Patent ID: 7356936

Claim:
A measuring device for viewing an object disposed in a difficult to view area and for measuring a distance between first and second points on the object, said measuring device comprising: a support structure; a mirror mounted to the support structure; an elongated measuring instrument mounted to the support structure and having a series of graduations designating units of measurement, said graduations extending along a length of the measuring instrument; a laser device movably mounted to the support structure and operable to generate a laser beam, said laser device being positioned relative to the mirror such that when the laser beam is generated, the laser beam strikes the mirror and is reflected, thereby dividing the laser beam into a first portion extending from the laser to the mirror and a second portion extending from the mirror outward, said laser device being movable along a measurement path extending parallel to the length of the measuring instrument, wherein movement of the laser device along the measurement path causes the second portion of the light beam to move in a travel path disposed perpendicular to the measurement path; wherein the measuring device is adapted for placement in a viewing position, wherein an image of the object is formed in the mirror; and wherein when the measuring device is disposed in the viewing position, the distance between the first and second points on the object is measured by placing the laser device in a first measurement position that places the second portion of the laser beam at the first point on the object and then moving the laser device along the measurement path to a second measurement position that places the second portion of the laser beam at the second point on the object, wherein the distance between the first and second measurement positions is determined using the measuring instrument and provides a measure of the distance between the first and second points on the object.