Calculating inclinometer for levelling recreation vehicles

Claim 2

A cAlculating inclinometer for levelling recreation vehicles, such as pickup campers, trailers, mobile homes or the like, the levelling device comprising: a. mounting means arranged to be positioned on said vehicle, said mounting means having a planar base member and an arcuate concave slide rail mounted in spaced relation above said base member; b. slide means inclusive of bubble level indicator means arranged for slidable movement along said rail, said slide means having depending pointer means disposed toward said flat base member, and c. scale support means having indicia imprinted thereon comprising an elevational correction scale and a length scale, said support means being arranged to be slidably moved over said flat base member and below said indicator pointer means, said movement being perpendicular to said movement of said slide means and serving to position a portion of said length scale adjacent to said pointer in order to indicate the elevational correction for a selected length of said vehicle when said slide means is slidably moved along said rail so that the bubble level indicates a level position.

Claim 3

An inclinometer as defined in claim 1, wherein: said mounting means further includes a web element extending downwardly from said arcuate slide rail and arranged perpendicular to said flat base member, said web element having a slotted opening along its entire length adjacent to said flat base member whereby said scale support means may be inserted through said slotted opening and across the upper surface of said flat base member.

Claim 4

An inclinometer as defined in claim 2, wherein: said scale support means includes a plurality of upwardly extending tabs at each of its corners, said tabs being arranged to contact the web element and prevent removal of the slide of the scale means from the mounting means.

Claim 5

An inclinometer as defined in claim 1, wherein: said scale support means is a flat thin plate having a size corresponding to said planar base member, said plate having parallel, equally spaced lines extending longitudinally of the surface of said plate constituting said length scale and transverse converging lines arranged to converge at an imaginary point on a lateral center line of said plate and symmetrical to said center line constituting said elevational correction scale whereby the plate can be positioned so that the parallel lines are parallel to the slide rail and is slidably inserted so that said pointer means aligns with one of said parallel lines which represents the width of the vehicle and the pointer means, in turn, indicates the direction and elevational correction for the vehicle by intersection with one of the converging lines.

Claim 6

An inclinometer as defined in claim 1, wherein: said mounting means is integrally formed from a moldable material.

Claim 7

An inclinometer as defined in claim 1, wherein: said slide means includes a saddle means having a slotted arcuate passageway arranged to slidably fit said rail whereby said indicator means is permanently attached to said rail to prevent its removal.

Claim 8

A calculating inclinometer for levelling recreation vehicles, such as pickup campers, trailers, mobile homes or the like, the levelling device comprising: a. mounting means arranged for positioning on said vehicle, said mounting means having an elongated, rectangular base member and an arcuate, concaved slide rail mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis above said base member, said rail being mounted above said base member by upright support means at each end of the rail whereby the ends of the rail are at an equal distance above the base member, said arcuate concave slide rail further including a thin web element arranged to extend between said arcuate rail and said base member, said web element being spaced from said base member to form an elongated, slotted aperture extending the length of said base member; b. bubble level indicator means mounted on a saddle means, said saddle means including a curved, slotted opening whereby said bubble level indicator means may be slidably moved along said rail, said saddle means further including a pointer means disposed perpendicular to the level indicator means and towards said base member; and c. indicia scale means including a flat, rectangular plate member having a length slightly less than the length of said slotted aperture whereby said plate member may be laterally moved across the upper surface of said base member and through said slotted aperture, said plate member having a plurality of intersecting grid lines comprising an elevational correction scale and a length scale, provided on its upper surface, said movement of said plate member being perpendicular to said movement of said saddle means and serving to position a portion of said length scale adjacent to said pointer in order to indicate the elevational correction for a selected length of said vehicle, whereby as the level indicator means is moved along said rail to a level position, the distance correction for levelling said vehicle is indicated by the intersection of said pointer means with a respective line on said plate member.

Claim 9

A calculating inclinometer for levelling recreation vehicles, such as pickup campers, trailers, mobile homes or the like, the levelling device comprising: a. mounting means arranged for positioning on said vehicle, said mounting means having an elongated, rectangular base member and an arcuate, concaved slide rail mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis above said base member, said rail being mounted above said base member by upright support means at each end of the rail whereby the ends of the rail are at an equal distance above the base member, said arcuate concave slide rail further including a thin web element arranged to extend between said arcuate rail and said base member, said web element being spaced from said base member to form an elongated, slotted aperture extending the length of said base member; b. bubble level indicator means mounted on a saddle means, said saddle means including a curved, slotted opening whereby said bubble level indicator means may be slidably moved along said rail, said saddle means further including a pointer means disposed perpendicular to the level indicator means and towards said base member; and c. indicia scale means including a flat, rectangular plate member having a length slightly less than the length of said slotted aperture whereby said plate member may be laterally moved across the upper surface of said base member and through said slotted aperture, said plate member having a plurality of intersecting grid lines comprising an elevational correction scale and a length scale, provided on its upper surface, said movement of said plate member being perpendicular to said movement of said saddle means and serving to position a portion of said length scale adjacent to said pointer in order to indicate the elevational correction for a selected length of said vehicle, whereby as the level indicator means is moved along said rail to a level position, the distance correction for levelling said vehicle is indicated by the intersection of said pointer means with a respective line on said plate member.

Claim 10

An inclinometer as defined in claim 7, wherein said plurality of intersecting grid lines includes: a. said length scale having a first series of spaced parallel lines which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of said plate and said slide rail, said first series of lines representing the distance between the supports of said vehicle; and b. said elevational correction scale having a second series of lines which intersect said first series and angularly converge toward an imaginary point on the lateral center line of said plate, said second series of lines being symmetrical with respect to said center line and calibrated to represent the elevational correction required for the width or length of said vehicle.