The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 02, 2014
Filed:
Oct. 30, 2012
Apex Brands, Inc., Sparks, MD (US);
Tobias McKay Bridges, Holly Springs, NC (US);
Jonathan S. Beckwith, Raleigh, NC (US);
Apex Brands, Inc., Apex, NC (US);
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.