Patent ID: 8056849

Claim:
A tape measure having a braking mechanism for providing a controlled tape retraction, the tape measure comprising: a housing having at least one wall defining a container, the at least one wall having an opening therein; a tape cartridge enclosed within the housing, the tape cartridge defining a second container and having a pair of sidewalls spaced apart by a cylindrical wall; a fixed cylindrical surface located in at least one of the sidewalls of the tape cartridge, wherein the fixed cylindrical surface is radially inward of the cylindrical wall; a reel received in the tape cartridge supported in the housing, the reel having a tape adapted to extend and retract from the opening in the at least one wall of the housing; and at least one braking mechanism coupled with the reel, the at least one braking mechanism including: a flyweight having a first end and a second end, at least one biasing member connected between the reel and the flyweight, wherein the at least one biasing member allows movement of the flyweight between a first position and a second position, and wherein one of the ends of the flyweight is in contact with the fixed cylindrical surface in one of the first and second positions, and at least one guide, wherein the at least one guide maintains the flyweight in contact with the reel while allowing the flyweight to move between the first position and the second position; wherein the reel has at least one stop that contacts the first end of the flyweight when the flyweight is in the first position, and wherein the whole flyweight slides radially outward when moving between the first position and the second position.