Patent ID: 9677867
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: G01B

Claim:
1. A squaring tape apparatus comprising: a housing comprising a base that comprises a first end and a second end, a front wall extending upward from the first end of the base, a rear wall extending upward from the second end of the base, and two sidewalls extending between the front wall and the rear wall, the two sidewalls extending upward from the base; a tape coiled within the housing, the tape comprising a distal end that exits the housing through a tape opening located at a junction between the front wall and the base, wherein the tape is configured to be pulled out of the housing through the tape opening, and wherein the measuring tape is configured to retract back into the housing in the absence of forces acting to pull the tape out of the housing, and wherein the tape defines a measuring axis extending through the distal end and along a length of the tape when the tape is extended outward from the tape opening, and further wherein the tape comprises opposing edges extending along the measuring axis, the opposing edges defining a width measured transverse to the measuring axis; a first corner positioning fixture at the distal end of the tape, wherein the first corner positioning fixture is configured to rotate about a first axis relative to the tape, wherein the first axis is transverse to the measuring axis and transverse to the width of the tape, and wherein the first corner positioning fixture comprises a left contact surface located on a left side of the measuring axis and a right contact surface located on a right side of the measuring axis, wherein the left and right contact surfaces are defined by a first angle that is bisected by the measuring axis when the vertex of the first angle is located on the measuring axis, and wherein the left contact surface contacts a first framing member and the right contact surface contacts a second framing member when the tape is extended from the housing such that the first corner positioning fixture is inserted into a first framing corner defined by the first and second framing members; and a second corner positioning fixture attached to the housing such that the housing is located between the second corner positioning fixture and the first corner positioning fixture along the measuring axis, wherein the second corner positioning fixture is configured to rotate about a second axis, wherein the second axis is transverse to the measuring axis and aligned with the first axis, and wherein the second corner positioning fixture comprises a left contact surface located on a left side of the measuring axis and a right contact surface located on a right side of the measuring axis, wherein the left and right contact surfaces are defined by a second angle that is bisected by the measuring axis when the vertex of the second angle is located on the measuring axis, and wherein the left contact surface contacts a third framing member and the right contact surface contacts a fourth framing member when the second corner positioning fixture is inserted into a second framing corner defined by the third and fourth framing members, wherein the second framing corner is located diagonally opposite from the first framing corner, wherein the squaring tape apparatus is configured to measure a distance between the first and second framing corners.