US2325400A - Dispenser for liner-wound tape - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 27, 1943 DISPENSER FOR LINER-WOUND TPE Myron M. Hoover, Superior, Wis., assigner to Minnesota Mining' & Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Application December 6, 194i., Serial No. 421,856

2 claims. (ci. eis- 56) This invention relates to dispensers for lined or liner-wound tape, that is, tape that is wound in storage rolls with a liner. The liner is usually a strip of cloth, paper, Cellophane or the like, usually of the same width and approximately the same thickness as the tape. The liner and the tape are placed one on top of the other before being wound up into a roll so that theV layers or convolutions of tape, when it is in roll form, are

held apart and separated from each other bythe liner. Liners are used in winding various kinds of tape whenever such separation is advantageous.

The invention finds particular utility in dispensers for tape that is double-coated (coated on both sides) with normally tacky or pressuresensitive adhesive which is adherent without the necessity of activation by water, solvents or heat, such tape usually being covered with a liner on at least one side when wound in rolls and being removable therefrom without transfer or o'setting of the adhesive, due to the highly cohesive nature of the adhesive.

Such double-coated pressure-sensitive. tape ilnds great utility as a substitute for a thin layer of liquid adhesive wherever two objects are to be adhered together, but one problem heretofore has been the handling of such tape during use. If one side of such tape is covered with a protective liner when it wound up in a roll for storage,

fthe liner must be removed and disposed of in some way when the tape is unwound and severed into lengths for use. Heretofore such disposal has been time-consuming. It is highly desirable to eliminate this fault at little or no cost because one of the advantages of double-coated tape is that it saves time.'

When using such double-coated vliner-covered tape, if a length is severed with the liner still ad hering to it the two layers must be peeled apart` by hand at the cost of considerable time before actual use. If the liner is removed before severing, it must be drawn away from the tape and disposed of by an operation separate from the operation of withdrawing and severing the tape itself. If a dispenser is being used and a separate "take-up roll is provided to receive and wind up the liner, such take-up roll must be either turned separately by hand or else an elaborate mechanism must be provided to vary the j speed of the take-up roll to compensate for the rolls gradual increase in size as the liner is wound onto it.

Therefore, one of the objects of this invention Which will dispose of a liner automatically; Y In which all the force or actuation that is required for disposal oi the liner is supplied by the simple withdrawal of the tape from the supply roll, so as to adapt the disposal means to manual as well as to power-driven dispensers;

Which will automatically dispose of a liner in such a manner that inmanually operated machines the operator need do no more than to withdraw and sever the tape; and

In which the used liner is preserved for further use.

Dispensers embodying the principles of this invention have been highly successful in meeting fully all of the above requirements; whereas no device previous to this invention of which l' know, has been found so to do.

According to the present invention a device is provided in a tape dispenser comprising a takeup roll rotatably mounted between the dispensers tape supply roll and tape severing means in such a position that the lined side of the tape (that is, the side which is covered by the liner) contacts .the take-up roll as the tape is drawn from the supply roll towards the severing means so that the, moving' tape rotates the take-up roll, thereby providing a rotating element around which the liner may be wound so as to remove it from the tape and dispose of it, i. e., take it o the tape and out of the way, as fast as the liner-covered tapeis drawn past the take-up roll.

The take-up roll is rotated by its fric-tional contact with the moving tape. Friction between the tape and the take-up roll may be increased by passing the tape around an idler roller either before or after the tape contacts the take-up roll, thereby increasing the area of contact between the tape and the take-up roll. If the tape goes around the idler roller before it reaches the take-up roll, then the friction between the tape and the take-up roll may be still further increased by providing means for braking the idler roller. This requires a harder pull to draw the tape past the severingmeans 'with a sumequent greater tension and greater friction around the take-up roll.

is toprovide a simple inexpensive tape dispenser: A adhesive. Such a dispenser is suitable for. use in stores, factories, studios, libraries, laboratories, homes, etc.

In the accompany drawing:

Figure 1 is a left side elevation.

Figure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an alternative mode of operation.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a means for increasing friction between the tape and the take-up roll.

To the base II is attached the vertical framework l2 to which, in turn, are attached directly or indirectly various parts of the dispenser. Base I I` may be of heavy weight to prevent movement of the portable machine during use.

The supply roll R of double-coated (coated on both sides) pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is carried on the tape roll holder drum I3 which is rotatably mounted on the upwardly extending arm |241 at the rear of the' dispenser and positioned or aligned so that when tape is withdrawn and threaded forwardly through the machine it will pass over the severing element at the front end.

Forwardly of the supply drum as the take-up rollM is rotatably mounted on the frame, its axis parallel with that of the drum I3 and aligned to contact the tape as it is threaded through the dispenser. A disc-shaped ange Ida on the right side of the roll serves as a guide during winding. A second flange or guide may be placed on the left of the roll if desired.

The take-up roll I4 is preferably located sulficiently below (or above) the line of travel'which the tape would. take were it stretched directly from the supply drum i3 to the severing means, so as to compel the tape to Contact the take-up roll over a greater portion of its periphery than would result from a simple tangential contact, i. e., so as to compel the tape to pass somewhat around the take-up roll rather than to touch it at one point only. The take-up roll is rotated by means of the frictional contact between its periphery and the moving tape; the greater the area of contact between the two, the greater the friction and hence the desirability of having -the tape contact the take-up roll' along a substantial portion of its circumference. To provide a means, when needed, for increasing the friction between the tape and the take-up roll, an idler roller I5 is rotatably mounted forwardly of and above the take-up roll lf3 on the upwardly extending arm l2b in line to permit the tape to pass around its periphery.

When such a roller is to be contacted with the unlined pressure-sensitive adhesive coated side of the tape (as in the illustrated dispenser) the rollers periphery may be knurled and or grooved so as to reduce the area of contact and thereby facilitate removal of the adhesive tape from it as the tape passes on towards the take-up roll.

'The idler roller l5 may have a braking means such as the spiral spring Il around the shaft It between the idler roller and the supporting arm IZb, the spring being loaded to press against'the tween the base and theA shaft is loaded to press the roller i8 upwardly against the take-up roll I6.

At the forward end of the dispenser there is attached to the base I I the vertical support 2I at the top of which is attached the severing means comprising a severing edge 22 and a hard smooth shelf-like surface 22a immediately to the rear thereof onto which the leading end of the unsevered portion of the tape may be temporarily adhered to await the next dispensing operation. The severing means here shown is similar to that disclosed in Borden Patent No. 2,221,213 issued November 12, 1940.

In operation a roll of double-coated pressuresensitive adhesive tape, wound with a liner between the convolutions thereof is mounted on the supply roll holder drum I3 and faced so that the tape leads oif from the under side of the roll towards the front of the dispenser. The unwinding is begun in such a manner that the liner adheres to the upper side of the tape as it is led away from the roll, leaving the under side of the tape unlined with its adhesive surface exposed.

The tape T, thus covered or lined on its upper side with the liner L, is trained around the under side of the take-up roll It and is drawn forwardly. This forward movement of the lined tape with its liner contacting the periphery of the take-up roll I4, rotates the take-up roll counterclockwise (Figure 1). The tape and the liner are then separated and the unlined tape drawn forwardly. While the tape is being'thus drawn forwardly, the liner is trained upwardly and rearwardly close around the periphery of the rotating take-up roll until its leading end is covered by the next convolution of lined tape as the latter cornes from the supply roll and begins to contact the take-up roll. This first convolution of liner around the bare periphery of the take-up roll should be drawn tight and the turning of the roll should be continued until the leading end of the liner is suiciently covered by the next convolution to hold the first convolution in place. At this point the forwardly advancing portion of the unlined tape T may be brought to rest by adhering its under side temporarily to the shelflike surface 22a just to the rear of the severing element 22. This completes the threading and the dispenser is ready for operation.

To secure a piece of tape for use, the operator grasps the unlined tape just to the rear of where it is temporarily adhering to the shelf 22a, lifts it oil'` from the shelf and draws it forwardly until the required length has passed beyond the severing edge 22 whereupon it is severed by drawing it downwardly against the edge. The severed portion is then ready for use. The forward end of the unsevered portion adheres temporarily to the shelf 22a in readiness for the next withdrawal.

This forward movement of the tape causes the take-up roll Il to rotate counterclockwise at the necessary rate to take up the liner whereby the 1iner,.its leading end being engaged between the lined tape and the take-up rolls periphery, as previously described, is drawn away from the tape and wound up around the take-up roll.

Sometimes, due to the kind or condition of adnesive or tape backing, or to atmospheric or to other conditions, it may be found that the liner L is not being wound up on the take-up roll Ill with sufficient tightness. For this or for other reasons, it may be found desirable to provide greater friction between the lined tape and the take-up roll, in which case the'lined tape may first be led from the supply roll R around the idler roller I5 and thence around the take-up roll, as shown by thedottedlinesT'andL'inFigurei.

'I'his the friction because of the added area of the take-up rolls periphery which is contacted by the lined tape. The friction is further increased by the braking action that is exerted by the idler roller I on the tape which necessitates a harder pull by the operator with a resulting increased tension on the tape around the take-up roll. The braking action is brought about by the temporary adherence of the tape to the idler roll er which latter is braked by the spring i1.

In handling some kinds ofdouble-coated tape and/or due to some conditions or for other reasons, an alternative method of leading the tape from the Supply roll R to the take-up roll Il may be employed, as shown in Figure 3, which has frequently been foimd to be advantageous; The tape T, being coated with adhesive on both sides. adheres temporarily both to thel liner above it and to the liner below it in the roll R. In threadingadispenserinthemannershowninlligure 3, the tape T and the liner L are separated from the roll R and from each other for several inches back from the leading end. The liner -is unwound for nearly, but not quite, a full turn in ad- AVance of the tape so that the points :c and y at which the liner and tape break away from the t rdl are separated by approximately the relative distance (or number of degrees) shown in Figure 3. The liner and the tape are then led away forwardly from the roll R, reunited to form two layers with the liner uppermost and then threaded through the dispenser from there on as previously described. Dueto the adherence of the liner L to be considered as a part of the roll. For example, reference tothe friction between the advancing lined tape and the take-np roll means the friction between the lined tape and the outer convolution oilinerthatisthenontheroll.

Dispensers embodying this invention may employ power-driven means for drawing or propelling the tape through the machine and for severing and dispensing it, without departing from the tape which is beneath it on the roll R and the adherence of the tape T to the liner which is in turn, beneath .it on the roll R, the points of "break (x and u) will remain spaced apart apf Yproximately where they were first broken by hand the scope or spirit oi' the invention.

What I claim is: 1. A portable adhesive tape dispenser for dis- .pensing double-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape wound in rolls with a removable hner, I

been pulled from the dispenser and to hold by adhesive contact the remaining end in position to be grasped for pulling a further length from the dispenser when desired, and an interposed rotatable drum having its axis oir a plane drawn between the axis of the tape holder and the severing element. said drum being located to receive and wind up the liner as tape is withdrawn. the tape being in irictional engagement and automatically causing the drum to rotate at the necessary rate to take up the liner, whereby the withdrawal of tape automatically causes separation and winding up ofthe liner and the doublecoated tape can be readily pulled out and severed into desired lengths.

2. In the method oi-removing the liner from double-coated pressure-sensitive liner-wound adhesive .tape by a take-up roll that is rotated by its frictional engagement with the tape when the latter is being withdrawn from a supply roll thereof, the steps comprising separating the liner MYRON M. HOOVER.

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