{
  "patent_number": "US 2741146",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Leo Fender's Tremolo Bridge Changes Guitar Pitch",
  "original_title": "Tremolo device for stringed instruments",
  "summary": "A mechanical bridge system for electric guitars that allows players to temporarily change the tension and pitch of all strings simultaneously using a manual lever.",
  "what_it_does": "The device functions as a movable bridge assembly for a stringed instrument. It uses a spring-loaded mechanism to anchor the strings, allowing the player to pivot the bridge using a connected arm or lever. When the player pushes or pulls this lever, the bridge tilts, which increases or decreases the tension on all strings at once. This action creates the signature vibrato or pitch-bending effect commonly heard in rock and blues music.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover fixed bridges that have no mechanism for pitch modulation.",
    "Does not cover electronic or digital pitch-shifting effects.",
    "Does not cover tremolo systems that lock the strings at the nut, such as the Floyd Rose.",
    "Does not cover non-stringed instruments."
  ],
  "filed": "1954-08-30",
  "granted": "1956-04-10",
  "expires": "1974-08-30",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Individual",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/individual",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Clarence L Fender",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/clarence-l-fender"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 92,
  "tags": [
    "mechanical",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2741146/fender-stratocaster-tremolo",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2741146/fender-stratocaster-tremolo/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2741146",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "2089171",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the Frying Pan Guitar Created the Electric Guitar",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2089171/electric-guitar-frying-pan"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "1661058",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the Theremin Makes Music Without Touching Anything",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1661058/theremin-leon-theremin"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "2370990",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How George Nissen Invented the Modern Trampoline",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2370990/trampoline-nissen"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "3475623",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Robert Moog Used Transistors to Shape Synthesizer Sounds",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3475623/moog-synthesizer-ladder-filter"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "1956350",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Laurens Hammond Invented the Electric Organ",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1956350/hammond-organ"
    }
  ]
}