Patent ID: 7735232

Claim:
A bed-depth gauge comprising: a guide member, a screed member, and means for assembling said guide member and said screed member with one another; said guide member comprising a panel portion having a front face, a rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposite lateral edges; said screed member having a front face, a rear face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposite lateral edges; and said means for assembling disengageably securing said guide member and said screed member to one another with the rear face of said panel portion of said guide member contiguous to said front face of said screed member and for relative movement along a first axis so as to selectively vary the distance between said top edge of said guide member panel portion and said bottom edge of said screed member, while maintaining said bottom edge at an angular orientation generally perpendicular to said first axis; said guide member having first and second arms extending laterally, in opposite directions, beyond said opposite lateral edges of both said guide member panel portion and also said screed member, the bottom of each of said arms having a guide surface thereon extending parallel to said bottom edge of said screed member, said guide surface of said first arm being spaced a first distance from said bottom edge of said guide member panel portion and said guide surface of said second arm being spaced a second distance, less than said first distance, from said bottom edge of said guide member panel portion; said guide member, said screed member, and said means for assembling being constructed, dimensioned, and configured so as to enable said guide member and screed member to be secured to one another throughout a range of positions in which said bottom edge of said screed member lies below said bottom edge of said guide member panel portion.