Adhesive tape dispenser and an adhesive tape roll

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an adhesive tape dispenser, for an adhesive tape roll having a core element, said dispenser essentially consisting of or comprising a carrier unit, in particular a housing, at least one grip member being connected, in particular via a connecting member, to the carrier unit for handling of the adhesive tape dispenser, a first bearing member essentially consisting of or comprising a rotatable bearing shaft arranged and adjusted for receiving the core element of an adhesive tape roll and for rotatably supporting said roll which is directly or indirectly arranged on and/or fastened to the carrier unit, a second bearing member essentially consisting of or comprising an, in particular non-rotatable, bearing shaft, which is directly or indirectly arranged on and/or fastened to the carrier unit, and a receiving member arranged and adjusted for receiving the core element of an adhesive tape roll that is rotatably arrangeable or supported on said second bearing shaft, an, in particular rotatable, applicator unit for attaching the adhesive tape to objects which is directly or indirectly joined to the carrier unit or which is integral with said carrier unit, at least one fastening means for a cutting blade, which is directly or indirectly joined to the carrier unit or which is integral with said carrier unit, and optionally a cutting blade held by said fastening means, wherein the grip member and applicator unit are located on opposite sides of the first or second bearing member and/or of the center of gravity of the dispenser. Furthermore the disclosure relates to an adhesive tape roll consisting of or comprising a core which comprises a receiving opening extending through the core in the longitudinal direction and an adhesive tape which is wound onto the core, wherein the core consists of or comprises a plastic material or a metal material, that the receiving opening which extends through the core has a polygonal cross-section, and that at least one stop is provided at an end of the receiving opening.

Claims

1. Adhesive tape dispenser, for an adhesive tape roll having a core element, the dispenser comprising: a carrier unit, at least one grip member being connected to the carrier unit for handling of the adhesive tape dispenser, wherein the grip member is a handle portion which is held by a user during regular operation and has a longitudinal orientation, a first bearing member comprising a first rotatable bearing shaft arranged and adjusted for receiving the core element of the adhesive tape roll and for rotatably supporting said roll which is directly or indirectly arranged on and/or fastened to the carrier unit, or a second bearing member comprising a second bearing shaft, which is directly or indirectly arranged on and/or fastened to the carrier unit, and a receiving member arranged and adjusted for receiving the core element of the adhesive tape roll that is rotatably arrangeable or supported on said second bearing shaft, an applicator unit for attaching the adhesive tape to objects which is directly or indirectly joined to the carrier unit or which is integral with said carrier unit, at least one fastening means for a cutting blade, which is directly or indirectly joined to the carrier unit or which is integral with said carrier unit, characterized in that the grip member and applicator unit are located on opposite sides of the first or second bearing member and/or of the center of gravity of the dispenser, wherein the adhesive tape dispenser comprises a plate-shaped or rod-shaped release device for the cutting blade, wherein when the release device is pushed or pressed against the object onto which the adhesive tape is applied by tilting the adhesive tape dispenser, the cutting blade is extended out of a retracted position, wherein a connecting member comprises a first and an opposite second end and a longitudinal orientation between said first and second end, that said first end is joined or combinable with or integral with the carrier unit and that said second end is joined or combinable with or integral with the grip member, and that the longitudinal orientation of the connecting member and the longitudinal orientation of the grip member at its second end of said connecting member and facing towards the carrier unit form an obtuse angle, wherein the adhesive tape dispenser further comprises a swivel arm pivotably mounted about a rotational axis to the carrier unit comprising a first end and an opposite second end comprising at or adjacent to said first end said first bearing member, or said first rotatably mounted bearing shaft, or said second bearing member, or said receiving member, and adjacent to said second end a pivotable connecting means with the carrier unit, and further comprising an elastic element or a spring element adapted and arranged in a manner that it exerts a spring load onto the swivel arm.

2. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that a longitudinal orientation of the grip member is aligned essentially in parallel to a tangent which is alignable to the outer contour of an adhesive tape roll supportable or supported on said receiving member or on said first bearing shaft and/or the longitudinal orientation of the connecting member is aligned essentially in parallel and optionally spaced apart from a tangent which is alignable to the outer contour of an adhesive tape roll supportable or supported on said receiving member or on said first bearing shaft.

3. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that at or adjacent to the first end of the swivel arm there is provided a first guiding means and a second guiding means and wherein said first guiding means engages with said second guiding means.

4. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 3, characterized in that the first guiding means is an extension of the swivel arm.

5. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a support member, which is connected to or an integral part of the carrier unit arranged and adjusted to support the adhesive tape roll being pressed against said support member via the swivel arm being impacted by said elastic element or said spring element.

6. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 5, further comprising at least one guide element adapted and arranged in such a manner that adhesive tape is guided between said at least one guide element and the support member towards the applicator unit.

7. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the grip member at an end thereof and/or at a transition to the connecting member comprises a recess.

8. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the grip member has a longitudinal orientation and that said longitudinal orientation is aligned essentially in parallel to and spaced apart from a tangent applied to the outer contour of an adhesive tape roll supportable or supported on said receiving member or on said first bearing shaft.

9. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive tape roll, having a core element, which is rotatably mounted on the bearing shaft of the first bearing member or on the receiving member, wherein the adhesive tape is wound onto the core element.

10. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 9, comprising an adhesive tape roll, comprising a core which comprises a receiving opening extending through the core in the longitudinal direction and an adhesive tape which is wound onto the core, characterized in that the core comprises a plastic material or a metal material, that the receiving opening which extends through the core has a polygonal cross-section, and that at least one stop is provided at an end of the receiving opening.

11. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one stop is provided at or adjacent to an end of the receiving opening.

12. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 9, characterized in that the core element comprises a receiving opening extending through the core element in the longitudinal direction wherein the receiving opening has a polygonal cross-section and which cross-section essentially corresponds in form and shape with a polygonal cross-section of the bearing shaft or with the receiving member so that said first bearing shaft or said receiving member is insertable into the receiving opening.

13. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the first bearing shaft or the receiving member comprises at least one engaging element for engaging interaction with the core element of the adhesive tape roll and/or that said first or second bearing member comprises at least one release mechanism for disengaging the engaging interaction in order to allow removal of the adhesive tape roll.

14. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 13, characterized in that the engaging element is spring loaded.

15. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the center of gravity of the adhesive tape dispenser is located at or adjacent to the first bearing member or the first bearing shaft, or the second bearing member or the receiving member.

16. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier unit is a housing.

17. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the second bearing shaft is non-rotatable.

18. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the applicator unit is rotatable.

19. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting blade held by said fastening means.

20. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the swivel arm and/or the pivotable connecting means comprises or is made of metal.

21. The adhesive tape dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic element or the spring element is located at the connecting means.

Description

(1) In the following description, the patented disclosure is explained in more detail by means of preferred embodiments of an adhesive tape dispenser wherein

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective front side view of a first embodiment of an adhesive tape dispenser of the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a component of the adhesive tape dispenser according to FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective front side view of an adhesive tape dispenser according to the disclosure equipped with an adhesive tape roll;

(5) FIG. 4 is a plan view of the backside of the adhesive tape dispenser according to FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 a schematic top side view of a part of an adhesive tape dispenser according to the disclosure;

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective front side view of an adhesive tape roll containing a core element;

(8) FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the core element of the adhesive tape roll according to FIG. 6;

(9) FIGS. 8a, b show two states of a component of the adhesive tape dispenser according to the present disclosure;

(10) FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the adhesive tape dispenser of the present disclosure;

(11) FIG. 10 shows a schematic side view of an adhesive tape roll;

(12) FIG. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of an adhesive tape roll according to the present disclosure from its first side;

(13) FIG. 12 shows a schematic perspective view of the adhesive tape roll according to FIG. 11 from the opposite second side;

(14) FIG. 13 shows a schematic side view of another adhesive tape dispenser according to the present disclosure; and

(15) FIG. 14 shows a section along the V-V line in FIG. 13.

(16) In FIG. 1 an adhesive tape dispenser 100 is depicted without an adhesive tape roll being present. Said adhesive tape dispenser 100 comprises a carrier unit 102 which with the embodiment of FIG. 1 also forms a housing for an adhesive tape roll. The adhesive tape dispenser 100 is provided with a grip member 104 which allows easy handling of the adhesive tape dispenser during operation. The grip member 104 has a first end 180 and an opposite second end 182. Through the center of the grip member 104 a longitudinal axis can be drawn between the first end 180 and the second end 182 (not depicted). Such longitudinal axis usually corresponds to the longitudinal orientation of grip member 104 between the first 180 and the second 182. It is essential for the adhesive tape dispenser of the present disclosure that the grip member 104 is located opposite to the tape dispensing unit 112 with respect to the first bearing member 108 which comprises a rotatable bearing shaft 110. The grip member 104 is connected to the carrier unit 102, that is to the housing by way of connecting member 106 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In another embodiment (not depicted) it is also possible to make use of a grip member which at its second end 182 is bent towards the carrier unit/housing 102. Still also with such an embodiment a grip member 104 is provided which is spaced apart from carrier unit/housing 102 so that during manual operation fingers can be placed between the grip member 104 and the housing 102. In another embodiment it may also be possible to connect the grip member 104 to the carrier unit/housing 102, additionally or alternatively, by way of a connecting member 106 which is connected to the first or second end 180, 182 or to the middle section of the grip member 104 on the one hand and to the carrier unit/housing 102 on the other hand. With all these embodiments the grip member 104 is still spaced apart from the carrier unit/housing 102. Different from conventional prior art adhesive tape dispenser the grip member 104 of the adhesive tape dispenser of the present disclosure as depicted in FIG. 1 is not arranged radially with respect to the first bearing member 108 or to an adhesive tape roll being placed on said bearing member. With respect to said bearing member 108 the grip member 104 is positioned opposite to the dispensing unit 112. Said dispensing unit 112 in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 comprises a rotatably mounted roll 118. By pressing said roll 118 against an object and moving the adhesive tape dispenser 100 downwards adhesive tape is wound from the adhesive tape roll. Said adhesive tape roll can be releasably fixed on the first bearing member 108 depicted in FIG. 1 by use of engaging element 160. Said engaging element 160 can be released by a release mechanism for disengaging the engaging interaction by pressing the release mechanism button 161 in order to allow removal of the adhesive tape roll.

(17) In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 the first bearing member 108 is not directly connected to the carrier unit/housing 102 but is rotatably mounted to a swivel arm 132. Said swivel arm 132 has a first end 134 and an opposite second end 136. While the rotatably mounted bearing member 108 is located at the first end 134 said second end 136 is rotatably fastened to the carrier unit/housing 102 by way of a connecting means 138 (not shown). To alleviate in particular longer handling periods recesses or holes 156 are provided in the grip surface 158.

(18) Details of the swivel arm 132 can also be derived from FIG. 2. The rotatable first bearing member 108 is located at the first end 134 of said swivel arm 132. As an extension to said first end 134 there is provided a first guiding means 141 which is located beyond the first bearing member 108 with respect to the second end 136 of the swivel arm 132. At the second end 136 a rotatable connecting means 138 is provided in order to connect the swivel arm 132 to the carrier unit 102 so that said swivel arm can be pivotally moved about said connecting means 138. At the second end 136 of the swivel arm 132 an elastic element in the form of a spring 140 is provided which exerts spring load onto the swivel arm 132. In this manner said swivel arm is pressed into the direction of the support member, e.g. fixed support arm 142. When an adhesive tape roll is placed on the bearing member 108 the outer contour of the adhesive tape roll is pressed against the support member 142 due to the spring load provided by the elastic element 140. In order to allow for proper operation the support member 142 preferably has a cylindrical shape and is rotatable about its axis. In this manner the rotation of the adhesive tape roll is not hampered by any frictional forces. Moreover, said support member greatly reduces any noise usually generated in connection with the unwinding process. It has been found to be beneficial to guide the first guiding means 141 in a second guiding means 137, which with the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 has the form of a guiding rail.

(19) The embodiment of an adhesive tape dispenser 100 as shown in FIG. 1 also comprises a so-called spacer 120. Said spacer 120 may serve various purposes and can either be invariably fixed to the carrier unit 102 or can be movably fastened, in particular rotatably attached to the carrier unit 102. Said spacer 120 on the one hand can protect the adhesive tape which is unwound from the adhesive tape roll and guided towards and over the dispensing unit 112. On the other hand said spacer 120 is limiting the operational region of the dispensing unit 112, in particular of the rotatably mounted roll 118 which can be used for applying the adhesive tape to an object, thereby guiding the person skilled in the art towards a most beneficial operation of the adhesive tape dispenser. Moreover when pivotably or rotatably mounted the spacer 120 is moved towards the dispensing unit 112 during operation. In this manner, as can for example be derived from FIGS. 8a) and b) the first end 124 of the spacer 120 is pushed against the dispensing roll 118, that is against the adhesive tape placed on said roll 118. In this manner any noise generated in connection with unwinding and applying adhesive tape to an object can be significantly reduced.

(20) Details of how to operate the adhesive tape dispenser 100 of the present disclosure can also be visualized based on FIG. 3 which depicts an adhesive tape dispenser 100 being equipped with an adhesive tape role 144. By holding the grip member 104 and pulling the adhesive tape dispenser 100 downwards an adhesive tape can be unwound from the adhesive role 144 in that it is transferred via the dispensing unit 112 to an object. Due to the fact that the grip member 104 is spaced apart from the carrier unit 102 and in particular from the dispensing unit 112 where the adhesive tape is applied to an object said adhesive tape dispenser can be operated with as little effort as possible. Thereby, the application of adhesive tape by use of the adhesive tape dispenser 100 of the present disclosure is less tiring than with conventional adhesive tape dispensers.

(21) In FIG. 4 the back side of the adhesive tape dispenser 100 of FIG. 1 is depicted. This presentation highlights in particular the connecting member 106 which allows to arrange the grip member 104 spaced apart from the carrier unit/housing 102 of the adhesive tape dispenser 100. It can also be derived from FIG. 4 that the connecting member 106 may function as a lever. The angle between the grip member 104 and the connecting member 106, that is between the longitudinal orientation or longitudinal axis X of the grip member 104 and the longitudinal orientation or longitudinal axis Y of the connecting member 106 preferably is an obtuse angle. Usually, said angle between the respective longitudinal axes of the grip member 104 and the connecting member 106 and the angle between the outer contour of the grip member 104 and the connecting member 106 essentially correspond to each other or deviate only slightly from each other. From FIG. 4 it is also evident that the longitudinal axis X of the grip member 104 is spaced apart from and parallel to a tangent applied to the outer contour of the adhesive tape role 144 placed on the bearing member (not shown).

(22) In FIG. 5 a section of the adhesive tape dispenser 100 is shown when viewed from above, that is when looking from above on the connecting member 106. In the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 a recess 154 is provided in that part of the connecting member 106 which forms a transition from the second end 182, that is the upper part of the grip member 104 to the connecting member 106. While the grip member 104 can be held by all four fingers the thump can be placed in recess 154 thereby guaranteeing a more safe and reliable handling of the adhesive tape dispenser 100 of the present disclosure. Moreover, the housing 102 of the dispenser 100 as depicted in FIG. 5 has a hole 155 on its top side through which access to the adhesive tape roll is provided. Via hole 155 the tape roll can be pushed thereby activating the swivel arm.

(23) In FIG. 6 an adhesive tape role 144 is depicted having a core element 146 which is provided with a receiving opening 148 having a polygonal cross-section. In order to reduce the weight of the adhesive tape roll the core element 146 preferably is made of plastic material. Moreover, a multitude of ribs 176 is used to guarantee mechanical strength. Details of the core element 146 can be derived from FIG. 7. The receiving opening 148 extends through the core element 146 in longitudinal direction from a first end 162 to an opposed second end 164. The walls forming the receiving opening have a polygonal cross-section. In a preferred embodiment the walls 166 forming the receiving opening 148 comprise sections 168, 170, 172 and 174 having a circular shape. These circular-shaped sections are disposed on the circumference of a circle the center of which essentially corresponds to the center of adhesive tape roll being wound onto the core element 146. These circular-shaped sections enable the use of a cylindrical shaft having a circular cross-section for winding adhesive tape onto the core element 146. In order to obtain a sufficient fit between said shaft and the receiving opening of the core element 146 those sections 168, 170, 172 and 174 having a circular-shaped cross-section can be provided with a bulge which preferably runs along the entire longitudinal length of the core element and which in particular is centrally located within said section having a circular shaped cross-section. Said bulge 178 interrupts the circular-shaped cross-section and projects towards the receiving opening. And, said bulge 178 preferably has a semi-circular cross-section. Most preferably said bulge 178 extends into the receiving opening, however, only to an extent so that it does not interfere with the polygonal cross-section.

(24) Another preferred embodiment of an adhesive tape dispenser 100 of the present disclosure is depicted in FIG. 9. This adhesive tape dispenser is essentially identical to the dispenser shown in FIG. 1, however, it does not contain the spacer device 120 but instead is equipped with a pair of oppositely positioned guide lugs 157 which are located on the carrier unit/housing 102 in the vicinity of the support member 142. These guide lugs 157 are moreover positioned between the support member 142 and the applicator unit 112 and aid in preventing the adhesive tape from being prematurely attached to objects.

(25) FIG. 10 shows a side view of an adhesive tape roll 1 which, as is generally known from prior art, consists of a core 2 which comprises a receiving opening 3 extending through the core 2 in the longitudinal direction and an adhesive tape 4 which is wound onto the core 2. The adhesive tape roll 1 can be inserted, for example, in a handheld device for unwinding adhesive tape rolls as shown, for example, in FIG. 13, for easy and fast unwinding and cutting of the adhesive tape 4.

(26) The core 2 preferably consists of a plastic. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 which show a perspective view of the two ends 5, 6 of the core 2, the receiving opening 3 that extends through the core 2 can be configured with a polygonal cross-section (shown with a square cross-section in FIGS. 10-12, for example) for a positive-locking connection with the device mentioned above. At least one stop 7 that prevents incorrect insertion of the adhesive tape roll 1 into the device mentioned above may be provided at one end 5 of the core 2 or receiving opening 3.

(27) The core 2 may consist, on the one hand, of an outer sleeve 9 that receives the adhesive tape 4 on its outer side 8 and, on the other hand, of an inner sleeve 10 extending at a spacing from, and coaxially with, the outer sleeve 9 and comprising the receiving opening 3. Multiple connection bridges 14 may be distributed on the circumference 11 of the inner hole 12 of the outer sleeve 9 and on the outer side 13 of the inner sleeve 10, respectively, between the outer sleeve 9 and the inner sleeve 10. The core 2 may be formed integrally from the outer sleeve 9, inner sleeve 10, and connection bridges 14.

(28) Molded-in elements 16 having the shape of segments of a circle when seen in cross-section, which jointly form a cylindrical receiving hole 17, may be provided in the walls 15 of the inner sleeve 10 that are formed by the polygonal cross-section of the receiving opening 3. This ensures the use of the adhesive tape roll 1 in devices for unwinding adhesive tape rolls which comprise a cylindrical receiving element.

(29) An inner circumferential groove 19 in which at least one latching element can engage may be molded in on the inner side 18 of the inner sleeve 10 or molded into the receiving opening 3.

(30) FIG. 12 shows an exemplary and simplified side view of a simple device 20 for unwinding an adhesive tape roll 21. The device 20 essentially consists at least of a grip element 22 for handling the device 20, a bearing element 23 for receiving the core 24 of the adhesive tape roll 21 and rotatably supporting said roll, and a dispensing element 25 for attaching the adhesive tape 26 to objects,

(31) The bearing element 23 may consist of a bearing shaft 27 which is fixedly arranged on the device 20 and on which a receiving element 28 for the adhesive tape roll 21 may be rotatably supported. The outer contour of the receiving element 28 may have a polygonal cross-section, which enables a positive-locking connection with the adhesive tape roll 21.

(32) As shown in a simplified manner in the embodiment according to FIG. 14, which shows a section along the V-V line in FIG. 13, at least one latching element 29 may be radially movably guided in the receiving element 28, which latching element may engage in an inner circumferential groove 30 in a receiving opening 31 of the core 24 of the adhesive tape roll 21 after the adhesive tape roll 21 has been mounted. The latching element 29 can be a ball or the latching elements 29 can be balls and prevent axial movement of the adhesive tape roll 21 on the receiving element 28.

(33) The latching element(s) 29 may be held in the locked position by a spring load (not shown).

(34) For removing the adhesive tape roll 21 from the receiving element 28, the latching element(s) 29 is/are switched from its/their locked position into an unlocked position by operating an unlocking element 32.

(35) The unlocking element 32 can be guided and can move in the axial direction in the receiving element 28 between the bearing shaft 27 and the receiving element 28, wherein the latching element(s) 29 protrude(s) from the outer circumference 33 of the receiving element 28 in the locked position. After axially moving the unlocking element 32 into the unlocked position, the latching element(s) 29 can enter a recess 34 in the unlocking element 32 and be held in said recess.

(36) The recess 34 in the unlocking element 32 may be formed by an outer circumferential groove 36 molded in on its outer circumference 35. The unlocking element 32 may be held in the locked position under a spring load.

(37) The device 20 may also be used for unwinding the adhesive tape roll 1.

(38) Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the applicant to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and probably come within the scope of this contribution to the art. The features of the present disclosure which are believed to be novel are set forth in detail in the appended claims. The features disclosed in the description, the figures as well as the claims could be essential alone or in every combination for the realization of the disclosure in its different embodiments.

(39) Priority patent filing document DE 10 2014 209 834.3 filed May 23, 2014 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.