STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
n/a
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and system for applying an adhesive product having a liner to a surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Adhesive tape is commonly used to mark surfaces, such as floor tape used for sports court marking, staging, safety markings, and for marking walkways and aisles. In addition to being less permanent and less expensive than paint, floor tape is durable and available in a variety of colors and materials. However, floor tape commonly includes a non-adhesive liner of paper or similar material affixed to the tape's adhesive side, which can make application tedious. That is, as the tape is applied to a surface, the person applying the tape must simultaneously remove the liner. If the liner is not rolled up or otherwise collected as the tape is applied, the liner can easily hinder tape application.
Tape dispensers or applicators are frequently used with many kinds of tape, such as packing tape, mailing tape, and other linerless adhesive tape. Despite the variety of tape dispensers available, these existing applicators fail to provide for application of tape with a liner, such as floor tape. Existing floor tape applicators allow the user to stand up when applying the adhesive product to the floor, but are designed to be used with self-wound linerless tape. It is therefore desirable to provide an adhesive tape applicator that takes up or retains the liner as the floor tape is applied, and does not cause the liner to lag, bunch, sag, or tear.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention advantageously provides an apparatus for applying an adhesive product having an adhesive layer and a liner, and method for assembling the apparatus. In one embodiment, the apparatus may generally include a first wheel and a first rod rotationally coupled to and spaced a distance apart from the first wheel. Rotation of the first wheel winds liner of the adhesive product about the first rod. The first wheel and first rod may be rotationally coupled by a belt. Further, the apparatus may include a first pulley coupled to the first wheel and a second pulley coupled to the first rod, and the belt may be in contact with at least a portion of each of the first and second pulleys. The apparatus may further include a shaft and a base, and the first wheel may be rotatably coupled to the base. The apparatus may further include a second wheel rotatably coupled to the base and a handle coupled to the shaft, and the second wheel may further be pivotally coupled to the base. The apparatus may further include a second rod and a first rod sleeve disposed about a least a portion of the first rod, and at least a portion of the first rod sleeve may be adhesive. The adhesive product may be disposed about at least a portion of the second rod and the liner of the adhesive product may be wound around the first rod sleeve as the first wheel rotates. The liner of the adhesive product may be wound about the first rod sleeve at approximately the same rate as the adhesive layer of the adhesive product is applied to a surface, such as a floor. The apparatus may further include a first rod housing and second rod housing coupled to the shaft, and the first rod housing may be slidably engaged with the shaft, the first rod being rotatably coupled to the first rod housing and the second rod being removably and rotatably coupled to the second rod housing.
In another embodiment, the apparatus may generally include a base, a first wheel and a second wheel each rotatably coupled to the base, a shaft coupled to the base, a tape reel rotatably coupled to the shaft, a liner reel rotatably coupled to the shaft, and a belt rotationally coupling the first wheel and liner reel such that a number of rotations of the first wheel is substantially equal to the number of rotations of the liner reel when the adhesive product applicator is operated.
The method for assembling the apparatus for applying an adhesive product to a surface may generally include coupling a first housing and a second housing to a shaft having a longitudinal axis, rotatably coupling a first rod and first pulley to the first housing, the first rod and first pulley being substantially coaxial, rotatably coupling a second rod to the second housing, rotatably coupling a first wheel and a second pulley to a frame, the first wheel and second pulley being substantially coaxial, coupling the shaft to the frame such that the first housing is a greater longitudinal distance from the frame than the second housing, and rotationally coupling the first pulley and second pulley with a resilient belt, such that the rotational speed of the first rod is substantially the same as the rotational speed of the first wheel. The method may further comprise rotatably coupling a second wheel to the frame. The method may further comprise disposing a first sleeve about at least a portion of the first rod and disposing a second sleeve about at least a portion of the second rod, and at least a portion of the first sleeve may be adhesive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an adhesive product applicator constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a side view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a liner take-up reel and take-up housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an adhesive product applicator that includes a take-up reel for the collection and retention of waste liner from the roll of an adhesive product during application. For example, the applicator may be used to apply floor tape having a liner composed of paper, plastic, rubber, or other material. The adhesive product, such as floor tape, may be disposed or packaged in a typical manner, such as in a roll having a center aperture (i.e. a roll of tape). Referring now to FIG. 1, an example of an adhesive product applicator 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown. This applicator 10 may generally include base 12, a shaft 14, a tape reel 16, and a take-up reel 18.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the base 12 may include a frame 20 and one or more wheels. For example, the base 12 may include a first wheel 22 and a second wheel 24. The wheels 22 and 24 may be rotatably coupled to the base 12 by one or more screws, shafts, axles, or other means for connecting a non-rotating structure to a wheel at the wheel's axis of rotation. The applicator 10 may include a single first wheel 22 and a single second wheel 24, or the applicator 10 may have other wheel configurations, such as two wheels in the front of the applicator 10 or two wheels in the rear of the applicator 10. Further, the one or more wheels may be single, double, or compound wheels. The second wheel 24 may be non-pivotally coupled to the base 12 or, alternatively, the second wheel 24 may be pivotally coupled to allow movement of the applicator 10 in nonlinear directions (for example, the second wheel 24 may be a caster or sphere). Alternatively, the second wheel 24 may be non-pivotally coupled to the base 12, but at least a portion of the base 12 may be pivotal and/or steerable.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the tape reel 16 may be removably and rotatably coupled to a tape reel housing 26, which, in turn, may be coupled to the applicator shaft 14. The tape reel 16 may include a center rod 28 that is seated within two slots 30 in the tape reel housing 26, the tape reel 16 thus is easily removable for replacement of the adhesive product roll 32. The tape reel housing 26 is sized to accommodate a roll of adhesive product 32, such as floor tape (as shown and described in FIG. 3). The take-up reel 18 may include a center rod 34 and be rotatably coupled to the take-up reel housing 36, which, in turn, may be coupled to the shaft 14. The take-up reel housing 36 may be affixed to a point on the shaft 14 that is higher than the point at which the tape reel housing 26 is affixed. Therefore, there may be a greater longitudinal distance between the base 12 and the center rod of the take-up reel 18 than between the base 12 and the center rod 28 of the tape reel 16.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the applicator 10 may further include a belt 38 that rotationally couples the first wheel 22 to the take-up reel 18, causing the first wheel 22 and take-up reel 18 to rotate at substantially the same speed. The belt 38 may be coupled to the first wheel 22 and the take-up reel 18 using a V belt pulley 40 or similar device (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). Alternatively, the belt 38 may have a sufficient thickness such that, when coupled to the V belt pulley 40, at least a portion of the belt is in contact with the floor when the applicator 10 is in use. Alternatively, the belt 38 may be directly coupled to the first wheel 22, such as being seated within a groove in the first wheel 22 or around the outer circumference of the first wheel 22 (not shown), such that at least a portion of the belt 38 is in contact with the floor when the applicator 10 is in use. Further, the belt may be composed of rubber or similar material that provides traction, and the belt 38 may be resilient or stretchable to facilitate mounting the belt 38 between the V belt pulleys 40.
A first V belt pulley 40 and the take-up reel 18 may be substantially coaxial, and a second V belt pulley 40 and the first wheel 22 may be substantially coaxial. The first wheel 22 and the take-up reel 18 may have the same diameter, which allows the liner 42 of the adhesive product 32 to be taken up by the take-up reel 18 at the same speed as the first wheel 22 is moving along the ground and, therefore, the same speed at which the adhesive product 32 is being applied. For example, for every one inch of adhesive product 32 applied to the ground, approximately one inch of liner 42 will be taken up and retained by the take-up reel 18. Thus, the liner 42 is continuously removed from the adhesive product 32 without lagging, bunching, sagging, or tearing. In general, the liner 42 may be non-adhesive material whereas at least one side of the adhesive product is adhesive. For example, the adhesive product may be composed of latex, vinyl, paper, cloth, paper, or plastic.
A side view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 is described with reference to FIG. 2. The applicator 10 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as the applicator 10 shown in FIG. 1. However, FIG. 2 shows the position of the tape reel 16 and take-up reel 18 in the tape reel housing 26 and take-up reel housing 36, respectively, with the reels 16, 18 being depicted in dashed lines. The applicator 10 may have any dimensions suited for the application of an adhesive product 32. As a non-limiting example, the belt 38 may be coupled to the take-up reel 18 and first wheel 22 using two V belt pulleys 40, for example, two inches in diameter, the pulleys 40 being coupled to the first wheel 22 and take-up reel 18 but being accessible on an outside surface of the base 12 and take-up reel housing 36 (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The first wheel 22 and take-up reel 18 may have the same diameter, just as the V belt pulleys 40 coupled to each may have the same diameter. The tape reel 16 may also have the same diameter as the first wheel 22 and take-up reel 18. Further, the tape reel 16 and take-up reel 18 may each include a center rod 28, 34 (for example, eight inches by three-quarters inch) and optionally a sleeve 44, 46 disposed about the center rod 28, 34 (for example, three inches in diameter), and may be affixed to the tape reel housing 26 and take-up reel housing 36, respectively, with hardware such as a bushing 48 and screw 50 on either end of the center rod 28, 34, as shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. The rod sleeves 44, 46 may be sized to pass through the center opening of the adhesive product roll 32 being used. Further, at least a portion of the outer surface of the take-up reel sleeve 46 may be adhesive so that the liner 42 adheres to the take-up sleeve 46, which may prevent the liner 42 from slipping off the take-up reel sleeve 46 when the liner 42 is first fed into the take-up reel 18. The tape reel housing 26 and take-up reel housing 36 each may be, for example, five inches in height and length and six inches in width. The belt 38 may be any length that will allow it to be seated in both V belt pulleys 40 without there being slack in the belt 38 (for example, the belt 38 may be a 41-inch belt, but the length will depend on the distance between the first wheel 22 and the take-up reel 18). It will be understood, however, that the applicator 10 may have any measurements and dimensions suitable for applying an adhesive product 32 with a liner 42.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, the shaft 14 may be affixed to the base 12 at an angle other than 90°. For example, the shaft 14 may be affixed to the base 12 at an acute angle, for example, 65°, with the shaft 14 being angled toward the first wheel 22 (as shown in FIG. 2) to facilitate forward movement in the direction of the second wheel 24. The shaft 14 may have a handle 56 and an adjustable height to comfortably accommodate a variety of users. Further, the shaft 14 may include a plurality of apertures 52 through which one or more screws 54, such as for example, thumb screws or hand knobs may be passed to couple the take-up reel housing 36 to the shaft 14. For example, the take-up reel housing may also include one or more apertures or slots 55 and a flange or cuff portion that is disposed about at least a portion of the shaft 14 (as shown in FIG. 1) and coupled to the shaft 14 by one or more screws 54 engaged with the shaft apertures 52 and take-up reel housing apertures/slots 55. Thus, the height of the take-up reel housing 36 may be adjusted by repositioning the screws 54 or housing 26, for example, to re-tension the belt 38 as it becomes stretched over time. Alternatively, the take-up reel housing may be permanently affixed directly to a portion of the shaft 14. The tape reel housing 26 may include two slots 30 in which the tape reel center rod 28 may be seated. Although the frame 20 and handle 56 of the applicator 10 can be made of metal, the invention is not limited to such. It is contemplated that other materials, such as graphite, plastic, and the like may be used.
In use, the adhesive product roll 32 may be disposed about the tape reel 16 and the adhesive layer may be fed to the first wheel 22, passing beneath the first wheel 22 with the adhesive side 58 toward the surface (and non-adhesive side 60 in contact with the first wheel 22). The weight of the applicator 10 and first wheel 22 may provide pressure required to securely affix a pressure sensitive adhesive product 32 to the surface. The liner 42 may be simultaneously fed to the take-up reel 18. As the applicator 10 is pushed or moved in a forward direction, e.g., in the direction of the second wheel 24, depicted by arrow 62 in FIG. 2, the waste liner 42 is wound about the take-up reel 18, depicted by arrow 64, at the same rate as the adhesive product is applied to the surface, depicted by arrows 66. The applicator 10 separates the liner 42 from the adhesive tape 32, thus applying the adhesive tape 32 to a surface while simultaneously taking up and retaining the liner 42. When application of the adhesive tape 32 is finished, the waste liner 42 now wound about the take-up reel 18, may be discarded. For example, the take-up reel sleeve 46 and/or center rod 28 may be disposable and discarded with the waste liner 42, or the waste liner 42 may be removed from the take-up reel 18 before being discarded.
Now referring to FIG. 3, an exploded view of a liner take-up reel 18 and take-up reel housing 36 is shown. As shown and described in FIG. 2, the liner take-up reel 18 may include a center rod, a rod sleeve, two bushings, two screws, and a V belt pulley 40. The belt 38 may have a “V” or inverted triangle cross-sectional shape for optimal seating within the V belt pulley 40, and so on. Alternatively, a flat belt 38 may be used.
Existing floor adhesive product applicators having at least one wheel can be retrofitted as shown and described herein to allow the use of linered adhesive products. An exemplary applicator 10 of the present invention synchronizes the applicator wheel with the take-up reel 18 so that the liner 42 may be continuously and neatly wound about the take-up reel 18 as the adhesive product is applied from the adhesive product roll 32 on the tape reel 16. For example, the liner take-up reel 18 with take-up reel housing 36 shown in FIG. 3 may be affixed to an existing floor adhesive product applicator. The take-up reel housing 36 may be screwed onto a portion the existing applicator, such as a shaft. In fact, the take-up reel housing 36 may be affixed to any portion of an existing applicator from which rotational coupling of a wheel of the existing applicator and the take-up reel 18 would not be hindered. Further, although synchronization between the take-up reel 18 and the tape application wheel is described herein as a belt, the invention is not limited to such. It is contemplated that gears or synchronized electric (battery or house current powered) motors can be used.
An applicator 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention may be sold as an assembled apparatus or as a kit including individual components for later assembly. As a non-limiting example, the applicator 10 may be assembled by coupling the tape reel housing 26 and take-up reel housing 36 to the shaft, such as by using hardware such as nuts, bolts, washers, bushings, and/or screws. For example, the apertures 55 of each housing 26 and 36 may be aligned with one or more of the shaft apertures 52 and secured with screws. The take-up reel housing 36 may be coupled to the shaft 14 using thumb screws or the like, so a user can easily adjust the height of the take-up reel housing 36. The take-up reel 18, including center rod 34 and sleeve 46, and a V belt pulley 40 may be coupled to the take-up reel housing 36 as shown in FIG. 3, such that the center rod 34 and V belt pulley 40 are substantially coaxial. The tape reel 26, including the center rod 28 and sleeve 44, may be assembled likewise, except that the tape reel center rod 28 may be seated within two slots 30 in the tape reel housing 26. The first wheel 22 and a V belt pulley 40 may be rotatably coupled to the base 12, such as to the frame 20, using hardware such as nuts, bolts, washers, bushings, and/or screws, such that the center rod 28 and V belt pulley 40 are substantially coaxial. The shaft 14 may then be coupled to the base 12, such as to the frame, using similar hardware. Finally, the belt 38 may then be stretched over the V belt pulley 40 of each of the take-up reel 18 and first wheel 22. In another embodiment, the belt 38 first may be positioned around at least a portion of each V belt pulley 40 and then the V belt pulleys 40 may be affixed to the applicator 10. Additionally, the second wheel 24 may be rotatably coupled to the base 12, such as to the frame 20.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.
Patent Application
20130186570
