CN109153523B

CN109153523B - Device for applying adhesive tape to a surface and method for manufacturing such a device

Info

Publication number: CN109153523B
Application number: CN201780028443.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·A·J·纳贝尔
Original assignee: NABER PLASTICS BV
Current assignee: NABER PLASTICS BV
Priority date: 2016-04-08
Filing date: 2017-04-06
Publication date: 2021-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-06
Also published as: US20190112144A1; JP2019510712A; NL2016572A; CN109153523A; EP3439996A1; EP3439996B1; NL2016572B1; WO2017176119A1

Abstract

The adhesive tape dispenser (1) is composed of a minimum number of components and comprises: a holder (10) for receiving and accommodating a roll of adhesive tape (2); a handle (20) extending from the holder (10); and a roller (40), said roller (40) being rotatably mounted in said holder (10) for contacting the outer periphery of a tape roll (2) received in said holder (10) and for guiding outwards from said device (1) the tape (2a) taken from the tape roll (2) and applied to a surface during use of said device (1). The holder (10) is a single integrated whole and has a pressing portion (16), the pressing portion (16) having a free end (16a), the pressing portion (16) being for pressing the adhesive tape (2a) against the roller (40). The roller (40) is held in the holder (10) solely on the basis of a direct connection to the holder (10).

Description

Device for applying adhesive tape to a surface and method for manufacturing such a device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for applying adhesive tape to a surface, which device will be referred to hereinafter as an adhesive tape dispenser. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing such a device.

Background

Tape dispensers are well known and available in a wide variety of embodiments. In many practical cases, the adhesive tape dispenser is intended for unwrapping a roll of packaging tape, i.e. a roll obtainable at least at a standard width of 50mm, which does not alter the fact that an adhesive tape dispenser suitable for use with other adhesive tape rolls is also obtainable. The present invention is in no way limited to a particular type of tape, nor to a particular tape roll size.

In many cases, the tape dispenser is a complex product composed of many parts. For example, WO2008/150608 shows a common embodiment of a tape dispenser intended for application in closing a box by means of a packaging tape, wherein the user of the tape dispenser can use only one hand in the process, so that the user can hold the flaps of the box with the other hand in the position required to obtain the closed state of the box, and can also press the tape on the box. A generally known tape dispenser has a frame for receiving a roll of tape, a handle extending from the frame, and a carrier element rotatably disposed in the frame. The roll of tape is placed in the tape dispenser by sliding the roll of tape laterally over the carrier element. The dimensions of the carrier element are selected such that it can engage the inner periphery of the roll of tape in a somewhat clamping manner along a portion of its outer periphery. In addition, the various dimensions of the tape dispenser are adapted to the common width and common inner and outer diameters of the tape roll.

Furthermore, the frame comprises an insertion opening closable by means of a hingeable cover, rollers, a cutting beam with a metal cutting blade, and a pressing plate. After the roll of adhesive tape has been received in the tape dispenser, the front sheet of adhesive tape is inserted through the insertion opening, and the hingeable cover is then placed in the closed position in order to establish contact between the non-adhesive side of the adhesive tape and the roller.

When the front sheet of adhesive tape, which has been inserted through the insertion opening, is applied in an adhesive-side-down manner to the box to be closed, the adhesive tape is automatically laid on the box in the correct manner and secured when the user moves the tape dispenser along a straight line, wherein the roll of adhesive tape is rotated in the holder on the basis of the thus obtained pulling force in the adhesive tape, so that the adhesive tape is dispensed by the tape dispenser. When it is desired to cut a piece of adhesive tape that has been placed on the box from the adhesive tape dispenser, the user performs a downward buckling motion with his/her hand while holding the handle of the adhesive tape dispenser so as to bring the cutting blade and the pressing plate into contact with the adhesive tape. In this position, the tape is pressed against the case by means of the pressing plate in order to fix the tape against the case and to avoid further movement of the tape around the roller, while the cutting blade completes the cut in the tape along its entire width.

Continuing from the above, known adhesive tape dispensers comprise a considerable number of different components, namely a frame, a handle, a rotatable carrier element, a hingeable cover, rollers, a cutting beam with a cutting blade, and a pressing plate. The frame has two portions to which other components of the tape dispenser are attached by connecting means such as screws. Due to the fact that the known adhesive tape dispenser is composed in this way, the cost price of the adhesive tape dispenser is relatively high, which practically does not correspond to the fact that the adhesive tape dispenser is intended to be applied as a tool for performing relatively simple actions by hand in combination with a very cheap tool in the form of a roll of adhesive tape.

US 3972769 relates to an adhesive tape dispenser, which like the adhesive tape dispenser known from WO2008/150608, has a frame with two parts to which the other parts of the adhesive tape dispenser are attached by connecting means, such as screws. Further similarity between the two tape dispensers relates to the fact that: the adhesive tape dispenser known from US 3972769 comprises a handle connected to a frame and a roller. Furthermore, the adhesive tape dispenser known from US 3972769 comprises a movable tongue having the function of stretching the adhesive tape. In contrast to the adhesive tape dispenser known from WO2008/150608, the adhesive tape dispenser known from US 3972769 does not have a carrier element for the adhesive tape roll. Detachment of the roll of adhesive tape from the frame is avoided based on contact of the adhesive side of the tape with the movable tongue. In the frame, a small roller is provided which, like the other roller, is in contact with the outer periphery of the adhesive tape roll received in the frame, so that during use of the tape dispenser the adhesive tape roll can roll along the two rollers and thereby a smooth rotational movement of the adhesive tape roll in the frame can be achieved. Furthermore, it should be noted that the tape dispenser known from US 3972769 is not equipped for cutting tape. However, the tape dispenser comprises a considerable number of components which are held in place between the two frame parts by means of connecting means.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel adhesive tape dispenser, in particular an adhesive tape dispenser which can be realized with a minimum of components and which can therefore be manufactured in a relatively inexpensive manner. This object is achieved by providing a device for applying adhesive tape on a surface, comprising: a holder for receiving and accommodating a tape roll, the holder being designed to surround the tape roll along a portion of an outer periphery of the tape roll while also holding the tape roll in an axial direction of the tape roll; a handle extending from the holder; and a roller rotatably mounted in the holder for contacting an outer periphery of the roll of tape received in the holder and for guiding tape removed from the roll of tape and applied to a surface during use of the device outwardly from the device; wherein the holder is a single integrated body and has a pressing portion with a free end for pressing the adhesive tape against the roller when the adhesive tape is inserted between the roller and the free end of the pressing portion; and wherein the roller is retained in the retainer solely on the basis of a direct connection with the retainer.

According to the insight behind the present invention, it is possible to provide an adhesive tape dispenser of the above-described configuration having a roller and a holder with a pressing portion formed as a single integrated whole, and still achieve the full function of the adhesive tape dispenser, wherein it may not be necessary to integrate the holder and the handle with each other. In particular, the holder is designed to receive and accommodate a tape roll, the handle is arranged such that a user of the tape dispenser can grasp and operate the tape dispenser, and the roller is designed and positioned to guide the tape outwardly from the tape dispenser and to rotate and on the basis of this drive the tape roll during use of the tape dispenser when the tape is taken out under tension from the tape roll received in the holder in order to achieve the rotational movement required for unwinding the tape roll, and the pressing portion of the holder is designed and positioned to press the tape against the roller. In this regard, the tape dispenser may not have other rotatable components than the roller.

Not only is the construction of the adhesive tape dispenser according to the invention uncomplicated, but in fact its application does not require any complicated action. For the purpose of mounting a tape roll in a tape dispenser and ensuring that the tape of the tape roll can be dispensed by the tape dispenser in a correct manner, only two steps need to be taken: inserting the roll of tape into the holder in such a way that the tape of the roll of tape can be guided around the roller out of the holder in a loop, with the non-adhesive side in contact with the roller; and operating the free end of the adhesive tape so as to be inserted between the roller and the free end of the pressing portion. For the purpose of using the tape dispenser to apply a taped adhesive tape onto a surface, the only action that needs to be taken is to place the adhesive side of the tape in contact with the surface at the location of the roller and to move the tape dispenser in a direction so as to pull the tape out of the tape dispenser and thereby obtain an increased length of the tape adhered to the surface. In all the actions mentioned, the adhesive tape dispenser can be easily operated by the user by means of the handle.

According to the invention, the roller is held in the holder solely on the basis of a direct connection to the holder. This means that no connecting means need be applied, which is very helpful for realizing the adhesive tape dispenser with only a minimum number of components. One practical example of a direct connection is a snap connection. For example, it is possible to provide the roller with a carrier shaft at both ends thereof, wherein the holder has two flaps which extend at a distance from one another and are provided with openings, and wherein the roller is arranged between the flaps of the holder, wherein the carrier shaft is received in the openings in the flaps.

In a practical embodiment of the adhesive tape dispenser according to the invention, the roller has two legs which can be separated in a resilient manner. In this case, the tape roll can be simply placed in the holder by moving it between two legs, which are separated to achieve a temporarily enlarged opening allowing the tape roll to pass through, and which then spring back to their original position, in which the opening is small enough to prevent a reverse movement of the tape roll, unless the movement is forced to be achieved, which is the way to remove the tape roll from the holder again. The possibility of separating the legs of the holder in a resilient manner can be achieved, for example, when the holder is manufactured from a suitable plastic. A great advantage of the design in which the holder is designed to surround the tape roll along a portion of its outer circumference is that there is no need to apply a rotatable carrier element as known from WO2008/150608 and as present in many tape dispensers known in practice, which contributes to the simplification of the design of the tape dispenser according to the invention. In this case, the holder is designed to accommodate the roll of tape on the basis of only partial closure.

Preferably, the holder has an insertion opening as described above through which the roll of adhesive tape can be inserted into the holder. Furthermore, it is practical when the holder has another opening that leaves room for access to the roller, as seen in a direction along its circumference. In this case, the pressing portion may be a tongue-shaped peripheral portion of the holder extending all the way toward the roller. The positioning and design of the pressing portion can be chosen such that the roller pushes the pressing portion slightly out of position and, as desired, on the basis of this the pressing action of the pressing portion on the roller is achieved without the need to apply additional devices. Preferably, the width dimension of the pressing portion is smaller than the overall width dimension of the holder, so that a user of the adhesive tape dispenser has enough space to insert a piece of tape between the roller and the pressing portion using his/her finger. Naturally, it is practical when the overall width dimension of the holder is adapted to the usual width of a roll of tape, in particular a roll of packaging tape having a usual width of 50 mm.

The adhesive tape dispenser according to the present invention may be manufactured entirely from a single material. A practical example of a suitable material for the rollers and the integrated whole of the handle and holder is plastic. On the other hand, it may be desirable to apply different materials to the components of the mentioned tape dispenser. The parts can be made of different types of plastic or, for example, the integrated whole of the holder and the handle can be made of plastic and the roller of a rubber-like material, in order thereby to ensure an optimal grip of the roller on the adhesive tape to be guided. Manufacturing the components from different materials provides a simple possibility of providing the components with different colors, which may be desirable from an aesthetic point of view.

Preferably, the tape dispenser is adapted not only to dispense tape, but also to cut a dispensed piece of tape from the tape dispenser. In view of this, the adhesive tape dispenser may be provided with a cutter assembly having a tape fixing portion protruding from the holder and a cutter blade located forward of a free end of the tape fixing portion as viewed from the holder. In this case, it is advantageous when the tape fixing portion and the holder are integrated with each other so that only the cutting blade is actually an additional component. Further, in this case, there may be a tape dispenser composed of only the roller, the cutter, and the integrated entirety of the holder, the handle, and the tape fixing portion. Further, a suitable material for the cutting knives is steel or other durable materials commonly used for knives and other cutting devices. The tape securing portion is designed to secure the adhesive tape when a user of the adhesive tape dispenser presses the tape securing portion against a portion of the taped adhesive tape dispensed by the adhesive tape dispenser. In particular, the tape fixing portion may be shaped as a sheet.

The cutting blade may be arranged in the tape dispenser in various ways. In keeping with the general concept of the invention it is preferred when no additional connecting means are applied. For example, there may be a design of the adhesive tape dispenser in which a portion of the cutting blade is held in an integrated whole of the holder and the tape fixing portion. Alternatively and/or additionally, it is possible to clampingly connect the cutting burr to an integrated whole of the holder and the belt fixing portion.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a device as defined previously, which is therefore a device designed for applying adhesive tape to a surface and comprising the following elements: a holder for receiving and accommodating a tape roll, the holder being designed to surround the tape roll along a portion of an outer periphery of the tape roll while also holding the tape roll in an axial direction of the tape roll; a handle extending from the holder; and a roller rotatably mounted in the holder for contacting an outer periphery of the roll of tape received in the holder and for guiding tape removed from the roll of tape and applied to a surface during use of the device outwardly from the device. In the case of the method according to the invention, the holder is formed as a single integrated whole with a pressing portion having a free end for pressing an adhesive tape against the roller when the adhesive tape is inserted between the roller and the free end of the pressing portion, and the roller is also connected to the holder in a direct manner.

According to a practical option, the roller is rotatably arranged in the holder on the basis of a snap connection. As already mentioned, it is possible, for example, for the roller to be provided at both ends thereof with a carrier shaft, wherein the holder has two flaps which extend at a distance from one another and are provided with openings. In this case, on the basis of the choice of the material in relation to the holder, the roller is pressed between the tabs of the holder, provided that the tabs can be separated in a somewhat elastic manner, wherein the tabs are separated until the carrier shaft of the roller snaps into the tabs at the location of the opening, and at this point the tabs are allowed to spring back, so that the carrier shaft snaps into the opening and the roller is held between the tabs.

In view of the desire to make up the adhesive tape dispenser from as few components as possible, it is advantageous when the holder and the handle are integrated with each other. In this case, the integrated whole of the holder and the handle and the roller can be formed from a plastic material by means of an injection moulding process, which does not alter the fact that another choice of material is possible, in particular as described above in relation to the material of the roller. The injection molding process is a process known per se and will not be further elucidated here. For the purpose of manufacturing a tape dispenser in which the roller comprises the same material as the integrated whole of the holder and the handle, a single injection molding die designed to form both the integrated whole of the holder and the handle and the roller may be applied. In this case, all components of the adhesive tape dispenser may be manufactured in a single injection molding stage. In particular, the roller can be injection molded to the retainer, wherein the roller is disconnected from the retainer in a subsequent step.

The adhesive tape dispenser according to the present invention can be made in different ways. As mentioned above, injection molding is a suitable manufacturing technique. Alternatively, at least the integrated whole of the holder and the handle may be formed, for example by means of an additive manufacturing technique such as 3D printing. In general, it may be practical to form the tape dispenser entirely from a single material.

As previously mentioned, for the purpose of cutting the adhesive tape from the device, the device may further comprise a cutting assembly having a tape fixing portion extending from the holder and a cutting knife located in front of the free end of the tape fixing portion as seen from the holder. In this case, it is advantageous when the tape fixing member is integrated with the holder so that the number of components of the adhesive tape dispenser can be kept to a minimum. Furthermore, in this case, a practical possibility is to form at least the integrated whole of the holder and the band fixing portion from a plastic material by means of an injection molding process by applying an injection molding die, and to hold the cutting knife in the integrated whole of the holder and the band fixing portion in the process by placing the cutting knife in the injection molding die prior to the injection molding process and by allowing the plastic material used to form the holder to flow around a portion of the cutting knife during the injection molding process.

As previously mentioned, in case the device according to the invention is provided with a cutting assembly, the device may simply consist of the roller, the cutting blade and the integrated whole of the holder, the handle and the strap fixing part.

Drawings

The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of the following description of an adhesive tape dispenser consisting of only three components. Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar parts, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a tape dispenser;

FIG. 2 shows a first perspective view of the tape dispenser;

FIG. 3 shows a second perspective view of the tape dispenser; and

fig. 4 shows a side view of a tape dispenser in which a roll of tape is received.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1, 2 and 3 show different views of an adhesive tape dispenser 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 shows a side view of the same tape dispenser 1, wherein a roll of tape 2 is received in said tape dispenser 1.

The adhesive tape dispenser 1 consists of only three different components. The first component is an integrated whole 3 of a holder 10 for receiving and accommodating a tape roll 2, a handle 20 extending from the holder 10, and a sheet tape fixing portion 31, the handle 20 being graspable by a user of the tape dispenser 1 for operating the tape dispenser 1, the sheet tape fixing portion 31 extending from the holder 10 and being a part of a cutting assembly 30, the cutting assembly 30 further comprising a cutting knife 32, the cutting knife 32 being a second component of the tape dispenser 1, and the cutting knife 32 being located in front of a free end 31a of the tape fixing portion 31 when seen from the holder 10. The cutting assembly 30 is intended to be applied for cutting adhesive tape from the adhesive tape dispenser 1, as will be elucidated later. In the illustrated embodiment of the adhesive tape dispenser 1, the cutting assembly 30 has two projections 33 on both sides of the cutting knife 32, the two projections 33 being designed to protect the cutting knife 32 (e.g. when the adhesive tape dispenser 1 is inadvertently dropped onto a floor). The third component of the tape dispenser 1 is a roller 40 rotatably arranged in the holder 10. Preferably, the integrated whole 3 of the holder 10, the handle 20 and the strap fixing portion 31 is made of plastic, and the cutting blade 32 is made of metal. The cutting blade 32 may have any suitable shape and may, for example, be toothed. The roller 40 may also be made of plastic. Generally, it is preferable when the material of the roller 40 is selected with the aim of ensuring good gripping of the roller 40 on the adhesive tape 2a to be dispensed by the adhesive tape dispenser 1.

The design and dimensions of the holder 10 are adapted to the design and dimensions of the adhesive tape roll 2 to be received. In particular, the holder 10 is designed to surround the tape roll 2 along a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2, while also holding the tape roll 2 in the axial direction of the tape roll 2, as can be clearly seen in fig. 4. The first peripheral portion 11 of the holder 10, intended to surround a portion of the outer periphery of the roll 2 of adhesive tape, has a base 11a and has curved legs 11b extending from the base 11a, the base 11a being located directly above the handle 20. The second peripheral portion 12 of the holder 10, intended to surround a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2, has a base 12a and curved legs 12 extending from the base 12a, on which base 12a the cutting assembly 30 is arranged. The two

peripheral portions

11, 12 of the holder 10 define a concave supporting surface for the roll 2 of adhesive tape, said supporting surface having two interruptions, a first interruption on the side where the roller 40 is located and a second interruption on the opposite side. The second interruption constitutes an insertion opening 13 through which the roll of adhesive tape 2 can be moved from the outside to the inside of the holder 10 and from the inside to the outside of the holder 10. For the purpose of holding a tape roll 2 in the axial direction of said tape roll 2, the holder 10 has two substantially

flat cover parts

14, 15, said

cover parts

14, 15 extending at a distance from each other, in particular said

cover parts

14, 15 extending at a distance from each other which is adapted such that a tape roll 2 having a certain width can be received in the holder 10. In the view of fig. 4, the cover portion 15 can be seen to be transparent so that, among other things, the underlying roll of tape 2 and the underlying roller 40 are fully visible in the figure.

Each of the

lid portions

14, 15 has a

flap

14a, 15a, in which

flap

14a, 15a an

opening

14b, 15b is located. The roller 40 is provided at its both ends with

carrier shafts

41, 42. The roller 40 is held between the two

wings

14a, 15a, wherein the

carrier shafts

41, 42 of the roller 40 are located in the

openings

14b, 15 b. The

carrier shafts

41, 42 have a circular outer periphery and the

fins

14a, 15a have a circular inner periphery at the location of the

openings

14b, 15b, on the basis of which a rotation of the roller 40 in the holder 10 is possible.

The pressing portion 16 extends from the base portion 11a of the first peripheral portion 11 of the holder 10 toward the roller 40. In the illustrated example, the pressing portion 16 is realized as a flat sheet having an elongated, rectangular shape. The free end 16a of the pressing portion 16 abuts the roller 40. When the adhesive tape 2a unwound from the adhesive tape roll 2 is inserted between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16, as shown in fig. 4, this has the effect of pressing the adhesive tape 2a against the roller 40. In this case, the movement of the tape 2a in its longitudinal direction is always associated with a rotational movement of the roller 40, which in turn facilitates a rotational movement of the tape roll 2 in the holder 10, wherein the rotational movement of the tape roll 2 in the holder 10 enables the unwinding of the tape 2a from the tape roll 2. In fig. 2 and 3, it can be seen that the width dimension of the pressing portion 16 of the holder 10 is smaller than the overall width dimension of the holder 10. This is not necessary, but is preferred, because as a result of which, when a new tape roll 2 has been placed in the holder 10 and it is necessary to insert the first sheet of tape 2a of said new tape roll 2 between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16 in order to enable the tape dispenser 1 to dispense the tape 2a in a correct manner, space is available for handling the tape 2 a.

In the following, it is described how placing the tape roll 2 in the tape dispenser 1 is achieved. Typically, a user of tape dispenser 1 will hold handle 20 in one hand while placing tape roll 2 in tape dispenser 1. In the first case, the user determines the positioning of the tape roll 2 with respect to the holder 10 on the basis of the envisaged direction of removal of the tape 2a from the tape roll 2. In order to achieve a correct use of the tape dispenser 1, it should be ensured that the tape roll 2 is allowed to rotate in a direction from the roller 40 to the base 11a of the first peripheral portion 11 of the holder 10 (thus in a counterclockwise direction in the depiction of fig. 4), and that the tape 2a can be dispensed in that case. When the tape roll 2 is brought into the correct position with respect to the holder 10 as described above, the user presses the tape roll 2 into position in the holder 10 by moving the tape roll 2 between the

legs

11b, 12b of the

peripheral portions

11, 12 of the holder 10 (and thus through the insertion opening 13 as described earlier) in the direction of the roller 40. When this action is finished, the tape roll 2 is held in the holder 10, wherein said tape roll 2 is held in its axial direction in the holder 10 by the two

cover portions

14, 15 of the holder 10, and wherein the

legs

11b, 12b of the

peripheral portions

11, 12 of the holder 10 prevent the tape roll 2 from disengaging from the holder 10 in the radial direction back through the insertion opening 13. With regard to the latter case, it is worth noting that during use of the tape dispenser 1, the tape roll 2 is pulled in a direction towards the roller 40, and therefore the tape roll 2 does not exert a force on the

legs

11b, 12b of the

peripheral portions

11, 12 of the holder 10. The

legs

11b, 12b are sufficiently rigid to maintain their shape when the tape dispenser 1 is not used, so that a situation in which the

legs

11b, 12b spring back and the insertion opening 13 becomes large enough to allow the tape roll 2 to pass through does not occur spontaneously.

Once tape roll 2 is in place in holder 10, the user of tape dispenser 1 can take appropriate action to cause tape 2a to exit tape dispenser 1 in the correct manner. This is done by pulling a first piece of adhesive tape 2a from the tape dispenser 1 and inserting the first piece of adhesive tape 2a between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16. As described previously, since the pressing portion 16 is small enough with respect to the rest of the adhesive tape dispenser 1, and thus small enough with respect to the adhesive tape 2a, the user is given a space for operating the adhesive tape 2a with his/her fingers so that the user can reach and grasp a portion of the adhesive tape 2 a. When the adhesive tape 2a extends outwardly from between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16, the adhesive tape dispenser 1 is ready for use. In this example, the adhesive tape 2a is guided in a loop around the roller 40 and bears with its non-adhesive side partly against the roller 40, while the adhesive side of the adhesive tape 2a is completely exposed and can be applied to a surface as desired. For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16 of the holder 10 is in contact with the adhesive side of the adhesive tape 2 a.

As can be understood from the above, when tape roll 2 is located in holder 10 and it is desired to remove it from holder 10 (which will be the case in particular when tape roll 2 has been used to the end and thus cannot supply any more tape 2a), the only thing that needs to be done by the user of tape dispenser 1 is to grasp tape roll 2 and apply a force in a direction away from roller 40. No further action is required to move the tape roll 2 out of the holder 10 in the radial direction (thus through the insertion opening 13), wherein the

legs

11b, 12b of the

peripheral portions

11, 12 of the holder 10 are separated and thus the insertion opening 13 temporarily may become large enough to allow the tape roll 2 to pass. Furthermore, the design of the holder 10 is such that the normal dimensions of the insertion opening 13 (and thus the dimensions of the insertion opening 13 associated with the normal shape of the

legs

11b, 12b) are small enough to also prevent spontaneous detachment of the depleted roll of adhesive tape 2 from the holder 10.

The tape dispenser 1 is used to apply a tape 2a on a surface (not shown). One known application of the tape dispenser 1 is for closing a box, for example, wherein two flaps of the box are held in a position in which the box is closed, and wherein a tape 2a, which is subsequently applied in a strip, is used for fixing the mutual position of the two flaps. The surface on which the tape 2a is to be applied will generally be a composite surface and thus a surface consisting of two or more parts. As a first step in the use of the adhesive tape dispenser 1, the user presses a free piece of adhesive tape 2a protruding from the adhesive tape dispenser 1 against the surface, in particular against the desired initial position of the taped adhesive tape 2a to be applied. Subsequently, the user pulls the tape dispenser 1 away from the initial position in a direction in which the tape dispenser 1 can dispense the adhesive tape 2 a. In this process, the user holds the handle 20 with one hand. As soon as the user starts moving the tape dispenser 1, the rotation of the roller 40 is effected and, on the basis of this, the rotation of the roll 2 of glue in the holder 10. Since the adhesive tape 2a is pressed against the roller 40 by the pressing portion 16, unwinding of the adhesive tape 2a will be performed in a controlled manner in which a suitable tension is generated in the adhesive tape 2 a. The usual method of applying a taped adhesive tape 2a is to first pull the tape from tape dispenser 1 (with the initial piece of tape attached to the surface to be covered) and then allow the tape to contact the surface in a single movement by moving tape dispenser 1 downward relative to the surface.

When the adhesive tape 2a of the strip has been put in place, the strip can be easily detached from the piece of adhesive tape 2a protruding from the adhesive tape dispenser 1 by buckling the adhesive tape dispenser 1 in such a way that: the tape fixing portion 31 is placed at a position for fixing the mutual position of the tape strip and the adhesive tape dispenser 1, and then the cutting knife 32 is pressed through (pressed through) the piece of adhesive tape 2a stretched between the tape fixing portion 31 and the roller 40 in the above process.

As can be seen from the above, realizing the adhesive tape dispenser 1 with only a minimum of components does not affect the general convenience of use of the adhesive tape dispenser 1. The function of the adhesive tape dispenser 1 according to the invention for applying an adhesive tape 2a on a surface can be performed by a user in a manner known per se, which involves natural practices. Both the insertion of the tape roll 2 into the holder 10 and the removal of the tape roll 2 from the holder 10 are very simple and merely require the gripping of the tape roll 2 and the subsequent movement of the tape roll 2 in the appropriate radial direction.

The adhesive tape dispenser 1 according to the invention can be manufactured in a relatively simple manner compared to existing designs of adhesive tape dispensers. According to one possibility, the integrated whole 3 of the holder 10, the handle 20 and the strap fixing portion 31 is manufactured by injection molding. For this purpose, an injection moulding mould (not shown) is applied in a manner known per se, which injection moulding mould defines an inner space that can be filled with fluid plastic, wherein the design of said space is adapted to the desired shape of said whole 3. Preferably, said injection moulding mould is adapted to receive the cutting blade 32 before the injection moulding process and to keep the cutting blade 32 positioned in said space in a correct manner during the injection moulding process, so that the cutting blade 32 is directly integrated in said whole 3 and does not need to be arranged in a separate step in the whole 3. Further, the roller 40 may also be formed of plastic in an injection molding process. For this purpose, a separate injection molding die may be applied, but the roller 40 may also be formed in the same injection molding die as the entirety 3 of the holder 10, the handle 20 and the belt fixing portion 31, whether in another space than the space for forming the entirety 3 or in the same space, in which latter case the roller 40 is injection molded to the entirety 3 and is broken from the entirety 3 in a subsequent step. In any case, the manufacturing method of the adhesive tape dispenser 1 further involves a step of assembling the roller 40 with other components of the adhesive tape dispenser 1. In the shown example of the tape dispenser 1, this step merely involves pressing the roller 40 between the

flaps

14a, 15a of the

cover parts

14, 15 of the holder 10, wherein said

flaps

14a, 15a are separated until the

carrier shafts

41, 42 of the roller 40 snap into the

openings

14b, 15b of the

flaps

14a, 15a, and the

flaps

14a, 15a subsequently spring back to their original position, on the basis of which the roller 40 is finally held between the

flaps

14a, 15 a.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples discussed in the foregoing, but that several amendments and modifications thereof are possible without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

As mentioned before, it is advantageous if the cutting blade 32 is made of metal. This does not however alter the fact that within the framework of the invention the cutting blade 32 can be made of plastic and form a plastic integral whole with the holder 10, the handle 20 and the strap fixing portion 31. In this case, the adhesive tape dispenser 1 according to the present invention has a simpler design than the embodiment previously described based on the drawings. Another option available within the framework of the invention is to provide the adhesive tape dispenser 1 without the cutting assembly 30. Further, in this case, the adhesive tape dispenser 1 may be composed of only two parts, i.e., the integrated whole of the holder 10 and the handle 20 and the roller 40.

Within the framework of the invention, it is not necessary that the holder 10 and the handle 20 are integrated with each other, but it is preferred in order to keep the number of components of the adhesive tape dispenser 1 to a minimum. For the sake of completeness, it is noted that the term "integrated with each other" is to be understood as "forming a single integrated whole with each other", wherein there is the possibility that said integrated whole comprises other parts in addition to the mentioned parts.

A possible overview of the invention is as follows. An adhesive tape dispenser 1 for dispensing an adhesive tape 2a intended for applying a taped adhesive tape 2a to a surface consists of a minimum number of components. Essentially, the adhesive tape dispenser 1 comprises: a holder 10 for receiving and accommodating the tape roll 2, the holder 10 being designed to surround the tape roll 2 along a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 while also holding the tape roll 2 in the axial direction of the tape roll 2; a handle 20 extending from the holder 10; and a roller 40, the roller 40 being rotatably installed in the holder 10 for contacting an outer circumference of the tape roll 2 received in the holder 10 and for guiding the tape 2a taken out of the tape roll 2 and applied to a surface during use of the tape dispenser 1 outward from the tape dispenser 1. The holder 10 is a single integrated body and has a pressing portion 16, the pressing portion 16 having a free end 16a, the pressing portion 16 (free end 16a) serving to press the adhesive tape 2a against the roller 40 when the adhesive tape 2a is inserted between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16. The roller 40 is held in the holder 10 only on the basis of a direct connection with the holder 10. Further, the holder 10 and the handle 20 may be integrated with each other.

The fact that the retainer 10 according to the first aspect of the present invention is a single integrated whole with the pressing portion 16 and the fact that the roller 40 according to the second aspect of the present invention is retained based only on the direct connection with the retainer 10 can be considered separately. Thus, in a first case, an invention may be defined that relates to providing a device for applying an adhesive tape 2a to a surface, comprising: a holder 10 for receiving and accommodating the tape roll 2, the holder 10 being designed to surround the tape roll 2 along a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 while also holding the tape roll 2 in the axial direction of the tape roll 2; a handle 20 extending from the holder 10; and a roller 40, said roller 40 being rotatably mounted in the holder 10 for contacting the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 received in the holder 10 and for guiding outwardly from the device the tape 2a taken from the tape roll 2 and applied to a surface during use of the device; wherein the holder 10 is a single integrated body and has a pressing portion 16, the pressing portion 16 having a free end 16a, the pressing portion 16 (free end 16a) for pressing the adhesive tape 2a against the roller 40 when the adhesive tape 2a is inserted between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16; and wherein optionally the roller 40 is held in the holder 10 solely on the basis of a direct connection with the holder 10; and in a second case, an invention may be defined that relates to providing a device for applying an adhesive tape 2a to a surface, the device comprising: a holder 10 for receiving and accommodating the tape roll 2, the holder 10 being designed to surround the tape roll 2 along a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 while also holding the tape roll 2 in the axial direction of the tape roll 2; a handle 20 extending from the holder 10; and a roller 40, said roller 40 being rotatably mounted in the holder 10 for contacting the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 received in the holder 10 and for guiding outwardly from the device the tape 2a taken from the tape roll 2 and applied to a surface during use of the device; and a pressing mechanism 16, the pressing mechanism 16 being for pressing the adhesive tape 2a against the roller 40 when the adhesive tape 2a is inserted between the roller 40 and the pressing mechanism 16; wherein the roller 40 is held in the holder 10 solely on the basis of a direct connection with the holder 10; and wherein optionally the holder 10 is a single integrated whole and the pressing mechanism 16 comprises (constitutes) a part of the holder 10.

In analogy to the above, in a first case, an invention may be defined that relates to providing a method of manufacturing a device for applying adhesive tape to a surface, the device comprising: a holder 10 for receiving and accommodating the tape roll 2, the holder 10 being designed to surround the tape roll 2 along a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 while also holding the tape roll 2 in the axial direction of the tape roll 2; a handle 20 extending from the holder 10; and a roller 40, said roller 40 being rotatably mounted in the holder 10 for contacting the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 received in the holder 10 and for guiding outwardly from the device the tape 2a taken from the tape roll 2 and applied to a surface during use of the device; wherein the holder 10 is formed as a single integrated body having a pressing portion 16, the pressing portion 16 having a free end 16a, the pressing portion 16 (free end 16a) for pressing the adhesive tape 2a against the roller 40 when the adhesive tape 2a is inserted between the roller 40 and the free end 16a of the pressing portion 16; and wherein optionally the roller 40 is directly connected to the holder 10; and in a second instance, an invention may be defined that relates to providing a method of manufacturing an apparatus for applying tape to a surface, the apparatus comprising: a holder 10 for receiving and accommodating the tape roll 2, the holder 10 being designed to surround the tape roll 2 along a portion of the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 while also holding the tape roll 2 in the axial direction of the tape roll 2; a handle 20 extending from the holder 10; and a roller 40, said roller 40 being rotatably mounted in the holder 10 for contacting the outer periphery of the tape roll 2 received in the holder 10 and for guiding outwardly from the device the tape 2a taken from the tape roll 2 and applied to a surface during use of the device; and a pressing mechanism 16, the pressing mechanism 16 being for pressing the adhesive tape 2a against the roller 40 when the adhesive tape 2a is inserted between the roller 40 and the pressing mechanism 16; wherein the roller 40 is directly connected to the holder 10; and wherein optionally the holder 10 is formed as a single integrated whole and the pressing mechanism 16 is provided as part of the holder 10.

Certain aspects of the invention are equally applicable to the possible inventions defined in the preceding two paragraphs as described herein.

Claims

1. Device (1) for applying adhesive tape (2a) to a surface, comprising:

-a holder (10) for receiving and accommodating a tape roll (2), said holder (10) being designed to surround the tape roll (2) along a portion of an outer periphery of the tape roll (2) while also holding the tape roll (2) in an axial direction of the tape roll (2);

-a handle (20) extending from the holder (10); and

-a roller (40), said roller (40) being rotatably mounted in said holder (10) for contacting the outer periphery of a tape roll (2) received in said holder (10) and for guiding tape (2a) taken from the tape roll (2) during use of the device (1) and applied to a surface outwardly from the device (1);

wherein the holder (10) is a single integrated whole and has a pressing portion (16), the pressing portion (16) having a free end (16a), the pressing portion (16) being for pressing the adhesive tape (2a) against the roller (40) when the adhesive tape (2a) is inserted between the roller (40) and the free end (16a) of the pressing portion (16); and wherein the roller (40) is held in the holder (10) solely on the basis of a direct connection with the holder (10).

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the roller (40) is provided at both ends thereof with carrier shafts (41, 42), wherein the holder (10) has two flaps (14a, 15a), which flaps (14a, 15a) extend at a distance from each other and are provided with openings (14b, 15b), and wherein the roller (40) is arranged between the flaps (14a, 15a) of the holder (10), wherein the carrier shafts (41, 42) are received in the openings (14b, 15b) in the flaps (14a, 15 a).

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein only the roller (40) is a rotatable member.

4. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holder (10) has two legs (11b, 12b) designed to be separated in a resilient manner.

5. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holder (10) is designed to accommodate a roll of tape (2) on the basis of a partial closure only.

6. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the width dimension of the pressing portion (16) of the holder (10) is smaller than the overall width dimension of the holder (10).

7. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holder (10) and the handle (20) are integrated with each other.

8. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the device (1) is completely made of a single material.

9. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein for the purpose of cutting adhesive tape (2a) from the device (1), the device (1) further comprises a cutting assembly (30), the cutting assembly (30) having a tape fixing portion (31) extending from the holder (10) and a cutting knife (32) located in front of a free end (31a) of the tape fixing portion (31) as seen from the holder (10), wherein the tape fixing portion (31) is integrated with the holder (10).

10. The device (1) according to claim 9, wherein a portion of the cutting blade (32) is held in an integrated whole of the holder (10) and the tape fixing portion (31).

11. Device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the device (1) consists solely of the roller (40), the cutting blade (32) and an integrated whole (3) of the holder (10), the handle (20) and the strap fixing part (31).

12. Method for manufacturing a device (1) for applying adhesive tape (2a) to a surface, said device (1) comprising: a holder (10) for receiving and accommodating a tape roll (2), the holder (10) being designed to surround the tape roll (2) along a portion of an outer periphery of the tape roll (2) while also holding the tape roll (2) in an axial direction of the tape roll (2); a handle (20) extending from the holder (10); and a roller (40), said roller (40) being rotatably mounted in said holder for contacting the outer periphery of the tape roll (2) received in said holder (10) and for guiding outwards from said device (1) the tape (2a) taken from the tape roll (2) and applied to a surface during use of said device (1);

wherein the holder (10) is formed as a single integrated whole with a pressing portion (16), the pressing portion (16) having a free end (16a), the pressing portion (16) being for pressing the adhesive tape (2a) against the roller (40) when the adhesive tape (2a) is inserted between the roller (40) and the free end (16a) of the pressing portion (16); and is

Wherein the roller (40) is connected to the holder (10) in a direct manner.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein the roller (40) is rotatably arranged in the holder (10) based on a snap connection.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the holder (10) and the handle (20) are integrated with each other.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the integrated whole of the holder (10) and the handle (20) and the roller (40) are formed from a plastic material by means of an injection moulding process, and wherein a single injection moulding mould is applied, which is designed to form both the integrated whole of the holder (10) and the handle (20) and the roller (40).

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the roller (40) is injection moulded to the holder (10), and wherein the roller (40) is disconnected from the holder (10) in a subsequent step.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least the integrated whole of the holder (10) and the handle (20) is formed by means of an additive manufacturing technique.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the additive manufacturing technique is 3D printing.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, wherein the device (1) is manufactured entirely from a single material.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, wherein for the purpose of cutting adhesive tape (2a) from the device (1), the device (1) further comprises a cutting assembly (30), the cutting assembly (30) having a tape fixing portion (31) extending from the holder (10) and a cutting knife (32) located in front of a free end (31a) of the tape fixing portion (31) as seen from the holder (10); and wherein the strap fixing portion (31) is integrated with the holder (10).

21. Method according to claim 20, wherein at least the integrated whole of the retainer (10) and the strap fixing portion (31) is formed of a plastic material by means of an injection moulding process by applying an injection moulding mould, and wherein the cutting knife (32) is retained in the integrated whole of the retainer (10) and the strap fixing portion (31) by placing the cutting knife (32) in the injection moulding mould before the injection moulding process and by allowing the plastic material for forming the retainer (10) to flow around a portion of the cutting knife (32) during the injection moulding process.

22. Method according to claim 20, wherein the device (1) consists solely of the roller (40), the cutting blade (32) and an integrated whole (3) of the holder (10), the handle (20) and the strap fixing part (31).

23. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein for the purpose of cutting adhesive tape (2a) from the device (1), the device (1) further comprises a cutting assembly (30), the cutting assembly (30) having a tape fixing portion (31) extending from the holder (10) and a cutting knife (32) located in front of a free end (31a) of the tape fixing portion (31) as seen from the holder (10); and wherein the strap fixing portion (31) is integrated with the holder (10).