US3394900A

US3394900A - Drafting accessory

Info

Publication number: US3394900A
Application number: US577709A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gross Alexander
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-09-07
Filing date: 1966-09-07
Publication date: 1968-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 1985-07-30

Description

July 30, 1968 A, GROSS 3,394,900

DRAFTING ACCESSORY 2 Shets-Sheeti 7 Filed Sept. 7. 1966' INVEN 70/? AL EXAM/DER GROSS July 30, 1968 A. GROSS DRAFTING ACCESSORY 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Sept.

INVENTOR ALEXANDER GROSS By ATTORNEYS- Jmm Y hm

United States Patent 3,394,900 DRAFTING ACCESSORY Alexander Gross, 1201 Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19138 Filed Sept. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 577,709 Claims. (Cl. 24267.1)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Drafting accessory is disclosed wherein drafting paper may be unwound from a central chamber and transparent polymeric material may be unwound from a roller so that it overlies the drafting paper. The polymeric material may be separately wound on aligned rollers so that only a portion of the drafting paper is covered by the same.

This invention relates to a drafting accessory, and more particularly, to an accessory adapted to be utilized in conjunction with drafting tables or the like.

In conjunction with drafting boards on which large drawings are made, there is an inherent problem of smearing or otherwise obscuring portions of a drawing already completed while working on the same. Thus, draftsmen generally lean on the drafting board with their elbows while working on a drawing. If the sheet of paper is large, one or more views on the lefthand side of the page, for example, are subjected to being smeared while the draftsman is working on one or more views on the righthand side of the page.

Quite often complicated mechanisms require the draftsman to refer back to already completed portions of a large drawing, hence it is necessary to have completed portions visible for ready access and comparison. Quite often an accident occurs whereby liquids are spilled on one-half of the drawing which has already been completed. :In accordance with the present invention, these problems are solved by providing at least two rolls of material each individually being capable of obscuring or otherwise overlying a portion of a completed drawing on a drafting board. The material is preferably made from a transparent or translucent polymeric plastic material. When one-half of a drawing is completed, the plastic material is capable of being unwound and positioned so as to overlie the completed portion of the drawing. Thereafter, the completed portion of the drawing is not likely to be subjected to smearing or accidental damage by moisture from the hands of the draftsman, liquids, impurities in the air which would settle out as dust, etc.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drafting accessory which is simple, economical to manufacture, easy to install, reliable, and requires little or no maintenance.

-It is another object of the present invention to provide a drafting accessory which facilitates covering a portion of a drawing which has already been completed so as to prevent inadvertent smearing of the completed portion of the drawing while the draftsman is working on the remainder of the drawing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a drafting accessory which facilitates selective covering of a portion of a drawing by transparent protective material.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawing a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

3,394,900 Patented July 30, 1968 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a drafting table incorporating the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 in FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a drafting table designated generally as 10. The drafting table 10 includes a table top 12 supported by a plurality of legs 14. The legs 14 are interconnected by a brace 16. A drafting board 18 is hingedly connected to the table top 12 along one end. Means are provided for selectively raising and lowering the drafting board 18 with respect to the table top 12. The above-described components of the drafting table 10 are exemplary and per se form no part of the present invention.

A generally tubular housing 20 is removably connected to the drafting table 12 along one end of the drafting board 18 in any convenient manner such as by screws, hinges or the like. The housing 20 includes an interior generally cylindrical chamber 25 defined by the inner surface of a curved wall 23 terminating at one end in a lip 22 and at its other end in a flange 24. Flange 24 is generally fiat, spaced above the lip 22, and partially overlies the upper surface of the drafting board 18 as shown more clearly in FIGURE 2.

For purposes of illustration, there is illustrated on the board 18 a sheet of paper designated generally as 26. As shown in FIGURE 2, the sheet of paper 26 may he slid into the chamber 25 and caused to assume a rolled condition therein. Such insertion of the sheet of paper 26 into chamber 25 may occur at the completion of a days work and so as not to leave the partially completed drawing on paper 26 exposed overnight. Alternatively, it is often desirable to cause the lower portion of the sheet of paper 26 to enter chamber 25 when the draftsman is working on the upper portion of paper 26 and desires to have the same immediately in front of him at the lower portion of the board 18 for ready access. The latter situation is desirable so that the draftsman does not contact portions of the completed drawing on the lower portion of the paper 26.

In FIGURE 1, the drafting table 10 is provided with one for-m of a conventional straightedge 28. The present invention does not interfere with the use of the straighted-ge 28. As shown more clearly in FIGURE 2, there is provided a second generally tubular supporter housing 30. Housing 30' is connected in any convenient manner to the outer periphery of wall 23. The housing 30 has a longitudinal slot, one edge of which is defined by lip 31. The opposite edge is connected to the lower edge of a curved wall 32. Wall 32 terminates at its upper end in a horizontal flange 34. Flange 34 is parallel to but shorter than flange 24.

Housings

20 and 30 are preferably extruded as a unitary structure as illustrated.

The housing 20 may be provided with

removable end caps

36 and 38 which telescope over the ends of wall 32, if desired. Housing 30 is provided with

rollers

40 and 42 on opposite sides of a central wall 44. End caps 36' and 38' may be provided for the housing 30. The

rollers

40 and 42 are spring-wound like a conventional window shade. A polymeric plastic material 46 is wound on the roller 40. A similar plastic material designated as 46 is wound on roller 42. Materials 46 and 46' are preferably transparent or translucent. A suitable transparent flexible polymeric material would be methyl methacrylate sold commercially as Lucite.

One end of the

materials

46 and 46 is secured to their respective rollers. The other end of material 46 is connected to an elongated retainer 48 having a knob on its upper surface so that it may be grasped by the fingers of the draftsman. The lower surface of retainer 48 is provided with an anti-slip material such as felt. A similar retainer 48' is provided for the material 46'. The housing 30 may be provided with slots 50 so that the rollers may be inserted and/or replaced thereinto.

The present invention is utilized as follows:

When the draftsman desires to work on the lefthand side of paper 26, the righthand side may be covered by material 46 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. It will be noted that the retainer 48 overlies flange 24 and abuts against the end of flange 34. The height of the retainer 48 is greater than the distance between the

flanges

24 and 34. The material 46 is wound on the roller 40, extends through the chamber defined by curved walls 23 and 33. The material 46 may overlie or pass beneath the straightedge 28 as desired. The felt on the lower surface of retainer 48 prevents the retainer from sliding towards the lower edge of the board 18.

When the draftsman has completed the left side of the drawing on paper 26, the relative positions of retainers 48 and 48' are reversed. In doing so, the draftsman will then be covering the completed portion of the drawing by the material 46. At the same time, the draftsman will be exposing the righthand portion of the paper 26 which was previously protected by the material 46 so as to prevent smudges, moisture from the arms of the draftsman, etc. The

materials

46 and 46 are preferably transparent. This enables the draftsman to immediately view the completed portion of the drawing while he is working on the remainder.

On relatively small drawings, or drawings wherein it is not necessary for the draftsman to have ready reference to completed portions of the drawing, the materials 46 or 46' may be made translucent or opaque. If the materials 46 and 46' are opaque, they may be utilized to cover up the partially completed drawing overnight. In this manner, partially completed drawings will not be exposed on the drafting board overnight or during nonworking hours for observation by anyone passing by the same. -It would be within the scope of the present invention to provide three or more of the rollers of polymeric plastic material in the event that extremely long drawings are being made. For example, complicated flow charts are often made on sheets of drawing which are so long as to require three separately independent rollers. It would also be within the scope of the present invention to mount a separate opaque material on a shadetype roller within the chamber 25 for obscuring the entire paper 26 overnight. In the latter event, the material 26 would no be readily insertable into the chamber 25 that is illustrated and described above.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A drafting accessory comprising a generally tubular housing, means on the housing for mounting the housing along one edge of a drafting board, a roller in said housing, said housing having first and second slots, a transparent flexible polymeric material wound on said roller and extending through said first slot, a retainer on an exposed edge of said material, said retainer being of suflicient size so that it can not enter said housing, said housing having a central chamber communicating with said second slot so that drafting paper may be removed by unwinding the same through said second slot, said second slot being radially closer to the longitudinal axis of said central chamber than said first slot, whereby material may be unwound and overly a portion of a complete drawing on the drafting paper to prevent smearing of the drawing.

2. An accessory in accordance with claim 1 including at least two rollers in said housing, with separate polymeric material wound on each of said rollers, each material having a retainer, and each material being independently operable, and said rollers being in end to end relation so that the materials may overlie separate portions of a drawing.

3. An accessory in accordance with claim 1 wherein said housing includes spaced parallel curved walls ae fining said slots, said curved walls terminating in spaced parallel straight flanges, one flange being above the other flange, with the one flange being shorter than the lower flange.

4. A drafting accessory comprising a generally tubular housing adapted to be mounted along an edge of the drafting board, a roller in said housing, said housing having a slot, a transparent flexible polymeric material wound on said roller and capable of being unwound through said slot, a retainer on an exposed end of said material, said retainer being of suflicient size so that it cannot enter said housing, said housing including spaced parallel curved walls defining said slot, said curved walls terminating in spaced parallel straight flanges, one flange being above the other flange, with said one flange being shorter than the lower flange, a generally tubular support connected in each of said curved walls, said second support receiving said roller and having an elongated slot aligned with the space between the curved walls, whereby said material may be unwound and overly a portion of a complete drawing to prevent smearing of the drawmg.

5. An accessory in accordance with claim 4 including a drafting table having a drafting board, means securing said housing to said board, each of said flanges being generally parallel to the upper surface of said board, said lower flange partially overlying a portion of said board.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,377,461 5/ 1921 Brixey 160-120 1,469,485 10/ 1923 Rivetta 242-71.1 1,934,952 11/1933 Shoemaker 24267.1 2,187,547 1/ 1940 Pollock 242-7 1.1 2,474,747 6/ 1949 Madriguera 16025 3,147,681 9/ 1964 Sanderson 242---71.1 X 3,220,661 11/ 1965 Hegedus 242-67 .1 3,245,635 4/1966 Signor 242107 3,255,977 6/ 1966 Halco 242-55 3,288,389 11/1966 Gersch et a1. 242--71.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 0, 689 9/ 1952 Germany. 86,708 12/ 1955 Norway.

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application 1,126,239, March 1962.

WILLIAM S. BURDEN, Primary Examiner.