Field
The present disclosure relates to a holder for a roll of tape.
Description of the Problem/Related Art
Painting contractors often use masking tape to define boundaries of the area to be painted. A nagging problem for painters is the cumbersome use of the roll. The user holds the tape roll while pulling the desired length of tape, but must put it down when applying the tape, requiring the user to pick the roll up again to apply more tape. This results in extra movement for the painter in each tape application and can lead to misplacing the tape roll. A safety concern arises when the painter must use a ladder or must also hold multiple paintbrushes.
Heretofore, a painter would often insert his or her arm into the hole in a tape roll wearing it on the arm. For those whose hands are too big to fit through the hole, the roll would be held in a pants pocket, in a utility belt pouch, or on a utility belt hook. This still necessitates two hands to retrieve a length of tape.
A tape roll holder includes a plate from which extends a cylindrical bearing formed from two or more arcuate prongs. A cylindrical spindle dimensioned to be snugly received within an axially defined hole in the roll of tape is mounted to the bearing such that it is allowed to rotate freely. A spring clip is included to allow the holder to be worn on a belt.
The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
The various embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to
This invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics as described herein. The embodiments described above are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. The following claims rather than the foregoing description indicate the scope of the invention.
A clip plate 10 is configured with a plate 11 having first and second plate sections 24a, 24b disposed at an obtuse angle 20 with respect to each other. Both plate sections 24a, 24b comprise outward and inward planar surfaces. A spring clip 13 is disposed inward of the first plate section 24a extending roughly perpendicularly therefrom near one end of the plate 10, having a planar body disposed in parallel to the plate section 24a with a free end terminating in a flange 15. The spring clip 13 is configured to be relatively deformable but biased toward the plate 10 so that the clip 13 may be bent away from the plate 10 to be placed upon a user's belt and spring back toward the plate 10 when released. The spring clip 13 may also advantageously include one or more holes 18 defined therethrough.
A cylindrical bearing 17 extends perpendicularly away from the outward surface of the second plate section 24b. The bearing 17 is preferably bifurcated with a channel 14 bisecting the long axis thereof forming two arcuate prongs 26a, 26b. It will be appreciated that bearing may be comprised for more than two prongs 26a, 26b. The outward ends of the prongs 26a, 26b are terminated with arcuate retention flanges 19a, 19b, and each prong 26a, 26b may comprise an arcuate boss 21a, 21b surrounding their respective bases where they meet the front surface of the second plate section 24b.
The first section 24a may further comprise an opening 12 from one edge of which the spring clip 13 extends, while the second section 24b may comprise a circular opening 16 from the circumferential rim of which the prongs 26a, 26b extend.
A spindle 20 is also provided formed of a cylindrical hollow housing 23 having an open end and defining a cylindrical chamber 28 therein. The spindle 20 comprises a diameter to snugly be received within a spool of tape A. The interior of the chamber 28 may be formed with a hub 31 defining cylindrical hole 22 disposed coaxially with the housing 23 and dimensioned to receive bearing 17 such that the spindle 20 may rotate freely about the bearing 17. A plurality of support spokes 29 extend radially from the hub 31. The rim of the opening to the chamber is surrounded by a circumferential flange 25, and a plurality of raised ribs 27 extend radially along the exterior surface of the housing 23.
To use the apparatus, the spindle 20 is mounted to the bearing 17 on the clip 10 by pressing the prongs 26a, 26b toward each other and inserting both prongs 26a, 26b into the cylindrical hole 22 in the spindle 20 and pressing the spindle onto the clip 10 until the prongs 26a, 26b spring back into position. Retention flanges 19a, 19b engage the outward rim of hole 22 of the housing 23, as shown in
As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the present invention comprises a tape roll holder. While particular embodiments have been described, it will be understood, however, that any invention appertaining to the method described is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160311637 A1 | Oct 2016 | US |