Improvements in Dividers, Compasses, Callipers, and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dividers, Compasses, Callipers, and the like.
I, WILLIAM ALEXANDER BERNARD, of Wooster, corner Wallace Street,
City of New Haven, County of New Haven, State of Connecticut, United States
of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to dividers, compasses, calipers &c., and has for its object to
provide a construction which will enable tools of this class to be made from sheet
metal, the finished tools being amply strong, neat and attractive in general
appearance, and very much lighter and cheaper than it has been possible to make
them as heretofore constructed.
So far as I am aware, the only tools of this class that have heretofore been
placed upon the market, have been made of solid stock, either forged or cast; they
were therefore clumsy and heavy in comparison with my present tools, and even the
lower grades were expensive to produce if any attempt at accuracy was made, for
the reason that milling, counterboring &c., was necessary to fit the joints where the
legs are pivoted together.
In order that I may be enabled to produce simple inexpensive and accurately
finished tools of this class, I have devised the simple and novel construction which
I will now describe, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawing forming
part of this Specification in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of my novel tool partially broken away to
show the construction.
Fig. 2 a cross section on the linea a in Fig. 1 looking toward the right.
Fig. 3 a cross section on the line y y in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 a form of my novel tool having folding points, one of said points being
shown fully opened and the other partially opened.
Fig. 5 a view showing the points in a closed position.
Fig. 6 a detail view showing the means for locking one of the points in the open
position.
Fig. 7 an inverted plan view of the rotary locking piece, and
Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are views illustrating various changes in the details of
construction and showing the application of various styles of points, to tools of this
class embodying my novel improvements.
I denotes the legs which are made U shape in cross section as clearly shown in
Figs. 1 and 2. Each of the legs is provided at the inner end with disks 2, the disks
upon one of the legs lying in the planes of the sides of said leg and the disks on the
other leg being offset outward sufficiently to inclose the other disks.
Between the
inner pair of disks, I place a washer 3 which may be made of wood, hard rubber or
any suitable material and which entirely fills the space between the inner disks, and
in use moves with said inner disks being rigidly secured thereto in any suitable
manner. The pivot 6 passes entirely through the two pairs of disks and the washer,
thus making the joints solid and very strong, the effect of the disks being to give
greater bearing surface which makes the joint work more smoothly than in instru-
ments as ordinarily constructed. 4 denotes a locking piece lying within one of the
legs where it is pivoted as at 5. The rear end of this locking piece is curved to
correspond approximately with the curvature of the washer and in its normal
position lies nearly in contact therewith as shown in Fig. 1.. The other end of
the locking piece extends forward and is engaged by a thumb screw 7 which passes
loosely through the back of the leg and is threaded to engage the locking piece.
Having set-the legs at the required position they may be locked there' by turning

page_text: the screw inward, the effect is to raise the forward end of the locking piece and to
throw the curved rear end thereof against the washer as indicated by dotted lines
in Fig. 4 thus locking the legs in position. In Fig. 1 the points are indicated by 8
and are made integral'with the legs, the U shape continuing until the taper of the
legs to form the points causes it to run out.
In Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 I have illustrated what is really my preferred form for
ordinary uses. In this form the points which are indicated by 8°, are made
independent of the legs, are pivoted thereto as at 9, and are adapted to be folded
inward within the legs as clearly shown in Fig. 5. As it is necessary in this class
of dividers to get very fine adjustments, I provide the base of one of the points with
threads 10 which are adapted to engage a thread 11 on a rotary adjusting piece 12.
This adjusting piece is of convenient shape and size to be operated by the fingers,
the inner end of the shank being riveted on the inner side of the back of the leg as
shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. 13 is a stop pin on the base of the point which is
adapted to engage the back of the leg to limit the outward movement of the point,
a notch 14 being ordinarily formed in the back to receive the pin. The operation
of this point is as follows: Suppose the point to be in the closed position as in
Fig. 5, the operator opens out the legs until they are approximately at right angles to
each other and then swings the point outward until the threads on the point engage
thread 11 on the adjusting piece. The latter is then rotated to place the point at
any desired adjustment. In closing the instrument the operator simply turns the
adjusting piece in the opposite direction until the screw threads are disengaged and
then folds the point within the handle as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The other point
may be adjusted in any suitable manner, I preferably, however provide the base of
this point with a shoulder 15 which engages a shoulder 16 at the outer end of the
back of the leg, see Fig. 6. This shoulder serves as a stop to limit the outward
movement of the leg. In order to lock the leg in operative position, 1 provide a
rotary locking button 17 which is secured in position by heading down the inner end
of its shank in the same manner as the adjusting piece. This locking button is
provided with a circular portion 18, one side of which is cut away as at 19. In
swinging the point to operative position or in closing it, the operator turns the
locking button so that the cut away portion 19 lies parallel with shoulder 15 which
permits the point to swing freely. To lock the point in operative position, the
operator turns the locking button so that the circular portion will pass over
shoulder 15 thus retaining it securely in place. In practice the under side of the
circular portion of the locking piece is inclined slightly forming a cam which locks
the point rigidly in position and wholly prevents lost motion.
In the form shown in Fig. 8 the points are made independent of the legs and are
indicated by 8", the same as in the form last described. One of the points is
riveted firmly to the leg as at 9", the other being pivoted as at 9.
The base of the
pivoted leg is provided with a threaded opening which is engaged by a set screw 20
passing loosely through the back. A spring 21 presses against the base of this
point to throw it toward the open position thereby acting to hold the base of the
head of the set screw against the back so that the set screw when turned will always
act to swing the point.
In the form illustrated in Fig. 9, independent points 8" are used, but the legs are
made longer than in the forms just described, and the upper ends of the legs are
rounded in dies to form sockets 22 which receive the ends of the legs.
The forms illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12 are substantially like the form
illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 with the exception of the style of points used.
In Figs. 11 and 12 one of the points, 8* is made detachable being provided at its
inner end with a shank 23 which engages a folding holder 24 and is locked in
position by a set screw 25. The holder with the detachable point therein, folding in
just the same manner that the points fold in the other forms. 26 denotes a scale
graduated to inches and fractions thereof which I place upon one or both sides or
one or both legs of my novel divider. The shoulders 27 formed at the junction of
the offset disks with the sides of the legs, serve as stops or gages making the

page_text: instrument very convenient for measuring the thickness of objects. 28 denotes a
circular scale on one or both of the offset disks which is graduated to set the points
at any desired distance apart, without the aid of another instrument as has hereto-
fore been necessary.
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 1
claim is:
1-A divider consisting of legs U shaped in cross section and having disks at the
inner ends parallel with the sides and a washer between the inner disks and points
pivoted at the outer ends of the U shaped legs and adapted to fold within the legs
so as to be wholly covered and protected when in the closed position.
2-A divider consisting of legs U shaped in cross section, disks at the inner ends
of said legs parallel with the sides of said legs, the disks upon one of the legs lying
outside of the disks upon the other leg, a washer lying between the inner disks, and
a pivoted locking piece the rear end of which is adapted to engage the washer
thereby locking the legs at any required adjustment.
3-A divider consisting of legs Ū shaped in cross section, disks at the inner ends
of 'said legs, a washer between the inner disks, a pivoted locking piece in one of the
legs, the rear end of which is adapted to engage the washer, and a set screw
engaging the other end of the locking piece whereby it is operated.
4-A divider having legs U shaped in cross section and folding points pivoted at
the outer ends of the legs, one of the said points having at its base screw threads
and an adjusting piece having a thread adapted to engage the threads on the base
of the point whereby said point may be placed at any required adjustment.
5-A divider consisting of legs struck up from sheet metal and folding points
pivoted in the outer ends of said legs, one of said points having at its base, screw
threads, and the back of the leg being provided with a rotary adjusting piece
adapted to engage the threads upon the point.
6-A divider consisting of legs struck up from sheet metal and having folding
points pivoted at their outer ends, one of said points having at its base, screw
threads adapted to engage a thread upon a rotary adjusting piece in the leg, the
other point having at its base a shoulder adapted to be engaged by a rotary locking
button whereby it is held in operative position, said locking button having a cut
away portion which permits the point to be folded inward substantially as
described.
Dated this 19th day of July 1892.
HERBERT J. ALLISON,
Agent for the Applicant.