TAPE MEASURE CLIP WITH A KNIFE SHARPENING MATERIAL

Abstract

The tape measure has a tape, which is partially received within an interior of a housing. An attachment is fixedly attached with one side of the housing, and the attachment has an outer surface that faces away from the housing and that is provided with a knife sharpening material. The attachment allows a user to conveniently sharpen their knife without carrying around a separate sharpening stone.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure is related generally knife sharpening objects.

2. Related Art

Construction workers often carry a variety of tools with them while at job sites. Some of the most common tools include hammers, tape measures, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, saws, levels, knives, and drills. These tools are essential for completing construction projects and ensuring that everything is built to code. Carrying these tools can be challenging, and many workers use tool belts or tool bags to keep everything organized and easily accessible. There remains a continuing need for a more convenient way to carry all of these tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present disclosure is related to a tape measure that has a tape, which is partially received within an interior of a housing. The tape measure also includes an attachment that is fixedly attached with one side of the housing. The attachment has an outer surface that faces away from the housing and that is provided with a knife sharpening material.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the attachment is a spring clip that includes two legs that are biased towards one another and can be elastically separated from one another.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the two legs of the spring clip include a first leg, which is fixedly attached with the housing, and a second leg with an outer surface that includes the knife sharpening material.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the second leg includes an opening for allowing a tool to pass through the second leg to secure the first leg with the housing.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the first leg is fixedly attached with the housing by a screw that is threadedly engaged with the housing.

According to yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the knife sharpening material includes at least one of monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones.

According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, the knife sharpening material has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the attachment is generally planar.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the attachment has a T-shape.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is related to a method of joining an attachment to a tape measure. The method includes the step of removing a first spring clip from a housing of the tape measure. The method continues with the step of fixedly attaching an attachment to the tape measure, the second attachment having an outer surface with a knife sharpening material.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the step of fixedly attaching the attachment to the tape measure includes the step of threadedly engaging a screw that extends through a portion of the attachment with the housing of the tape measure.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the attachment is a spring clip that includes a first leg and a second leg. The second leg includes an opening, and the step of threadedly engaging the screw with the tape measure includes inserting a screwdriver through the opening of the second leg to fixedly attach the first leg of the spring clip with the housing of the tape measure.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the second leg is biased towards the first leg.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the attachment is generally planar and has a T-shape.

According to yet a further aspect of the present disclosure, the knife sharpening material includes at least one of monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones.

According to still a further aspect of the present disclosure, the knife sharpening material has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is related to a spring clip that has a first leg and a second leg which are biased towards one another. The second leg has an outer surface with a knife sharpening material, which has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000. The second leg has a through opening formed therein for allowing a tool to extend through the second leg when fixedly attaching the first leg with a case of a tape measure.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the knife sharpening material includes at least one of monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the second leg has an end that is tapered.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the second leg is spring-biased towards the first leg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following description of the presently preferred embodiments, appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tape measure that includes a spring clip which is constructed according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tape measure and including two alternate embodiments of an attachment;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing removal of an old spring clip from a tape measure;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing removal of the old spring clip from the tape measure and attachment of a spring clip of an exemplary embodiment to the tape measure;

FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing the exemplary embodiment of the tape measure being attached to the tape measure; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a user sharpening their knife on the attachment of the exemplary embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, one aspect of the present invention is related to an attachment 30a, 30b for a tape measure 20 and that includes a knife sharpening material, which allows a user to sharpen their knife 21. Accordingly, the user can use the same tool that they're already carrying (the tape measure) to perform an additional function, thereby eliminating the need for the user to carry a separate knife sharpening stone without the usability of the tape measure 20 being compromised. In a first exemplary embodiment, the attachment 30a, 30b has the form of a spring clip 30a that can be affixed with a range of different tape measures 20.

An example embodiment of a tape measure 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1. However, the tape measure 20 can take a wide range of different forms. The example tape measure 20 includes a multi-piece housing 22, which may be made of plastic or metal. A long, thin strip of tape 24 is received within an opening of the housing 22. The tape 24 includes measurement indicia (for example, inches and/or centimeters) and extends partially out of the housing 22 through a slit. A hook 26 is fixedly attached with an end of the tape 24 for holding the tape 24 in place when the tape 24 is being used to measure an object. The hook 26 is sized larger than the slit in the housing 22 so that the hook 26 cannot by pulled into the interior of the housing 22. A spring (not shown), such as a coil spring, is disposed within the interior of the housing 22 and is operably connected with the housing 22 and the tape 24 and is configured to automatically wind the tape 24 into the housing 22 while the hook 26 remains outside of the housing 22.

To use the tape measure 20, a user extends the tape 24 out of the housing 22 by pulling the hook 26 to wind the spring. A lock 28 is provided on the housing 22 to, when engaged, hold the tape 24 at a desired length out of the housing 22 while the user measures an object. The tape 24 will stay extended until the user disengages the lock 28.

The spring clip 30a is attached with a side of the housing 22 and can hold the tape measure 20 in place on, for example, the user's belt or pocket when the tape measure 20 is not in use. The spring clip 30a is a small clip, which is made of an elastically deflectable material such as metal, that has two legs 33a, 33b that are biased towards one another and can be elastically separated from one with the application of an external force but will spring back towards one another. One of the legs 33b has a tapered end that can automatically urge the spring clip 30a open when the spring clip 30a is pressed onto a pocket, belt, or other object. The biasing force of the spring clip 30a will then hold the tape measure 20 in place on the object and it will not be able to fall out.

The spring clip 30a is a made of a strip of metal that is bent into a U-shape with two legs 33a, 33b. One of the legs 33a is fixedly attached with a side of the housing 22, such as with a screw that extends through the leg and threadedly engages the housing 22. The other leg 33b has an outer surface that faces away from the housing 22. A knife sharpening material 32 is applied to the outer surface of the spring clip 30. The knife sharpening material 32 could include natural materials, such as an aluminum oxide or silicon carbide. In some embodiments, the knife sharpening material 32 may include monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones or other abrasive stones and may have a grit in the range of 400 grit to 8,000 grit. In an example embodiment, the knife sharpening material has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000.

The knife sharpening material 32 may extend across the entire outer surface of the spring clip 30a or a portion of the outer surface except in the area of a hinge that allows the two legs 33a, 33b of the spring clip 30a to spread apart. In one presently preferred embodiment, only the leg 33b, which is not fixedly attached to the housing 32, includes the knife sharpening material 32.

A user can use the knife sharpening material 32 on the spring clip 30a to sharpen the blade on their knife 21 by sliding a cutting edge of the blade against the knife sharpening material 32. This allows the user to keep one fewer tool (a separate knife sharpener) with them at the job site. The user can either sharpen the knife 21 while the spring clip 30a is attached with the housing 22 or the user can detach the spring clip 30 from the housing and then sharpen their knife 21 For example, in FIG. 4, the user is sharpening their knife 21 while the spring clip 30a remains attached to the housing 22.

The spring clip 30a can be attached to and detached from a range of different types of tape measures 20 through a range of different attachment means and may include an adjustable slot for different tape measurer 20 configurations. For example, in some embodiments, the leg 33a without the knife sharpening material 32 can be screwed onto the tape measure 20. In some embodiments, the leg 33b with the knife sharpening material 32 has a hole in it to allow a screw driver to access a screw 35 and attach the spring clip 30 with or detach it from the tape measure 20.

In some embodiments, the leg 32b of the spring clip 30 with the knife sharpening material 32 can be oversized relative to the other leg 32a that is fixedly attached with the housing 22 to provide a greater surface for sharpening knives.

FIG. 2 also includes a second exemplary embodiment of the attachment 30b. In this alternate embodiment, the attachment 30b is generally planar and has a “T” shape with a vertical leg 38 that is intersected at its top by a horizontal leg 40. The knife sharpening material 32 is applied to an opposite side of the tape measure 20 from the housing 22. The second embodiment may be preferred by users who do not want to attach their tape measure 20 to their pockets or belts.

Turning now to FIGS. 3A-3C, another aspect of the present disclosure is related to a method of joining an attachment, such as the spring clip 30a or the alternate embodiment discussed above, with a tape measure 20. The method includes the step of removing a first spring clip 42 from a housing 22 of the tape measure 20. The method proceeds with the step of fixedly attaching a spring clip 30a to the tape measure 20. The step of fixedly attaching the spring clip 30a includes inserting a screw 35 through aligned openings in two legs 33a, 33b of the spring clip 30 and then using a screwdriver to threadedly engage the screw 35 directly with the housing 22 and thereby fixedly attach the first leg 33a with the housing 22. The attachment has a knife sharpening material 32 on an outer surface thereof. The user can then sharpen their knife 21 by rubbing a sharp edge of the knife 21 against the knife sharpening material 32.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that all features of all claims and all embodiments can be combined with each other as long as they do not contradict each other.

Claims

1. A tape measure, comprising: a housing,a tape partially received within an interior of the housing,an attachment fixedly attached with one side of the housing, andthe attachment having an outer surface that faces away from the housing and includes a knife sharpening material

2. The tape measure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the attachment is a spring clip that includes two legs that are biased towards one another and can be elastically separated from one another.

3. The tape measure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the two legs of the spring clip include a first leg that is fixedly attached with the housing and a second leg with an outer surface that includes the knife sharpening material.

4. The tape measure as set forth in claim 3, wherein the second leg includes an opening for allowing a tool to pass through the second leg to secure the first leg with the housing.

5. The tape measure as set forth in claim 4, wherein the first leg is fixedly attached with the housing by a screw that is threadedly engaged with the housing.

6. The tape measure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the knife sharpening material includes at least one of monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones.

7. The tape measure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the knife sharpening material has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000.

8. The tape measure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the attachment is generally planar.

9. The tape measure as set forth in claim 8, wherein the attachment has a T-shape.

10. A method of joining an attachment to a tape measure, the method including the steps of: removing a first spring clip from a housing of the tape measure; andfixedly attaching an attachment to the tape measure, the attachment having an outer surface with a knife sharpening material.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the step of fixedly attaching the attachment to the tape measure includes the step of threadedly engaging a screw that extends through a portion of the attachment with the housing of the tape measure.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the attachment is a spring clip that includes a first leg and a second leg, and wherein the second leg includes an opening, and wherein the step of threadedly engaging the screw with the tape measure includes inserting a screwdriver through the opening of the second leg to fixedly attach the first leg of the spring clip with the housing of the tape measure.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the second leg is biased towards the first leg.

14. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the attachment is generally planar and has a T-shape.

15. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the knife sharpening material includes at least one of monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones.

16. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the knife sharpening material has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000.

17. The method as set forth in claim 10, further including the step of rubbing a knife against the knife sharpening material.

18. A spring clip, comprising: a first leg and a second leg that are biased towards one another;the second leg having an outer surface with a knife sharpening material that has a grit in the range of 1,000 to 3,000; andthe second leg having a through opening formed therein for allowing a tool to extend through the second leg when fixedly attaching the first leg with a case of a tape measure.

19. The spring clip as set forth in claim 18, wherein the knife sharpening material includes at least one of monocrystalline or polycrystalline diamond stones.

20. The spring clip as set forth in claim 18, wherein the second leg has an end that is tapered.