Hardness measuring apparatus, operated by a single compressive motion

Claim 1

HARDNESS MEASURING APPARATUS COMPRISING LOAD AND PRELOAD MEANS ADAPTED FOR ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS ON NON-SMOOTH IRRGULAR SURFACES AS WELL AS REGULAR SURFACE COMPRISING, AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL CASING HAVING MEANS FOR MANUALLY PRESSING THE DEVICE ONTO A SURFACE TO BE TESTED FOR HARDNESS IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID CASING, AN ANNULAR BASE MEMBER CONNECTED TO SLIDE AXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE LOWER PART OF SAID OUTER CASING, A PROJECTING ANNULUS ON SAID BASE MEMBER ADAPTED TO REST ON THE SURFACE TO BE TESTED, A FIRST COMPRESSION SPRING MEANS NORMALLY HOLDING SAID BASE MEMBER AND OUTER CASING AXIALLY EXTENDED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHERBUT BEING COMPRESSIBLE WHEREBY IT HOLDS SAID ANNULUS ON THE SURFACE TO BE TESTED BY PREDETERMINED PRESSURE WHEN THE DEVICE IS PUSHED AGAINST A SURFACE TO BE TESTED, CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS POSITIOINED ADJACNT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID CASING WITH RESPECT TO SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS COMPRISING A DIAPHRAGM FORMING ONE WALL OF A CHAMBER THEREIN, A PENETRATING TIP HOLDER HAVING A PENETRATING TIP AT THE LOWER END THEREOF, SHIELD MEANS FOR SAID PENETRATING TIP, CYLINDRICAL MEANS CONNECTING SAID CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS TO SAID SHIELD MEANS, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEANS HAVING A LOWER PORTION OF REDUCED DIAMETER ADAPTED TO SLIDE WITHIN SAID BASE MEMBER, MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND COMPRESSION SPRING CONNECTING SAID CYLINDRICAL MEANS TO SAID CASING FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, FEELER MEANS POSITIONED FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID CHAMBER TO ACT ON THE DIAPHRAGM OF SAID CHAMBER CONTAINING MEANS, MEANS ON SAID CYLINDRICAL MEANS TO LIMIT THE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FEELER MEANS, SLIDER MEANS CONTACTING SAID FEELER MEANS, A FIRST PRESSURE TRANSMITTING MEANS SLIDABLY CONNECTING THE PENETRATING TIP HOLDER TO SAID FEELER MEANS WHEREBY PRESSURE APPLIED TO SAID CASING IS PARTIALLY TRANSFERRED TO SAID PENETRATING TIP THROUGH SAID SECOND COMPRESSION SPRING TO PRELOAD SAID TIP, A SECOND PRESSURE TRANSMITTING MEANS ADAPTED TO MOVE AXIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID FEELER TO APPLY BACK PRESSURE THERETO IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID DIAPHRAGM AFTER SAID FIRST SPRNG MEANS HAS BEEN COMPRESSED, PINS MEANS ADAPTED TO APPLY PRESSUR TO SAID PENETRATING TIP, AN INNER CASING COMPRISING MEANS ADAPTED TO CONTACT SAID PIN MEANS AFTER THE OUTER CASING HAS BEEN MOVED AXIALLY TO COMPRESS SAID FIREST AND SECOND SPRINGS, THIRD COMPRESSION SPRING MEANS ADAPTED TO APPLY PREDETERMINED UNIFORM PRESSURE TO SAID INNER CASING, SAID THIRD COMPRESSION SPRING MEANS ACTING ON SAID INNER CASING TO APPLY UNIFORM PRESSURE TO SAID PENETRATING TIP AFTER SAID FIRST AND SECOND SPRINGS HAVE BEEN COMPRESSED, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECOND PRESSURE TRANSMITTING MEANS TO THE INNER CASING TO TRASNSMIT TO THE FEELER THE MOVEMENT OF THE TIP AFTER PRELOADING UNDER THE PRESSURE OF SAID THIRD COMPRESSION SPRING MEANS.