阅读说明：本技术 具有改进的中心柱的卷尺 (Tape measure with improved center post ) 是由 亚当·路易斯·巴克斯特 于 2020-04-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：卷尺装置可以包括具有孔的壳体、包围在壳体内的卷轴组件,以及尺身,该尺身具有配置为从壳体延伸穿过孔的第一端和配置为缠绕在卷轴组件上的第二端。卷轴组件可以被配置成交替地允许尺身通过孔从卷轴组件抽出或者经由弹簧的操作而被容纳在孔中卷轴组件上。弹簧在弹簧的第一端处锚固到布置在壳体内的柱,并且在弹簧的第二端处可操作地联接到尺身。柱包括将柱分成第一柱部分和第二柱部分的狭槽。第一和第二柱部分中的每一个在其限定狭槽的侧边界的部分处可以具有倒圆边缘。(The tape measure device may include a housing having an aperture, a reel assembly enclosed within the housing, and a blade having a first end configured to extend from the housing through the aperture and a second end configured to be wound on the reel assembly. The reel assembly may be configured to alternately allow the blade to be drawn from the reel assembly through the aperture or received on the reel assembly in the aperture via operation of the spring. The spring is anchored at a first end of the spring to a post disposed within the housing and is operatively coupled to the blade at a second end of the spring. The post includes a slot dividing the post into a first post section and a second post section. Each of the first and second post portions may have a rounded edge at a portion thereof defining a lateral boundary of the slot.)

1. A tape measure device comprising:

a housing having a bore;

a spool assembly enclosed within the housing; and

a blade having a first end configured to extend from the housing through the aperture and a second end configured to be wound on the reel assembly;

wherein the reel assembly is configured to alternately allow the blade to be drawn out of the reel assembly through the aperture or to be received on the reel assembly in the aperture via operation of a spring,

wherein the spring is anchored at a first end of the spring to a post disposed within the housing and is operably coupled to the blade at a second end of the spring,

wherein the post includes a slot dividing the post into a first post section and a second post section, an

Wherein each of the first and second post portions has a rounded edge at a portion thereof that defines a side boundary of the slot.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second post portions are each configured to have an elliptical cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the post.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second post portions are each configured to have an oblong cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the post.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first half shell and a second half shell, and wherein a proximal end of the post is anchored in the first half shell via a flange and a distal end of the post is operably coupled to the second half shell.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the spring is anchored to the post by passing a first end of the spring through the slot, and wherein the spring exits the slot and travels around the post without forming a crease in the spring.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the radius of the arc formed by the rounded edge is at least 20% of the radius of the post.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the radius of the arc formed by the rounded edge is at least one-third of the radius of the post.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the spring is curved to at least partially conform to one of the rounded edges before the spring exits the corresponding side boundary of the slot.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second post portions are mirror images of each other about the slot.

10. A post for supporting a spring operably coupled to a reel assembly of a tape measure device, the post comprising:

a proximal end operatively coupled to a first portion of a housing of the tape measure device;

a distal end operably coupled to the second portion of the housing, the post extending from a proximal end to a distal end of the post along an axis about which the reel assembly rotates; and

a slot extending through a lateral side of the post and through an axis of the post to divide the post into a first post section and a second post section,

wherein a spring biasing the reel assembly is anchored to the post at a first end of the spring and is operatively coupled to a blade of the tape measure device at a second end of the spring, an

Wherein each of the first and second post portions has a rounded edge at a portion thereof that defines a side boundary of the slot.

11. The post of claim 10 wherein the first post portion and the second post portion are each configured to have an elliptical cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the post.

12. The post of claim 10 wherein the first post portion and the second post portion are each configured to have an oblong cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the post.

13. The post of claim 10 wherein the housing comprises a first half shell and a second half shell, and wherein a proximal end of the post is anchored in the first half shell via a flange and a distal end of the post is operably coupled to the second half shell.

14. The post of claim 10 wherein the spring is anchored to the post by passing a first end of the spring through the slot, and wherein the spring exits the slot and travels around the post without forming a crease in the spring.

15. The post of claim 10 wherein the radius of the arc formed by the rounded edge is at least 20% of the radius of the post.

16. The post of claim 15 wherein the radius of the arc formed by the rounded edge is at least one-third of the radius of the post.

17. The post of claim 10 wherein the spring is curved to at least partially conform to one of the rounded edges before the spring exits the corresponding side boundary of the slot.

18. The post of claim 10 wherein the first and second post portions are mirror images of each other about the slot.

Technical Field

Exemplary embodiments relate generally to tape measure devices and, more particularly, to a tape measure having improved durability.

Background

Tape measures have been around for a long time and are a common measuring tool used in many cases to obtain linear measurements. The tape measure may take many forms and may be made of cloth, fiberglass, metal, plastic, etc. The materials used are generally determined by the particular measurement application. For example, tailors and clotheshorses often use flexible tape measures that can be easily manipulated between two hands to measure the distance between the two hands. However, for construction or woodworking applications it is preferred to use a non-flexible and generally metallic tape measure to allow the tape measure to extend between a first position, where one end of the tape measure is anchored, and a user's position, where the tape measure is paid out from the reel assembly. The reel assembly may have a manual retraction mechanism or a self-retraction mechanism, typically depending on the length of the tape measure. For relatively short tape measures (e.g., 12 or 25 feet), self-retracting mechanisms are very common. For very long tape measures (e.g., greater than 100 feet), a manual retraction mechanism is typically employed.

Self-retracting mechanisms are typically formed by employing a clock spring design. In this regard, for example, the spring is typically anchored to the center post of the tape measure device. As the blade is paid out, the coils of the spring will typically wind increasingly tighter around the center post to create a retraction force in the spring. When retraction is allowed, the spring unwinds and returns to a lower tension state.

Repeated cycling of the above process can produce stress and fatigue in the spring, which is typically made of a rigid material such as steel. If the stress and fatigue reach a sufficient level, the spring itself may eventually fail at a location where the spring is tightly wrapped around the center post. Accordingly, it may be desirable to introduce a design that reduces stress and fatigue, and thus may result in a more durable tape measure device.

Disclosure of Invention

Some exemplary embodiments may enable a tape measure to be provided with an improved center post designed to reduce stress and fatigue at the interface between the spring and the center post.

In an exemplary embodiment, a tape measure device is provided. The tape measure device may include a housing having an aperture, a reel assembly enclosed within the housing, and a blade having a first end configured to extend from the housing through the aperture and a second end configured to be wound around the reel assembly. The reel assembly may be configured to alternately allow the blade to be drawn from the reel assembly through the aperture or received on the reel assembly in the aperture via operation of the spring. The spring may be anchored at a first end of the spring to a post disposed within the housing and operably coupled to the blade at a second end of the spring. The post may include a slot dividing the post into a first post section and a second post section. Each of the first and second post portions may have a rounded edge at a portion thereof defining a lateral boundary of the slot.

In another exemplary embodiment, a post for supporting a spring is provided that is operatively coupled to a reel assembly of a tape measure device. The post may include a proximal end operatively coupled to a first portion of a housing of the tape measure device, a distal end operatively coupled to a second portion of the housing such that the post extends from the proximal end to the distal end along an axis about which the reel assembly rotates, and a slot extending through a lateral side of the post and through the axis of the post to divide the post into a first post portion and a second post portion. A spring biasing the reel assembly may be anchored to the post at a first end of the spring and operatively coupled to the blade of the tape measure device at a second end of the spring. Each of the first and second post portions may have a rounded edge at a portion thereof defining a lateral boundary of the slot.

Drawings

Having thus described some exemplary embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a tape measure device according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a tape measure device according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of a tape measure device according to an exemplary embodiment to show a half-shell thereof;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a reel assembly and a self-retracting assembly of a tape measure device according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is defined by FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, and shows views of the posts of the reel assembly; and

FIG. 6 is defined by FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, and 6H, and illustrates a view of a column of a reel assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Some exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all exemplary embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and depicted herein should not be construed as limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Further, as used herein, the term "or" should be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, operably coupled should be understood to refer to a direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enables functional interconnection of components operably coupled to one another.

As mentioned above, some exemplary embodiments may be directed to providing a tape measure device that may have an improved design to resist stress and fatigue in the spring of the self-retracting assembly. This may be achieved by providing an improved center post design as described herein. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a tape measure device, FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the device according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 3 shows a front view of the tape measure device to show half-shells thereof.

Referring now to fig. 1-3, an exemplary embodiment of a tape measure device 100 may include a housing 110 including a first housing half 112 and a second housing half 114. First and second housing halves 112 and 114 may house reel assembly 120 and self-retracting assembly 130 therein. The blade 140 (or tape measure) portion of the device 100 may be wound onto the reel assembly 120. The blade 140 may be paid out through an aperture 150 formed in the housing 110. A locking assembly 160 may be provided to lock the reel assembly 120 to prevent the self-retracting assembly 130 from retracting the blade 140 when the locking assembly 160 is engaged.

The blade 140 has an end hook 170 disposed at one end thereof and is operatively coupled to the reel assembly 120 at the other end of the blade 140. The end hook 170 may be (temporarily) fixed to an anchor point on the medium to be measured. Once the end hook 170 is secured to the anchor point, the blade 140 can be paid out of the aperture 150 and released from the reel assembly 120. When the desired length of the blade 140 has been paid out, the user can make any necessary markings, readings, etc. associated with the measurement scale markings that may be printed on the blade 140. The measurement scale markings typically measure the length from the end hook 170 in one or more units, with the unit divisions and sub-divisions being clearly marked on the blade 140.

By securing the end hook 170 to the anchor point, the self-retracting assembly 130 (which may be spring-loaded in some cases) is prevented from retracting the paid-out portion of the blade 140 into the housing 110 (via the aperture 150). Similarly, when the locking assembly 160 is engaged, a force (e.g., a clamping force) may be exerted on the blade 140 to prevent retraction, or otherwise inhibit movement of the reel assembly 120 to prevent retraction of the paid-out portion of the blade 140 from the retraction assembly 130. However, when the end hook 170 is not anchored and the locking assembly 160 is not engaged, the self-retracting assembly 130 can cause the reel assembly 120 to wind the blade 140 back onto the reel assembly 120.

As described above, the self-retracting assembly 130 may be spring-loaded. An exemplary structure for spring-loaded self-retracting assembly 130 and certain components that may support the assembly will now be described with reference to fig. 4-6. Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the components of self-retracting assembly 130 and reel assembly 120 separately. In this regard, FIG. 4 shows the reel 200 with the blade 140 wound thereon. The spool 200 is operatively connected to a central post 210 (or simply "post") by a spring 220. The spring 220 may be, for example, a main spring, a torsion spring, a clock spring, or the like. In this regard, the spring 220 may be anchored to the post 210 at one end (e.g., a proximal end relative to the post 210) and may be operably coupled to the blade 140 at the other end (e.g., a distal end relative to the post 210).

The post 210 may be formed in different ways, and two examples are shown in fig. 5 and 6, respectively. In this regard, fig. 5, defined by fig. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, illustrates a structure that is relatively easy to manufacture, and which may be considered similar in some respects to a conventional column. Meanwhile, fig. 6, defined by fig. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F, 6G, and 6H, illustrates an improved structure that improves the life of the spring 220 as described herein.

Referring now to fig. 4-6, the post 210 may be a substantially cylindrical rod that extends away from the flange 230 over a majority of the length of the post 210. The post 210 may be fixed within the housing 110 to define an axis about which the spool 200 rotates. In this regard, the post 210 may be secured to the first casing half 112 via a flange 230. At the same time, the end of the post 210 opposite the flange 230 may be nested in the second half shell 114 or at least extend toward it. Thus, in some cases, both ends of post 210 may be supported by a respective one of first and second housing halves 112 and 114, and post 210 may extend substantially perpendicular to opposing outer surfaces of first and second housing halves 112 and 114.

The post 210 may have a slot 240 formed therein. The slot 240 may be generally formed by machining a cylindrical rod of the post 210 to remove material to form the shapes and structures described herein. However, in some cases, depending on the material used to form the pillars 210, the pillars 210 may be molded or cast to have the shapes and structures described herein. For example, if metal is used to form the post 210, the rod may be machined or cast. However, if plastic or other composite materials are used, the shapes described herein may be molded or machined. In an exemplary embodiment, the posts 210 (and 210') may be die cast from a zinc alloy (e.g., zinc alloy 3-Zamac 3). However, other metals may be used in alternative exemplary embodiments.

The slot 240 may extend from the distal end of the stem 210 (relative to the flange 230) toward the flange 230 (but may not extend all the way to the flange 230 in some cases). The slot 240 may be formed as a substantially planar portion of material removed from the post 210 that extends through the axis of the post. In some cases, the slot 240 may extend along a longitudinal axis of the post 210 and completely through opposing outer surfaces of the post 210 to bisect a respective portion of the post 210 into two opposing post portions 250 and 252. The post portions 250 and 252 may be mirror images of each other with respect to the slot 240. Further, post portions 250 and 252 may each have the shape of a semi-cylinder (bisected along its axis). Thus, the cross-section (taken perpendicular to the axis of the post 210) may be substantially semi-circular in shape.

In an exemplary embodiment, the rod used to form the post 210 may be hollowed out on a portion thereof near the distal end (relative to the flange 230) of the post 210. The hollowed-out portion of the rod may further be threaded to receive a screw that may be passed through the housing 110 to secure the post 210 within the housing 110. The screw may also secure a clip (e.g., a band clip) to the housing 110. In some cases, the rod used to form the post 210 may extend away from the flange 230 over about 90% of the length of the post 210. Meanwhile, the slot 240 may extend from the distal end thereof toward the flange 230 over at least 70% and less than 95% of the length of the rod. The hollowed out portion of the stem may extend within a range less than 1/3 the length of the stem and greater than 1/5 the length of the stem, extending from the distal end inwardly and toward the flange 230. This hollowed out portion (i.e., the threaded portion) of the rod may effectively be formed as a hollow cylindrical shape with the slot 240 bisecting the hollow cylindrical shape along its axis.

The spring 220 may be anchored to the central post 210 by passing an end (e.g., a proximal end as described above) of the spring 220 through the slot 240. As shown in fig. 4, the spring 220 may extend through the slot 240 and then bend to wrap around the post 210. The tightness of the wrap of the spring 220 around the post varies as the blade 140 is extended and retracted. In this regard, as the blade 140 extends out of the housing 110, the reel 200 rotates to pay out a portion of the blade 140, and the spring 220 is wound more tightly against the post 210. When the blade 140 is released and allowed to retract, the spring 220 unwinds relative to the post 210 to rotate the reel 200 and pull the blade 140 back into the housing 110.

As can be appreciated from fig. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, an outer edge 260 may be formed on each side of the slot 240 to mark the side boundaries or edges of the slot 240. Due to the manner in which the slots 240 are formed in this case, the outer edge 260 of each of the post portions 250 and 252 may be relatively sharp. In addition, the inner edge 262 formed in the hollowed-out portion of the rod is also relatively sharp. Thus, during the cycle of the spring 220 wrapping more tightly around the post 210 and releasing the spring 220 to unwind relative to the post 210, when the spring 220 contacts these sharp edges of each of the outer and inner edges 260, 262, the stress and fatigue on the portion of the spring 220 contacting the outer and inner edges 260, 262 is exacerbated by its sharpness. Fig. 5D shows a cross-sectional view through a portion of post portion 250 and spring 220 to illustrate this. In this regard, the spring 220 extends along the post portion 250 toward the outer edge 260 and then forms a bend 222 outside the slot 240 and around the exterior of the post portion 250. In some cases, the bend 222 may actually form a crease in the spring 220 due to the sharpness of the angle of the bend 222 (i.e., the small radius nature of the bend 222). To mitigate this effect, and thereby reduce stress and fatigue on the spring 220, some exemplary embodiments may instead employ the post 210' of fig. 6.

As shown in fig. 6, the post 210' may be configured similarly to the post 210 shown in fig. 5, except that the sharp edge is completely removed from the design. The rods used to form the posts 210' may be the same as those used to form the posts 210 of fig. 5, and the materials used and processing of such materials may be similar to those described above. For example, in some cases, the formation of the slot 240 may be the same as the method described above, but further processing may then be applied to produce the structure described below with reference to fig. 6. Alternatively, if molding or casting can be used to form the structure described below, such a structure can be formed without using the structure of fig. 5 as an intermediate stage. Regardless of how they are formed, the example structure of FIG. 6 may be less sharp and more conducive to reducing stress and fatigue on the spring 220 as the spring 220 goes through the withdrawal and retraction cycles of the blade 140.

Referring now to fig. 6, slot 240 may form two mirror image post portions 250 'and 252'. As described above, slot 240 has side edges that extend the length of slot 240 and are bounded by respective edges (formed at least in part by rounded edges 270) of post portions 250 'and 252'. However, post portions 250 'and 252' are not formed as semi-cylinders as described above for post portions 250 and 252 of FIG. 5. Rather, the post portions 250' and 252' are formed to have a substantially oval or even oblong cross-section (taken perpendicular to the axis of the post 210 '). An oval or oblong cross-section means that there are no sharp edges (i.e., there are no outer edges 260 and no inner edges 262). As such, each of the post portions 250 'and 252' is formed with a rounded edge 270 adjacent the slot 240.

Insofar as the distal end of the stem portion of post 210' is hollowed out (as described above with reference to fig. 5), a hollowed-out portion is formed at an inner portion of each of post portions 250' and 252' relative to slot 240. Thus, any sharp edges formed at the hollowed-out portions are angled inward and do not place a sharp corner or edge in contact with the spring 220 to exert any additional force on the spring 220 at the corresponding corner or edge.

Fig. 6G and 6H show a cross-section of post portion 250 '(fig. 6H is a cross-section of a hollowed-out portion of post portion 250') to illustrate the interaction between rounded edge 270 and spring 220. In this regard, it can be seen that the spring 220 extends along the post portion 250', as described above with respect to fig. 5D. However, at the rounded edge 270, the bend 224 of the spring 220 has a much larger radius than the bend 222 of fig. 5D in this example. In some cases, the radius of bend 224 may be at least twice as large as the radius of bend 222. Further, in some cases, no crease may be formed in the spring 220 at all. The arc formed by rounded edges 270 may be sufficient to allow for relatively little bending in spring 220 as the material forming spring 220 exits the slot. In particular, in the example of fig. 5, the spring 220 may not begin to bend until the spring 220 is nearly, if not completely, clear of the slot 240. However, in the example of fig. 6, the spring is able to flex while still in the slot 240, in the strict sense. As such, the spring 220 may have already been bent to pass near the rounded edge 270 before the spring 220 exits the lateral side of the slot 240. Further, as seen in fig. 6G, the radius of the arc forming the rounded edge (Re) may be at least 20% (and sometimes at least one-quarter, one-third, or nearly one-half) of the radius (Rp) of the post.

Thus, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6 provides a significant improvement over the design of FIG. 5 in reducing stress and fatigue on the spring 220. By rounding the edges of the post portions 250 'and 252' to form the rounded edges 270 of FIG. 6, stress and fatigue are reduced and the life of the spring 220 (and thus the tape measure device 100) can be extended. Furthermore, the performance improvement can be achieved without any change in the diameter of the post 210/210' or any change in the material used for the spring 220. This allows for an extended life cycle to be provided without increasing the overall size of the tape measure device 100 (i.e. to accommodate larger posts, which would require larger rollers or spools and thus also larger housings). This also avoids manipulation of the thickness, stiffness or material used in the spring 220. Thus, a cheaper and lighter device can be provided, which can be carried more easily by a worker on the utility belt. This is particularly the case when many other tools, which may be heavy, are attached to the multi-purpose belt. Thus, a smaller or more compact design for the tape measure device 100 may still have a very long service life.

In an exemplary embodiment, a tape measure device is provided. The tape measure device may include a housing having an aperture, a reel assembly enclosed within the housing, and a blade having a first end configured to extend from the housing through the aperture and a second end configured to be wound around the reel assembly. The reel assembly may be configured to alternately allow the blade to be drawn from the reel assembly through the aperture or received on the reel assembly in the aperture via operation of the spring. The spring may be anchored at a first end of the spring to a post disposed within the housing and operably coupled to the blade at a second end of the spring. The post may include a slot dividing the post into a first post section and a second post section. Each of the first and second post portions may have a rounded edge at a portion thereof defining a lateral boundary of the slot.

In some embodiments, features of the apparatus described above may be added or modified, or additional features may be added. These additions, modifications, and additions may be optional and may be provided in any combination. Thus, while some exemplary modifications, additions and additions are listed below, it should be understood that any of the modifications, additions and additions may be implemented individually or in combination with one or more or even all of the other modifications, additions and additions listed. Thus, for example, in some cases, the first and second post portions may each be configured to have an elliptical cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the post. In some cases, the first and second post portions may each be configured to have an oblong cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the post. In an exemplary embodiment, the housing may include a first half shell and a second half shell, and the proximal end of the post may be anchored in the first half shell via a flange, and the distal end of the post may be operably coupled to the second half shell. In some cases, the spring may be anchored to the post by passing the first end of the spring through the slot, and the spring may exit the slot and travel around the post without forming a crease in the spring. In an exemplary embodiment, the radius of the arc formed by the rounded edge is at least 20% of the radius of the post, or even at least one quarter or one third of the radius of the post. In some cases, the spring is bent to at least partially conform to one of the rounded edges before the spring exits the corresponding side boundary of the slot. In some embodiments, the first and second post portions are mirror images of each other about the slot.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Where advantages, benefits, or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be understood that these advantages, benefits, and/or solutions may apply to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any advantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be considered critical, required, or essential to all embodiments or embodiments claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.