IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE INCLINATION OF PLANE SURFACES AND ANGLES FORMED OR TO BE FORMED THEREON
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonas Lavater, of No. 19, Rue Grenelle,
St. Honoré, in the City of Paris, in France, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE INCLINATION
OF PLANE SURFACES AND ANGLES FORMED OR TO BE FORMED THEREON."
-A communication.
Sealed the 28th December 1852, and dated the 9th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonas Lavater at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th October 1852.
I, JONAS LAVATER, of No. 19, Rue Grénélle, St. Honoré, in the City
of Paris, in France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE INCLI-
NATION OF PLANE SURFACES AND ANGLES FORMED OR TO BE FORMED THEREON
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an arrangement of apparatus wherein a
pendulous hand or pointer, which moves freely on its axis, is arranged,
by preference in a rectangular box or frame, having a dial plate on one

page_text: surface graduated on either side of a perpendicular or zero up to 90°, so
that when the lower part of the frame or box is placed on a surface it
will indicate the extent of inclination, and when either of its ends is
placed against any surface the instrument will indicate the extent that
the surface is from being vertical; and to make such instrument more
extensively useful I sometimes combine therewith a compass, a water
level, or sun dial, and a graduated scale or measure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
filed by the said Jonas Lavater in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 9th April 1853.
· TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JONAS LAVATER, of 19, Rue Grénélle, St. Honoré, in the City of Paris,
in France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Jonas Lavater, Her especial licence
that I, the said Jonas Lavater, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Jonas Lavater, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE INCLINATION OF PLANE SURFACES WITH
ANGLES FORMED OR TO BE FORMED THEREON," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Jonas Lavater, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent..

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I, the
said Jonas Lavater, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described. and ascertained in and. by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon; that is to say:
My Invention consists of an arrangement of apparatus wherein a
pendulous hand or pointer (which moves freely on its axis) is arranged,
by preference in a rectangular box or frame, having a dial plate on one
surface graduated on either side of a perpendicular or zero up to 90°, so
that when the lower part of the frame or box is placed on a surface it
will indicate the extent. of inclination, and when either of the ends is
placed against any surface the instrument will indicate the extent that
the surface is from being vertical; and to make such instrument more
extensively useful I sometimes combine therewith a compass, a water
level, a sun dial; and a graduated scale or measure.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be most fully understood, and readily carried into effect, ]
will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, shows a front view, and Figure 2, a section of the combined
apparatus, which is of a rectangular form, so that the top, the bottom,
and the sides each offers a straight edge to be placed against a surface,
and by so doing the pendulous pointer will indicate the extent to which
such surface is out of a true horizontal or vertical position. a, is a
pendulous pointer moving freely at b, hence when the lower side is
placed on a surface truly horizontal, the pointing end at a², will indicate
or point to 0, on the dial or front, which. it will be seen is graduated up
to 90° on either side of zero, and if the instruments by one of its ends
be placed against a surface which is truly vertical the pendulous pointer
will point to or indicate zero, and it will readily be understood that
when the surfaces to be tested by the instrument are out of truth,
whether horizontally or vertically, the pendulous pointer will indicate
the extent the surface is out of the true position.

page_text: By this simple combination of parts a very useful and cheap instru-
ment is constructed; but to make it still more useful, at the same time
at an increased cost, I can apply a measure of inches or otherwise at
the lower edge of the front of the instrument, and I can form on the
front a sun dial at the upper part of the front of the instrument, and I
can also apply a small compass needle and dial in the middle part of
the front of the instrument, and, if desired, a water or spirit level may
be fixed flush on either side or surface of the instrument. I, however,
generally simply combine the parts constituting the instrument for
measuring the angles of surfaces as first explained, and the other parts
are only added in combination therewith when it is desired to give the
instrument the greater extent of utility before mentioned.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do
not claim any of the parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the
precise details shewn and described so long as the peculiar character of
the Invention be retained. But what I claim is, the combining of
apparatus into an instrument as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonas Lavater, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
MIE SAUTTER,
2, Rue Drouot,
Paris.
JONAS LAVATER. (L.S.)