Rotatable Drumstick Tether Swivel Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drummers face challenges in maintaining a grip on drumsticks due to moist and slippery hands, leading to dropped sticks during performance, and there is a need for a tool that allows for secure handling and twirling without gloves or sticky drumsticks.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable drumstick tether system comprising a finger strap with soft padding and a drum strap with hook and loop materials, secured to a swivel member, which attaches to both the drummer's finger and the drumstick, ensuring secure grip and allowing for twirling without structural alteration to the conventional drumstick.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drummers wear gloves to prevent slipping, then grip reliability improves, but dexterity and theatrical twirling capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tether as an intermediary device between the drumstick and the drummer's hand. The tether includes a finger strap that wraps around the finger and a drum strap that wraps around the drumstick, connected by a swivel member. This intermediary mechanism provides security against drops due to slippery hands or cramps without requiring gloves that would compromise dexterity and theatrical twirling capability.
2Reliability
If drumstick wax is applied to reduce slipperiness, then grip reliability improves, but ease of twirling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tether serves as a mediator that provides grip security without modifying the drumstick surface. By using a mechanical tethering system rather than chemical wax application, the drumstick surface remains smooth and suitable for theatrical twirling while the tether provides the necessary security against drops.
3Reliability
If a tether is introduced to prevent drops, then grip reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tether is segmented into distinct functional components: a finger strap portion that wraps around the finger, a drum strap portion that wraps around the drumstick, and a swivel member that connects them. This segmentation allows each component to be simple in itself while collectively providing reliable drop prevention without excessive overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The swivel member introduces dynamic capability to the tether system, allowing it to rotate freely as the drumstick moves during playing and theatrical twirling. This dynamic feature maintains simplicity by using a single rotating joint rather than complex mechanical linkages, while ensuring the tether does not restrict natural drumstick handling motions.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional drumsticks are used without modification, then ease of manufacture is maintained, but grip reliability deteriorates in moist conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The tether acts as an intermediary security mechanism that works with conventional, unmodified drumsticks. Rather than requiring modified drumsticks with built-in grip features, the separate tether device provides the necessary reliability in moist conditions while leaving the original drumstick design unchanged and easy to manufacture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively prevents drumstick drops due to slippery hands or cramps, enabling continuous performance and theatrical twirling without the need for gloves or drumstick wax, while being easily retrofitted onto existing drumsticks.
Implementation Method 1
The swivel member permits free rotation of the drumstick during theatrical twirling
Implementation Method 2
A hook or loop material is secured to a first end of the drum strap on an interior side of the strap and a complementary material is secured to a second end of the drum strap on an exterior side of the strap. The hook or loop material therefore overlies and releasably engages the complementary material when the strap is wrapped around a drumstick.
Data Source
AI summary
A drumstick tether is disclosed for rotatably securing a drumstick to a finger of a drummer comprising a first elongate strip of flexible material adapted to wrap around the finger of the drummer and a second elongate strip of flexible material adapted to wrap around the drumstick. The first elongate strip of flexible material is secured to a first swivel part of a swivel member for securing the drumstick tether to the finger of the drummer. The second elongate strip of flexible material is secured to a second swivel part of the swivel member for securing the drumstick tether to the drumstick. The swivel member has a transverse swivel length greater than an axial swivel length for positioning the drumstick in close proximity to the finger of the drummer for enabling a closed hand of the drummer to hold the drumstick in a conventional manner and for enabling an opening hand of the drummer to theatrically twirl the drumstick about the swivel member.