Magnetic nail/stud sensor
First Claim
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1. A stud detector for detecting studs behind the surface of a wall, comprising:
- a sensor including a magnet fully enclosed within a housing; and
a swinging member having first and second ends, the second end being connected to the sensor, wherein a person can hold the first end of the swinging member and swing the sensor like a pendulum near the surface of the wall, the magnet being operable to detect the presence of a stud behind the surface of the wall by detecting the presence of a metal object.
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Abstract
A stud detector for detecting studs behind the surface of a wall, the stud detector having a measuring member with first and second ends and a preselected length that corresponds to a conventionally used stud configuration. A sensor is connected to the second end of the measuring member, the sensor including a magnet for detecting the presence of a stud behind a surface of a wall by detecting the presence of a metal object. The measuring member is adapted to permit identification of a surface portion of a wall behind which a stud might be located by measuring a preselected distance from a reference point.
44 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A stud detector for detecting studs behind the surface of a wall, comprising:
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a sensor including a magnet fully enclosed within a housing; and
a swinging member having first and second ends, the second end being connected to the sensor, wherein a person can hold the first end of the swinging member and swing the sensor like a pendulum near the surface of the wall, the magnet being operable to detect the presence of a stud behind the surface of the wall by detecting the presence of a metal object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 28)
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9. A stud detector for detecting studs behind the surface of a wall, comprising:
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a measuring member having first and second ends and a preselected length that corresponds to a conventionally used stud configuration in which adjacent studs are spaced by eight, sixteen or twenty-four inches; and
a sensor connected to the second end of the measuring member, including a magnet fully enclosed within a housing for detecting the presence of a stud behind the surface of the wall by detecting the presence of a metal object, wherein the measuring member permits identification of a surface portion of the wall behind which a stud is located by measuring a preselected distance from a reference point. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A stud detector for detecting studs behind the surface of a wall, comprising:
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a housing having an exterior surface; and
a magnet having north and south magnetic poles and a magnetic field associated with the magnetic poles, the magnet being fixedly secured and fully enclosed within the housing so that the magnetic field near at least one of the magnetic poles is substantially perpendicular to the exterior surface of the housing, wherein the exterior surface of the housing is placed adjacent and parallel to a surface of a wall so that the magnet is operable to detect the presence of a stud in the wall by detecting the presence of a metal object. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of detecting studs behind a surface of a wall, comprising the steps of:
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providing a measuring member having first and second ends and a length that corresponds to a conventionally used stud configuration in which adjacent studs are spaced by eight sixteen or twenty four inches;
providing a sensor including a magnet fully enclosed within a housing, the sensor connected to the second end of the measuring member;
identifying an area of a wall surface behind which a stud might be located;
holding and moving the first end of the measuring member so that the magnet moves along the wall surface in the identified area to detect the presence of a stud behind the wall surface by detecting the presence of a metal object. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
moving the first end of the measuring member so that the sensor swings back and forth like a pendulum; and
moving the first end of the measuring member vertically while the sensor is swinging back and forth.
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Specification