A New or Improved Instrument or Apparatus for Measuring the Height of Horses, and for other like purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Instrument or Apparatus for Measuring the
Height of Horses, and for other like purposes.
We, SAMUEL ARTHUR COOPER and JOHN OWEN NICHOLLS, trading as
Cooper, Webb Jones & Co., of Stockwell Works, Littleton Street East, Walsall,
in the County of Stafford, Coach and Saddlers' Ironmongers, and ALFRED
NORMAN JONES, of No. 63 George Street, Lozells near Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Commercial Traveller do hereby declare the nature of this
invection to be as follows:-
The said invention consists of a new or improved instrument or apparatus for
measuring the height of horses and for other like purposes, the parts of the said
instrument or apparatus being constructed, arranged and used in the manner
hereinafter described.
The said instrument is so compact that it can readily be carried in the pocket.
We will describe the invention as applied to the measuring of horses.
The said instrument consists essentially of a tape measure with which are
combined the adjuncts hereinafter described. The tape measure is properly
graduated for measuring horses and is wound upon and unwound from a small
drum contained in a circular case or box, the said drum being rotated by an
external winch or handle. On the outer end of the tape measure is a weight
preferably of the kind hereinafter described. In a small socket on the side of
the box or case of the tape measure and opposite the slit in the said box through
which the tape measure passes, a folding arm is fitted. This arm is made in two
pieces so jointed together that the outer half can either be folded flat upon the
inner half and be secured in place by the socket, or turned outwards into line with
the inner half. When so turned outwards the arm may be laid across and
supported upon the back of the horse to be measured so that the weighted tape
measure may project beyond the side of the horse and hang vertically after the
manner of a plumb line. The arm described thus placed across the horse's back
constitutes virtually a horizontal extension of the highest level of the horse's
back and enables the height of the horse to be conveniently measured by the
weighted tape. After the said unfolded arm has been supported horizontally upon
the back of the horse the tape measure is unwound from its case until the weight
on its end touches the ground when an inspection of the drawn out tape indicates
the height of the horse. After the instrument has been used the tape is wound
upon its drum and the arm folded up; and in order to increase the compactness of
the instrument that face of the weight to which the end of the tape is connected
is made concave and of the same curvature as the tape measure case so that the
said weight may fit closely against the said case, the eye on the weight to which
the tape is fixed fitting into the slit in the case through which the tape passes.
The measuring instrument so folded or packed may be conveniently carried in a
leather case.
Dated this Ninth day of July 1895.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: A New or Improved Instrument or Apparatus for Measuring the
Height of Horses, and for other like purposes.
We, SAMUEL ARTHUR COOPER and JOHN OWEN NICHOLLS, trading as
Cooper, Webb Jones & Co., of Stockwell Works, Littleton Street East, Walsall,
in the County of Stafford, Coach and Saddlers' Ironmongers, and ALFRED
NORMAN JONES, of No. 63 George Street Lozells, near Birmingham in the
County of Warwick, Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The said invention consists of a new or improved instrument or apparatus for
measuring the height of horses and for other like purposes, the parts of the said
instrument or apparatus being constructed arranged and used in the manner
hereinafter described.
The said instrument is so compact that it can readily be carried in the
pocket.
We will describe the invention as applied to the measuring of horses.
The said instrument consists essentially of a tape measure with which are
combined the adjuncts hereinafter described. The tape measure is properly
graduated for measuring horses and is wound upon and unwound from a small
drum contained in a circular case or box, the said drum being rotated by an
external winch or handle. On the outer end of the tape measure is a weight,
preferably of the kind hereinafter described. In a small socket on the side of
the box or case of the tape measure and opposite the slit in the said box, through
which the tape measure passes, a folding arm is fitted. This arm is made in two
pieces so jointed together that the outer half can either be folded flat upon the
inner half and be secured in place by the socket; or turned outwards into line with
the inner half. When so turned outwards the arm may be laid across and
supported upon the back of the horse to be measured so that the weighted tape
measure may project beyond the side of the horse and hang vertically after the
manner of a plumb line. The arm described thus placed across the horse's back
constitutes virtually a horizontal extension of the highest level of the horse's back
and enables the height of the horse to be conveniently measured by the weighted
tape. After the said unfolded arm has been supported horizontally upon the back
of the horse the tape measure is unwound from its case until the weight on its end
touches the ground when an inspection of the drawn out tape indicates the height
of the horse. After the instrument has been used the tape is wound upon its
drum and the arm folded up and in order to increase the compactness of the
instrument that face of the weight to which the end of the tape is connected
is made concave and of the same curvature as the tape measure case so that
the said weight may fit closely against the said case, the eye on the weight
to which the tape is fixed fitting into the slit in the case through which the tape
passes.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in side elevation and
Figure 2 in end elevation our new or improved instrument or apparatus with
the parts arranged for the measuring of the height of a horse, that is, the
horizontal arm is unfolded and the tape measure unwound from its case;
Figure 3 represents in side elevation and Figure 4 in plan the said instrument

page_text: or apparatus after the arm has been folded up and the tape measure wound upon
its drum.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a is the circular case or box of the tape measure and b is the tape measure
properly graduated for measuring horses. The said tape measure b is wound upon
and unwound from the small drum c contained in the case or box a by rotating the
external winch or handle a²; d is the weight on the outer end of the tape measure b.
It will be seen that the said weight d is preferably made concave on one face and
of the same curvature as the tape measure case a so that the said weight fits
closely against the said case when the tape measure is fully wound upon its drum
and thereby adds to the compactness of the instrument as seen in Figures 3 and 4;
e, fis the folding arm carried by the tape measure case a. The said arm is made
in two pieces jointed together at g so that the outer halff can either be folded flat
upon or under the inner fixed half e as represented in Figures 3 and 4, or turned
outwards into line with the inner half e as represented in Figure 1. The said
arm e, f is fitted in the small metal socket h in the side of the tape measure case a,
the free end of the outer part f of the said arın when folded upon the other part e,
passing through the open bottom of and taking into the socket h so as to secure it
in its place.
The broad face of the folding arm e, f may be graduated into inches and parts
of inches to form a measure as represented in Figure 4.
In measuring the height of a horse by the use of the apparatus represented,
the part of the folding arm is unfolded or turned outwards and laid across and
supported horizontally upon the back of the horse, the tape measure end of the
apparatus projecting beyond the side of the horse so that when the tape measure b
is unwound from its case it will hang vertically at the side of the horse after the
manner of a plumb line. To readily obtain the horizontal position of the arm e, f
on the horse's back a spirit level i may be mounted on the side of the tape measure
case as represented in Figures 1 and 4. It will thus be understood that the
arm e, when placed across the horse's back constitutes virtually a horizontal
extension of the highest level of the horse's back. After the unfolded arm e, f
has been supported horizontally in the position described upon the horse's back the
tape measure b is unwound from the case a until the weight d touches the ground
as represented in Figures 1 and 2, when an inspection of the unwound tape
measure b shows the height of the horse.
After use, the part of the arm is folded up and the tape measure 6 wound
upon its drum until the weight d bears against the case a; the parts of the
instrument now occupy the positions represented in Figures 3 and 4 and the
iustrument so folded or packed may be conveniently placed in a leather case and
carried in the pocket.
Although we have only described the improved instrument or apparatus in its
application to the measuring of the height of a horse yet it may be used for
measuring the height of objects generally, the tape measure being graduated
accordingly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as the said invention :-
A new or improved iustrument or apparatus for measuring the height of horses
and for other like purposes, the parts of the said instrument or apparatus being
constructed, arranged and used substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing; that is to say, an instrument or
apparatus for the purposes described consisting of a graduated tape measure
contained in a circular case or box and weighted at its end, in combination with a
folding arm fitted to and projecting from the said tape measure case, the said arm

page_text: being used in conjunction with the tape measure for measuring the height of the
horse or other vertical height substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated the Twenty-eighth day of March 1896.
SAMUEL ARTHUR COOPER.
JOHN OWEN NICHOLLS.
ALFRED NORMAN JONES.