Self-retracting tape rule

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11118887-B2
Application number	US-201916246919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2019
Priority date	Jan 14, 2019
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A tape rule comprises a blade, a reel, a spring, a lock, and a housing. The blade comprises a substrate and a coating. The coating is configured to provide color, environmental protection, and/or abrasion resistance. In some embodiments, (1) the coating is formed from non-polymer materials; (2) the blade comprises reinforcements metallurgically bonded to the blade at or near a free end; (3) measurement indicia comprise locally annealed portions of the substrate or the coating that create color contrasts; (4) the measurement indicia comprise portions of the substrate visible through gaps in the coating; (5) the measurement indicia comprise voids in the substrate filled with a coating material having a contrasting color; and/or (6) the substrate has a surface texture configured to change an appearance of the coating relative to an appearance of the coating on an as rolled surface finish of the metal substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-retracting tape rule, the tape rule comprising:
an elongated tape rule blade configured for measurement, the elongated tape rule blade having measurement indicia thereon, the elongated tape rule blade comprising a substrate and a non-polymer coating, the non-polymer coating configured to provide one or more of color, environmental protection, and/or abrasion resistance to the elongated tape rule blade;
a reel configured to retract the elongated tape rule blade from an extended position to a wound position;
a spring configured to apply a rotational bias to the reel that rotates the reel to retract the elongated tape rule blade into the wound position;
a lock configured to selectively engage the elongated tape rule blade to maintain the elongated tape rule blade in the extended position; and
a housing configured to house the elongate tape rule blade, the reel, the spring, and the lock.

2. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating has a thickness of less than 0.001 inches.

3. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating has a thickness equal to or less than 1/1000 of a width of the elongated tape rule blade.

4. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating has a thickness equal to or less than 1/7 of a thickness of the elongated tape rule blade.

5. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein a weight of the coating comprises less than or equal to 1.8% of a weight of the elongated tape rule blade.

6. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein a weight of the coating comprises less than or equal to 1% of a weight of the elongated tape rule blade.

7. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises a ceramic material.

8. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises plating on the substrate of the elongated tape rule blade.

9. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises an annodized portion of the substrate of the elongated tape rule blade.

10. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises a metallic physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating on the elongated tape rule blade.

11. The tape rule of claim 10 , wherein the PVD coating comprises one or more of titanium nitride, titanium aluminum nitride, aluminum titanium nitride, or aluminum chromium nitride.

12. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is formed from metal.

13. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is formed from a polymer.

14. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the coating comprises more than one layer.

15. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the elongated tape rule blade comprises reinforcements metallurgically bonded to the elongated tape rule blade at or near a free end of the elongated tape rule blade such that a cross sectional thickness of the elongated tape rule blade and the reinforcements is thicker than a cross sectional thickness of the elongated tape rule blade alone.

16. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the measurement indicia comprise locally annealed portions of the substrate or the coating of the elongated tape rule blade that create color contrasts between the substrate and the coating.

17. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the measurement indicia comprise visible portions of the substrate of the elongated tape rule blade, the visible portions being visible through localized gaps in the coating.

18. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the measurement indicia comprise surface voids in material of the elongated tape rule blade.

19. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a surface texture configured to change an appearance of the coating relative to an appearance of the coating on an as rolled surface finish of the substrate.

20. The tape rule of claim 1 , wherein the measurement indicia comprise portions of the substrate of the elongated tape rule blade where optical surface properties of the substrate have been modified with radiation from a laser.

21. The tape rule of claim 20 , wherein the optical surface properties of the substrate comprise color.

22. A self-retracting tape rule, the tape rule comprising:
an elongated tape rule blade configured for measurement, the elongated tape rule blade having measurement indicia thereon, the elongated tape rule blade comprising reinforcements metallurgically bonded to the elongated tape rule blade at or near a free end of the elongated tape rule blade such that a cross sectional thickness of the elongated tape rule blade and the reinforcements is thicker than a cross sectional thickness of the elongated tape rule blade alone;
a reel configured to retract the elongated tape rule blade from an extended position to a wound position;
a spring configured to apply a rotational bias to the reel that rotates the reel to retract the elongated tape rule blade into the wound position;
a lock configured to selectively engage the elongated tape rule blade to maintain the elongated tape rule blade in the extended position; and
a housing configured to house the elongated tape rule blade, the reel, the spring, and the lock.

23. A self-retracting tape rule, the tape rule comprising:
an elongated tape rule blade configured for measurement, the elongated tape rule blade having measurement indicia thereon, the elongated tape rule blade comprising a substrate and a coating, the substrate having an imparted surface texture instead of an as processed surface finish, the imparted surface texture configured to change an appearance of the coating relative to an appearance of the coating on the as processed surface finish of the substrate;
a reel configured to retract the elongated tape rule blade from an extended position to a wound position;
a spring configured to apply a rotational bias to the reel that rotates the reel to retract the elongated tape rule blade into the wound position;
a lock configured to selectively engage the elongated tape rule blade to maintain the elongated tape rule blade in the extended position; and
a housing configured to house the elongated tape rule blade, the reel, the spring, and the lock.

24. The tape rule of claim 23 , wherein the measurement indicia comprise portions of the substrate of the elongated tape rule blade where optical surface properties of the substrate have been modified with radiation from a laser.

25. The tape rule of claim 23 , wherein the coating of the elongated tape rule blade comprises a metallic physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating, and wherein the imparted surface texture of the substrate is configured to change the appearance of the PVD coating relative to an appearance of the PVD coating on the as processed surface finish of the substrate.

26. The tape rule of claim 23 , wherein the imparted surface texture of the substrate is generated by performing one or more of polishing, abrasion, imprinting, laser marking, etching, or additional rolling on the as processed surface finish of the substrate.

27. A method of forming a self-retracting tape rule, the method comprising:
providing a substrate for an elongated tape rule blade;
forming measurement indicia on the substrate of the elongated tape rule blade such that the elongated tape rule blade is configured for measurement, wherein the measurement indicia are formed by changing optical surface properties of one or more portions of the substrate;
coupling a reel to the elongated tape rule blade, the reel configured to retract the elongated tape rule blade from an extended pos

Assignees

• Stanley Black & Decker Inc

Inventors

• Orsini Antony J

Classifications

• G01B2003/103

  operated by springs · CPC title

• G01B3/1056

  Tape end arrangements, e.g. end-hooks · CPC title

• G01B3/1007

  Means for locking · CPC title

• G01B3/1003 Primary

  characterised by structure or material; characterised by layout or indicia · CPC title

• G01B3/1005 Primary

  Means for controlling winding or unwinding of tapes · CPC title