Distance measuring by friction wheel instruments

Claim 1

IN A MEASURING INSTRUMENT HAVING A CIRCULAR METAL METERING WHEEL OF PRECISELY PREDETERMINED CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE WHEEL SO THAT THE PERIPHERY OF THE WHEEL IS ENGAGED IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH A METAL SURFACE ALONG WHICH MEASUREMENTS ARE TO BE MADE AND FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVELY ALONG THE SURFACE, MEANS FOR URGING THE WHEEL MOUNTING MEANS TOWARD THE SURFACE SO THAT THE WHEEL FRICTIONALLY ENGAGES THE SURFACE WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE THAT THE WHEEL ROTATES SOLELY AND FAITHFULLY IN RESPONSE TO RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE WHEEL MOUNTING MEANS ALONG THE SURFACE, AND MEANS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF THE WHEEL FOR INDICATING PRECISELY THE DISTANCE THE WHEEL MOUNTING MEANS MOVES RELATIVE TO THE SURFACE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE ON THE METERING WHEEL CURVED CONVEXLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE WHEEL ABOUT THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WHEEL, SAID RADIALLY OUTWARDLY CONVEX CURVATURE HAVING A RADIUS OF CURVATURE IN COOPERATION WITH THE EXTENT OF THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE AXIALLY OF THE WHEEL SUFFICIENT THAT THE PLANE OF ROTATION OF THE WHEEL IS PIVOTABLE ABOUT A LINE PARALLEL TO THE MEASUREMENT SURFACE TO VARY, BY AN AMOUNT ADEQUATE TO COMPENSATE FOR LOCALIZED DEFORMATION PHENOMENA IN THE WHEEL AND THE MEASUREMENT SURFACE, THE EFFECTIVE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WHEEL RELATIVE TO SAID PRECISELY PREDETERMINED CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT.