AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT TO BE USED FOR RULING LINES ON PAPER AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jacob Bonn and Joseph Nitsch
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 1st October 1869.
We, JACOB BONN and JOSEPH NITSCH, both of the New North Road,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED INSTRUMENT TO BE USED FOR RULING LINES ON
PAPER AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the arrangement and application of certain
mechanism to drawing squares and rulers, whereby the ruling of lines,
either parallel or otherwise, with accuracy and regularity is greatly
facilitated..
The nature of the Invention will be clearly understood by describing
it as applied to an ordinary drawing square. In one of the arms of the
square a slot is formed, above which is placed a small frame or box
covered with a slotted plate. A horizontal plate or lever one end of
which is capable of working through the slot in the square is placed in
the box, one end of such plate or lever being attached by means of a
spiral spring to the end or cover of the box, and having a vertical pin or

page_text: stud on its upper surface, which passes through the slotted cover; the
other end of the plate or lever is attached to or so arranged as to be
capable of being acted upon by a hinged or jointed lever, which passes
through the slotted cover and is furnished with a head by which it can
be depressed, suitable springs being provided to restore the jointed lever
and and the horizontal plate or lever to their normal position when the
pressure is removed. Upon the square being applied to the surface upon
which it is desired that lines shall be ruled the head of the before-
mentioned hinged or jointed lever is pressed, whereby the horizontal
plate or lever is also depressed, describing in such operation an arc of a
circle, and the end thereof brought to a point posterior to that at which
it stood when in its normal position. By this action and by reason of
the pressure which is exerted upon the surface of the paper or other
substance to which the instrument is applied, assisted by the tension of
the spiral spring at the end of the plate or lever, the square is removed
a given distance from its former position. The distance which it is
desired shall be traversed at each operation is regulated by means of a
toothed wheel placed above the slotted cover, and which is constructed
with a spindle formed with differential cams or ratchet teeth, whereby.
the distance to which the spiral spring can be extended is regulated, the
vertical pin or stud at the end of the horizontal plate or lever working
through the slotted cover and being stopped at each operation against
the cam or tooth, and traversing a longer or shorter distance according
as the wheel and its spindle may be set or adjusted. By these means
the straight edge of the square against which the pen or other ruling
instrument is placed is successively removed to any desired and given
distances.
By means of simple modifications, such as will be well understood by
persons conversant with mechanical contrivances, this instrument can be
applied to ruling curved and diverging or converging lines.