US3810567A - Tape dispenser attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

A tape severing and tab forming device formed integral with, but preferably forming an attachment for, a tape dispenser; the device incorporating a tape contacting member and a tape severing member. One of the members, preferably the severing member, is moveable toward and away from the other whereby a free end portion of a tape extending from a reel and between the two members is folded upon itself to form a tab responsive to movement of one of the members toward the other.

Description

United States Patent 1 ,810,567 Malcolm May 14, 1974 TAPE DISPENSER ATTACHMENT 1,298,081 3/1919 Naito 225/67 2,447,519 8/1948 'Maunsky ..225/7 Inventor: George David Malcolm, Sydney,

New South Wales, Australia [22] Filed: June 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 262,556

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 13, 1971 Australia 5530/71 [52] U.S. Cl 225/67, 225/69, 225/91 [51] Int. Cl.... B26f 3/02 [58] Field of Search 225/7, 67, 68, 69, 72, 225/91 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 43 6.789 9/1890 Jobes 225/72 x Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-Leon Gilden Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ralph WfKalish 57 ABSTRACT A tape severing and tab forming device formed integral with, but preferably forming an attachment for, a tape dispenser; the device incorporating a tape contacting member and a tape severing member. One of v 4 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures This invention relates to a tape severing and tab forming attachment for use on a dispenser of the type which carries or is adapted to receive a spool of selfadhesive tape.

The invention may be broadly defined as providing a tape severing and tab forming attachment mounted to or adapted for mounting to a tape dispenser, the attachment comprising a tape contacting member and a tape severing member, one of said members being movable relative to the other, whereby a free end portion of a tape extending from a reel and between the two members is folded upon itself to form a tab responsive to movement of one of the'members.

In operation of the dispenser attachment and after forming a tab at the free end portion of a spooled tape, a selected length of the tape may be unreeled from the spool and be severed by the severing member.

The attachment may take various forms, as will be apparent from the following description, and it may be provided as either an accessory to or as a fixed portion of a dispenser unit. Thus, in the latter case, the tape contacting member or the tape severing member may be constituted by a (fixed) integral portion of the dispenser unit and the expression attachment as employed herein is to be understood in this context.

Also, it will be appreciated from the following description that the invention is applicable to formation of a tab at the free end portion of cellulose or other plastics material tapes and, additionally, to tab formation on, for example, gummed paper tapes. In the latter case it would normally be necessary to pass the tape over a wetted roller or sponge in order to render the gum adhesive and the expression self-adhesive tape as herein employed is to be read as embracing a tape which may be rendered adhesive prior to formation of the tab end portion.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of two exemplary embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa tape dispenser fitted with a tape severing and tabbing attachment,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged (sectional) elevation view of the attachment shown mounted to an end portion of the dispenser, the view being taken alongplane 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment per se,

FIG. 4 is a scrap elevational view of the attachment with a tape severing member thereof shown in an open position,

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view of the tape severing member taken in the direction of Arrow 5 in FIG. 3,

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are schematic representations of the attachment showing the tab forming function thereof in progressive stages,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view ofa tape dispenser in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, the dispenser incorporating a tape severing and tabbing attachment,

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the dispenser of FIG.

7 showing a severing operation being performed on the tape, and

FIG. 9 is an elevation view of the dispenser of FIG. 7 showing a tab forming operation being performed on the tape.

The dispenser unit as illustrated by FIG. 1 is of more or less conventional construction, it having abase 10 which is recessed at 11 to receive a spool ofselfadhesive cellulose tape 12 which, when reeled from the spool, passes over a forward portion orpedestal 13 of the base. However, whereas a conventional dispenser would normally be provided upon the pedestal with a simple (serrated) tape severing blade, the illustrated unit is provided with a tape severing andtabbing attachment 14.

Theattachment 14 is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 2 to S and, as shown, it comprises a tape contacting member .15 and atape severing member 16 which is pivotably mounted tomember 15. The two members are hinged one to the other by ahinge pin 17 and thetape severing member 16 is spring biased into engagement with thetape contacting member 15 by a helically woundtorsion spring 18.

The twomembers 15 and 16 are moulded from a synthetic resin, typically a thermoplastic material, and they are formed with integrally moulded journals l9 and 20 for receipt of thehinge pin 17.

Thetape contacting member 15 is formed with twoopposed legs 21 and 22, which fit about and resiliently clamp the member to the dispenser pedestal (as shown in FIG. 2), and with a connectingramp 23. Theramp 23 is inclined at such an angle that, when themember 15 is fitted to the dispenser unit and thetape 12 is drawn from the spool, the tape tends to make contact with the forwardmost edge only of the ramp. This angular relationship between theramp 23 and thetape 12 is indicated by the letter A in FIG. 2.

Alip 24 is formed upon the upper edge of thetape severing member 16, the lip being inclined outwardly and downwardly away from the forwardmost edge of the ramp, to meet ablade edge portion 25 of the tape severing member. As shown in FIG. 5, the crests of the blade teeth are located above thelip 24 but the teeth troughs are disposed below the level of the lip. This construction assures that, in severing a portion of the tape length an end portion of the remaining tape will adhere to thelip 24 rather than rest upon and adhere to the blade portion only of the severing member.

Operation of the above described device is illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 6C of the drawings.

Thus, a free end portion of thetape 12 may be unreeled from the spool, be placed in contact with both theblade 25 and the forward edge of theramp 23, and be drawn across the forward edge of the ramp to hinge theblade severing member 16 outwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6A. Thereafter, the extreme free end of the tape (as shown dotted in FIG. 6A) would be severed from the remainder of the tape, and thetape severing member 16 would return (under the influence of the spring tension) to its normal position. During return of the member 16 atab end 26 of the tape would be folded upon itself as shown in the progressive illustrations of FIGS. 68 and 6C.

After formation of the tab 26 a further length of tape may be unreeled from the spool and be severed, with or without a further tab end being formed.

In order to avoid excessive hingeing movement of thetape severing member 16 and consequential folding of the tape around the forward edge of the ramp 23 (which condition would result in the tab being deflected downwardly instead of upwardly as shown), anib 27 is formed upon thejournals 20 for engagement with thetape contacting member 15, as shown in FIG. 4.

Reference is now made to F I68. 7 to 10 of the drawings wherein there is shown a hand-pack type tape dispenser incorporating a tape severing and tabbing attachment. However, whereas in the previously described dispenser unit the attachment comprises a totally separable device, in the unit shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 the attachment" is formed in part by atape casing 30.

The tape casing comprises an obling pack of a plastics material which houses a spool oftape 31. Afree end portion 32 of the tape passes from the spool, over aroller 33 and through an exit slit 34 in oneedge 35 of the casing.

Theroller 33 is journal mounted inopposite side walls 36 of the casing. v

Atape severing member 37 of construction similar to that above described is hinge mounted to the casing by way ofjournals 38, 39 and ahinge pin 40. However, in this case, the severing member is not spring biased against the casing, the tab forming operation being effected manually rather than with the aid of a spring.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a free end portion of thetape 31 would be placed in contact with the blade of the severingmember 37 and cut as shown at 41 in FIG. 8. Then, the tape severing member would be pressed back toward the casing (as shown in FIG. 9) such that a tab 42 is formed to contact theedge 35 of the casing, such edge constituting a tape contacting member with respect to which the tape severing member moves.

I claim:

1. For use with a dispenser of tape from a spool, an attachment comprising a tape contacting member disposed in the path of tape extending from the spool, a tape severing member having an edge portion, a knife having a plurality of spaced apart teeth provided on said edge portion,,there being a trough between adjacent teeth on said knife, a lip portion provided on said edge portion, means hingedly mounting said tape severing member for movement of said edge portion toward and away from tape contacting member, said lip being between said blade and said tape contacting member and having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the plane of the blade, each knife tooth having a crest above said lip inclined surface, the trough between said teeth being below said lip inclined surface;

. said lip being between said blade and 'said tape contacting member and having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the plane of the blade, said tape contacting member having a ramp-forming surface with a spool-adjacent edge and a spool-remote edge, said surface being inclined downwardly from said spool-remote edge to-said spool-adjacent edge whereby tape being drawn from said spool tends to contact said spool remote edge.

3. For use with a dispenser of tape from a spool, said dispenser incorporating a mounting pedestal, an attachment comprising a tape contacting member disposed in the path of tape extending from the spool, said tape contacting member having a pair of spaced apart legs disposed on opposite sides of said pedestal in embracing relationship thereto, a tape severing member having an edge portion, a blade provided on said edge portion, a lip portion provided on said edge portion, means provided on one of said legs hingedly mounting said tape severing member for movement of said edge portion toward and away from tape contacting member, said lip being between said blade and said tape contacting member and having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the plane of the blade.

4. An attachment as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by means biasing said tape severing member toward said tape contacting member.

mg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 31 55 Dated May 1 1974 Inventor) George David Malcolm It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 4, Claim 1, line 7, change the semicolon to a. "period".

Signed and sealed this 24th day of September 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. 0. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

Claims (4)

1. For use with a dispenser of tape from a spool, an attachment comprising a tape contacting member disposed in the path of tape extending from the spool, a tape severing member having an edge portion, a knife having a plurality of spaced apart teeth provided on said edge portion, there being a trough between adjacent teeth on said knife, a lip portion provided on said edge portion, means hingedly mounting said tape severing member for movement of said edge portion toward and away from tape contacting member, said lip being between said blade and said tape contacting member and having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the plane of the blade, each knife tooth having a crest above said lip inclined surface, the trough between said teeth being below said lip inclined surface;

2. For use with a dispenser of tape from a spool, an attachment comprising a tape contacting member disposed in the path of tape extending from the spool, a tape severing member having an edge portion, a blade provided on said edge portion, a lip portion provided on said edge portion, means hingedly mounting said tape severing member for movement of said edge portion toward and away from tape contacting member, said lip being between said blade and said tape contacting member and having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the plane of the blade, said tape contacting member having a ramp-forming surface with a spool-adjacent edge and a spool-remote edge, said surface being inclined downwardly from said spool-remote edge to said spool-adjacent edge whereby tape being drawn from said spool tends to contact said spool remote edge.

3. For use with a dispenser of tape from a spool, said dispenser incorporating a mounting pedestal, an attachment comprising a tape contacting member disposed in the path of tape extending from the spool, said tape contacting member having a pair of spaced apart legs disposed on opposite sides of said pedestal in embracing relationship thereto, a tape severing member having an edge portion, a blade provided on said edge portion, a lip portion provided on said edge portion, means provided on one of said legs hingedly mounting said tape severing member for movement of said edge portion toward and away from tape contacting member, said lip being between said blade and said tape contacting member and having an inclined surface forming an acute angle with the plane of the blade.

4. An attachment as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by means biasing said tape severing member toward said tape contacting member.

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