Plotting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PLOTTING THE POSITION AND HEADING OF A COLLECTING MEANS UTILIZED IN AN UNDERWATER MINING OPERATION AT GREAT DEPTHS BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE SEA COMPRISING BASE MEANS, A PAIR OF ELONGATED PRECISION LEAD SCREWS HAVING PRECISION SCREW THREADS FORMED THEREON, A PAIR OF SUPPORT MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS BEING PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE MEANS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A FIXED AXIS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMALLY TO SAID BASE MEANS, SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS BEING SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FROM ONE ANOTHER, EACH OF SAID LEAD SCREWS BEING SUPPORTED ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF BY ONE OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID LEAD SCREWS BEING ROTATABLY ADJUSTABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE ASSOCIATED SUPPORT MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT THERETHROUGH, EACH OF SAID LEAD SCREWS HAVING MICROMETER DIAL MEANS DISPOSED AT SAID ONE END THEREOF AND CALIBRATED TO PERMIT ADJUSTMENT TO TRANSLATE SUCH ADJUSTMENTS INTO A DISTANCE MEASUREMENTS, BEARING MEANS DISPOSED AT THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH OF SAID LEAD SCREWS, THE BEARING MEANS AT THE END OF EACH LEAD SCREW EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM AND INCLUDING ANTI-FRICTION MEANS AT THE LOWER END THEREOF ADAPTED TO REST UPON AND GLIDE ALONG THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BASE MEANS, SAID LEAD SCREWS EACH BEING SUPPORTED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BASE MEANS SOLELY BY THE ASSOCIATED SUPPORT MEMBER AND BEARING MEANS, A MOVABLE CROSS HEAD INCLUDING AN UPPER PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION, SAID UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS BEING PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED WITH ONE ANOTHER, EACH OF SAID PORTIONS HAVING A HOLE FORMED THERETHROUGH HAVING PRECISION THREADS THEREIN, EACH OF SAID HOLES RECEIVING ONE OF SAID LEAD SCREWS THREADED THERETHROUGH, SAID CROSS HEAD BEING SUPPORTED SOLELY BY THE THREADED INTERCONNECTIONS WITH SAID LEAD SCREWS, AND INDICATING MEANS ON SAID CROSS HEAD OF INDICATING THE POSITION OF SAID COLLECTING MEANS.