This invention relates to a measuring device with a focused light-beam source that can be used to measure a distance of the device from a point on a reference plane and to illuminate a point on a surface remote from the device to indicate a point on the remote surface that is the same distance from the reference plane as the measured distance.
It is known to provide a measuring device, such as a coilable rule assembly, that incorporates a tilt compensated laser beam for projecting the position of the assembly onto a surface remote therefrom (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,182,863; 5,287,627; and 5,075,977). Such a device requires the use of a tilt compensating pendulum that carries a mirror to ensure that the laser beam is always plumb. The device disclosed in the patents, however, is a relatively complex mechanism, and is expensive to manufacture. Moreover, even with such complexity, said device cannot simultaneously provide the user with a direct indication of whether a surface being measured is level or plumb.
Accordingly, a need exists for a measuring device that obviates the shortcomings of the prior art.