ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 4 -- United States Patent no. 12,319,086, issued on June 3, was assigned to Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. (Brookfield, Wis.).
"Chalk reel" was invented by James A. Cemke Jr. (Hartford, Wis.), Alexander J. Paulsen (Milwaukee) and Joseph M. DeBaker (Greenfield, Wis.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A chalk reel is provided that includes a handgrip on housing supporting a chalk line extending from a nozzle of the housing that extends from the chalk reel to mark a straight line. The chalk reel may further include a rotatable handle that rotates to extend or retract ("pay out") the chalk line. A hook is secured to the end of the chalk line to facilitate extension of the chalk l...