Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 12th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1888
I, JOHN STEBBING of Potterspury near Stoney Stratford in the County of
Northamptonshire, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
My invention is for Improvements on the ordinary desk ruler and has for its object
the means whereby straight and paralel lines may be more accurately and expeditiously
drawn by hand with pen or pencil.
Instead of the round ruler with a plain smooth surface as heretofore used for
ordinary desk and other purposes my invention consists in making a ruler paralel
from end to end and of the usual lengths according to the purpose for which they
may be intended, but instead of a plain smooth surface, the exterior or circumference
of my improved ruler is fluted or grooved, such grooves or corrugations being pitched
fine or coarse according to the distance required between the lines to be ruled, and
by this simple expedient it will be and is far easier even for an inexperienced hand or
writer to rule perfectly straight and paralel lines, and that too in less time than by
means of the ordinary or common desk ruler.
My improved ruler can be made either of wood, metal, vulcanite or the like.
Dated this 17th day of March 1907

page_text: I JOHN STEBBING of Potterspury, near Stoney Stratford in the County of
Northampton, Gentleman 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 :-
My invention is for improvements on the ordinary desk ruler and has for its object
the means whereby straight and parallel lines may be more accurately and
expeditiously drawn by hand with pen or pencil.
Instead of the round ruler with a plain smooth surface as heretofore used for
ordinary desk and other purposes, my invention consists in making a ruler parallel
from end to end and of the usual lengths according to the purpose for which they
may be intended, but instead of a plain smooth surface the exterior or circumference
of my improved ruler is fluted or grooved such grooves or corrugations being
pitched fine or coarse according to the distance required between the lines to be ruled,
and by this simple expedient it will be and is far easier even for an unexperienced
hand or writer to rule perfectly straight and parallel lines and that too in less time
than by means of the ordinary or common desk ruler.
My improved ruler can be made either of wood, metal, vulcanite or the like, the
advantages claimed being that the lines may be much more easily drawn and that too
at fixed and regular intervals without any previous spacing or setting out, whilst at
the same time the chances of the ruler slipping or getting out of parallel are reduced
to a minimum.
The invention applies to all fluted or grooved rulers and modifications of the same,
for instance in some instances I prefer to plane or otherwise form flat surfaces instead
of flutes or grooves round the circumference of my improved ruler, the one method
carrying with it almost identical advantages with those offered by the other; I also
find that the same results and advantages are to be attained by fitting ordinary plain
circular rulers with moveable ends or tips the latter only and not the ruler in such
cases being fluted grooved or otherwise divided into fine, medium or coarse pitched
grooves or flats, and being easily interchangeable, one ruler could be by simply
changing the ends or tips be readilly adapted for various descriptions or patterns of
ruling.
Whether the Improved rulers be fitted or not with moveable ends, or whether
instead they be grooved fluted or otherwise divided throughout their entire length, or
again, the principle underlying all the various types or modifications of my improved
rulers being the same, it is therefore open for me to adopt any required form of
groove flats or other division round their circumference at regular or irregular
distances, and I would also mention that my improved rulers can be made in any
desired length or thickness.
These various modifications of my improved ruler may be here referred to under

page_text: the following headings and which being so simple and easily understood do not require
more than one or two views or Figures by way of illustration.
1. My improved rulers may have two or more different sizes of flutes or flat
surfaces to or on the same ruler, for instance on one side or half of the ruler the
flutes might be " inch pitch, on the other half " or " as in Fig. I.
2. Flutes equally pitched or the same distance apart & for the whole length of the
ruler as in Fig. II.
3. Equal flat surfaces the whole length of the ruler as shown in the Section
Fig. IV.
4. Equal flat surfaces with groove or grooves to prevent slipping, one half of the
circumference having one groove intervening between the flat surfaces whilst the
other half would have two such grooves intervening as in Fig. V.
5. The ends of ruler only fluted or otherwise suitably divided, such ends preferably
to be made to screw on and off, or to fit on a square fastened to end of ruler with
screws as shewn in Fig. III.
These rulers or any parts of the same may be made of any suitable material,
metal wood or vulcanite and any like material or substance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
1st. The application of fluted grooved or otherwise divided surfaces to rulers
either for the whole or a portion of their lengths, and circumference.
2nd. The application of moveable ends or tips, the latter only being corrugated
or otherwise divided.
3rd. I also claim the right to make my improved rulers or any parts of the same
in or with any kind of wood, metal or other suitable and like material.
Dated this 12th day of December 1887
J. HAYES,
Agent for Applicant.