Level with rotating vial and locking assembly
AssigneeMilwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
InventorsJoseph William Burge, Bryant Deakins, Michael Wyatt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A level including a rotating level vial is provided. The level includes a locking mechanism that utilizes an actuator that engages a brake to lock the rotating vial into the desired position. The locking mechanism may include a spring element that is compressed by the actuator during locking, and the spring element in turn pushes against the brake facilitating control of the normal force that the brake applies to the vial surround of the rotating vial. The rotating level vial may engage the level body such that the rotating level vial is permitted to rotate 360 degrees in both the clockwise and counter clockwise directions.
Claims20
A level comprising:
- a level body defining a base surface, the level body including:
- a front end surface;
- a rear end surface;
- and
- a longitudinal axis extending between the front end surface and the rear end surface defining a length of the level body;
- a level vial located within the level body;
- a vial surround supporting the level vial, the vial surround located within an opening formed in the level body, wherein the vial surround includes an outer diameter;
- and
- a locking system comprising:
- a fastener;
- and
- an insert having a threaded channel parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein the threaded channel includes an open end extending through the rear end surface such that the fastener is received within the threaded channel.
A level comprising:
- a level body defining a base surface;
- a level vial assembly comprising:
- a rotating level vial;
- and
- a vial surround supporting the rotating level vial, the vial surround located within an opening formed in the level body and wherein the vial surround is freely rotatable within the opening;
- and
- a locking mechanism, set within a cavity of the level body, comprising:
- an actuator;
- an insert, to receive the actuator;
- a retainer and a pad both located within the cavity behind the insert;
- and
- a spring element located between the retainer and the pad;
- wherein, when the locking mechanism is in a locked position the spring element is in a compressed state and, when the locking mechanism is in an unlocked position, the spring element is in a uncompressed state
- wherein the pad includes a face in contact with a surface of the vial surround when the spring element is in both the compressed state and in the uncompressed state to provide a constant contact of the pad with the surface of the vial surround;
- wherein the constant contact creates a minimum friction between the surface of the vial surround and the pad.
A level comprising:
- a level body defining a base surface and a longitudinal axis extending between a front end and a rear end surface of the level body;
- a rotating level vial;
- a vial surround supporting the rotating level vial, the vial surround located within an opening formed in the level body, wherein the vial surround is freely rotatable within the opening such that the rotating level vial may be oriented at a plurality of angular positions relative to the base surface;
- and
- a locking system, set within a cavity of the level body, comprising:
- a fastener providing a variable coupling force on the vial surround;
- an insert, fixed at an entrance of the cavity, to receive the fastener, wherein the insert is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;
- a retainer including an outer diameter;
- a pad including an outer diameter;
- and
- a spring element between the retainer and the pad;
- wherein the outer diameters of the retainer and pad are less than an inner diameter of the cavity such that both the retainer and pad are sized to fit within the cavity behind the insert and moveable in a longitudinal direction within the cavity;
- wherein, when the locking system is in an engaged position the spring element is in a compressed state and, when the locking system is in an disengaged position, the spring element is in a uncompressed state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.