Improvements in Rulers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 18:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rulers.
1, WILLIAM STEWART MCKERCHER, residing at Wroxeter, in the County of
Huron, Province of Ontario, Canada, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a ruler for the use of accountants and others; and the
object of the invention is to so construct a ruler that it can be rapidly shifted from
point to point over the surface to be ruled, and more particularly to construct a
ruler so that when ink is employed as the marking medium the ruler will not smear
the ruled surface; and the invention consists essentially of a ruler having one or
more ruling edges which are located above the contact surface of the ruler and
entirely free from the ruling surface and means for readily gripping and holding the
ruler, the whole being constructed and operated as hereinafter more fully set forth
and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings:
:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ruler.
Figure 2 is a cross section of the same.
Like numerals of reference refer to like parts throughout the Specification and
drawings.
The ruler consists of a body 1, the under side of which is provided with a flat
contact surface 2 to rest upon and slide along the surface 3 to be ruled. Each
ruling edge 4 of the body 1 is bevelled in the manner indicated in the drawings,
that is, the upper edge of the bevel overhangs the lower edge of the said bevel.
The object of bevelling the ruling edge 4 in the manner indicated is to keep the
marking instrument or pen entirely free from the contact surface 2. The body 1
from the top of the ruling edge 4 to the top of the middle ridge 5 is concaved on
each side to provide a means for readily gripping the ruler to hold it rigidly in
place and to shift it from point to point along the surface of the rule.
The advantage of a ruler constructed on this principle arises from the fact that
when a pen and ink are employed as the marking mediums the ink is kept entirely
free of contact with the surface ruled and consequently the ruler is prevented from
smearing the said ruled surface. Another advantage arises from the fact that
owing to the concavity of the holding portion of the ruler it is possible to obtain a
firmer hold upon the ruler without increasing the force or pressure required to
hold the same. This ridge or hand hold 5 extends entirely along the length of
the body 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved ruler herein before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings.
2. The improved ruler comprising a body 1 the ruling edge of which is bevelled,
the top of the ruling edge over-hanging the bottom, in combination with a longi-
tudinal hand hold having concaved sides, the curves of which extend from the top
of the hand hold to the top of the bevelled ruling edge.
Dated this First day of September 1892.
WILLIAM STEWART M'KERCHER.
G. F. Redfern & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.