US2890676A - Tape-moistener and dispenser - Google Patents

Description

June 16, 1959 WALDSCHMDT 2,890,676

TAPE- MOISTENER AND DISPENSER Filed Jung 1. I956 fiit- 32 IN VEN TOR. HENRY WALDS CHMIDT ATTORNEY TAPE-MOISTENERAND DISPENSER Henry Waldschrnidt, Quiver" City, alif.

Application June 1,,1-9'56, SerialNo. 588,830

11 Claims. (Cl. 118-43) This invention relates to a tape moistener and dispenser andhas as its general'object'to provide an improved device for moistening and dispensinglengths of gummed tape from a roll contained within the device.

The invention relates particularly to improvements in mechanism for feeding water to a moistening roller which in turn transfers a film of water'toth'egumrned face of alength" of tape. In particular, the invention aims to provide a means for forcibly feeding a quantity of water upwardly from a reservoir through a wick device to a moistening roller, such means being'actuated by a hand lever;

A further object isto provide means,.actuated by a handflever, forpresenting the tape to the moistening roller, guidingit as it is rolled over the moistening roller, then, in a further stage of actuating movement, gripping the tapeto provide an anchorage from which the tape can 'be pulled against a parting edge for severing the moistenedsection from the body of the tape; and, in a return movement of the actuator, slightly advancing the remaining end of the tape beyond .the parting'edge so that it maybe readily grasped for the next operation.

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specifications and appended drawing in which:

Figure 1" isa side viewof a mo'istener and dispenser embodying my invention, parts being broken away to illustrate internal construction;

Figure 2 is an end view of the same;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of thesame, in an intermediate stage of actuation;

Figure 4'is a sectional view of the same in afinalposi- .tion'of advancing movement of the actuator.

Referring. now to the drawings in detail, Ihave shown therein,,as an example of one form in which the invention maybe embodied, a moistening. dispenser embodying generally a casing including a rectangular section It) and a semi-cylindrical end section ll hinged thereto at 12'. Casing ltl'includes a bottom 13' (Fig.4), a vertical endiwall 14, side walls 15,, a semi-cylindrical internal 16, together with partition wall 17 which is joined tangently. thereto, cooperate with end wall 14,- side walls. and bottom 13 to define .a Water reservoir 18 widening .toward'the bottom.

End section 11 includes a semi cylindrical. wall 19 which cooperates with internal wall 16 to define a cylindrieal roll holder chamber 20 in which is received a roll 21 ofgnmmed tape. End section 11 also includes arcuate sidewall members '22 each in the form of a half of aflat ring'havinga semi-circular inner margin 23 which abuts a semi circular arched portion 24 of respective side wall member 15. Arched s'ectio'ns24 define one side of sight openings 25 in the side wall members 15, at the axisof roll chamber 20, through which the roll 21 may be viewed. The ends of arcuate members 22 abut the ends of side wall members 15 in a vertical plane indicated at 26.

Attached to end casing section 11 near its extremity oppositeihinge 12, are laterally spaced "brackets 27 (Fig. 3) each including a sleeve portion '27 mounting a bushing'28. A pivot shaft'29 is mounted in bushings 28, is projected through and secured in respective side members of an actuator lever 30 of channel form, and secured therein by heads '31 on its respective ends. Lever 30 includes a web portion 32, .side flanges 33, ahandle portion 34 projecting as an'extension of the end of web portion 32 remote from pivot shaft 29, a pair of armis35 projecting as extensions of flanges 33; and a tail portion 36 projecting' as an extension of the other end of web 32 beyond pivot shaft 29 and functioning as a stop by engagement with the outer wall of end section 11 adjacent bracket 27. When tail section 36 is thus engaged, it defines a retracted position of lever 30 wherein the body thereof extends at an angle of approximately 30 degrees to the dividing plane where casing sections 10 and 11 adjoin. From this retracted position, lever 30 may be shifteddownwardly approximately 30 degrees by finger or thumb pressure against handle 34, to the limit position shown'in Fig. 4.

A torsionspringjtd' is coiled aboutpivot shaft 29 and has respective end'arms engaging web 32 and end section'wall 19 under a spring load which returns lever 30 to itsretracted position when pressure thereagainst is released.

Extending between and mounted in the respective arms 35, at the ends. thereof is a shaft 37 on which is rotatably mounted a roller 37'. Also mounted between the arms'35 is'a bar 38' with a smooth rounded surface, spaced rearwardly from roller 37'.

The adjoining ends of semi-cylindrical wall sections 16 and 19, opposite ends 12, are slightly spaced to define a gap 39 through which the web of tape 21 passes onto a table dfiwhich extends :between and is secured to side wall members 15, has one endljoined to the end of wall section 16 adjacent gap 39 and extends. forwardly therefrom, in tangent relation thereto. A carnming apron 41 is joined'integrally to the underside of table slightly back of its forward end, which defines a lip 42. Apron ift is continued vertically downwardly to provide a shoulder 43, from the lower end of which a bridge 44 is inclined upwardly and forwardly and joined to the upper end of "intermediate wall section 17 A knife 45' of hood form includes a web portion 46 and Wings 47 extending downwardly therefrom in embracing relation to arms 35' and side wall members 15. The outer end of web 46 provides a'parting edge 48 against'which tape web 21 can besevered by pulling the tape upwardly against said edge 4-8, when the knife 45 has been lowered to proximate relation to tape web as in Fig. 4. The rear end of web 46 is bifurcated and formed into hinge loops 49 which are wrapped around bushings 5i mounted on a hinge pin 51 extending between and mounted in flanges '32 atthe free end of the channel body portion of lever 30; A torsion spring 52 is coiled about pin 51 and includes respective branches bearing against'handle 3.4 and web 46 to provide a spring load which urges the members 3'4" and 46 apart and causes them to separate in the retracted'position of lever 30, to

3. separate downwardly from web 46 during a first stage of downward movement of lever 30. In a second stage of such movement, bar 53 n'des downwardly against shoulder 43 and allows knife 45 to tilt downwardly to bring parting edge 48 close to the end of tape web 21' to be severed.

' A moistening roller 54, which may be of ceramic material, has end trunnions 55 by means of which it is rotatably mounted in upwardly opening mounting forks 56 projecting upwardly from side walls 15. Moistening roller 54 is disposed forwardly of roller 37'. The tape web 21' extends forwardly and downwardly around bar 38 and beneath roller 37'. When lever 30 is depressed the portion of the tape projecting forwardly from roller 37 extends upwardly and forwardly over moistening roller 54 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The downward movement of lever 30 presents the tape to the roller 54.

Beneath roller 54 is a water feeding wick 57 of sponge material, encased between a pair of jaw members 58 and 59, the former being seated against casing end wall 14. Jaw member 59 is formed integrally with crank arms 60 which project toward lever 30 in snugly embracing relation to arms 35. Near their free end, the opposite ends of arms 60 are integrally joined to jaw 59, whereby downward movement of arms 35, transmitted to arms 60 through cross bar 38, functions to shift jaw 59 from the retracted position shown in Fig. 3 (in which wick 57 is expanded) to the closed position shown in Fig. 4 (in which wick 57 is compressed, thereby feeding water upwardly against roller 54. The jaws 58, 59, wick 57 and roller 54 constitute a removable unit supported in position by engagement of trunnions 55 in notches 56. The unit is removed when reservoir 18 is to be filled.

The under margins of arms 60, at the free ends thereof, are contoured so as to parallel the lip 42, the cam apron 41 and the shoulder 43, cooperating with these members to define guide slots for the cross bar 53 when the arms 60 are in their normal elevated positions.

The ends of bar 38 project beyond arms 35, for engagement in notches 61 in crank arms 60 as the lever 30 is depressed. Such engagement occurs at the stage illustrated in Fig. 3, while bar 38 is still above the plane joining the axes of shaft 29 and roller 54. Further downward movement provides a toggle action that results in spreading the casing sections 10, 11 about hinge 12, to open the gap 39 so as to release the tap web 21' so that it can be easily pulled from the dispenser. The engagement of bar 53 against shoulder 43 resists this spreading movement, transferring the spring load of spring 52 to the toggle linkage 35, 60 and operating to close the gap 39 and open jaws 58, 59 when the lever 30 is retracted upwardly.

Extending between and secured to arms 35 adjacent the main body of lever 30 is a brake shoe 62, which, in the fully depressed position of lever 30 (Fig. 4) engages the tape web 21 against table 40 and anchors the tape so that a pull may be applied to the outer end of the tape without unrolling the tape roll 21. This pull may be utilized for prmsing the tape web upwardly against parting edge 48 to sever the tape.

Attached to the upper end of jaw 59 and movable therewith, is a water sealing vane 65 of thin resilient sheet metal which extends full width between wall members 15 and bears against the corner defined between partition wall 17 and bridge member 44. Sealing vane 65 is disposed tangent to an are centered on the axis of roller 54 and maintains contact with the upper extremity of partition 17 during the movement of jaw 59 to closed position. It is spaced from roller 54 suflicient to provide a recess large enough to catch all overflow from the upper end of wick 57 and to direct it downwardly through a centrally disposed overflow aperture 66 in its lower side, into the space between jaw 59 and partition 17, thus re its escaping into the area above bridge member 44.

The casing sections 10 and 11 are latched together, in the retracted position of lever 30, by the engagement of bar 53 beneath retainer lip 42. By slightly depressing lever 30 to project the bar 53 to a position clearing the lip 42, the hood 45 can be lifted to unlatch the casing, allowing the casing to be opened so that a new roll of tape can be inserted into chamber 20.

With the bar 53 engaged against lip 42, the spring load of spring 52 is applied through lever 30 to casing section 11 to close gap 39, pressing the upper end of wall 19 (functioning as a jaw) against tape web 21' and clamping the latter against the rear end of wall 16 to hold the tape web 21' against drawing into roll chamber 20 and pulling away from roller 37.

The operation of the apparatus has been partially described in the foregoing description, but will be summarized at this point. With the lever 30 in the retracted position shown in Fig. l, the operator grasps the projecting end 21" of tape web 21 between the fingers of one hand while engaging handle 34 with the thumb or fingers of the other hand and applying downward pressure. This movement swings arms 35 downwardly, lowering the tape toward moistening roller 54.

In the latter stage of depression of lever 30, bar 53 fulcrums against shoulder 43 to take the reaction load of compression of wick 57, transmitted through lever arms 60 and pin 38 to lever 30, and near the end of the operation, end section 20 recedes from casing section 10 to open gap 39. With the tape thus released, the operator draws the tape outwardly to a small extent, sufficient to enable him to press the tape against roller 54 while maintaining his grip on the end of the tape. Having applied the tape to the roller 54, he then draws any desired length of tape across the roller, moistening it.

During the initial stage of actuation, the ends of bar 38 enter notches 61 in levers 60 and bar 53 rides against camming apron 41. During the second stage of depression of lever 30, bar 53 drops downwardly along shoulder 43, allowing hood 45 to be tilted downwardly by the action of spring 52. Arms 35 continue to move downwardly and :bar 38, engaged in the bottoms of notches 61, actuate lever 60 to swing jaw 59 into closed relation to jaw 58, squeezing wick 57 and feeding water upwardly therefrom against roller 54.

At the end of the operation, bar 62 is clamped against the tape web 21', to hold it while the tape is severed against knife edge 48.

I claim:

1. In a tape moistening and dispensing device: a casing having at one end a reservoir and at its other end a tape roll chamber; a moistening roller rotatably mounted in the top of said reservoir; a lever hinged to the top of said roll chamber and having a pair of spaced arms projecting toward said roller and provided with tape-guiding means at their free ends; means yieldingly biasing said lever away from said roller to a retracted position from which t may be manually depressed for moving said tape-guildmg means toward the roller; a tape-severing knife hinged at one end to said lever, extending over said arms and having at its other end a severing edge; means acting between said lever and said knife to bias said knife away from said roller; and actuator means acting between said knife and said casing for eflFecting relative movement between said knife and said lever in response to depression of said lever, such as to elfect separation between said severing edge and said tape-guiding means and simultaneously to advance said knife toward said roller, the movement of said tape-guiding means toward the roller being elfective to position the free end of a length of tape retained by said tape-guiding means in proximity to the roller whereby the tape may be applied against the roller and drawn thereover to dispense and moisten a selected length of the tape, and may then be raised into contact with said severing edge and severed; the return of said lever to its retracted position being operative to effect return of said tape-guidin'g'means' toward 'said severing edge and to thereby project'the 'freeen'd'of the remaining body of tape past said severing edgeto facilitate'grasping thereof for a subsequent .dispensing operatiomjsai'd actuator means comprising a transverse followerbar carried by said knife b'elow'saidlever'arms; and a camming apron on said casing, engaged by said followenbar and so inclined with reference to the hinge axis of-said lever as to limit downward movement of "said k'r'iife'assaid lever is depressed;-so as to 'eifect separatioir'between said knife and lever. p

2. A tape moistening and dispensing device as defined in claim 1, wherein said knife is of hood form, including a generally horizontal web portion and laterally spaced parallel cheeks projecting downwardly'fromrespective sides thereof, said follower bar being mounted in said cheeks at its ends and bridging between-said cheeks.

3. A tape moistening and dispensing device as defined in claim 1, wherein said knife 'is hinged to said lever at a distance from the hinge axis of the lever.

4. A tape moisteninganddispensing device as defined in claim 1, wherein said knife is hinged to said lever at a distance from the hinge axis of the lever and wherein said knife-biasing means comprises a torsion spring acting between said lever and knife to urge the knife downwardly with respect to the lever.

5. In a tape moistening and dispensing device, a casing comprising a main section including a water reservoir at one end and an outwardly opening cavity at its other end, and an end section hinged to the bottom of said main section at said other end and cooperating with said cavity to define a tape roll chamber; a moistening roller rotatably mounted in the top of said reservoir; a lever hinged to the free extremity of said end section and having a pair of spaced arms projecting toward said roller and provided with tape-guiding means at their free ends; means yieldingly biasing said lever away from said roller to a retracted position from which it may be manually depressed for moving said tape-guiding means toward the roller; a tape-severing knife hinged at one end to said lever, extending over said arms and having at its other end a severing edge; means acting between said lever and said knife to bias said knife away from said roller; and actuator means acting between said knife and said casing for effecting relative movement between said knife and said lever in response to depression of said lever for positioning said knife for severing of said tape, said actuator means further functioning to link said end casing section to said main section through said lever and knife so as to maintain said casing sections in closed relation to one another.

6. A moistening and dispensing device as defined in claim 5, wherein said actuator means comprises a transverse follower bar carried by said knife below said lever arms, and a camming apron on said casing, engaged by said follower bar and so inclined with reference to the hinge axis of said lever as to limit downward movement of said knife as said lever is depressed, so as to effect separation between said knife and lever, and wherein said casing includes, at the upper extremity of said apron, a lip overhanging said apron, beneath which said follower bar is hooked when said lever is retracted.

7. In a tape moistening and dispensing device: a casing having at one end a reservoir and at its other end a tape roll chamber; a moistening roller rotatably mounted in the top of said reservoir; a lever hinged to the top of said roll chamber and having a pair of spaced arms projecting toward said roller and provided with tape-guiding means at their free ends; means yieldingly biasing said lever away from said roller to a retracted position from which it may be manually depressed for moving said tape-guiding means toward the roller; a compressible, resilient, absorbent wick disposed below said roller in said reservoir; a pair of jaws between which said wick is embraced, one of said jaws being pivoted at its upper end to the casing for swinging movement toward'th'e other jaw' to squeeze'the wick and thereby feed water from the'wick onto said roller, said one jaw having a'pair-of-spacedarms embracing said 'lever'arms, the latterha-ving means engaging said jaw arms and operative to transmitdownward movement of the leverarmsto said jaw arms to effect closing movement'of said'onejawtoward the'other jaw as'the lever is depressed.

8. A moistening and'dispensing device as defined-in claim '7, including atape-severing knife hinged at one end to said lever, extending=over said arms and having at its other end'a severing edge; means acting between said leverand said knife-to bias said" knife away from said roller; andactuator'mea'ns acting between said-knife and said casing for effecting relative movement between said knife and said'lever in response to depression of said lever," such-as to'effect'separation between said severing edgeand said tape-guiding-'-means and simultaneou's'lyto advance said"knifetoward said roller;-the movement of said "tape-guiding meanstoward the roller being effective to position the freeend of alength of tape retained by said tape-guiding means in proximity to the roller whereby the tape may be applied against the roller and drawn thereover to dispense and moisten a selected length of the tape, and may then be raised into contact with said severing edge and severed; the return of said lever to its retracted position being operative to effect return of said tape-guiding means toward said severing edge and to thereby project the free end of the remaining body of tape past said severing edge to facilitate grasping thereof for a subsequent dispensing operation.

9. In a tape moistening and dispensing device: a casing having at one end a reservoir and at its other end a tape roll chamber; a moistening roller rotatably mounted in the top of said reservoir; a lever hinged to the top of said roll chamber and having a pair of spaced arms projecting toward said roller and provided with tape-guiding means at their free ends; means yieldingly biasing said lever away from said roller to a retracted position from which it may be manually depressed for moving said tape-guiding means toward the roller; a tape-severing knife hinged at one end to said lever, extending over said arms and having at its other end a severing edge; means acting between said lever and said knife to bias said knife away from said roller; said casing having a gap at the top of said chamber, through which the tape web may emerge from said chamber, said casing including a table extending toward said roller from said gap; and a bar carried by said lever and adapted to clamp the tape web against said table at the lower limit of lever movement, to hold the tape so that it may be pulled taut against said knife to sever a moistened length of the tape from the tape remaining in the dispenser.

10. A moistening and dispensing device as defined in claim 7, said casing comprising sections hinged to one another and cooperatively defining said tape roll chamber, with a gap for passage of said tape between adjacent edges of said sections opposite said hinge, one of said sections being a reservoir section having said reservoir therein and the other section providing the hinge mounting for said lever; and actuator means including a con nection between said jaw arms and lever arms, operative with a toggle action to spread said casing sections slightly to open said gap to release said tape; and means providing a connection between said knife and the reservoir section of said casing, resisting said spreading movement and resulting in resilient springing loads being set up in said casing in response to the said toggle action, such springing loads being operative to normally draw said casing sections together and clamp said tape therebetween.

11. In a tape moistening and dispensing device: a casing having at one end a reservoir and at its other end a tape roll chamber; a moistening roller rotatably mounted in the top of said reservoir; a lever hinged to the top of said roll chamber and having a pair of spaced arms projecting *7 toward said roller and provided with tape-guiding means at their free ends; meansyieldingly biasing said lever away from said roller to a retracted position from which it may be manually depressed for moving said tape-guiding means toward the roller; a tape-severing knife hinged at one end to said lever, extending over said arms and having at its other end a severing edge; means acting between said lever and said knife to bias said knife away from said roller; said casing having a gap at the top of said chamber, through which the tape web may emerge from said chamber, said casing including sections hinged to one another to cooperatively define said roll chamber, with said gap being defined between adjoining edges thereof at a point diametrically opposite their hinged connection; water feeding means including a wick within said reservoir and a pair of jaws for squeezing the same, one of said jaws having a pair of arms, and an operative connection between said jaw arms and said lever arms for transmitting jaw closing movement from said lever to said jaw as the lever is depressed, said connection being operative with a toggle action to spread said casing sections slightly to open said gap to release said tape; and means providing a connection between said knife and the reservoir section of said casing, resisting said spreading movement and resulting in resilient springing loads being set up in said casing in response to said toggle action, such springing loads being operative to' normally draw said casing sections together and clamp said tape therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 900,352 Browne Oct. 6, 1908 1,195,894 Anable Aug. 22, 1916 1,212,873 Adams Ian. 16, 1917 1,548,258 Davis Aug. 4, 1925 1,563,209 McIntire Nov. 24, 1925 2,232,708 Krueger Feb. 25, 1941 2,737,149 Collins et a1 Mar. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 984,142 France Feb. 21, 1951

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