Spacer device

• US 4,601,108 A
• Filed: 10/25/1984
• Issued: 07/22/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Neubert W. Swanson
• Original Assignee: Neubert W. Swanson
• Inventors: Swanson, Neubert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haroian, Harry N.
• Application Number:
  US06/664,522
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 434/91, 434/92, 33/454, 33/192, 33/277, 33/403, 33/456, 33/1 K, 33/482
• US Class Current: 33/454
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 13/02 Draughting machines or drawing devices for keeping parallelism T-squares B43L7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 13/141 Two-dimensional devices
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 7/12 Square and pivoted straightedges
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 7/125 Comprising at least two straightedges remaining parallel

Abstract

A spacer device for use in placing contour lines between known points of elevation when plotting stadia, in spacing of architectural units, and in making perspective drawings, includes a parallelogramic frame comprising a plurality of frame elements pivotally connected together at their respective ends. A single elongate filament is threaded through openings in an opposed pair of frame elements to arrange the filament in parallel equally spaced apart spacer elements. The spacing between adjacent spacer elements may be readily selectively varied by adjusting the parallelogramic frame to thereby facilitate interpolation when using the spacer device to make topographical contour maps, and the like.

Claims

1. A spacer device comprising:

a parallelogramic frame including opposed pairs of elongate frame members, opposite end portions of each frame member being of enlarged circular configuration, said enlarged circular end portions having a thickness dimension approximately one-half of the thickness dimension of the associated frame member, said enlarged circular end portion of one frame member engaging the enlarged circular end portion of the adjacent frame member, one opposed pair of said frame members each including a central portion having a width dimension greater than the width dimension of those portions located between the central portion and the circular end portions,

means pivotally connecting the inter-engaging enlarged circular end portions of adjacent frame members together for relative pivotal movement therebetween,

said one opposed pair of said frame members each having a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart openings in the central portion thereof having the greater width dimension, said openings in each of said frame members lying in a line passing through the centers of the pivot means which pivotally connect each of said frame members to the adjacent frame members,

an elongate flexible filament formed of plastic material and having one end thereof extending through the endmost opening in one of said one opposed pair of frame members and being threaded through said openings to provide a plurality of parallel equally spaced apart spacer elements which are disposed in substantilly parallel relation with each other and the other of said pair of frame members, said filament having its other end projecting through the endmost opening of the other of said one opposed pair of frame members, a pair of plug elements projecting into said endmost openings engaging the respective ends of said filament to anchor the same therein, the spacing between said spacer elements being readily adjusted upon pivoting of the frame members of said parallelogramic frame to shift the latter between a rectangular configuration to a configuration wherein the frame members lie in substantially side-by-side contiguous relationship to thereby permit the device to be used in visually measuring sizes of structural forms.

2. The spacer device as defined in claim 1 wherein the spacing between each endmost spacer element and the associated frame member of the other pair of frame members is substantially greater than the spacing between adjacent spacer elements.