Tape measure

Claim 1

A tape measure comprising: a housing having an opening defined therein; an extensible measuring tape coiled within said housing including a free end extending through said opening and adapted to move between retracted and extended positions; a hook member mounted on said free end of the tpe; a braking lever pivotally mounted on said housing and having a first end portion including a free end positioned to engage said hook member when said measuring tape is in its retracted position; spring means extending perpendicularly to said lever for normally biasing said first end portion of said lever into engagement with said tape to prevent movement thereof; and separate means for absorbing the shock of impact when said hook member engages the free end of said lever during the return of said tape to said retracted position, including a pivot pin mounted in said lever for pivotally mounting said lever on said housing and permitting longitudinal movement of the lever in the direction of tape retraction perpendicularly to said spring means and relative to the pivot pin, said lever having enlarged openings formed therein of substantially larger dimension in the direction of tape retraction than the diameter of said pivot pin on which said lever is pivotally mounted, and said housing having a pair of opposed openings formed therein facing said brake lever and having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of said pivot pin; said pivot pin having free ends pivotally mounted in said housing openings and held thereby against lateral movement, whereby said lever is pivotally mounted by said pivot pin on said housing, and a shock absorbing member of a deformable, resilient material located in said enlarged opening of said lever and engaged between said pivot pin and said lever for absorbing shock caused by the longitudinal movement of the lever relative to the fixed pivot pin upon said impact.