Wind Cure Band Folder

Abstract

This invention, The Wind Cure Band Folder, replaces the common band folder, which offers the singular utility of providing a place to store sheet music. The Wind Cure Band Folder not only stores sheet music but also provides a solution to the perennial problem of how to keep one's sheet music from blowing away when rehearsing or performing outdoors. It does this by using transparent material for both the pockets and flaps on the inside of the band folder, and by providing a way to attach the band folder itself to the music stand.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Relevant Definitions:

Sheet Music:

Sheets of paper with music notations printed on them.

Band:

A group of persons with musical instruments playing the same musical composition or song.

Pocket Folder:

A common device typically made from heavy paper with a vertical crease (usually in the center) intended to enfold and confine otherwise loose sheets of paper. Pocket folders come in various sizes depending on the size of the paper they are intended to hold.

A pocket folder is said to be Open when the two parts of the folder, on either side of the crease, have an angular separation of approximately 180 degrees, the crease being the vertex of the angle. Likewise, a pocket folder is said to be Closed when the two parts are separated by an angle of approximately zero degrees.

When a pocket folder is open, one sees that there is, attached along the bottom and outside edges of the folder, a second layer of material similar to that of the folder itself and of variable vertical height—typically one fourth to one third of the height of the folder. The space created between this second layer and the folder itself is the Pocket. There is often a pocket on both sides of the crease. These pockets act as receptacles for multiple sheets of paper and make the pocket folder useful for its capacity to keep these individual sheets in order and also allow for easy transportation thereof when the folder is closed.

Band Folder/Music Folder:

A variant of the above pocket folder, made specifically for holding sheet music. The essential difference is that a Band Folder is usually larger than a conventional pocket folder to accommodate the wide variety in size of sheet music.

Band Folder Flaps:

Some band folders, when open, reveal an additional piece of material, similar to that of the folder itself, attached only at the top edge on the inside of the folder, and usually replicated on both sides of the crease. As one prepares to transport the folder and its sheet music contents, these flaps can be lifted up, the tops of the sheet music placed under them, and the flaps returned to their position (approximately coplanar with the sheet music and folder itself). The purpose of the flaps is to insure that, in the event that the band folder is tipped while being carried, the sheet music cannot fall out.

Music Stand:

A common device used by musicians to hold the sheet music they are playing. It provides the musician with a flat surface or desk that includes a shelf or ledge along the bottom edge that is perpendicular to the flat surface itself. The sheet music rests on the shelf and leans against the flat surface for easy viewing by the musician.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For a number of bands—school bands, community bands, military bands—playing outdoors is a common expectation. For bands playing outdoors, wind can be a problem when it is strong enough to blow away, or threaten to blow away, the piece of sheet music that the members of the band have set up on their music stands and are playing.

Band members often deal with the wind problem by having on hand a number of clips of various kinds—clothes pins being the most common—and then clipping the piece of sheet music they are playing to their band folder or to their music stand. While this serves the purpose of keeping the sheet music from blowing away, it involves much fumbling and frustration to attach and detach the clips while also holding one's musical instrument.

The present invention, The Wind Cure Band Folder, is a band folder designed specifically to help the musician cope with the problems that the wind can cause. It does this by adding three features not currently found in band folders:

1] The pockets on the inside of the folder are to be made from a transparent material, and these pockets will be attached only on the bottom edge and the outside edge, but not on the inside edge near the folder crease.

2] The folder will include flaps, and they too are to be made from transparent material.

3] The outside of the folder will include attachment points that allow clipping the entire folder to the music stand.

With these three design changes, the band folder offers a new and additional utility in that it holds the sheet music in place if it is windy, allows the musician to see the sheet music clearly, and eliminates hassling with clips of various kinds.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Common Band Folder—Partially Open. Typical dimensions of a common band folder when closed would be 14 inches vertically by 12 inches horizontally. Note the indication for the location of the crease or fold (1) on one side of the partially open folder.

FIG. 2 Common Band Folder—Open. Note the pockets (2) on the bottom, drawn with hatching, which are the receptacles for the sheet music. Also note the crease (1) where the folder folds.

FIG. 3 Common Band Folder—Open, with Flaps. Note the flaps (3) on the top, drawn with hatching, are attached only along the top edge, allowing them to be lifted up so that the upper parts of the sheets of music can be tucked under them.

FIG. 4 Wind Cure Band Folder—Closed. Note the inclusion in the Figure of an attachment point (4) on the outside of the folder. This attachment point can be accomplished in a number of ways, all of which allow the folder to be clipped to a music stand. There is a similar attachment point on the other side of the folder, which cannot be seen in the drawing.

FIG. 5 Wind Cure Band Folder—Open. The drawing is intended to show that both the pockets (5) and flaps (6) on the inside of the folder are made from a transparent material, unlike a common band folder. The drawing is also intended to show that the edges of the pockets near the crease (7) are not attached, allowing for a sheet of music wider than one pocket to occupy both pockets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As mentioned above, for bands that perform outdoors, the wind is a perennial concern, and frequently a real problem. Band members down through the years have come up with an assortment of solutions involving various kinds of clips to hold their sheet music in place. A few even resort to a sheet of clear Plexiglas, which they lay over the sheet music they are playing to keep it in place. All of the solutions involve hauling around extra stuff to be prepared for a windy performance and a lot of messing around between the end of one piece of music and the beginning of the next.

Nearly every band member keeps his or her sheet music in a band folder. They are ubiquitous. A folder that serves not only to keep one's sheet music together but also solves the problem of what to do if it is windy is the idea of this invention.

To use The Wind Cure Band Folder, the musician simply opens the folder, places it on the music stand, and then, using the attachment points (see FIG. 4-4), clips the folder to the music stand before the performance begins. This requires only two clothes pins (or comparable clips), and they will remain in place for the entire performance. Then, the piece of music that is to be performed is placed in the pocket (or pockets, depending on the width of the sheet music) (see FIG. 5-5) on the bottom and tucked under the flap (or flaps) (see FIG. 5-6) at the top. Since both pockets and flaps are transparent, the musician can readily see the music he or she is playing and it cannot blow away. Furthermore, since the folder itself is attached to the music stand, it cannot blow away either.

As mentioned above, it is important that the pockets of The Wind Cure Band Folder (which must be attached to the folder along the bottom and on their outside edge in order to be a pocket) not be attached on their inside edge near the crease (see FIG. 5-7). This allows a sheet of music that is wider than one side of the folder to be inserted into the pockets on both sides.

The attachment points mentioned above (see FIG. 4-4) require some additional explanation.

A large fraction of music stands are 20 inches wide (referring to the desk part of the music stand where the band folder or sheet music is placed). Band folders, however, when open, are usually wider than that—typically 24 inches wide. This means that the band folder, when open, extends out beyond the edge of the music stand desk. Thus, in order to be able to clip the folder to the edge of the music stand desk, there must be an “attachment point” or “free edge” on the outside of the band folder that will line up with the edge of the music stand. The reason for attaching The Wind Cure Band Folder to the music stand is to keep it from being blown off the music stand.

Claims

1. A band folder which includes:

a. Transparent Pockets, with their inner edges unattached.

b. Transparent Flaps.

c. Attachment points on the outside for clipping the folder to a music stand.