US3400461A

US3400461A - Carriage-type drawing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3400461A
Application number: US613783A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas L Faul
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Albert Nestler AG
Priority date: 1966-04-28
Filing date: 1967-02-03
Publication date: 1968-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 1985-09-10
Also published as: DE1511465B1; DE1511465C2

Description

Sept. 10, 1968 Filed Feb. 3,

T. L. FAUL CARRIAGE- TYPE DRAWING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnventqr EM ficawz Sept. 10, 1968 T. L. FAUL CARR IAGE TYPE DRAWING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb.

lnventon W 67% United States Patent 3,400,461 CARRIAGE-TYPE DRAWING APPARATUS Thomas L. Faul, Skaneateles, N.Y., assignor to Albert Nestler A.G., Lahr, Black Forest, Germany Filed Feb. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 613,783 Claims priority, application 4G6ermany, Apr. 28, 1966,

4 Claims. 61. 33-79 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a carriage-type drawing apparatus which is provided with a first guide rail which is adapted to be secured to a drawing board and along which a first carriage is movable which carries a locking device for locking this carriage in a fixed position to said first guide rail, and with a second guide rail which is secured to the first carriage and extends at right angles to the first guide rail and parallel to the drawing board and along which a second carriage is movable which is likewise provided with a locking device and to which a drafting head is connected.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carriage-type drawing apparatus of the above-mentioned type which is designed so as to permit this apparatus and especially the locking devices thereof to be manipulated as easily as possible.

A feature of the invention for attaining this object consists in providing the control means for operating the locking device of the first carriage in the form of a control rod which is guided by the second guide rail so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction thereof. This control rod permits the locking device of the first carriage to be operated at any desired point of the second guide rail. Since the locking device for the second carriage is provided directly on this carriage and the control member for actuating the locking device of the second carriage is located directly adjacent to this carriage, the control means for actuating both locking devices are located within easy reach of each other and may therefore be easily manipulated simultaneously by the same hand.

In order to permit the locking device of the first car- I riage to be operated by the control rod with as little effort as possible, this locking device is provided in the form of a lever which is pivotably mounted on the first carriage and carries a brake shoe which, when the control rod is shifted in one direction to its locking position, is pressed against the first guide rail by the action of a cam plate which is rotatably mounted on a connecting bracket between the second guide rail and the first carriage and pivotably connected to the control rod. When the control rod is not actuated, the brake lever carrying the brake shoe is pivoted by the action of a spring so as to disengage the brake shoe from the first guide rail.

For guiding the control rod so as to be movable as easily as possible, the second guide rail may be provided with a longitudinal groove in which the control rod is slidable.

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The features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 shows an elevation of a drawing board which is provided with a carriage-type drawing apparatus according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a side view of the drawing apparatus according to FIGURE 1 in which the first guide rail is shown in cross section;

FIGURE 3 shows an elevation of a part of the first carriage and illustrates the construction of the brake lever;

FIGURE 4 shows, partly in section, a top view of a part of the drawing apparatus according to FIGURES 1 to 3;

FIGURE 5 shows a cross section which is taken along the line VV of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 shows a cross section which is taken along the line VI-VI of FIGURE 2; while FIGURE 7 shows an elevation of a part of the first carriage and of a brake lever according to a modification of the invention.

The carriage-type drawing apparatus according to the invention as illustrated in the drawings comprises a first guide rail 3 which is connected to a drawing board 1 and provided with a pair of opposite rail tracks 23 for the rollers 5 of a first carriage 7 which carries a second guide rail 9 which extends at right angles to the first guide rail 3 and carries a second pair of rail tracks for the rollers, not shown, of a second carriage 11 which are similar to the rollers 5. This second carriage 11 is connected to and carries a drawing head 17 by means of a bridge 15 which is pivotable about an axis 13 extending parallel to the second guide rail 9.

Both

guide rails

3 and 9 form sections of suitable lengths which are cut from the same hollow rail stock which has a cross-sectional shape as illustrated particularly in FIGURES 5 and 6 and is generally designated by the numeral 19 and has a pair of parallel rail tracks 23 integrally connected to one side thereof by webs 21. These rail tracks 23 engage into peripheral grooves in the rollers 5. The opposite narrow sides of the rails are provided with recesses 37 of a T-shaped cross section to which other elements may be connected.

The first carriage 7 is secured to the second guide rail 9 by means of a connecting bracket 46 which, in turn, is pivotably connected to the first carriage 7 by pivot pin 42 so as to be pivotable about the axis thereof Which extends parailel to the first guide rail 3. As shown in FIG- URE 4, this connecting bracket 40 is provided with a pair of opposite claws 44 which embrace the narrow sides of the second guide rail 9. By means of screws, not shown, which are inserted into bores 46, claws 44 may be con nected to clamping plates, not shown, which engage into the T-shaped recesses 37 of guide rail 9 so that, when the screws are tightened, the connecting bracket 40 will be rigidly secured to the second supporting rail 9. For locking the first carriage 7 in a fixed position, it carries a brake lever 48 which is pivotable about a pin 50 which extends at a right angle to the plane of the drawing board 1. Brake lever 48 carries on its free end a brake shoe 52 which is adapted to engage upon the first guide rail 3. At the inside of the connecting bracket 40 adjacent to the free end of lever 48 carrying the brake shoe 52, a cam plate 54 which is adapted to act upon the lever 48 and the brake shoe 52 thereon is pivotably mounted on a pin 56 which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first guide rail 3. Lever 48 is acted upon by a compression spring 48 which tends to pivot this lever to a position in which the brake shoe 52 is disengaged from the first guide rail 3.

The T-shaped recess 37 in the right side of guide rail 9 facing the drawing head 17, as shown in FIGURE 1, has a control rod 58 slidable therein. The control rod 58, as shown in FIGURE 6 has a T-shaped cross section and its central web 60 fits into a longitudinal recess in slide blocks 62 of plastic which are likewise of a T-shaped cross section and are secured to the central web 60 by pins, not shown, and are slidable by the control rod '58 in the longitudinal direction of the T-shaped recess 37. The outer surface of the main web of control rod 58 is provided with a knurling 64 which may either be cut or pressed directly into the control rod 58 which preferably consists of light metal or may be provided by securing a knurled layer of plastic or rubber to the outer surface of the main web of the control rod 58.

The upper end of control rod 58 is connected by means of a rod 66 with rectangularly bent ends to one end of a two-armed lever 68 which is pivotable within the connecting member 40 about an axis 72 which extends parallel to the first guide rail 3. The other end of lever 68 is pivotably connected to cam plate 54 by means of a pin 78 which is secured to the end of the cam plate and engages into a notch in the end of lever 68.

In order to permit inaccuracies of manufacture of the associated parts and the wear upon brake shoe 52 to be compensated, cam plate 54 is adjustably mounted On its pivot pin 56 by means of an eccentric washer or roller 80.

The second carriage 11 is provided with a brake mechanism, not shown, which is similar to that as above described. The brake lever of this second brake mechanism is connected to and adapted to be actuated by a control lever 88, as shown in FIGURE 1.

In order to lock the second guide rail 9 in any desired position along the first guide rail 3 regardless of the position of the second carriage 11 on guide rail 9, the brake mechanism of the first carriage 7 may be actuated by means of the control rod 58 which is always located immediately adjacent to the control lever 38 of the brake mechanism of the second carriage 11 so that both brake mechanisms may always be operated very easily by the same hand.

For properly guiding the connecting rod 66, the rail stock 19 is provided immediately adjacent to each T- shaped recess with another recess 90. This recess 90 is provided adjacent to each T-shaped recess 37 in order to permit the drawing apparatus to be easily converted so as to permit it to be used either by right-handed or lefthanded persons.

The cam surface of cam plate 54 is designed in relation to its axis 56 so that a self-locking effect will occur between the cam plate and the brake shoe and the cam plate therefore cannot be turned by the lever 48 by the force of spring 48'. If therefore the control rod 58 is moved to its locking position, brake shoe 52 cannot disengage automatically from the guide rail 3 but only when the control rod 58 is shifted by hand.

In order to prevent the control rod also from shifting automatically due to its own weight when the drawing board is pivoted to an angular position, the slide blocks 62 are designed so as to produce a sufficient friction between the control rod 58 and the walls of the T-shaped recess 37 which will insure that the control rod, even though it may be easily shifted, will be held in any position to which it has been adjusted.

While the brake lever 48 as illustrated in FIGURE 3 is a one-armed lever, FIGURE 7 shows a modification in which a two-armed lever 148 is provided which carries the brake shoe 152 on the end of one arm, while the end of the other arm forms an abutment upon which a control member 154 engages which is connected to the control rod 58. Of course, instead of the compression spring 48' as shown in FIGURE 3, a tension spring 148' is in this case connected to the brake lever 148.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a carriage-type drawing apparatus having a first guide rail adapted to be secured to a drawing board, a first carriage movable along and guided 'by said first guide rail, first locking means on said first carriage adapted to engage upon said first guide rail for locking said first carriage to said first guide rail in any position to which it may be moved along the same, a second guide rail secured to said first carriage and extending at right angles to said first guide rail and parallel to said drawing board, a second carriage movable along and guided 'by said second guide rail, a drawing head connected to said second carriage, and second locking means on said second carriage for locking said second carriage to said second guide rail in any position to which it may be moved along the same, wherein the improvement comprises separate control means for actuating said first and second locking means and located closely adjacent to each other so as to permit both control means to be operated simultaneously by the same hand regardless of the positions to which said carriages are moved, said control means for actuating said first locking means comprises a control rod guided by and movable in the longitudinal direction of said second guide rail for moving said first locking means from a released position to a locking position, a lever pivotably mounted on said first carriage and having a brake shoe thereon adapted to press against said first guide rail, said lever and said brake shoe forming said first locking means, a connecting bracket secured to said second guide rail and to said first carriage, a cam plate rotatably mounted on said bracket and pivotably connected to said control rod and adapted to act upon said lever when said control rod is shifted to its locking position, and spring means acting upon said lever so as to disengage said brake shoe from said first guide rail when said control rod is moved to its releasing position.

2. In a drawing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said second guide rail has a recess extending in the longitudinal direction thereof, said control rod engaging into said recess and being guided by the walls thereof.

3. In a drawing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said cam plate has a peripheral surface adapted to act upon said lever and extending in relation to the axis of rotation of said cam plate so as to be nonrotatable by the action of said spring means when said control rod is located in its locking position.

4. In a carriage-type drawing apparatus having a first guide rail adapted to be secured to a drawing board, a first carriage movable along and guided by said first guide rail, first locking means on said first carriage adapted to engage upon said first guide rail for locking said first carriage to said first guide rail in any position to which it may be moved along the same, a second guide rail secured to said first carriage and extending at right angles to said first guide rail and parallel to said drawing board, a second carriage movable along and guided by said second guide rail, a drawing head connected to said second carriage, and second locking means on said second carriage for locking said second carriage to said second guide rail in any position to which it may be moved along the same, wherein the improvement comprises separate control means for actuating said first and second locking means and located closely adjacent to each other so as to permit both control means to be operated simultaneously by the same hand regardless of the positions to which said carriages are moved, said guide rails being of rectangular shape and including parallel rail tracks integrally connected therewith and disposed on one side of said guide rails, said control means for actuating said first locking means comprises a control rod guided by and received in a longitudinal recess of said second guide rail for moving said first locking means from a released position to a locking position,

said longitudinal recess being disposed at a narrow side of said second guide rail, said control rod having an accessible outer gripping face extending outwardly from said recess, and gripping means secured on said outer gripping face of said control rod and extending along the length of said second carriage and designed for manual operation of said control rod, said gripping means being so dimensioned and arranged on said narrow side of the rail so as not to interfere with the movement of said second carriage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,102,636 12/1937 McDonald 33-79 3,153,284 10/1964 Harris 33-79 3,279,073 10/ 1966 Ardito et a1 33-79 HARRY N. HAROIAN, Primary Examiner.