A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PLUMBING AND LEVELLING, AND FOR INDICATING ANGLES
Year: 1871

page_text: × LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Marcus Houghton, of Fleet Pond,
Crondall, Hampshire, Carpenter and Joiner, for the Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PLUMBING AND
LEVELLING, AND FOR INDICATING ANGLES."
Sealed the 21st July 1871, and dated the 24th January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the Thomas Marcus Houghton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th January 1871.
.
'
I, THOMAS MARCUS HOUGHTON, of Fleet Pond, Crondall, Hampshire,
Carpenter and Joiner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "A NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PLUMBING AND
LEVELLING, AND FOR INDICATING ANGLES," to be as follows:-
The said instrument or apparatus consists of a train of toothed wheels
enclosed in a metal case, which metal case is affixed to a bar or block

page_text: of wood. The face of the said case is perforated for the purpose of
exhibiting portions of the dials of some of the toothed wheels herein-
after described. The first wheel of the said train of wheels, "that is
the wheel which when the instrument is placed upright is lowest,"
is loaded on one side with lead or otherwise, so that in whatever
position the instrument is placed the loaded wheel preserves the
same position, the centre of gravity being always immediately under
the point of suspension or axis of the said wheel. This loaded wheel
has a dial affixed to it divided into 72 equal parts of 5 degrees
each. The teeth of this wheel engage with a pinion on the axis of a
second wheel, which second wheel engages with the pinion of a third
wheel. The third wheel has a dial affixed to it divided into 5 equal
parts, and performs 72 rotations to every rotation of the loaded wheel.
The teeth of the third wheel engage with a pinion on a fourth axis,
which axis carries a dial divided into 60. equal parts representing
minutes of a degree. The last described dial makes 360 rotations to
each rotation of the loaded wheel. Openings are made in the case of
the instrument so as to exhibit portions of each dial, the said openings
extending about 45 degrees on either side a line dividing the instrument
longitudinally, a fixed pointer on the said line being engraved at each
of the said openings. When the instrument is in an exactly vertical
position the zero sign on each dial is immediately opposite the fixed
pointers respectively, but when the instrument is inclined to the per-
pendicular those figures on the said dials are brought opposite to the
pointers which indicate the exact angle which the instrument makes
with the perpendicular, the bottom dial indicating the degrees, the
second or middle dial also indicating degrees, and the third or upper dial
the minutes of a degree. The said instrument or apparatus may be used
either as a plumb rule or as a level, and will indicate inclinations
within perpendicular and horizontal positions to one minute of a
degree.
:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Marcus Houghton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MARCUS HOUGHTON, of Fleet Pond, Crondall, Hampshire, Carpenter'
and Joiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Marcus Houghton, Her special.
licence that I, the said Thomas Marcus Houghton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Marcus
Houghton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time.
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A.
NEW OR IMPROVED INSTRUMENT OR APPARATUS FOR PLUMBING AND LEVELLING,
AND FOR INDICATING ANGLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Marcus Houghton, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands.
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar mouths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Marcus Houghton, 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 :-
Within a case of metal or other suitable material a train of toothed
wheels is enclosed which case is affixed to a bar or block of wood and:
has a perforated face for exhibiting portions of the dials of some of:
the toothed wheels herein-after described. The first wheel of the said
train of wheels (that is the wheel which when the instrument is placed

page_text: upright is lowest) is loaded on one side with lead or otherwise, so
that in whatever position the instrument is placed the loaded wheel
preserves the same position, the centre of gravity being always imme-
diately under the point of suspension or axis of the said wheel. This
loaded wheel has a dial affixed to it divided in 72 equal parts of five
degrees each. The teeth of this wheel engage with a pinion on the
axis of a second wheel, which second wheel engages with the pinion
of a third wheel. The third wheel has a dial affixed to it divided into
5 equal parts, and performs seventy-two revolutions to every rotation
of the loaded wheel. The teeth of the third wheel engage with a pinion
on a fourth axis, which axis carries a dial divided into 60 equal parts
representing minutes of a degree. The last described dial makes
360 rotations to each rotation of the loaded wheel. The case of the
instrument has openings therein so as to exhibit each dial, and the said
openings may extend about 45 degrees on either side with a line dividing
the instrument longitudinally, a fixed pointer on the said line being at
each of the said openings, and when the instrument is in an exactly
vertical position the zero sign on each dial is immediately opposite the
fixed pointers respectively, but when the instrument is inclined to the
perpendicular those figures on the said dials are brought opposite to
the pointers which indicate the exact angle which the instrument
makes with the perpendicular, the bottom dial indicating the degrees,
the second or middle dial also indicating degrees, and the third or upper
dial the minutes of a degree. The said instrument or apparatus may
be used either as a plumb rule or as a level, and will indicate inclinations
within perpendicular and horizontal positions to one minute of a
degree.
My Invention may be used in place of the ordinary plumb rule,
battering rule, spirit level, and dumpy level, and for plumbing, levelling,
and indicating angles for various purposes. I can make my instruments
or apparatus of various sizes, some with three, and some with two hands,
with a sufficient weight to work the same, I can if desirable work my
Invention with friction gearing, which as a matter of course puts the
centre of dials and hands somewhat further apart than shown in the
accompanying Drawings hereafter referred to. Whether I make them
small or large, whether with 2, 4, or any number of hands is immaterial
so long as the instrument or apparatus is worked by a weight substan-
tially as herein-before described.

page_text: which accompany this Specification for exemplying the details of
the manner in which my said Invention is to be performed or put in
practice.
Fig. 1 is a side view of my apparatus (partly in section); Fig. 2, front
elevation.
a is the case; b is the first wheel, which is loaded by the weight b
being fixed to spindle thereof, such wheel being fixed to the said spindle,
to which is attached the arm or pointer h, which indicates the number
of degrees on the dial c. This wheel gears with the pinion d, and drives
the second wheel d, which wheel gears with the pinion e and drives the
third wheel e¹, to the spindle of which is fixed another pointer i, which
also indicates the numbers on the dial plate c. The third wheel
engages in the pinion g, which revolves on the spindle g¹, carrying the
pointer k.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention, and in what manner the same may be
performed, or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the
Invention of "A New or Improved Instrument or Apparatus for
Plumbing and Levelling, and for Indicating Angles," it being understood
that I do not claim except for the purposes of my said Invention (nor
do I limit myself to) the use of the details of wheelwork or gearing
hercin-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Marcus Houghton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
Witness,
THOMAS MARCUS HOUGHTON. (L.S.) ·
THOMAS HOUGHTON,
Fleet Winchfield,
Hants.