CA2839562A1 - Universal digital drafting scale ruler - Google Patents

Abstract

A Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler has a rectangular shape with the length being greater then the width and the width being greater than the height with one side being tapered to form a straight edge which is used to draw straight lines and to make measurements.
The tapered edge is made of a transparent, hard material which has a rectangular digital or graphical display embedded within it The rectangular graphical display imbedded within the tapered edge is used to display markings representing a plurality of measurement scales. A
numerical keypad, toggle buttons control the output on an LCD control display and also simultaneously on the rectangular graphical display.

Description

'N THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Utility Patent Application (Provisional) Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler Alexander William Sepp, Hamilton. Ontario, Canada SPECIFICATION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR
DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM
LISTING COMPACT DISK. APPENDIX
Not Applicable BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler is related to measuring devices.
Specifically, the Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler is used to accurately and conveniently measure scaled distances found on technical drawings, large scale topographic maps and other things :Which require relatively accurate scaled measurements in standard and non standard units hutalso where a stable, hard flat surface to perform the measurement is not available.
We have been measuring or surroundings nsing things with Stara14444 marks on them for thousands of years. This bask concept of a measuring stick MS not. changed since before the design of such things as the Great Pyramids of Ghiza, Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China.
In more recent history, standardized drafting scales and rulers still have fixed markingson their edges representing different drawing -seales. in Metric, imperial, architectural or 80111e other standardized unit of measure. The number of differentfixed scales that can be displayed on a single traditional scale ruler is limited by the size and physical .shape of the scale ruler. A design professional may require a small handful of different scale rulers during the course of a regular work day to complete his tasks. At times, the design professional may even require a scale that is non standard and is forced to convert measurements made with the closest standardized fixed scale ruler available to .him.
Scale rulers are not limited to use by design professionals either as almost everyone has at one time or another in their life, used a basic, fixed scale, metric or imperial ruler made out of wood.
plastic or metal. Thusly, they are as commonplace on a construction site or drafting office as they are in a children's classroom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The Universal Digital Drafting Seale Ruler is a device which provides the user a choice of a plurality of architectural, engineering, and mapping measurement scales in metric, imperial or a combination of metric and imperial to be represented on a rectangular digital graphical display which replaces the fixed graduations and numbers found on traditional measuring rulers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF-THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a Universal. Digital Drafting Scale Ruler of the present invention 1:ig. 2 is a side view of a Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler of the present invention:
DETAILEDDESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
Referring now to the invention in more detail, with reference to fig. 1, 2 &
3, a Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler (1) has a main body housing (2) which can be made out of a rigid material such as plastic, metal or wood. For design elegance, the Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler has a transparent tapered side (3) made of clear plastic, glass or crystal. A
rectangular digital display (4) is imbedded in the transparent tapered side (3). The transparent tapered side (3) has a chamfered edge (10) to create the illusion to the users eye that the digitally displayed graduations run to the edge of the ruler thusly making the measurement more accurate. For simplicity-and reduction of cost, a rectangular digital display (4) could simply be placed along the top tapered edge of (2) but the measurements made would be more difficult.
(4), (5). (6). (7), (8) & (9) are connected internally within the main body housing (2) to a circuit board which controls. the electronic functions of the Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler.
The top side of the Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler has a power on/off button (8). an LCD
control display (5), 2 up/down control buttons (6) & (7) and a numerical key pad (9) Fig. 2 shows the position of the rectangular digital display (4) from the side within the transparent tapered side (3) .
Fig. $ shows the battery access cover (11) on the bottom of the main body housing (2).
When the Universal Digital Drafting Scale Ruler turned on for the first time by pressing the power button (8), the digital display (5) shows an engineering scale of 1 :
100 metric, if the user desires a different scale such as architectural or mapping displayed on (4) &
(5), repeated pressing of the left button (7) the unit will toggle through architectural, engineering or mapping scales and highlight the current selection on the LCD control display (5) and the rectangular digital display (4). By depressing the up down toggle (6), the scale size can be increased or decreased and the current selection will be updated on the LCD control display (5) and the rectangular digital display (4).
If the user desires a non standard scale be displayed on the LCD control display (5) and the rectangular digital display (4), a custom scale can be entered via the numerical keypad (9).
If a scale drawing shows only 1 or 2 measurements, the unit can be calibrated by pressing the 'sent*. key on the keypad (9). This places the device into a calibration mode which asks the user to measure one dimension on the scale drawing by depressing (7) until the start end end of the distance to be measured is shown between the 2 measurement tics on (4). The device will then ask the user for either metric or imperial units and to enter the actual distance quoted on the plan.
Mier pressing "ere on the keypad (9), a custom scale will be displayed on (4) based on the information entered by the user. All the other missing dimensions can now be quickly measured with the custom scale shown on the rectangular digital display (4).
The unit hasP the ability to display alternate units than the ones that are being measures by pressing the -r key and toggling the (7) key until the desired units are shown on the LCD
control display. As an example, the user could measure distances on a drawing in imperial architectural units but the numbers shown above the measurement tics on (4) are in metric.