US3085465A

US3085465A - Hand level with mirror

Info

Publication number: US3085465A
Application number: US810145A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elwin W Davis
Original assignee: C L BERGER AND SONS Inc
Current assignee: C L BERGER AND SONS Inc
Priority date: 1959-04-30
Filing date: 1959-04-30
Publication date: 1963-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1980-04-16

Description

April 16 1963 E. w. DAVIS HAND LEVEL WITH MIRROR Filed April 50, 1959 3,685,465 HAND LEVEL WITH MIRROR Elwin W. Davis, Wakefield, Mass, assignor to C. L. Berger & Sons, Inc., Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 810,145 2 Claims. (Cl. 88-23) This invention relates generally to surveying and more particularly to an improved hand level.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of hand level construction which is easy to use and accurate.

Another object herein is to provide a hand level in which no lenses are required. A bubble tube and mirror afford simultaneous viewing of the sighting point, plane objective and bubble.

A still further object lies in the provision of structure of the class described which is rugged so as to withstand rough usage, and which is compact and convenient to use.

A feature of the invention is that it may be used as a surface level.

Another feature of the invention is that the level may be easily placed within the users pocket and clipped thereto, preventing accidental loss.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages will more fully appear in the progress of this disclosure and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view as seen from the plane 22 on FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view as seen from the left of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a rear elevational view as seen from the right of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view as seen from the plane 6-6 on FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view in perspective.

In accordance with the invention, the device, generally indicated by reference character 10, comprises, broadly: a body element 12, a reflector element 14, a leveling element 16, reflector element adjusting means 18, a sighting window element 20, a clip element 22, and a viewing orificed element 24.

The body element 12 is preferably a casting of light durable metal, such as magnesium or aluminum and is of irregular configuration best seen in FIGURES 2 and 6 of the drawings. The body element is of generally hollow shape having a top wall 26, a bottom wall 28,

side walls

30 and 32, a rear wall 34.

The top wall 26 is relatively thick and has a front opening bore 36 which is of a size suflicient to receive the leveling element 16. The wall 26 has a top elongated opening 38 which is of sufficient size to enable the user to see the element 16 when viewed from above, and which also admits light so that the bubble 17 may be clearly seen as reflected from the element 14 through the aperture 25. The under surface 27 of top wall 26 is open at 39 below the element 16, and said under surface has a pair of spaced dependent ribs 40 which guide and laterally support the upper end of the reflector element 14.

The top wall 26 and the

side walls

30 and 32 project forward beyond the sighting window element 20 to form the hood member 42 which physically protects the window element 20 and also acts as a shade. The clip element 22 is secured to the top wall 26 in a suitable manner ice as by means of the rivets 44. The clip element is preferably formed from resilient planar material, and has an elongated orifice 23 which generally coincides with the opening 38 to enable viewing the element 16 from above and to illuminate the said element.

The bottom wall 28 preferably has a flat upper surface with a pair of upwardly projecting ribs 41 which guide and laterally support the lower portion of the reflector element 14. The bottom wall 28 on the lower surface thereof is provided with a front pad 45 and a rear pad 46, the height of which is such that when resting on a level surface 50, the leveling element 16 will be level. The bottom wall 28 has an elongated slot and recess 47 for receiving the adjusting means 18.

The rear wall 34 is provided with a hole 52 into which the orificed member 24 is a frictional or snap fit. The orificed member 24 has a body 53 in which the aperture 25 is located on the principal horizontal optical axis of the device 10. The member 24 is maintained in position by a plurality of resilient fingers 54 which engage the inner surface of the border of the hole 52. The fingers in their normal unstressed condition radiate outwardly so that when the member 24 is in place, said fingers 54 maintain a constant outward pressure against the inner surface of the border of the hole 52.

In the forward portion thereof, the body element 12 is provided with a top shoulder 56 and side shoulders 57 against which the inner surface of the sighting window element 20 rests, said element being suitably secured in place, for example, by cement 59.

The leveling element 16 is preferably a bubble vial well known in the art, and it is secured in place preferably by cement 60. The size of the bubble 17 is correlated to the distance between the lines 62 on the clip element 22, and the lines 63 on the sighting wind-ow element 20. Line 64 is the horizontal center line on the window element 20'.

The reflector element 14 is preferably formed from a bent strip of metal, such as, brightly polished brass chrome plated, brightly polished stainless steel, or bright- 1y polished aluminum. The upper rear surface 65 therefor, forms a mirror from which an image of the bubble 17 is reflected toward the aperture 25. The base 66 of the element 14 is provided with a threaded orifice 67 which is engaged by the screw 68. Tightening the screw 68 clamps the element 14 at the optimum position thereof. When the screw is loosened, adjustment can be made since then the element 14 may be shifted longitudinally of the device.

The sighting window element 20 is provided with a mask 21. This may be a separate piece of opaque material, but is preferably an opaque coating obtained by roughening the front surface of the element 20 and applying an opaque layer of enamel paint or the like. Another Way of producing this structure is to have the central portion of the element 20 depressed so as to be clear glass while the surrounding masking area is raised and sandblasted to be opaque. The stadia lines (

lines

63, 64 and 61) being depressed into the front surface of the glass.

In actual use, it is preferable that the interspacing of the lines 63 be substantitially equal to or slightly greater than the length of the bubble in the bubble vial.

It may thus be seen that there has been provided a novel and useful hand level construction which although capable of mass production provides a high degree of accuracy. In use, the user may draw a sight on some predetermined point viewing the same through the aperture 25 and the window 26. At the same time, the device 10 may be brought to a level condition so that the image of the bubble 17 as reflected by the mirror surface 65 coincides with the image which the user sees at either side of the mirror. The stadia lines assist in making calculations and changes.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art to which the present invention relates.

I claim:

1. In a hand level, a hollow body element having a top wall, there being an opening in said top wall, a clip element secured to said top wall of said body element, a reflector element within said body element, a slighting Window element at the front of the body element, a viewing orificed member at the rear of said body element, and forming with said sighting window a principal sighting axis, a leveling element having a bubble and connected to said top wall of said body element, said leveling element being disposed out of teh principal sighting axis, and being visible by reflection through said viewing orificed member and also visible through said top opening, said clip element having an orifice corresponding with said top opening and through which said leveling element is visible from above said level, said reflector element being narrower than said sighting window element, so that said reflector element reflects an image of said bubble and only partially obstructs the passage of light through said slighting window element and along said principal sighting axis, said body element having a downwardly facing surface lying in a plane parallel to said principal sighting axis, first level indicating lines disposed on said sighting window and viewable along said principal sighting axis, and second level indicating lines disposed on said body element above said leveling element; whereby said level may be selectively used as a sighting level and a fixed surface measuring level.

2. In a hand level, a hollow body element having a top wall, there being an opening in said top wall, a clip element secured to said top wall of said body element, a reflector element within, said body element, a sighting window element at the front of the body element, a viewing orificed member at the rear of said body element,

and forming with said sighting window a principal sighting axis, a leveling element having a bubble and connected to said top Wall of said body element, said leveling element being disposed out of the principal sighting axis, and being visible by reflection through said viewing orificed member and also visible through said top opening, said clip element having an orifice corresponding with said top opening and through which said leveling element is visible from above said level, said reflector element being narrower than said sighting window element, so that said reflector element reflects an image of said bubble and only partially obstructs the passage of light through said sighting window element and along said principal sighting axis, said body element having a downwardly facing surface lying in a plane parallel to said principal sighting axis, first level indicating lines disposed on said sighting window and viewable along said principal sighting axis, and second level indicating lines disposed on said clip element adjacent the opening therein and above said leveling element; whereby said level may be selectively used as a sighting level and a fixed surface measuring level.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,477 Locke July 2, 1850 54,698 Davidson May 15, 1866 303,269 Dunham Aug. 12, 1884 360,805 Gurley Apr. 5, 1887 518,678 Paoli Apr. 24, 1894 887,256 Konig May 12, 1908 1,086,124 Beebe Feb. 3, 1914 1,682,034 Burnister Aug, 28, 1928 1,696,508 Thorborn Dec. 25, 1928 1,714,827 Torka et al. May 28, 1929 1,799,801 Langsner Apr. 7, 1931 2,731,873 Churgin et al. Jan. 24, 1956 2,780,960 Miller Feb, 12, 1957

Claims

1. IN A HAND LEVEL, A HOLLOW BODY ELEMENT HAVING A TOP WALL, THERE BEING AN OPENING IN SAID TOP WALL, A CLIP ELEMENT SECURED TO SAID TOP WALL OF SAID BODY ELEMENT, A REFLECTOR ELEMENT WITHIN SAID BODY ELEMENT, A SLIGHTING WINDOW ELEMENT AT THE FRONT OF THE BODY ELEMENT, A VIEWING PRIFICED MEMBER AT THE REAR OF SAID BODY ELEMENT, AND FORMING WITH SAID SIGHTING WINDOW A PRINCIPAL SIGHTING AXIS, A LEVELING ELEMENT HAVING A BUBBLE AND CONNECTED TO SAID TOP WALL OF SAID BODY ELEMENT, SAID LEVELING ELEMENT BEING DISPOSED OUT OF THE PRINCIPAL SIGHTING AXIS, AND BEING VISIBLE BY REFLECTION THROUGH SAID VIEWING ORIFICED MEMBER AND ALSO VISIBLE THROUGH SAID TOP OPENING, SAID CLIP ELEMENT HAVING AN ORIFICE CORRESPONDING WITH SAID TOP OPENING AND THROUGH WHICH SAID LEVELING ELEMENT IS VISIBLE FROM ABOVE SAID LEVEL, SAID REFLECTOR ELEMENT BEING NARROWER THAN SAID SIGHTING WINDOW ELEMENT, SO THAT SAID REFLECTOR ELEMENT REFLECTS AN IMAGE OF SAID BUBBLE AND ONLY PARTIALLY OBSTRUCTS THE PASSAGE OF LIGHT THROUGH SAID SLIGHTING WINDOW ELEMENT AND ALONG SAID PRINCIPAL SIGHTING AXIS, SAID BODY ELEMENT HAVING A DOWNWARDLY FACING SURFACE LYING IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID PRINCIPAL SIGHTING AXIS, FIRST LEVEL INDICATING LINES DISPOSED ON SAID SIGHTING WINDOW AND VIEWABLE ALONG SAID PRINCIPAL SIGHTING AXIS, AND SECOND LEVEL INDICATING LINES DISPOSED ON SAID BODY ELEMENT ABOVE SAID LEVELING ELEMENT; WHEREBY SAID LEVEL MAY BE SELECTIVELY USED AS A SIGHTING LEVEL AND A FIXED SURFACE MEASURING LEVEL.