US22241A - preston - Google Patents

Description

UNITED PATET OFFICE n. A. PRESTON, or BATTLE CREEK, Miserie-.XN

METHOD OF MEASURIG AND RECORDING- BY THE TAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,241, dated December?, 1858.

To all whom it may" concern:

Be it known that I, E. A. PRESTON, of Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Self-Registering Tape-Measure;- and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, in whichl Figure l, represents a sectional plan view of my tape-measure; the plane of section being indicated by the line zc, m, Fig. Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section of the same` Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both of the figures.

My invention consists in arranging the tape-measure on a barrel containing a spring for the purpose of drawing in the tape in such relation to a drum that the tape, while it unwinds from the barrel, passes over a certain portion of the surface of the drum and causes the same to rotate; said drum being so arranged by means of a ratchet wheel and pawl that it is free to rotate in one direction, while the pawl and ratchet wheel prevent its rotation in the other; so that by the said rotation and a certain arrangement of gear wheels, the amount of tape drawn out during a number of consecutive operations is registered by hands moving on a dial with the required marks and figures on the face of the box containing this arrangement.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my arrangement, I will proceed to describe the same.

In a case A, made of sheet iron or other suitable material, and attached to a horizontal partition B, by means of screws c, c', there is a plate C, to which another plate C1, is fastened by means of studs b, at such a distance that sufficient space is left between the two plates for the operation of the barrel, drum, and gear Wheels. The barrel D is rigidly attached to an arbor (l, which rotates between the plates C, C1; and a `flat spring c, is so arranged in the same that it is Wound up when the barrel is rotated in the direction of arrow l. The inner end of the spring is fastened to the arbor CZ, while the outer end is attached to a stationary pin d1. The drum E fits loosely on an arbor c, and it is provided with a ratchet wheel F, and a pawl f, which is attached to an arm f', which is secured to the arbor c; and a spring f, keeps the point of the pawl in contact with the tee-th of the ratchet wheel. These teeth point in such a direction that the drum E rotates freely in the direction of arrow 2, while it is prevented from rotatino in the opposite direction by the action of the pa'wl j", against the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The position of the drum E, in relation to the barrel D, is such that the tape, as it unwinds fromY the barrel, passes over a certain portion of the surface of the drum, as clearly shown in Fig. l, so that when the tape is drawn out, the drum is caused to rotate by the friction of the same on its surface in the direction of arrow 2.

A pinion G, is attached to the arbor c, and this pinion gears into a cog-Wheel G', which rotates on an arbor h, to Which another pinion I-I is attached, gearing into a cog wheel H, which is situated in the center of the case A, and which is attached to an arbor z', Which extends beyond the plate C, and the partition B, so that sufficient room is left to attach a hand z", to its upper end. This hand moves on a dial, which is fastened to the partition B, and which is provided with the necessary marks and figures. The pinions G, and I-I, and the Wheels G, and I-I, are so proportioned, that thehand z, has sutlicient movement to indicate clearly every inch of tape drawn out.

On the arbor z', a pinion I, is fastened, which gears into acog Wheel I', which rotates on an arbor y', to Which another wheel J is attached, which gears into a cog wheel K, on an arbor 7c. This last arbor also extends beyond the plate C, and the partition B, and a hand c, is attached to its upper extremity, which hand moves over a separate indication; and the pinions I and J, and the Wheels I, and K, are in such proportion to each other, that the hand lo', registers the hundreds as the other hand t', registers the units and the indication over which the hand 7c', moves, is marked accordingly.

The tape extends to the out-side of the case A, through an opening Z, which is strengthened by a plate L, which is attached to the outside of the case. One end Z, of the plate L, is straight and sharp-cornered, so that if applied to a board, itoffers sutlicient resistance to prevent the case from slipping when the tape is drawn out. To prevent the tape from being` injured by rubbing against the corners of the opening Z, a friction roller m, is arranged at the inside of the same, which roller rotates on an arbor n, which has its bearings in a forked piece M, which is fastened to the inside of the case A. The end of the tape is fastened to a ring LI, which at the same time prevents the same from being drawn in altogether by the action of the spring c.

The operation of the instrument is as follows: The plate L is applied to the edge of vthe board that is to be measured, with its sharp edge l', and the tape is stretched eX- actly across the board. In thus drawing out the tape, motion is given to the drum E, in the direction of arrow l; and this motion is communicated by means of the pinions and wheels to the hands i', and k, in proportion to the length of tape drawn out. When the tape is drawn out, the spring c, in the barrel D, is wound up, so that the tape is drawn back into the case by relaxing the hand; and in its backward movement the drum E, rotates in the direction of the arrow 2, and the rest of the machinery remains stationary.

I-Iaving thus described my improvement, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The within-described arrangement of a

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