GB2114951A

GB2114951A - Applicator for adhesive tape

Info

Publication number: GB2114951A
Application number: GB08203661A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hiromichi Uchida
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-02-09
Filing date: 1982-02-09
Publication date: 1983-09-01
Also published as: GB2114951B

Abstract

An applicator for transferring an adhesive tape 14 to an article comprises a casing 110 and a roll support shaft 13 provided in the casing to support an adhesive tape roll 112 comprising adhesive film having pressure sensitive adhesion on one face thereof and a removable spacer tape 113 between the adjacent turns of the adhesive film. The lower adhesive face of the tape roll protrudes out of a lower opening 12 of the casing. An outlet 14 for the spacer tape 113 is provided in the top of the casing. A resilient tape roll pressure member 17 is supported in the casing and presses the exposed spacer tape against the tape roll in the course of being fed towards the outlet 14. The tape roll is pressed and rolled against the article so that the adhesive film is transferred to the article while the spacer tape is separated from the adhesive film and fed through the outlet. A guide piece 15 is provided integrally with the outlet 14 and an auxiliary guide 117 may be mounted near the support member 16 for the pressure member 17. The member 1 7 may include a passage forming tongue portion 21c and an angled end portion 21e which serves as the pressing part of the member 17. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Applicator for adhesive tape There have been proposed various applicator devices for automatically transferring an adhesive film with adhesion on one face thereof from a transferring adhesive tape roll to an article. In one of the prior devices, a removable spacer tape which is disposed between the adjacent turns of the adhesive film is separated from the adhesive film and then sequentially wound. Thus, the device includes means to unwind the transferring adhesive tape roll, means sensitive to pressure to transfer the adhesive film to the article, and means to wind the removed spacer tape. Accurate timing is required for keeping the travel of the tape and its tension optimum and for smoothly feeding the spacer tape out of the device. A complicated combination of gears is required to synchronise transferring the adhesive film with winding the removed spacer tape.Thus, the prior device has a disadvantageous bulky and complicated construction.

Another prior device has been provided in which a transferring adhesive tape roll serves as a pressure sensitive roller. However, this has many requirements one of which is to make its construction simpler and another of which is to positively transfer the adhesive film to the article while it is kept at its required tension. Such a device is disclosed in United States Patent No.

4220495, and is shown in section in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. This device comprises a pair of support plates 2 of a frame (only one support plate 2 is shown in Fig. 1) and a roll support shaft 3 provided between the support plates. The support plates and the roll support shaft 3 may be made of any suitable material such as pasteboard, plastics sheet or sheet metal. A transferring adhesive tape roll 4 is mounted on a cylindrical annular bobbin 8 by winding on the bobbin a removable spacer tape 5 and an adhesive film 7 having pressure sensitive adhesion 6 on one face thereof. The tape roll 4 is rotatably supported by mounting the bobbin 8 on the roll support shaft 3. The support plates are cut away at their lower portions so that the adhesion transferring face of the tape roll 4 protrudes below the support plates of the frame.

As the adhesive film 7 is transferred to the article, the spacer tape 5 is fed out of the frame through the space between the edges 9a and 1 Oa of a pair of guide pieces 9 and 1 0. The guide piece 9 is positioned at the angle tangent to the periphery of the tape roll 4 to force the spacer tape 5 so as to lead it out of the frame in a smooth manner. The guide piece 10 is so arranged that its edge 1 Oa engages the back face of the spacer tape 5 and guides it out of the frame without following the periphery of the tape roll 4. The pieces 9 and 10 should face each other with the space and the position of the pieces suitable for feeding the spacer tape 5 out of the frame so as to always urge the pieces against the tape roll 4.

Thus, it is difficult to determine the position and the angle of the pieces 9 and 10. Since the urging force of the guide pieces against the tape roll 4 and the angle of the guide pieces vary as the tape roll 4 is consumed, it is difficult to maintain the spacing, pressure, and angle of the pieces 9 and 10 suitable for feeding the spacer tape out of the device throughout the consumption of the whole tape roll 4. Thus, the device is difficult to manufacture.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a device for automatically transferring an adhesive film having adhesion on one face thereof to an article, in which its construction is simplified.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device in which a removable spacer tape can be fed out reliably despite the change in diameter of the tape roll as it is consumed.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device which can be easily manufactured without any adjustment of its parts.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a device for automatically transferring an adhesive tape to an article, comprising a casing having an opening provided at its lower edge, a roll support shaft mounted in said casing for supporting a transferring adhesive tape roll comprising a wound adhesive film having pressure sensitive adhesion on one face thereof and a wound removable spacer tape disposed between the adjacent turns of said adhesive film, and being so arranged that the lower adhesive face of said tape roll will protrude from said opening in said casing, said casing having an outlet for said spacer tape, and a resilient pressure member mounted on said casing to urge the removed spacer tape against said tape roll in the course of being fed towards said outlet after separation of the adhesive film from the spacer tape.

Embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to Figs. 2 to 8 of the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an applicator device for automatically transferring to an article an adhesive film having adhesion on one face thereof, constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 3 is a front view of the device with a cover removed from the device; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device with a cover and a tape roll removed from the device; Fig. 5 is a side view of the cover of the device; Fig. 6 is a front view of another embodiment of the device with the cover removed from the device; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of further embodiment of the device; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the spacer tape pressure and guide member used in the device of Fig. 7.

Figs. 2 to 4 show an adhesive tape applicator 11 which comprises a casing 110 including a cover 18 removably mounted on the casing. The casing 110 is cut away at its lower edge and has an opening 12 provided therein. An outer roll support shaft 1 3 is provided on the casing body 110. The casing 110 and the roll support shaft 13 may be made of synthetic resin material. A spacer tape outlet 14 is provided at the top of the casing.

A curved or angled spacer tape feeding guide piece 1 5 may be provided integrally with the casing at the edge of the outlet 14 to prevent the unwound space tape 113 from re-entering the casing 110. A resilient pressure member 17 is supported in the casing 10 by a supporting cylindrical member 16 which is in turn secured to the casing 110. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the member 1 7 may be inserted into the member 1 6 through a groove provided therein. The member 17 may be of synthetic resin sheet having a high resilient force. It presses against an adhesive tape roll 112 mounted in the applicator.As shown in Fig. 5, the cover 18 has an annular rib 1 9 provided thereon to be fitted to the casing body 11 0.

The adhesive tape roll 112 includes a wound adhesive film 114 having pressure sensitive adhesion provided on one face thereof and a wound spacer tape 113 disposed between the adjacent turns of the adhesive film 114. An inner roll support shaft 111 may be mounted on the cover 1 8. The inner roll support shaft has an outer diameter which allows it to be introduced into the outer roll support shaft 1 3.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, grip recesses 1 15 and 1 15' may be provided in the casing body 110 and the cover 1 8 opposite each other for gripping by a thumb and a first or second finger of a user.

The operation of transferring the adhesive film 1 14 to an article 116 will be described later.

Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention. The applicator of Fig. 6 is substantially identical to that of Figs. 2 to 5 in its construction, except that an auxiliary guide 117 is mounted on the casing 110 for the support member 1 6 and serves to guide the spacer tape 113 substantially rectilinearly towards the outlet 1 4 so that the spacer tape does not follow the tape roll 112.

Thus, although the spacer tape tends to be more curled as the diameter of the tape roll is reduced, the auxiliary guide 117 prevents the spacer tape from following the tape roll 112 so that it is smoothly fed out of the outlet 1 4.

In use, the cover 1 8 is taken out of the casing body 110, and the tape roll 112 is fitted onto the outer tape roll shaft 13, on which it can rotate.

Then, the spacer tape 113 is led past the pressure member 17 and through the outlet 14 out of the casing 110. Thereafter, the user holds the applicator 11 with his thumb and fingers in the recesses 1 15 and 1 15', and rolls it in the direction indicated by arrow a in Figs. 3 and 6 while forcing the exposed adhesive tape against the article 116.

Thus, the adhesive film 1 4 of this tape roll 112 is transferred to the article 1 6. At the same time, since the tape roll 112 is rotated, the spacer tape 1 13, after the adhesive film 1 4 is transferred, is fed through the outlet 14 out of the casing 110. A length of the spacer tape 113 may be cut off. After a predetermined length of the adhesive film 114 is transferred to the article 116, the user forcely raises the applicator 11 so that the applied adhesive film is cut off from the tape roll 112.

As the tape roll 112 is consumed, its diameter is gradually reduced. The pressure member 1 7 is urged constantly against the tape roll 112 until all of the tape is consumed. Thus, even though the diameter of the tape roll 112 is reduced, slackness of the tape is prevented by the pressure member 1 7. This ensures that the adhesive film 116 is positively transferred to the article.

The spacer tape 113 unwound from the tape roll 11 2 engages the pressure member 1 7 on one of the sides of the spacer tape and engages the guide piece 15 on the other side of the spacer tape. This causes the spacer tape 113 to be smoothly fed out of the casing 110. The auxiliary guide 117 of Fig. 6 causes it to be even more smoothly fed out of the casing 110. It will be understood that there is no need of such a complicated construction as pieces 9 and 10 of Fig. 1 which face each other at a given angle and with a given urging force and which tend to vary in the angle and urging force as the tape is used up.

The adhesive film 116 is cut off by raising the whole applicator 11. At that time, the pressure member 17 prevents the tape roll 112 from being rotated in a reverse direction, which causes the adhesive film 11 6 to be positively cut off.

Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment of the invention, with a spacer tape guide and pressure member 21 which, as shown in Fig. 8, has a first angled end portion 21a supported in a holder 20 which is provided in the form of a fork on and within the casing 110. The member 21 has a main body 21 b formed integrally with the end portion 21a and extending towards the tape roll 112. A passage-forming tongue portion 21 d is formed integrally with the main body 21 b so that a passage 21 c for positively guiding the spacer tape 113 is formed between the main body 21 b and the portion 21 d. A second angled end portion 21 e is formed at the lower end of the main body 21 b, being bent in the same direction, and serves to normally pressurize the tape roll 112, i.e. as the spacer tape pressure-member. Thus, it will be understood that the spacer tape 113, after separation from the adhesive film is moved through the upper face of the bent portion 21 e and is positively guided through the passage 21 c and towards the outlet 1 4. Consequently the spacer tape is never flexed inwardly, but is positively fed out of the outlet 1 4.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that they are by way of example and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An applicator for transferring to an article adhesive tape from a roll comprising a wound pressure-sensitive adhesive film and a wound spacer tape between adjacent turns of the said film, which applicator comprises a casing for accommodating a said roll, the casing being provided with a support shaft for rotatably supporting the roll in the casing, an opening arranged so that a portion of the periphery of the roll will protrude from the casing through the opening to enable the adhesive film to be applied to an article, and an outlet for feeding the spacer tape out of the casing as the roll is unwound and the spacer tape is separated from the adhesive film, and a resilient pressure member in the casing arranged to press against the spacer tape in the region of the periphery of the roll between the said opening and the said outlet.

2. An applicator for automatically transferring an adhesive tape to an article, comprising: a casing having an opening provided at its lower edge; a roll support shaft mounted on said casing; and a transferring adhesive tape roll rotatably supported on said roll support shaft, said tape roll including a wound adhesive film having pressure sensitive adhesion on one face thereof and a wound removable spacer tape disposed between the adjacent turns of said adhesive film and being so arranged that the lower adhesive face of said transferring adhesive tape roll protrudes out of said opening in said casing and said casing having an outlet provided to feed said spacer tape out of said casing therethrough, characterised by further comprising a resilient spacer tape pressure member mounted on said casing to urge the removed spacer tape against said roll in the course of being fed toward said outlet.

3. An applicator as set forth in claim 1 or 2, and further comprising a guide member provided at said outlet to feed said spacer tape out of said casing.

4. An applicator as set forth in claim 1,2or3 and wherein said pressure member is so mounted as to be inserted into a cylindrical supporting member which is secured to said casing.

5. An applicator as set forth in claim 4, and further comprising an auxiliary guide mounted on said casing between said supporting member and said tape roll for guiding said spacer tape towards said outlet.

6. An applicator as set forth in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said pressure member has one end mounted on and within said casing, is formed with a passage to pass said spacer tape therethrough, and has a tape pressure portion formed at the other end.

7. An applicator for adhesive tape, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5, Fig. 6, or Figs. 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.