Patent Publication Number: US-2006016083-A1

Title: Level laser indicator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates generally to a level laser indicator and particularly to that the emitted visible light is a laser light close to the housing and the measuring surface emitted by a laser-indicating means, which cooperates with the angle scale, nail, magnet and leveler installed in the housing to conveniently provide with the precise measurement of plane.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      It is known that in the fields of carpentry, upholstery, architecture and measurement, all need a datum point and a datum plane to be marked precisely during construction. For the conventional gauge, for example, protractor, plummet, ink marker, range finder and so on, there still exists many troubles and inconvenience in practice. Owing to the conventional gauge with poor precision, many faults may occur easily during construction; because a protractor can&#39;t obtain a datum line precisely in measuring angles, an error may be unavoidable during measuring. A plummet may waver and swing easily when hanging. Two persons must stand on two sides of an ink line to pull and flip for a datum line when an ink marker is used to draw a line, which is very inconvenient during the operation. Although a range finder is provided with great precision, its price is expensive considerably.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior alt, and an object of the present invention is to provide a level laser indicator that the laser light emitted by a laser-indicating means stays close to the enclosure and the measuring surface and cooperating with the angle scale, nail, magnet and leveler installed on the housing, the precise measurement of plane is then obtained.  
      According to the level laser indicator of the present invention, the north direction can be obtained rapidly by using a bubble leveler. In corporation of a laser-indicating means and the visible light emitted by it, any angle line based on a datum point may be obtained rapidly; this is another object of the present invention.  
      According to the level laser indicator in this invention, one set of nails and a magnet installed on the housing may be fixed rapidly and steadily on a datum plane for precise measurement and for drawing a line, this is also another object of the present invention.  
      The above objects and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional disassembly diagram of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the preferred embodiment of the present invention in practicing.  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the example of the nail used in the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a plane diagram of the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the nail is pressed into the wall.  
       FIG. 7  is a diagram showing the present invention is being adjusted.  
       FIG. 8  is a diagram showing another practicing example of the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  is a diagram showing a further practicing example of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the level laser indicator  1  of present invention comprises a housing  2 , a laser-indicating means  3  and a bubble leveler  4 ; the housing  2  can be a rectangle box and its bottom may be installed with a bottom cover  21  to form a sealed box. The surface may be formed an insert  22  to install a laser-indicating means  3 . The periphery of said insert  22  may be formed with an angle scale  23  in 360° along the circumference, and the angle scale  23  may be marked with an interval of 45°; one side of the housing may be provided with a bar window hole  24  for a bubble leveler  4  to be installed in. The position of bubble in a bubble leveler can be seen by a window hole  24 ; the bottom of said bubble leveler  4  may be fixed by one set of holding arms  51 .  
      On the surface of said housing  2 , there are a pair of insert  22  provided at two opposite positions to install two assembly holes  25  and  26  for two nails  61  and  62 . The top of said nails  61  and  62  are formed with caps  611 ,  621  to provide users for pressing by a thumb. The center of caps  611 ,  621  are installed with vertical notches  63  and  64  for the safe effect as well as an extruded tenons  65  on the bottom of vertical notch, controlling to press when vertical notches  63  and  64  move to the front (referring to  FIG. 4 ). The bottom of notches may be installed with nail body  68  and  69  that prolongs down to the finite length with an awl shape on the tip. The nail body  68  and  69  may be penetrated through two central holes on the bottom cover  21 , cooperating one set of springs  70  and two arc walls  71  and  72  surrounding said springs  70  respectively. On the walls of said arc walls  71  and  72 , a partial breach  73  is formed, such that when said extruded tenons  65  face the breach  73 , the caps  611 ,  621  will be pressed downward, and personnel injury owing to the careless exposure of nails  68 ,  69  would be avoided.  
      There is also an arc furrow  27  provided at the upper end of the bottom cover  21 , on the inner edge of said arc furrow, there is an arc teeth  271 , so as to provide the laser-indicating means  3  to be mounted in with the extruded arc plate  31  formed on it peripheral edge. Also, by using the extruded fastener  32  formed at the edge of arc plate  31  and the elastic groove  33  formed at the inner edge of said extruded fastener  32 , after the laser-indicating means  3  is mounted into said arc furrow  27 , the provision of fastener  32  will occur the sound of “DA DA” when the laser-indicating means  3  is rotated. And, by the provision of elastic groove  33 , the extruded fastener would keep elastic property and then its life will be extended. In addition, there are several magnets  28  at the proper locations of the surface of the bottom cover  21 , and then the whole body would be attracted to the metal plate  90 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , a laser-indicating means  3  includes a laser-indicating module  34 . The front side of a laser-indicating module  34  is installed with a refractive lens  35 . Via the installation of a refractive lens  35 , the laser light emitted by a laser-indicating module  34  passes through the refractive lens  35  to form the visible light face A, and then along the surface of the housing, a visible indicating light B is formed. The direction and angle of the laser light can be seen easily when a laser-indicating means  3  rotates to overlap the laser light A with a scale line of angle scale  23 .  
      The top side of a laser-indicating module  34  is installed an indicating arrow  36  to help user see the direction of a laser-indicating apparatus via the tip of an indicating arrow  36 . A switch  37  of a laser-indicating means  3  is installed on the topside.  
      In addition, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the surface on the top of the housing  2  is formed with a via hole  80 , at the front end of the via hole  80 , there is a slot  81  having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the nail. At the front end of the housing  2  corresponding to the vertical line of the slot  81 , a top end narrow groove/mark  82  is formed. There are also three grooves/marks provided at the side wall of the housing  2 , wherein the first groove/mark  83  in located in the same level with the top end narrow groove/mark  82 , the second groove/mark  84  is located at the same level with the center point of said slot  81 , and the third groove/mark  85  is located in the same level with the center point of laser-indicating means  3 .  
      In using the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 6 , by pressing the nail caps  611 ,  621  of the nails  61 ,  62  into the measuring surface, the whole body can be attached at the measuring surface to proceed the light indicating. And, by using the breach  73  formed on the arc wall  71  and  72 , together with the provision of tenon  65 , personal injuries owing to the careless exposure of nails  68 ,  69  would be avoided. Moreover, as shown if  FIG. 7 , because there are sleeves  66 ,  67  provided at the upper end of the nails  68 ,  69 . And the sleeves are separated from the caps  611 ,  621 , when the nail body of the upper one is pressed into the wall, the housing  2  can be waved until the bubble of bubble leveler  4  is located at the center. Then, after the housing  2  is located at the vertical direction, the lower nail is then pressed into the wall  91  to fix the position of present invention. Such that when the body is waved right and left, the upper nail can maintain the housing  2  firmly on the wall.  
      As shown in  FIG. 8 , because the distance between said third groove/mark  85  and said second groove/mark  84  equals the distance between the central point Q of laser-indicating means and the central point of slot  81 . In using the present invention, when the horizontal line, the vertical line and the lines of angles with a point P as its central point is to be drawn. It can be done as shown in  FIG. 8 , overlapping the third groove/mark  85  with the measuring point P, the side of the housing  2  is used as a rule, the bubble of the bubble leveler  4  is at the center, then drawing a second point S at the position of the second groove/mark  84 . After the housing  2  is removed, pressing a hanging nail at the second point S, and hanging the housing onto said hanging nail, the rotation center of laser-indicating means overlapping to the measuring point P is obtained. At this time, rotate laser-indicating means  3 , the laser light of visible light shown on the housing and measuring surface is the light drawn by using the point P as a center point. Via the processes shown above, any angular live with the point P as the central point can be obtained.  
      Or, overlapping the third sleeve/mark  85  with the measuring point P, using the side of the housing  2  as a rule, after the bubble of the bubble leveler  4  is adjusted to be at the center position, then drawing a second point S at the position of the first groove/mark  83 . After the housing  2  is removed, overlapping the top end narrow groove/mark  82  with the second point S, adjusting the bubble of the bubble leveler  4  to be at the central position, pressing the nail, then the rotation center Q of laser indication means overlapping to the measuring point P is obtained.  
      For a level laser indicator in this invention, the laser light emitted by a laser-indicating means  3  can be the visible light drawn along the surface of a housing; the direction and angle is overlapped with an angle scale  23  via the laser light, providing a user with properties to be utilized conveniently. When accomplishing, the whole can rapidly fix on a datum plane of measurement like wall via the installation of nails  61  and  62 . In addition, a magnet  28  installed inside a bottom cover may be provided to magnetize and fix the surface of metal material and measure a drawing line and indication.  
      In addition, the present invention can be modified as shown in  FIG. 9 , forming at least one furrow  100  on the side wall(s) of the housing  2  for holding fixing element(s)  200 . The preferred embodiment of the fixing element  200  is a plastic vacuum sucker  200 , the upper end of the vacuum sucker  200  is formed as a head structure  300 , such that when it is necessary for people to perform a measurement of smooth plane as glass, the plastic vacuum sucker  200  can be taken out to attach onto a smooth plane, and the put the slot  81  formed on the housing  2  onto the head structure  300  of the plastic vacuum sucker  200 . Then the housing  2  can be quickly positioned for measurement.  
      In view of the foregoing, it is known for a level laser indicator of the present invention, the laser light emitted by a laser-indicating means  3  may be formed the visible light drawn along the surface of an enclosure. Cooperating with a nail, bubble leveler and vertical trough installed not only may rapidly swing to position, but also may be easily obtained the direction and angle of a horizontal plane.  
      Although the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit thereof as disclosed in the accompanying claims.