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US 6,209,219 B1Granted
Measuring device with housing orientation indicator and position transferring focused light-beam source
AssigneeThe Stanley Works
InventorsDavid L. Wakefield, Viresh Bijawat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A measuring device includes a housing, a distance measuring apparatus carried on the housing, one or more housing orientation indicators, and a focused light beam source. Using the housing orientation indicators, the housing can be properly oriented so that a focused light beam emitted by the focused light beam source will illuminate a point on a remote surface to accurately transfer the position of the housing to the remote surface.
Claims18
A measuring device comprising:
- a housing comprising two separate mating halves that cooperate to define an interior chamber;
- a distance measuring apparatus mounted within said interior chamber and constructed and arranged to measure a distance between a reference point on a reference plane and said housing along a measuring axis that is perpendicular to the reference plane;
- a focused light-beam source mounted to at least one of said two mating halves of said housing and constructed and arranged to emit a focused light-beam from said housing;
- and
- a housing orientation indicator carried by said housing and oriented with respect to said focused light-beam source so as to indicate whether said focused light-beam source is in a level or plumb orientation, so that when said housing orientation indicator provides said level or plumb indication, said focused light-beam is projected from said housing onto a remote surface at a point on the remote surface that is spaced from the reference plane, along an axis that is parallel to the measuring axis, by a distance that is the same as the distance, along the measuring axis, between the reference point on the reference plane and said housing,
- said housing orientation indicator also being oriented with respect to a housing surface so as to indicate whether a surface upon which said housing surface rests is in a plumb or level orientation.
3 more elements
A coilable rule assembly comprising:
- a housing comprising two separate mating halves that cooperate to define an interior chamber having an opening;
- an elongated, coilable flexible rule blade;
- a controllable spring-biased reel assembly mounted within said interior chamber having one end of said rule blade connected thereto,
- said controllable spring biased reel assembly being constructed and arranged to wind said rule blade into a coiled state within said interior chamber and to allow said rule blade to be extended outwardly of said chamber opening into an uncoiled state;
- a housing orientation indicator carried by said housing and constructed and arranged to indicate when said housing is in a preferred orientation;
- and
- a focused light-beam source mounted to at least one of said two mating halves of said housing and constructed and arranged to emit a focused light-beam from said housing to a point on a surface remote from said housing to indicate a location on said surface corresponding to a location of said housing when said housing is in said preferred orientation.
4 more elements
A measuring device comprising:
- a housing comprising two separate mating halves that cooperate to define an interior chamber having an opening;
- an elongated flexible rule blade;
- a controllable spring-biased reel assembly mounted within said interior chamber having one end of said rule blade connected thereto,
- said controllable spring biased reel assembly being constructed and arranged to wind said rule blade into a coiled state within said interior chamber and to allow said rule blade to be extended outwardly of said chamber opening into an uncoiled state;
- a housing orientation indicator carried by said housing and constructed and arranged to indicate when said housing is in a preferred orientation;
- a focused light-beam source mounted to at least one of said two mating halves of said housing and constructed and arranged to emit a focused light beam from said housing to a point on a surface remote from said housing to indicate a location on said surface corresponding to a location of said housing when said housing is in said preferred orientation;
- and
- wherein said focused light-beam source is constructed and arranged so that the focused light-beam emitted thereby is generally perpendicular to said elongated flexible rule blade at a portion thereof corresponding to a terminus of a distance measured with said rule blade.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.