TAPE MEASURE:HOUSING HAS ACCESS PORT TO ALLOW ACCESS TO ITS INTERIOR WITHOUT REMOVAL OF TAPE SPOOL

摘要

A tape measure 10 includes a housing 12 having first 14 and second 16 members and an access door 17 which is openable to provide an access port to the interior of the housing. A spool 28 is rotatably mounted upon an axle 44 which has an integrally formed ratchet plate 50. The ratchet plate engages ratchet teeth 54 that are integrally formed within the interior surface of the housing to provide for rotation of the axle to load a spring 36 within the spool to a desired tension. The ratchet teeth normally prevent rotation of the axle to unload the spring tension. An overriding mechanism allows the axle to axially move to disengage the ratchet plate from the ratchet teeth to provide for rotation of the axle to unload the spring mechanism. A lock button 19 has a thumb operating section at the top portion of the housing and has a pressure regulating section which regulates the pressure that the locking tabs of the lock button exerts against the tape. IMAGE