GB2525139A

GB2525139A - A Measuring and Making Tool

Info

Publication number: GB2525139A
Application number: GB1316428.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Thomas Beausire
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-09-14
Filing date: 2013-09-14
Publication date: 2015-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2033-09-14
Also published as: GB2525139B; GB201316428D0

Abstract

A measuring and marking tool 1 formed from two planar body portions 2,3 with a common edge 4 and arranged perpendicular to one another, an edge of oneplanar body portion furthest from the other body portion marked with a scale (5 figure 3) andthe planar body portion 2 also having a slot 6 aligned parallel to the common edge 4of the two body portions 2, 3. The other body portion 3 having a number of straight-sided channels 8 formed into it, perpendicular and extending inwards towards the common edge 4. There is also a centre line (9 figure 3) traversing the plane between the common side and opposing side. The slot 6 can also be marked with a scale (7 figure 3) and there can also be a further slot 11 equal in length and parallel to the first slot 6. The scales and slots allow the measuring and marking tool to be positioned on a door or drawerin such a way that the preferred location of screw holes for attaching handles can beeasily and repeatably found and marked on a number of similar drawer fronts andcupboard doors.

Description

A measuring and marking tool

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a measuring and marking tool. More particularly, the present invention relates to a measuring and marking tool for marking the positions for handles or fixtures onto surfaces. Even more particularly but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a measuring and marking tool for easily marking the positions for fixing handles to doors and drawers for standard-size doors and drawers in fitted kitchens or similar.

Background

When doors, drawers or similar are fitted when building or renovating a house, it is important that fixtures such as the handles, hinges, etc are fitted in the correct location. This is particularly important if the handle is of the bar' type, with two spaced apart fixing points joined by a bar that forms the portion of the handle that a user will grasp and pull in use. The two fixing points must be equally spaced from the edge of the door, and the body of the handle must be correctly vertically positioned.

Similarly, drawer handles must be correctly vertically positioned so that they are both horizontally aligned, and at the correct height on the drawer. This is particularly important where a number of drawers and doors are used in the same room, for example when a new kitchen is fitted, with multiple cupboard doors and drawers, all of which need to be uniform.

Prior Art

Accordingly a number of patent applications have been filed in an attempt to resolve the problem or similar, including the following: W02008121052 describes and shows a drill template intended to be used for the drilling of holes for fittings (hardware) and the like in both cabinet doors and the front of drawers, consisting of a template and at least one to and from the template attachable and detachable movable appendage. The template consists of a plate which is along at least one of its long sides equipped with a protruding rib (spine) and that the plate is equipped with at least two holes, intended to be used for drilling a pair of holes for fittings such as handles, and at least one hole intended to be used for drilling holes for fittings such as knobs which require only one drilled hole. The attachable and detachable movable appendage is designed to be positioned in predetermined positions along the template's length by the appendage being attached to the essentially perpendicular tracks in the plate.

W02006103482 describes and shows a universal device for marking out and preparing bores or places of screws, primarily for handles and other fittings to be mounted on doors of pieces of furniture. The metal sleeves determine the bore centres are set by means of the rotatable disk, the adjustable stop forks and the wandering stops accommodated in the frame to their accurate positions.

US6394713 describes and shows a drill guide apparatus for guiding a drill bit along a path that is axially aligned with an edge of a piece of material being drilled. The drill guide apparatus includes a guide block and a base block for guiding the drill bit along the path. The guide block includes a guide bore extending through an upper and lower surface of the guide block. The base block is provided for moving along an edge of the work piece. The base block is mounted on the guide block to set a distance between said guide bore and said base block for establishing a separation between said path and the edge of the work piece.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a measuring and marking tool which goes some way to overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public or industry with a useful choice.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, in a first aspect the present invention comprises a measuring and marking tool comprising: a first planar body portion having a first end, a second opposed end, and sides extending therebetween; a second planar body portion, connected to the first planar body portion along a common side, in which the first and second planar body portions are arranged such that plane of the first planar body extends substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the second planar body portion; and in which a side of the first planar body portion located furthest from the second body portion is marked with a first scale extending along at least part of the length of said side, in which said first scale extends from the corner of a first end of the first planar body portion, and in which the first planar body portion comprises a centreline extending in a transverse direction between the common side and opposed side of the first planar body portion and located substantially equidistant from the first and second ends; and in which the first planar body portion provides at least one elongate slot arranged to extend parallel to the common side, and in which at least one part of the slot is marked with a slot scale, the slot being arranged to extend perpendicularly across the first planar body portion's centreline; the second planar body portion further comprising a plurality of straight-sided channels formed perpendicular to the common side and extending inwardly towards the common side.

The scales and slots allow the measuring and marking tool to be positioned on a door or drawer in such a way that the preferred location of screw holes for attaching handles can be easily and repeatedly found and marked on a number of similar drawer fronts and cupboard doors.

Preferably the scale on the slot extends outwards in each direction from the centre line. This allows hole position to be accurately marked each side of a centre line so that the fixing points of a handle with two fixing points can be easily found and marked.

Preferably the channels are formed in the second planar body portion at fixed and/or uniform intervals from the centreline to extend towards an end of the tool. Preferably the channels are formed from a first channel aligned with the centreline, at intervals towards the first end. This allows positioning marks to be found and the centre easily found for standard drawer widths.

Preferably the first planar body further has a second scale extending along at least part of the length of the side of the first planar body portion located furthest from the second body portion. The scale is preferably arranged to extend from the corner of the second end of the first planar body portion. This allows the top or bottom position for a door handle to be easily located from the top or bottom edge of a door.

Preferably the centreline is marked across substantially the whole width of the first and second body portions. This allows marking relating to the centreline to be easily located and marked in use. The second planar body portion may have a first end, a second opposed end, and sides extending therebetween. The second planar body may comprise a centreline extending in a transverse direction between the common side and opposed side of the second planar body portion and located substantially equidistant from the first and second ends of the second planar body portion.Preferably the first planar body portion further has a second slot arranged to extend parallel to the first slot and extending from each side of the first planar body portion.

Preferably the slots are the same length and have ends common distances from the centreline.

Preferably the inner ends of the first and second scales align with the ends of the slots.

Preferably at least the first body portion is formed from a transparent material. This allows a user to view the door or drawer, or other item through the tool and to see any previous marks that have been made, or other salient features of relevance.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realised that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as set out in the accompanying claims.

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of a measuring and marking tool according to an embodiment of the invention from the right.

Figure 2 shows a rear perspective view of a measuring and marking tool according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a front perspective view of a measuring and marking tool according to an embodiment of the invention from the left.

Figure 4 shows a front perspective view of a measuring and marking tool according to an embodiment of the invention from the right.

Detailed Description

The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the figures.

A measuring and marking toot 1 is shown in basic outline in figures 1 and 2. The toot 1 is formed from a first substantially rectangular planar body portion 2 and a second substantially rectangular planar body portion 3. The two body portions 2, 3 are connected to each other along a common side 4 so that the second planar body portion 3 extends substantially perpendicularly outwards from the first planar body portion 2. In the preferred embodiment, the body portions 2, 3 are elongate rectangles, and are connected along one of their longer edges, the longer edgo of each body portion the same length in the preferred embodiment. In the preferred embodiment, the two body portions are formed form a common material such as an acrylic plastic, bent through 90 degrees to form the common side. It is most preferred that the body portions 2, 3 are formed from a transparent material so that a user can view any salient markings or other features of interest through the bodies.

The first body portion 2 is substantially wider than the second body portion 3. The preferred sizes will be discussed in detail below. The body portions are divided into two halves by a centreline 9 which is perpendicular to the common side. The centreline 9 is marked across substantially the whole width of the first and second body portions 2, 3.

The opposite edge of the first body portion 2 -the longer edge furthest from the common side -is marked with a first scale 5. The first scale 5 extends from the corner inwards along the edge towards the centre. The body portion 2 also has an elongate slot 6 which is aligned parallel to the common side 4. The slot 6 is, in the preferred embodiment, substantially centrally aligned and extends perpendicularly across the centreline of the first planar body portion 2. At least one side or long edge of the slot 6 is marked with a slot scale 7. In the preferred embodiment, the scale is marked from zero at the centre line and extends outwards in each direction from the centre line.

The second planar body portion 3 has a plurality of open-ended, straight-sided channels 8 formed perpendicular to the common side 4, extending inwards from the outer edge, or that edge furthest from the common side inwards towards the common side 4. A central channel Ba is aligned with the centre line, and the remaining channels are formed at the same fixed intervals from the centreline to extend towards the same end of the tool as the first scale 5.

In the most preferred embodiment, the tool 1 has a second scale 10 on the first body portion 2 along the same edge as the first scale 5, but at the opposite end of the first body portion 2.

In the most preferred embodiment, the first body portion 2 also has a second slot 11, arranged in parallel with the first slot and as for the first slot 6 extending from each side of the centreline 9. The slots 6, 11 are arranged so that the first slot 6 is between the second slot 11 and the common side 4. It is most preferred that the slots have ends that are common distances from the centreline, so that the slots are the same length and also aligned. It is also most preferred that the inner ends of the first and second scales 5, 10 align with the ends of the slots 6, 11.

It is normal for drawers and cupboard doors in filled kitchens to be of standardised sizes, as countertops and similar will always be the same or similar distances from the floor. The tool 1 can therefore be of a standardised size, having an overall length of 30cm, each of the slots 6, 11 of 20cm overall length and each extending 10cm from the centre line, each scale 5, 10 five centimetres long The second scale is, in this standardised embodiment, 75mm from the common side, with the overall width of the first body portion I being 10cm, and that of the second body portion around 20mm. The slots are spaced at 10cm intervals from the centreline 9.

In use, a user places the tool 1 against the side of a door on which they wish to mark the location of points for the drilling of holes, with the first body portion 2 aligned towards them (between them and the door) and the second body portion 3 along the right-hand edge of the door (for right-handed doors). The top edge of the door and the edge of the tool I are aligned so that a user can use the first scale 5 to mark along the edge of the door to the. point at which they wish to locate the handle for the door, or the upper one of the fixing points for the handle. A user can then use the scales in the slots to mark other locations vertically for the handle or other door accessories. The tool I can be rotated through 180 degrees for use on left-handed doors.

For marking drawer handies or similar, the tool 1 is positioned aligned with the left-hand edge of the front face of the drawer. Drawers come in standard sizes of 30, 40 50, or 60cm width. For a drawer 60cm wide, the user will use the outermost slot to mark a midway point, then sliding the template to the right until the centreline 9 aligns with this mark. As most drawers have a depth of 150mm, and the second slot 11 is positioned 75mm from the common side 4, the second slot can be used to mark a pair of mid-height positions equally spaced from the centreline of the drawer.

Claims

Claims 1. A measuring and marking tool comprising: a first planar body portion having a first end, a second opposed end, and sides extending therebetween; a second planar body portion, connected to the first planar body portion along a common side, in which the first and second planar body portions are arranged such that plane of the first planar body extends substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the second planar body portion; and in which a side of the first planar body portion located furthest from the second body portion is marked with a first scale extending along at least part of the length of said side, in which said first scale extends from the corner of a first end of the first planar body portion, and in which the first planar body portion comprises a centreline extending in a transverse direction between the common side and opposed side of the first planar body portion and located substantially equidistant from the first and second ends; and in which the first planar body portion provides at least one elongate slot arranged to extend parallel to the common side, and in which at least one part of the slot is marked with a slot scale, the slot being arranged to extend perpendicularly across the first planar body portion's centreline; the second planar body portion further comprising a plurality of straight-sided channels formed perpendicular to the common side and extending inwardly towards the common side.
2. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the scale on the slot is arranged to extend outwardly in each direction from the centre line.
3. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in claim I or claim 2 wherein the channels are formed in the second planar body portion at fixed intervals from the centreline to extend towards an end of the tool.
4. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein the channels are formed from a first channel aligned with the centreline, at intervals towards the first end.
5. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in any one of claims ito 4 wherein the first planar body further has a second scale along at least part of the length that edge of the first planar body portion furthest from the second body portion, the scale extending from the corner of the second end of the first planar body portion.
6. A measuring and marking toot as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the centreline is marked across substantially the whole width of the first and second body portions.
7. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in any one of claims Ito 6 wherein the first planar body portion further has a second slot, arranged in parallel with the first slot and extending from each side of the first planar body portion.
8. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in claim 7 wherein the slots are the same length and have ends common distances from the centreline.
9. A measuring and marking toot as claimed in claim 8 wherein the inner ends of the first and second scales align with the ends of the slots.
10. A measuring and marking tool as claimed in any one of claims Ito 9 wherein at least the first body portion is formed from a transparent material.