Abstract:
An improved friction tab or clip for a blade catch at an end of the tape measure blade. The friction tab is provided with an outer coating of a substantially soft, resilient and pliant material generally a soft, non-skid material, e.g. an elastomeric material, such as rubber or other similar non-skid material. The friction tab is removably mounted to the blade catch by appropriately molding an inner pocket which frictionally engages the blade catch directly. A protrusion may also be provided in the inner pocket which engages at least an aperture through the blade catch of the measuring tape to further secure the friction tab to the blade catch.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a friction tab for use with a measuring tape, in particular the friction tab is for use with a tape rule blade catch, for improving the frictional qualities and the operational ease of any conventional tape rule measure. The friction tab is a removable sheath or cover which may be inserted and removed from over the blade catch depending from the leading edge of the tape measure blade. The friction tab defines an inner pocket from wherein the blade catch may be inserted and removed whenever necessary. Also, a protrusion is provided within the inner pocket of the tab to engage with an opening or detent traditionally provided in the face of the blade catch of a conventional tape measure, and a finger tab may be provided on an outer portion of the tab to facilitate the insertion and removal of the tab from the blade catch.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    It is well known in the construction industry, as well as by most persons who have ever used a builders type retractable tape measure, that at the lead end of a substantially flexible, and bendable measuring rule blade, a catch, clip or stop is provided to engage a desired edge of a surface to be measured. The catch depends from the lead end of the blade at a substantially 90° angle so as to facilitate engagement of the blade catch on an edge of a particular surface or object to be measured with the tape rule. It is well known in the art that a blade catch is usually made of metal or plastic and fastened to the lead end of the tape blade by a series of rivets. The tape catch is generally a relatively small 90° piece of stamped metal having one of the 90° legs riveted to the blade end such that the free end of the catch depends at a 90° angle from the substantially planar surface defined by the measuring blade.  
           [0003]    It is also well known that during use of conventional retractable tape measuring devices, substantial difficulty can arise in maintaining the blade catch over a desired edge of a surface particularly due to the substantially smooth frictionless surface of the metal or plastic blade catch and the object being measured. For instance, in certain situations, the blade catch is hooked over the edge of a substantially smooth planar surface and the initially retracted tape rule blade is pulled out and the further the tape body is pulled from the lead end, i.e. where the blade catch engages the edge of the object being measured, the less control the operator has over continued relative positioning of the blade catch on the surface edge. In certain situations a substantial dislocating force on the tape blade itself can cause the catch to easily slid off or disengage from the edge around which it is hooked and therefore the tape measure can recoil and lose its ability to provide an adequate measurement.  
           [0004]    In certain other situations, for instance measuring the length of a wall between two corners of a room, when the front end of the blade catch is pressed into one corner, the front end of the blade catch may have difficulty remaining in the corner if any external dislocating forces are inadvertently applied which would cause the blade catch to slip relative to the surface on which it is engaged. In such cases the catch may slip or be pushed forward and due to the flexibility of the tape measuring blade, the blade is bent or sent askew relative to the length being measured and thus an inaccurate measurement may obtained.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The object of the present invention is to provide a removable friction tab for the blade catch of a retractable tape measure which can be easily attached and detached from the blade catch by an operator.  
           [0006]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a friction tab which, once attached to the blade catch of the measuring tape, engages the blade catch so that conventional and ordinary use will not detach the friction tab from the blade catch.  
           [0007]    A further object of the present invention is to provide an economical and easy to produce friction tab which assists the user of a conventional tape measure in maintaining the blade catch on the edge of a object or surface being measured.  
           [0008]    A still further object of the present invention is to provide the friction tab with sufficient frictional engagement with the blade catch as well as a detent for engaging with conventional detent holes in the blade catch of the measuring tape.  
           [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a blade catch made of a resilient material and having a surface texture such that it provides substantial frictional engagement with the edge of any surface being measured.  
           [0010]    The present invention relates to an improved tape measure having an improved friction tab or clip on an end of the tape measure blade. The friction tab is provided with an outer coating of a substantially soft, resilient and pliant material generally a soft, non-skid material, e.g. an elastomeric material, such as rubber or other similar non-skid material. The friction tab is advantageously removably mounted to the blade catch by appropriately molding an inner pocket which frictionally engages the blade catch directly. A protrusion may also be provided in the inner pocket which engages at least an aperture through the blade catch of the measuring tape.  
           [0011]    The soft skid resistant material of the friction tab prevents the tape measure blade catch from slipping off an edge of the object used to hold the blade catch during measurement and the soft nature of the material prevents any harm to the surface or edge of the object. The construction of the friction tab and the molding method used to produce it are cost efficient and effective in producing an easy to use inexpensive product.  
           [0012]    Additional advantages and other features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a conventional tape measure in use with an object being measured;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional tape measure blade and blade catch attached thereto as well as the friction tab;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a front view of the friction tab;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a elevational side view of the friction tab;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a front elevational view;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the friction tab;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a top planar view of the blade catch measuring tape blade and friction tab; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the blade and blade catch and cut open view of the interior portion of the friction tab. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]    As shown in FIG. 1, a retractable tape measure or tape rule  2 , includes a housing  4  having an interior portion or compartment housing a measuring blade  5  that is coiled within the housing  4  about an axle located substantially in the center of the housing. The coiled tape blade  5  is retractably mounted within the housing  4  in a conventional manner utilizing a known spring mechanism that biases the coiled tape rule about the axle. A leading edge  7  of the tape blade  5  extends through an opening in the housing  4 , and in a fully retracted position is maintained in a ready position substantially adjacent the opening due to a tape blade catch  10 , attached to the leading edge  7  via at least a rivet or pair of rivets  8 . In an in use position, as shown in FIG. 1, the blade catch  10  is engaged over the edge  9  of an object to be measured and the tape blade  5  is extracted from the housing  4  by a user pulling and biasing the housing  4  relative to the engaged blade catch  10 .  
         [0022]    Turning to FIG. 2, the tape blade catch  10  is described in further detail.  
         [0023]    The blade catch  10  is generally a right angled piece of metal, although it may also be made of other material, a first portion  1  of which is fastened in planar alignment with the tape blade  5  via the rivets  8  and a second portion  3  of which extends at a right angle to the first portion and from the leading edge  7  of the blade  5 . The blade catch  10  is, as is known in the art, used for engaging, hooking and/or catching an edge  9  of a surface or object to be measured with the tape measure  1 . As is also known in the art, once such an edge  9  is engaged, by pulling the tape measure relative thereto a desired measurement reading may be taken from units of measurement marked on a top surface of the blade  5 .  
         [0024]    The depending second portion  3  of the blade catch  10  is defined by a first and second side edge  11  and  12 , a bottom edge  13  and a front and rear face  14  and  15  respectively. A hole or detent  18  may be provided through the blade catch in the front and rear face  14 ,  15 . The hole or detent  18 , at least one of which is found in most conventional tape measures and may be of any size, but is usually about  {fraction (1/4)} inches wide and    {fraction (1/8)} inch in height. The bottom edge 13 of the blade catch may also be provided in certain cases with an indentation 19.    
         [0025]    To facilitate the engagement, hooking and/or catching of the blade catch  10  with an edge  9  of a surface or object to be measured, a friction tab  20  as shown in FIG. 2 b,  essentially defining a sheath or a pocket  21  into which the blade catch  10  is inserted, is utilized to increase the friction between the blade catch  10  and the edge  9  of the material or object with which the blade catch  10  is engaged.  
         [0026]    Observing FIGS. 3 and 4, the sheath or pocket  21  is defined by a front wall  22  and a rear wall  24  substantially secured together around three mating or matching edges of the front wall  22  and the rear wall  24 , namely a first side edge  25 , a second side edge  26  and a bottom edge  27 . A top edge of the tab is defined by edges  28 ,  29  of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  respectively, remains unsecured and separable from one another to define an opening into the pocket  21 . The opening o and pocket  21  of the friction tab  20 , as will be described in further detail below, accepts the depending portion of the blade catch  10  and frictionally engages the blade catch  10  to hold the friction tab  20  substantially affixed therewith.  
         [0027]    Turning to FIGS. 5 and 6, the front wall  22  and the rear wall  24  are joined along the three edges, first side edge  25 , second side edge  26  and the bottom edge  27 . The front wall  22  and the rear wall  24  are inherently provided with a respective inner and outer front sides  32 ,  33  and an inner and outer rear sides  34 ,  35 . The inner and outer walls  22 ,  24  are substantially affixed together along the first, second and bottom edges  25 ,  26  and  27  respectively such that the inner sides  32 ,  34  of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  are substantially immediately adjacent each other. The separate top edges  28 ,  29  of the front wall  22  and the rear wall  24  are adjacent but unaffixed with one another to define the opening O into the pocket  21  of the friction tab  20 . The inner sides  32 ,  34  of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  as well as the respective first, second, bottom edges and top edges  25 ,  26 ,  27  and  28 , and  29  thus substantially define the sheath or pocket  21  of the friction tab  20 .  
         [0028]    One of the top edges  28 ,  29  of either the front or rear wall  22 ,  24 , preferably the top edge  29  of the front wall  22 , may also be provided with a finger tab  30  to aid a user in the insertion and removal of the friction tab  20  from the blade catch  10 . The finger tab  30  extends substantially perpendicular with respect to the planar orientation of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  from the top edge  29  of the front wall  22 , crossing the top edge  28  of the rear wall  24 , and planarly engaging the first portion  1  of the blade catch  10  which attaches the blade catch  10  to the measuring blade  5 .  
         [0029]    The finger tab  30 , which may substantially cover the rivets  8  attaching the first portion  1  of the blade catch  10  to the blade  5 , is intended to also facilitate the opening of the pocket  21  and the insertion of the blade catch  10  through the opening O and between the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  as well as maintain the friction tab engaged with the blade catch  10  and also to assist in removal of the blade catch  10  from the pocket  21  if necessary.  
         [0030]    Both the front wall  22  and the rear wall  24  and their respective inner sides  32 ,  34  in combination with the first, second and bottom edges  25 ,  26  and  27 , define a volume V of the pocket  21  substantially conforming to the outer dimensions of the blade catch  36 . is inserted. The volume V is in general conformity in size with the respective dimensions, i.e. a length L, height H and width W as defined by the front and rear faces  14 ,  15  and the first and second and bottom sides  11 ,  12  and  13  of the blade catch  10 . The volume V may be formed of any particular size to accommodate the size of known tape catches  10  although it may be necessary to form the volume V slightly smaller than the dimensions of the blade catch  10  to facilitate the necessary frictional fit.  
         [0031]    The friction tab  20  is in preferred forms of the invention fabricated from polymeric materials such as, rubber, plastic or similar materials having elastomeric properties which in combination with the above described conforming volume V of the pocket  21  facilitates a frictional fit between the respective engaging faces and edges of the catch  10  and the pocket  21 . Essentially, the friction tab  20  is held by its own elastic frictional energy onto the blade catch  10 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIGS. 7 and 8, show a normal and a cut open view of the volume V respectively of the pocket  21 . As is well known in the art, and as described above, the opening or detent  18  in the depending portion of the blade catch  10  may be provided through the front and rear faces  14 ,  15  of the blade catch  10 . A protrusion  17  provided on one of the inner sides  32 ,  34  of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24 , is designed to substantially engage the detent  18  in blade catch  10 . The protrusion  17  is designed to fully engage and pass completely through the hole or opening  18  in order to provide a further mechanical engagement besides that of the frictional engagement between the pocket  21  and the edges and faces of the blade catch  10 .  
         [0033]    As is readily apparent to any person of ordinary skill in the art, the protrusion  17  could extend or be attached to the inner side of either the front or rear walls  22 ,  24  and extend into the detent  18 . The protrusion  17  has a general size just smaller than the dimensions of the detent  18 , to facilitate a relatively snug fit therewith.  
         [0034]    In addition, as previously discussed, the bottom edge  27  of the friction tab  20  is provided with a tab indent  23  in order to substantially match a corresponding indent  19  of the blade catch or expose a portion of a bottom edge  13  of the blade catch  10  therein in order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the blade catch  10  from the friction tab  20 . As can be appreciated, the tab indent  23  may be either joined along the edges, or not joined, to provide a second opening into the pocket  21  along the bottom edge  27  thereof.  
         [0035]    The finger tab  30 , in the present case shown attached to the front wall  22  of the friction tab  20 , is shown extending perpendicularly from the front wall  22  and across the top edge  28  of the rear wall  24 . The finger tab  30 , as set forth above, is designed to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the friction tab  20  with the blade catch  10  and, is a feature for providing further mechanical and frictional engagement between the blade catch  10  and the friction tab  2 .  
         [0036]    The blade catch  36  is, in general, provided with the first portion  1  being a rivet section extending substantially perpendicular to the face of the blade catch  10  in order to provide sufficient space and direction for the fastening of a number of rivets  8  to secure the blade catch  10  to the end of the blade  30 . The rivets or pins  8  are usually located substantially adjacent the lead end  7  of the measuring blade to which the blade catch  10  is attached. Thus, the finger tab  30  is designed to substantially align and cover or protect the rivets  37  or pins securing the blade catch  10  to the blade  5  without blocking a user&#39;s view of the measurement units on the top surface of the blade  5 .  
         [0037]    Use of the blade catch  10  in conjunction with the friction tab  20  will now be described. The friction tab  20 , which is in general produced and sold as an item either separate from or with the tape measure as a separable item, may be inserted over the blade catch  10  in the following manner. A user desiring to utilize the friction tab  20  on the blade catch  10  may squeeze the first and second side edges  25 ,  26 , such that the opening to the pocket  21  is widened to accept at least the bottom edge  13  of the blade catch  10 . Due to the elastomeric nature of the blade catch material, the finger tab  30  may be pulled back or rotated away from the opening during insertion of the blade catch  10 , such that the finger tab  30  is out of the way and allows the face of the blade catch  10  to be inserted within the inner pocket  21 . Due to the necessary frictional tight fit between the blade catch  10  and the inner pocket  21  of the friction tab  20 , with a slight effort against this resilient frictional engagement, an operator or the user is able to situate the blade catch  10  within the inner pocket  21  of the friction tab  20  in a secure manner such that the two are not easily separated.  
         [0038]    Once the friction tab  20  is essentially fitted over the blade catch  10 , the protrusion  17  within the inner pocket  21  automatically engages with the detent  18  and the finger tab  30  also resiliently engages over the first portion of the blade catch  10  and the rivets  8  therein.  
         [0039]    With the friction tab  20  thus engaging the blade catch  10 , the user may hook the blade catch  10  over a desired edge  9  of an object from which a measurement is to be taken. The outer side  33  of the rear wall  24  engages at least a portion of the edge and provides a better frictional engagement due to the elastomeric properties of the friction tab  2  than would normally be had with the rear face  15  of the blade catch  10 . As the user pulls the body  4  of the tape measure and thus extends the tape blade  5  from the body, despite any vertical or horizontal forces on the blade catch  10  produced by the user&#39;s movement of the tape measuring body  4  which might normally dislodge the blade catch  10  from the edge  9 , the friction tab  20  facilitates the further frictional force between the blade catch  10  and the edge  9  from which the measurement is being taken.  
         [0040]    Removal of the friction tab  20  from the blade catch  10  is essentially opposite to the procedure described above. As is readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the finger tab  30  is pulled back from the first portion of the blade catch  10  to assist in peeling off or removing, the friction tab  20  from the blade catch  10 .  
         [0041]    It is to be noted that the outer sides  33 ,  35  of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  may be provided with any type of design or surface texture which would further frictionally assist the elastomeric outer surfaces of the tab  20  to remain engaged with an edge. For instance, the surface of the outer sides  33 ,  35  could be provided with a substantially non-planer bumpy or striated surface which might better engage an edge or object if made of particularly slippery or smooth material or when wet.  
         [0042]    In a similar but often used configuration, for instance for measuring the inner diameter of a room, the outer side  33  of the front wall  22  is used to engage a surface, e.g. a corner of a room adjacent a floor or a ceiling along which a measurement is to be made by the user. Thus the outer side  33  of the front wall  22  should also be provided with substantial frictional engagement properties as those described above with regards to the rear wall. Thus, from all conventional measurement practices, the blade catch  10  is easier to maintain in its desired measurement position during measurement operations.  
         [0043]    As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiments are therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.