U.S. patent application number 10/059536 was filed with the patent office on 2003-07-31 for tape locking device for tape measure.
Invention is credited to Kang, Dong-Hun, Young J., Choi.
Application Number | 20030141399 10/059536 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22023591 |
Filed Date | 2003-07-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030141399 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kang, Dong-Hun ; et
al. |
July 31, 2003 |
TAPE LOCKING DEVICE FOR TAPE MEASURE
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a tape locking device for tape measures. The
tape locking device comprises a locking lever hinged to an upper
portion of the wall of the housing in such a way to be rotated
frontward and rearward around a hinged joint, and provided with a
connecting piece downwardly extending from the locking lever. A
cylinder is connected at its first end to a hole formed at the
lower portion of the connecting piece, with a coil spring fitted
over the cylinder. A wedge-shaped stopper is connected to the
second end of the cylinder, and having a desired frictional force.
This stopper is elastically biased by the coil spring to be wedged
in the gap between the 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 frictional contact between the stopper
surface and the drawn tape surface.
Inventors: |
Kang, Dong-Hun; (Pusan,
KR) ; Young J., Choi; (Oakland, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Charles A. Laff, Esq.
Michael Best & Friedrich LLC
Suite 1900
401 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago
IL
60611
US
|
Family ID: |
22023591 |
Appl. No.: |
10/059536 |
Filed: |
January 29, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/381.3 ;
33/767 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 75/4431 20130101;
G01B 3/1005 20130101; G01B 2003/1017 20130101; B65H 75/4421
20130101; G01B 2003/1035 20130101; G01B 2003/1012 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
242/381.3 ;
33/767 |
International
Class: |
B65H 075/48; G01B
003/10 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. 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.
2. The tape locking device according to claim 1, wherein said
cylinder is perpendicular to the connecting piece.
3. The tape locking device according to claim 1, wherein said
stopper is made of a material having a high surface friction, such
as rubber, or synthetic resin.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a tape locking
device for tape measures, for locking the tape after unwinding the
tape from a bobbin by a desired length, and more particularly, to a
tape locking device for tape measures, which includes a stopper
connected to the lower portion of a locking lever and provided with
a coil spring fitted over the stopper and elastically biased by the
coil spring to be wedged in the gap between the part of the tape
unwound from a bobbin set in a housing and the part of the tape
wound around the bobbin, thus automatically locking the drawn tape
after drawing a desired length of the tape, in addition to smoothly
retracting the tape into the housing.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Generally, a tape measure has a housing, a coiled tape
connected at its first end to a spring, and wound around a bobbin
set in the housing. A tab is attached to the second end of the
tape, and positioned outside a slot formed on the lower end of a
wall of the housing. The tab is designed to draw the tape from the
housing when pulling the tab. On the other hand, the tape is
retracted into the housing by an elastic restoring force of the
spring when releasing the tab.
[0005] Some tape measures with a locking device have been proposed.
This locking device prevents the tape from being undesirably
retracted into the housing by the elastic restoring force of the
spring, even when a pulling force is removed from the tab after
drawing out the tape from the housing.
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional tape
measure provided with a locking device, and FIG. 2 is a sectional
view of the conventional tape measure. As shown in the drawings,
the conventional tape measure has a housing 1, a coiled tape 2, and
a tab 4. In general, the housing 1 has a size to be held in a
single hand. The coiled tape 2 is connected, at its first end, to a
spring (not shown) and wound around a bobbin 3 set in the housing
1. The tab 4 is attached to the second end of the tape 2 for
allowing a user to grasp the tape 2 when drawing out the tape from
the housing 1 for measuring the length of a desired object. This
tab 4 is positioned outside a slot 5 formed on the lower end of a
wall of the housing 1.
[0007] The tab 4 is downwardly bent to be perpendicular to the
bottom of the housing 1, thus preventing the end of the tape 2
attached to the tab 4 from entering the housing 1 through the slot
5 by the restoring force of the spring. In addition, such a bent
structure allows the tab 4 to serve as a fixing hook and a contact
surface with respect to an end of a measured object.
[0008] A locking lever 6 is mounted to the upper portion of the
wall where the slot 5 is formed, and locks the drawn tape 2 after
drawing out a desired length of tape from the housing 1, while
overcoming the spring force of the spring which is applied to the
tape 2 to retract the tape 2 into the housing 1.
[0009] The locking lever 6 is provided on its back surface with a
compression piece 7 which moves up and down along the locking lever
6. The locking operation of the locking lever 6 is as follows. When
the locking lever 6 is moved downwardly, the end of the compression
piece 7 compresses the portion of the tape 2 led to the slot 5 and
locks the tape 2 against its retraction by the restoring force of
the spring.
[0010] On the other hand, when it is required to retract the locked
tape 3 into the housing 1 through the slot 5, the locking lever 6
is moved upwardly so that the compression piece 7 is separated from
the locked portion of the tape 2. Then, the drawn tape 2 is
retracted into the housing 1 to be rewound around the bobbin 3.
[0011] However, such a conventional tape measure has a problem that
it is inconvenient to use, since a user must move the locking lever
6 downwards to lock the tape with the drawn tape being grasped,
when it is required to lock the drawn tape 2 after drawing a
desired length of the tape from the housing 1 by pulling the tab 4
attached to the end of the tape 2. In addition, the conventional
tape measure has another problem that the tape may be damaged or
scratched, since an excessively strong compressive force is applied
to the tape 2 so as to overcome the elastic restoring force of the
tape 2.
[0012] The conventional tape measure has still another problem
that, when the locking lever 6 is restored to its original position
so as to retract the drawn tape into the housing, the tape is wound
around the bobbin at an excessively high speed by the elasticity of
the spring connected to the tape, thus causing a user to be
sometimes injured.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in
mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object
of the present invention is to provide a tape locking device for
tape measures, which has a locking lever rotatably hinged to the
upper portion of the wall of a housing, and a cylinder connected,
at its first end, to the lower portion of the locking lever, and
connected, at its second end, to a stopper, provided with a coil
spring fitted over the cylinder, whereby the stopper is elastically
biased by the coil spring to be wedged in the gap between 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, thus automatically locking
the drawn tape, in addition to smoothly winding the tape around a
bobbin set in the housing when the locking lever is pushed so that
the tape is retracted into the housing.
[0014] In order to accomplish the above object, the present
invention provides a tape locking device for a tape measure, the
tape measure including a housing, a coiled tape connected at its
first end to a spring and wound around a bobbin set in the housing,
and a tab attached to the second end of the tape for allowing a
user to grasp the tape when drawing out the tape, and positioned
outside a slot formed on the lower end of a wall of the housing;
the tape locking device comprising a locking lever hinged to the
upper portion of the wall of the housing in such a way to be
rotated frontward and rearward around a hinged joint, and a
cylinder connected to the lower portion of a connecting piece
downwardly extending from the locking lever, with a coil spring
fitted over the cylinder, whereby the stopper having a cone shape
and made of rubber is connected to the end of the cylinder, and
elastically biased by the coil spring to be wedged into the gap
between a part of the tape wound around the bobbin and a unwound
part of the tape led to the slot.
[0015] Preferably, the stopper has a cone shape so as to be brought
into contact simultaneously with the outer circumferential surface
of the tape wound around the bobbin and the unwound part of the
tape led to the slot. And, the stopper is made of a material having
a predetermined friction coefficient relative to a smooth tape
surface, such as rubber, or synthetic resin.
[0016] Further, the stopper is always biased by the coil spring
fitted over the cylinder in a direction such that the stopper is
brought into contact with both the outer circumferential surface of
the tape having a radius which becomes smaller as the tape is drawn
out from the housing, and the unwound part of the upper surface of
the tape led to the slot.
[0017] When releasing the tape after drawing a desired length of
tape from the housing, the tape tends to be retracted into the
housing by the spring connected to the tape. At this time, the
frictional force of the stopper is applied to the tape, such that
the tape is locked as it is appropriately drawn. When pushing the
locking lever mounted on the upper portion of the housing, the
cylinder having the stopper moves toward the front wall of the
housing to remove the stopper from the gap between the wound part
of the tape and the unwound part of the tape led to the slot, thus
accomplishing smooth winding of the tape around the bobbin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The above and other objects, features and other advantages
of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional tape
measure provided with a locking device;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the conventional tape
measure;
[0021] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a tape measure
according to this invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the tape measure of this
invention; and
[0023] FIG. 5 is a front view of the tape measure of this
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Reference now should be made to the drawings, in which the
same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings
to designate the same or similar components.
[0025] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a tape measure
according to this invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the tape
measure of this invention, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the tape
measure of this invention.
[0026] As shown in the drawings, the tape locking device for tape
measures of this invention includes a locking lever 14 having a
connecting piece 15, a cylinder 16 provided with a coil spring 17,
and a stopper 18. The locking lever 14 is hinged to the upper
portion of the wall of a housing 10 in such a way to be rotated
frontward and rearward around the hinged joint, and the connecting
piece 15 downwardly extends from the locking lever 14. The cylinder
16 is fitted, at its first end, into a hole formed at the lower
portion of the connecting piece 15. The coil spring 17 is fitted
over the cylinder 16. The stopper 18 is made of a frictional
material, such as rubber.
[0027] According to this invention, when the tape 12 wound around a
bobbin 11 set in the housing 10 is pulled out through the slot 13
formed on the lower portion of the housing, a triangle-shaped gap
is formed between the unwound part of the tape 12 led to the slot
13 and the outer circumferential surface of the part of the tape 12
wound around the bobbin 11. At this time, the stopper 18 is
elastically biased by the coil spring to be inserted into the
triangular gap when releasing the locking lever 14 after drawing a
desired length of tape 12 from the slot 13, so the drawn tape 12 is
automatically locked by a frictional force applied by the stopper
18.
[0028] The locking lever 14 provided with the connecting piece 15
downwardly extending therefrom is hinged to the upper portion of
the wall of the housing 10 in such a way as to be rotated frontward
and rearward around the hinged joint by the push operation of a
user. The cylinder 16 having a tetragonal shape or round shape in
its cross-section is fitted, at its first end, into the hole formed
on the lower portion of the connecting piece 15. On the other hand,
the second end of the cylinder 16 faces the wound part of the tape
12 around the bobbin 11.
[0029] The coil spring 17 having elasticity is fitted over the
cylinder 16. The stopper 18 connected to the second end of the
cylinder 16 is made of a material having a high surface frictional
coefficient, such as rubber, or synthetic resin. The end of the
cylinder 16 connected to the connecting piece 15 is fastened to the
connecting piece 15 by a spring washer 19.
[0030] The stopper 18 is elastically biased by the coil spring 17
to be wedged into the triangular gap between the outer
circumferential surface of the wound part of the tape 12 around the
bobbin 11 and the linear part of the tape 12 led to the slot 13.
Preferably, the stopper 18 has a wedge shape, and is tapered in a
direction toward its end in such a way as to tightly come into
contact with both the wound part of the tape 12 and the unwound
part of the tape 12.
[0031] The tape 12 is brought into contact with a surface of the
stopper 18, when pulling out the tape 12 through the slot 13 formed
on the lower portion of the front wall of the housing 10 while
unwinding the tape 12 from the bobbin 11 set in the housing 10.
When releasing the tape 12 after drawing out the tape 12 from the
housing 10, the wedge-shaped stopper 18 applies frictional force to
both the unwound part and the wound part of the tape 12, thus
automatically locking the drawn tape 12.
[0032] On the other hand, when it is required to retract the drawn
tape into the inside of the housing 10, a user pushes the locking
lever 14. Then, the connecting piece 15 connected to the lower
portion of the locking lever 14 is moved toward the front wall of
the housing 10. At this time, the cylinder 16 connected to the end
of the connecting piece 15 is also moved in the same direction,
thus removing the stopper 18 from the gap between the wound part of
the tape 12 and the linear part of the tape 12 led to the slot
13.
[0033] At this time, the tape 12 is automatically wound around the
bobbin 11 after passing through the slot 13 by the elastic force of
the spring connected to the bobbin 11. In such a case, the winding
speed of the tape 12 around the bobbin 11 is controlled by the user
manipulating the locking lever 14, and so the tape 12 is smoothly
retracted into the housing.
[0034] The operation of the tape locking device constructed in this
way is as follows.
[0035] First, a user holds the housing of the tape measure with his
one hand while pulling, with his other hand, the tab T positioned
outside the slot 13 formed on the lower end of the wall of the
housing 10 such that a desired length of the tape is drawn out from
the housing 10. At this time, when the tape 12 is released, the
tape 12 tends to be retracted into the housing 10. However, the
frictional force of the stopper 18 is applied to the tape 12, such
that the tape 12 is locked as it is appropriately drawn.
[0036] When finishing measuring the length of the desired object
with the tape 12 drawn out from the housing 10, the user pushes the
locking lever 14 protrusively mounted to the upper portion of the
wall of the housing 10 such that the wedge-shaped stopper 18
connected to the connecting piece 15 is removed from the gap
between the wound part of the tape 12 around the bobbin 11 and the
unwound part of the tape 12 led to the slot 13, thus automatically
winding the tape 12 around the bobbin 11 set in the housing 10.
[0037] As described above, the present invention provides a tape
locking device for a tape measure, which has a locking lever hinged
to the upper portion of the wall of a housing in such a way to be
rotated frontward and rearward around a hinged joint, and a
cylinder connected, at its first end, to a connecting piece
downwardly extending from the locking lever, and connected, at its
second end, to a stopper, with a coil spring fitted over the
cylinder, whereby the stopper is elastically biased by the coil
spring to be wedged in the gap between 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, thus automatically locking the drawn tape, in
addition to smooth winding of the tape around a bobbin set in the
housing when the locking lever is pushed so that the tape is
retracted into the housing.
[0038] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *