US3787600A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Guitar fret board
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-04-23
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Granted: 1974-01-22
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Expires: 1993-04-23
Abstract
Abstract A guitar provided with an improved fret board construction for easy fingering and faster action, in which grooves are formed in underlying relation to the strings, the diameter of the grooves being related to that of the strings so that when a string is depressed in the groove approximately 80 percent of the string is received in the groove. The grooves undulate from high regions at the fret to depressed regions between the frets to provide portions which slope away from the frets defining fingering regions. The metal frets are formed with essentially the same configuration as that of the fret board in that the exposed surfaces are flush with the fret board at the bottom of the groove, so that when the string is fingered there is a minimum of protrusion of the string and thus a minimum of discomfort. The increased action is due to the absence of obstacles by reason of absence of protruding frets.
Inventors
- 👤 G Muncy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 17:34
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10D; G10D1/00; G10D1/04; G10D1/05; G10D3/00; G10D3/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A stringed instrument such as a guitar or the like have a neck forming a fret board and have a plurality of underlying strings, the improvement comprising means on said fret board defining plurality of longitudinally spaced frets imbedded in said board, means defining plurality of longitudinally extending grooves in said fret board one each in underlying relation to one of the said strings so that each said string is partially received in one of the said grooves, said frets being formed substantially flush with said board at said grooves, and a fingering portion of said board positioned longitudinally behind each said fret sloping away from the overlying strings to permit the strings to be depressed into their respective underlying grooves and into engagement with the exposed upper portion of the adjacent said fret with a substantial diameter of the string being received in said groove to provide painless fingering.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
A stringed instrument such as a guitar or the like have a neck forming a fret board and have a plurality of underlying strings, the improvement comprising means on said fret board defining plurality of longitudinally spaced frets imbedded in said board, means defining plurality of longitudinally extending grooves in said fret board one each in underlying relation to one of the said strings so that each said string is partially received in one of the said grooves, said frets being formed substantially flush with said board at said grooves, and a fingering portion of said board positioned longitudinally behind each said fret sloping away from the overlying strings to permit the strings to be depressed into their respective underlying grooves and into engagement with the exposed upper portion of the adjacent said fret with a substantial diameter of the string being received in said groove to provide painless fingering.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The instrument of claim 1 in which the depth of said groove in said fingering position is approximately 80 percent of the diameter of the associated string.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The instrument of claim 1 in which said fingering portions are defined by a shallow V-shaped transversely oriented depression between said frets.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The instrument of claim 1 in which said frets have transverse surfaces which are flush at all transverse regions with the adjacent surfaces of said fret boards.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The instrument of claim 4 wherein each said groove extends longitudinally on said fret board at a depth which remains constant with respect to the surface of said board.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The instrument of claim 5 wherein each said groove defines a semi-circle in cross section.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
111 words
An improved fret board construction for a guitar to provide painless fingering and faster fingering action, comprising means in the fret board defining a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves, said grooves being formed in underlying relation to the strings so that one groove is in underlying relation to each string, a plurality of metal frets in said grooves having string-engaging exposed surfaces substantially flush with the bottom surfaces of said grooves, and means defining transverse depressions on said board positioned upWard of each said fret providing a region for the application of finger pressure to the string to cause the string to bear in its groove adjacent on exposed fret surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
111 words
An improved fret board construction for a guitar to provide painless fingering and faster fingering action, comprising means in the fret board defining a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves, said grooves being formed in underlying relation to the strings so that one groove is in underlying relation to each string, a plurality of metal frets in said grooves having string-engaging exposed surfaces substantially flush with the bottom surfaces of said grooves, and means defining transverse depressions on said board positioned upWard of each said fret providing a region for the application of finger pressure to the string to cause the string to bear in its groove adjacent on exposed fret surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The fret board of claim 7 in which the depth of said groove at said depressions is less than the diameter of said string.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The fret board of claim 8 in which said depth exceeds the radius of said string.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
The fret board of claim 7 in which there is provided one of said grooves for each said string and in which the depths of said groove are directly related to the diameters of said strings.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
The fret board of claim 10 in which said grooves are semi-circle in section.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The fret board of claim 7 in which said grooves undulate from a high region at each said fret to a depressed region between said frets.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The fret board of claim 12 in which said undulations form a shall V-shaped depression in longitudinal section.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
51 words
The fret board of claim 10 in which at least some of said grooves are formed with a side wall which slopes from the groove bottom to the board surface at a point substantially midway between the adjacent strings to permit the string to be bent slightly out of the groove.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-01-21 | 1977-07-23 | 1978-01-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-01-21 | 1981-07-23 | 1982-01-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-01-21 | 1985-07-23 | 1986-01-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |