Tape measure with finger drag brake
AssigneeApex Brands, Inc.
InventorsTobias McKay Bridges, Jonathan S. Beckwith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tape measure has a finger recess in a housing, with at least a portion of the underside of a tape blade exposed in the finger recess. Pressing a finger against the underside of the tape allows the user to create a drag brake that acts against the retraction spring to slow and/or stop the retraction of the tape blade. The finger recess is located upstream (i.e. closer to the coiled portion of the retracted tape blade) than the point at which the tape measure's lock engages the tape blade. This arrangement results in a compact yet versatile overall tape measure with good tactile feedback during finger-braking.
Claims14
A tape measure, comprising:
- a housing having an exit port and a finger recess;
- a spring disposed in the housing;
- a tape blade having measuring indicia thereon, the tape blade moveable between a deployed configuration where the tape blade extends forwardly outward from the housing at the exit port and a retracted configuration where the tape blade is substantially retracted into the housing;
- the tape blade biased toward the retracted configuration by the spring;
- a lock movably disposed in the housing and movable between an unlocked position in spaced relation to the tape blade and a locked position engaged with an upper surface of the tape blade at a blade engagement location so as to inhibit retraction of the tape blade;
- wherein the tape blade exits the housing at the exit port in the deployed configuration;
- wherein a laterally central portion of an underside surface of the tape blade is externally exposed in the finger recess;
- wherein the exit port is disposed forwardly relative to the blade engagement location;
- wherein the finger recess is disposed rearwardly relative to the blade engagement location.
A method of operating a tape measure, the tape measure having a housing and a tape blade selectively deployable from the housing, the tape measure including a lock movably disposed in the housing and movable between an unlocked position in spaced relation to the tape blade and a locked position engaged with an upper surface of the tape blade at a blade engagement location so as to inhibit retraction of the tape blade, the housing having a finger recess, the method comprising:
- deploying a portion of the tape blade forwardly from the housing;
- thereafter retracting at least a segment of the portion of the tape blade into the housing via a retraction spring while the lock is in the unlocked position;
- during the retracting, pressing a finger upward against a underside surface of the tape blade that is exposed in the finger recess;
- wherein the finger recess is disposed rearwardly relative to the blade engagement location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.