U.S. patent application number 10/706227 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-01 for laser level with adjustable laser projection line.
Invention is credited to Wu, Shuming.
Application Number | 20040123472 10/706227 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29429786 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040123472 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu, Shuming |
July 1, 2004 |
Laser level with adjustable laser projection line
Abstract
A laser level with adjustable laser projection line comprises a
support bracket, a housing, a switch, a laser generator which
project a fanned laser beam to the surface of the work piece to
form a line, and wherein a rotating mechanism is coupled to rotate
the laser generator thereby causing rotation of the line. There is
also a positioning device to position the laser level on an
arbitrary surface.
Inventors: |
Wu, Shuming; (Nanjing City,
CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jeffrey R. Gargano
Wallenstein Wagner & Rockey, Ltd.
53rd Floor
311 South Wacker Drive
Chicago
IL
60606-6630
US
|
Family ID: |
29429786 |
Appl. No.: |
10/706227 |
Filed: |
November 12, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
33/286 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 15/00 20130101;
G01C 15/004 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
033/286 |
International
Class: |
G01C 015/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 27, 2002 |
CN |
02293048.5 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A laser level with adjustable laser projection line, comprising:
a housing a support bracket positioned within the housing; a laser
generator connected to the support bracket; a power supply; a
switch for connecting the power supply to the laser generator;
wherein said laser generator projects a laser beam forwardly to
form a line on a surface to be illuminated, the laser generator
being rotably coupled to the support bracket such that in a first
position the line is projected vertically on the surface and in a
second position the line is projected horizontally on the
surface.
2. The laser level with adjustable laser projection line of claim
1, further including a protective door connected to the switch and
which is capable of being moved from a first open position to a
second closed position, wherein when the protective door is in the
first open position the switch connects the power supply to the
laser generator and when the door is in the second closed position
the switch disconnects the power supply from the laser
generator.
3. The laser level with adjustable laser projection line of claim
1, wherein said rotating mechanism further comprises a knob and two
magnetic members and corresponding two fastening members which can
be caught by the magnetic members.
4. The laser level with adjustable laser projection line of claim
1, wherein the support bracket has a base which includes a
magnet.
5. The laser level with adjustable laser projection line of claim
4, wherein the base is coupled to a removable mounting baseplate,
the baseplate comprising two pushpads each of which comprises at
least one tractable pin, when said pushpads are depressed, said
pins protrude from the bottom of the baseplate.
6. A laser generating device comprising: a housing having a base; a
laser generator disposed within the housing for projecting a laser
beam through an opening in the housing onto a workpiece; and the
laser generator coupled to a support bracket for rotating the
projected laser beam from 0 degrees to 90 degrees with respect to
the bottom of the housing.
7. The laser generating device of claim 6, wherein the rotating
mechanism comprises a knob which protrudes from the housing.
8. The laser generating device of claim 7, wherein the laser
generator is connected to the knob and when the knob is turned
clockwise to its limit, the laser beam projected by the laser
generator will be one of either vertical or horizontal to the
bottom of the housing, and when the knob is turned
counter-clockwise to its limit, the laser beam projected by the
laser generator will be the other of either vertical or horizontal
to the bottom of the housing.
9. The laser generating device of claim 8, wherein the laser
generating unit is mounted on a bracket in the housing, the knob
has first and second magnets attached thereto, and the bracket has
first and second positioning members, whereby when the knob is
turned clockwise to its limit the first magnet cooperates with the
first positioning member to stabilize the position of the generated
laser beam and when the knob is turned counter-clockwise to its
limit the second magnet cooperates with the second positioning
member to stabilize the position of the generated laser beam.
10. The laser generating device of claim 6, wherein the base has a
magnet for securing the laser level device to a metallic
surface.
11. The laser generating device of claim 6, wherein the housing has
a leveling bubble.
12. A laser generating device comprising: a housing having an
opening at one end and a base; a magnet disposed on the base of the
housing; a laser generator disposed within the housing for
projecting a laser beam onto a workpiece; a rotating mechanism
coupled to the laser generator for rotating the projected laser
beam from 0 degrees to 90 degrees with respect to the bottom of the
housing.
13. The laser generating device of claim 12 wherein a retractable
cover is disposed over the opening and is moveable from a first
open position to a second closed position, wherein when the
protective door is in the first open position the switch connects
the power supply to the laser generator and when the door is in the
second closed position the switch disconnects the power supply from
the laser generator.
14. An assembly for generating a laser line, the assembly
comprising: a laser generating device comprising, a housing having
a base, the base including a magnet; an opening formed in the
housing; a laser generator coupled to a support bracket within the
housing for projecting a laser beam through the opening in the
housing; a knob attached to the laser generator and extending
outwardly from the housing; and a removable mounting baseplate
having an attachment surface which cooperates with the magnet to
retain the laser generating device thereto.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from Chinese Application
No. 02293048.5, filed on Dec. 27, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an alignment-product which
reflects a line on a surface as a positioning reference, and
particularly to a laser level which marks a line on a reference
surface with the fanned beam projected by a laser generator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There are many kinds of laser alignment devices, which
project laser beams by laser generators to mark lines. One such
device is designed by U.S. Tool Co. (U.S. Patent Application
Publication No. US2002/0178596A1), which can project a line of
fixed orientation. Another such device is marketed by U.S.
CTB/Berger, which can project a horizontal line and a plumb line
decussate to each other on walls perpendicular to the direction of
propagation of the laser. The former can merely project a line
parallel to the baseplane of its pedestal; the latter can form two
lines vertical with each other, but there is a disadvantage that
two laser generators are needed, and as the switch is turned on,
required or not, the two laser generators project beams
simultaneously, thereby causing much more power consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser
level with only one laser generator which can be rotated 90 degrees
to alter the location relationship of the laser beam with the base
plane of the laser level.
[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
means to mount the laser level on a metallic surface.
[0006] A further object is to provide a separate base plate which
can protrude a plurality of retractable pins to suspend and hold
the laser level on a surface of plastic, cork, wood, drywall or
other soft object.
[0007] An even further object of this invention is to provide one
or more level bubbles to indicate whether the laser beam is
horizontally or vertically level.
[0008] To achieve the objects hereinbefore, the laser alignment
device of the present invention includes a support bracket, a
clamshell housing defined by a left clamshall housing member and a
right clamshell housing member, a laser generator, a battery to
power the laser generator, a cover for a battery pack, a switch, a
protective door and a rotating mechanism. The protective door is
used to activate the trigger of the linked switch. The laser
generator will be switched off when the door is closed, and the
lens of the laser generator will be protected against dust. When
the door is opened, the switch connects the laser generator to the
power supply and the laser generator will project a fan-shaped
laser beam to form a line on a surface.
[0009] The rotating mechanism includes a knob which can rotate from
0 to 90 degrees, and which is coupled to the laser generator to
rotate the laser generator when the knob is turned, thereby causing
rotation of the line on the plane.
[0010] There may be a magnetic attachment means on the base of the
support bracket. When it is necessary to secure the laser level on
a surface of a metallic object (e.g., a pipe or metal stud) one
needs only to place the laser level with adjustable laser
projection line onto the metallic object, and the laser level will
be held there via the magnetic attachment means. In this manner,
the laser level can be positioned on a non-horizontal plane in a
realtively secure position, and avoid instability.
[0011] The laser level with adjustable laser projection line also
includes a separate removable mounting baseplate having two or more
retractable pins which can be extended from the removable mounting
baseplate and inserted into the wall, wood, plastic or other soft
object as desired. When not in use, the pins can retract into a
cavity in the removable mounting baseplate.
[0012] The laser level with adjustable laser projection line can be
powered by an internal battery. The user need only screw the cover
off without the aid of a tool to remove the discharged battery
cells and fill in new battery cells to power the laser
generator.
[0013] The laser level can further comprise two conventional level
bubbles which are perpendicular to each other on the top of the
laser level, The two level bubbles are both parallel to the bottom
of the laser level, for orientation or leveling a precise
horizontal line or plumb line.
[0014] The laser level with adjustable laser projection line
disclosed by the present invention can expediently mark a reference
line accordingly on a workpiece as needed. The reference line can
be parallel, vertical or be adjusted to other angular degrees to
the bottom of the laser level.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred
embodiment of a laser level with adjustable laser projection line
according to the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an inner perspective view of the laser level of
FIG. 1 with left clamshell housing member removed;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the mechanism for rotating the
laser when the mechanism is rotated to its right limit with the
laser beam perpendicular to the bottom plate of the laser
level;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rotating mechanism when it
is rotated to its left limit with the laser beam parallel to the
bottom plate of the laser level;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the removable base plate;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the removable base plate
wherein the positioning pins are retracted inside the removable
base plate;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the removable base plate
wherein the positioning pins protrude outward;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the laser level with
adjustable laser projection line when it is positioned and held on
a vertical plane.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser level with adjustable
laser projection line 100 of the present invention comprises a
support bracket 1, a left clamshell housing member 2, a right
clamshell housing member 3, a laser protection door 4, a laser
generator 10 mounted on the front bracket 1B of the support bracket
1, a battery pack 11 or power supply to power the laser generator
10, a switch 41 to control the laser generator 10 and a cover 6 for
the battery pack. The protective door 4 can trigger the switch 41
when it is opened or closed, as shown in FIG. 1. As the door 4 is
in the closed position, it slides the switch 41 to the off position
and switches off the laser generator 10. The closed door 4 also
protects the laser generator 10 and lens 10A against dust. When the
door 4 is pushed downwardly to access lens 10A of the laser
generator 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the door 4 slides the switch 41
to the on position at the same time, switching on the laser
generator 10 to project a fan-shaped laser beam 13 and form a line
131 on the surface to be illuminated.
[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the laser generator 10 in
the laser alignment device 100 of the present invention includes a
rotating mechanism 5, which can have a knob 51 secured on the laser
generator 10 which will rotate along with the rotation of knob 51.
When knob 51 is turned clockwise to its limit, the planar beam
projected by the laser generator 10 will be parallel to the bottom
of laser level 100 (FIG. 4); and, when knob 51 is turned
counterclockwise to its limit (the angular degree of rotation
preferably being 90 degrees), the planer beam projected by the
laser generator 10 will be perpendicular to the bottom of the laser
alignment device 100 (FIG. 3). To avoid knob 51 from rotating
arbitrarily and affecting the stability of the laser beam position
accordingly, it is preferred to arrange two magnetic members 52, 53
on knob 51, and arrange two fastening members 54, 55 on the
corresponding position of the front bracket 1B. When the knob 51
being rotated to its clockwise limit, the fastening member 54 is
caught by the magnetic member 53; and when knob 51 rotates to its
counterclockwise limit, the fastening member 55 is caught by the
magnetic member 52, ensuring the position of knob 51 and thereby
maintaining the stability of the laser beam position.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser alignment device 100
of the present invention may advantageously comprise one or more
leveling devices such as bubbles 8, 9 to orientate or level the
laser level 100 on a horizontal or vertical plane. The leveling
bubbles 8, 9 are parallel to the bottom of the laser level 100.
Bubble 8 is used to level the horizontal relationship of the
elongated side position of the laser level with adjustable laser
projection line 100, and bubble 9 is used to level the horizontal
relationship of fore-and-aft position of the laser level 100. Thus,
laser level 100 can provide accurate horizontal lines and plumb
lines with the usage of the level bubbles 8, 9.
[0026] The laser level with adjustable laser protection line 10 as
described above can also be used on a horizontal position for a
metallic surface. To solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 2, a
magnet 12 is mounted on the base 1A of the support bracket 1 of the
laser level 100, thereby allowing laser alignment device 100 to be
placed and held on an arbitrary portion of the metallic
surface.
[0027] To position laser level 100 on a wood, plastic, drywall or
other surface, as shown in FIG. 1, a removable baseplate 7 may be
used with the laser level 100 for mounting. As shown in FIG. 5, the
baseplate 7 comprises two pushpads 73 each including at least one
retractable positioning pin 72. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.
5-7, there are three retractable pins 72 on each pushpad 73. When
pushpads 73 are relaxed, the retractable pins 72 are retracted
within the removable mounting baseplate 7, as shown in FIG. 6, thus
preventing the operator from being stabbed carelessly. When
pushpads 73 are pressed down, the positioning pins 72 will extend
outwardly from the bottom 74 of the mounting baseplate 7 as shown
in FIG. 7. The mounting baseplate 7 can be mounted to the surface
of a wall (drywall, plastic, plaster or other surface) by inserting
the retractable pins 72 into the surface. The laser level 100 can
then be attached to the mounting baseplate 7 by placing the magnet
12 on the bottom of the laser level 100 to a metallic attachment
surface 71 on the mounting baseplate 7 thereby fastening the laser
level 100 to the baseplate 7.
[0028] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the laser alignment device
100 when it is situated on the vertical plane with the laser beam
projecting downwardly.
* * * * *