Patent Publication Number: US-2019172364-A1

Title: Tool for use with a tracing device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to the field of drawing or sketching devices, more specifically to a tool for use with drawing or sketching devices which assists the device user in the drawing and production of sketches, figures and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Patent Nos. 3,055,113 and 3,760,505, the description and contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, describe a popular and commercially successful tracing device sold originally by The Ohio Art Company under the trademark Etch-a-Sketch®. The tracing device includes a transparent tracing surface and a plastic frame or cover for holding the plate against the walls of a box in which is enclosed a fine metallic powder that coats the inner surface of the transparent glass top or plate to render it opaque. Also enclosed in the box is a stylus which presses against this inner surface of the glass plate and scrapes the powder therefrom to produce a line and a mechanism for movably operating the stylus. The mechanism for operating the stylus includes two rotatable knobs on the front face of the device, one on the left side of the screen and one on the right, that are mounted to shafts which connect to the mechanism inside the box. When the left knob is rotated by a user, the stylus is moved left or right. When the right knob is rotated by a user, the stylus is moved the upward or downward. By rotating the two knobs simultaneously or sequentially at various speeds and in various directions, a user of the device may cause the stylus to draw lines, designs, words, letters or the like on the inner surface of the transparent top plate which are viewable to the device user. When the design and/or lines are to be removed the box is then shaken, such as for example when the box is turned upside down, so that the powder again will cover the places where it has been scraped off the plate. 
     Despite the commercial success if this tracing device and those like it, one can readily appreciate a number of drawbacks and shortcomings. For example, users may struggle to produce drawings that meet their expectations in terms of quality and artistic appearance and become disheartened. Even if the result is acceptable to the user, the amount of time invested in achieving that result can detract from an otherwise positive experience. These can lead to user disappointment, shortened periods of use and, ultimately, loss of interest in the device and disuse. Further, drawings that are deemed particularly attractive or artistic are not easily reproducible once the image is erased, which presents particular challenges if others wish to use the device immediately after a drawing is complete or a drawing is inadvertently erased when the device is accidentally tilted. 
     In the interest of generating drawings of improved artistic quality using these tracing devices, software that provides for computer control of the rotation of the device knobs or shafts, such as that commercially offered under the trade name EtchABot™, has been created. Such software, while useful, completely removes all manual artistic influence from use of the device, negates the improvements in motor skills, dexterity and hand-eye coordination that can be achieved by use of the device and nullifies any positive fulfillment and feelings of achievement that can come from creating a drawing by hand. 
     A continuing need therefore exists for a tool usable with such a tracing device that facilitates manual production of visually attractive, artistic and reproducible drawings without disabling user motor skill and dexterity improvements achievable by use of the tracing device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a tool for use with a tracing device that includes an enclosure with a top face; a transparent top plate; and first and second rotatable knobs. The tool of the present invention includes (i) first and second overlays for cooperation respectively with first and second rotatable knobs that each include circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia on a top surface thereof; (ii) first and second visual guide indicia position indicators, each visual guide indicia position indicator including guide positioning indicia on a top surface and wherein the guide positioning indicia cooperate with said circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia to indicate rotational positions of the first and second rotatable knobs; and (iii) at least one visually readable guide indicia position instruction set comprising a sequenced set of steps for rotation of the first and second rotatable knobs based on cooperation of the guide positioning indicia and the circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia. 
     In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to an improved tracing device that includes (i) a tracing device with an outer enclosure having a top face, a transparent top plate, a first rotatable knob and a second rotatable knob; and (ii) a tool that includes tool of the present invention includes (i) first and second overlays for cooperation respectively with first and second rotatable knobs that each include circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia on a top surface thereof; (ii) first and second visual guide indicia position indicators, each visual guide indicia position indicator including guide positioning indicia on a top surface and wherein the guide positioning indicia cooperate with said circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia to indicate rotational positions of the first and second rotatable knobs; and (iii) at least one visually readable guide indicia position instruction set comprising a sequenced set of steps for rotation of the first and second rotatable knobs based on cooperation of the guide positioning indicia and the circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia. 
     Further aspects of the invention are as disclosed and claimed herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a prior art tracing device usable in conjunction with the tool of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of an overlay useful as the first and second overlays of the tool of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2 a    is a perspective view of another embodiment of an overlay useful as the first and second overlays of the tool of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2 b    is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of an overlay useful as the first and second overlays of the tool of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3 a    is a perspective view of an embodiment of a visual guide indicia position indicator useful as the first and second visual guide indicia position indicators of the tool of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3 b    is a perspective view of another embodiment of a visual guide indicia position indicator useful as the first and second visual guide indicia position indicators of the tool of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of an embodiment of the visually readable guide indicia position instruction set with a sequenced set of steps for using the tool of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a tracing device with optional start point locators which may be included with the tool of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  provides a general illustration of a prior art tracing device  10  such as that commercially available from The Ohio Art Company under the trademark EtchaSketch®. The tracing device  10  includes an outer enclosure  15  with top face  16 , a transparent top plate  20 , a first rotatable knob  25  and a second rotatable knob  35 . As discussed previously, a user of the device  10  may cause a stylus to draw lines, designs, words, letters or the like on the inner surface of the transparent top plate which are externally viewable to the device user by rotating the two knobs  25  and  35  simultaneously or sequentially at varying speeds and/or directions. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4 , the tool of the present invention includes first and second overlays  50 , each for cooperation respectively with first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35  and each including circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia  55  on a top surface  51  thereof; first and second visual guide indicia position indicators  60 , and each including visual guide positioning indicia  65  on a top surface  61  and wherein said guide positioning indicia  65  cooperate with circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia  55  to indicate rotational positions of first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35 ; and (iii) at least one visually readable guide indicia position instruction set  70  comprising a written sequenced set of steps  80  for rotation of said first and second rotatable knobs based on the cooperation of guide positioning indicia  65  and circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia  55 . 
     Circumferential guide indicia  55  preferably include evenly spaced lines, notches or the like  56  extending inward from the outer edge of each overlay and identifiers  58 , typically numeric or alphabetic in form, corresponding to the lines or notches. Visual guide positioning indicia  65  preferably include an arrow, triangle, line, geometric shape or the like. Visual guide positioning indicia  65  cooperate with circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia  55  to indicate rotational positions of the first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35 . The term “visual” is used herein throughout to connote that the element being described is directly viewable or readable by a human being using the tool, for example by eyesight. 
     A first embodiment for the first and second overlays  50  and first and second visual guide position indicators  60  is depicted in  FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, the overlays  50  each further include an aperture  52  interior to the circumferential guide indicia  55 . Apertures  52  are typically each circular with a diameter larger than the diameter of said first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35  of device  10  such that overlays  50  are slidable over or around rotatable knobs  25  and  35  and preferably are mountable and when in use mounted on the top face  16  of enclosure  15  of the tracing device  10 . Overlays may also each include an adhesive layer on the bottom surface  53  for mounting them to the top face  16  of enclosure  15  of the tracing device  10 . Other mounting means such as hook-and-loop fasteners known in the art under the trade name Velcro™ are contemplated for mounting overlays  50  on the top face  16  of enclosure  15 . 
     In the embodiment of the tool where the overlays are as shown in  FIG. 2  and described immediately above, first and second visual guide positioning indicators  60 , depicted in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , are each attachable to and in use attached to knobs  25  and  35 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3A , visual guide indicia position indicator  60  may include an adhesive layer on a bottom surface  62  for attachment to top faces  26  and  36  of knobs  25  and  35 . Though the visual guide indicia position indicator is generally shown in the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3A  as circular to generally match the top faces  26  and  36  of knobs  25  and  35 , it will be understood that other shapes, including the shape of a geometric shaped visual guide positioning indicia  65 , may be contemplated. In another example, depicted in  FIG. 3B , first and second visual guide positioning indicators  60  each include a cap  75  mountable and when in use fixedly mounted on and rotatable with each of first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35 . In another example (not shown), the tool first and second visual guide positioning indicators  60  each include replacement knobs which can be installed on device  10  as replacements for knobs  25  and  35 . 
     Another embodiment of the tool of the present invention is depicted in  FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3A . In this embodiment, first and second overlays  50  are each mountable and when in use mounted on respective first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35 . In this embodiment, first and second visual guide indicia position indicators  60  may include an adhesive on bottom surface  62  and are mountable and when in use mounted on top face  16  of enclosure  15  of tracing device  10 . Though the visual guide indicia position indicator is generally shown in  FIG. 3A  as circular, it will be understood that other shapes, including the shape of a geometric shaped visual guide positioning indicia  65 , may be contemplated. In this embodiment, first and second overlays  50  may for example (and as depicted in  FIG. 2A ) include an adhesive layer on bottom surface  54  and are mountable and mounted when in use on the top faces  26  and  36  of each of first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35 . In another example of this embodiment depicted in  FIG. 2B , first and second overlays  50  each include a cap  75  mountable and mounted when in use on each of first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35 . In another example (not shown), the first and second overlays  50  each include replacement knobs which can be installed as replacements for knobs  25  and  35 . 
     Overlays  50  as well as position indicators  60  may be formed from any material such as wood, cardboard, paper, label stock, plastic, multilayer laminated constructions or the like. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the selection of materials of construction will vary according to a number of factors, including without limitation the specific embodiment of the present invention, cost and availability. 
     The tool of the present invention further includes at least one visual guide indicia position instruction set; generally shown as  70  in  FIG. 4 . The visual guide indicia position instruction set  70  includes a sequenced set of steps  80  for rotation of first and second rotatable knobs  25  and  35  based on the cooperation of the guide positioning indicia  65  and the circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia  55 . Such steps  80  may include, for example, counterclockwise or clockwise rotation of one or both rotatable knobs  25  and  35  such that guide positioning indicia cooperate with circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia to indicate a position of one or both rotatable knobs corresponding to alignment of the guide positioning indicia  65  with identifiers  58 . By way of non-limiting example, an instruction set  70  is provided in  FIG. 4  with steps  80  to facilitate drawing a rectangle with a tracing device  10 . 
     To use the tool of the present invention, the device  10  is first set to a start point, for example by moving the stylus to a default point on the transparent top plate, such as the center or an edge, by rotation of the rotatable knobs and clearing the screen by shaking it so that, as described above, the powder will cover places where it has been scraped off the plate in previous use, and returning the device to an upright position. For embodiments where a more precise determination of a start point is desired, the tool of the present invention may optionally include one or more start point locators  85  with adhesive layer  86  mountable and when in use mounted on top face  16  of enclosure  15  along the transparent top plate  20  and including start point location indicia  87  in the form of lines and alphabetic or numeric identifiers on top surface  88 . 
     The tool of the present invention is then installed onto tracing device  10 , with overlays  50  and position indicators  60  installed on rotatable knobs  25  and  35  and/or top face  16  of enclosure  15  depending on which embodiment of the tool is utilized. Once the tool is installed on the tracing device  10 , the combination connotes an improved tracing device that includes tracing device  10 . Overlays  50  and position indicators  60  are installed such that a visually readable start point, for example wherein position indicia on position indicators  60  correspond to a point of “A” or a numeric zero on the circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia, is established. The first rotatable knob  25  and second rotatable knob  35  of tracing device  10  are then rotated in accordance with the sequenced set of steps  80  for their rotation as provided for in the visual guide indicia position instruction set  70 , based on the visual cooperation of circumferentially arranged visual guide indicia of the overlays and visual guide indicia of the respective visual guide indicia position indicators. This cooperation indicates rotational positions for the first and second rotatable knobs. 
     The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.