A crank handle for driving a tape drum of a tape measure is pivotally mounted on an accessible side flange of the drum for movement between a rest position nested in a recess of the flange and a protruding winding position. The pivoting shaft of the crank handle is disposed in an eccentric groove in the underneath face of the flange, this groove having a central portion communicating with the recess. The crank handle is mounted for rotation about and limited sliding movement along a second shaft, and preferably houses spring means biasing it towards the pivoting shaft to hold it in either the rest or winding position.

A crank operated long tape measure includes a reel member and a casing side member having an internal center post with a conical free end. The reel member has a central shaft extending toward the center post for engagement therewith, the central shaft being axially segmented to define a plurality of leg portions. The free ends of the segmented leg portions bear against the conical end of the center post to assure centering of the reel within the casing while simultaneously providing constant frictional engagement between the reel member and the casing for resisting rotary movement of the reel member with respect to the casing. A long tape blade is secured to the reel for storage within the casing. The blade is provided with a laterally weakened break area adjacent its butt end and a replacement tape attaching aperture intermediate the break area and the butt end. Both the break area and the attaching aperture are spaced from the butt end by a distance sufficient to permit full exposure thereof outside the casing without disengagement of the butt end from the reel.

The mounting of a crank on a rotatable winding drum of a tape measure assembly is effected by providing the crank with oppositely-directed pivot lugs which are engaged in housings formed in lateral walls of a slot formed in the drum, the pivot lugs being detachably retained in their housings by a resilient part of the winding drum which constitutes the base of the slot.

A tape reel case, for containing a flexible metal tape measure or the like, includes a pair of substantially identical case elements or bezels, each of which consists of a peripheral wall having first and second edge portions and an inwardly extending wall portion integral with the second edge portion of the peripheral wall. The first edge portion of the peripheral wall has a tape discharge slot of predetermined length formed therein extending from its first edge portion toward the second edge portion thereof. This first edge portion of the wall also has a groove formed therein extending from a first end adjacent one end of the slot through approximately one half of the peripheral length of the wall to a second end portion approximately diametrically opposed from the slot. In addition the first edge portion of the peripheral wall has a bead formed therein extending from a first end portion adjacent the opposite end of the slot from the first end portion of the groove through approximately one half of the peripheral length of the peripheral wall to a second end portion approximately diametrically opposite said slot, adjacent to but slightly spaced from the second end portion of the groove so that the groove and bead of the case elements mate with each other when the case elements are placed in superimposed relation to each other whereby the groove and bead on the superimposed first edge portions of the bezels can be sonically welded together.

A measuring tape core has a support (23), an opening (22) defined underneath and adjacent the support (23), an I-shaped opening (24) in communication with the opening (22) and two regulators (21) each oppositely formed adjacent to the opening (22) and on top of the I-shaped opening (24), such that when the coiled spring extends out from the core, the force applied on the coiled spring will not break the coiled spring easily.