Patent ID: 6976318

Claim:
A retractable tape measure comprising: a housing having front and rear sides and a boundary edge, said sides being tear-drop shaped and having a tip end, said housing having a tape opening in a portion of said boundary edge proximate said tip end, a retractable measuring tape positioned within said housing, said tape having a free end that extends through said opening, an end stop mounted on said free end, said boundary edge having a longitudinal slot proximate said opening, a slidable member having a front end and a rear end, said member being slidably mounted proximate said slot so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, wherein said member and said slot being configured so that when said member is slid forward to said first position the front end of the said member comes into contact with the bottom of said tape and causes said tape to be bent outward in the direction of movement of said member, and when said member is retracted into said second position the front end of said member is retracted a distance such that said member front end does not contact and cause the bending of said tape.