Tape locking device for tape measure

A tape locking device for a tape measure, said tape measure having a housing, a coiled tape connected to a spring at a first end of the tape and wound around a bobbin set in the housing, and a tab attached to a second end of said tape, and positioned outside a slot formed on a lower end of a wall of the housing to allow a user to grasp the tape when drawing out the tape, the tape locking device comprising:

• a locking lever hinged to an upper portion of the wall of said housing in such a way to be rotated frontward and rearward around a hinged joint, with a connecting piece downwardly extending from said locking lever;
• a cylinder connected at a first end thereof to a hole formed at a lower portion of said connecting piece, with a coil spring fitted over the cylinder;
• and
• a wedge-shaped stopper connected to a second end of the cylinder, and having a desired frictional force,
• whereby said stopper is elastically biased by the coil spring to be wedged in a gap between an outer circumferential surface of a wound part of the tape around the bobbin and a linear part of the tape led to the slot when releasing the locking lever after drawing a desired length of tape from the slot, so the drawn tape is automatically locked by a frictional contact between the stopper surface and the drawn tape surface.