Improvements in Rulers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
Improvements in Rulers.
I JAMES BERESFORD of 4 Keppel Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to improvements in rulers for ruling lines on paper or
other substances as is well understood.
Ordinary wooden or ebony rulers are noisy in handling and are apt to slip and
smear the ruled lines.
In addition to this if the ruler should warp in its length it becomes untrue and
difficult to manage.
To obviate these disadvantages I form the ruler with end collars of india rubber
or other suitable soft or elastic material which stand slightly above the level of
the circumference of the ruler proper and thus support the ruler clear of the
paper. The said rubber end collars are not liable to slip and render the ruler more
independent of accidental warping. The periphery of the rubber collar may be
grooved serrated or roughened so as to obviate slipping. The said rubber ends
might be applied in a variety of manners. For example the collars might consist
of rubber rings sprung into grooves formed in the ruler ends or they might be
cemented, screwed or otherwise secured to the ends of the ruler. They might be
made plain or in ornamental forms and can be so attached as to be easily replaced if
they should become worn or damaged.
A ruler fitted with such rubber ends is noiseless when in use so that the irritating
clatter which arises from the handling of the ordinary rulers is non-existant in the
case of my improved ruler.
Dated this 5th day of January 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rulers.
I JAMES BERESFORD of 4 Keppel Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings :—
My said invention relates to improvements in rulers for ruling lines on paper or
other substances as is well understood.
Ordinary wooden or ebony rulers are noisy in handling and are apt to slip and
smear the ruled lines.
In addition to this if the ruler should warp in its length, it becomes untrue and
difficult to manage.
To obviate these disadvantages I form the ruler with end collars of india-
rubber or other suitable soft or elastic material which stand slightly above the
level of the circumference of the ruler proper and thus support the ruler clear of
the paper.
The said rubber end collars are not liable to slip and render the ruler more
independent of accidental warping. The periphery of the rubber collar may be
grooved serrated or roughened so as to obriate slipping. The said rubber ends
might be applied in a variety of manners. For example the collars might consist of
[Price 8d1

page_text: rubber rings sprung into grooves formed in the ruler ends or they might be cemented,
screwed or otherwise secured to the ends of the ruler.
They might be made plain or in ornamental forms and can be so attached as to be
easily replaced if they should become worn or damaged.
A ruler fitted with such rubber ends is noiseless when in use so that the irritating
clatter which arises from the handling of the ordinary ruler is non-existant in the
case of my improved ruler.
Lest the foregoing description should have failed to give an accurate idea of my
invention, I will now explain the same more fully and with reference to the annexed
sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 represents a ruler broken in the middle for want of space and having its
ends fitted with noiseless rubber caps in accordance with my invention.
The end to the left hand side is shown in section, the end to the right is an
outside view. The collars or caps A are made of vulcanised rubber and are
so fashioned as to fit tightly upon the ends of the ruler B. The caps A are
preferably made with projecting ruffs a which rest upon the paper or surface to
be ruled.
The peripheries of the ruffs a might if desired be roughened or grooved so as to
prevent possible slipping, but I do not think such roughing or grooving will be
necessary. The ruler B is of the ordinary make and the caps A can be bought in
quantities aud renewed as desired.
Fig. 2 shows a slight modification.
In this instance the rubber is formed as a ring C which is sprung into a groove
turned to receive it in the end of the ruler B.
In both cases the rubber caps or rings present elastic and noiseless contact surfaces
so that a ruler dropped or rolled upon a desk makes none of that clatter which is so
irritating an accompanyment to counting house work.
The rubbers raise the ruler clear of the paper and prevent accidental blotting.
They also keep the ruler parallel and if it should have warped, the rubbers keep
it from twisting awry on the paper while being used.
Modifications might be made in the manner of applying the said rubber caps and
rings to the ruler.
For example they might be screwed or cemented or otherwise secured to
the ends.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
The application of elastic rubber caps, rings and the like to the ends of rulers
for the purposes and substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 28th day of October 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.