US2954610A

US2954610A - Lettering device

Info

Publication number: US2954610A
Application number: US675318A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frederick G Busch
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-07-31
Filing date: 1957-07-31
Publication date: 1960-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 1977-10-04

Description

Oct. 4, 1960 F. G. BUSCH 2,954,610

LETTERING DEVICE Filed July 31, 1957 F/EZ F/LI 4 FIEiEITIMHNU QEEUEFEX V2 23455 7550 mm mm:

ahcde acds MY E Z 5 3 29 2.9 Z5 Z5 5 3 FIG. 5

//7VE/77Z7A FEEDER/Eff 6: 51/5571 EH ATT RNE S- United States Patent LETTERING DEVICE Frederick G. Busch, 51 Mount Hope Ave, Providence, RI.

Filed July 31, 1957, Ser. No. 675,318

3 Claims. (Cl. 33-95) This invention relates to a lettering device for use in making letter and numeral characters.

Good lettering is an art which requires considerable skill which is acquired in most instances by much practice. Many lettering devices have been proposed, the use of which has allowed the unskilled to make good lettering.

An object of the present invention is to improve generally on devices of the above character.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a lettering device for making letters of various sizes, each proportional to the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lettering device in which a predetermined spacing between letters may be carried out proportionally for spacing letters of various sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lettering device of a simple construction and adapted for use by the most unskilled.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a lettering device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevational view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a lettering device of a slightly modified construction from that shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is an edge elevational view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but with the parts assembled in a ditferent way;

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the development of a character of the alphabet by the use of the device of Fig. 1; and

"Fig. 6 illustrates various styles of letter and numeral characters which may be made with the use of the devices of Figs. 1 and 3. Y

The lettering device 10 shown in Fig. l is particularly adapted for making vertical lettering and numerals. The device comprises two thin

transparent plates

11 and 12 which are made of suitable sheet material severed to the shape shown. These are superimposed one upon the other flatwise and are provided with

cooperating edge surfaces

13, 14 and 15, 16 respectively, whichform generally a quadrilateral and more specifically in the illustrated embodiment a rectangular opening 17, the edges of which form guides against which the pointed end of a marking instrument may engage to draw the branches of letters or numerals.

The

plates

11 and 12 are detachably held in any of a plurality of adjusted relations by any suitable manner, as by way of example, dabs 18 of a reuseable adhesive positioned on one or the other of said plates to be engaged by the other plate. The plate 11 is generally L-shape and has parallel extending bottom and

top edges

19, 20 and parallel extending

side edges

21 and 22 which extend at obtuse angles with the

edges

19 and 20 respectively. The edges -13 and 14 extend at right angles to each other and inwardly from the

edges

20 and 21 re- 2,954,610 Patented Oct. 4, 1960 spectively, and the edge 13 is parallel to the bottom edge or base 19. The plate 12 is of a general inverted L-shape having

side edges

23, 24 which extend parallel to each other and with

edges

21, 22 which they overlie in flush relation therewith. The plate 12 has an edge surface 25 which is angularly related to the edge 23 for the purpose to be hereinafter described.

From the above description it will be apparent that the size of opening 17 may be changed by sliding the plates relative to each other. Thus, moving the plate 12 toward the edge 20 of plate 11 will increase the size of opening 17 and moving plate 12 toward the base 19 will decrease the size of opening 17. The

edges

21, 22 are made to extend parallel with the diagonal D of the opening 17. Now, if a line H is projected from the base 19 at right angles thereto to intersect side 22, a triangle is formed which has a side D parallel to the diagonal D, a side W parallel to the side W of opening 17 and a side H parallel to side H of opening 17. Thus, the angles included between similar adjacent sides of each triangle thus formed are equal to each other. to geometry, two mutually equiangular triangles are similar. If two triangles have their sides respectively proportional, they are similar. Thus, triangle H, W, D is similar and proportional to triangle H, W, D. Any size triangle H, W, D made by sliding the

plates

11 and 12 relative to each other while maintaining the alignment of

edges

21, 23 and 22, 24 respectively will be similar and proportional to triangle H, W, D. It is known that the diagonal of a parallelogram divides the figure into equal triangles, thus the triangle h, w, d equals triangle H, W, D and it follows that any size opening 17 which may be made by sliding the

plates

11 and 12 along each other while maintaining the alignment of edges 21,

23 and 22, 24 respectively, will be proportional to another opening. Moreover, it will be apparent that an is held against a straight edge and along which it may be t slid. The pointed end of a marking instrument such as a pencil or a pen is drawn along the sides of the opening 17 to draw the branches of the particular letter to be For example, let it be assumed that the letter A The pencil or pen is drawn.)

made. is to 'be made (seeFig. 5). along the vertical sides of opening 17 so as to draw the upright branch 28 of the letter, and across the upper side to connect the said upright branches with the bridge 29. The pencil or pen may now be engaged with the left vertical side of opening 17, as at 30, and the device slid toward the right to carry the point of the instrument from the left branch 28 to draw a line 31 to connect with the right branch 28 and complete the letter A. The device is next moved along the straight edge toward the right so as to position the opening 17 for the next letter to be made.

In order to provide for equal spacing between letters and for said spacing to be proportional for each size of letter made, score lines such as 32 are made on plate 11. This line 32 extends from the junction of edges 13 and 14 to the upper edge 20 of the plate on an angle such that when the size of opening 17 is at maximum, the distance of the spacing between edge 14 and said score line 32 at edge 16 will be the distance of the desired spacing for the largest size letters or numerals made with the device. A similar score line 34 is made on the plate 12 which leads from the junction of edges 15, 16 thereof toward the lower side of the plate, this score line extending par- According t allelto score line 32. It will be seen that the score line 32 forms with the edges 14 and 20 a right triangle whose apex is at the junction of the edges 13 and 14. Since edges 16 and 20 are parallel to each other, a line drawn along edge 16 from edge 14 to line 32 will be parallel, to edge2t). It may be proven by geometry that every line parallel to edge 20 and extending from the edge 14 to score line 32 will be proportional in length. The score line 34 being similar, the same condition holds therefor. In the use of the spacer lines 32, 34 (see the right-hand figure of Fig. the device is slid along the straight edge (not shown) to bring line 32 at the location crossed by edge 16, in registry with the upper right-hand corner of the letter made as at 35. This will locate the opening 17 at the proper distance from the particular size of the last letter made. The score line 32 is employed when making letters from left to right and the score line 34 is employed when lettering from right to left. The

edges

25 and 22 are employed to guide the marking instrument in drawing the slanted branch portion of letters such as N, K, W, etc.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a device which is similar in every particular to that shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the instrument guiding edges of the quadrilateral opening are arranged so as to produce slanted lettering, like parts being indicated with like but primed numerals.

It may now be apparent that I have disclosed a lettering device in which a quadrilateral opening is formed of any of a multiplicity of sizes each proportional to the other in which the side of the opening provides guide edges for drawing letters or numerals. It will also be apparent that the angle of slant of the

edges

21, 22 and 23, 24 will govern the relative proportion between the height and width of the opening 17. Thus, the more acute the angle of slant, the greater height to width of opening. For example, when said edges slant at 45, the opening will have equal sides. Accordingly, any angle up to 90 may be chosen so as to provide the desired proportion between height arid width of letters. It will also be apparent that disregarding the alignment of

edges

21, 22 and 23, 24, the plates may be adjusted to make letters having other proportions in Width and height.

As previously mentioned the plates are superimposed one on the other. However, in some instances, it may be desirable to position one leg of the plate 12 on one side of the plate 11 and the other leg of the plate 12 on the other side of the plate 11 as shown in Fig. 4.

It will also be apparent that in certain instances the user may wish to produce a lettering style such as a compressed or expanded lettering. This may be accomplished in any given device by disregarding the alignment of the

sides

21, 23 and 22, 24 and merely sliding the plates relative to each other and maintaining parallelism of said sides. In some instances, it may be desired to provide .4 for a'wider spacing between letters than that provided for by

lines

32, 34. Accordingly, additional score lines 32", 34" may be added to provide for the Wider spacing between letters.

I claim:

*1. A lettering device comprising two thin transparent generally L-shaped plates super-imposed one on the other flatwise in adjusted position, each of said plates having adjacent edge surfaces extending inwardly from outer edges of said plates and, with the adjacent edge surfaces on one plate being oppositely disposed to the said adjacent edge surfaces of the other plate and co-operating therewith to form a quadrilateral opening, the opposite of said edge surfaces extending parallel with each other, each of said plates having a third edge adapted to be aligned flush with each other and extending parallel to a diagonal of said opening, said plates being adapted to be adjustably positioned one on the other with said third edges extending flush with each other whereby to proportionally increase or decrease the size of said opening, and adhesive means for holding said plates together in adjusted relation.

2. In a lettering device as set forth in claim 1 wherein score lines are provided for indicating the spacing between letters formed with the aid of said device, said score lines radiating from the left bottom and right top corners of said opening.

3. A lettering device comprising two thin plates of general L-shape superimposed one on the other in adjusted position, one of said plates having a base adapted to slide along a straight edge, each of said plates having edge surfaces at right angles to one another and extending inwardly from outer edges thereof, each of the edge surfaces on one of the plates being adjacent to a corresponding edge surface on the other plate, one of said adjacent edge surfaces extending parallel to said base, corresponding edge surfaces on the plates being parallel and oppositely disposed and cooperating to form a quadrilateral opening, said plates having an edge thereon aligned flush with each other and extending parallel to a diagonal of said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 177,120 Harvey May 9, 1876 2,115,448 Pradt Apr. 26, 1938 2,161,236 Shaw June 6, 1939 2,221,609 Sanger Nov. 12, 1940 2,246,920 Kromholz June. 24, 1941 2,560,937 Ens July 17, 1951 2,702,944 Lane et a1. Mar. 1, 1955 2,720,706 Laine Oct. 18, 1955 most... F-