US436495A - Spirit-level - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

P. L. FOX. SPIRIT LEVEL.

No. 436,495. Patented Sept. 16, 18901.

W1 TJVESSES keum (M7 dem.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Fruto L. FOX, oF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

SPIRIT-LEVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,495, dated September 1,6, 1890.

Application filed May 12, 1890. Serial Ilo. 351,410. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, PHILO L. FOX, a citizen of the United States, residing atBridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new anduseful Improvements in Plumbs and Levels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to plumbs and levels generally, and has for its object to greatly improve their construction and mode of operation, to produce, in brief, an instrument of the very finest quality in which the cost of production shall be diminished rather than increased. l

With these ends in View I have devised the simple and novel construction which I will now describe, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my novel plumb and level; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a cent-ral transverse section thereof.

In my improved plumb and level, instead of a heavy strip of wood into which the spiritvials are recessed, or a metal plate to which they are attached, I form the body of the instrument of two comparatively light strips of wood, which are rigidly secured together by metallic cross-pieces. This construction I have found greatly superior in practice, as it practically does away withthe trouble of the bodies warping, which has been a serious obj ection to instruments of this class in which the bodies were made of wood, and, furthermore, it enables me to so arrange the vial of the level as to permit the floating air-space to be visible from below when the instrument is used above the head-as in leveling the top of a door-and to so arrange the vial of the plumb that the air-space will be visible from every point of view when the instrument is in a perpendicular position. Heretofore with instruments of this class it has been necessary for the operator to place himself high enough to enable him to look down upon the air-space in using either the plumb or level.

1 denotes strips of wood which are beveled inward upon their inner sides, as at 2. These strips are of course made of well-seasoned hard wood, and I secure them together by screws 3, which pass entirely through the strips and engage solid metallic cross-pieces 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

5 denotes the spirit-vials, which are of ordinary construction.

A denotes plu mbs, and B a level. The plumbs lie transversely between the strips.

In order to protect the spirit-vials of the plumbs and secure them against breakage under all ordinary circumstances and at the same time permitthe floating air-spaces to bevisible from all directions when theinstrument is held perpendicular, I inclose the spirit-vials in transparent tubes 6, there being preferably a slight air-space surrounding the spiritvial and between it and the tube. The tubes and vials may of course be secured in position in any suitable manner. I preferably, however, make transverse openings 7 through the strips, of just sufficient size to receive the transparent tubes closely and plug up the ends of the openings, taking care to iiX the vials centrally in the tubes.

In practice I ordinarily plug up the ends of the openings with putty or plaster, as indicated at 8, although any other suitable plastic material may be used, if preferred, and cover the openings with metallic caps 9. I place the spirit-vial of the level in a similar transparent tube and plug up the ends thereof with putty or other plastic substance in the same manner as the vials of the plumbs. The tube and vial are placed in a recess 10 in the outer face of one of the strips, and the recess is covered by a plate 11, which is secured to the strip by screws or in any suitable manner.

In order that the floating air-space of the level may be seen from below,I form slots 12 in the under sides of the strips, said slots extending from bevels 2 into recess l0, as is clearly shown in Figs. l and 3. These slots canse the floating air-space to be visible, when the level is horizontal, from below and on both sides. This is an important feature of construction, as it renders itwholly unnecessary for the operator to get upon some object high enough to enable him to look down upon the air-space.

The use of the transparent tubes in the plumbs is likewise a very valuable feature of IOO my invention, as it enables me to use a construction in which the air-spaces are visible from all directions when the instrument is perpendicular. It will of course be apparent that the same result would be accomplished by using metallic tubes provided with longitudinal slots. This, however, is such an obvious modification that it is not deemed to require illustration, and, furthermore, l find the transparent tubes greatly superior in practice.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. A plumb and level consisting of two strips of wood, cross-pieces connecting said strips, one or more spirit-vials recessed in the strips,

and one or more spirit-vials inclosed in transparent tubes and placed transversely between the strips.

2. In an instrument of the class described, two strips connected by cross-pieces, and lying between said strips one or more spirit-vials 1nclosed in transparent tubes, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

PHIL() L. FOX.

Witnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, ARLEY I. MUNsoN.

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