US20040124305A1

US20040124305A1 - Tape dispenser with capacity of preventing tape being drawn back

Info

Publication number: US20040124305A1
Application number: US10/330,103
Authority: US
Inventors: Harrison Huang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-12-30
Filing date: 2002-12-30
Publication date: 2004-07-01

Abstract

A tape dispenser comprises a main body, a cutter mounted on the main body, a tape roll mount disposed on the main body to mount a tape roll thereon for rotation and six friction devices around the tape roll mount device. Each of the friction devices has a flexible arm and a block. The arm is disposed on the main body closing to the tape roll mount and the block is disposed on the arm to be in contact with the tape roll. The arm has a proximal end, which connects to the main body, and a distal end, which is suspended, and an orientation of the arm from the proximal end to the distal end is along a rotating orientation of the tape roll while user draws a tape of the tape roll out.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a tape dispenser, and more particularly to a tape dispenser having capacity of preventing tape being drawn back.

2. Description of the Related Art

Tape dispensers are used in many fields, such as packing work or desk work, to seal something or to stick something. In use, user has to draw a tape out from a tape roll mounted on a tape dispenser and stick it onto a specific object, and then cut the tape of by a cutter on the dispenser.

Sometime when the cutter cut the tape off, a tension of the tape will make the tape roll rotating backwards and make a tail of the tape running back on the tape roll and stick thereon. Sometime the tape roll also will rotate backwards because of its own weight or exerted by an unexpected force. User has to draw the tail of the tape again for next time user that is very inconvenient to user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tape dispenser, which has capacity of preventing the tail of the tape being drawn back under unexpected conditions.

According to the objective of the present invention, a tape dispenser comprises a main body, a cutter mounted on the main body, a tape roll mount disposed on the main body to mount a tape roll thereon for rotation and at least a friction device having a flexible arm and a block. The arm of the friction device is disposed on the main body closing to the tape roll mount and the block is disposed on the arm to be in contact with the tape roll. The arm has a proximal end, which connects to the main body, and a distal end, which is suspended, and an orientation of the arm from the proximal end to the distal end is along a rotating orientation of the tape roll while a tape of the tape roll is drawn out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0008]
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0009]
FIG. 3 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0010]
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing friction devices working on a tape roll when tape is drawn out and the tape roll is running forwards, and [0011]
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the friction devices working on a tape roll when the tape roll is running backwards.[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Please refer to FIGS. from FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a tape dispenser of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is the type of tape dispenser normally used in desk work, which mainly comprises a [0013] main body 10, a cutter 20, a tape roll mount 30 and a plurality of friction devices 40, wherein
The [0014] main body 10 of the present preferred embodiment consists of a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 combining under a detachable condition. The main body 10 has a tape roll receiving portion 13 at a rear side thereof, a cutter mount 14 at a front side thereof and a gap 15 between the tape roll receiving portion 13 and the cutter mount 14. The cutter 20 is secured on the cutter mount 14.
The [0015] tape roll mount 30 is disposed on the main body 10 locating at the tape roll receiving portion 13 for mounting a tape roll 90 thereon for free rotation. The tape roll mount 30 of the present preferred embodiment is two hollow columns 31 and 32 respectively provided on the first and the second housing 11 and 12 at interior sides thereof. One of the columns 31 has a slot 311 and the other one of which has a block 321 to make the first and the second housing 11 and 12 only can be combined together in one orientation.
The present preferred embodiment provides six [0016] friction devices 30, three of which is provided on the first housing 11 around the column 31 of the tape roll mount 30 and the other three of which is provided on the second housing 12 around the column 32 of the tape roll mount 30.
Each [0017] friction 40 has a flexible arm 41 and a block 42, wherein the arm 41 is made from disposing a substantially U-shaped gap 16 on the first or the second housing 11 or 12 such that the arm 41 has a proximal end 411, which connects to the first or the second housing 11 or 12, and a distal end 412, which is suspended, and the block 42 is on an interior side of the arm 42. The orientations of the arms 41 from the proximal ends 411 to the distal ends 412 are along the rotating direction of the tape roll 90 mounted on the tape roll mount 30 when one draws a tape 91 of the tape roll 90 out. The blocks 42 are taper shapes, each of which has a thicker end at the distal end 412 of the arm 41 and a thinner end at the proximal end 411. When a tape roll 90 is mounted on the tape roll mount 30, the blocks 42 of the friction devices 40 are in contact with the tape roll 90.
Please refer to FIG. 4, when one draws the [0018] tape 91 out, the rotating orientation of the tape roll 90 is as same as the orientations from the proximal ends 411 to the distal ends 412 of the arms 41 of the friction devices 40, such that the distal ends 412 of the arms 41 will be driven to move outwardly from the tape roll 90. In this time, the friction devices 40 provide the tape roll 90 less friction, so that the tape 91 can be drawn out easily.
While the [0019] tape roll 90 tends to rotate backwards in any circumstance, as shown in FIG. 6, which means the tape roll 90 tends to rotate along the orientation from the distal ends 412 to the proximal ends 411 of the arms 41 of the friction devices 40, then the distal ends 412 of the arms 41 will be driven to move toward the tape roll 90. In this time, the friction devices 40 work like brakes (provide a great friction to the tape roll 90) to stop the tape roll 90.
It will be easy to understand that the present invention provides the [0020] friction devices 40 to stop the tape roll 90 mounted on the tape dispenser of the present invention from rotating backwards but the friction devices 40 provide less friction while one is drawing the tape 91 out, such that the tail of the tape 91 will keep a section cross the gap 15 for facilitating next time use.
The advantages of the present invention are that the structure of the friction devices are very simple, such that it will cost the tape dispenser of the present invention not much in manufacture and the friction devices only work at the situation of the tape roll tending to rotate backwards, they provide less friction to the tape roll when one is drawing the tape out. [0021]
It has to be mentioned here, the main character of the present invention is to provide the friction devices rather than the type of the tape dispenser. Although the FIGS. only show a normal type of the tape dispenser for desk work, any type of the tape dispenser, such as hand-held tape dispenser or professional tape dispenser etc., can dispose the friction devices provided by the present invention thereon. [0022]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A tape dispenser, which mounts a tape roll with a tape thereon for one can draw the tape out, comprising:

a main body;

a cutter mounted on said main body;

a tape roll mount disposed on said main body to mount the tape roll thereon for rotation, and

at least a friction device having a flexible arm and a block, wherein said arm is disposed on said main body closing to said tape roll mount and said block is disposed on said arm to be in contact with the tape roll;

said arm having a proximal end, which connects to said main body, and a distal end, which is suspended, and an orientation of said arm from said proximal end to said distal end along a rotating orientation of the tape roll while one draws the tape out.

2. The tape dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein the block of the friction device has a taper shape.

3. The tape dispenser as defined in claim 2, wherein a thicker end of said taper-shaped block of the friction device locates at said distal end of said arm and a thinner end of said block locates at said proximal end of said arm.

4. The tape dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein comprises at least two of said friction devices locating around said tape roll mount.

5. The tape dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein said main body disposes a substantially U-shaped gap to form said arm of said friction device.