Patent Application
20160097625
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of geometric instruments, more particularly the determination of precise horizontal and vertical points on a surface plane such as a wall. The device facilitates the centering and hanging of an object on a surface plane and more specifically, it relates to determining the placement of fasteners, such as nails, screws, pegs, mollies, hooks, and bull hooks, for hanging pictures, frames, shelving, carpets, sculptures, cabinets, decorative objects and the like on a given surface plane.
The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding to the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it does not identify key/critical elements of the present invention or delineate the scope of the present invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The present invention provides a simple, reliable and affordable device to measure, determine and mark two or more points on a horizontal or vertical plane on a surface such as a wall.
In particular, the invention relates to a device and method of using same which enables the measurement and location of two or more perfectly level horizontal points or two or more perfectly level vertical points on a surface such as a wall. The device has application in the hanging of picture frames and shelving or in any other endeavor where it is necessary to locate two or more points precisely on a horizontal line or on a vertical line.
The disclosed embodiment of the device is a hand-held implement comprised of two or more temporary fasteners and one or more levels combined with a length of flexible and durable tape strip marked with distance indicators. In this embodiment, it is possible to utilize the device using only one hand.
The tape strip member function as a flexible yet durable means of holding the level, measuring the distance between points and marking the position of the desired points.
The temporary fastener member may be but need not be thumbtacks or their equivalent.
The level member may be but need not be a spirit or liquid level.
The level member assists in leveling the horizontal or vertical position of the tape strip member.
The temporary fasteners function to mark the position of the points which the user desires to position in a horizontal or vertical plane and also serves the function of securing or fastening the tape strip member to the surface. The temporary fasteners serves as an adjustable means for marking the tape strip member and as a securing means capable of temporarily holding the tape strip to the surface being measured or where the points will be placed.
It is a feature of the invention that, in use, the device falls away once one of the temporary fasteners is removed from the wall but the other remaining temporary fastener remains attached or inserted into the wall holding the tape strip, thereby marking the location of the second point. This allows the user to locate the first point, insert the appropriate permanent fastening implement or hanging appliance (nail, screw, anchor, etc.) and then easily locate the second point.
It is an additional feature of the invention that it is not limited to flat walls but can also be used on curving walls. The device will function in the same way to locate two or more points precisely on a horizontal line or on a vertical line on a curved wall as it would on a flat wall.
The invention can be of any length since it is a flexible tape strip. It is thus not limited in length.
The device will accommodate both right-handed and left-handed users.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a tool for hanging an object, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown as various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and would be within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. The construction of the invention, however, together with the advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Hanging picture frames and other items on a wall such as shelving, mirrors or decorations often require more than one hook or fastener to be used. Where two or more spaced hooks or fasteners are required, there is often difficulty in setting the spacing and determining that the hooks or fasteners are of the same height (in line with each other). If the position of the hook or fasteners are not horizontally level to each other (one hook is either higher or lower than the other), the object being hung will hang at an angle. One or more of the hooks or fasteners will need to be removed and re-inserted into the wall to achieve a balanced or level position. Much trial and error resulting in frustration or tediousness could result as well as damage to the wall or other surfaces.
Similarly, if a wire is to be attached to the rear of a frame or flat object to be hung on a surface, the two attachment points of the wire will need to be levelly placed to ensure that the object will be aligned straight when hung from the wire.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a device and a method of use that facilitates the easy and accurate determination of two or more points on a horizontal or vertical plane. This application is useful for hanging single objects on a wall or for hanging multiple objects on a wall in a line. It can be further used to determine the level placement of attachment points on the surface of a flat object being hung. This application is also useful for determining straight lines on a wall for painting purpose, window and door positioning purposes and other architectural, carpentry or renovation uses.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device and a method of use that can be utilized by any person for hanging objects on a wall regardless of the person's lack of experience or skill in this art.
It is also the object of the invention to allow those without knowledge of how measurements and how to read a ruler to levelly hang objects on a wall.
Other leveling devices or hanging aides may achieve the same end result, however they are more complicated or difficult to use, are more costly to produce, require more space to store or are limited in their functionality.
There are many devices that incorporate levels and straight edge rulers. Rulers have the disadvantage of being limited in their length so that the maximum distance between points is dictated by the length of the ruler. The ruler, especially if it is of longer length may be heavy and cumbersome to handle and use. Also, once no longer in use, rulers require much space to store. Additionally, these devices utilizing straight rulers can not mark positions on a curved wall.
The present invention consists of a tape strip made of flexible and light material such as nylon on fabric, Teflon coating or other durable materials so that the strip can be rolled up. The tape strip can be a much greater length than a ruler and can be more easily handled and stored. Its small storage size and light weight makes it suitable for tool boxes or pockets. Also, the present invention can be used to mark points on a curved surface. The invention is also much cheaper to produce since it consists of very simple components.
It is a further object of the invention to allow the user to mark the position of horizontally or vertically level points on the wall or other surface without the need to wield a heavy or cumbersome device at the same time. Most of the devices in the art require the user to hold onto the ruler or level while the user attempts to mark the positions on the wall. The invention, in contrast, is temporarily fastened to the wall, thereby freeing the user's hands.
The invention can be left in place on the wall indefinitely until the user is ready to insert the permanent fastening implements or hanging appliances (nails, screws, anchors, etc.) to the wall or surface.
There are some devices that have a means of marking or notching the wall to indicate the position of a fastener. However, these marks or notches are often difficult to locate once a person steps away from a wall. In a situation where a person uses such a device to mark two or more points on a wall, once he inserts a fastener into one position, there is nothing but a faint marking or notch to indicate where the second or subsequent positions are.
This present invention overcomes these problems by simply being fastened to the wall by two or more thumbtacks or other fastener and remaining in position to mark the points until the user is ready to insert the fasteners. The ease of use for this invention and its ability to visually mark the points on the surface also means that objects can be hung more quickly.
There are flexible leveling devices in the art, however they lack a means for the device to be temporarily attached to the wall to indicate the location of the marked points. These devices face the same problem wherein the user needs to hold the device level while attempting to mark the points with a pencil. Once the user puts down the device and locates his hammer, screwdriver or drill, the user will have a difficult time re-locating the marks on the wall. Whereas with the present invention, the device remains attached to the wall until the user has inserted all the necessary fasteners into the wall.
The other devices in this field consists of plastic casing, springs, metal measuring tapes, rulers made of wood and other materials or complex mechanisms to achieve a similar result to the present invention. These devices would be costlier to produce, weigh more thereby increasing shipping costs and would require more packaging materials at a greater cost and take up more retail space than the present invention. The present invention does not contain any complex mechanisms or expensive materials. It is simply a flexible yet durable tape strip, a level attached to the tape strip and two or more thumbtacks. The device can be rolled up into a small box or package, minimizing packaging costs and maximizing utilization of retail space.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a simple, fast, affordable, flexible, compact and durable means (e.g., devices and/or methods) that allow the measurement and determination of two or more horizontal or vertical points on a surface.
The detailed description provided below in connection with the drawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present example may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different examples.
For convenience, certain terms employed in the entire application (including the specification, examples, and appended claims) are collected here. Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terminologies employed in the present disclosure shall have the meanings that are commonly understood and used by one of ordinary skill in the related art. Unless otherwise required by context, it will be understood that singular terms shall include plural forms of the same and plural terms shall include the singular. Specifically, as used herein and in the claims, the singular forms “a” and “an” include the plural reference unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the device comprises a flexible tape strip member bearing markings on one side indicating distance measurements, one level member attached parallel to the tape strip member at the center of the tape strip and two piercing fastening members which can be household thumbtacks.
The markings on the tape strip member in this embodiment consists of a continuous line proceeding through the center (centerline) down the length of the tape strip member. The markings are on one side of the tape strip member. The continuous horizontal line down the length of the strip is intersected at a ninety-degree angle at one-inch intervals by short vertical lines, each spanning the width of the strip. The markings do not have numbers as on a ruler so as to make the device useable by persons who do not understand how to read a ruler. This embodiment allows for accurate measurement and location on a surface of two or more points on a level horizontal plane.
According to various embodiments of the present invention, the method of using the device as embodied in the present disclosure to hang an object such as a shelf on a wall comprises the following steps (with thumbtacks used as the fastening member for illustration purposes, although other fasteners may be utilized):
According to various embodiments of the present invention, the method of using the device as embodied in the present disclosure to hang a picture frame on a wall, step (a) in the list of steps above is replaced with:
According to various embodiments of the present invention, the method of using the device as embodied in the present disclosure to find two perfectly level points on a horizontal plane, comprises the following steps:
According to various embodiments of the present invention, the method of using the device as embodied in the present disclosure to find more than two perfectly level points on a horizontal plane, comprises the following steps:
According to one optional embodiment, the level is attached perpendicular to the tape strip, enabling measurement and location of two or more vertical points in a plane.
According to various embodiments of the present invention, the method of using the device as embodied in the optional embodiment where the level is attached perpendicular to the length of the tape strip to find two or more perfectly level points on a vertical plane comprises the following steps:
According to the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the method of marking two vertical points above can be extended to mark more than two vertical points.
In certain optional embodiments, the level may be on a swivel so that it can be rotated to align parallel to the tape strip for locating horizontal points or aligned perpendicularly to the tape measure for locating vertical points.
In certain optional embodiments, more than one level is attached to the tape strip member at various points on the tape strip.
In certain optional embodiments, one level is attached parallel to the tape strip member and a second level is attached a distance along the tape strip at a perpendicular alignment to the tapes trip.
According to certain optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the temporary fastener members may be other types of piercing fasteners other than thumb tacks while other optional embodiments may use non-piercing fastener members such as mounting putty or other re-usable adhesives.
According to some optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape strip member may be of various lengths.
According to some optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the space markings on the tape strip member may consist of various measuring standards, notations and systems such as the metric measurement systems.
According to some optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape strip may be of various lengths and the space markings on the tape strip may consist only of lines or alternatively, of lines with numbers such as on a ruler or measuring tape.
According to other optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the markings on the tape strip member of the invention are on both sides of the tape strip.
According to other optional embodiments of the present disclosure, there are no markings on the tape strip component of the invention.
According to other optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the tape strip component of the invention is comprised of various materials but retains the property of flexibility.
According to other optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the means of marking the points on the tape strip and attaching the tape strip to the surface may utilize alternative piercing implements other than thumbtacks as in the present embodiment.
In other non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, the level member attached to the tape strip member may be of various sizes.
In other non-limiting examples of the present disclosure, the level member attached to the tape strip member may be of different functionality.
According to other optional embodiments of the present disclosure, more than one level may be attached to the tape strip member.
The device as in the current embodiment may be used in combination with devices according to other optional embodiments.
In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for marking diagonal lines on a surface.
According to various embodiments of the present invention, the method of using two devices in combination for the purpose of marking a ninety-degree angle on a surface, comprises the following steps:
It will be understood that the above description of embodiments is given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made by those with ordinary skill in the art. The above specification, examples, and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although various embodiments of the invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those with ordinary skill in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.
Many of the attendant features and advantages of the present disclosure will becomes better understood with reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The present description will be better understood from the following detailed description read in light of the accompanying drawings, where:
In accordance with common practice, the various described features/elements are not drawn to scale but instead are drawn to best illustrate specific features/elements relevant to the present invention. Also, like reference numerals and designations in the various drawings are used to indicate like elements/parts.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62058601 | Oct 2014 | US |
