GB2177203A

GB2177203A - Orientation-indicating instrument

Info

Publication number: GB2177203A
Application number: GB08514223A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Edmund Gravelle
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-06-05
Filing date: 1985-06-05
Publication date: 1987-01-14
Also published as: GB8514223D0; GB2177203B

Abstract

The instrument has two half- bodies 5, 6 which are movable relative to each other about a central pivot. The two half-bodies can thus have a cruciform configuration and a more compact parallelepiped configuration. One half-body 5 has four spirit level devices 27, 33, 37 (see Fig. 1), 43. The first two devices 27, 33, which are crossed at 45 DEG relative to each other, and the third device 37 allow the instrument to be used in the manner of a conventional spirit level in the compact configuration. The fourth device 43 is one which orientates a plane defined by lower surfaces of the half-bodies 5, 6 when the body is in its cruciform figuration. The orientation of the fourth spirit level device may be adjustable relative to the instrument body (see Fig. 9), thus facilitating tasks such as the orientation of a paving stone to provide for run-off of rain water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Orientation-indicating instrument This invention relates to instruments for indicating the orientations of surfaces with which the instruments are placed in contact.

A well-known instrument of this type is the builder's or carpenter's spirit level. These instruments are however somewhat restricted in their uses because they do not properly indicate changes in their orientation arising from rotation about their own longitudinal axes.

Other spirit-level devices which are sensitive to changes in orientation about two mutuallyperpendicular devices are known. These devices can therefore be used to adjust the orientation of a surface so that the surface extends in a horizontal plane. The devices are however limited to use in that way and are therefore not versatile.

With a view of overcoming the disadvantages of these known instruments and devices, the present invention provides an instrument for use in indicating or adjusting the orientation of a surface with which it is placed in contact in use, the instrument comprising a body having thereon gravitationally-biassed means for indicating a relationship between the orientation of the body and a desired orientation thereof, the body having a first portion and a second, extension portion having respective working surface portions for contacting a surface the orientation of which is to be indicated or adjusted, the body portions being movable relative to each other between a first relative position in which they are adjacent each other and at least one second relative position in which the second portion extends from the first portion, the gravitationallybiassed means comprising means which indicate, in the second relative position of the body portions, the relationship between the orientation of a plane defined by the first and second working surface portions and a desired orientation of that plane.

The invention thus provides an instrument which can be used with its body portions in their second relative position, or one such position, to position a plane in a desired orientation. The plane may be, for example, that defined by the upper surface of a floor tile or paving stone. However, when not needed for that purpose, the instrument can be made more compact and conveniently-handled by movement of the body portions to their first relative position.

The surface portions defining the said plane may be surface portions of the body portions themselves. However, at least one surface portion is advantageously movable relative to the other portion(s) so that the orientation of the defined plane relative to the gravitationallybiassed means can be selectively adjusted. In this way, the defined plane may be a plane which lies at a preselected angle of slope to the horizontal in a preselected direction. With this feature, the instrument is conveniently used for setting a slope for the run-off of rain water from paving stones. In another construction, the gravitationally-biassed means is instead itself selectively adjustable in orientation relative to the defined plane which is defined by working surface portions which need not be movable relative to their respective instrument body portions.

The indicating means comprised in the gravitationally-biassed means may be a spirit level device of the type comprising an envelope which has a wall which is transparent at least in part and which contains a liquid and a bubble which is alignable with target marks on the transparent envelope wall part when the device is in a predetermined orientation with respect to rotation about two mutually-perpendicular axes. Devices of this type are referred to hereinafter as "bidirectional spirit-level devices".

Preferably, the gravitationally-biassed means comprise means which indicate, in the first relative position of the body portions, the relationship between the orientation of a line lying in a plane defined by a working surface of the body, which may or may not comprise the first and/or second working surface portions mentioned above, and a desired orientation of that line.

The invention can thus provide an instrument which, when the body portions are in their first relative position, can be used to orientate a surface in the manner of a conventional spirit level. The desired orientation may be horizontal, vertical or any other desired orientation depending upon the relationship between the indicating means and the corresponding working surface. This relationship may, if desired, be selectively adjustable, for example in one or both of the ways mentioned above.

The indicating means may be a spirit level device of the type comprising an envelope which has a wall which is transparent at least in part and which contains a liquid and bubble which is alignable with target marks on the transparent envelope wall when the device is in a predetermined orientation with respect to rotation about a single axis. Devices of this type are referred to hereinafter as "unidirectional spirit level devices".

The body of the instrument provided by the invention is preferably formed from two substantially identical parts which are pivotally-attached to each other and constitute the first and second body portions. In this way, the instrument body can be formed economically, for example by moulding of a plastics material such as nylon or an acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene copolymer; the two body parts being formed in the same mould, possibly with minor modifications to the mould. After mould ing, the two parts may be united by a suitable hinge means and then have components constituting the gravitationally-biassed means attached thereto.

Advantageously, each of the two body parts provides portions of the body which lie diagonally-opposite a central pivot constituting the hinge means, the instrument body having a cruciform shape in the second relative position of the first and second body portions and surfaces of the four limbs of the cruciform providing the working surface of the instrument in the second relative position of the body portions.

Preferably, the gravitationally-biassed means comprises a bidirectional spirit level device located adjacent the centre of the cruciform shape on the surface of the body opposite to the working surface.

The overall shape of the instrument body in the first relative position of the body portions is conveniently a parallelapiped shape similar to that of a conventional spirit level.

To maintain the body portions in their first relative position, the instrument may include interfitting formations, such as pegs and sockets, on the respective portions.

The hinge means of the instrument may be formed by a pin inserted into appropriatelyshaped sockets on the two body portions which can thus be identical. In other constructions, the two body pqrtions are identical except for parts of them constituting the hinge.

In such cases, the two different portions can be formed by moulding in the same mould in the absence and presence of a mould-modifying component which allows two interfitting hinge parts to be moulded. The pegs and sockets mentioned above may also be formed by similar modification of a single mould.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one part of an orientation-indicating instrument, Figure 2 is a plan view of the instrument part shown in Fig. 1, Figure 3 is a plan view of another part of the instrument shown in Fig. 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view, in two parts, of another orientation-indicating instrument, Figure 5 is a plan view, in two parts, of the instrument of Fig. 4, Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line VI VI of Fig. 5 of one half of the body of the instrument of Fig. 4, Figure 7 is a perspective view of a spirit level device of the instrument of Fig. 4, Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a central portion of the instrument of Fig. 4, and Figure 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 on an enlarged scale and showing an adjustable spirit level device.

The body of the instrument shown in Figs.

1 to 3 of the drawings is formed from two half-bodies which are pivotally-connected to each other at the centre of the instrument and are pivotable between a first position in which the instrument has relatively-compact cuboid shape and a second position in which the instrument has an extended cruciform shape.

The two half-bodies are identical to each other and can therefore be produced in the same mould, from, for example nylon or ABS plastics.

The first half body is shown in Fig. 1 and is indicated generally by the reference numeral 5.

The half body has first and second quarter bodies 10, 12 which are joined by a cylindri cai tubular portion 11 to form two diagonallyopposite quarters of the body of the orientation-indicating instrument. The quarter body 10 has inner and outer rectangular side faces 13, 14, an outer end face 15 and an inner end face 16. The outer end face 15 is perpendicular to the inner and outer side faces 13, 14 whereas the inner end face 16 makes an angle of 45" with the inner side face 13 and therefore an angle of 135 with the outer side face 14. The quarter body 10 is completed by top and bottom surfaces 17, 18.

The second quarter body 12 is similar in shape to the first quarter body 10 and has inner and outer rectangular side faces 19, 20, outer and inner end faces 21, 22, an upper surface 23 and a lower surface 24.

The inner side face 13 of the first half-body 10 has a semi-circular-cylindrical recess 25 which contains a tubular cylindrical shell 26 which is open at its circular ends and has secured in it a diametrically-extending tubular glass vial 27 which holds a liquid 28 and an air bubble 29 and constitutes a first, unidirectional spirit level device. Conventional transverse target marks 30 are formed in the surface of the vial 27. The vial 27 is orientated to extend with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to the inner side face 13 of the first quarter body 12. The bubble 29 is thus aligned with the target marks 30 when the outer side face 14 of the second quarter body lies in a vertical plane.

The second quarter body 12 has a similar semi-circular-cylindrical recess 31 opening into its inner side face 19 and this recess 31 contains a tubular cylindrical shell 32 which is open at its circular ends and has, secured in it and extending diametrically across it, a tubular glass vial 33 which contains a liquid 34 and an air bubble 35 and the walls of which have transverse target marks 36 for alignment with the bubble. The longitudinal axis of the vial 33 extends at 450 to the longitudinal axis of the second quarter-body and constitutes a second, unidirectional spirit level device. The bubble 35 of the device is aligned with its target marks 36 when the outer side face 20 of the second quarter body lies in a plane which is inclined at 45" to the vertical.

A third, unidirectional spirit level device is located at one end of the outer side face 14 of the first quarter body 10 and projects outwardly from the inner end face 16 of the first quarter body 10. The third spirit level devices comprises a tubular vial 37 which contains a liquid 38 and an air bubble 39 and has on its surface conventional target marks 40 for alignment with the bubble. The longitudinal axis of the third vial 37 extends parallel to the outer side face 14 of the first half body 10 and its bubble 39 is aligned with the target marks 40 when the outer side face 20 of the second quarter body 12 lies in a horizontal plane.

The inner side face 13 of the first quarter body 10 and the inner side face 19 of the second quarter body 12 each has two spaced cylindrical sockets 41 in which cylindrical pegs 42 are interference fits.

At the upper part of the tubular portion 11, there is located a fourth spirit level device which is a bidirectional device in the form of a circular glass envelope 43 containing a liquid 44 and an air bubble 45. The surface of the envelope 43 has a square target 46 which is aligned with the bubble 45 when the lower surfaces 18, 24 of the quarter bodies 10, 12 lie in a horizontal plane.

The second half body of the instrument is shown in Fig. 3 and is designated by the reference numeral 6. The half body 6 comprises third and fourth quarter bodies 48, 50 which are joined by a cylindrical tubular portion 29.

The third quarter body 48 has inner and outer side faces 51, 51, outer and inner end faces 53, 54, an upper surface 55 and a lower surface 56. The third quarter body 48 is identical in shape and dimensions to the first quarter body 10. The fourth quarter body 50 has inner and outer side faces 57, 58, outer and inner end faces 59, 60 an upper surface 61 and a lower surface 62. These are identical in shape to the corresponding surfaces of the second quarter body 12.

The outer side face 58 and the inner end face 60 of the fourth quarter body 50 are formed with a recess 69 at their junction for receiving the part of the vial 37 of the third spirit level device protruding from the first quarter body 10.

The inner side face 51 of the third quarter body 48 has a semi-circular-cylindrical recess 63 which is dimensional and positioned to receive the protruding half of the circular cylindrical shell 26 received in the semi-circular recess 25 in the first quarter body 10 when the two half bodies 5, 6 are in their first position.

Similarly, the inner side face 57 of the fourth quarter body 50 has a semi-circular-cylindrical recess 64 which is shaped and positioned to receive, in the first position of the half bodies 5, 6, the protruding half of the circular cylindrical shell 32 protruding from the inner side face 19 of the second quarter body 12.

The inner side faces 51, 57 of the third and fourth quarter bodies 48, 50 have recesses 66 which can receive the pegs 42 protruding from their sockets 41 in inner side faces 13, 19 of the first and second quarter bodies. The pegs 42 being snap-fits in the recesses 66 to hold the two half bodies in their first position.

The two half bodies 5, 6 are united by a steel pin 67 which is inserted by application of a considerable pressure into the circular cylindrical bore which is formed by the tubular portions 11, 49 when they are axially aligned when the two half bodies 5, 6 are assembled.

The pin 67 has annular ribs 68 which grip the sides of the bore after insertion and resist removal of the pin. The lengths of the tubular portions 11, 29 are chosen such that a clearance of about 1/16 inch exists between their adjacent ends in the assembled instrument.

When the two half bodies are assembled in this way to form the complete instrument body, the two half bodies 5, 6 can be pivoted into their first position in which the inner side faces 13, 51 of the first and third quarter bodies 10, 48 are in face-to-face relationship with each other and the inner side faces 19, 57 of the second and fourth quarter bodies 12, 50 are similarly positioned. The instrument body is retained in this position by the snapfit engagement of the pegs 42 of the first and second quarter bodies 10, 12 in the recesses 66 of the third and fourth quarter bodies 48, 50.The instrument body now has an overall cuboid shape and can be used in the conventional manner as a spirit level: the surface formed by the outer side faces 20, 52 of the second and third quarter bodies 12, 48 forming a working surface which can be orientated in a vertical plane, in a plane inclined at 45" to the vertical or in a horizontal plane by use of the first, second or third spirit level device.

By pivotation of the two half bodies 5, 6 relative to each other, the instrument body can be extended into a cruciform shape in which the four quarter bodies 10, 12, 48, 50 extend in four directions orientated at 90" to each other, the inclinations of the inner end surfaces 16, 22, 54, 60 allowing this configuration to be adopted. In this configuration, the lower surfaces 18, 24, 56, 62 of the four quarter bodies form a working surface for the fourth spirit level device can be used to indicate the relationship between a plane defined by the working surface and a horizontal plane and thus to enable the working surface to be adjusted into a horizontal plane.

In a modified version of the device, the fourth spirit level device can be selectively adjustable relative to the body of the instrument to one of a series of predetermined inclinations and, in this way, the surface with which the lower surfaces of the four limbs of the cruciform shape are in contact and can be set to a preselected slope to the horizontal in a particular direction.

The same facility can be provided by pro viding at least two of the lower surfaces 18, 24, 56, 62 of the quarter bodies 10, 12, 48, 50, with adjustable feet or other portions which themselves provide the working surface for the fourth spirit level device. These adjustable feet, or the spirit level device of the first modification, can be provided with click-stop means defining a series of different angles of slope.

By way of further modification, the hinge pin 67 may be replaced by an integrally-moulded portion of one of the two half bodies, which portion is received in the tubular bore of the other portion. In a modification of this arrangement, the integral pin portion may itself have a cylindrical bore which receives a further, inner integral pin portion of the other half body. In this way, the hinge comprises two snugly inter-fitting circular cylindrical walls of the respective half bodies and a central solid cylindrical core formed on one of the half bodies. By way of further modification, each half body may provide two or more similarlyinterfitting cylindrical walls. Respective half bodies of these types can be formed successively in the same mould with only minor modification thereof between the respective moulding steps.

The instrument shown in Figs. 4 to 8 is a modified version of the instrument of Figs. 1 to 3. The instrument has a first half body, providing first and second quarter bodies 110, 112, a second half body, providing third and fourth quarter bodies 148, 150, first, second and third unidirectional spirit level devices 127, 133, 137 and a fourth, bidirectional spirit level device 143 It should be noted that the instrument differs from that of Figs. 1 to 3 in that the first and second spirit level devices 127, 133 are mounted on the fourth and third quarter bodies 150, 148 respectively.

The two half bodies are pivotally connected for movement between the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and a cruciform configuration in which the first and second quarter bodies 110, 112 have been rotated through 90 relative to the position of Figs. 4 and 5. The instrument can therefore be used in an identical manner to the instrument of Figs. 1 to 3.

The third spirit level device 137 forms part of an elongate module 170 which is secured in a complementary-shaped recess in the fourth quarter body 150 by a screw 172. The module 170 is removable from the quarter body 150 to allow relative pivoting movement of the half bodies to take place.

To secure the half bodies in their cruciform configuration, the third quarter body 148 is formed with a projecting tab 174 which is a snap fit in a recess 175 in the third quarter body 112 when the cruciform configuration has been adopted.

One of the first and second spirit level devices 127, 133 is as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Here, the device can be seen to comprise a body 176 of plastics material which incorporates the vial of the device and has a generally cylindrical shape which includes a pair of reslient, curved fingers 177, 178 which spring outwardly to retain the device in a respective one of two cylindrical sockets 179 formed in the third and fourth quarter bodies 148, 150. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the cylindrical socket of the third quarter body 148 is formed integrally with the quarter body 148 which, like the other quarter bodies 110, 112, 150, is formed as a hollow member and has an outer side face 152, an upper surface 155 and a lower surface 156.

Fig. 8 of the drawings shows how the two half bodies are pivotally interconnected. The first half body has a central tubular cylindrical portion 111 which has a circular inner end face 180 from which a first hollow cylindrical post 181 extends. This first post 181 is received in a second hollow cylindrical post 182 which extends from an inner circular end face 183 of a central cylindrical tubular portion 129 of the second half body 106, the circular end faces 180, 183 of the two central cylindrical portions 111, 129 being in contact with each other and the cylindrical posts 181, 182 lying within the central tubular portion 129 of the second half body 106. A self-tapping screw 184 is threaded into the cylindrical post 181 of the first half body and has its head extending over the end surface of the cylindrical post 182 of the second half body to secure the two half bodies together.

Fig. 8 shows a support pin 186 which forms part of an adjustable fourth spirit level device which may be included in the instrument described with reference to Figs. 4 to 8 and which is shown in more detail in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 shows that the support pin 186 has a rounded free end 187 which is received in a cup-shaped recess 188 in a body 189 of the fourth spirit level device 143. The body 189 incorporates the transparent vial of the spirit level device and has at each side a rib 190 which is engaged in one of a pair of diametrically-opposite slots each formed between a pair of spaced ribs 191 on the inner surfaces of the tubular portion 111. The body 189 is free to tilt in the tubular portion 111 about an axis extending perpendicularly to the plane of the paper on which Fig. 9 is drawn between a series of click-stop positions defined by cooperation between respective sets of teeth 192, 193 on the spirit level body 189 and the inner end surface 180 of the tubular portion 111, a suitable spring (not shown) retaining the body 189 in its selected position but allowing movement between the positions.

By virtue of the structure just described, the fourth spirit level device 143 is selectively adjustable relative to the body of the instrument to one of series of predetermined angles of inclination. The instrument can therefore be used to adjust the orientation of a surface, for example the upper surface of a paving stone, in order to provide a desired slope along the axis of the first half body, for example to allow run-off of rain water.

The range of relative positions of the spirit level device 143 and the first half body includes a zero position in which the spirit level device indicate a horizontal orientation. The device of Fig. 9, and also the unmodified device shown in Figs. 4 to 8, can thus be used in the same way as described above with reference to the device of Figs. 1 to 3.

The cross-sections of the quarter bodies of all the instruments described need not be rectangular and thus, by way of further modification, the instrument may be formed with quarter bodies of interfitting cross-sections such as two stepped or L-shaped cross-sections provided always that suitable working surfaces are present in both configurations of the instruments.

Claims

1. An instrument for use in indicating or adjusting the orientation of a surface with which it is placed in contact in use, the instrument comprising a body having thereon gravitationally-biassed means for indicating a relationship between the orientation of the body and a desired orientation thereof, the body having a first portion and a second, extension portion having respective working surface portions for contacting a surface the orientation of which is to be indicated or adjusted, the body portions being movable relative to each other between a first relative position in which they are adjacent each other and at least one second relative position in which the second portion extends from the first portion, the gravitationally-biassed means comprising means which indicate, in the second relative position of the body portions, the relationship between the orientation of a plane defined by the first and second working surface portions and a desired orientation of that plane.

2. An instrument according to claim 1, in which at least one working surface portion is movable relative to the other working surface portion and/or a body portion so that the orientation of the plane defined by the working surface portions relative to the gravitationallybiassed means can be selectively adjusted.

An instrument according to claim 1 or 2, in which the gravitationally-biassed means is movable relative to the instrument body so that the orientation of the plane defined by the first and second working surface portions relative to the gravitationally-biassed means can be selectively adjusted.

4. An instrument according to any preceding claim, in which the first and second body portions are pivotally-movable relative to each other.

5. An instrument according to claim 4, in which the body portions are connected by a pivot pin received in respective sockets in the body portions.

6. An instrument according to claim 4 or 5, in which the first and second body portions each comprise portions lying diagonally-opposite a central pivot, the body being cruciform in shape in the second relative position of the body portions.

7. An instrument according to claim 6, in which the working surface comprises surfaces of the four limbs of the cruciform shape when the body portions are in their second relative position.

8. An instrument according to any of claims 4 to 7, in which the gravitationallybiassed means comprises a bidirectional spirit level device located adjacent the point of pivotation of the body portions.

9. An instrument according to any preceding claim, in which the overall shape of the body in the first relative position of the body portions is parallelepiped.

10. An instrument according to any preceding claim, having interfitting formations on the first and second body portions, in order to maintain the portions in their first relative position.

11. An instrument according to any preceding claim, having a body comprising substantially identical first and second parts which constitute the first and second body portions.

12. An instrument according to any preceding claim, in which the gravitationally-biassed means comprise means which indicate, in the first relative position of the body portions, the relationship between the orientation of a line lying in a plane defined by a working surface of the body and a desired orientation of that line.

13. An instrument according to claim 12, in which the said working surface comprises the first and/or the second working surface portions.

14. An instrument according to claim 12 or 13, in which the gravitationally-biassed means is selectively adjustable to the said working surface so that the orientation of the said line relative to the gravitationally-biassed means can be selectively adjusted.

15. An instrument according to any of claims 12 to 14, in which the gravitationallybiassed means comprises a unidirectional spirit level device.

16. An instrument for use in indicating or adjusting the orientation of a surface, the instrument being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

17. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.