trademarks 2, Quark

SELECTED
U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS
FOR
UKULELES, BANJO UKULELES,
& ACCESSORIES
EDITED BY
JOHN KING
N A L U M U S I C
S T. P E T E R S B U R G
xvi
U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS
Fig. 6. The Manhattan Band Instrument Co.’s SUPERUKE trademark
predated the “super” era of the late 1930’s by a dozen years.
(USAMark facsimile courtesy University of South Florida)
U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS
Co., Inc.
The Progressive Musical Instrument
Corporation registered P’MICO (1923),
Peter Pan (1924), May Singhi Breen (1925),
HA-HA The Laffing Uke (1926), Armstrong
(1924), Nobility (1931), Buckaroo (1931),
and MY-BUDDY (1924). PMICO also marketed banjo heads under the name Indian
Head (1924). Banjo makers William L.
Lange registered Aristocrat (1925), Rover
(1926), Banner Blue (1926), and Paramount
(1921). Several other New York City companies held uke related trademarks including
Maurice Lipsky, Sorkin Music Co., and
Waverly Musical Products, Inc.
Cleveland was home to Grossman
Brothers, later known as Grossman Music
Co. and Grossman Music Corp. Their
numerous registrations included KlearTone
(1923), Champion (1932), Trophy (1945),
Masterfonic (1937), Dixie (1948), Duplex
(1937), Capitol (1933), and Crestline (1957).
Another Cleveland firm famous for its tuning pegs, Grover Musical Products, Inc., registered the mark Grover (1952) for goods
such as ukuleles, baritone ukuleles, banjo
ukuleles, ukulele picks, and, of course,
ukulele pegs. Other Ohio registrants were the
Honolulu Conservatory of Music, Scherl &
Roth, Inc. (for ukulele strings), Shubert
Music House, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.,
Davitt & Hanser Music Co., Inc., the Guitar
Products Co., and the Ohio Art Co.
Lyon & Healy was arguably the ne plus
ultra of the legendary Chicago music firms.
Their trademarks included American
Conservatory (1925), Conservatory (registered 1907), Trijo (1919), Camp (1919),
Lyon & Healy (registered 1923), and Mauna
Loa (1917). The most famous Lyon & Healy
mark was Regal (registered 1906) which had
been in use since 1895, though not for ukuleles. The Regal trademark was transferred in
1924 to the Regal Musical Instrument Co.
which was granted a new registration in
xvii
1929. Renewed in 1949, the mark was transferred to the Harmony Co. in 1959 and
renewed in 1969. The registration expired in
1989 and despite attempts at registration by
two Chicago companies, Westheimer Corp.
and Washburn International, the once proud
Regal name was dead.
Other Chicago company registrations
included Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s Supertone
(registered 1917); Targ and Dinner Music
Co.’s Marveltone (1926), Biltmore (1933),
S.S. Maxwell (1931), Arch Kraft (1932), and
Olympian (1931); Arthur E. Davidson’s RED
HEAD (1924); the Harmony Co.’s Harmony
(registered 1956) and Stella (registered
1961); J.R. Stewart Co.’s Le Domino (1926);
and Valco Manufacturing Co.’s DOBRO
(1929). Rounding out the field of Windy City
registrants were Continental Music Co.;
Chicago Musical Instrument Co.; David
Wexler; Slingerland Manufacturing Co.;
Tonk Bros. Co.; Complete Music Stores; and
finally, for banjo heads–no doubt due to the
proximity of the famous Chicago Stock
Yards–American Rawhide Manufacturing
Co., Liberty Rawhide Mfg. Co., and Ludwig
& Ludwig.
Two other firms with numerous ukulele
related trademarks were St. Louis Music
Supply Co. of St. Louis, Missouri and Jules
M. Sahlein of San Francisco, California. St.
Louis Music Supply Co. registrations included Pioneer (1939), René DUMONT (1929),
Silvestri (1933), Custom Kraft (1938),
Alvarez (1963), and Lindell (1963). Jules M.
Sahlein trademarks were Granada (1937),
Crest (1928), Westbrook (1935), Chapelain
(1952), Seville (1977), Y’KE KE (1926),
HULA LU (1926), and Carlton (1951).
Typical accessories which bore trademarks were strings, capos, “cheaters”, tailpieces, nuts, bridges, bridge pins, and banjo
heads. Many of the string trademarks were
registered by National Musical String Co.
and included NMSCo (registered 1965),
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U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS
Fig. 11. George Finder’s reissued patent for plastic ukuleles added new claims
for an improved soundboard. The Fin-Der injection molded ukulele had plenty of competition from Mario Maccaferri’s Islander. Patent No. Re. 23,620
was granted on Feb. 24, 1953. (PatImg facsimile courtesy USPTO)
U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS
Patent No. 1,743,007 was granted on Jan. 7,
1930.
Walter Kirk’s stringed musical instrument embodied “certain features usually present in the ukelele” but resembled a banjo.
The head or sounding board was made of
wood as was the bottom, which had a central
aperture. Additionally, the instrument provided a support which could be adjusted to
various heights. Patent No. 1,750,843 was
granted on March 18, 1930. (see also Patent
No. 1,757,577)
Another Walter Kirk design based on a
banjo, but with a wood sounding board and
back like a traditionally made ukulele (both
this instrument and the previous one were
sold under the Camp name by Lyon &
Healy). The objects of the invention were
strength, durability, simplicity of construction, low cost of manufacture, and a good
tone. The sounding board was glued to plywood sides with a kerfed lining and the neck
was attached with glue and a wood screw.
Patent No. 1,757,577 was granted on May 6,
1930. (see also Patent No. 1,750,843)
The head of Edwin Smullins’ miniature
banjo ukulele was made from a bottle cap
that could be imprinted with “advertising or
other suitable indicia.” The instrument was
secured to a “digit of the hand, such as the
thumb” and strummed with a tiny plectrum.
The instrument was apparently intended to
be tuned to an open chord, the strings being
stopped with a single finger. Patent No.
2,039,985 was granted on May 5, 1936.
Anthony Cox thought that coconuts were
the key to an ukulele with superlative sound.
“Heretofore ukeleles have been made of
mahogany, ohia, monkey-pod or redwood,”
Cox wrote, “and, in spite of the exhaustive
efforts made, fine tonal qualities have not
been obtained.” Popularly known as the
“Cocolele,” Patent No. 2,098,701 was granted on Nov. 9, 1937. (see also Design Patent
No. 114,129)
xxvii
The “sounding board” patents of Henry
Moertel are studies in contrast. Patent No.
2,167,486, granted July 25, 1939, entertained the idea that “the circular apertures
[soundholes] that are used in sounding
boards of the present day stringed instruments do not provide enough flexibility in
the sounding board to cause the required
vibration that is necessary to amlify the tone
to its fullest extent.” Conversely, Patent No.
2,186,424, granted Jan. 9, 1940, suggested
that an improved sound could be created by
stiffening the soundboard with an additional
rib beneath the bridge!
George Finder’s tuning peg, used on
molded plastic instruments, used a “resilient
bushing, which was pressed into the head of
the instrument” to maintain string tension.
Patent No. 2,583,478 was granted on Jan. 22,
1952. (see also Patent No. 2,588,101)
Finder’s injection molded ukulele was
“substantially completed by the assembly of
two castings.” Registered nearly 3 months
prior to Mario Maccaferri’s patent for a
molded ukulele, Finder applied for a reissued
patent in July 1952 based on additional
improvements in the soundboard design.
Patent No. 2,588,101 was granted on Mar. 4,
1952.
The wildly successful plastic ukuleles of
Mario Maccaferri were protected by no less
than five U.S. patents. In contrast to Finder’s
two piece uke, the Maccaferri was assembled
from eight major components, excluding the
strings and tuning pegs. Patents covered
individual parts including the nut, bridge,
fingerboard, and soundboard. The instruments were made of Dow Styron polystyrene, fitted with DuPont Nylon strings
manufactured by the National Musical String
Company, and packaged in reusable clear
polyethylene bags. Patents covering the
Maccaferri plastic ukulele were: No.
2,597,154 granted May 20, 1952; No.
2,614,448 granted Oct. 21, 1952; No.
U. S. TRADEMARKS
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Reg. No. 1,521,747. KAMAN MUSIC CORPORATION,
Bloomfield, CT. Registered Jan. 24, 1989.
Reg. No. 1,287,870. K.H.S. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,
LTD., Taiwan. Registered July 31, 1984.
KMD
For Ukeleles. First use June 15, 1986.
Reg. No. 787,181. KAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO., Elk
Grove Village, IL. Registered Mar. 23, 1965.
For Ukeleles. First use May 1982.
Reg. No. 220,310. K & T IMPORT CORPORATION, New York,
NY. Registered Nov. 9, 1926.
For Ukuleles. First use in or about July 1956.
Reg. No. 787,182. KAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO., Elk
Grove Village, IL. Registered Mar. 23, 1965.
For Ukuleles. First use June 14, 1926.
Reg. No. 92,542. LARS. L. FILSTRUP, Benton Harbor, MI.
Registered July 15, 1913.
For Ukuleles. First use on or about Dec. 1, 1963.
For Key for Stringed Instruments. First use Jan. 1,
1885.
Reg. No. 1,287,064. K.H.S. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,
LTD., Taiwan. Registered July 24, 1984.
Reg. No. 212,946. LEONARDO NUNES, Los Angeles, CA.
Registered May 18, 1926.
For Ukeleles. First use May 1982.
For Ukuleles. First use Oct. 21, 1925.
Reg. No. 1,287,065. K.H.S. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,
LTD., Taiwan. Registered July 24, 1984.
For Ukeleles. First use May 1982.
Reg. No. 201,960. LIBERTY RAWHIDE MFG. CO. INC.,
Chicago, IL. Registered Aug. 11, 1925.
For Banjo Heads. First use 1919.
U. S. TRADEMARKS
Reg. No. 121,957. LOUIS C. SCHERMERHORN, Paterson, NJ.
Registered June 11, 1918.
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Reg. No. 60,976. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. Registered
Feb. 26, 1907.
For Ukuleles. First use April 1913.
Reg. No. 360,215. LOUIS SORKIN, New York, NY.
Registered Sept. 13, 1938.
For Ukuleles. First use 1923.
Reg. No. 49,385. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. Registered
Feb. 6, 1906.
For Strings for Musical Instruments. First use Jan. 1,
1906.
Reg. No. 135,272. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. Registered
Sept. 28, 1920.
For Ukulele-Banjos. First use Nov. 11, 1919.
For Guitars and Mandolins. First use March 1887.
Reg. No. 51,372. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. Registered
April 17, 1906.
Reg. No. 169,493. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. Registered
June 19, 1923.
For Guitars and Mandolins. First use in business of
said corporation since Nov. 1904, and since 1895 by those
from whom it derived title by mesne assignment.
Reg. No. 57,623. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. Registered
Nov. 20, 1906.
For Ukuleles. First use Jan. 1921.
Reg. No. 174,345. LYON & HEALY, INC., Chicago, IL.
Registered Oct. 16, 1923.
For Strings for Stringed Instruments. First use 1886.
For Ukuleles. First use 1864.
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U. S. PATENTS
U. S. PATENTS
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132
U. S. PATENTS
U. S. PATENTS
133
226
Granada
Granada (1950)
Gretsch
Gretsch Overseas
Grover
Ha-Ha
Harmony
Hawaiolin
Herwin
Hollywood
Howard
Hula Lu (1926)
Hula Lu (1951)
IMC
Indian Head (1925)
Indian Head (1948)
Islander
Ivaleur
Ivaleur (design)
Jazz-er-lo-lo
John Juzek
Joo Dee
Jubilee
Jupiter
K
K (in circle)
KK
K Kamaka Ukulele
K Kay
K Keiki
Kahala
Kamaka Hawaii
Kaman
Kapok
Kent
Keystone State
Kingston
Kleartone (1945)
KlearTone (design)
KMD
Kook A La Lee
La Campania
La Preferita
La Primera
La Scala
U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS
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La Venicia
Lafayette
Larrivee
Le Domino
Liberty
Lightning
Lily White Brand
Lindell
Linko
Ludwig
Lugen
Lynbrook
Lyon & Healy
Mac Yasuda
Martin
Marveltone
Marwin
Masterfonic
Mastertone
Mattel
Mauna Loa
Maurice Lipsky (design only)
Maxitone
May Bell
May Singhi Breen
Miami
Milburn
Mudan
Musketeer
My-Buddy
National
Nippon Gakki (design)
Niu Kani
Nivico
Nobility
Norma
Oahu
Ohio Art (design)
Olympian
Oriole
Orpheum
P’mico
Palmer
Parade-Step
Paramount
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Please visit NALU Music to purchase these and other ukulele related items:
“Harp-like sound.” - Honolulu Star Bulletin
“John King stretches a small instrument to new
lengths.” - National Public Radio
“King takes Bach to inspired levels. His playing is
superb.” - The Ukulele Occasional
“King has a virtuoso technique, creating a delicate
beauty that takes these adaptations from simply being
thought of as a novelty to the sublime.” - FIGA News
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Partita No. 3, BWV 1006
for Unaccompanied Ukulele
$15, plus shipping
“Painstakingly researched” - Jim Beloff
“An indispensible reference” - UHOFM
The Hawaiian Ukulele and Guitar Makers 1884 to
1930 contains all of the ukulele and guitar makers listed in the index of the Honolulu City Directory from
the very first entry in 1884 until 1930. The fifty page
Introduction follows the history of the ukulele from
the European Renaissance to its Hawaiian heyday of
the 1910's and 20's, including a detailed overview of
the machête, Portuguese antecedent of the ukulele. The
Hawaiian Ukulele and Guitar Makers draws on journals, letters and other eyewitness accounts of 19th century visitors to Madeira and the Hawaiian Islands as
well as rare Portuguese language newspapers published in Hawaii ca. 1885 to 1930. A signed, limited
edition. Scholarly introduction by John King, spiral
bound, heavyweight acid-free paper, 23 pages of illustrations in B&W and color, 140 pp.
$100, plus shipping
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