Improvements in the Manufacture of Rulers used for Mechanical and Writing Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Rulers used for Mechanical
and Writing Purposes.
I HERBERT HUMPHRIES of High Street Brierley Hill Staffordshire Auctioneer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
It consists of a thin strip or sheet of metal of any kind and of any length the outer
edges of which are bent or curved in such a manner as to form a straight flat or
fluted or concave hollow bridge of equal width across the centre throughout the whole
length thereof. The edges are so hent or curved that on placing the flat fluted
concave or top side of the bridge uppermost the flat side of such edges may be
marked and used as a scale for mathematical or measuring purposes, and on reversing
or turning such rule over with the hollow side uppermost, I claim that the flat fluted or
concave side of the bridge only coming in contact with the paper book or drawing
to be ruled the edges of the rule are left free above and entirely clear of the paper
book or drawing thus obviating and preventing smearing or blotting of the paper
book or drawing whilst a person is in the act of ruling with a pen or other
instrument. A scale may be affixed to either side thereof and impressed thereon.
A wheel or wheels may be affixed to each end thereof or a roller or rollers attached
thereto working in the concavity so as to form a parallel ruler.
HERBERT HUMPHRIES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Rulers used for Mechanical
and Writing Purposes.
I, HERBERT HUMPHRIES, of High Street, Brierley Hill, Staffordshire, Auctioneer,
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 bb the following
statement:
A ruler constructed according to this invention consists of a thin strip or sheet
of metal or of other suitable substance of any convenient length the outer edges
of which are bent or curved in such a manner as to form a straight flat, fluted, or
concave hollow bridge of equal width across the centre throughout the whole length
thereof. The said edges are so bent or curved that on placing the flat, fluted, or
concave top side of the bridge uppermost the flat side of such edges being marked
will serve as a scale for mathematical or measuring purposes and on the said ruler
being reversed or turned over with the hollow side uppermost the flat fluted or
concave side only of the bridge will come into contact with the paper book or
drawing to be ruled and the edges of the ruler will be left free above and entirely
clear of the paper book or drawing thus enabling such edges to be used for ruling
with a pen or other instrument without any possibility of smearing or blotting the
paper book or drawing which is being ruled.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawing the
manner in which my said invention is to be performed.
Fig. 1 represents in plan a metal ruler constructed according to this invention
and Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same; Fig. 3 shews how the said ruler can be
used for measuring purposes and Fig. 4 represents how the said ruler is used for
ruling with a pen; Figs. 5, 67 and 7* illustrate in cross section modified forms

page_text: of my invention and Figs. 8 and 9 represent my invention constructed as a paraner
ruler.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawing.
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 the ruler will be seen to
consist of a thin strip of metal with parallel sides a' a' which are bent downwardly
from the central part a² and then outwardly therefrom so as to form a hollow bridge the
central part a² of which is preferably flat as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 but instead of
being flat it may be of other form such as concave as shewn in Fig. 5 or fluted as shewn
in Fig. 7. The sides a¹ a' of the ruler are marked with any desired scales which are
conveniently used for measuring purposes by placing the ruler with the top side of the
bridge uppermost as shewn by Fig. 3. When used for ruling with a pen or other instru-
ment the ruler is placed with the top a² of its bridge on the paper as shewn in Fig. 4
so that the edges a¹ a¹ will be some distance above the surface to he ruled and will thus
prevent such surface being smeared or blotted by the ink. By the sides of the
ruler being flat for a short distance from their edges a¹ a¹ as shewn the ink has no
tendency to run down to the lower part of the ruler as is the case with ordinary
beveled edged rulers. When using the ruler it can very conveniently be moved
about on the paper and its position adjusted by the fingers being placed in the
hollow part a and bearing against the upwardly projecting sides.
In the modification illustrated by Fig. 7* the bridge like form is obtained by bending
up only one side of the ruler the other side being left flat.
Instead of the scales being impressed on the ruler they may be printed or otherwise
marked on separate strips of paper or other suitable substance and fixed to the ruler
by any suitable cement.
A wheel or wheels may fixed to each end of the ruler or a roller or rollers attached
thereto working in the trough or bridge so as to form a parallel ruler as illustrated
for instance by Figs. 8 and 9 where b b are the two rollers secured on the spindle c
working in bearings d formed in ears e turned up out of the body a² of the ruler.
My improved ruler above described can be constructed with an ordinary sliding
scale similarly to those used with other rulers.
Although I prefer to make the said ruler of thin metal as above described still i do
not confine myself to this substance as instead of metal wood paper ivory bone
vulcanite glass or other suitable substance can be employed and made into the bridge
like form in cross section for the purpose above described.
The ends a³ of the central part a² of the ruler are by preference formed so as to
project a little beyond the ends of the sides a¹ a¹ as shewn by Fig. 1 so that one or
other of these projecting ends a³ can be inserted into the joint of the leaves of a book
so that by pressing on the ruler the leaves will be kept down flat whilst being
ruled.
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. A ruler consisting of a strip of thin sheet metal or other suitable substance with
parallel sides the said strip being bent or otherwise formed as a hollow parallel
bridge or trough with parallel edges projecting outwardly therefrom for the
purposes and substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
2. A ruler consisting of a parallel strip of thin sheet metal or other suitable
substance having one side bent upwardly for the purpose and substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Fig. 7* on the accompanying drawing.
3. A ruler of a trough or bridge section of either of the kinds denoted under
Claims 1 and 2 and having a projecting rounded end or ends a³ for the purpose
and substantially as hereinbefore described.

page_text: "
4. The combination with a ruler of trough or bridge section substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing of parallel
wheels or rollers carried in the hollow of the ruler so as to form a
parallel" ruler
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 8 and 9 of the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 12th day of November 1889.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.