US1255251A - Ruler. - Google Patents

Description

H. C. WATERS.-

RULER.

Y APPLICATION FILED lAN.2 |917.

mm3 mm web. 5,1918.

L l-Q Maf w @E ne gf- @Il a w i @y i @i I 3 s d w I i nanars warnnsg' or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BULER,

Specication of Letters lPatent.

Patented Feb. 5, tgl.

Application led January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140,026.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, HENRY C. WATnRs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in .the county of SuliolkandState of Massachusetts, have invented new .and

useful Improvements in Rulers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved flexible ruler, especially adapted for use upon curved surfaces, and consists in certain details of con struction, by which it is rendered very convenient-in operation and accurate in placing the ruled lines. A

ln the drawings, Figure l shows an upper, top or plan View of my improved ruler;

Fig. 9; shows a View of the underside;

Fig. 3 is a front edge View of the device;

Fig. l is a perspective view; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 5-5 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

lt is obvious in ruling in the large account books in common use today, the curvature of the leaf toward the binding edge, at the center of the book, renders it dillicult to use the ordinary stid ruler, which is practically inflexible and has to be rocked upon the curved surface as the line is drawn over that part of the page. To meet this ditliculty Hexible rulers have in the past been invented,

'capable of being flexed by pressure, into conformity with the surface to be ruled, but so far as l know no ruler has heretofore been known having this flexible capacity which could in fact be flexed by the user in operan tion.

My improved ruler is made up of two sheets, a, b, of hard, flexible and resilient material, preferably thin sheet spring brass, which are spaced apart to a suitable distance by several sheets of HeXible material, c, such for example as blotting paper. The strips, a, I), are connected together by a slot and pin connection by means of pins, d, d, which are secured t0 the under strip Z and pass through slots c in the paper strips and enter slots c in the upper strip o, heads, d", retaining the engagement while permitting longitudinal movement of the parts with reference to one another.

The upper strip, a, is wider than the strips, c, and projects to provide a ruling straight edge. 'The upper Strip a is also larger than the other strips, along its ruling edgxe, forming ears, c, projecting at either @n 0 To the middle of the strip, o, on its upper surface, is secured a. rearwardly projecting flat `handle E, of thin metal, similar to that of which the strip, o, is formed, and suitably shaped to fit the palm of the hand,

leaving the fingers free.

ln its best form, as illustrated in the` drawings, the strips a, b, are permanently set to a slight regular and symmetrical curve. In operation, the curve required is rarely symmetrical, as for example, upon approach to the bound edge of an account book leaf, one end of the ruled line and ruler will be the leaf begins a rapid curve. With mv device, the ruler is manipulated and held in proper position by means of the handle lll, which is received firmly in the palm of the hand, the fingers being free to be spread and severally press upon the ruler at several points in the length of the ruler, thus forcing close conformity throughout the length of the ruler.

My improved ruler is especially useful in ruling upon curved surfaces, the freedom of the fingers making it possible to press the ruler into close conformity with any curve, so that the entire under surface is in frictionalengagement with the page, causing theruler to maintain its adjusted position firmly, while the ruling proceeds. A slight release of pressure causes the ruler to resume its normal curve, resting on the page merely at its ends, so that it can be slid about the page with. ease. With my ruler, ruling at the foot of the page is as easy as at any other point. llhe fingers are not cramped in operating it and placing and adjusting can be accomplished in much less time than usual and held in. accurate placement with minimum pressure or exertion. ln modern systems of accounting loose leaf ledgers are commonly employed and in these the leaves are ruled only from top to bottom for Egures, the entries being typewritten without any crosswise ruling. In ruling upon such sheets it is desirable that a ruled line should be properly ended at the appropriate longi rudinal line, and the ears e, and square edges c provide for this. The edge c which is perpendicular to the ruling edge a, is alined with the longitudinal ruling, the ear e crossing the same and in this way the ruled line can be brought accurately up to the lontudinal line.,

In operation the handle E is placed Well up in the palm of the hand, one edge` in contact with the ball 'of the thuinb, the" fingers spread and engaging the ruler, a, at three or four points along its length` to force it :into accurate conformity with the particular curve ofthe particular page and into frictional engagement throughout its'lengtli. The ruling edge, a, is Well above and in ad-vanceiofl the: other pa-rts'of the ruler and when the ruling is complete ay releaseof pressure permitsthe ruler t0 lift itself perpendicularly from the page, thus avoiding any possibility of smearing the page should the ruling edge by accidentzhave been fouled by ink.

. ing. from the side of the ruler opposite to the' ruling edge and adapted to be grasped by thethumb and the palm of the hand.

2. A flexible curved ruler, provided with an olset handle projecting from the side of the ruler opposite to the ruling edge and adapted to be grasped by the palm of the hand, leaving the fingers 'free to press upon the rulers.

.Signed byl me at Boston, Massacliusetts.l this'QSth day of December, 1916.

HENRY C. WATERS.

,Gobiesfellswgentmyfbefcbine'for ve cents eaclnlby; addresslngthe Commissioner of Patents.

Y fwashingtonfl). C.

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