Rockin’ Patent – Randall L. May’s “Adjustable Pitch Drum”

US Patent No. 4,048,895 - Randall L. May - Adjustable Pitch Drum - Rockin’ Patent - Patents Rock - Russell IP
  • Rockin’ Patent: US Patent No. 4,048,895
  • Filed: 12 October 1976
  • In the name of: Randall L. May
  • Title: Adjustable Pitch Drum
  • What’s claimed: ”An adjustable musical drum assembly comprising, a cylindrical drum shell having an open end, a supporting spider having a fixed support with a threaded opening therein substantially axial of said drum shell, said spider having a plurality of outwardly extending supporting legs having rebent outer end portions fitting over the open end of said drum shell, a drum hoop positioned around the rebent end portions of said spider supporting legs and securing the same on said drum shell, a threaded supporting rod having one end threaded adjustably in said threaded opening, a locking nut threaded on said rod and adapted to lock said rod in said threaded opening in any predetermined position, and drum head tuning means comprising a drum head mounted on supporting means rotatably threaded on said rod and tension means non-rotatably mounted on the rod end opposite said one end of said rod, said drum head being stretched over said tension means, whereby rotation of said drum head supporting means varies the tension of the drum head and threaded of said supporting rod in said supporting spider varies the spacing of said drum head from said shell open end.”
  • Why this patent rocks: This patent involves the ‘Rototom’ drum which can be tuned simply by rotating the drumhead. Rotation raises or lowers the tension hoop relative to the rim which increases or decreases the tension of the drumhead, thereby increasing or decreasing the pitch. Notable users include Queen, Duran Duran, and the Foo Fighters. If you’re curious to know more about the Rototom, see here.

If you’re a patent-savvy music tech business looking for patent help, get in touch with Russell IP here!

The information above is for general interest and information only and does not constitute legal advice.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

International Internet Day: Cryptographic Communications System And Method (US 4,405,829 A)

Celebrating International Internet Day: Five Patents That Have Shaped the Internet

Celebrating International Internet Day: Five Patents That Have Shaped the Internet Introduction: The Dawn Of The Internet Did you know that the first Internet message was just two letters long? On 29 October 1969, the message “lo” marked the beginning of a technology revolution that would change our lives forever. International Internet Day, observed on 29 October each year, commemorates the moment that first message was transmitted over the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). Interestingly, the intended first message was “login”, but the ARPANET system crashed after only the first two characters had been sent! Over the following 55

Read More
Patent drawing from UK Patent Application Number GB2209587.1 for "Training Device For Lasso/Lariat/Roping Practice"

10 UK Patent Applications of 2023: From Flatpack Coffins to Potato Cheese

10 UK Patent Applications of 2023: From Flatpack Coffins to Potato Cheese Introduction: Exploring Ten UK Patent Applications With UK-Based Inventors Published in 2023 The Guardian recently published an article titled “Flatpack Coffins And Robot Dogs: Patents Applications Show UK Inventions Of 2023”. The article identifies 5,955 UK patent applications published in 2023 with at least one UK-based inventor and highlights ten such patent applications. While the article summarises the technologies described in those ten patent applications, it does not provide direct links to the published patent applications or include detailed information about them. Also, some of the links in

Read More

Gain the Competitive Edge

Let's see how we can help protect your IP

Get in touch using the contact form or the phone number below to see how we can protect your IP.

There’s no obligation to sign up for anything.