ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 29 -- United States Patent no. 12,211,468, issued on Jan. 28, was assigned to Ciari Guitars Inc. (San Diego).
"Foldable stringed instrument and related methods" was invented by Jonathan Spangler (San Diego), Linc Cholke (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Joseph Glaser (Nashville, Tenn.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A foldable stringed instrument having an actuator system that serves to selectively loosen and tighten the strings to fold and unfold the stringed instrument for storage/travel and play, respectively, as well as a mid-neck hinge to enable symmetrical folding of the stringed instrument. Optional cavities may be provided in the body of the stringed instrument for weight ...