Three position locking mechanism for a tape measure

A retractable tape measure comprising:

• a) a flexible tape biased in a coiled position;
• b) a housing sized to contain said flexible tape, said housing having an opening through which a first end of said flexible tape extends, and a slot;
• c) a tape biasing member operatively connected to said flexible tape;
• and
• d) a locking mechanism for controlling the extension and retraction of said flexible tape from said housing, said locking mechanism including a locking lever having a grip arm extending through said slot and a lock arm for contacting said flexible tape, said locking lever being pivotable between an open position in which said lock arm is positioned away from said flexible tape and said flexible tape may extend and retract through said opening, a maintain position in which said lock arm contacts said flexible tape and requires a first force to extract said flexible tape from said opening, and a locked position in which said lock arm is firmly in contact with said flexible tape requiring a second force greater than said first force to extract said tape from said housing.

A retractable tape measure comprising:

• a) a housing having an aperture through which a coilable tape is extracted and retracted;
• b) a tape having proximal and distal ends, said proximal end being wound about a tape shaft, and said distal end positioned through said housing aperture, said tape being selectively positioned between extracted and retracted positions;
• c) a tape biasing member operatively connected with said tape shaft to bias said tape towards said retracted position;
• d) a locking lever rotatably mounted within said housing, said locking lever having a locking arm including a tip positioned off-center from said lock arm such that when said locking lever is positioned at an over centerline position, said tip locks said tape against said housing.