Patent Publication Number: US-2007113415-A1

Title: Measuring tool device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a measuring tool device, and more particularly to a measuring tool device connected to a horizontal module and capable of changing its interior angle, exterior angle, and supplementary angle according to the actual needs of a measurement or a drafting.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present measuring tools including a protractor, a ruler, and a right-angle gauge are independent protractor, ruler, and right-angle gauge for indicating an angle of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°, but these measuring tools do not provide other angles for quick drawings. If it is necessary to draw an angle other than those mentioned above, a protractor is needed. However, a general protractor includes a starting edge at the internal side of a straight edge and a center point disposed thereon. In the measurement of an angle, a small gap is produced between the straight edge and the starting edge, and thus users or students may take the straight line as a base and the center as the center point by mistake for the drawing. As a result, there is an error of the measured angle which is measured by using the center of the starting edge. In the present procedure of drawing an angle or a straight line of a specific length, it is necessary to draw the lines separately and then connect the lines to form an included angle or a figure with a different angle. As to the present measuring tools sold in the market, users have to use a combination of these measuring tools to draw the required angle or straight line of a specific length. If a student forgets to bring one of the measuring tools, the student may not be able to complete the drawing. These measuring tools usually provide a single function such as a protractor, a ruler, a triangle or a right-angle gauge, and thus the users can only draw an incomplete figure by one of these measuring tools. In the process of drawing a figure by using these measuring tools, a user may use any length in any direction or with a specific angle, but the user must carry the common protractor, ruler, triangle, or right-angle gauge to complete the required figure, and thus causing inconvenience for drawing figures by these measuring tools.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, the inventor of the present invention overcomes the shortcoming by providing a measuring tool device that allows users or students to rotate an accessory module and use the indicating arrows at both ends of a straight edge to correspond with the calibrations at the edge of the upper cover module. The straight edge of the horizontal module is used as the starting edge and the straight edge of the accessory module as the ending edge for measuring and drawing an included angle. The two indicating arrows on both ends can quickly and accurately indicate the interior angle and exterior angle, so that the measuring tool can draw a required angle or straight line by one stroke. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of Section  2 B- 2 B as depicted in  FIG. 2A ;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view of an application of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a top view of another application of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a further application of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another further preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of another further preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the assembly as depicted in  FIG. 8 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 A, a measuring tool device  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises a horizontal module  10  having a depressed surface  11  disposed on one side, an upper semicircular hollow  12 , and a low semicircular body  120 ; an upper cover module  30  having a calibrated line  32 ; and an accessory module  20  substantially in a protruded semicircular shape and disposed between the horizontal module  10  and the upper cover module  30 . The horizontal module  10  and the upper cover module  30  are connected by a protruded latch  31  and a concave hole  13  (or a locking device or a rivet) as shown in  FIG. 2B  for facilitating the rotation of the accessory module  20  between the horizontal module  10  and the upper cover module  30 .  
      The horizontal module  10  includes a depressed surface  11  on one side, and an upper semicircular hollow  12  and a lower semicircular body  120  disposed thereon. The lower semicircular body  120  includes an arc  121  disposed at the center of a distal surface, and the arc  121  have a starting edge  122  with a calibrated straight edge separately disposed on both sides of the arc  121  and a calibrated line  123  disposed at the external periphery of the arc  121 , and the horizontal module  10  includes a plurality of concave holes  13  disposed evenly around the periphery of the horizontal module  10 , and a horizontal ruler  14  extended outward from the horizontal module  10 .  
      The accessory module  20  is a semicircular raised body  21  installed on one side of the depressed surface  11  of the horizontal module  10 , and a semicircular surface body  22  is extended upward from the raised body  21 , and a circular hole  23  is disposed on the semicircular surface body  22  and corresponding to the pressing position of the user&#39;s hand. The calibrated straight edge serves as an ending edge  220 , and the ending edge  220  includes an indicating arrow  24 ,  240  disposed on both ends of the ending edge  220 , and an arc  25  is disposed at the center and corresponding to the arc  121  of the horizontal module  10 .  
      The upper cover module  30  includes a protruded latch  31  disposed at the bottom and corresponding to the concave hole  13  at the periphery of the horizontal module  10  and coupled with the horizontal module  10 . The periphery of the upper cover module  30  includes a calibrated line  32 , and the calibrated line  32  is calibrated with (0° and 180°) and (180° and 360°) and corresponding to the left and right ends of the starting edge  122  of the body  120  of the horizontal module  10 . The calibrations of 180° and 360° set the exterior angles corresponding to the calibrations of 330°, 300°, 270°, 240°, 210° to 180° (which refers to 0°) in a counterclockwise direction. The calibrated line  32  is arranged as shown in  FIG. 9 , and its center includes a hollow  33  coupled with the semicircular surface body  22  of the accessory module  20 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2B , a protruded latch  31  is formed at the bottom of the upper cover module  30  facing the concave hole  13  at one side of the depressed surface  11  of the horizontal module  10 , such that the upper cover module  30  and the horizontal module  10  can be latched with each other to achieve a good connecting effect. Further, the raised body  21  disposed at the depressed surface  11  on one side of the horizontal module  10  and corresponding to the accessory module  20  can provide a rotation at any direction, and the semicircular surface body  22  extended upward from the raised body  21  of the accessory module  20  matches with and connects to the hollow  33  at the center of the upper cover module  30 .  
      The horizontal module  10  and the upper cover module  30  can be latched by using the protruded latch  31  and concave hole  13 , and they also can be latched by a locking device (not shown in the figure, and the locking device may include a thread section on one end and a head section on the other end, and the head section could be rotated by a tool such as a flat-head screwdriver, a Philips head screwdriver, or a hexagonal wrench, so that the thread section of the locking device can pass through a corresponding screw hole of the depressed surface  11  at one side of the horizontal module  10  and presses to connect the upper cover module  30  and the horizontal module  10  by the locking device) or by a rivet to achieve a better connection between the horizontal module  10  and the upper cover module  30   
      Referring to  FIG. 3  for the use of the measuring tool device  1 , the calibration of 0° marked on the calibrated line  32  at the periphery of the upper cover module  30  is rotated to a desired angle on the left side. Now, the arc  25  at the center of the accessory module  20  and the arc  121  at the center of the body  120  of the horizontal module  10  correspond and situate at the same center, and then the included angle between the starting edge  122  of the body  120  of the horizontal module  10  and the ending edge  220  of the accessory module  20  is used to measure or draw the angle by one stroke. The indicating arrow  24  on the right end shows the required angle (interior angle) and the indicating arrow  240  on the left end indicates the exterior angle. In the meantime, the calibrated line  123  of the body  120  shows the supplementary angle of that angle (0 degree corresponds to the 0° and 180° on the calibrated line  32 , and then sets the 180° in a clockwise direction). The horizontal module  10  and the horizontal ruler  14  can be used together to draw a straight line of a specific length, and thus the measuring tool can be used for drawing any angle and a straight line with any specific length.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the measuring tool device  1  can measure the supplementary angle of an acute angle. The indicating arrow  24  of the accessory module  20  shows an acute angle (such as 30°), the accessory module  20  is turned from right to left (or counterclockwise), such that the other indicating arrow  240  maps into a30° of the calibrated line  32  of the upper cover module  30 , and the starting edge  122  of the body  120  and the ending edge  220  of the accessory module  20  measure or draw the supplementary angle θ (which is equal to 150° in this case) of the acute angle. Referring to  FIG. 6 , the measuring tool device  1  of the present invention can be used together with a triangle gauge  1   a  (or a right-angle gauge  1   b  as shown in  FIG. 7 ) or a multi-angle gauge. Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the measuring tool device  1   c  of the present invention comprises a depressed surface  11   c  on one side, an upper semicircular hollow  12   c,  a circular module  10   c  disposed at the external periphery of a lower semicircle having a body  120   c  with a calibrated line, an upper cover module  30   c  having a calibrated line  32   c,  and an accessory module  20   c  being in a semicircular protruded form and connected between the circular module  10   c  and the upper cover module  30   c.  The circular module  10   c  and the upper cover module  30   c  are coupled with each other by a protruded latch  31   c  and a concave hole  13   c  (or a locking device or a rivet, not shown in the figure) for facilitating the rotation of the accessory module  20   c  between the circular module  10   c  and the upper cover module  30   c  to quickly draw any angle.