Patent ID: 8751193

Claim:
A positioning device for positioning a portion of a design on a workpiece comprising: a cable including: a supply end; a midsection; and a free end for placement by a user; a base unit having a known position and orientation relative to the workpiece including: a base; a first carriage rotationally attached to said base so as to be rotatable about a first axis including: a main datum passage attached to said first carriage for confined passage of said midsection of said cable; an incoming cable passage assembly attached to said first carriage including: an incoming cable passage between said main datum passage and said cable free end providing confined passage of said midsection of said cable; said cable being in an alignment position when the local longitudinal axis of said cable in said incoming datum passage is radially aligned with said main datum passage; first carriage measuring means on said base unit for measuring the rotational position or change of rotational position of said first carriage relative to said base and for producing a first carriage signal indicative thereof; and cable measuring means attached to said base unit and coupled to said cable for measuring the length or change of length of said cable and for producing a cable signal indicative thereof; a cable tensioning motor attached to said base unit for adjusting the force required to move said cable free end away from said base unit; cable direction means for directing a user to move said cable free end toward the portion of the design on the workpiece; and a computer including a program and memory including the design; wherein said device has an output mode for positioning the portion of the design on a workpiece wherein: said first carriage freely rotates to the alignment position responsive to force of said cable on said incoming datum passage; and said computer is programmed: responsive to the first carriage signal from said first carriage measuring means, for directing said cable direction means to direct the user to move said cable free end toward the portion of the design; responsive to the cable signal from said cable measuring means, for directing said cable tensioning motor to adjust the tension in said cable sufficiently to indicate when cable free end is at a distance to the portion of the design.