{
  "patent_number": "US 1661058",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything",
  "original_title": "Method of and apparatus for the generation of sounds",
  "summary": "Leon Theremin's 1928 patent for an electronic musical instrument that generates sound based on the proximity of a performer's hands to metal antennas.",
  "what_it_does": "The device uses two metal antennas to control sound parameters through the player's body capacitance. As a performer moves their hand near the vertical antenna, the circuit changes its frequency to alter the pitch. Simultaneously, moving a hand near the horizontal loop antenna changes the amplitude or volume of the sound. This allows for continuous, fluid control of musical notes without physical contact between the player and the instrument.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover instruments that require physical keys or strings to be pressed.",
    "Does not cover digital synthesizers that rely on microprocessors rather than analog vacuum tube oscillators.",
    "Does not cover sound generation via optical sensors or infrared beams."
  ],
  "filed": "1925-12-05",
  "granted": "1928-02-28",
  "expires": "1945-12-05",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "FIRM OF M J GOLDBERG und SOHNE",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/firm-of-m-j-goldberg-und-sohne",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Theremin Leo Ssergejewitsch",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/theremin-leo-ssergejewitsch"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 40,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1661058/theremin-leon-theremin",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1661058/theremin-leon-theremin/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US1661058",
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}