LINEX letter scale

LINEX  letter scale

At the same time, this LINEX is a letter scale, a letter opener and a ruler. It's good-looking and has proven to be a very suitable commercial give-away. The utility is limited. The possibilities to clamp a large range of thicknesses are too restricted. This is a scale with unequal arms and it has five possible pivot-positions, the red knobs serve as center of rotation. Successively the letter is lighter or heavier than ¼, ½, 1, 1½, of 2 oz. This type of scale is also called Bismar. The name Danish steelyard is also used. Positions of load (letter) and weight are fixed. The position of the pivot, or of the swivelling point, is to be chosen: which pair of red beads are to be grasped. The weight is not a real separate part.

weighing action

LINEX: a combined letter scale, letter opener and ruler

five values to compare with

a bit heavier than ¼ oz.

The rotating knobs are designed too small, this results in sliding against the skin when the weighing is performed. The upper limit of this scale is 2 oz. (56.7 grams). Specimens with a chart division in grams also exist. An American patent with number 2,612,365 was granted to this design on September 30, 1952. The patent is granted to Frede Duelund Nielsen from Rödovre, Vanlöse, Denmark. The first application already was made January 30, 1950, in Denmark. Also a German patent was granted on February 2, 1953. It has the number 865,216. The drawings of these patents differ slightly. Later, in 1968 John Heil designed a variation with one pair of rotatable knobs, slideable along the scale of measurement. This idea was patented in the US under the number 3,365,011. My LINEX letter scale reads: Fly by BOAC. This was a British Airliner, named in full: British Overseas Airways Corporation. BOAC existed from 1939 till 1974 then merged into British Airways. Therefore this letter scale dates from the period 1952-1974. There are more specimens with names of large companies printed on it, for instance Esso and Canadian Club. But also specimens are known with names of smaller unknown companies. Also specimens exist with blue beads in stead of the red beads as shown on my photos. Also of more recent dates, transparent versions exist. Below some more detailed photos of the LINEX letter scale.

figures of US patent no. 2,612,365

figures of German patent no. 865,216

five pairs of rotatable beads	between thumb and index	beads are too small
commercial overprint: fly by BOAC	one parted flexible letter clip	bottom view

US patent 2,612,365	directions for use at the back
elegant shape	difficult to hold

US patent 3,365,011 change of beads position done by sliding

a grams version