Improvements in plate Rulers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in plate Rulers.
I, OTTO SCHALLER, of Okawville, County of Washington, State of Illinois,
United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described.
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in slate rulers, and consists in the novel
arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specification and
pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a folding slate with the leaves thereof open, and showing
my improved ruler attached to one of the leaves;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ruler detached, showing one of the securing
bands removed;
Fig. 3 is a plan of a single slate with the ruler removed therefrom;
Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a similar sectional
detail of a modified form of frame; and
•
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one end of the grooved plate carried by the
opposite members of the frame of the slate.
The object of my invention is to construct a combined ruler and slate in which
the ruler can be conveniently and temporarily attached to the slate frame, so that
the scholar can at any time detach the same and use it for ruling lines on the
writing surface of the slate, the latter being provided with suitable means whereby
the child is enabled to rule series of parallel lines both rapidly and with precision,
the rule being provided with suitable devices whereby it is guided along the frame
in the process of drawing said lines, and whereby it is set in position while each
liue is being drawn, the said devices also serving as means for partially securing
the ruler to the slate when the ruler is not in use. To this end I have devised a
ruler and slate which in detail can be described as follows:
Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the writing surface of an ordinary either
single or folding slate, and 2 the frame within which the slate proper is mounted.
Imbedded in, or carried by the lateral members of the frame, and flush with the
surfaces of said members are (preferably) metallic plates 3, each provided with a
medial longitudinal depression or guide groove 4, the said grooves being parallel to
one another, a series of openings 5 being formed along the base of each groove, the
spacing between the openings being the same on each side of the frame. The
openings 5 communicate with a series of depressions 6 formed in the wooden members.
of the trame in which the said plates are imbedded. The plates 3 are securel to
the frame by means of the prongs or deflected ends 7 driven into the wood of the
frame as best seen in section in Fig. 4. The openings 5 are in the path of
the transverse parallel guide lines 8 numbered consecutively from 1 upwards, the
line on one side of the frame being a continuation of the corresponding line on
the opposite side. Forined also in one of the plates 3 exterior to the groove 4 and
adjacent to the outer edge of the frame are openings 9 communicating with depres-
sions 10 of the frame, the distance between said openings 9 being equal to the
shortest distance between the grooves 4, that is to say, equal to the length of a line.
perpendicular to said parallel grooves 4. Into the openings 9 and communicating
depressions 10 are adapted to be inserted the projecting pegs 11 carried along one
.מ
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page_text: Each
of the longitudinal edges of the ruler 12, the said pegs serving to partially secure
the ruler to the frame, the ruler being additionally secured to said frame by the
eyes 13 carried at the free ends of the elastic bands 14 secured at each end of
the ruler, the eyes being made to pass or snap over the projecting buttons 15
disposed along the edges of the terminal members of the frame, and located sub-
stantially in line of the grooves 4. The bands 14 being elastic are stretched so as
to enable the eyes 13 to be snapped over the buttons referred to. The bands 14
are themselves secured to the ruler by passing strips of rubber or similar fabric
through openings 16, and then sewing the eyes 13 to the ends of the same.
eye is provided with a strip 17 by which it can be better seized. When the ruler
is not in use it is temporarily secured to and carried by the frame as indicated by
the full lines in Fig. 1, the pegs 11 being inserted in the openings 9 and depres
sions 10 designed for their reception and the eyes 13 being passed over the
buttons 15. When it is desired to use the ruler for the purpose of drawing parallel
lines, "a, a, a, a," the child removes the ruler from the frame, then inserts the
pegs 11
into the series of openings 5 and depressions 6 to firmly hold the ruler in place
across the frame, the numbered guide lines 8 numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., serving to
ensure parallelism to the lines "a" thus drawn, and the grooves 4 serving to guide
the pegs 11 from one opening 5 to the next as the child draws the ruler along the
frame in the act of ruling a number of such lines. The object of placing or locating
the pegs 11 along the edge of the ruler is for the purpose of facilitating the
insertion of the same into the openings 5 or 9, since being along the edge, they can
better be seen than were they carried or disposed along the face intermediate of the
opposite edges of the ruler. By employing the plates 3 there is less wear on
the wooden frame as constant drawing of the ruler along the wooden frame might
in time destroy the regularity and trueness of the grooves 4 and the depressions 6
communicating therewith. Of course the plates may be dispensed with, and in that
case the guide grooves and the depressions 6 may be formed directly iu the frame of
the slate; and, as seen in the modification in Fig. 5, the depressions 6' may run
entirely through the frame, communicating with grooves 4¹ on each face of the
frame member. Under the latter construction the child would be enabled to draw
parallel lines on each face of the slate. In Fig. 1, the dotted position of the ruler
shows the relative position it occupies when serving its purpose as a ruler.
apparent of course that many minor changes might be made, especially in the
means for temporarily securing the ruler to the frame without departing from
the spirit of my invention. It is to be understood too, that I do not limit myself
to the nature or kind of material used, for making any portion of my device. It is
to be understood that it is within the spirit of my invention also to omit the frame
altogether, forming the several openings or depressions directly in the body of
the slate.
It is
It is obvious too that the ruler can be secured along the narrow edge of the slate;
and it is further obvious that the pegs carried by the ruler may be spaced so as to
enter suitable depressions in the frame for ruling parallel lines lengthwise of, instead
of transversely across the slate.
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.
1. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable slate, a ruler having suitable pegs
disposed along one of the longitudinal edges of the same, openings formed along
one side of the slate frame for receiving said pegs and partially securing the ruler
to the frame and suitable devices for additionally securing the opposite ends of the
ruler to the slate frame, substantially as set forth.
2. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable slate, a frame for the same, parallel
guide grooves formed along two opposite members of the frame, a series of depres-
sions or openings formed at the base of each groove and correspondingly spaced on
each side of the frame, transverse guide lines drawn across the path of the openings,

page_text: a ruler, and suitable pegs carried along one of the longitudinal edges of the same
and separated by a distance equal to the distance from one depression on one side of
the frame to its corresponding depression of the other side, whereby the pegs of the
ruler may be simultaneously guided along the grooves and properly inserted into.
the series of depressions along the frame, and series of parallel lines drawn.
with the assistance of the rule, substantially as set forth.
3. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable ruler, pegs projecting from and dis-
posed along one of the longitudinal edges of the same, suitable depressions formed
in the frame for the reception of the pegs to temporarily and partially secure the
ruler to the frame, buttons carried by the opposite edges of the frame in line with
one of the lateral members of the frame, elastic bands carried by the ends of the
ruler, and eyes secured to the ends of the bands and adapted to be passed over the
buttons to additionally secure the ruler to the frame, substantially as set forth.
4. In a combined ruler and slate, a suitable slate, a frame for the same, plates.
imbedded in two opposite members of the frame and flush with the surface of said.
members, parallel guide grooves formed in said plates, openings formed at the bottom.
of the guide grooves, depressions formed in the frame members communicating with
the openings of the plates, guide lines transversely disposed along each plate and.
passing through, or in the path of the openings, the said openings and depressions-
adapted to receive the pegs of a suitable ruler, substantially as set forth.
141 1007
F. WISE HOWORTH,
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46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.