Improvements in and Connected with Rulers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Pate of Application, 23rd Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1889-Accepted, 3rd Aug.. 1889
Improvements in and Connected with Rulers.
I, JOHN SOMERVILLE, of 2 Dalkeith Street, Joppa, Midlothian, Commercial Clerk,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction of
hand or portable rulers, and in the arrangenient and combination of their parts, for
the ruling of lines on the surface of paper, or other material, or articles, and for the
drying or blotting of the ink used in ruling, and which will be more useful and
convenient than such rulers have been as heretofore constructed.
The nature and novelty of the invention or improvements consist all as follows:-
Firstly, in a special construction or combination of roller and outer case, the roller
being made of wood, or of a light tube of metal either covered with a circumferential
layer or layers, or a tube of blotting paper, or other bibulous material, for absorbing
the ink while being rolled over the written surface; or otherwise this roller might
be covered with a surface or thin tubular cylinder of vulcanized india-rubber, or of
gutta-percha, or a mixture of these substances with other material of a true cylindrical
shape on the outer circumference to give a better gripping surface, and ensure
more perfect parallel action over the paper or other surface to be ruled. When loose
tubular surfaces of these materials previously prepared, either of blotting paper or
rubber, are to be used on the ruler or roller, it would preferably be made tubular,
and have a longitudinal slit in it, so that it could be slightly, expanded to grip the
outer circumferential tube by the use of conical screwed or other internal blocks,
which when moved inwards by the screw ends or other equivalent, would expand
the tube roller to grip the tube covering of blotting paper or rubber tightly on its
outer surface. Or otherwise a coating of rubber or gutta percha solution might be
brushed or otherwise spread over the turned rollers of wood or other material, and
act very well when the solvent was evaporated; and the blotting paper might be
rolled tight on the roller, and have its last edge secured by glue or by a solution of
rubber or gutta percba, or other equivalent cementing material. Any of these
rulers or rollers so made would be mounted within a hollow tubular case, made of
light iron, steel, brass, or other equivalent rigid material, a little larger inside than
the diameter of the roller but strong enough to be rigid in the longitudinal direction
and the roller would be mounted by journals at its ends, in corresponding bearings
in the end covers of the tube, one or both of which would be removable by being
screwed inside or on the outside of the said tube, so as to secure the roller within the
case and yet allow it to turn freely and steadily in its bearings. About a third or
so of this outer case would be cut away on the underside, so that the internal roller
would project beyond it, and roll on the surface of the paper or other object requiring
to be blotted or dried, by the mere traversing of the outer case to and fro over
the paper. The outer case in this way would really form the ruling surface for the
pencil or pen to traverse upon in ruling along the front surface; while a handle of
any convenient shape, might be screwed or soldered on to the upper back surface of
the tube for the left hand to hold the ruling case by, and leave freedom for the
right hand to use the pencil or pen in ruling along the front surface. In some
cases for simple and cheap rollers of this form, the ends of the case might be fixed
or have slotted journal bearings for the removal of the internal roller fixed by pins
or catches or otherwise in the ends. And the outer surface of the metal cases might
he either polisbed and burnished, or it might be coated with a hard japan or varnish,
or lacquered or electro-plated in nickel or other metal which would stand the action
of ink. The small journal pivots of the roller might be fitted to slide in .guide tube
recesses in the ends of the case with spiral or other springs mounted on them to

page_text: push the pivots into journal holes in the ends of the roller, and fitted with knobs
outside the ends to pull back the pivots and spring for taking out and inserting the
roller, without requiring loose or removable ends, pins, or catches on the ends of the
case. And the hollow tubes of rubber or of blotting paper might be made separate
and put on to the internal roller as required.
It will be observed that the outer case need not be tubular, but might be formed
of a hollow polygonal shape, or corrugated, or have the front ruling and back
edges strengthened, by a longitudinal bead or bar, any of which would give rigidity
to the case with very light tubing. The main or essential features of novelty of
this portable ruler are, the combination of the outer ruling case with an internal
ruler, only used as a roller, made with either a blotting paper or equivalent
absorbing surface, or a rubber or gripping surface to ensure true parallel rolling
and ruling; and in the improved mode and means of making up said roller, and
fitting it within said outer case.
Dated th: 09-1 L
1004
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
A
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Rulers.
I, JOHN SOMERVILLE of 2 Dalkeith Street, Joppa, Midlothian, Commercial Clerk,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
of hand or portable rulers, and in the arrangement and combination of their parts,
for the ruling of lines on the surface of paper, or other material, or articles, and for
the drying or blotting of the ink used in ruling, and which will be more useful and
convenient than such rulers have been as heretofore constructed.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory Sheet of Drawings in which the same reference letters and
figures are used to indicate the same or equivalent parts in all the figures where
shown. Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section at one end of one construction
of my new or improved combined ruler or roller and line ruling case A, a, B;
and Figure 2 is a transverse section as taken on the line --- 1 of Fig. 1, while
Figures 3 and 4 are views corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 respectively of a
modified arrangement from that shown in these Figures, and in which two smaller
rollers A, a, are used for giving the rolling action. Figures 5 and 6 are similar
views to Figures 1 and 2, but showing a different mode of fitting the roller A, a,
removable within its case B. Figure 7 shows a side elevation of a ruler and its
case sectioned at both ends to show a mode of putting on the indiarubber a in short
cylindrical pieces at the ends of the roller A and Figure 8 an end view of the
case B showing a different removable mode of fixing the roller A a, within its
case B.
or
Referring to these Drawings, the nature and novelty of the invention or improve-
ments consist all as follows: Firstly, generally in a special construction
combination of roller or rollers A, a, and outer case B, the roller or rollers being
made preferably of a light tube of metal, although they might be made of wood or
other material with end bushes or pivots at A¹ and either covered according to my
improvements with a surface or thin tubular cylinder of indiarubber a preferably
vulcanized, or of gutta-percha, or a mixture of these substances with other material,
of a true concentric cylindrical shape on the outer circumference to give a better
gripping surface, and ensure more perfect parallel action over the paper z or other
surface to be ruled; or the roller or rollers A a instead of being covered with
7

page_text: indiarubber a, as described might be covered with a circumferential layer or layers,
or a tubo of blotting paper, or other bibulous material for absorbing the ink and
blotting the writing while being rolled over the written surface as well as also being
suitable for ruling.
When loose
In preparing the rollers A-a, of these new or improved rulers, with an india-
rubber surface a, the outer covering of rubber a is preferably vulcanized on the
roller A, in dies when the roller is made of a metal tube. but it might be first
vulcanized in the form of a tube and stretched on to the internal roller A, whether
that was made of metal or wood; or this outer rubber a might be vulcanized in
web form as insertion" or sheet rubber and cemented at the edges with rubber
cement, or be put on in any other convenient manner. Or otherwise a coating of
rubber or gutta-percha solution might be brushed or otherwise spread over the
turned rollers A of wood or other material, and act very well when the solvent was
evaporated; and the blotting paper when it is used instead of the rubber might be
rolled tight on the roller A, and have its last edge secured by glue or by a solution
of rubber or gutta-percha, or other equivalent cementing material.
tubular surfaces of these materials previously prepared, either of rubber or blotting
paper, are to be used on the roller or rollers A the roller might be made tubular,
and have a longitudinal slit in it, so that it could be slightly expanded to grip the
outer circumferential tube a by the use of conical screwed or other internal blocks
which when moved inwards by the screw ends or other equivalent, would expand the
tube roller A to tighten the tube a, of rubber or blotting paper on its outer surface.
Any of these rulers or rollers A, a so made would be mounted within the hollow
tubular case B, made of light iron, steel, brass, or other equivalent rigid material,
a little larger inside than the diameter of the roller A, but strong enough to be rigid
in the longitudinal direction. About a third or so of the outer case B is cut away on
the underside at B2, which might form the ruling edge, so that the internal roller A
would project beyond it, and roll on the surface z of the paper or other object
requiring to be blotted or dried, by the mere traversing of the outer case B to-and-
fro over the paper.
The outer case in this way really forms the ruling surface for
the pencil or pen to traverse upon in ruling along the front surface the said pencil
being indicated broken away, as at P in Figure 2; while a handle of any convenient
shape, might be screwed or soldered as shown at B on to the upper back surface of
the tube B, for the left hand to hold the ruling case by, and leave freedom for the
right hand to use the pencil or pen P in ruling along the front edge or surface of the
case B. And the outer surface of the metal cases B, might be either polished and
burnished or it might be coated with a hard japan or varnish, or lacquered or electro-
plated in nickel or other metal which would stand the action of ink.
It will be observed that the outer case B need not be tubular, but might be formed
of a hollow polygonal shape, or corrugated, or have the front ruling and back edges
strengthened by a longitudinal bead or rib as shown at B2 in Figures 7 and 8, any
of which would give rigidity to the edge of the case B with very light tubing.
In some cases for simple and cheap rulers of this construction, the roller A would
be mounted by journal pins at its ends, either soldered or otherwise fixed into the
ends B of the case as shown in Figures 1 and 2 for the journals bored in the
ends A¹ of the roller A to rotate on; or these journal pins might be screwed as
at, into the ends B' of the case B as seen in Figures 3 and 4, for the removal of
the rollers A which rotate on them; or these pins 6 might be mounted with springs
in a recess in the ends B× of the case B as seen at in Figures 5 and 6, to push
the points of the pivots into journal bearings in the ends A¹ of the roller A, and
have finger knobs outside for pulling back the pivots and springs for taking out and
inserting the roller A; or these pins might be formed or secured on the ends A¹
of the roller A, and mounted loose to turn in slotted bearings in the ends B¹ of the
case B secured in position by small pins 3, which could be removed for the putting
in or taking out of the roller A from the case B for re-covering it or otherwise, as
shown in Figures 7 and 8.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.-
First. A ruler, comprising an outer case with a ruling edge or surface in
combination with a roller or rollers having an outer rolling surface of india-rubber,
gutta-percha or equivalent frictional gripping material, constructed substantially as
herein described, in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. A ruler, comprising an outer case with a ruling edge or surface in
combination with a roller or rollers having an outer rolling surface of blotting paper
or equivalent ink absorbing material, constructed substantially as herein described
in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In rulers, the covering of their rolling surfaces with an outer covering
of india-rubber, gutta percha or equivalent frictional gripping material, substantially
as herein described.
'
Fourth. The construction or general arrangement and combination of the parts of
rulers, comprising the combination of an outer ruling case, a roller or rollers either
covered with rubber or equivalent gripping surface material or with blotting paper,
and securing and removing fittings, substantially as herein described, in reference
to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth. In rulers, the arrangements of fittings for securing-in, and removing the
rollers from, their case, substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown
in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1889
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.