They Invented What? (No. 177)
JW Note: RIP Eddie Van Halen (https://www.npr.org/2020/10/06/834995224/eddie-van-halen-guitar-hero-dies-at-65)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,917: Musical instrument support.
JW Note: We make note of the inventor named on the patent – Mr. Edward L. Van Halen. Rock on!
What is claimed is:
1. A stringed musical instrument comprising an instrument body having front and rear surfaces, sound producing means extending over a portion of said front surface, and a device mounted onto said rear surface for positioning said instrument body at an angular orientation to a player’s body, said device including attachment means movable between an inoperative position overlying said rear surface and an operative position at an angle to said rear surface, a pair of spaced-apart mounting blocks attached to said rear surface and support means coupled to said mounting blocks for rotationally supporting therebetween said attachment means, said attachment means engaging said player’s body when in said operative position for maintaining said instrument body in said angular orientation…
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RIP Eddie. The drawings don’t do justice. I always wonder how much involvement celebrities have in the drafting and examination of their patents. Michael Jackson issued Patent No. 5,255,452 for “Method And Means For Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion” – aka, his Smooth Criminal lean. But the drawings don’t show a Michael-like dancer at all! Why not use the King of Pop’s likeness in a depiction of a move he made famous?