US2543139A - Spirit level casing - Google Patents

Description

Feb, J, 1951 W. vElT 2,543,139

SPIRIT LEVEL CASING Filed Nov. 29, 1947 Patented Feb. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPIRIT LEVEL CASING William Veit, Bronx, N. Y.

Application November 29, 1947, Serial No. 788,837

1 Claim.

This invention relates to spirit levels consisting of a spirit and air bubble tube mounted in a casing.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a spirit and air bubble tube carrying casing arranged to be releasably attached to either a horizontally or vertically extending element to be leveled without the necessity of providing more than one spirit and air bubble tube in said casing.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be disclosed in the detailed description of the invention.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application, Figure l is a top plan view of the spirit level constituting the embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is an end view looking at the left hand side of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a View of the spirit level detachably engaged on a drill press shank to show the application of said level to a vertically extending element.

Figure 5 is a view of the spirit level detachably engaged on a planer to show the application of said level to a horizontally extending element.

Figure 6 is a View showing the level attached to an arm of the user to facilitate leveling of diiferent elements or tools being handled.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary top view, on an enlarged scale, of a pivotal mounting of one end of a resilient and flexible band on the casing of the level.

Figure 8 is a side view looking at the bottom of Figure '7.

Figure 9 is an end view looking at the right hand side of Figure 8 with part of the casing in section.

Figure 10 is a View similar to Figure 9 of a modificated form of mounting of the ends of the resilient band on the casing of the level.

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on the line l||l of Figure 10 looking in the direction of the arrows.

In carrying out the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, there is provided a casing formed from a metal bar 12 of square form in cross section or of other suitable material having a longitudinal chamber IS. The chamber may be formed in the bar or casing by a bore extending through one end to adjacent the opposite end and parallelly of the longitudinal axis of the casing and adjacent to a longitudinal face thereof. Said longitudinal face of the casing is provided with a sight opening Iii opening to the chamber I3.

A spirit and air bubble tube i5 is engaged in the chamber 13 through the open end of the chamber with the bubble exposed through the sight opening I 5 when the casing is positioned with the sight opening uppermost. The tube is retained against movement in the chamber if; by a plug I6 engagedv in the open end of the chamber to abut one end of the tube with the opposite end of the tube abutting the closed end of the chamber, as shown in Figure 2.

The longitudinal face of the casing opposite the longitudinal face arranged with the sight opening I4 is provided with a groove Il extending longitudinally of said face and shown as being of arcuate shape in cross section with a straight wall portion II on each side of the groove, as shown in Figure 3. The opposite ends of the casing 12 are arranged with corresponding grooves l8 extending parallelly of said ends and each other with a straight wall portion [8' on each side of each of said grooves, as shown in Figure 1.

The grooves l1 and I8 permit the engagement of the casing I2 on the element to be leveled. The casing is releasably retained on said element by a flexible and resilient band shown in the present illustration as comprising a helical fiat band ii] of spring metal in the form of an extension spring having the opposite end portions extending from the longitudinal center of the band and arranged in the form of eyelets 20. The opposite ends of the band [9 are pivotally connected to the opposite sides of the casing midway of the longitudinal faces and the ends of the casing by engaging the eyelets 20 on a conical face 2! of a head 22 ofa pin 23 secured in each of the sides of the casing midway of the longitudinal faces and the ends of the casing, as shown in Figures 1, and 3 to 9, inclusive. The pivotal mounting of the eyelets 20 on the conical faces 2| permit the positioning of the band l9 to extend in a plane longitudinally of the casing, as shown in Figure 4, or to extend in a plane transversely of the casing, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6.

In Figures 10 and 11, there is shown a modified form of the pivotal mounting of the band la on the casing 12, wherein the opposite end portions of the band are of rod formation shaped to hook form, as shown at 24. The hook end portions 2% are pivotally engaged in a transverse opening 25 in a head 26 of a pin 21 secured in each of the sides of the casing midway of the longitudinal faces and the ends of the casing. The diameter of the openings 25 is greater than the diameter of the hook end portions 24 to permit pivotal movements of said hook end portions in the heads 26 about transverse axes of said heads and positioning of the band I 9 to extend in planes longitudinally and transversely of the casing I2.

Figure 4 shows the application of the device to level a vertically extending element, such as a drill press shank 28 of round shape in cross section, by engaging the straight wall portions I8 of one of the grooved ends I8 with the shank 28 and the band I9 encircling the shank to retain the straight wall portions I8 in engagement with the shank and the casing I2 extending perpendicularly of the shank.

Figure 5 shows the device applied to a horizontally extending element, such as a planer consisting of a cutting element 29 carried by a tubular frame member 30. The straight wall portions H of the casing are engaged on the tubular frame member 30 with the band I9 encircling said member and retaining said straight wall portions in engagement with the member and the casing I2 extending parallelly of said member.

Figure 6 shows the device applied to a forearm 3| of a user of the device, whereby the user may readily ascertain whether an element or tool he is handling is level.

The grooves I1 and I8 may be of any other suitable cross sectional shape, such as square or hexagonal, depending upon the cross sectional shape of the element to be leveled.

The grooves I7 and I8, and the pivotal mounting of the head I9 permit the leveling of vertically or horizontally extending elements without requiring the mounting of more than one spirit and air bubble tube in the casing.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: In a spirit level, a casing in the form of a bar of square shape in cross section having a chamber extending longitudinally thereof and a sight opening in one face communicating with the chamber, a groove in and extending longitudinally of the opposite face, and a corresponding groove in each of the ends of the casing extending parallelly of each other and at right angles to the faces, a spirit and air bubble tube mounted in the chamber to extend in the direction and parallelly of the faces with the bubble exposed through the sight opening in the casing, and a flexible and resilient band pivotally connected at the opposite ends to the opposite sides midway of the ends of the casing to detachably mount the casing on an element to be leveled with a groove of the casing spanning said element.

WILLIAM VEIT.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are or" record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 312,266 Gurley Feb. 17, 1885 625,019 Cardell May 16, 1899 898,349 Fielding Sept. 8, 1908 1,017,457 Perlik Feb. 13, 1912 1,749,980 Loesser Mar. 11, 1930 2,284,582 Langer May 26, 19 12- FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 76,721 Switzerland 1918

Images