Patent Abstract:
A marking device for making layout marks an surfaces such as boards, panels, or walls including a tape measure with a plurality of holes disposed along its length is disclosed. The device also contains a reel for dispensing a chalk line wherein the chalk line is positioned over the tape measure. The chalk line may be tensioned and snapped to transfer chalk through the holes, thereby providing marks at predetermined intervals.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/451,359 entitled “Marking Tape Measure” by Gary Pritchard filed Feb. 27, 2003, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all it discloses and teaches. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention pertains to measuring devices and specifically to measuring devices capable of making markings.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Background  
         [0005]     Framers and construction workers typically have to measure and mark boards and panels during the layout and construction of buildings. Typically, the markings for building studs may occur every sixteen or twenty-four inches. The markings are routinely laid out by extending a tape measure and marking at periodic intervals with a pencil. The task of marking boards and panels is time consuming, as it requires traversing the entire length of a board to make the required marks.  
         [0006]     For example, in the case where the top of an unfinished wall is to be marked, the framer may have to move a ladder every three or four feet along the wall in order to make the required layout marks to attach roofing trusses or the like. Every few feet, the framer may have to set up a ladder, climb the ladder, make the few marks that are within arm&#39;s reach, descend the ladder, move the ladder, and repeat the process.  
         [0007]     It would therefore be advantageous to provide a system and method for creating markings on surfaces, such as boards, panels, or walls at specific intervals in a fast and efficient manner. It would further be advantageous if the system and method were compact, portable, and easy to use in difficult places.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art by providing a system and method for placing marks on surfaces including boards, panels, or walls in specific intervals in a single operation. A tape measure and chalk line dispenser allows the simultaneous extension of a measuring tape and chalk line. The measuring tape has a plurality of holes disposed along the tape at the specific intervals for marking. The chalk line is disposed above the tape and is tightened and snapped to create chalk marks through the holes and onto the board or panel. The tape and chalk line may then be rewound.  
         [0009]     The tape may have a series of offset holes near the end of the tape that may allow a carpenter to offset the tape and thus the markings by a specific interval. Such offsets may be helpful in certain situations.  
         [0010]     An embodiment of the present invention comprises a device for making at least one mark comprising: a length of tape having at least one hole disposed along the length at a predetermined location; a line disposed along the length such that at least a portion of the line spans the at least one hole; and a marking medium attached to the line.  
         [0011]     Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a device for marking a plurality of marks comprising: means for masking having a plurality of holes disposed along the length of the means for masking at predetermined intervals; and means for dispensing a marking medium disposed along the length of the means for masking and further positioned such that at least a portion of the marking medium passes through the plurality of the holes.  
         [0012]     Yet another embodiment of the present invention comprises a method for making at least one mark on a surface comprising: extending a tape having at least one hole over the surface; spanning the at least one hole with a marking line having a marking medium; withdrawing the marking line from the tape; allowing the marking line to snap onto the tape such that at least some of the marking medium passes through the at least one hole onto the surface.  
         [0013]     The advantages of the present invention are that markings at specific intervals may be made with one motion. Further, the markings may be made from one end of the board without requiring traversing the length of the board to make a mark at every interval. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     In the drawings,  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a partial cut away side view illustration of an embodiment of the present invention of a marking apparatus.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a partial cut away front view illustration of the embodiment of a marking apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention of a marking apparatus.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention of a marking apparatus shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention of a marking apparatus showing the marking components.  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention of a marking apparatus having detachable components. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates a cut away side view of an embodiment  100  of a marking apparatus. The body  102  contains a tape spool  104  and a chalk line spool  106 . As the free end tip  108  is pulled away from the body  102 , the tape  110  and chalk line  112  are extended with the chalk line  112  being located over or spanning the tape  110 . The tape  110  has a series of marking holes  114  at predetermined intervals. The tape  110  and chalk line  112  can be simultaneously retracted into the body  102  by the rewind crank  116 . The chalk line  112  travels through holes in stanchions  118  and  120  and tensioner  112 .  
         [0022]     In operation, one places the tip  108  of the device over the edge of a surface to be marked, then extends the tape  110  and chalk line  112  simultaneously along the length to be marked. When the tape in the marking apparatus  100  is extended over the length to be marked, the body  102  may be placed on top of the surface such that the lower arm  124  of the tensioner  112  is pressed against the surface. The tensioner  112  forces the chalk line  112  against the tape with the tensioning arm  126 . The exposed chalk line  112  is stretched between stanchions  118  and  120  with one hand and the chalk line  112  is lifted and quickly released against the tape  110  with the other hand, allowing the chalk line to return to its normal position in a process known as ‘snapping the line.’ The chalk dust that is supported on the chalk line  112  transfers through the marking holes  114  and make marks on the board at those intervals.  
         [0023]     The tape  110  may be a standard metal measuring tape that has markings typical to commercially available measuring tapes. The tape  110  may be constructed of steel or other metal, or may be constructed of plastic or other suitable material.  
         [0024]     The marking holes  114  may be placed at periodic intervals that may be useful to those of the building trades. For example, it is common to mark studs and other building components on sixteen or twenty four inch intervals. Thus, the marking holes  114  may be placed at those intervals. In addition, it is often necessary to offset those intervals by a standard amount, such as one half of the width of a stud. Additional offset holes may be provided near the tip  108  to offset the marking holes  114 . A nail may be placed in the board and one of the offset holes may be placed over the nail to offset the markings a particular distance. For example, an offset of three-quarters of an inch may be desirable for laying out stud placement. A nail may be placed in the end of the board and an offset hole that is three-quarters of an inch from the tip  108  may be placed over the nail. Thus, for the entire length of the tape, all of the markings can be offset by three quarters of an inch. Other offsets may be accomplished by providing offset holes at predetermined locations along the tape. In another embodiment, the tape  110  may have a series of offset holes through which a nail may be inserted. The nail may then be placed over the edge of a board to offset the markings made by the embodiment  100 . In still other embodiments, the tip  108  may be movable such that it may be adjusted to different positions along the axis of the tape  110  in order to offset the marks made by the embodiment  100 .  
         [0025]     The chalk line  112  may be a common string that is stored on a chalk line spool  106 . The chalk line spool  106  may be enclosed by a chalk compartment in which chalk is stored and by which chalk may become entrained by the string. In other embodiments, the string may be replaced by a woven band with a width greater than its thickness that may be able to produce marks wider than would be possible with a string.  
         [0026]     The marking holes  114  may be small circular holes or may be a specially shaped hole that may produce a specially shaped mark. Such shapes may include numerical shapes that may mark the location with a numerical designation. In other embodiments, the marking holes  114  may include a mark for the edge of a stud or other building member and a second mark or designation for the side to which the stud is to be placed. It is common for a carpenter to mark a location with a line or crow&#39;s foot mark and then place an ‘X’ to designate the appropriate side of the line for the stud. Such marks may be placed by an embodiment of the present invention having an ‘X’ shaped hole.  
         [0027]     The tensioner  112  operates by rotating about the hinge point  128 . As the body  102  is placed upon a surface, the lower arm  124  causes the tensioner  122  to rotate and slightly stretch the chalk line  112  with the tensioning arm  126 . In some embodiments, the amount of tension applied by the tensioning arm  126  may be sufficient to snap the chalk line  112  and effectively place marks along the board. In other embodiments, the carpenter may push the body  102  against the board and pull the chalk line  112  taught by pulling on the chalk line  112  in the area between the stanchions  118  and  120 .  
         [0028]     The rewind crank  116  may be used to retract the tape  110  and chalk line  112  into the body  102 . The rewind crank  116  may be connected to the tape spool  104  and chalk line spool  106  by various gears, pulleys, or other mechanisms such that the tape  110  and chalk line  112  may be retracted substantially simultaneously. In other embodiments, a return spring may be used in place of the rewind crank  116 . In such embodiments, the tape spool  104  and chalk line spool  106  may be connected by a mechanism that allows for the simultaneous retraction of the tape  110  and chalk line  112 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  is a partial cut away front view of the embodiment  100  of a marking apparatus. The body  202  has a tape housing  204  and a chalk line housing  206 . The return crank  208  is mounted so that it can retract the chalk line and tape into the body  202 . The chalk line  210  is fed through stanchions  214  and  216  to the tip  212 . The wall  218  separates the chalk line housing  206  from the tape housing  204 . The chalk line housing  206  may have a door into which may poured a quantity of chalk dust. The chalk dust may then become entrained on the chalk line  210 .  
         [0030]     Various embodiments may have different mechanisms for handling the chalk dust. For example, wipers and mechanisms of various sorts may be employed to remove excess chalk dust from the tape or chalk line. Such mechanisms regulate the amount of chalk that is entrained on the chalk line and to clean the tape during rewind to prohibit chalk dust from collecting inside the tape housing  204 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment  300  of the present invention of a marking apparatus. The body  302  contains a tape spool  304  and a string spool  306 . A tape locking lever  308  allows the tape to be locked in a particular position. A chalk filling door  310  may be opened to receive powdered chalk that can be carried on the string  314 . The free end of the tape  312  may be hooked over the edge of a piece of wood or other article to be measured or marked. The string end clip  316  may be engaged on the post  317  when the device is used as a marking instrument.  
         [0032]     The embodiment  300  may be used as a separate tape measure and string line. For example, to use the embodiment  300  as a tape measure, the string end clip  316  may be disengaged from the tape end clip  312  and stored in the string end clip holder  318 . The tape may be extended from the tape spool  304  by pulling on the tape end clip  312 . The tape may be an elongated sheet of metal or plastic and may have graduations, marks, or other indicia for measuring or otherwise indicating distance. Similarly, the tape may be kept in the retracted position and the string may be extended to mark or indicate a straight line.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment  400  of the present invention of a marking apparatus. The body  402  contains a tape spool  404  and a string spool  406 . A tape locking lever  408  may lock the tape in a particular position. A chalk filling door  410  may be opened to receive powdered chalk or other marking medium that can be carried on the string  414 . The tape end clip  412  has a post  417  that may receive the string end clip  416 .  
         [0034]     The embodiment  400  contains a string retract crank  418  that may engage the string spool  406  to retract the string  414  into the body  402 . In some embodiments, the crank  418  may engage the string spool directly or may engage the spool by means of gears.  
         [0035]     In some embodiments, the tape may be retracted by a spring mechanism. In some embodiments, the string and the tape may be retracted simultaneously and collectively by a gear mechanism between the tape spool and the string spool. In other embodiments, the tape and the spring may be retracted separately and using separate devices. For example, the tape may be retracted with a spring powered mechanism while the string is retracted by a hand crank mechanism. Various retraction mechanisms may be used by those skilled in the art while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention.  
         [0036]     The string  414  may carry chalk or other marking medium and may be used to transfer the marking medium to an article to be marked. In some instances, the string may contain powdered chalk, powdered ink, liquid ink, or other marking fluid or powder.  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment  500  of the present invention of a marking apparatus. A measuring tape  502  contains a plurality of apertures  504  at predetermined intervals or other spacing. The tape clip  506  may be hooked over the edge of an article to mark. A chalk line  5   10  may be placed over the tape  502  by engaging the string end clip  512  over the post  508  of the tape end clip  506 . The string  510  is placed directly on top of the tape  502 , spanning the apertures  504 . When the string  510  is made taught, the chalk line  5   10  may be raised and released quickly to transfer the marking medium carried by the chalk line  510  through the apertures  504  and onto the item to be marked. This process is sometimes called ‘snapping a line’ in the trade.  
         [0038]     The apertures  504  may be selected to be of various shapes, sizes, and spacing to indicate various distances or marks as those skilled in the art may desire. For example, for framing houses in the United States, it may be conventional to mark studs at  16  inches apart. In such a case, the apertures  504  may be spaced 16 inches apart. In some cases, the shape of an aperture  504  may have a special meaning, such as the stud side of a mark.  
         [0039]     In some cases, the measuring tape  502  may have various marks or indicia for measuring distance or other functions as desired.  
         [0040]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment  600  of the present invention of a marking apparatus. A tape body  602  contains a tape  604  and a tape locking tab  606 . A chalk line body  608  contains a string  610 , a string end clip  612 , a retraction crank  614 , and a chalk filling door  616 . The chalk line body  608  may removably engage the tape body  602  with a locking/locating feature  618 .  
         [0041]     The embodiment  600  allows the string line body  608  to be removed and separately used from the tape body  602 , but be recombined in order to use apertures in the tape  604  to mask the chalk line  610  to make separate, distinct marks along the length of the tape  604 . For example, the chalk line  610  may be used for marking a straight line while the tape measure  602  may be used to measure a certain distance. After such time, the chalk line  610  may be reattached to the tape measure  602  and used to mark a plurality of points along a distance.  
         [0042]     Various locating and locking mechanisms  618  may be used by those skilled in the art while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention. For example, the tape measure  602  and the chalk line  610  may snap together, may lock together using a mechanical linkage, may slidingly engage each other, or any other type of releasable engagement device or mechanism.  
         [0043]     The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6