Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
Self-retracting tape rule
Last updated:
Abstract:
A tape rule comprises a blade, a reel, a spring, a lock, and a housing. The blade comprises a substrate and a coating. The coating is configured to provide color, environmental protection, and/or abrasion resistance. In some embodiments, (1) the coating is formed from non-polymer materials; (2) the blade comprises reinforcements metallurgically bonded to the blade at or near a free end; (3) measurement indicia comprise locally annealed portions of the substrate or the coating that create color contrasts; (4) the measurement indicia comprise portions of the substrate visible through gaps in the coating; (5) the measurement indicia comprise voids in the substrate filled with a coating material having a contrasting color; and/or (6) the substrate has a surface texture configured to change an appearance of the coating relative to an appearance of the coating on an as rolled surface finish of the metal substrate.
Utility
14 Jan 2019
14 Sep 2021