Recreational compass

In a compass having a base member and a compass needle journaled in a transparent casing, said casing provided with an outer peripheral wall portion and top and bottom wall portions, said base member including an upstanding annular housing wall provided with an internal shoulder, the improvement comprising:

• an annular spacer ring interpositioned between said casing and said housing wall;
• first complementary locking means between said spacer ring and said peripheral wall portion of said casing including a generally ring-like radially expandible and contractable locking member on said spacer ring, to lock said casing in centered relation to said spacer ring;
• second complementary locking means between said spacer ring and said housing wall operative to lock said spacer ring within said housing wall, an external shoulder on said peripheral wall portion of said casing and an internal shoulder on said housing wall of said base member, said second complementary locking means including a generally ring-like, radially expandible and contractable locking member in surrounding relation to said spacer ring, said locking members of said first and second complementary locking means being movable past said external and internal shoulders to expand outwardly behind said shoulders into yielding engagement with said peripheral wall portion of said casing and housing wall of said base member establishing yieldable, frictional engagement between said spacer ring and said housing wall whereby said second complementary locking means is operative to lock said spacer means against release while permitting said spacer ring to be manually rotated with respect to said housing wall.

In a compass having a base member and a compass needle journaled within a transparent casing, said casing provided with an outer peripheral wall portion and top and bottom wall portions, the combination therewith comprising:

• releasable retention means operative to releasably secure said casing to said base member, said releasable retention means including an upstanding peripheral flange sized for insertion of said casing therein, a resilient member interposed between the bottom of said casing and said base within said peripheral flange, an annular spacer surrounding the outer wall of said casing and insertable with said casing into said peripheral flange, complementary locking means including a first locking member on said spacer movable past a second locking member on said flange in the direction of insertion of said casing within said flange until said casing bears against said resilient member so as to be normally urged away from the bottom of said casing while resisting movement of said casing in the direction of release from said flange, said first locking member on said spacer defined by a split ring disposed in surrounding relation to said spacer and having an external beveled edge tapering downwardly in the direction of insertion of said spacer into said flange;
• and
• means normally establishing frictional engagement between said spacer and said casing whereby rotation of one of said spacer and casing will cause rotation of the other.

In a compass having an elongated transparent base plate member and a compass needle journaled on a fluid-filled, transparent vial, said vial having a casing provided with an outer peripheral wall portion and top and bottom wall portions defining a sealed enclosure, the improvement comprising:

• releasable retention means operative to releasably secure said casing to said base plate member, said releasable retention means including an upstanding peripheral flange sized for insertion of said casing therein, a spring member interposed between the bottom of said casing and said base plate member within said peripheral flange, a ledge integral with said flange protruding inwardly from said flange toward said outer peripheral wall of said casing, and an azimuth ring including a spacer engageable with the outer wall of said casing and insertable with said casing into said peripheral flange with said spacer disposed in close-fitting relation to said ledge, said spacer having locking means yieldably engageable with said ledge so as to be movable past said ledge in the direction of insertion of said casing within said flange until said casing bears against said spring member while resisting movement of said casing in the direction of release from said flange, said releasable retention means releasably securing said casing to said base plate member while permitting rotation of said casing and said azimuth ring with respect to said base plate member;
• and
• radial extension members including a first outward radial extension on said casing and a second inward radial extension on said spacer axially spaced above said first radial extension, and a frictional ring member interposed between said radial extension members, said releasable retention means operative to normally compress said frictional compressible ring member between said radial extension members.