Pressure-sensitive tape applicating system

Abstract

A tape application system using a tape with low tensile strength and dispenser wherein the dispenser, in lieu of cutting means for the tape has a brake permitting the operator to brake the applicating roller and apply a tensile force to the tape between the applicating roller and the applied tape surface fracturing the tape to sever the applied tape from the tape on the roll.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a tape applicator and a tape applicating system for pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. In one aspect the invention relates to a combination of a double coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having a backing with low tensile strength and a low cost dispenser for applying said tape to a surface and severing the applied tape from the remaining tape on a roll thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The prior art is replete with hand held tape dispensers for dispensing pressure sensitive adhesive tapes and with compositions for double coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. The present invention however differs from the prior art dispensers in that its use is limited to dispensing a linerless tape having a low tensile strength flexible backing. The dispenser comprises a frame having a fixed support for a roll of double coated tape and a rotatable applicating roller. The tape is severed after being applied from the tape on the roll by breaking or tearing the tape. This is accomplished by braking the applicating roller or at least a segment of the roller to stop its rotation, thus permitting tension to be placed in the tape between the tape adhesively held by the applicating roller and the tape applied to the desired surface. This tension in the tape will fracture the frangible backing material of the tape separating the applied tape from the tape in the roll.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved tape system including a linerless double coated tape and a novel dispenser. The tape comprises a pressure-sensitive tape material having a frangible backing coated on each side, a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition on one side and a second composition on the other side. The adhesive tape composition applied to one surface of the tape is chemically different and physically incompatible to the adhesive composition applied to the other surface of the tape and the two tape compositions have greater affinity for the frangible base layer or supporting layer than the adhesives have to each other, permitting separation of the convolutions of the tape from the roll without delamination. The dispenser comprises a frame having a stub shaft defining a support for rotatably supporting a core on which is wound the tape material and a support for rotatably supporting an applicating roller. The applicating roller has an outer knurled or irregular applicating surface to which one surface of the double coated tape will be held. The roller may be divided into segments with a stationary tape stripping blade placed between the segments. One axial end of the applicating roller is provided with a high friction surface which may be formed by axially extending teeth. The dispenser is also formed with a brake member having a surface engageable with the high friction surface of the applicating roller to stop rotation of the same when the brake is applied permitting sufficient tension to be applied to the tape without touching the tape to sever the frangible tape between the applicating roller and the length of tape applied to the desired surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention will be more fully understood after reading the following detailed description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a dispenser containing a roll of convolutely wound tape according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail fragmentary sectional view of the tape.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing there is illustrated a dispenser generally designated 10 comprising a frame formed of molded pieces 11 and 18. The first molded shell 11 comprises a support wall 12, a raised peripheral flange 13, a hollow cylindrical boss 14 and a second boss 15 extending from the support wall 12. The second molded member 18 comprises a support wall 19, on which is formed a finger actuatable lever 20, and spaced arcuate supports 21 and 22 of a generally cylindrical shape. The outer peripheries of the supports 21 and 22 are adapted to support a tape core 25 and an applicating roller 26, respectively. The bosses 14 and 15 are adapted to frictionally fit within the arcuate supports 21 and 22 to retain the shell 11 and member 18 together. The periphery of the wall 19 mates with the free edge of flange 13 on the shell 11.

The applicating roller 26 comprises a cylindrical roller formed of acetal resin, such as sold under the trade name Delrin by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. of Wilmington, Delaware or other suitable material to be freely rotatable on the arcuate support 22. The roller 26, as illustrated, comprises three similar coaxial segments positioned on the support 22 and separated by stationary stripping blades 36 also supported on the support 22. Each of the blades 36 have a radial lug 37 positioned between the ends of the arcuate support 22. The roller 26 has a knurled cylindrical outer peripheral surface to reduce the adhesion of the pressure-sensitive tape to the roller or roller segments. This knurled or roughened surface provides means for drawing the tape 27 from the supply roll 28 supported on the core 25. One axial end of the applicating roller 26 is formed with axially projecting lugs or teeth 29 defining a high friction surface. The teeth 29 are positioned to project toward the lever 20 formed in the support wall 19.

The material forming the member 18 is sufficiently resilient to permit the integrally molded lever 20 to be resiliently urged toward and through an opening 31 in the support wall 19 sufficiently to afford engagement between teeth 32 on its inner surface with the teeth 29. The lever 20 is joined at one end to the wall 19 near the axis of the applicating roller 26 and extends beyond the roughened surface. The teeth 32 are positioned intermediate the ends of the lever. The resiliency of the material tends to normally position the lever 20 in a spaced relationship with the teeth 32 and 29 out of engagement. Movement of the lever 20 serves to brake the applicating roller 26 or one segment to stop or restrict further rotation thereof and the further application of the pressure-sensitive tape 27 drawn therearound from the roll 28.

The pressure-sensitive tape 27 adapted to be dispensed with the dispenser 10 is a linerless frangible double coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape which in use is similar to thin coatings of adhesive which are now available on a paper release liner. The tape is constructed to have low tensile strength such that after a length of tape is applied to a receptor surface 30 the operator of the dispenser may then apply pressure to the brake member 20 and twist the dispenser slightly so further movement of the dispenser relative to the surface 30 in a direction away from the tape applied will cause the tape to break or tear along the surface of the applicating roller 26 at the point of contact with surface 30. Thus a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape may be applied without the necessity of a cutting blade to sever the tape roll from the applied tape.

The tape 27 comprises a base layer 33 and overlying back 34 and front 35 pressure-sensitive coatings. The two adhesive coatings 34 and 35 are chemically different and physically incompatible, preventing blocking of the tape when directly wound upon itself and permitting ready unwinding to effect a clean separation at the interface of the original adhesive coatings. An example of the tape comprises a base layer 33 of a thin (0.9 mil.) tissue paper reinforcing material, as sold under the trade name "Troya" by John A. Manning Company, Troy, New York, saturated with a copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and vinyl acetate. This flexible base layer or supporting strip 33 is not a "backing" for adhesive as used in the normal sense for tape since it is very weak and lacks tensile strength.

The back adhesive coating 34 may comprise a pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive such as polymethyl iso amyl acrylate and the adhesive coating 35 may comprise a 90:10 copolymer of iso octyl acrylate : acrylic acid. Other examples of adhesives which are chemically different and physically incompatible and suitable for this tape are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,038, which is incorporated herein, and is assigned to the common assignee of this application.

The tape 27 is wound in a roll 28 and the free end of the roll is directed around the applicating roller 26. By placing the dispenser in the hand and pressing the applicating roller against the surface to which the adhesive is to be applied the adhesive will transfer from the roller 26 to the surface and the dispenser may then be drawn along the surface. After sufficient adhesive has been dispensed and applied, the operator moves the lever 20 toward the support plate 19 causing the teeth 32 to engage the teeth 29 to stop the applicating roller 26. A twisting motion on the dispenser after the roller 26 or a segment is braked pulling the roller in a direction away from the applied tape causes the tape 27 to tear on the lower surface of the applicating roller 26.

Having described the invention with reference to the preferred embodiment, it being understood that minor changes may be made without departing from the invention claimed in the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. An adhesive applicating system comprising

a roll of an adhesive tape composition having a thin flexible frangible base layer coated on one surface with a first pressure-sensitive adhesive composition, and coated on the opposite surface with a second pressure-sensitive adhesive composition, which adhesive compositions are chemically different and physically incompatible permitting them to be wound together in said roll and later separated from each other, and

a dispenser comprising

a frame, said frame having means for rotatably supporting said roll of tape,

an applicating roller supported by said frame for rotation on an axis parallel to the axis of said roll of tape and rotatable with respect to said frame, said roller having a roughened surface to contact one surface of said tape to draw said tape from said roll, and

brake means on said dispenser engageable with said applicating roller for stopping rotation of said applicating roller to permit fracture of the tape by a pulling force in a direction away from the applied tape.

2. An adhesive applicating system according to claim 1 wherein said applicating roller has a high friction surface formed on one axial end and said brake means includes a surface engageable with said high friction surface to stop said roller.

3. An adhesive applicating system according to claim 1 wherein said applicating roller has lugs formed on one axial end and said brake means comprises a lever supported on and resiliently movable relative to said frame, and a plurality of teeth on said lever engageable with said lugs upon movement of said lever toward said roller.

4. An adhesive applicating system according to claim 1 wherein said frame comprises a pair of mating molded pieces and said brake means comprises a lever molded integrally with one of said pieces and joined to said one of said pieces near the axis of said applicating roller and extending axially and radially beyond the roughened surface of said roller.

5. An adhesive applicating system according to claim 1 wherein said roller is formed of segments and a stripping blade is positioned between the segments to separate the tape from the roller surface.

6. An adhesive applicating system according to claim 5 wherein said applicating roller has a high friction surface formed on one axial end segment and said brake means includes a surface engageable with said high friction surface to stop said roller.

7. An adhesive applicating system according to claim 5 wherein said applicating roller has lugs formed on one axial end segment and said brake means comprises a lever supported on and resiliently movable relative to said frame, and a plurality of teeth on said lever engageable with said lugs upon movement of said lever toward said roller.