Oblique Slot Snare Assembly for Rapid Tool-Free Drum Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snare drum mounting assemblies are cumbersome and time-consuming to attach and detach, often causing vibrational issues due to the tilting of end plates, which pull snares away from the drumhead, leading to extraneous buzzing.
Innovation Solution
A snare system with obliquely angled slots and flanges in end plates and connectors allows for rapid attachment and detachment of snares, ensuring they remain in contact with the drumhead, using a latch mechanism that secures the snares without tools and maintains stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional strap mounting is used to attach snares to the drum, then the snares can be secured to the drum shell, but the attachment process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming, requiring tools like screwdrivers or drum keys
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate components: end plates with slots, latch members with flanges, and straps. This segmentation allows the latch member to be quickly engaged with the end plate without requiring complex tool-based assembly, enabling rapid snare attachment and detachment
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a traditional screw-based tightening mechanism that requires rotational motion and tools, the invention inverts the approach by using a latch member that slides into a slot and locks in place through a simple linear insertion motion, eliminating the need for tools and reducing attachment time
2Strength
If traditional strap tightening is used to secure snares, then the snares are held firmly to the drum, but the tightening tilts the end plate upward, pulling the snares away from the drumhead edges and causing vibrational issues
Solution Approach 1:
The slot in the end plate and the flange on the latch member are designed with asymmetric oblique angles relative to the longitudinal direction. This asymmetric geometry ensures that when the latch member is inserted, it abuts both opposed flat surfaces in a surface-to-surface configuration that maintains the end plate in a level position, preventing upward tilting and keeping snares in contact with the drumhead edges
Solution Approach 2:
The oblique slot and flange geometry is designed in advance to counteract the upward tilting force that occurs during tightening. The angled surfaces create a mechanical constraint that prevents the end plate from tilting upward before the tightening force is fully applied, thereby preventing the snares from being pulled away from the drumhead edges and eliminating extraneous buzzing
3Productivity
If rapid attachment mechanisms are used to quickly change snares, then attachment speed is improved, but the stability and rigidity of the snare mounting may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The latch member includes a curved or contoured engagement surface that mates with the oblique slot in the end plate. This curved geometry provides progressive engagement as the latch is inserted, distributing the mounting force across a larger contact area and enhancing both the stability and rigidity of the connection while maintaining rapid attachment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system combines different material properties in the end plates, latch members, and straps to achieve both rapid attachment and stable mounting. The use of engineered composite materials or material combinations provides the necessary strength, flexibility, and friction characteristics to ensure secure, stable snare mounting while enabling quick release and reattachment
Data Source
AI summary
A snare system for use with a drum has a snare assembly with snares extended longitudinally between opposite end plates. The end plates define a slot from a top surface to a bottom surface with obliquely extending walls. Two connectors, each with a strap carrying a latch member, are attached to opposite sides of the drum via its strap with latch member within the drum rim. Each latch member includes a flange with oblique configuration complimentary to the oblique slot in the end plates. The snare assembly is attached via sliding engagement of the respective flanges into the respective slots with the surfaces of each in surface-to-surface contact so that the connectors maintain the snare assembly attached to the drum. The snare assembly is removable quickly by reverse sliding of the flanges from the slots to interchange with a different snare assembly having end plates with a common configuration.