Modular structures facilitating aggregated and field-customized musical instruments

• US 7,732,702 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NRI R&D Patent Licensing, LLC (Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lester F. Ludwig
• Inventors: Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren; David S.
• Application Number:
  US10/737,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20050126372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 847/26, 847/31, 847/43, 842/67, 846/44, 846/70, 847/18
• US Class Current: 84/644
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/32 Constructional details
• 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: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/085 Spint cello
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/095 Spint zither, i.e. mimicking any neckless stringed instrument in which the strings do not extend beyond the sounding board
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/101 Spint koto, i.e. mimicking any traditional asian-style plucked zither with movable bridges
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/105 Spint dulcimer, i.e. mimicking any zither-like instrument with small hand-played mallet hammers Appalachian dulcimer G10H2230/095
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/115 Spint sitar, i.e. mimicking any long-necked plucked string instrument with a large number of additional non-playable sympathetic resonating strings or an additional gourd-like resonating chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/121 Spint mandolin, i.e. mimicking instruments of the lute family with hard sounding board, e.g. with strings arranged and tuned in pairs for tremolo playing lute with skin -like sounding board G10H2230/151
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/125 Spint harp, i.e. mimicking harp-like instruments, e.g. large size concert harp, with pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/145 Spint guitar keyboard, i.e. mimicking a combination of a guitar-like instrument, with or without strings, and a piano-like keyboard, e.g. with white and black keys arranged like on a piano
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/151 Spint banjo, i.e. mimicking a stringed instrument with a piece of plastic or animal skin stretched over a circular frame or gourd, e.g. shamisen or other skin-covered lutes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format

Abstract

This invention allows for easy field-customization of mainstream and exotic electronic musical instruments with extensive support for the easy creation of aggregated instruments. This invention leverages extensive functional customization of instruments within mainstream accepted instrument modalities as well as opening a wide range of completely new instrument modalities. The invention further facilitates entirely new manufacturing, marketing, and sales paradigms permitting a broad range of open industry development and commerce, thus making an individual musician'"'"'s creation of new exotic instrument arrangements an economically viable sector for both mass manufacturing and the niche cottage industry. New opportunities are provided for the creation of multiple-vendor standardizations, multiple-vendor manufacturing, multiple-vendor competitive features, etc. while offering the music equipment user and music industry as a whole, access to an extensive range of instrument customization, diversification, and education. The principles of the invention thus create a rich environment for instrument, user, feature, music, and market.

Claims

1. A customizable aggregated musical instrument comprising:

a mounting frame for securing a plurality of first musical modules, wherein each first musical module is interchangeably secured in one of a plurality of first mounting openings of the mounting frame;

at least one subframe module interchangeably secured in at least one of the plurality of first mounting openings of the mounting frame, wherein the at least one subframe module interchangeably secures at least one of a plurality of second musical modules in at least one of a plurality of second mounting openings of the subframe;

at least one instrument interface adapted to transmit electrical signals from the secured first and second musical modules to an external system,

wherein each of the secured first and second musical modules generates the electrical signal in response to user operation of the secured first and second musical modules.

2. The musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said mounting frame is substantially planar facilitating a linear arrangement of the secured first and second musical modules.

3. The musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said mounting frame is curved.

4. The musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the secured first or secured second musical modules is configured as a stringed instrument module having at least one vibrating element.

5. The musical instrument according to claim 4, wherein said at least one vibrating element is a vibrating string.

6. The musical instrument according to claim 5, wherein said stringed instrument module comprises a plurality of strings and an unfretted neck.

7. The musical instrument according to claim 5, wherein said stringed instrument module comprises a plurality of sympathetic strings.

8. The musical instrument according to claim 4, wherein a drive transducer provides stimulation to said vibrating element.

9. The musical instrument according to claim 1, said musical instrument further comprising:

an electronic controller module secured within one of the plurality of first mounting openings, and wherein said electronic controller module comprises a user interface element for producing at least one control signal in response to user operation of the user interface element.

10. The musical instrument according to claim 9, wherein said user interface element comprises a keyboard.

11. The musical instrument according to claim 9, wherein said user interface element comprises a slider.

12. The musical instrument according to claim 9, wherein said user interface element comprises an impact sensor.

13. The musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the second plurality of musical modules is configured as a stringed instrument module having at least one vibrating element.

14. The musical instrument according to claim 13, wherein said at least one vibrating element is a vibrating string.

15. The musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the second plurality of musical modules comprises an electronic controller module secured within one of the plurality of second mounting openings of the subframe, and wherein the electronic controller module comprises a user interface element for producing at least one electronic control signal.

16. The musical instrument according to claim 15, wherein said user interface element comprises a keyboard segment.

17. The musical instrument according to claim 15, wherein said user interface element comprises a plurality of keyboard segments.

18. The musical instrument according to claim 15, wherein said user interface element comprises a slider.

19. The musical instrument according to claim 15, wherein said user interface element comprises an impact sensor.

20. A customizable aggregated instrument comprising:

a plurality of first musical modules, wherein each first musical module generates an electrical signal in response to a user operation of each first musical module;

a plurality of second musical modules wherein each second musical module generates an electrical signal in response to the user operation of each second musical module;

a mounting frame for securing the plurality of first musical modules, distinct from each of the second musical modules, wherein the mounting frame has a plurality of first openings for securing the plurality of first musical modules;

at least one subframe frame module secured within one of the first openings;

means for securing each of the plurality of first musical modules in a reconfigurable mounting arrangement within the plurality of first openings, wherein each first musical module is exchangeably mountable in each of a the first mounting openings; and

means for transmitting interface signals to an external system, wherein the interface signals are generated in response to one or more of said the electrical signals generated by the plurality of first musical modules, and

wherein the at least one subframe frame module secures the plurality of second musical modules in a reconfigurable mounting arrangement, wherein each second musical module is exchangeably mountable within any of a plurality of second mounting openings of the at least one hierarchical frame module.

21. A customizable aggregated musical instrument comprising:

a plurality of physically distinct first musical modules, wherein each first musical module generates an electrical signal in response to a user operation of each first musical module;

a plurality of second musical modules wherein each second musical module generates an electrical signal in response to the user operation of each second musical module;

a mounting frame comprising a plurality of physically distinct first mounting openings, wherein each first opening is sized to permit a physical coupling with one of the plurality of first musical modules, and wherein each first musical module exchangeably mountable to physically couple with any of the plurality of first openings;

at least one hierarchical subframe module secured within one of the plurality of first openings; and

at least one instrument interface adapted to transmit interface signals to an external system, wherein said interface signals are generated in response to one or more of said electrical signals generated by the first and second musical modules, and

wherein the at least one hierarchical subframe module secures the plurality of second musical modules in a reconfigurable mounting arrangement, wherein each second musical module is exchangeably mountable within any of a plurality of second mounting openings of the at least one hierarchical subframe module.