A tool for placement of markings that provides a method of installing window shades and window blinds easily, accurately, and in a manner that saves time and energy. The tool for placement of markings presents novel structures and features that allow for easy, fast and accurate installation of blinds and shades.

A “step shim” for positioning a fixture in a precise location relative to an adjoining support structure includes an elongated member having: (a) two, side surfaces, (b) a flat, bottom face, (c) a top face that includes a plurality of flat, adjoining segments, each of which is separated from an adjoining top face segment by a boundary line that extends across the top face (d) front and back ends, and (e) wherein this member has a configuration adapted to allow it to be broken apart along the member's boundary lines into a plurality of member segments that each correspond to one of the top face segments, and (f) wherein the distance between the bottom face and the segment of the above top face defines a member segment's height, each of which is progressively taller from the member's front to back end.

Provided is a misalignment determining device having a size thereof in an axial direction being made short. The misalignment determining device includes a case, a dial gauge, a holder portion, a support portion, a pivotal portion, a lever member, and a slide member. The slide member is placed in contact with a stylus of the dial gauge. While the pivotal portion and the lever member are rotated in synchronism with rotation of the holder portion, a pivot amount of the pivotal portion is transmitted to the slide member via the lever member, and based on an amount of movement of the slide member along an axis direction, the dial gauge determines the pivot amount.

Provided is a misalignment determining device having a size thereof in an axial direction being made short. The misalignment determining device includes a case, a dial gauge, a holder portion, a support portion, a pivotal portion, a lever member, and a slide member. The slide member is placed in contact with a stylus of the dial gauge. While the pivotal portion and the lever member are rotated in synchronism with rotation of the holder portion, a pivot amount of the pivotal portion is transmitted to the slide member via the lever member, and based on an amount of movement of the slide member along an axis direction, the dial gauge determines the pivot amount.

A device includes a ruler, a leveling device attached to the ruler and a plurality of pins. The device only requires one person to hang level pictures, paintings, frames and other wall hanging objects. The ruler is a made from a rigid material and has a plurality of holes therein where the pins are inserted. The ruler has a fixed length or has a telescopic structure. The plurality of holes formed in the ruler are spaced apart from one another and the spacing is uniform or variable spacing. The leveling device is a bubble leveler including three bubble levels where one bubble level is horizontally positioned, another bubble level is vertically positioned, and the third bubble level has an angle relative to the horizontally positioned bubble level. The plurality of pins include a threaded pointed screw with a knob attached to one end of the screw.

The present disclosure includes a method for use on a machine tool system having a controller, three linear axes of motion and at least one rotary axis, for determining the orientation of the rotary axis relative to the linear axes, including mounting a sphere to a system component that rotates about the rotary axis, rotating the component to move the sphere to at least three positions about the rotary axis, measuring a center of the sphere at each of the positions by using the controller to move a probe mounted to a spindle of the system into contact with the sphere, computing, using the controller, a plane fitting the center measurements, and computing, using the controller, a vector normal to the plane passing through a center of rotation of an arc lying in the plane and fitting the center measurements, the vector corresponding to the orientation of the rotary axis.

The present disclosure includes a method for use on a machine tool system having a controller, three linear axes of motion and at least one rotary axis, for determining the orientation of the rotary axis relative to the linear axes, including mounting a sphere to a system component that rotates about the rotary axis, rotating the component to move the sphere to at least three positions about the rotary axis, measuring a center of the sphere at each of the positions by using the controller to move a probe mounted to a spindle of the system into contact with the sphere, computing, using the controller, a plane fitting the center measurements, and computing, using the controller, a vector normal to the plane passing through a center of rotation of an arc lying in the plane and fitting the center measurements, the vector corresponding to the orientation of the rotary axis.

A device for measuring the straightness of a rod-like work piece includes a support for the rod-like work piece. The support has multiple sections, each of which has a support surface. At least one force sensor is provided to measure the force applied by the work piece onto the support surface in a direction that extends essentially transverse to gravitational acceleration.

A book alignment device engages a back side of objects that are misaligned on a plane and applies a transverse force against the back side of the objects to align the objects on the plane. The device aligns the separate, misaligned objects into a single aligned set of objects. In this manner, the objects are not only aligned, but compacted into a stronger, unitary configuration that forms a single set of objects. An alignment rod forms an elongated member having a substantially straight configuration and a pair of free ends. The alignment rod engages a back side of the objects to pull them forward into alignment. A pair of lateral bars extend from the free ends of the alignment rod. The lateral bars have a distal end that perpendicularly joins the free ends of the alignment rod, and a proximal end that enables manipulation of the alignment rod.

For alignment of rotational shafts, two devices for attachment to circular faces of two shaft segments. Each of the two devices has a laser photoelectric device for ascertaining a dimension of displacement of the two shafts from a desired axis of rotation relative to each other. Each of the two devices having a base surface with two linear contact edges designed to engage with a circumferential surface of a shaft and to ensure alignment between the device and an axis of rotation of the shaft to within a tolerance compatible with alignment tolerances of the shaft. Each of the two linear contact edges includes at least two terminal end regions and a center region together defining a line contact at linear intersection of two surfaces meeting at a non-zero angle linear contact edges designed to affix and release from the shaft surface, and to ensure parallel alignment between the device and an axis of rotation of the shaft to a precision allowing measurements to within tolerances required by machinery driven by the shaft. The base surface of at least one of the devices has been modified from its commercially-delivered condition to provide raised rails designed to improve tactile feedback of to a user of the alignment between the base and an axis of rotation of the shaft, and has affixed thereto two rails designed to improve tactile feedback of to a user of the alignment between the base and an axis of rotation of the shaft. Each base has a magnet and a switch to vary magnetic flux for affixation and release from the shaft surface. Each device has brackets designed to securely and reproducibly position laser photoelectric devices relative to the base and axis of rotation of the shaft. The attaching includes a human placing at least one of the devices slightly askew relative to the axis of rotation of the shaft, and the human gently twisting the device to allow the liner contact edges to seat on the circumferential surface of the shaft, to provide tactile feedback to the human to confirm parallel alignment between the at least one device's laser photoelectronic device and the axis of rotation of the shaft.