Hands-free measuring instrument
OwnerLouis A. Norelliinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hands-free measuring instrument is disclosed. The disclosed instrument includes an upright member extending perpendicularly from a base member. At least one magnet is affixed to the instrument to facilitate the mounting thereof on a ferrous workpiece. The disclosed instrument includes at least one bubble level disposed thereupon. Graduations may be provided on the instrument to facilitate measurement of linear distances. Embodiments are provided wherein a spring-loaded spike is disposed within the instrument that is adapted to secure the measuring instrument to a workpiece which may be non-ferrous. The spike assembly may be configured to work with commonly used building materials, e.g., wood, drywall, masonry, and sheet metal surfaces.
Claims18
A hands-free measuring instrument, comprising:
- a base member having a top surface and a bottom surface;
- a first magnet disposed on a bottom surface of the base member and configured to secure the measuring instrument to a workpiece;
- an upright member coupled to the top surface base and extending orthogonally therefrom;
- a second magnet disposed on a vertical edge of the upright member and configured to secure the measuring instrument to a workpiece;
- and
- at least one bubble level vial disposed substantially adjacent to an edge of the instrument.
A measuring instrument, comprising:
- a base member having a top surface and a bottom surface;
- a first magnet disposed on a bottom surface of the base member;
- an upright member coupled to the top surface base and extending orthogonally therefrom;
- a second magnet disposed on a vertical edge of the upright member;
- at least one bubble level vial disposed substantially adjacent to an edge of the instrument;
- and
- a spike assembly disposed within the instrument and adapted to secure the measuring instrument to a workpiece, the spike assembly comprising:
- a shaft slidably disposed within the upright member, wherein a top end of the shaft extends upwardly beyond a top surface of the upright member;
- a spike tip coupled to a bottom end of the shaft;
- a biasing member configured to bias the shaft in an upward direction;
- and
- a stop member coupled to the shaft and configured to limit travel of the shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.