Movable air-permeable-tape dispenser

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6763988
  • Patent Number
    6,763,988
  • Date Filed
    Monday, May 6, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 20, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Ashley; Boyer D.
    Agents
    • Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
Abstract
A movable air-permeable-tape dispenser. The dispenser includes a hollow cylindrical body provided with an axial long opening. A slide channel is parallelly adjacent to a first longitudinal edge of the long opening, and a stepped portion is parallelly adjacent to a second longitudinal edge of the opening. A cover is provided with a row of continuous teeth corresponding to the second longitudinal edge of the long opening and a shaft corresponding to the first longitudinal edge of the long opening. The shaft is fitted in the slide channel to enable the cover to pivotally turn about the shaft between a lifted position for a user to pull out via the long opening a length of air-permeable tape disposed in the cylindrical body.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a movable air-permeable-tape dispenser, and more particularly to an air-permeable-tape dispenser that is conveniently portable and can be easily operated to dispense any desired length of air-permeable tape for use.




A conventional movable air-permeable-tape dispenser usually includes a box having an openable flap. To use a roll of air-permeable tape positioned in the box, the flap is lifted to pull out a length of the tape via an opening of the box, and then tear the tape from the roll. The tape dispenser itself does not include any cutting means. To facilitate easy tear of the tape, the tape is provided with weakening lines at regular intervals. However, the provision of weakening lines increases the manufacturing cost of the tape and does not work effectively.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a movable air-permeable-tape dispenser that can be easily operated to dispense any desired length of air-permeable tape for use.




Another object of the present invention is to provide a movable air-permeable-tape dispenser that includes cutting means for conveniently cutting off a length of outward pulled tape, so that spaced weakening lines may be omitted from the tape to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof.




To achieve the above and other objects, the movable air-permeable-tape dispenser of the present invention mainly includes a hollow cylindrical body provided with an axial long opening, a slide channel parallelly adjacent to a first longitudinal edge of the long opening, and a stepped portion parallelly adjacent to a second longitudinal edge of the long opening; and a cover provided with a row of continuous teeth corresponding to the second longitudinal edge of the long opening and a shaft corresponding to the first longitudinal edge of the long opening. The shaft on the cover is fitted in the slide channel on the cylindrical body to enable the cover to pivotally turn about the shaft between a lifted position for a user to pull out via the long opening a length of air-permeable tape disposed in the cylindrical body, and a closed position for the outward pulled tape to be cut off with the row of teeth on the cover.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein





FIG. 1

is an assembled perspective view of a movable air-permeable-tape dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view showing the use of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a side view of

FIG. 3

; and





FIG. 5

is an assembled perspective view of a movable air-permeable-tape dispenser according to another embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Please refer to

FIGS. 1 and 2

that are assembled and exploded perspective views, respectively, of a movable air-permeable-tape dispenser according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the present invention mainly includes a hollow cylindrical body


1


having an axially extended long opening


11


provided on a circumferential surface thereof. A slide channel


12


is formed on the cylindrical body


1


in parallel with and adjacent to a first longitudinal edge of the long opening


11


, and a stepped portion


13


is formed in parallel with and adjacent to a second longitudinal edge of the long opening


11


. The opening


11


is closed with a removable cover


14


. An end of the cylindrical body


1


is formed of a removable cap


15


. A roll of air-permeable tape


2


may be disposed into the cylindrical body


1


by removing and then replacing the cap


15


.




The cover


14


has a curvature the same as that of the cylindrical body


1


, and is provided at a front edge corresponding to the second longitudinal edge of the opening


11


with a row of continuous teeth


141


and at a rear edge corresponding to the first longitudinal edge of the opening


11


with a shaft


142


. The shaft


142


is diametrically slightly smaller than the slide channel


12


on the cylindrical body


1


to be slid into and fitted in the slide channel


12


, enabling the cover


14


to pivotally turn about the shaft


142


relative to the opening


11


between a lifted position, in which the opening


11


is opened and an end-of-beginning of the roll of air-permeable tape


2


disposed in the cylindrical body


1


may be pulled outward via the opening


11


, and a closed position, in which the opening


11


is closed and the roll of air-permeable tape


2


having been outward pulled by a desired length can be cut off with the teeth


141


provided along the front edge of the cover


14


. In this manner, the air-permeable tape


2


in the cylindrical body


1


can be conveniently dispensed for use.




The cylindrical body


1


is provided at a joint of the opening


11


and an end surface opposite to the removable cap


15


with a recess


111


, which has a circumferential length smaller than a distance between the first and the second longitudinal edges of the opening


11


, and the cover


14


is formed at a transverse end corresponding to the recess


111


with an axial protrusion


143


. When the cover


14


is turned to the closed position, the protrusion


143


is fitly located in the recess


111


, and the row of teeth


141


is flatly located in the stepped portion


13


parallelly adjacent to the second longitudinal edge of the opening


11


to bear against the end-of-beginning of the air-permeable tape


2


. These arrangements allow the cover


14


to tightly close the opening


11


to facilitate easy cut-off of the air-permeable tape


2


and prevent dust from entering into the cylindrical body


1


.




Please refer to

FIGS. 3 and 4

at the same time. To use the movable air-permeable-tape dispenser of the present invention, first lift the cover


14


to separate it from the end-of-beginning of the tape


2


. A user may then pull the tape


2


outward via the opening


11


to expose a desired length of the tape


2


. The cover


14


is then closed again to bear against the tape


2


above the stepped portion


13


, and the user may tear the tape


2


along the row of teeth


141


on the cover


14


to obtain a length of the air-permeable tape


2


for use. With the cover


14


tightly closing the opening


11


after the desired length of tape


2


has been cut off, the remaining tape


2


in the cylindrical body


1


is protected from contamination by external dust and is therefore safely for use the next time.




The cylindrical body


1


is not necessarily limited to a specific length.

FIG. 5

shows another embodiment of the present invention that includes a cylindrical body


1


having an axially increased length. Thus, the present invention is adapted to contain and dispense air-permeable tapes of various width or other tapes of different materials.




With the movable air-permeable-tape dispenser of the present invention that has a cylindrical body and a pivotally turnable tooth-edged cover, the air-permeable tape can be dispensed for use in an easier and more sanitary manner.



Claims
  • 1. A moveable air-permeable-tape dispenser, comprising:a hollow cylindrical body, on a circumferential surface of which there is provided an axially extended long opening, a slide channel in parallel with and adjacent to a first longitudinal edge of said long opening, and a stepped portion in parallel with and adjacent to a second longitudinal edge of said long opening; a cover for removably closing said long opening on said cylindrical body, said cover being provided at a front edge corresponding to said second longitudinal edge of said long opening with a row of continuous teeth and at a ear edge corresponding to said first longitudinal edge of said long opening with a shaft, said shaft being diametrically slightly smaller than said slide channel on said cylindrical body to be slid into and fitted in said slide channel, so that said cover pivots about said slide channel relative to said long opening between a lifted position, in which said long opening is opened and an end-of-beginning of a roll of air-permeable tape disposed in said cylindrical body is pulled outwards via said long opening, and a closed position, in which said long opening is closed and the roll of air-permeable tape having outwardly pulled by a desired length is cut off with said teeth provided along the front edge of said cover; and wherein said cylindrical body is provided at a joint of said long opening and an end surface of said cylindrical body with a recess, which has a circumferential length smaller than a distance between said first and second longitudinal edges of said long opening, and said cover being formed at a transverse end corresponding to said recess with an axial protrusion, which is fitly located in said recess when said cover is turned to said closed position.
  • 2. The movable air-permeable-tape dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cover has a curvature the same as that of said cylindrical body to fitly close said long opening for said cylindrical body to have an integral appearance.
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