US2979823A - Drafting board - Google Patents

Description

April 18, 1961 c. H. LITTLE 2,979,823

DRAFTING BOARD Filed March 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

IN V EN TOR. CHARLES HUBBARD LITTLE ATTORNEYS April 18, 1961 H LI TL 2,979,823

DRAFTING BOARD Filed March 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. H66 CHARLES HUBBARD LITTLE BY M,

ATTORNEYS Uited States Patent DRAFTING BOARD Charles Hubbard Little, Chagrin Falls, Ohio (3031 Edgewood Road, Pepper Pike Village, Cleveland, Ohio) Filed Mar. 29, 1955, Ser. No. 497,763

7 Claims. (Cl. 33-79) The present invention relates to drafting devices and, more particularly, to a portable drafting device comprising a parallel motion drafting machine mounted for use on a. folding member providing a surface suitable for drafting purposes.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved portable drafting device comprising members positionable to form a planar working surface for use in drafting, and a drafting machine, preferably of the two-section, parallel motion type, secured to one of the members, the device being so constructed and arranged that the members forming the working surface used for drafting may be folded or otherwise collapsed without removing the drafting machine from the member to which it is attached to form a readily portable, and conveniently stored, compact unit suitable for use wherever there is a desk, table or work bench in office, plant, home, hotel room, etc.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved drafting device comprising members positionable to form a surface for drafting, a drafting machine supported on one side of one of the members for movement over the surface for drafting, and legs or other means on another side to tilt the members toward the user, the members being foldable or otherwise collapsible, without removing the drafting machine, into a small, compact unit which is readily stowable and transportable and adapted for use on a desk top or the like.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved drafting device comprising members positionable to form a surface for drafting, a drafting machine on one of the members, and legs depending from oneside of the members to tilt the working surface toward the user, the members being foldable without removing the drafting machine, and the legs being collapsible upon the folding of'the members and movable to operative position upon the unfolding of the members.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved portable drafting device of the character referred to and comprising means tending to prevent movement of the device from either its extended or unfolded position or its collapsed or folded position.

The invention resides in certain constructions and combinations and arrangements of parts, and further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following description of the preferred embodiment described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a drafting device embodying the present invention;

Patented Apr. 18, 1961 Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. l

in a partly folded position;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the device of Fig. 1 in a folded position;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a detached fragmentary plan view of a scale of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along line 88 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a view taken approximately along line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along line 1010 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along line 1111 of Fig. 6.

While the present invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions and arrangements, the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing generally comprises board- like members 10, 11 having planar sides 12, 13 adapted to be positioned in the same plane to form a drafting surface, and a parallel motion drafting machine B of the two-section wheel and band type secured adjacent to an edge of the board-like member 10 remotely from the edge of the board-like member 10 adjacent to the board-like member 11 when their planar sides 12, 13 are in the same plane. In the illustrated embodiment, the drafting machine B is fastened to the board-like member 10 adjacent to its upper left hand comer, as viewed in Fig. 1, by a member 14 fixed to the side 12 of the member 10 adjacent to its upper left hand corner, as by screws, and having an upstanding split socket 15 adapted to receive an anchor member or stud 16 of the anchor assembly of the machine, the other end of the machine B being provided with an instrument head 17 which is movable over the planar side 12 of the board-like member 10 and also over the side 13 of member 11 when positioned coplanarly with the side 12 of member 10 to form a drafting surface. The stud 16 may be clamped against rotation in the socket '15 by tightening a clamp screw 18 for the socket 15 and may be adjusted vertically or removed from the socket by loosening the clamp screw. The two sections of the drafting machine B are designated by the reference numerals 19, 20, respectively, and are joined by an elbow 21 in a conventional manner.

In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of scales 22, 23 are chucked in the instrument head 17 with the scales extending in perpendicularly related directions. The scales 22, 23 are supported by perpendicularly related arms 24, 25, respectively, of an angularly adjustable member 26 constituting a part of the instrument head 17. Each scale preferably has a conventional beveled edge provided with indicia 27. The arm 24 carries a lockscrew 28 for securely fastening the scale 22 to the arm, the lockscrew 28 being positioned approximately on the center line of the arm 24 and received in a tapped hole 29 in the scale adjacent the inner end thereof. The scale 22 is maintained in proper alignment with respect to the arm 24, preferably by a pair of spaced, aligned, elongated projections or feet 39 depending from the underside of the arm 24 and received in a longitudinally scale.

The groove 31 in the side having the beveled edge is positioned, in the illustrated embodiment, so that when the scale is chucked with that side uppermost, the beveled edge may be used for penciling a drawing while the groove 31 in the other side of the scale is positioned so that when the scale is chucked with that side uppermost, the edge opposite the beveled edge may be used as a straight edge for inking a drawing.

An abutment portion 32 depends from the arm Hand is provided with .a fiat, smooth surface 34 adapted to engage the uppermost side of the scale 22. The aligned ,projections or feet 3% are spaced lengthwise and located above the center line of the arm '24 and'the abutment portion 32 is positioned on the opposite side of the center line of the arm 24 and is adapted to cooperate with the feet 30 in properly positioning the scale 22 relative to the arm 24-.

In chucking the scale 22 in the arm 24, the, groove 31 in the uppermost side of the scale is aligned with the feet 30 of the arm 24 and the scale moved inwardly until its inner end strikes a stop member 35 depending from the underside of arm 24. The stop member 35 extends a greater distance from the underside of the arm 24 than the feet 3% so that the instrument head rests on the stop member when the scales are removed. The stop member, however, is not so long that it extends beyond the scale 22 when the latter is chucked in the instrument head.

The scale 23 and the arm 25 are of the same construction as the scale 22 and the arm 24 and will not be described in detail and sulfice it to say that the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters with a prime mark appended thereto.

The construction just referred to for chucking thescales 22,. 23 to the chuck arms 24, 25 provides a simple arrangement for assuring that the ruling or marking edges of the scales 22, 23 are at right angles to each other when chucked. In manufacturing the device, it is only necessary to cut the grooves 31 in the scale parallel to the longitudinal edges thereof and to machine the feet of the arms 24, 25 so that they lie along respective lines which are perpendicular to each other. a

The members 10, 11 are connected together by a suitable hinge 36 comprising, in the preferred embodiment, two L- shaped members 37, 38 and a pintle hinge pin 40. One leg of the L-shaped hinge member 37 is secured to the board-like member 10, while one leg of the hinge member 38 is secured to the other board-like member 11. The other legs of the hinge members 37, 38 extend perpendicularly to the members 10, 11 in a depending direction and are hinged together by the hinge pin 40 in the manner of a conventional piano hinge. The hinge 36 permits the members 10, 11 to be folded from an edge to edge position with their planar sides 12, 13 in a common plane where they form a working surface suitable for use in drafting to a folded or juxtaposed position where the members It), 11 are side-by-side with the underside of each member being adjacent to each other.

When the board is to be collapsed or folded to the po: sition shown in Fig. for transportation or storage, the scales 22, '23 are removed and the free end of the drafting machine B is secured against movement. For fastening the free end of the drafting machine B, the illustrated embodiment includes a bushing or sleeve 42 movably supported in a bore 43 extending through the member 10 adjacent the upper right-hand corner thereof, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4. The sleeve 42 is preferably of a length which is greater than the thickness of member 10 and is normally positioned in the bore with the lower end thereof extending rom the underside of the member 10 and the upper end thereof within the bore 43. The sleeve 42 is normally held in this position by means of a leaf. spring 44 secured to the underside of member 10. When it is desired to fasten the free end of the drafting machine B against movement, the, scale 23 is removed from the arm 25, and the screw 28, normally securing the Scale 23 to the arm 25, is threadedinto the sleeve -42.

It will be noted that the length of the lockscrew 28' is shorter than that length necessary to securely thread into a bushing if the upper end of the bushing were merely flush with the drafting surface since the screw cannot extend below the lower side of a scale when the machine is in use. The mounting for the sleeve 42 permits the sleeve to be pushed upwardly above the side 12 of the member 10 and the lockscrew to be threaded into the sleeve a sufiicient distance to assure that the drafting machine will be securely held against movement.

A spring 46 is connected between the members 10 and 11 in such a manner that it will tend to oppose movement of the board from its folded or unfolded position. Referring to Fig. 11, one end of the spring is connected to the underside of member 11 at a point a sub stantial distance from the edge of member 11 adjacent to the member 10 by an eye-bolt 47 of a length less than the width of the depending legs of hinge members 37, 38. The other end of the spring is connected to the member 10 at a point adjacent to the edge thereof adjacent to the member 11. The connection between the spring 46 and the member 10, in the illustrated embodiment, is accomplished by looping the end of the spring over a struck-out portion 48 'of the hinge member 37, the portion 48 extending substantially perpendicularly to the member 19. The connection of the spring to the pore ticn 48 is intermediate the hinge pin 40 and the ' members 10, 11. Connecting the spring 46 in the manner described will cause the spring to act as an over-center mechanism and tend to oppose movement of the drafting board from its folded or its unfolded position.

The drafting surface formed by the sides 12, 13 of members 10 and 11 is preferably adapted to be tilted toward the user of the device as by spaced legs 50, 51, connected to the underside of members 10, 11, respectively, adjacent the edge thereof normally remote from the user. The leg 50 is illustrated as being pivotally secured to a bracket 52 on the underside of member 10 by a pivot pin 53 with the end of the leg being bifurcated so as to straddle the bracket. The leg 51 is secured to the underside of the member 11 in a similar manner by means of a bracket 54 and a pivot pin 55.

The legs 50, 51 are prevented from collapsing by links 57, 58 each having one end pivotally connected to the legs 50, 51, respectively, and their other ends connected, respectively, to the underside of members 11, 10 by brackets 60, 61 located adjacent to the abutting edges of the members 10 and 11. Preferably, the links 57, 58 are of a length which will cause the legs 50 and 51 to diverge outwardly toward the adjacent side edge of the drafting board from their point of connection to the underside of the board.

When the folding movement of the members takes place, the links 57, 58 will cause the legs 50, 51 to move toward the underside of the members 10, 11 as the board is collapsed. When the board is fully folded, the legs 50, 51 preferably extend generally parallel with the members 10, 11 to form a compact, readily portable unit. It will be seen that the legs of the hinge members 37, 38 which extend perpendicularly to the drafting board preferably have a width substantially equal to that of the brackets 52, 54, 60, 61 so that when in a folded position, there will be sufficient distance between the members 10 and 11 to permit the members 10 and 11 to be positioned parallel to each other.

It is possible to provide a surface suitable for drafting which is 21" x 23 /2" and which, When folded, will measure 11%" x 21" by constructing a drafting device according to the present invention. The dimensions of 11%" x 21" permit the drafting device to be readily stored in a desk drawer, making it convenient for the drafting device to be removed from a desk top where it has been in use to an out-of-the-way location. The folded size of a drafting device constructed according to the present invention also permits the device to be positioned inside a medium size carrying case to facilitate the transportation thereof when it is to be used in various locations.

It may now be seen that the present invention provides a drafting device which is readily portable and which can be used wherever there is a desk, table or work bench in oflice, plant, home, hotel room or store. The device is so constructed and arranged that it may be readily stored in a convenient location, such as a desk drawer or placed into a suitcase or other carrying case for transporting it to various locations. The drafting device may be quickly set up by merely unfolding the members and 11 to an abutting, edge to edge position,

7 releasing and unfastening the movable end of the drafting machine B, and chucking the scales in the arms 24, 25.

While-the preferred form of the invention has been described in considerable detail, it will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the constructions shown or the uses referred to. As an example of one modification which may be made in the embodiment shown, the points of attachment of the anchor and ruler supporting members to the member 10 may be interchanged and the parallel motion arm reversed when it is desired to store the drafting device. It is my intention to cover hereby not only the modifications heretofore mentioned but all adaptations, modifications and changes in the embodiment shown which come within the practice of those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A drafting device comprising a plurality of members each having at least one planar side, means connecting said members for movement selectively between a juxtaposed or side by side position and an edge to edge position with their planar surfaces in the same plane, a parallel motion arm type drafting machine having an anchor member adjacent to'one end and a ruler supporting member adjacent to the other end, means attaching said anchor member to one of said members adjacent to an edge of its said planar surface removed from the other of said members when said members are edge to edge, and means for detachably connecting said ruler supporting member to said member having the anchor member attached theretoadjacent to the edge of said planar surface adjoining said other member when said members are edge to edge, said last-named means comprising an internally threaded bushing slidably supported in a bore opening into said planar side of said member and biased to a position below said planar side.

2. A drafting device comprising a plurality of members each having at least one planar side, means connecting said members for movement selectively between a juxtaposed or side by side position and an edge to edge position with their planar surfaces in the same plane, a parallel motion arm type drafting machine having an anchor member adjacent to one end and a ruler supporting member adjacent to the other end, and means attaching said anchor member to one of said members, said ruler supporting member comprising an arm having spaced aligned lugs depending therefrom and adapted to be received in a longitudinally extending groove in the ruler to be supported, a stop member depending from said arm inwardly of said lugs for limiting the inward movement of the ruler with respect to said arm, and a portion depending from said arm to one side of said lugs and having a fiat smooth surface adapted to engage the side of the ruler adjacent to said arm.

3. In a drafting machine, a ruler supporting member comprising an arm having spaced aligned lugs depending therefrom and adapted to be received in a longitudinally extending groove in the ruler to 'be supported, a stop member depending from said arm inwardly of said lugs for limiting the inward movement of the ruler with respect to said arm, and a portion depending from said arm to one side of said lugs and having a flat smooth surface adapted to engage the side of the ruler adjacent to said arm.

4. A drafting device comprising first and second generally rectangular members each having a planar side, means connecting said members together for movement selectively between a side-'by-side position with one over,- lying the other and an edge-to-edge position with said first member on the left of said second member and with their planar surfaces in the same plane, a parallel motion arm-type drafting machine having an anchor member at one end and a ruler supporting member at the other end, means attaching said anchor member of said drafting machine to said first member adjacent to its upper left hand corner, and means normally un obstructing said planar surface of said first member for detachably connecting said ruler supporting member to said first member adjacent to its upper right-hand corner.

5. A drafting device comprising first and second generally rectangular members each having a planar side, means connecting said members together for movement selectively between a side-by-side position with one overlying the other and an edge-to-edge position with said first member on the left of said second member and with their planar surfaces in the same plane, means biasing said members in said respective positions, a parallel motion arm-type drafting machine having an anchor member at one end and a ruler supporting member at the other end, means attaching said anchor member of said drafting machine to said first member adjacent to its upper left hand corner, and means normally unobstructing said planar surface of said first member for detachably connecting said ruler supporting member to said first member adjacent to its upper right-hand corner.

6. A drafting device comprising first and second generally rectangular board-like members each having a planar side, hinge means connecting said board-like members together for movement between a side-by-side position with one overlying the other and an edge-to-edge position with said first board-like member on the left of said second board-like member and with their planar surfaces in the same plane, each of said board-like members having a supporting member pivotally connected to the side thereof opposite its said planar surface and adjacent to one end thereof, and a link pivotally connected between each of said supporting members and said boardlike member to which it is pivoted, the lengths of said links being such that said supporting members project outwardly from the plane of said board-like members when said board-like members are in edge-to-edge position and lie parallel therewith when said board-like members are in side-by-side position, a parallel motion armtype drafting machine having an anchor member at one end and a ruler supporting member at the other end, means attaching said anchor member to said first board-like member adjacent to the corner thereof remote from said second board-like member and at the end thereof to which said supporting member is attached, and means normally unobstructing said planar surface of said first member for detachably connecting said ruler supporting member to said first board-like member adjacent to the other corner thereof at the end thereof to which said supporting member is attached.

7. A drafting device comprising first and second generally rectangular board-like members each having a planar side, hinge means connecting said board-like members together for movement between a side-by-side position with one overlying the other and an edge-to-edge position with said first board-like member on the left of said second board-like member and with their planar surfaces in the same plane, each of said board-like members having a supporting member pivotally connected to the side thereof opposite its said planar surface and adjacent to one end thereof, and a link pivotally connected between each of said supporting members and said boardlike member to which it is pivoted, the lengths of said links being such that said supporting members project outwardly from the plane of said board-like members when said board-like members are in edge-to-edge position, and lie parallel therewith when said board-like members are in side-by-side position, means for yieldably holding said board-like members in said positions, a parallel motion arm-type drafting machine having an anchor member at one end and a ruler supporting member at the other end, means attaching said anchor member to said first board-like member adjacent to the corner thereof remote from said second board-like member and at the end thereof to which said supporting member is attached, and means normally unobstructing said planar surface of said first member for detachably connecting said ruler supporting member to said first board-like member adjacent to the other corner thereof at the end thereof to which said supporting member is attached.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Little ,Dec. 12, 1916 Porrazzo Ian. 2, 1917 Chackes et a1. July 14, 1931 Dreifuss Oct. 18, 1932 Little May 16, 1933 Wallace Aug. 18, 1936 Greenle'af et a1 May 10, 1938 Covucci May 31, 1955 Howe Dec. 6, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany July 31, 1897 Great Britain June 14, 1928 Italy June 10, 1937 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1948

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