US3298104A

US3298104A - Geometric design instrument

Info

Publication number: US3298104A
Application number: US503458A
Authority: US
Inventors: Smith Dan Vernon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-23
Filing date: 1965-10-23
Publication date: 1967-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-17

Description

Jan. 17, E967 D. v. swam GEOMETRIC DESIGN INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 25, 1965 @5 mnrm HHH II IIIHI mlym 2Q' INVENTQR United States Patent O 3,298,104 GEOMETRIC DESIGN INSTRUMENT Dan Vernon Smith, 210-03 43rd St., Bayside, N.Y. 11361 Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,458 1 Claim. (cl. .s3- 27) This invention relates to geometric scribing machines and in particular to devices for moving a pen, pencil, stylus, cutting element or other suitable marker for scribing a great variety of patterns having repeating curves of selectively varying radii. Such devices can advantageously be employed as educational toys for children. i Geometric scribing machines which are useful as toys have been known in the prior art. However, they have generally had the inherent disadvantages of complexity, of difliculty of manufacture, of producing limited variety of patterns, of requiring drawing paper of special shapes and/or of susceptibility to damage when handled and used by children. This invention is directed to avoiding the shortcomings of such prior art devices.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved geometric scribing machine having improved -capacity for providing a great Variety of -patterns by simple adjustments which determine the change of patterns.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved geometric scribing machine which is simple to manufacture and is capable of withstanding rough and abusive handling by children.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved geometric scribing machine consisting of five major components, each of which can be manufactured in mass production as molded plastic parts.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate belts and the like in the driving transmission of the components of the device so as to avoid faulty patterns caused by slippage f the various rotating parts relative to each Other.

Still another object of the invention is to .provide an improved geometric scribing machine having only intermeshing gear teeth for driving all rotating elements.

j According to the invention there is provided a geometric scribing machine which comprises a base member; a rotatable table -having gear teeth integral therewith along its periphery and pivoted to the base member, such rotatable table having a recess in a central portion thereof adopted to receive a rectangular sheet of paper; means securing t-he four corners of the sheet of paper to the rotatable table; a hand rotatable member having gear teeth integral therewith along its periphery and pivotably mounted to the base with its gear teeth in intermes-hing relationship with the gear teeth on `the rotatable table; a pattern' changing member pivoted to the base member and having gear teeth integral therewith which intermesh with the gear teeth on the rotatable table; a plurality of guide pins extending upwardly from the base member and spaced from each other along a curve, such pattern changing member having a plurality of radially spaced apertures in a plurality of radial patterns; and a bar member having a longitudinal slot at one end thereof which is engageable with a selected one of the plurality of guide pins, a fulcrum pin fixed at the other end thereof which is placeable in a selected one of the apertures of the pattern changing member, and means located at a central portion thereof for holding a marking means in contact with the sheet of paper.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be set forth or apparent in the following description and claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose by way of example and not by Way of limitation, in a limited number of embodiments, the principal of the 3 ,298,104 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 invention and structural implementations of the inventive concept.

In the drawings, in which like reference numbers designate like components in the several views:

FIG. l is a plan view of a geometric scribing machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the geometric scribing machine shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an end View of the geometric scribing machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the geometric scribing machine taken along line 4-4 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the base member and rotatable table of the geometric scribing machine shown in FIG. l along line 5-5.

As shown in FIG. l, a geometric scribing machine comprises ve main components: a base member 6, a rotatable table 7, a hand turnable member 9 which drives the rotatable table 7 and a pattern adjusting rotatable member 8 driven by the rotatable table 7.

As best showh in FIG. 4, the pattern adjustable member 8 has xed to it a journal or shaft member 21 at its center of rotation which cooperates with a bearing member 22 xed to the base 6. In a similar manner, the table 7 is rotatably carried by on base member 6 by 21 and 22 as shown in FIG. 5. Also, the hand turnable member 9 is rotatably carried a shaft 21 xed thereto and a bearing member (not shown but similar to 22 and 22') cooperating therewith and hxed to the base member 6. Alternatively, the

shaft members

21, 21 and 21" can be cast integrally with its associated

rotatable member

8, 7 0r `9 and the bearings rotatably supporting them, such as 22 and 22', can be simple apertures in the base member 6.

Rotatable member 9 has extending perpendicularly therefrom at a selected distance from its journal 21'l a crank pin 10 which is linger engageable by the operator to rotate member 9.

The hand turnable member 9 and the rotatable table 7 have integral therewith intermeshing

gear teeth

25 and 26 located at selected radii from 21' and 21', respectively. Pattern adjustable member 8 has gear teeth 27 integral therewith which intermesh with the gear teeth 2-6 of the rotatable table 7. Accordingly, the hand turnable member 9 drives the rotatable table 7 which in turn drives the.

pattern adjusting member 8,

members

9 and 7 turning in opposite directions and

members

7 and 8 turning in opposite directions. It is important to note that the three

members

7, 8 and 9 do not all turn in the same direction and vthat no slippage can occur between such three members as would be the case if the three members were driven by a belt member (which incidentally would drive the three members in the same direction in direct contradiction to the concept of the present invention).

Pattern changing rotatable member 8 has a first plurality of apertures 11 along one radial line, a second plurality of apertures 11 along another radial line, and still another plurality of apertures 11" along -a third radial line. Such radial lines need not be three in number and may be, but not necessarily, spaced at intervals when three radial lines are employed. While the plurality of

apertures

11, 11 and 11" in each of the three radial lines may all be spaced by a common distance, the innermost aperture of each of the

groups

11, 11' and 11" are spaced at different distances from the center of rotation of shaft 21. Accordingly, for the arrangement of

apertures

11, 11 and 11" shown in FIG. 1, a fulcrum pin 14 can be placed at any one of 21 different radii relative to the -center of rotation of member 8.

The fulcrum pin 14 is fixed to one end 13 of a marker carrying bar 12 having an elongated slot 17 at the other end thereof. Base member 6 has a shoulder portion 15 extending therefrom into which are fixed a plurality of guide pins 16 spaced along a curve. Preferably, the pins 16 are equally spaced along the arc of a circle. Any one of the guide pins 16 can be selected to engage and slide along the inside surfaces of slot 17 While the fulcrum pin 14 is selectively positioned in one of the

holes

11, 11 and 11". At a medial portion of bar member 12, there is provided a means to lhold and secure a marking pencil 18 or other marking devices such as a pen, stylus, etc., and advantageously, such holding means can be an aperture 19 having a diameter which is slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the marker 18.

Centrally, with respect to the shaft 21', there is provided a rectangular recess 28 in the rotatable table 7 for receiving a rectangular sheet of paper (not shown). So as to lhold down the four corners of the rectangular piece of paper, a portion 20 of the rotatable table 7 extends in the four corners of the recess 28 and spaced at selected distance from the bottom wall 28 of the recess 28 so as to receive and hold down the four corners of the rectangular sheet of paper.

The parameters of the marker 18, the shoulder 15, the fulcrum pin 14 and the pattern adjusting member 8 are selected so that the end of the marker 18 rests slightly but reliably upon t-he top surface of a sheet of paper placed in recess 28 and secured by corner members 20.

A tremendous variety of patterns will be scribed or traced out by the marker 18 when crank pin 10 is turned in dependence upon: (a) which of the 21

apertures

11, 11 and 11 that Aare chosen to engage the fulcrum pin 14 and (b) which of the guide pins 16 selected to engage the sides of longitudinal slot 17. Two choices of (a) and (b) are shown in FIG. l.

Advantageously, the entire device can be made of only ve parts, each of which can be readily molded of common plastics materials. One integral component can be

members

6, and 16, member 6 having aperture to receive

shafts

21, 21 and 21". Another integral component can be

members

9, 10, 21" and 25. A third integral member can be members 8 with

holes

11, 11 and 11, 21 and 27. A fourth integral member can be

members

7, 20, 21', 26 and 28. The remaining fifth integral member can be

members

12, 13, 14, 17 and 19.

While there has been described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated and its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of lthe invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is:

A geometric scribing machine which comprises a base member; a rotatable table having gear teeth integral therewith along its periphery and pivoted to said `base member, said rotatable table having a recess in a central portion thereof adapted to receive a rectangular sheet of paper; means for turning said table; a single pattern changing member pivoted to said base member and having gear teeth integral therewith which intermesh with the gear teeth on said rotatable table; said single pattern changing member having a plurality of radially spaced apertures along a plurality of discreet straight radial lines wherein all adjacent apertures along each radial line are spaced by a common distance and wherein the innermost aperture of each radial line is spaced differently from the center of rotation of said pattern changing member; a single elongated member having a pin-like protrusion at one end thereof which is placeable in a selected one of the .apertures of said pattern changing member; means xed to said -base member for slidably and :pivotably supporting t-he other end of said elongated member wherein said means for slidably and pivotably supporting the other end of said elongated member includes a plurality of guide portions extending upwardly from said base member and spaced from each other along a curve, said elongated member having a slot which is engageable with a selected one of said guide portions and wherein said rotatable table has a portion which extends into each of the four corners of said recess and spaced from the bottom wall of said recess to receive the four corners of said rectangular piece of paper; and a marking stylus carried by an intermediate portion of said elongated member which is contactable with said sheet of paper said writing stylus is carried on an arm extending transversely from the elongated member whereby the weight of said writing stylus provides Contact pressure between said writing stylus and said sheet of paper; the spacing of all apertures being at different distances from the center of rotation of said pattern changing member, whereby the pin-like protrusion at the end of said elongated member can be positioned at distances from the `center of rotation of said pattern changing member equal in number to the total number of apertures in said pattern changing member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,260 4/1864 Roberts 40-158 X 859,366 7/1907 Clark 33-27V 1,071,681 9/1913 Allen 33-27 1,763,885 6/1930 Fisher 33-27 2,532,537 12/1950 Brown 33-78 2,583,578 l/1952 Lowndes 33-76 X 2,713,723 7/1955 Anderson 33-78 2,958,132 11/1960 Hartbauer et al. 33 -27 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,222,873 1/ 1960 France.

418,554 10/1934 Great Britain. 564,645 10/ 1944 Great Britain.

LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner. H. N. HAROIAN, Assistant Examiner.