US3924337A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Height gage
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-07-17
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Granted: 1975-12-09
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Expires: 1994-07-17
Abstract
Abstract An improved height gage is provided which includes a vertical column of rectangular cross-section, and a carriage which rides up and down the column as various heights are being measured. An electric encoder is mounted on the carriage, and it has a drive shaft in line contact with one edge of the column. The encoder supplies electric pulses to an electronic read-out circuit which, in turn, controls a display unit. The carriage is mounted on the column by means of three bearings, which are individually adjustable to establish the drive shaft in precise line contact with the edge of the column, and also to adjust the inclination of the drive shaft with respect to the horizontal for calibration purposes. The invention provides an instrument by which height measurements may be made and displayed quickly and accurately, and to a high degree of precision and resolution, on a direct basis and without the need for any calculations or other notations.
Inventors
- 👤 James L Taylor
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 21:37
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B7/00; G01B7/02; G01B7/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
246 words
A height gage including: a base; an elongated upright guide column of rectangular cross-section mounted on said base; a carriage; first, second and third bearing assemblies rotatably mounted on said carriage to enable said carriage to be movable up and down said column; an upright rod rotatably mounted on said base adjacent to said column; a rotatably mounted fine adjustment knob; means coupling said knob to said rod to cause rotation of said rod upon rotation of said knob; means coupling said carriage to said rod to cause said carriage to move up and down said column as said rod is rotated by rotation of said fine adjustment knob; spring loaded trigger means connected to said last-named coupling means for selectively decoupling said last-named coupling means from said rod to permit said carriage to be freely moved up and down said column; an encoder mounted on said carriage and including a drift shaft engageing the edge of said column in frictionaL line contact therewith for rotation of said drive shaft as said carriage is moved up and down said column to cause said encoder to generate electric signals, the first and second of said bearing assemblies and said encoder drive shaft engaging opposite edges of said column for supporting the carriage on the column, and the third of said bearing assemblies being spaced from the edge of said column and having guide flanges engaging the column; and an electronic display unit electrically coupled to said encoder.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
246 words
A height gage including: a base; an elongated upright guide column of rectangular cross-section mounted on said base; a carriage; first, second and third bearing assemblies rotatably mounted on said carriage to enable said carriage to be movable up and down said column; an upright rod rotatably mounted on said base adjacent to said column; a rotatably mounted fine adjustment knob; means coupling said knob to said rod to cause rotation of said rod upon rotation of said knob; means coupling said carriage to said rod to cause said carriage to move up and down said column as said rod is rotated by rotation of said fine adjustment knob; spring loaded trigger means connected to said last-named coupling means for selectively decoupling said last-named coupling means from said rod to permit said carriage to be freely moved up and down said column; an encoder mounted on said carriage and including a drift shaft engageing the edge of said column in frictionaL line contact therewith for rotation of said drive shaft as said carriage is moved up and down said column to cause said encoder to generate electric signals, the first and second of said bearing assemblies and said encoder drive shaft engaging opposite edges of said column for supporting the carriage on the column, and the third of said bearing assemblies being spaced from the edge of said column and having guide flanges engaging the column; and an electronic display unit electrically coupled to said encoder.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The height gage defined in claim 1, and which includes manually operated means electrically connected to said electronic display unit for setting the reading of said display unit to zero for any reference setting of the gage.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
87 words
The height gage defined in claim 1, in which the third and first of said bearing assemblies are mounted respectively at the top and bottom of the carriage in position to engage one edge of the column, and the second of said bearing assemblies is mounted at an intermediate position on the carriage in position to engage the opposite edge of said column, and in which said encoder drive shaft is positioned under the third bearing assembly in position to engage said one edge of said column.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
61 words
The height gage defined in claim 3, and which includes means coupled to said second bearing assembly to enable said second bearing assembly to be adjustable along its longitudinal axis to control the tilt of the carriage about a vertical axis so as to establish a line contact between the shaft of the encoder and the adjacent edge of the column.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
The height gage defined in claim 3, and which includes means coupled to at least one of said first and third bearing assemblies to cause the same to be adjustable along the longitudinal axis thereof to control the tilt of the carriage about a horizontal axis and establish the effective diameter of the drive shaft of the encoder for calibration purposes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The height gage defined in claim 3, and which includes means connected to said second bearing assembly to adjust the pressure at which the encoder shaft engages the edge of the column.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The height gage defined in claim 1, in which said coupling means includes rollers making spring-biased angular contact with the rod.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The height gage defined in claim 7, in which said coupling means includes an elongated bracket pivotally connected to said carriage, and in which one of said rollers is mounted on said bracket adjacent to the pivotal axis thereof.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-12-08 | 1979-06-09 | 1979-12-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-12-08 | 1983-06-09 | 1983-12-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-12-08 | 1987-06-09 | 1987-12-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |