Patent ID: 7174655

Claim:
A tape measure comprising: a housing having a top and a bottom wall, a pair of sidewalls, and a front and a back wall, the front wall having an opening therein; a tape assembly supported in the housing, the tape assembly having a tape adapted to extend and retract from the front wall of the housing; and a light assembly received in the housing, the light assembly including: a power source, a light source coupled with the power source to produce a beam of light, a switch coupled with the power source and the light source, the switch being adapted to activate the light source, and a lens cooperating with the opening, the lens having a reflective surface and being movable between a first position and a second position; wherein the light source projects away from the housing generally parallel to the tape in an extended position, wherein the majority of the beam passes through the lens when the lens is in the first position, and wherein at least a portion of the beam is reflected downwardly by the lens onto a portion of the tape in the extended position when the lens is in the second position.