IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR RULING STRAIGHT AND OTHER LINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS FOR RULING STRAIGHT
AND OTHER LINES." A communication from abroad by Franz Wallegg and
Alexander Hirsch, both of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th January 1880.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS
FOR RULING STRAIGHT AND OTHER LINES." [A communication from abroad by
Franz Wallegg and Alexander Hirsch, both of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria.]
The chief object of this Invention is to provide for the mechanical and archi-
tectural draughtsman and also the designer the facilities afforded to the engraver
by what is known as the ruling machine, which is a costly apparatus for producing
ruled shading and hatching.
The instrument consists mainly of a stock (which is intended to lie flat upon the
face of the paper), and a blade which is made fast thereto either at the middle of
its length or at either end, and which also lies flat upon the paper.
This instru-
ment receives an intermittent traversing motion in the line of the stock so as to
draw back the blade in a way that will ensure the traverse of its edge in parallel
lines. For this purpose the stock is slotted throughout its length to receive a
slide which is capable of moving lengthwise of the stock and in contact with the
paper.
The sides of the divided stock are connected at their forward part by a plate of
vulcanite, rubber, or its equivalent (which overlies the slide), and at their rear by
a bridge piece. Standing up from the slide, adjacent to the bridge piece, is a pair
of standards, between which a bell crank lever is hung. The forward limb of this
lever is fitted with a micrometer screw, which extends downwards nearly to the
slide, and is intended to act as a stop or limit for the rocking of the bell crank
lever. The pendent limb of this lever is of sufficient length to bear against the

page_text: front face of the bridge piece before mentioned. Affixed to the upper part of the
standards is a pendant spring which bears against the rear face of the bridge piece
for the purpose of retracting the slide in the stock. To operate with this instru-
ment and draw back the blade a determinate distance from the line last ruled by
the pen or pencil it is only necessary to hold down the stock by means of the
second, third, and fourth fingers of the left hand, and then by means of the pointer
or first finger, which is pressed upon the head of the micrometer screw, to rock the
bell crank lever the limited distance allowed by that screw. The result of this
pressure of the first finger will be to hold down the slide firmly upon the paper
and cause the pendent end of the crank lever to thrust back the stock and with it
the block to the required distance for ruling the next line. To ensure the instru-
ment remaining firm while this ruling takes place increased pressure is put on the
stock, and the crank lever is simultaneously released from pressure.
The spring
now coming into action draws back the slide into its normal position with respect
to the stock, and the instrument is then ready for a repetition of the above named
movements.
By turning the micrometer screw the amount of motion imparted to the blade
may be regulated to the greatest nicety.
In some cases it is proposed to connect the blade with the stock through the
intervention of a sector, which will be pivotted to the stock and made fast by a
clamping screw. This allows of the blade being set at any desired inclination to
the line of traverse, and thus parallel inclined lines may be drawn.
In order to draw equidistant radial lines with this instrument it will only be
necessary to fit one end of the blade with an eye or socket for the reception of a
fixed centre pin, and the instrument when traversed as explained will take this
pin for its centre of motion. The blade will be made readily detachable from its
stock to allow of the substitution of an undulating edged blade or a straight edged
blade, or the blade may carry on its face undulations for giving a vertical motion
to the travelling pen or pencil, and thereby causing it to make a dotted or broken
line instead of a continuous line. With a blade formed with undulations the pen
or pencil used must have an adjustable guide pin or stud for travelling over the
undulations.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
July 1880.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS
FOR RULING STRAIGHT AND OTHER LINES.' A communication from abroad by
Franz Wallegg and Alexander Hirsch, both of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria.
The chief object of this Invention is to provide for the mechanical and archi-
tectural draughtsman, and also the designer, the facilities afforded to the engraver
by what is known as the ruling machine, which is a costly apparatus for producing
ruled shading and hatching.
This object it is proposed to attain by the use of an instrument which consists
mainly of a stock that lies flat upon the face of the paper, and a blade which is
made fast thereto either at the middle of its length or at either end.
This instru-
ment receives an intermittent traversing motion in the line of the stock so as to
draw back the blade in a way that will ensure the traverse of its edge in parallel
lines. For this purpose the stock is slotted throughout its length to receive a
slide which is capable of moving lengthwise of the stock, and in contact with the
paper.
This stock is provided with a bell cranked propeller, the rocking of which by
the finger, while the slide is held stationary, will cause the blade and stock to
move backwards any desired distance, and thus enable the draughtsman to rule
a line parallel to that last drawn, and at a certain definite distance therefrom.
'
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in plan view the improved ruling
instrument, and Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same. In these Figures A is the
stock, made by preference of sheet brass, and slotted from its rear end to near its .
front end to receive a slide B which is free to move end wise between the parallel
edges of the central slot formed to receive it in the stock A; C is the blade, which
may be fixed directly to the stock by screws either at right angles to the same, or
at any desired inclination, but I prefer to attach it to a protractor D, as shewn in
the Drawing, and to pivot the protractor to the stock A. This arrangement admits
of the blade being adjusted to and held in any desired position. A segment slot d
is formed in this protractor to receive a clamping screw d², which enters a tapped
hole in the stock. By tightening up this screw the protractor will be made fast
to the stock, and the blade will thereby be held at any desired angle with respect
to the stock.
The sides of the divided stock are connected at their forward part by a plate of
vulcanite rubber E, or its equivalent, which overlies the slide B and forms a rest
for the fingers of the draughtsman, and near the rear end of the stock is a bridge
piece F, shewn detached at Fig. 3, which serves to connect the sides of the stock
together. Standing up from the slide, and adjacent to the bridge piece, is a pair of
standards G, between which a bell crank lever H is hung. The forward limb of
this lever (see the detached view, Fig. 4) is fitted with a micrometer screw h, which
extends downwards near to the slide B, and is intended to act as a stop or limit
for the rocking of the bell crank lever. The pendent limb of this lever is of
sufficient length to bear against the front face of the bridge piece F, and it is
intended by thus bearing on the bridge piece to move back the stock with its
blade while the slide remains stationary. Affixed to the upper part of the standards
is a pendent spring I which bears against the rear face of the bridge piece for the
purpose, of retracting the slide in the stock.
The under face of the stock and also of the slide I prefer to cover in part with

page_text: strips of elastic vulcanized india-rubber for the purpose of ensuring a firm hold of
the drawing paper, and thus preventing the instrument when in use from shifting
its position otherwise than by means of the bell cranked propeller. To operate
with this instrument and draw the blade a determined distance from the line last
ruled by the pen or pencil it is only necessary to hold down the stock by means of
the second, third, fourth fingers of the left hand, and then by means of the
pointer or first finger, which is pressed upon the head of the micrometer screw h
to rock the bell crank lever the limited distance allowed by that screw. The
result of this pressure of the first finger will be to hold down the slide B firmly
upon the paper, and cause the pendent end of the crank lever to press on the
bridge F, and thereby thrust back the stock and with it the blade to the required
distance for ruling the next line. To ensure the instrument remaining firm while
this ruling takes place increased pressure is put on the stock, and the crank lever H
is simultaneously released from pressure. The spring I now coming into action
draws back the slide into its normal 'position with respect to the stock, and the
instrument is then ready for a repetition of the above named movements. By turning
the micrometer the amount of motion imparted to the block may be regulated to
the greatest nicety.
In order to draw equidistant radial lines with this instrument it will only be
necessary to fit one end of the blade C with an eye or socket c for the reception of
a fixed centre pin, and the instrument when traversed, as explained, will take this
pin for its centre of motion.
The blade, it will be seen, is made readily detachable from its stock and adjustable
endwise by reason of the additional screw holes c¹, c'.
Fig. 5 shews in plan view and Fig. 6 in edge view a modification of the ruling
instrument in which the sector for carrying the blade is dispensed with, the blade
being in this case secured by a clamping screw to the stock.
These Figures illustrate the adaptation of an inclined blade to the stock, the
stock being suitably shaped to receive it.
The blade C, it will be seen, is screwed directly to the vulcanite plate E, which
for this purpose projects beyond the stock A.
By unscrewing the coupling screws the blade may be removed to facilitate the
packing of the instrument. The blades of the above described instruments admit
of being replaced by blades suited to special kinds of work. Thus, for example,
Fig. 7 shews a blade with an undulating edge suitable for the production of wavy
lines, and Fig. 8 shews a blade with projections on its face for giving a vertical
motion to the travelling pen or pencil, and thereby causing it to make a dotted or
broken line instead of a continuous line. With a blade formed with undulations
the pen or pencil used must have an adjustable guide pin or stud for travelling
over the undulations. The end of this stud, when the pen is used in connection
with the blade, Fig. 8, will come in contact with the raised undulations and the
side of the stud when the pen is used in connection with the blade, Fig. 7, will
bear against the undulations on the edge of the blade.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in Instru-
ments for Ruling Straight and other Lines," as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondents, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish
it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,-
First. In combination with a stock carrying a blade a slide fitted with a pro-
pelling rock lever for giving a traverse motion to the slide and blade, and a spring
for retracting the slide after each traverse of the stock and blade to restore the
normal position of the parts, as described with reference to the accompanying
Drawing.
Second. The adjustable blade C attached to the travelling stock A by means of a
protractor D and binding screw d', or their equivalent, whereby the blade may be
held at any required angle with respect to the travelling stock.

page_text: Third. The blade C formed with an eye or socket c, as and for the purpose above
described.
Fourth. In combination with the travelling slide B and propelling lever, the
blades formed with undulations, as described with reference to Figures 7 and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)