8/17/2019 US463954 Finger Board for Stringed Instruments 1891

1/2

(No

Model.

I

H . G . MIDDLEBROOKE.

F I N G E R

BOARD

F O R S T R I N G E D I N S T R U M E N T S .

N o .

4 6 3 , 9 5 4 .

P a t e n t e d

N o v . 2 4 , 1 8 9 1 .

e v v i j c m w o a o

344m

ewto

, 7 i ’ 0 Z a r t

? a ' i d l e z r o o l e .

3 1 1 1 4 5 0 / W

8/17/2019 US463954 Finger Board for Stringed Instruments 1891

2/2

IO

20

1

3 0

UNITED

STATES

PATENT O F F I C E .

HOBART C . MIDDLEBROOKE, OF

ROCK

RAPIDS, IOYVA.

FINGER-BOARD FOR

STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming

p a r t

o f L e t t e r s P a t e n t N o .

4 6 8 , 9 5 4 , d a t e d November

2 4 , 1 8 9 1 .

A p p l i c a t i o n

? l e d F e b r u a r y 2 6 , 1 8 9 1 . S e r i a l N o . 3 8 2 , 8 7 4 , ( N o m o d e l . )

To a l l whom t may concern:

Be t known t h a t

I ,

HOBART C . MIDDLE

BROOKE, a c i t i z e n o f t h e United S t a t e s , r e s i d

i n g

a t

Rock R a p i d s ,

i n t h e c o u n t y

o f Lyon and

S t a t e o f I o w a , have invented c e r t a i n new

and u s e f u l Improvements i n

F i n g e r - B o a r d s ;

and

I do hereby d e c l a r e t h e f o l l o w i n g t o be a

f u l l , c l e a r ,

and

e x a c t de s c r i p t i o n o f t h e i n v e n

t i o n ,

such

a s

w i l l

enable

o t h e r s

s k i l l e d

i n

t h e

a r t

t o

which i t appertains t o make a nd use

the

same.

T h i s i n v e n t i o n p e r t a i n s t o

v l i n g e r - b o a r d s f o r

s u c h

i n s t r u m e n t s

a s b a n j o s , b a n j o r i n e s , g u i

t a r s ,

m a n d o l i n s ,

z i t h e r s ,

b a s s - v i o l s , v i o l o n c e l ~

1 0 s , c . ,

w h i c h e m p l o y

f r e t s .

The

o b j e c t o f my

i n v e n t i o n

i s t o

o b t a i n

c l e a r n e s s i n t o n e ,

p r e v e n t

r a t t l i n g , and r e n

d e r

t h e ? n g e r i n g e a s i e r .

The improvement c o n s i s t s

i n p r o v i d i n g a

g r a d u a l

s l o p e

i n

t h e r e a r

o f e a c h

f r e t , which

t a p e r s

t o

t h e

p l a n e

o f t h e f a c e o f

t h e

?nger

b o a r d .

T h i s

s l o p i n g p o r t i o n

m a y

b e i n d e

pendent

o f

o r

form

a

part

f

the

f r e t

o r

n e c k ,

as found most convenient.

I n th e d r a w i n g s , F i g u r e 1 i s - a t o p

p l a n

V i e w

o f a b a n j o , showing

t h e

a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e i n

v e n t i o n . F i g . 2 i s a s i d e view o f the upper

p o r t i o n o f t h e n e c k . F i g . 3

i s a m o d i ? c a t i o n .

The banjo A s

t y p i c a l

o f t h e

c l a s s

o f mu

s i c a l instruments

t o

which t h e invention i s

a p p l i c a b l e . The f r e t s B

have

a s l o p i n g p o r

t i o n 1 7

i n

t h e i r r e a r , which

t a p e r s

t o

t h e

plane

o f t h e f a c e o f t h e ?ngerboard. T h i s s l o p i n g

p o r t i o n b m a y be

i n t e g r a l

w i t h t h e f r e t , a s

shown i n F i g . 3 ,

o r

form p a r t o f t h e f i n g e r

b o a r d , a s shown i n F i g s .

1

and

2 ,

and r e c e d e s

from

t h e t o p

edge

o f

one f r e t u n t i l

i t ap

p

o a c h e s

t h e next r e t , s u b s t a n t i a l l y a s shown.

I t

w i l l

be observ ed

t h a t

t h e r e

a r e

no sharp

c o r n e r s f o r t h e ?ngers t o

p r e s s

upon.

Hence

t h e

p r e s s u r e o f

t h e

?ng ers on t h e

s t r i n g s

can

b e

i n c r e a s e d w i t h o u t

h u r t i n g t h e ? n g e r s ,

t h e r e b y

s t o p p i n g

t h e

s t r i n g s

a n d

p r e v e n t i n g

r a t t l i n g .

Having h u s

d e s c r i b e d

m y

n

v e n t i o n ,

what

c l a i m ,

and

d e s i r e t o s e c u r e by L e t t e r s

P a t e n t ,

lS—

1 . The combination,

i n

a banjo o r

s i m i l a r

s t r i n g e d m u s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t ,

o f f r e t s h a v i n g

s l o p i n g p o r t i o n s i n t h e

r e a r

t h e r e o f ,

s u b s t a n

t i a l l y a s

d e s c r i b e d .

2 . The combination, with a banjo o r simi

l a r s t r i n g e d m u s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s ,

o f

f r e t s

hav

i n g s l o p i n g

p o r t i o n s i n t h e r e a r t h e r e o f

which

r e c e d e

and t a p e r t o t h e p l a n e o f

‘ t h e

? n g e r

b o a r d u n t i l i t a p p r o a c h e s t h e n e x t f r e t ,

s u b

s t a n t i a l l y a s s p e c i f i e d .

3 . A n g e r - b o a r d f o r s t r i n g e d m u s i c a l i n

s t r u m e n t s p r o v i d e d w i t h f r e t s and having

s l o p i n g

p o r t i o n s i n t h e r e a r o f t h e f r e t s

i n t e

g r a l w i t h

t h e ? n g e r - b o a r d , s u b s t a n t i a l l y a s

s e t f o r t h .

I n t e s t i m o n y whereof a f f i x my i g n a t u r e i n

presence o f two

w i t n e s s e s .

HOBART

G . MIDDLE BROOKE.

W i t n e s s e s :

O . A .

P H I L I P P ,

THEODORE GooLn.

3 5

40

4 5

5 5