Tape measure with deployable stabilizer
OwnerMark Thielinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A deployable stabilizer cooperates with a tape of a tape measure to stabilize the tape measure with the tape extended therefrom to facilitate hands free stability of the tape measure. The stabilizer may be pivotally coupled with a body of the tape measure to facilitate pivoting between a deployed and a stowed position. The stabilizer may comprise an extendable member that is guided by channels defined by tape measure body. Locations or orientations of pivot holes or channel guides may result in contact of the bottom of the tape in an extended position with a top of the stabilizer in a deployed position to facilitate stability of the tape measure body.
Claims18
A tape measure, comprising:
- a body defining at least one stabilizer guide;
- a deployable stabilizer coupled to the body via the at least one stabilizer guide, wherein the at least one stabilizer guide comprises at least one pivot hole, and wherein the deployable stabilizer comprises a bail pivotally coupled to the body via the at least one pivot hole;
- and
- a retractable tape having a longitudinally formed curvature;
- wherein the deployable stabilizer comprises a distal end that defines a saddle that cooperates with the longitudinally formed curvature to resist rotation of the tape or rotation of the body with respect to an axis that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the tape when the tape is extended from the body.
A tape measure, comprising:
- a housing having a housing bottom surface, the housing defining an internal cavity, a tape port formed in the housing adjacent the housing bottom surface, and at least one stabilizer guide having a stabilizer guide orientation;
- a coilable measuring tape at least partially disposed within the housing and having a distal end extendable out of the housing through the tape port;
- wherein the distal end of the coilable measuring tape comprises an end hook member;
- and
- a deployable stabilizer coupled to the housing via the at least one stabilizer guide, the deployable stabilizer comprising a distal end;
- wherein the deployable stabilizer has a stabilizer thickness, a stabilizer top surface, and a stabilizer bottom surface, wherein the coilable measuring tape has a tape bottom surface, and wherein the body defines the at least one stabilizer guide orientation such that the tape bottom surface contacts the stabilizer top surface with the deployable stabilizer in a deployed position and with the distal end of the coilable measuring tape extended out of the housing through the tape port beyond the distal end of the deployable stabilizer, with the end hook member engaged with an edge of a workpiece and with the stabilizer bottom surface in contact with the workpiece.
A tape measure, comprising:
- a housing having a housing bottom, the housing defining an internal cavity, the body defining a tape port having a tape port bottom being at tape port bottom distance above the housing bottom, and the body defining at least one pivot hole at a pivot hole location distance above the housing bottom;
- a tape at least partially disposed within the housing and having a distal end extendable out of the housing through the tape port;
- wherein the distal end of the tape comprises an end hook;
- and
- a deployable stabilizer coupled to the housing via the at least one pivot hole, the deployable stabilizer comprising a distal end;
- wherein the deployable stabilizer has a stabilizer thickness, a stabilizer top surface, and a stabilizer bottom surface;
- wherein the tape has a tape bottom surface;
- and wherein the body defines the at least one stabilizer pivot hole at a pivot hole location such that the tape bottom surface contacts the stabilizer top surface with the deployable stabilizer in a deployed position and with the distal end of the tape extended out of the housing through the tape port beyond the distal end of the deployable stabilizer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.