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Object Record


Keuffel & Esser Desk Slide Rule, No. N-4096
Catalog Number 95.0006.003
Title Keuffel & Esser Desk Slide Rule, No. N-4096
History From the Keuffel & Esser Co. Catalogue, 38th Edition, 1936, page 323: "The Keuffel and Esser Desk Slide Rule has been especially designed for the Merchant, Importer, Exporter, Accountant, Manager, Mechanic, Foreman, and others, whose computations involve only multiplication, division, proportion, and percentage. In construction, the rule is of the Mannheim Type. The arrangement of the scales admits of the handling of factors which, in rules with this arrangement would frequently require the slide to be reset."

The first K&E desk slide rule was offered in 1928. This version, however, is a little later because it has an improved Indicator. It includes DF, CF, CI, C, and D scales. The patents referring to this version are 1,934,232, filed February 1932, by Adolf W. Keuffel, Montclair, New Jersey, assigner to Keuffel & Esser Co., Hoboken, New Jersey and applies to the "method of and means whereby the component element of slide rules may be secured together." The second patent is 2,086,502, filed July 1937, by the same designer and assigned to the same company and refers to "The primary object of the invention is the protection of the glass or other transparent panel bearing a hair-line against damage should the slide rule be dropped or otherwise struck."
Description 95.0006.003.01 - K&E desk slide rule
95.0006.003.02 - case

Black textured cast metal feet hold the slide rule upright. Rule is wood. The bottom of the rule has a K&E equivalents chart on it. The rule’s slider matches to two outer edges, with black and red ink on cream surface. A steel knob protrudes from the slider to move it, and a clear glass piece (the Indicator) with line down the middle to line up measurements. The Indicator has its own patent number on it.
Date after 1937
Organizations NIH; NHLBI, Laboratory of Technical Development
NIH Property # none
Old NIH Property # none
Serial # none
People Berger, Robert L.
Keuffel, Adolf W.