Claims
- 1. A tape dispensing apparatus comprising:
a frame with a tape supply section for holding a tape supply therein, and a tape dispensing opening for dispensing tape from the apparatus; and a tape marking assembly connected to the frame for marking the tape dispensed from the tape dispensing opening of the apparatus, the tape marking assembly being pivotably mounted to the frame for pivoting relative to the frame between an operating position, and a non-operating position of the tape marking assembly; wherein the tape marking assembly includes at least one control arm extending between the tape marking assembly and the frame, the at least one control arm being spring loaded for biasing the tape marking assembly towards the operating position of the assembly, the at least one control arm bias on the tape marking assembly increasing as the assembly is pivoted towards the operating position.
- 2. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tape marking assembly comprises a support section, the at least one control arm being pivotably mounted to the support section for pivoting relative to the support section when the tape marking assembly is pivoted between the operating position and the non-operating position.
- 3. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the tape marking assembly comprises a spring extending between the at least one control arm and the support section, the spring being in a first position when the tape marking assembly is in the non-operating position, and being resiliently deflected by the at least one control arm from the first position to a second position when the tape marking assembly is moved from the non-operating position to the operating position.
- 4. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the at least one control arm has a cam surface thereon which moves on a cam roller mounted to the frame when the tape marking assembly is moved between the non-operating and operating positions, the cam surface being shaped so that as the tape marking assembly is moved from the non-operating position to the operating position, the at least one control arm is cammed away from the support section by the cam roller increasing the resilient deflection in the spring.
- 5. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein the at least one control arm has a stop surface located at an end of the camming surface, the stop surface being engaged by the cam roller when the tape marking assembly is in the non-operating position, and wherein the control arm has a detent located at another end of the camming surface, the cam roller engaging the detent when the tape marking assembly is in the operating position.
- 6. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tape marking assembly has a pair of control arms.
- 7. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the tape marking assembly comprises an ink supply roller for holding an ink supply therein, a tape marking drum assembly for applying markings to the tape, and a ink transfer roller for transferring ink from the ink supply roller to the tape marking roller.
- 8. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein when the tape marking assembly is in the operating position, the tape marking drum assembly is disposed in the frame to contact the tape in the apparatus.
- 9. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the ink supply roller and the tape marking drum assembly are removably mounted to the support section, and wherein when the tape marking assembly is in the non-operating position, the ink supply roller and the tape marking drum assembly are disposed relative to the frame so that the ink supply roller and the tape marking roller are accessible for removal from the support section.
- 10. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the tape marking drum assembly has an adjustable width, the width of the tape marking drum assembly being adjusted to correspond to a width of the tape dispensed from the apparatus.
- 11. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the tape marking drum assembly comprises:
a support pin; a pair of end plates removably mounted on the support pin; and a predetermined number of disk elements removably mounted on the support pin, the disk elements being stacked side by side on the support pin to form a drum captured between the end plates; wherein the predetermined number of disk elements mounted on the support pin depends on a width of the tape being dispensed from the apparatus.
- 12. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein the tape marking drum assembly further comprises a pair of springs mounted on the support pin, one spring from the pair of springs being mounted between each end plate and the stacked disk elements so that the pair of springs bias the stacked disk elements together.
- 13. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein the stacked disk elements define grooves around an outer circumference of the drum.
- 14. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 13, the tape marking drum assembly further comprises a belt adapted to be disposed around the outer circumference of the drum, the belt having grooves formed therein which mate with the grooves in the outer circumference of the drum when the belt is disposed around the drum.
- 15. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein each disk element has a protruding lip conforming to a recess of an adjoining disk element when the disk elements are stacked together, the protruding lip and recess forming a rabbet fit between the adjoining disk elements when stacked together, and allowing adjoining disk element to telescope away from each other along the support pin.
- 16. A tape dispensing apparatus comprising:
a frame with a tape supply section for holding a tape supply therein, and a tape dispensing opening for dispensing tape from the apparatus; a housing covering the frame; and a tape coder assembly mounted to the frame for coding the tape dispensed from the tape dispensing opening, the tape coder assembly comprising a coding media supply element for holding a coding media supply, and a code applicator for applying coding media from the supply element to the tape, the tape coder assembly being movably mounted to the frame for moving relative to the frame between a first position and a second position; wherein in the first position the tape coder assembly is located within the housing, and in the second position at least part of the tape coder assembly projects outside the housing so that the supply element and code applicator are accessible to a user.
- 17. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 16, wherein the tape coder assembly includes a support frame, the supply element and code applicator being removably mounted to the support frame.
- 18. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 16, wherein the code applicator comprises:
a support pin; a pair of end plates removably mounted on the support pin; and a predetermined number of disk elements removably mounted on the support pin, the disk elements being stacked side by side on the support pin to form a drum captured between the end plates; wherein the predetermined number of disk elements mounted on the support pin depends on a width of the tape being dispensed from the apparatus.
- 19. A tape dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 16, wherein in the first position the tape coder assembly is disposed so that the code applicator contacts the tape in the apparatus.
- 20. A tape coding device for forming a code on a tape, comprising:
a support frame; a coding media supply element removably mounted to the support frame for holding a supply of coding media therein, the coding media supply element having first lock tabs for locking the supply element to the support frame, wherein the first lock tabs are turnable relative to the support frame between a first position and a second position, the first lock tabs being turned to the first position to install and remove the supply element from the support frame, and being turned to the second position to lock the supply element to the support frame; and a code applicator removably mounted to the support frame for applying coding media from the supply element to the tape and forming the code on the tape when the tape is moved on the code applicator, the code applicator having second lock tabs for locking the code applicator to the support frame, wherein the second lock tabs are turnable relative to the support frame between a first position and a second position of the second lock tabs, the second lock tabs being turned to the first position to install and remove the code applicator from the support frame, and being turned to the second position to lock the code applicator to the support frame.
- 21. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 20, wherein the support frame has grooves for mounting the supply element to the support frame, wherein each of the first lock tabs is connected to a corresponding slide member mounted to the supply element and disposed in a corresponding one of the grooves in the frame, and wherein when each first lock tab is turned from the first position to the second position, the corresponding slide member is turned from a first orientation to a second orientation relative to the groove.
- 22. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 21, wherein each slide member on the supply element is free to slide along the corresponding groove in the first orientation, and each slide member is prevented from sliding along the corresponding groove in the second orientation.
- 23. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 20, wherein the support frame has grooves for mounting the code applicator to the support frame, wherein each of the second lock tabs is connected to a corresponding slide member mounted to the code applicator and disposed in a corresponding one of the grooves in the frame, and wherein when each second lock tab is turned from the first position to the second position, the corresponding slide member is turned from a first orientation to a second orientation relative to the groove.
- 24. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 23, wherein each slide member on the code applicator is free to slide along the corresponding groove in the first orientation, and each slide member is prevented from sliding along the corresponding groove in the second orientation.
- 25. A tape coding device for forming a code on a tape, comprising:
a support frame; a coding media supply element removably mounted to the support frame for holding a supply of coding media therein; and a code applicator removably mounted to the support frame for applying coding media from the supply element to the tape and forming the code on the tape; wherein the support frame has a first channel therein, and the supply element has a slide member depending therefrom, the slide member being located in the channel when the supply element is mounted to the frame, the slide member being turnable in the channel relative to the support frame from a first orientation to a second orientation, wherein in the first orientation the slide member is free to slide along the first channel, and in the second orientation the slide member is clamped in the channel preventing the slide member from sliding along the channel.
- 26. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 25, wherein the slide member is turned in the channel between the first orientation and the second orientation to lock and unlock the supply element to the support frame.
- 27. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 25, wherein the slide member of the supply element is rotatably mounted on a shaft depending from the supply element so that the supply element rotates freely relative to the slide member.
- 28. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 25, wherein the support frame comprises a spring, the spring being resiliently deflected by the supply element when the supply element is installed in the support frame, the resiliently deflected spring biasing the supply element in a direction along the first channel.
- 29. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 25, wherein the support frame has a second channel therein, and the code applicator has a slide member depending from the code applicator, the slide member of the code applicator being located in the second channel when the code applicator is mounted to the support frame, the code applicator slide member being turnable in the second channel relative to the frame from a first orientation to a second orientation of the code applicator slide member, wherein in the first orientation the code applicator slide member is free to slide along the second channel, and in the second orientation the code applicator slide member is clamped in the second channel preventing the code applicator slide member from sliding along the second channel and locking the code applicator to the support frame.
- 30. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the second channel has an enlarged pocket at one end, the code applicator slide member being disposed in the enlarged pocket when the code applicator is installed in the support frame, and wherein in the second orientation the slide member forms an interference with an adjoining portion of the second channel.
- 31. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the code applicator slide member is rotatably mounted on a shaft depending from the code applicator so that the code applicator is free to rotate relative to the slide member of the code applicator.
- 32. A tape coding device in accordance with claim 25, further comprising a coding media transfer element mounted to the support frame for transferring coding media from the coding media supply element to the code applicator.
- 33. A tape dispensing apparatus comprising the tape coding device in accordance with claim 32.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/228,529, filed Aug. 28, 2000, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60228529 |
Aug 2000 |
US |