A New or Improved Means for Ascertaining Stature.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 6th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
A New or Improved Means for Ascertaining Stature.
I, WILLIAM ELBORNE, of Thorpe Road, Peterborough, in the County of
Northamptonshire, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
:-
The object of this invention is to enable persons by the sense of vision alone
to ascertain their stature without contact with the measuring scale or devices.
For this purpose the invention consists of a plane mirror of convenient size
supported or suspended in a vertical plane in any suitable place where persons
desirous of ascertaining their stature may stand before such mirror in order to see
their reflected images therein. This mirror has in combination with it a scale or
scales of divisions preferably representing feet and inches, the latter divided into
parts and so placed or arranged vertically upon or otherwise in relation to said
mirror that the observer standing before the mirror may readily read off upon
such scale or scales the measurement of that division which appears to him to
coincide with the reflection of his eyes in the mirror.
If the observers head is so balanced or tilted that the pupils of his eyes
appear to be on a level with the top of his ears, in the reflected image, the
distance vertically from the eyes to the plane of the level of the crown of the
head, may, as I have observed, be expressed by a dimension which is constant or
so nearly constant for all persons that it may for all practical purposes be deemed
a constant.
According to this invention therefore the aforesaid mirror with its scale is so
fixed that the zero of the scale (imagined to be prolonged downwards to its zero
point) is below the horizontal plane of the place upon which the observer is
intended to stand, for a certain distance. This distance may be equal to the above
constant which I have determined by experimental measurement to be approxi-
mately three and a half inches; or in practice I may also allow for the average
thickness of the heels of the boots of the observer, say one inch, and deduct this
second constant from the first, placing the scale so that its zero is lower by the
amount of the difference of these two constants than the floor or the like on which
the observer stands.
By this combination the measurement read off by the observer as aforesaid
will be the measurement of the stature of the observer.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, WILLIAM ELBORNE, of Thorpe Road, Peterborough in the County of
Northamptonshire, Gentleinan, 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 by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to enable persons by the sense of vision alone to
ascertain their stature without contact with the measuring scale or devices.
The invention illustrated in the annexed drawing which represents in Fig. 1 the
apparatus, illustrating in Fig. 2 also its mode of use.
For this purpose the invention consists of a plane mirror a, b, c, d, of convenient
size supported or suspended in a vertical plane in any suitable place where persons
desirous of ascertaining their stature may stand before such mirror in order to
see their reflected images therein. This mirror has in combination with it a
scale e, f, or scales e, f, g, h, of divisions preferably representing the one feet and
inches, the other metres and centimetres, being divided into parts and so placed or
arranged vertically upon or otherwise in relation to said mirror that the observer k
standing before the mirror (shown in section a, b,) may readily read off upon such
scale or scales the measurement of that division which appears to him to coincide
with the reflection of the apex of his ear in the mirror.
If the observers head is so balanced or tilted that the pupils of his eyes appear
to be on a level with the apices of his ears in the reflected image the distance
vertically from the eyes to the plane of the level of the crown of the head may be
expressed by a dimension which is constant or so nearly constant for all persons
that it may for all practical purposes be deemed a constant.
According to this invention therefore the aforesaid mirror a, b, c, d, with its
scale or scales is so fixed upon a support such as a wall W that the zero of the
scale e, f, (imagined to be prolonged downwards to its zero point at o in the
drawing) is below the horizontal plane p, p, of the place upon which the observer
stands, for a certain distance =. This distance z may be equal to the above con-
stant which I have determined by experimental measurement to be approximately
three and a half to three and three quarter inches, or 95 millimetres.
In practice I may also allow for the average thickness of the heels of the boots of
the observer, say one inch, and deduct this second constant from the first, placing
the scale so that its zero is lower by the amount of the difference of these two
constants than the floor or the like on which the observer stands.
By this combination the measurement n, q, plus z read off at m by the observer
as aforesaid will be the measurement of the stature n, plus of the observer
seen also in section a, b, which is taken through line a, b, of the mirror i being
the reflected image of k.
The mirror may be surrounded by a frame bearing directions for or explanations
of use of the instrument which may be as follows:-
Directions to take your beight. In this mirror you may read your height without
removing your hat: observe on the scale the height of the top of your ear in your
image, the position of your eyes being level with the top of your ears.
measurement thus observed is your height as you now stand.
The
Spaces for advertisements may be added, or the latter may be placed upon the
face of the mirror or otherwise placed so that this device may be used as a medium
for advertising.
It is obvious that instead of fixing the mirror at the height named it might be
fixed at any arbitrary height if accompanied by a direction for adding or subtracting
an equivalent constant to or from the measurement read off as aforesaid to find the
true height of the observer.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with any platform and support of a vertical mirror carried
by said support and a vertical scale or scales adapted to be visible to and to
intersect and give a relative measurement of the height of the horizontal plane of
vision of a person standing upon said platform and observing his reflected image
in said mirror whence the stature of such observer may be ascertained within a
small fraction of an inch or centimetre.
2. The combination with any platform and support of a vertical mirror carried
by said support and a vertical scale or scales adapted to be visible to and to-
intersect the horizontal plane of vision of a person standing on said platform and
observing his reflected image in said mirror, the zero point of said scale or scales
being below the platform for such distance that the measurement of said inter--
section shall be the height of the observer.
Dad the 1.
Tema 1806
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,.
Agents to the Applicant.