Automatic plumb and level tool
First Claim
1. A portable laser beam projecting device for indicating level, plumb and alignment, comprising,a hand carryable housing having at least two sides capable of resting stably on a flat surface, the two sides being substantially perpendicular to each other,laser source means mounted within the housing, for producing at least one collimated beam of visible laser light,a laser beam exit window in the housing,beam directing means in the housing for directing a beam from the laser source means vertically out of the housing through the exit window when a first side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and for directing a beam from the laser source means horizontally out of the housing through the exit window when a second side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, andtilt compensation means in the housing and associated with the beam directing means for correcting for relatively small tilt angles of the housing as it rests with one of said two sides against surfaces not truly horizontal or not truly vertical, and for projecting the beam through the exit window in substantially true vertical orientation or substantially true horizontal orientation despite such relatively small tilt angles.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic plumb, level and pointing tool uses a visible laser diode to project a beam in any of three different modes through a beam exit window. The tool, approximately the size and shape of a tape measure, can be placed on one edge to project a tilt-compensated vertical beam. Placed on another edge 90°-rotated, the tool projects through the same exit window a tilt-compensated horizontal beam. When laid on either of its larger flat sides, the tilt compensation becomes inoperative and the tool projects a beam which is fixed relative to the housing. In a preferred embodiment, separate pendulous or cantilevered mirrors are used for vertical and horizontal tilt correction and are selected by the influence of gravity as the tool is laid on one edge or the other. In further described embodiments, two separate laser diodes may be used, or the laser tool may be intergrated with other tools such as a tape measure or a squaring tool. A preferred cantilever beam tilt compensator achieves a wide range of accurate compensation through substantial tilt of the device in the horizontal mode.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A portable laser beam projecting device for indicating level, plumb and alignment, comprising,
a hand carryable housing having at least two sides capable of resting stably on a flat surface, the two sides being substantially perpendicular to each other, laser source means mounted within the housing, for producing at least one collimated beam of visible laser light, a laser beam exit window in the housing, beam directing means in the housing for directing a beam from the laser source means vertically out of the housing through the exit window when a first side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and for directing a beam from the laser source means horizontally out of the housing through the exit window when a second side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and tilt compensation means in the housing and associated with the beam directing means for correcting for relatively small tilt angles of the housing as it rests with one of said two sides against surfaces not truly horizontal or not truly vertical, and for projecting the beam through the exit window in substantially true vertical orientation or substantially true horizontal orientation despite such relatively small tilt angles.
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4. A laser beam projecting device for plumbing, leveling and alignment, comprising,
a hand-carryable housing having at least two sides capable of resting stably on a flat surface, the two sides being substantially perpendicular to each other, and including two broad sides, with the housing being generally the size and shape of a pocket tape measure, laser source means mounted within the housing, for producing at least one collimated beam of visible laser light, a laser beam exit window in the housing, positioned in neither of two said sides nor on said broad sides, beam directing means in the housing for directing a beam from the laser source means vertically out of the housing through the exit window when a first side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and for directing a beam from the laser source means horizontally out of the housing through the exit window when a second side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and tilt compensation means in the housing and associated with the beam directing means for correcting for relatively small tilt angles of the housing as it rests with one of said two sides against surfaces not truly horizontal or not truly vertical, and for projecting the beam through the exit window in substantially true vertical orientation or substantially true horizontal orientation despite such relatively small tilt angles.
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8. A portable laser beam projecting device for indicating level, plumb and alignment, comprising,
a hand carryable housing having dimensions no greater than about four inches in height, about four inches in length and about two inches in thickness, and having at least two sides capable of resting stably on a flat surface, the two sides being substantially perpendicular to each other, laser source means mounted within the housing, for producing a collimated beam of visible laser light, a laser beam exit window in the housing, beam directing means in the housing for directing the beam from the laser source vertically out of the housing through the exit window when a first side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and for directing the beam from the laser source horizontally out of the housing through the exit window when a second side of said two sides is held generally horizontal, and tilt compensation means in the housing and associated with the beam directing means for correcting for relatively small tilt angles of the housing as it rests with one of said two sides against surfaces not truly horizontal or not truly vertical, and for projecting the beam through the exit window in substantially true vertical orientation or substantially true horizontal orientation despite such relatively small tilt angles.
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21. A laser operated tool for projecting a plumb line, a level line or an alignment line, comprising,
a housing having at least two flat edge surface means, at right angles to each other, for being placed stably on a generally horizontal surface, laser diode means mounted within the housing, for emitting a visible laser beam, battery means contained within the housing, for powering the laser diode means, an exit window opening in the housing, positioned in the path of the laser beam so as to permit the laser beam to be projected out of the housing, first reflector means for receiving a laser beam from the laser diode and redirecting the laser beam vertically out of the housing through the window opening, when the housing rests on a first of said flat edge surface means, said first reflector means including first tilt compensation means for correcting for small tilt angles of the housing when positioned with the first flat edge surface means not truly horizontal and for assuring that the laser beam is oriented substantially truly vertically in spite of such small tilt angles, second reflector means mounted in the housing and positioned to receive the beam from the laser and to redirect the laser beam horizontally out of housing through the window opening, when the housing rests on a second of said flat edge surface means, said second reflector means including second tilt compensation means for correcting for small tilt angles of the housing when positioned with the second flat edge surface means not truly horizontal and for assuring that the laser beam is oriented substantially truly horizontally in spite of such small tilt angles, and means associated with the first and second reflector means for permitting the laser beam to be reflected from the first reflector means without interference from the second reflector means, when the housing rests on said first flat edge surface means, and for permitting the laser beam to be reflected from the second reflector means without interference from the first reflector means, when the housing rests on said second flat edge surface means.
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36. A portable laser beam projecting device for indicating plumb, comprising,
a hand carryable housing having two vertical sides and two horizontal sides, first laser source means mounted within the housing, for producing a first collimated laser beam of visible laser light, a first laser beam exit window in an upper of said two horizontal sides, first reflector means for receiving the first laser beam from the first laser source means and redirecting the laser beam vertically out of the housing through the first laser beam exit window, with first tilt compensation means associated with the first reflector means for correcting for small tilt angles of the housing when positioned with the vertical sides not truly vertical, and for assuring that the laser beam is oriented substantially truly vertical in spite of such small tilt angles, second laser source means mounted within the housing, for producing a second collimated laser beam of visible laser light, a second laser beam exit window in the housing, in a lower of the two horizontal sides and positioned substantially directly below the first laser beam exit window, and second reflector means for receiving the second laser beam from the second laser source means and redirecting the second laser beam vertically downwardly out of the housing through the second laser beam exit window, with second tilt compensation means associated with the second reflector means for correcting for small tilt angles of the housing when positioned with the vertical sides not truly vertical and for assuring that the second laser beam is oriented substantially truly vertical in spite of such small tilt angles, whereby the laser beam projecting device can simultaneously project substantially truly vertical and aligned laser beams upwardly and downwardly out of the housing.
Specification