Patent Grant
11577881
Priority is claimed in the application data sheet to the following patents or patent applications, the entire written description of each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:
The disclosure relates to the field of adhesive tape dispensers, and more particularly to an adhesive tape dispenser with a tape alignment mechanism.
In the field of painting, precision is a necessity for painters. Trim work in housing and other types of buildings needs to be covered during the process of painting walls, while the corners and edges of walls and ceilings need to be covered when more than one color is used. Crisp lines, colors not running together, precision corner cutting for tape, and paints not being mixed are all part of the precision techniques of painting. Caulking is also a precision skill; areas next to those that are being caulked need to be covered so that they are not accidentally caulked as well.
Painters often use adhesive tape to cover trims, corners, edges, and other parts that need protection from the paint and caulking process. Painters also use adhesive tapes as a form of stenciling when tasked with painting designs and patterns. However, application of long strips of tape with consistent alignment is difficult with existing tape dispensing devices and methods, particularly in corners such as where a floor meets the base of a wall. Existing tape dispensers further do not dispense tape with consistent alignment, and do not account for inconsistencies in manufacturing of rolls of tape, such as when the roll of tape is slightly conical due to mis-rolling or when the cardboard tape form bulges out slightly from the roll of tape. Taping along external (convex) corners is difficult, especially where such corners deviate from the perpendicular.
What is needed, then, is an adhesive tape dispensing device with a tape alignment mechanism that dispenses tape with consistent alignment, especially along external corners, and accounts for external corners that are not square.
Accordingly, the inventor has conceived and reduced to practice, an adhesive tape dispenser with tape alignment mechanism that dispenses tape with consistent alignment along external corners, even where such corners are not square. The following non-limiting summary of the invention is provided for clarity, and should be construed consistently with embodiments described in the detailed description below.
According to a preferred embodiment, an adhesive tape dispensing device with caulking spacer is disclosed, comprising, a body formed from a rigid material or materials, comprising a cavity with an open face, a tape well within the cavity for holding a roll of adhesive tape, and a plurality of attachment points for a caulking spacer; a tape alignment mechanism comprising at least one spring attached to the body that presses laterally against a first side of the roll of adhesive tape, the first side being the side of the roll of adhesive tape opposite the open face; and a caulking spacer attached to the open face of the body, the caulking spacer comprising a face plate, a plurality of fasteners for attachment of the plate to the body at the attachment points, and a guide attached to the face plate via a flexible linkage; wherein the lateral force of the at least one spring causes the roll of adhesive tape to be pushed toward the face plate of the caulking spacer; and wherein, when in use with the guide pressed against a second surface of an external corner, the adhesive tape may be dispensed onto a first surface of the external corner that is not perpendicular to die second surface.
According to a preferred embodiment, an adhesive tape dispensing device with a tape alignment mechanism is disclosed, comprising a body formed from a rigid material or materials comprising a cavity with an open face, a tape well within the cavity for holding a roll of adhesive tape, and a plurality of attachment points for a caulking spacer; a tape alignment mechanism comprising at least one spring attached to the body that presses laterally against the tape hub on a side proximal to a first side of the roll of adhesive tape, the first side being the side of the roll of adhesive tape opposite the face plate of the caulking spacer; and a caulking spacer attached to the open face of the body, the caulking spacer comprising a face plate, a plurality of fasteners for attachment of the plate to the body at the attachment points, and a guide attached to the face plate via a flexible linkage; wherein the lateral force of the at least one spring causes the tape hub and roll of adhesive tape to be pushed toward the face plate of the caulking spacer, and wherein, when in use with the guide pressed against a second surface of an external corner, the adhesive tape may be dispensed onto a first surface of the external corner that is not perpendicular to the second surface.
According to a preferred embodiment, an adhesive tape dispensing device with a tape alignment mechanism is disclosed, comprising: a body formed from a rigid material or materials comprising a cavity with an open face, a tape well within the cavity for holding a roll of adhesive tape, and a plurality of attachment points for a caulking spacer; a body formed from a rigid material or materials comprising a cavity with an open face, a tape well within the cavity for holding a tape hub onto which may be mounted a roll of adhesive tape, and a plurality of attachment points for a caulking spacer; and a tape alignment mechanism comprising the tape hub which comprises at least one spring attached to the tape hub that presses laterally against the body on a side proximal to a first side of the roll of adhesive tape, the first side being the side of the roll of adhesive tape opposite die face plate of the caulking spacer; the caulking spacer attached to the open face of the body, the caulking spacer comprising a face plate, a plurality of fasteners for attachment of the plate to the body at the attachment points, and a guide attached to the face plate via a flexible linkage; wherein the lateral force of die at least one spring causes the tape hub and roll of adhesive tape to be pushed toward the face plate of die caulking spacer, and wherein, when in use with the guide pressed against a second surface of an external corner, the adhesive tape may be dispensed onto a first surface of the external corner that is not perpendicular to the second surface.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, the at least one spring is a leaf spring. According to an aspect of an embodiment, the at least one leaf spring is molded or formed from the body of the device.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, the at least one leaf spring further comprises a nodular tip.
According to an aspect of an embodiment, the at least one spring is configured to be adjustable to accommodate different widths of adhesive tape.
The accompanying drawings illustrate several aspects and, together with die description, serve to explain die principles of the invention according to the aspects. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the particular arrangements illustrated in the drawings are merely exemplary, and are not to be considered as limiting of the scope of the invention or the claims herein in any way.
Accordingly, the inventor has conceived and reduced to practice, an adhesive tape dispenser with tape alignment mechanism that dispenses tape with consistent alignment along external corners, even where such corners are not square.
One or more different aspects may be described in the present application. Further, for one or more of die aspects described herein, numerous alternative arrangements may be described; it should be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting of the aspects contained herein or the claims presented herein in any way. One or more of the arrangements may be widely applicable to numerous aspects, as may be readily apparent from the disclosure. In general, arrangements are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of the aspects, and it should be appreciated that other arrangements may be utilized and that structural, logical, software, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the particular aspects. Particular features of one or more of the aspects described herein may be described with reference to one or more particular aspects or figures that form a part of the present disclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific arrangements of one or more of the aspects. It should be appreciated, however, that such features are not limited to usage in die one or more particular aspects or figures with reference to which they are described. The present disclosure is neither a literal description of all arrangements of one or more of the aspects nor a listing of features of one or more of the aspects that must be present in all arrangements.
Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the title of this patent application are for convenience only, and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
Devices that are in communication with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more communication means or intermediaries, logical or physical.
A description of an aspect with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. To the contrary, a variety of optional components may be described to illustrate a wide variety of possible aspects and in order to more fully illustrate one or more aspects. Similarly, although process steps, method steps, algorithms or the like may be described in a sequential order, such processes, methods and algorithms may generally be configured to work in alternate orders, unless specifically stated to the contrary. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described in this patent application does not, in and of itself, indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of described processes may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously despite being described or implied as occurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step is described after the other step). Moreover, the illustration of a process by its depiction in a drawing does not imply that the illustrated process is exclusive of other variations and modifications thereto, does not imply that the illustrated process or any of its steps are necessary to one or more of the aspects, and does not imply that die illustrated process is preferred. Also, steps are generally described once per aspect, but this does not mean they must occur once, or that they may only occur once each time a process, method, or algorithm is carried out or executed. Some steps may be omitted in some aspects or some occurrences, or some steps may be executed more than once in a given aspect or occurrence.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of the more than one device or article.
The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices that are not explicitly described as having such functionality or features. Thus, other aspects need not include the device itself.
Techniques and mechanisms described or referenced herein will sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it should be appreciated that particular aspects may include multiple iterations of a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism unless rioted otherwise. Process descriptions or blocks in figures should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of various aspects in which, for example, functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.
The term “adhesive tape” refers to any one of a variety of combinations of backing materials coated with an adhesive, typically in the form of a ribbon or strip. Different backing materials and adhesives can be used depending on the intended use, and the width of the tape can vary, depending on the application.
The term “roll of tape” or “tape roll” means adhesive tape that has been wound in a continuous manner around a form, such as a cardboard tube, such that the tape forms a continuous spiral around the form.
The term “tape form” means a support structure around which adhesive tape may be wound to create a tape roll. A tape form is most often a section of cardboard tubing the same width as the tape, although the tape form may be made of other materials such as plastic or metal, and is not necessarily circular in shape.
Tre term “tapered” means any object having a first width at a first end that narrows to a smaller second with a second end. Examples of a tapered shapes include, but are not limited to, cones, conical frustums, hyperboloids, paraboloids, and funnels.
The term “spring” as used herein means any spring-like device or material to which force may be applied in one direction, and which tends to resist that force by pushing back against it. In one aspect of an embodiment, a spring may be a wound metal wire, but in other embodiments, a spring may be of different forms and different materials. For example, a spring may be flexible, flat piece of metal (otherwise known as a “leaf” spring), or a tab molded into the body of the device.
It is important to note that tape is often mis-rolled, manufactured with inaccurate widths, etc.
In some embodiments, die springs may be fitted with bearings or rollers at die ends instead of nodules. In some embodiments, the tape alignment mechanism may push against the cardboard tube of the tape roll instead of pushing against the side or edge of the tape roll. In some embodiments, the alignment mechanism may guide the side or edge of a partially-dispensed portion of the tape instead of guiding the tape roll. In some embodiments, the alignment mechanism may comprise a force other than springs, such as gravity, to keep die tape aligned. In some embodiments, the tape alignment mechanism may comprised a combination of forces, such as springs and gravity, to keep the tape aligned.
The caulking spacer comprises a face plate 1221 made of a rigid material or materials which may be affixed to the open face (not visible in this perspective) of the body or shell 1211 via tabs, clips, or other fasteners 1222 which attach to the slots or other attachment points 1212. The caulking spacer 1220 may have an opening 1223 corresponding to the size and shape of the tape well 1213, which facilitates gripping of the tape dispenser 1210 with caulking spacer 1220 attached by allowing the user's fingers to be placed through the opening 1223. The thickness of the caulking spacer may vary, with the caulking spacer 1224 of this embodiment showing a thickness of ¼″. For dispensing of tape along external (i.e., convex) corners, a caulking spacer 1220 with guides or guide wings 1225 is used. Depending on die configuration, the guides 1225 may be molded onto or otherwise permanently attached to the caulking spacer 1220 or may be removable and re-attachable to the caulking spacer 1220. The guides 1225 may be offset from the caulking spacer 1220 such that the tape is dispensed not precisely at the edge of the external corner, but at a distance away from the edge that depends on the offset. The illustration here shows an embodiment without an offset.
For dispensing of tape along internal (i.e., concave) corners, the nose 1215 of the tape dispenser is pressed against a first surface while the caulking spacer is pressed against a second surface perpendicular to the first surface wherein the first and second surfaces meet at an internal (i.e., concave) corner (such as along the length of a window sill). When the user drags the tape dispenser 1210 along the first surface with the nose 1215 trailing, the tape is dispensed on the first surface at a distance of ¼″ from die second surface. Toward die end of dispensing, the user rotates the tape dispenser about the nose 1215 with the nose 1215 still pressed against the first surface, such the nose is now leading. The user pushes the nose into contact with a third surface (i.e., an internal corner now comprising the intersection of three perpendicular surfaces, such as the inside of one of the four corners of a window sill), and operates the cutting blade, which then cuts die tape at the precise length to lay the cut end of die tape exactly along the intersection between the second and third surfaces with the long edge of die tape having been applied along the intersection of the first and second surfaces at a distance of the thickness of the caulking spacer 1220. Different thicknesses of caulking spacer 1220 will cause the tape to be dispensed at different distances from the second, perpendicular surface.
For dispensing of tape along external (i.e., convex) corners, die nose 1215 of the tape dispenser is pressed against a first surface while one of the guides is pressed or held against a second surface (which may or may not be perpendicular to the first surface) wherein the first and second surfaces meet at an external (i.e., convex) corner (such as along the length of a window sill). When die user drags the tape dispenser 1210 along the first surface with the nose 1215 trailing, the tape is dispensed on the first surface at a distance of ¼″ from the second surface. Toward the end of dispensing, the user rotates the tape dispenser about the nose 1215 with the nose 1215 still pressed against the first surface, such the nose is now leading. The user pushes the nose into contact with a third surface (i.e., an internal corner now comprising the intersection of three perpendicular surfaces, such as die outside of one of the four corners of a window sill), and operates the cutting blade, which then cuts the tape at the precise length to lay the cut end of the tape exactly along the intersection between the second and third surfaces with the long edge of the tape having been applied along the intersection of the first and second surfaces at a distance of the thickness of the offset of the guides 1225 of the caulking spacer 1220. Different offsets of the guides will cause the tape to be dispensed at different distances from the second surface.
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| 2817404 | Vogt | Dec 1957 | A |
| 3125263 | Harbour | Mar 1964 | A |
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| 20150266692 | Tiedemann et al. | Sep 2015 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220111997 A1 | Apr 2022 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16168604 | Oct 2018 | US |
| Child | 17499662 | US |
