| Empire Level Mfg. Corp. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
| 20110265338 | BOX LEVEL - A level including an elongate hollow frame with two sidewalls and a topwall extending therebetween. A central vial is within a topnotch formed by removal of a topwall section and adjacent sections of sidewalls including notch-defining bottom and side edges. The frame includes an inner horizontal wall extending between the sidewalls at the notch-defining bottom edges. The central vial is supported in accurate orientation without calibration against a cental-vial reference surface formed in the inner horizontal wall parallel to the top and bottom measuring surfaces and defining a notch-bottom. An integral inner vertical wall extends between the top and bottom walls thereby reinforcing the frame along the frame length. A plumb-vial structure has a viewing-end region and an opposite-end region. The viewing-end region includes an elongate ramp sloping along a level-longitudinal axis toward the plumb vial with an inclination permitting vial viewing from shallow angles. The inventive level further preferably includes an external brace reinforcing a central frame portion weakened by forming the topnotch. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110108428 | Method for Manufacturing High-Visibility Measurement Tool - A method for manufacture of a substantially flat rigid measurement tool of the type formed of a substantially non-ferrous lightweight anodized metal plate with measurement markings thereon. The inventive method includes the steps of anodizing the metal plate to create a dark anodized layer, forming the flat rigid measurement tool from the anodized metal plate, and creating non-removable substantially white measurement markings by oxidizing selected mark-areas of the dark anodized surface to a depth below the anodized layer. The markings are created by application of a laser energy. The metal plate contains aluminum and the non-removable substantially white markings are formed by oxidized aluminum. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110099824 | BOX LEVEL - A level including an elongate hollow frame with two sidewalls and a topwall extending therebetween. A central vial is within a topnotch formed by removal of a topwall section and adjacent sections of sidewalls including notch-defining bottom and side edges. An integral inner vertical wall extends between the top and bottom walls thereby reinforcing the frame along the frame length. The inventive level further preferably includes an external brace reinforcing a central frame portion weakened by forming the topnotch. The external brace includes first and second plate members each against one of the sidewalls about the notch-defining bottom and side edges and each substantially spanning a respective one of the sidewalls. A fastening member extending through the sidewalls and pulling the plate members toward each other to sandwich the sidewalls therebetween, thereby reinforcing a central frame portion weakened by forming the topnotch. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110099823 | BOX LEVEL - A level including an elongate hollow frame with two sidewalls and a topwall extending therebetween. A topnotch is formed by removal of a topwall section and adjacent sections of sidewalls including notch-defining bottom and side edges. A central vial is within the topnotch. The frame includes an inner horizontal wall extending between the sidewalls at the notch-defining bottom edges. A central-vial reference surface is formed in the inner horizontal wall parallel to the top and bottom measuring surfaces and defining a notch-bottom. The central vial is supported against the central-vial reference surface in accurate orientation without calibration. The central vial is secured with respect to the inner horizontal wall by mechanical fasteners. The frame further preferably includes an integral inner vertical wall extending between the top and bottom walls thereby reinforcing the frame along the frame length. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20100218391 | Casing Mount for a Cylindrical Vial - A level of the type having an elongate hollow frame including two sidewalls each defining axially aligned vial openings into the frame. A vial casing is secured with respect to the frame and defines a hermetically sealed single-cavity casing interior entirely enclosing a liquid-and-bubble vial with a substantially cylindrical outer surface extending between two vial ends. The casing is formed of two opposite round face-walls and a surrounding cylindrical wall therebetween. The cylindrical wall has a pair of opposed major wall-portions of first thickness and a pair of opposed intervening wall-portions of second thickness greater than the first thickness. Each intervening wall-portion defines a recess which snugly receives a corresponding one of the vial ends. The inner surface of the surrounding wall is smooth and substantially free of light-ray-interfering structures, whereby the vial appears embedded in the surrounding wall and the face-walls provide uninterrupted full views of and about the cylindrical vial. | 09-02-2010 |