Patent US3676652A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3676652A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronic linear measuring device
Assignee: INTERTEK CONTROLS Inc
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Filing: 1970-02-18
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Granted: 1972-07-11
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Expires: 1990-02-18
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to an electronic digital measuring system for measuring and displaying the length a member extends beyond a measuring point, and, more particularly, to an electronic digital measuring system which makes coarse and fine measurements by a pair of independent measuring units of the distance a member being measuring extends beyond a measurement point and additionally combines and displays the combined measurements.
Inventors
- 👤 Hugh L Millis Jr
- 👤 Eugene A Hoskinson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 22:55
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23D; B23D33/00; B23D33/006; B23D59/00; B23D59/001; G; G01; G01B; G01B21/00; G01B21/02; G01B21/06; H; H03; H03M; H03M1/00; H03M1/12; H03M1/22; H03M1/24; H03M1/28; H03M1/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
225 words
A linear measurement device for measuring the linear distance to the end of a member extends beyond a measuring point, said device comprising: a series of discrete digital sensing means linearly spaced a series of distances, respectively, from said measuring point, each of said digital sensing means being responsive to the adjacent presence of said member for producing an output digital signal, the length of said member along said series of sensing means producing a continuous set of said output digital signals corresponding thereto; first digital measuring means responsive to the particular digital sensing means producing the last output digital signal of said continuous set of digital signals for producing a first output digital numerical indication corresponding to the distance said particular digital sensing means is from said measuring point; second digital measuring means responsive to the distance the end of said member extends past said particular digital sensing means for producing a second output digital numerical indication corresponding thereto; means for combining said first and second output digital numerical indications to produce a third output digital numerical indication representing the total measured distance the end of said member extends beyond said measuring point and output digital display means responsive to the third output digital numerical indication produced by the last-named means for producing an output visual indication corresponding thereto and representing said measured distance.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
225 words
A linear measurement device for measuring the linear distance to the end of a member extends beyond a measuring point, said device comprising: a series of discrete digital sensing means linearly spaced a series of distances, respectively, from said measuring point, each of said digital sensing means being responsive to the adjacent presence of said member for producing an output digital signal, the length of said member along said series of sensing means producing a continuous set of said output digital signals corresponding thereto; first digital measuring means responsive to the particular digital sensing means producing the last output digital signal of said continuous set of digital signals for producing a first output digital numerical indication corresponding to the distance said particular digital sensing means is from said measuring point; second digital measuring means responsive to the distance the end of said member extends past said particular digital sensing means for producing a second output digital numerical indication corresponding thereto; means for combining said first and second output digital numerical indications to produce a third output digital numerical indication representing the total measured distance the end of said member extends beyond said measuring point and output digital display means responsive to the third output digital numerical indication produced by the last-named means for producing an output visual indication corresponding thereto and representing said measured distance.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
67 words
The linear measurement device according to claim 1 wherein said first digital measuring means includes, in addition, digital offset means for modifying said first output digital indication an amount corresponding to the distance said series of discrete sensing means are offset as a group from said measuring point whereby any offset distance of the series of discrete sensing means can be accounted for in the measuring operation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
169 words
A linear measurement device for measuring the distance the end of a member extends beyond a measuring point, said member lying along a path, said device comprising: a series of first discrete sensing means lying along said path, each of said first discrete sensing means producing first and second output signals in response to the adjacent presence and non-presence, respectively, of said member along said path; decoding means responsive to the adjacent pair of first discrete sensing means producing first and second signals, respective, for producing a first numerical indication corresponding to the distance said adjacent pair of sensing means are positioned along said path from said measuring point; second sensing means responsive to the movement of said member between said adjacent pair of first discrete sensing means for generating a second numerical indication representing the distance the end of said member is between said adjacent pair; and display means responsive to said first and second numerical indications for visually displaying first and second numbers, respectively, representing said measurement.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
169 words
A linear measurement device for measuring the distance the end of a member extends beyond a measuring point, said member lying along a path, said device comprising: a series of first discrete sensing means lying along said path, each of said first discrete sensing means producing first and second output signals in response to the adjacent presence and non-presence, respectively, of said member along said path; decoding means responsive to the adjacent pair of first discrete sensing means producing first and second signals, respective, for producing a first numerical indication corresponding to the distance said adjacent pair of sensing means are positioned along said path from said measuring point; second sensing means responsive to the movement of said member between said adjacent pair of first discrete sensing means for generating a second numerical indication representing the distance the end of said member is between said adjacent pair; and display means responsive to said first and second numerical indications for visually displaying first and second numbers, respectively, representing said measurement.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
The device according to claim 3 wherein said second sensing means includes, in addition, incremental means responsive to each incremental movement of said member for producing a signal indication thereof, and digital summing means for summing said signal indications to derive said second numerical indication representing a measurement of the distance traveled by said member between said adjacent pair of sensing mEans.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
The device according to claim 4 wherein said incremental means includes movable means for undergoing rotational movement in response to the movement of said member, and quantizing means coupled to said movable means and responsive to each incremental rotational movement for producing said signal indication.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
The device according to claim 5 including, in addition, means responsive to each change of adjacent pairs of said first discrete sensing means producing said first and second signals as decoded by said decoding means for producing an output logical signal correspondingly thereto, wherein each change of said first numerical indication is represented by the appearance of said output logical signal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
106 words
The device according to claim 6 in which said series of first discrete sensing means are at a first distance from each other, and the initial discrete sensing means of said series is spaced at a second distance from said measurement point, said device including, in addition, numerical means holding said second distance and responsive, when actuated, for transferring said second distance into said digital summing means, and means responsive to each of said output logical signals for actuating said numerical means whereby the distance measured by said second sensing means is updated to said second distance at each new length determined by said decoding means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
85 words
The device according to claim 7 in which said second sensing means includes, in addition, carry means responsive when actuated for going from a first to a second state, and said summing means includes, in addition, reset means responsive to a first predetermined sum for resetting said summing means to a second predetermined sum and actuating said carry means whereby the total count represented by said summing means and said carry means cycles through a predetermined number system upon the continued movement of said member.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
The device according to claim 8 wherein said first display means includes, in addition, means responsive to the first and second states of said carry means for producing first and second output number values for said first numerical indication, said values differing by a single unit of measurement.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
The device according to claim 9 wherein said summing means includes digital scaling means for scaling the value of each signal indication a predetermined amount whereby a desired scaling may be obtained for the values of the incremental rotational movements.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
The device according to claim 10 wherein said summing means includes, in addition, means for selectively establishing the scaling value of said digital scaling means whereby the scaling applied to said signal indicating means may be varied in accordance with the values of the incremental additional movements.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-07-11 | 1976-01-10 | 1976-07-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-07-11 | 1980-01-10 | 1980-07-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-07-11 | 1984-01-10 | 1984-07-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |