amount of resistance required to produce predetermined musical notes, said apertures being so spaced whereby to limit electrical contact between said strips to said discrete locations.

14. The improvement of claim 1 in which said low resistance and high resistance conductor strips are juxtaposed along their lengths and in which said electrical contact at said discrete locations is obtained by direct mechanical contact at said discrete locations between said low resistance and high resistance conductor strips.

2. An electronic musical apparatus comprising:

first means for generating musical notes having frequencies dependent upon the amount of resistance in electrical circuit connected to said first means;

first and second electrical leads connected to said electrical circuit; and

second means for inserting said resistance into said circuit between said first and second leads, comprising;

a resistor strip connected to said first lead;

a conductor strip connected to said second lead;

third means for maintaining said resistor strip and said conductor strip disposed along their lengths in open circuit relationship, the amount of resistance in said electrical circuit being dependent upon the location at which electrical contact is made between said resistor strip and said conductor strip along the length of said resistor strip; and

an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material electrically insulating said resistor strip from said conductor strip defining a plurality of selected discrete open locations spaced from each other lengthwise along said resistor strip corresponding to the amount of resistance needed for producing a plurality of predetermined musical notes whereby to limit electrical contact between said strips to said discrete locations.

3. An electronic musical apparatus comprising:

at least one tone generation means having a first lead and a second lead; and

a selective resistance means adapted for selecting and inserting a resistance between each of the first and second leads, the selective resistance means comprising;

at least one resistor strip connected at one of its ends to said first lead,

a conductor strip spaced adjacent to and along the length of the resistor strip in open circuit relationship, the conductor strip coupled at one of its ends to said second lead, the value of the resistance of said resistor strip being variable dependent upon the location at which electrical contact between said resistor strip and the conductor strip is made along the length of the resistor strip, and

an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate said strips from each other and defining a plurality of selected discrete open locations spaced lengthwise from each other for controlling the locations at which said electrical contact may be made along the length of said resistor strip by limiting electrical contact between said strips to said discrete locations.

4. The electronic musical apparatus of claim 3 wherein the selective resistance means further comprises spacer means positioned between the resistor strip and the conductor strip for providing the normally open circuit relationship.

5. The electronic musical apparatus of claim 3 further comprising an external fret indicator strip positioned adjacent to and along the selective resistance means, the fret indicator strip having a plurality of indication regions, each indication region being aligned with means positioned between the strips for indicating at least one location along the selective resistance means at which a selected tone will be generated by one of the tone generation means when that location is depressed causing the conductor strip and one of the resistor strips to come into electrical contact.

6. The electronic musical apparatus of claim 3 wherein each tone generation means comprises:

a speaker;

an oscillator circuit coupled to the speaker and coupled between the first lead and the second lead for generating a tone; and

power supply means for supplying electrical power to the tone generation means.

7. An electronic musical apparatus comprising:

a plurality of tone generation means each having a first lead and a second lead;

a selective resistance means for selecting and inserting a resistance between the first and second leads, the selective resistance means comprising at least on resistor strip having a resistance value dependent upon its physical configuration and connected at one of its ends to the first lead from one of the tone generation means, and a conductor strip spaced adjacent to and along the length of the resistor strip in open circuit relationship, the conductor strip coupled at one of its ends to the second lead from all the tone generation means, the value of the resistance for a particular tone generation means defined by electrically contacting the resistor strip coupled to the particular tone generation means and the conductor strip at a selected point along the length of the particularly coupled resistor strip and

an insulated fret strip formed of an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate the resistor strips from the conductor strip the insulated fret strip having a plurality of orifices, each orifice positioned at a selected discrete location therealong for defining a discrete electrical contacting point at the location of the orifice whereby to limit electrical contact between said resistance and conductor strips to said discrete locations.

8. An electronic musical apparatus comprising:

a plurality of tone generation means each having a first lead and a second lead; and

variable resistance means coupled between the first and second leads comprising;

at least one first conducting means having a resistance gradient along its length,

second conducting means positioned adjacent to and along the first conducting means in spaced apart relationship,

means for electrically contacting at least a selected one of the first conducting means and second conducting means at a selected point along the length of the selected first conducting means for connecting a portion of the first conducting means between one of the first and second leads for defining a resistance value for one of the tone generation means, each tone generation means adapted for generating a tone having a frequency dependent upon the value of the defined resistance connected thereto, and

an insulating fret strip formed of an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate the first and second conducting means from each other, the insulating fret strip having a plurality of orifices at selected discrete locations therealong for defining discrete electrical contacting points at the locations of the orifices whereby to limit electrical contact between said resistance and conductor strips to said discrete locations.

9. A device for producing a series of discrete electrical outputs comprising low resistance and high resistance conductor materials and an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate said conductor materials from each other and defining a plurality of selected discrete open locations spaced from each other to limit electrical contact between said conductor materials to said discrete locations for providing said electrical outputs in correspondence to said selected locations.

10. An apparatus comprising:

first means for generating electrical outputs having frequencies dependent upon the amount of resistance in an electrical circuit connected to said first means;

first and second electrical leads connected to said electrical circuit; and

second means for inserting said resistance into said circuit between said first and second leads, comprising;

a resistor strip connected to said first lead;

a conductor strip connected to said second lead;

third means for maintaining said resistor strip and said conductor strip disposed along their lengths in open circuit relationship, the amount of resistance in said electrical circuit being dependent upon the location at which electrical contact is made between said resistor strip and said conductor strip along the length of said resistor strip and

an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate said resistor strip from said conductor strip and defining a plurality of selected discrete open locations spaced from each other along said resistor strip corresponding to the amount of resistance needed for producing a plurality of predetermined electrical outputs whereby to limit said electrical contact between said strips to said discrete locations.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 2-13 in which said low resistance and high resistance conductor strips are juxtaposed along their lengths and in which said electrical contact at said discrete locations is obtained by direct mechanical contact at said discrete locations between said low resistance and high resistance conductor strips.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one electrically actuable device having a first lead and a second lead; and

a selective resistance means adapted for selecting and inserting a resistance between each of the first and second leads, the selective resistance means comprising;

at least one resistor strip connected at one of its ends to said first lead,

a conductor strip spaced adjacent to and along the length of the resistor strip in open circuit relationship, the conductor strip coupled at one of its ends to said second lead, the value of the resistance of said resistor strip being variable dependent upon the location at which point contact between said resistor and the conductor strip is made along the length of the resistor strip, and

an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate said strips from each other and defining a plurality of selected discrete open locations spaced lengthwise from each other for controlling the locations at which said point contact may be made along the length of said resistor strip by limiting electrical contact between said strips to said discrete locations.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the selective resistance means further comprises spacer means positioned between resistor strip and the conductor strip for providing the normally open circuit relationship.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of electrically actuable devices, each having a first lead and a second lead;

a selective resistance means for selecting and inserting a resistance between the first and second leads, the selective resistance means comprising at least one resistor strip having a resistance value dependent upon its physical configuration and connected at one of its ends to the first lead from one of the electrically actuable devices, and a conductor strip spaced adjacent to and along the length of the resistor strip in open circuit relationship, the conductor strip coupled at one of its ends to the second lead from all the electrically actuable devices, the value of the resistance for a particular tone generation means defined by electrically contacting the resistor strip coupled to the particular electrically actuable device and the conductor strip at a selected point along the length of the particularly coupled resistor strip; and

an insulated fret strip formed of an apertured but otherwise solid strip of insulating material positioned to electrically insulate the resistor strips from the conductor strip, the insulated fret strip having a plurality of orifices, each orifice positioned at a selected discrete location therealong for defining a discrete electrical contacting point at the location of the orifice whereby to limit electrical contact between said resistance and conductor strips to said discrete locations.