Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to tape dispensers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a braking or brake assembly for a tape dispenser. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to brake spokes having a unique configuration for applying a braking force.
Background Information
Adhesive tape is typically provided on a hub and is configured to be unwound therefrom to dispense the tape. Additionally, the adhesive tape is typically housed in a hand-held tape dispenser.
Issues continue to exist with hand-held tape dispensers. Particularly, as the tape is dispensed, it may over-rotate. The over-rotation of tape unwinding from the hub may cause tape to be wasted for the given taping task. Or, the over rotation may cause the tape to become knotted.
Some prior art has attempted to cure the over-rotation of tape during dispensing by providing ways to frictionally engage the unwinding tape to effectuate a braking force. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,474 (the '474 patent) discloses a tape dispenser brake mechanism utilizing an inwardly extending brake spoke configured to contact the annular hub of a roll of tape. The '474 patent further discloses that the brake spoke extends into an annular void defined between an outer surface and an inner surface on the hub. Nothing in the '474 patent suggests that the brake spoke or one of the arcuate ribs contact the tape sidewall defined by the roll of tape.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,062 (the '062 patent) is prior art and utilizes a depressible and flexible sidewall to act as a brake to slow a roll of wound tape on a hub rotating about an axle. The '062 patent indicates that the inside surface of the sidewall contacts both the hub and the wound roll of tape. Notably, the '062 patent does not utilize brake spokes, however it does use guide spokes (but they do not provide any braking effect). The guide spokes of the '062 patent are used to fit within the annular void positioned between the outer portion and the inner portion of the hub. Thus, they guide the tape hub and are not configured to stop the hub with a braking force.
Issues continue to exist with dispensing tape and the prior art braking means. As such, the present disclosure provides a solution that improves the braking effect to effectively stop the unwinding of tape from the dispenser.
In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a tape dispenser comprising a brake spoke tapering (i.e., narrowing) from a distal radial end to a proximal radial end relative to a tape rotational axis, wherein the brake spoke effectuates the braking of wound adhesive tape on a hub by contacting the adhesive tape and hub simultaneously.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a tape dispenser comprising: a first side member and an opposing second side member; an axle extending between the first and second side members defining a hub axis; a hub carrying wound adhesive tape therearound configured to be unwound and dispensed, and the hub positioned concentric around the axle to rotate about the hub axis; a first brake spoke extending from a first inner surface on the first side member; and a tapered wall on the first brake spoke, wherein when the first side member is flexed, the tapered wall effectuates braking of the adhesive tape and the hub.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method dispensing wound tape and braking the same comprising the steps of: dispensing adhesive tape wound around a hub from a tape dispenser having brake spokes extending inwardly in a cantilevered manner from opposing side members; flexing the opposing side members inwardly towards each other; and contacting a tapered end wall on each brake spoke with the wound adhesive tape, the hub, or both simultaneously to effectuate braking of the adhesive tape wound around the hub.
In another aspect, an embodiment of present disclosure may provide a tape dispensing system comprising: a new wound roll of adhesive tape carried by a hub, the wound roll of adhesive tape defining an annular sidewall concentric with a hub axis; and a brake spoke carried by a side member on a tape dispenser, wherein the roll of adhesive tape is disposed within the tape dispenser, and the brake spoke is aligned to extend entirely along the annular sidewall and adapted to contact the annular sidewall to impart a braking force after tape is unwound from the roll.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a method comprising: providing a new wound roll of adhesive tape carried by a tape dispenser including a brake spoke extending cantilevered form a side member, wherein the brake spoke is at least as long as an annular sidewall of the wound roll of adhesive tape prior to dispensing the roll from the tape dispenser; pulling a portion of the adhesive tape to unwind a portion of tape; and engaging the brake spoke with the annular sidewall to impart a braking force to slow the adhesive tape from unwinding.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a tape dispenser comprising: a first side member and an opposing second side member; an axle extending between the first and second side members defining a hub axis; a hub carrying wound adhesive tape therearound configured to be unwound and dispensed, and the hub positioned concentric around the axle to rotate about the hub axis; a first brake spoke extending from a first inner surface on the first side member and a free end wall on the first brake spoke, wherein when the first side member is flexed, and the end wall effectuates braking of the adhesive tape and the hub by contacting one of the following (i) the adhesive tape, (ii) the hub, and (iii) the adhesive tape and the hub simultaneously; and an imaginary radial line extending radially from the hub axis, wherein the imaginary radial line intersects the first brake spoke at two points. In this embodiment, the brake spoke may have an arcuate profile. Or, the imaginary radial line may intersect the brake spoke at first and second ends. Or, the imaginary radial line may not intersect an intermediate portion of the brake spoke. This embodiment may also include a plurality of brake spokes, wherein the first brake spoke is one brake spoke forming the plurality of brake spokes, wherein the imaginary radial line only intersects the first brake spoke. There may be a second brake spoke adjacent the first brake spoke, wherein the imaginary radial line intersects the second brake spoke at least once. In fact, the imaginary radial line may intersect the second brake spoke twice.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a tape dispenser comprising: a first side member and an opposing second side member; an axle extending between the first and second side members defining a hub axis; a hub carrying wound adhesive tape therearound configured to be unwound and dispensed, and the hub positioned concentric around the axle to rotate about the hub axis; a first brake spoke extending from a first inner surface on the first side member and a free end wall on the first brake spoke, wherein when the first side member is flexed, and the end wall effectuates braking of the adhesive tape and the hub by contacting one of the following (i) the adhesive tape, (ii) the hub, and (iii) the adhesive tape and the hub simultaneously; and an imaginary radial line extending radially from the hub axis, wherein the imaginary radial line intersects the first brake spoke at only one point.
A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are fully incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
As depicted in
The first and second side members 16, 18 are aligned side-by-side and meet at a parting line or union 22 defining the longitudinally aligned center plane 24. Longitudinal center plane 24 may also be referred to as a longitudinal axis.
When assembled, hub 14 is concentric about a hub axis 26 which is orthogonal to longitudinal center plane 24. The hub axis 26 may also be referred to as a transverse axis 26. As will be described in greater detail below, the roll of adhesive tape 12 is configured to dispense tape from dispenser 10 as hub 14 rotates about hub axis 26.
The first side member includes a first surface 28 opposite a second surface 30 (
With continued reference to
As depicted in
Each side member has a plurality of brake spokes 42 extending inwardly in a cantilevered manner from a rigid connection with a respective inner surface. More particularly, a first set of brake spokes 42A are connected to inner surface 30 on first side member 16. A second set of brake spokes 42B connect to the inner surface 34 of second side member 18.
The brake spokes 42 can be configured in a number of different ways to impart a braking force to the hub 14, or impart a braking force to the adhesive tape wound around hub 14, or a combination of simultaneously imparting a braking force to the hub 14 and to the adhesive tape 12. The brake spokes 42 may have a length oriented radially relative to hub axis 26 that spans from inner cylindrical wall 38 on hub 14 to the radial outermost portion of adhesive tape 12 in an assembled position.
With continued reference to
The brake spokes of
As depicted in
With continued reference to
As depicted in
As depicted in
The length associated with brake spokes 42G, 42H relative to hub axis 26 would correspond to brake spokes that would contact the adhesive tape 12 and the hub 14 simultaneously. Stated otherwise, the radial length along imaginary radial line 58 associated with brake spokes 42G, 42H would correspond to that generally equal to radius R2 less radius R1.
In operation and with reference to
Tape dispenser 10 encourages an operator to depress the first side member 16 and the second side member 18 at its center along axis 26. Accordingly, the proximal portions of the first and second side members 16, 18 that are closer to the transverse hub axis 26 deflect more than the distal portions of the same wall of a respective side member. Because the proximal portions of the side member wall deflect more than the distal portions, the tapered terminal end wall 70 of the brake spoke 42 contacts annular side wall 76 defined by the wound adhesive tape 12 and the hub side wall 78 simultaneously as indicated in
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, brake spokes 42 provide advantages over previously known braking mechanisms on tape dispensers because during the manufacture of the tape and hub, there are tolerance variations in the tape and the tape hub. Thus, if the tape hub transverse width is not equal to the tape transverse width (i.e. less than or greater than), then the brake spokes 42 having a tapered terminal end wall 70 will compensate in the event the adhesive tape width is not exactly equal with the transverse hub width. Furthermore, even when the tape leaves a manufacturing facility from Asia bound for the United States, it is typically shipped via shipping container. The long container shipping transport of tape rolls are often in hot conditions which make it possible for the rolled adhesive tape to be conically displaced in even small increments. The tape dispenser 10 having a taper end wall 70 on brake 42 overcomes deformities in the roll of adhesive tape and still enables the tape dispenser 10 to brake the unwinding of adhesive tape 12 unwinding from hub 14.
The radial length of brake spoke 42A and brake spoke 42B is identified by radially aligned linear dimension 80 which is equal to the tape adhesive roll less radius R1 of the inner cylindrical member of hub 14. Dimension 80 may be in a range of about one-half inch to about one inch. Linear dimension 80 is the length of the radially aligned annular sidewall defined by the wound adhesive tape when the tape is new and unused.
As depicted in the transverse cross-section of
While the brake spokes identified in
As depicted in the transverse cross-section of
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of the preferred embodiment of the disclosure are an example and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20180118498 A1 | May 2018 | US |