This multifunctional morphological measuring apparatus comprising a housing (104) having a slot, and a graduated flexible tape measure (6) inserted into said slot and having a first end held in the housing (104) and a second end (105) disposed at the exterior of the housing (104), the housing (104) enclosing means for winding the tape (6) in said housing (104) and an electronic control system (7) comprising an electronic card (15) having a computer and electronic memory components, the apparatus (100) further comprising means for measuring (12) a morphological index characteristic of a part of the human body (U0) around which the tape is at least partially wound (6).

This multifunctional morphological measuring apparatus comprising a housing (104) having a slot, and a graduated flexible tape measure (6) inserted into said slot and having a first end held in the housing (104) and a second end (105) disposed at the exterior of the housing (104), the housing (104) enclosing means for winding the tape (6) in said housing (104) and an electronic control system (7) comprising an electronic card (15) having a computer and electronic memory components, the apparatus (100) further comprising means for measuring (12) a morphological index characteristic of a part of the human body (U0) around which the tape is at least partially wound (6).

A tape rule comprises a blade, a reel, a spring, a lock, and a housing. The blade comprises a substrate and a coating. The coating is configured to provide color, environmental protection, and/or abrasion resistance. In some embodiments, (1) the coating is formed from non-polymer materials; (2) the blade comprises reinforcements metallurgically bonded to the blade at or near a free end; (3) measurement indicia comprise laser marked portions of the substrate that create color contrasts with other portions of the substrate; (4) the measurement indicia comprise portions of the substrate visible through gaps in the coating; (5) the measurement indicia comprise voids in the substrate filled with a coating material having a contrasting color; and/or (6) the substrate has a surface texture configured to change an appearance of the coating relative to an appearance of the coating on an as-rolled surface finish of the metal substrate.

A tape rule comprises a blade, a reel, a spring, a lock, and a housing. The blade comprises a substrate and a coating. The coating is configured to provide color, environmental protection, and/or abrasion resistance. In some embodiments, (1) the coating is formed from non-polymer materials; (2) the blade comprises reinforcements metallurgically bonded to the blade at or near a free end; (3) measurement indicia comprise laser marked portions of the substrate that create color contrasts with other portions of the substrate; (4) the measurement indicia comprise portions of the substrate visible through gaps in the coating; (5) the measurement indicia comprise voids in the substrate filled with a coating material having a contrasting color; and/or (6) the substrate has a surface texture configured to change an appearance of the coating relative to an appearance of the coating on an as-rolled surface finish of the metal substrate.

A tape measure device for measuring pipes includes a spring return positioned in a housing. A tape is engaged to and is loopedly positioned around the spring return. The tape is selectively extensible from a front of the housing via a slot. A recess in a bottom of the housing extends from the front to a back and to proximate to the slot. A hook engaged to a second end of the tape can selectively engage a terminus of a substrate, enabling a user grasping the housing in a hand to extend the tape along the substrate. Indicia on the tape allow measurement of a distance from the second end of the tape. A fastener on the bottom of the housing can selectively engage the substrate to removably engage the housing to the substrate so that the user can release the housing.

A tape measure device for measuring pipes includes a spring return positioned in a housing. A tape is engaged to and is loopedly positioned around the spring return. The tape is selectively extensible from a front of the housing via a slot. A recess in a bottom of the housing extends from the front to a back and to proximate to the slot. A hook engaged to a second end of the tape can selectively engage a terminus of a substrate, enabling a user grasping the housing in a hand to extend the tape along the substrate. Indicia on the tape allow measurement of a distance from the second end of the tape. A fastener on the bottom of the housing can selectively engage the substrate to removably engage the housing to the substrate so that the user can release the housing.

A blade for a measuring tape device may include a first end configured to extend from a housing of the measuring tape device through an aperture, a second end configured to be wound on a reel assembly within the housing, and a first cupped portion having a first amount of cupping over a selected portion of a longitudinal length of the blade. The first cupped portion may be defined by a curved portion extending from an apex of the curved portion toward lateral edges of the blade, and wings extending from each of the lateral edges toward the curved portion on each side of the apex. The curved portion includes a first radius proximate to the apex of the curved portion, and a second radius at a point spaced apart from the apex on both sides of the apex, the second radius being different than the first radius.

A blade for a measuring tape device may include a first end configured to extend from a housing of the measuring tape device through an aperture, a second end configured to be wound on a reel assembly within the housing, and a first cupped portion having a first amount of cupping over a selected portion of a longitudinal length of the blade. The first cupped portion may be defined by a curved portion extending from an apex of the curved portion toward lateral edges of the blade, and wings extending from each of the lateral edges toward the curved portion on each side of the apex. The curved portion includes a first radius proximate to the apex of the curved portion, and a second radius at a point spaced apart from the apex on both sides of the apex, the second radius being different than the first radius.

A precision decimal inch tape measure has a housing that holds a retractable measurement tape. The retractable measurement tape has a hook on an end. The retractable measurement tape has an upper measurement scale defined along an upper portion of the retractable measurement tape and a lower measurement scale defined along a lower portion of the retractable measurement tape. Both the upper measurement scale and the lower measurement scale indicate inches divided into decimal divisions. The upper measurement scale includes a cumulative foot indicia and the lower measurement scale includes a cumulative inch indicia. The cumulative foot indicia is indicated in red and the cumulative inch indicia is indicated in black. The precision decimal inch tape measure is designed to work with drawings produced in decimal inches as is the preferred standard of CAD drawings. This instant invention works with cumulative feet and inches or with cumulative inches.

An apparatus for measuring a dimension of a freight item. The apparatus includes an elongate gauge member having a sequence of machine-readable codes visible along its length. Each of the machine-readable codes represents a length value corresponding to a position along the gauge member. The apparatus also includes a marker device, movable along the gauge member, for designating a selected position. The marker device includes a machine-readable reference symbol on an external surface thereof, with the reference symbol being located on the marker device such that in use the reference symbol on the marker device and a subset of the machine-readable codes on the gauge member are simultaneously visible. In a preferred embodiment the elongate gauge member includes a coilable tape and the marker device includes a housing within which the coilable tape is enclosed. A system including the measuring apparatus together with a mobile computing device is also disclosed.