Linear gauge

Claim 1

A LINEAR GAUGE FOR MEASURING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SHAPED CONFIGURATIONS DEFINED ON AN ELONGATED ARTICLE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, (A) A BASE, (B) ELONGATED ARTICLE HOLDING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID BASE, OPPOSED SUPPORTING SURFACES DEFINED ON SAID HOLDING MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED GROOVE ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE ARTICLE TO BE MEASURED, SAID SUPPORTING SURFACES DEFINING THE AXIS OF SAID GROOVE, (C) A LINEAR ELONGATED TRACK MOUNTED ON SAID BASE DISPOSED PARALLEL TO SAID GROOVE AXIS, (D) A REFERENCE BLOCK HAVING A REFERENCE SURFACE MOUNTED ON SAID ARTICLE HOLDING MEANS, SAID SURFACE BEING TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED TO SAID GROOVE AXIS AND IN ALIGNMENT WETH SAID GROOVE WHEREBY AN ARTICLE TO BE MEASURED DISPOSED WITHIN SAID GROOVE MAY ABUT AGAINST SAID SURFACE AND BE RELATED IN A PREDETERMINED MANNER TO SAID ARTICLE HOLDING MEANS, (E) A CARRIAGE SUPPORTED ON SAID TRACK FOR SLIDABLE MOVEMENT THEREON IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID TRACK, A CYLINDRICAL BORE DEFINED IN SAID CARRIAGE HAVING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED AXIS INTERSECTING THE AXIS OF SAID GROOVE, (F) AN ARTICLE ENGAGING PROBE HAVING A CYLINDRICAL BODY SURFACE, A SHAPED ARTICLE ENGAGING END DEFINED ON ONE END OF SAID PROBE HAVING A CONFIGURATION COMPLEMENTARY TO THE CONFIGURATION DEFINED ON THE ARTICLE TO BE MEASURED AND A HANDLE DEFINED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID PROBE, SAID PROBE BEING CLOSELY FREELY SLIDABLY RECEIVED WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE FOR SELECTIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID SHAPED ARTICLE ENGAGING END TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID GROOVE AXIS, AND (G) A DIRECT READING DIAL INDICATOR MOUNTED UPON SAID CARRIAGE, SAID DIAL INDICATOR INCLUDING A ROLLING DRIVE WHEEL ENGAGING SAID TRACK FOR SENSING MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE ON SAID TRACK, SAID MOVEMENT BEING DIRECTLY INDICATED ON SAID DIAL INDICATOR.