Pipe size measuring tool
OwnerJohn S. Bakke, David C. Bakkeinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pipe size measuring tool having a plurality of gauges, each gauge having an open mouth therein. The sizes of the open mouths in each gauge are different from each other. The gauges are mounted together with each gauge having a front end, a body portion and a rear end. The gauges are pivotally mounted together adjacent their rear ends so that they are moveable from a folded compact position to an open position. The front ends are wider than the rear ends and the gauges are thin and light-weight. Openings are provided in the rear ends so that the gauges may be pivotally mounted together at the rear ends. The gauges are of different sizes with the larger open mounts located in the larger gauges.
Claims16
A measuring tool for determining the sizes of standard pipes whether installed or note, comprising a plurality of flat gauges, each gauge having a front end portion, a rear end portion and a body portion interconnecting said front end and said rear end portions, at least some of the gauges having open and substantially semicircular curved mouth extending across substantially the width of their corresponding front end portion, said mouth having opposite ends defining substantially narrow pointed tips at said front end portion, said mouths of respective gauges dimensioned to fit around substantially half of the circumference of corresponding different predetermined sized pipes, each gauge having indicia thereon denoting the pipe size of said pipe about which dimensions of said mouth is dimensioned to fit, said gauges being pivotally mounted together at the rear end portion.
23 A measuring tool as set forth in claim 22 wherein the front end portions of the gauges are wider than the rear end portions.
A measuring tool as set forth in claim 23 wherein the front end portions and the rear end portions are connected together by tapered side edges.
A method for determining the size of pipe installed in the ground by a hand-held pipe size gauge, having a front end portion with pointed tips, comprising the steps of:
- (a) locating the pipe in the ground,
- (b) pushing the pointed tips of the front end portion of said gauge into the ground overlying the pipe, generally 90 degrees perpendicular,
- (c) providing an open and generally semicircular inwardly curved mouth of predetermined diameter extending across substantially the width of said front end portion of said gauge from point to point,
- (d) receiving the curvature of the pipe into the mouth of said gauge to determine a snug fit of said open mouth to the diameter of said pipe,
- (e) repeating step d with gauges having different size front end portions and mouths, until said snug fit between the mouth of the gauge and the curvature of the pipe is obtained, and
- (f) reading the size of the pipe from the gauge.
A method for determining the size of pipe in a limited space by a hand-held pipe size gauge, having a front end portion with pointed tips, comprising the steps of:
- (a) locating the pipe,
- (b) providing generally semicircular inwardly curved mouth of pre-determined diameter extending across substantially the width of said front end portion of said gauge from point to point,
- (c) pushing the pointed tips of the front end portion of said gauge toward the pipe with said mouth overlying the pipe, generally 90 degrees perpendicular to said pipe,
- (d) receiving the curvature of the pipe surface into said mouth of said gauge to determine a snug fit of said mouth opening to the diameter of said pipe,
- (e) repeating step d with gauges having different size front openings, until a snug fit is obtained between the mouth of the gauge and the curvature of the pipe outer surface, and
- (f) reading the size of the pipe from the gauge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.