Rockin’ Patent – Harry C Chamberlin’s “Magnetic Tape Sound Reproducing Musical Instrument”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 2,940,351 Filed: 16 October 1953 In the name of: Harry C Chamberlin (inventor) Title: Magnetic Tape Sound Reproducing Musical Instrument What’s claimed: “In a sound reproducing device: a plurality of sound pickup heads; a plurality of record tapes each having a sound track thereon; power driven means for moving said tapes forwardly so that the sound tracks thereof will move relative to said pickup heads; control means for effecting operation of said power driven means to move said tapes forwardly, said control means including a plurality” of keys adapted to be respectively actuated when reproduction of […]

Rockin’ (Design) Patent – Soundbrenner Ltd’s “Metronome”

Rockin’ (Design) Patent: US Design Patent No. D798,377 Filed: 30 March 2016 In the name of: Soundbrenner Ltd Title: Metronome What’s claimed: “I claim the ornamental design for a metronome, as shown and described.” Why this (design) patent rocks: This design patent appears to relate to the Soundbrenner Pulse, a metronome watch that transmits a vibrating pulse in a BPM that the user can configure. The user can feel the tempo and play in synch with other musicians. For more information, see here. If you’re a patent-savvy music tech business looking for patent help, get in touch with Russell IP here! The […]

Rockin’ Patent – Moviecol Enterprises Ltd’s “Electronic Musical Instruments Played By Means Of A Stylus”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 3,524,365 Filed: 4 April 1968 In the name of: Moviecol Enterprises Ltd Title: Electronic Musical Instruments Played By Means Of A Stylus What’s claimed: “An electronic musical instrument comprising: an electronic oscillator for producing different musical frequencies, means for audibly reproducing said frequencies as musical notes, a plurality of exposed fixed electrically conducting contacts representing said different musical notes and connected to said electronic oscillator, at least one note selecting contact member adapted to be manually manipulated and including an electrical contact portion, a flexible electrically conducting lead connected between said electrical contact portion and said […]

Rockin’ (Design) Patent – Eigenlabs Ltd’s “Electronic Musical Instrument”

Rockin’ (Design) Patent: US Design Patent No. D620,043 Filed: 13 October 2009 In the name of: Eigenlabs Ltd Title: Electronic Musical Instrument What’s claimed: “The ornamental design for an electronic musical instrument, as shown and described.” Why this design patent rocks: This appears to be one of several design patents that relate to Eigenlabs Ltd’s Eigenharp expressive electronic instrument. There are three models: Alpha, Tau, and Pico.  Each model has a stick-like vertical form, a breath-pipe, a matrix of velocity sensitive multi-expressive keys  (120, 72, and 18), a ribbon controller and a built-in wind controller. For a detailed take on the […]

Rockin’ Patent – Josef Hofmann’s “Recorder for Musical Dynamics”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 1,614,984 Filed: 5 May 1925 In the name of: Josef Hofmann Title: Recorder for Musical Dynamics What’s claimed: “The combination for a key-operated master musical instrument; mechanism associated with and movable by the depression of a key or the depression of a number of keys thereof according to the touch, and movable in accordance with the touch the same extent with respect to any key, means to multiply said movement, and devices operated by said means for expression recording instrumentalities.” Why this patent rocks: This patent appears to relate to Josef Hofmann’s device to record dynamics […]

Rockin’ Patent – Waterbury Button Co’s “Ocarina”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 2,195,992 Filed: 6 May 1939  In the name of: Waterbury Button Co Title: Ocarina What’s claimed: “In an ocarina, a pair of interfitted complementary hollow halves, each half having a complementary mouthpiece portion, one of said mouthpiece portions having longitudinal groove formed therein, and the other mouthpiece portion having a longitudinal rib adapted to fit tightly within the sides of said groove and in slightly spaced relation from the opposing wall of said groove to provide an air blowing passage.” Why this patent rocks: This appears to be one of the many early patents that relate […]

Rockin’ Patent – Georges Jenny’s “Cathodic Coupling Oscillator For Electronic Music Instruments”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 2,562,429 Filed: 23 May 1947 In the name of: Georges Jenny (inventor) Title: Cathodic Coupling Oscillator For Electronic Music Instruments What’s claimed: “In an electronic music instrument in combination, an oscillatory vacuum tube system tuned to audio frequency; said system including a first and a second triode element each including a cathode, a grid, and an anode; an electrical connection between said cathodes; an electrical connection between the grid of said first element and ground; a variable resistance connected between the grid of said second element and ground; and a condenser connecting the grid of said […]

Rockin’ Patent – Raymond Scott’s “Keyboard Operated Electrical Musical Instrument”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 2,871,745 Filed: 20 December 1956 In the name of: Raymond Scott (inventor) Title: Keyboard Operated Electrical Musical Instrument What’s claimed: “A musical instrument comprising loudspeaker means for emitting an audible note, an oscillator of controllable frequency connected to energize said loudspeaker means for producing said note, said oscillator comprising a terminal for controlling the frequency of oscillation of said oscillator by variation of the capacitance to ground of said terminal, a fixed control electrode connected to said terminal, a movable grounded electrode cooperating with said control electrode for varying the pitch of said note by changes […]

Rockin’ Patent – Nippon Columbia Co Ltd’s “Automatic Rhythm Instrument”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 3,482,027 Filed: 27 April 1966 In the name of: Nippon Columbia Co Ltd Title: Automatic Rhythm Instrument What’s claimed: “An automatic rhythm player for electronic musical instruments comprising a pulse oscillator producing pulse train having a period corresponding to a greatest common measure of minimum time duration of various rhythms; means for sequentially arranging at a plurality of output terminals the pulses from the pulse oscillator as pulse trains that are separated and phase-shifted from adjacent ones; a first group of conductors each being connected to each of the plurality of output terminals respectively, the spatially […]

Rockin’ Patent – Arnfred R. Strathmann’s “Flute Mouthpiece With Adjustable Core Gap”

Rockin’ Patent®: US Patent No. 5,107,740  Filed: 9 November 1990 In the name of: Arnfred R. Strathmann (inventor) Title: Flute Mouthpiece With Adjustable Core Gap What’s claimed: “Flute mouthpiece comprising a mouthpiece body provided with a longitudinal bore, a core insertable into the longitudinal bore at one end of the mouthpiece body; a substantially rectangular cut-out formed in the upper side of the mouthpiece body in the region of the core end disposed in the interior of the mouthpiece, with the transverse edge of the rectangular cut-out remote from the core being formed as a lip and merging into an inclined […]