GB2361442A

GB2361442A - Adhesive applicator

Info

Publication number: GB2361442A
Application number: GB0009631A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Ian Auty; Paul Thomas Simpson; Richard Turner
Original assignee: FANTAS TAK Ltd
Current assignee: FANTAS TAK Ltd
Priority date: 2000-04-19
Filing date: 2000-04-19
Publication date: 2001-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-19
Also published as: GB0009631D0; GB2361442B

Abstract

The invention describes an adhesive applicator 10 which is located onto an upper edge 12 of a container 14 for a length of backing tape 16 which has separate dots of adhesive 18 thereon. The applicator 10 is located under the backing tape 16 to thereby cause the backing tape to offer a single dot of adhesive 18 to a user wishing to secure the dot of adhesive 18 to another article.

Description

1 2361442 ADHESIVE APPLICATOR This invention relates to an adhesive

applicator, particularly, but not limited to an applicator for applying discrete pieces of adhesive held on a backing material to another article. The invention also relates to a method of removing pieces of adhesive from a backing material.

It is known for adhesive to be supplied in discrete sections, or dots, on a backing tape. The backing tape with the adhesive thereon may be provided in a roll held in a dispensing box, from which box the adhesive bearing tape can be pulled to reveal the adhesive dots for removal.

A user may remove the adhesive dots from the backing tape by running the backing tape along the top edge of its box and pressing an article on to the tape to cause the adhesive dot to adhere to the article so that it can then be pulled away from the tape.

Disadvantages arise with this method of removing the adhesive dots when it is desired to secure one of the adhesive dots to a larger article. Problems arise because the adhesive dots are typically located on the backing tape at a separation of approximately 2-3 cm. If the article to which the adhesive dot is to be secured is larger than 2-3 cm, then more than one adhesive dot will be removed from the tape when the article is pushed onto the tape to remove a single adhesive dot.

2 It is an object of the present invention to address the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention an applicator for applying adhesive secured to a backing tape to another article comprises adhesive isolation means operable to isolate a piece of adhesive on the backing tape in a plane spaced from that of remaining pieces of adhesive located on the backing tape, and location means for holding the applicator in position relative to a dispensing container on which the applicator is operable to be located.

The adhesive isolation means may be adapted to be located, in use, between the backing tape and an edge of the dispensing container. The isolation means may, in use, urge the backing tape away from the dispensing container, preferably away from an edge of the dispensing container.

The adhesive isolation means may include a platform, which platform may support, in use, a section of the backing tape. The said section of backing tape may be a section on which only a single piece of adhesive is located.

Thus, the platform may be sized to have a length approximately equal to or less than twice a spacing between adjacent pieces of adhesive on the backing tape, to ensure that only one piece of adhesive is located on the platform at a time.

3 The adhesive isolation means may be operable to separate the backing tape from the dispensing container by at least 10 mm, preferably at least 20 mm.

The adhesive isolation means may comprise a sloping front portion and may comprise a sloping rear portion. The or each slope may be provided to reduce friction between the applicator and the backing tape.

The location means may comprise container gripping means, which may comprise a first projection arranged to be located on a first side of the container and a second projection arranged to be located on a second side of the container. The first and second projections may be flexible and may be arranged to be biased towards each other. The bias may provide a gripping force to maintain the applicator in position relative to the container.

The separation of the first and second projection at a location where they join the remainder of the applicator may be approximately equal to the width of the container. The separation between the first and second projections when not placed on the container may be less than the width of the container.

Alternatively, the location means may comprise adhesive means to secure, preferably removably secure, the applicator to the container.

4 Alternatively, the location means may comprise a hook and loop fastener with which to secure the applicator to the container.

According to another aspect of the present invention an assembly comprises an applicator as described in relation to the previous aspect and a dispensing container containing a backing tape having pieces of adhesive secured thereto.

The pieces of adhesive may be spaced from one another.

The applicator may be locatable on an upper side of the container. The backing tape may extend from one end of the upper side, over the applicator and to the other end of the upper side.

According to a further aspect of the present invention a method for applying a piece of adhesive secured to a backing tape to an article comprises isolating a section of the tape bearing a piece of adhesive with isolating means of an applicator, by isolating the section of tape in a different plane to that of other pieces of adhesive on the backing tape, and pressing the article onto the isolated piece of adhesive on the isolated section of tape to thereby cause the adhesive to adhere to the article.

The backing tape may extend from one end of an upper side of the container, over the applicator and to the other end of the upper side of the container.

All of the above aspects may be combined with any of the features disclosed herein, in any combination.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic side view showing an adhesive applicator located on an upper edge of a box containing a plurality of adhesive dots secured to a backing tape; Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of the adhesive applicator; and Figure 3 shows a schematic perspective front view of the applicator.

An applicator 10 is located on an upper edge 12 of a container 14 for a length of backing tape 16 having dots of adhesive 18 thereon. The applicator 10 is located under the backing tape 16 to thereby cause the backing tape to offer a single dot of adhesive 18 to a user wishing to secure the dot of adhesive 18 to another article.

In more detail, the applicator 10 comprises side flanges 20a and 20b, and a body portion 22 having an upper, flat platform portion 24.

The side flanges 20a/b have a separation at their junction with the body portion 22 of approximately 34 mm. This 6 separation corresponds to the standard width of the container 14, on which the applicator 10 is intended to be placed.

The separation of the side flanges 20a/b at their lower edges may be slightly less than 34 mm. The lesser separation allows the side flanges 20a/b to be sprung slightly so that they grip the container 14 on which they are placed.

In order to provide slight flexure, the applicator 10 may be made of plastics material, or perhaps metal.

The body portion has a length of 50 mm at its junction with the side flanges 20a, b. The body portion has a width of 34 mm and a height of 24 mm. The platform portion 24 is 34 mm wide and 15 mm in length. The body portion has sloping slide portions 26 which extend up to the platform portion 24. The side portions 26a and 26b have a length of 30 mm and a width of 34 mm.

In use, the purpose of the body portion is to provide means to raise the backing tape 16 from the upper edge 12 of the container 14. Also, the applicator has the function of providing a discrete platform portion 24 which has a size chosen so that when a section of backing tape 16 is laid thereon, only one of the adhesive dots 18 located on the backing tape is positioned over the platform portion 24.

7 It is thus a function of the applicator 10 that a single adhesive dot 18 is isolated at a different level to the remainder of the adhesive dots 18 and the remainder of the backing tape 16, to thereby allow a single adhesive dot 18 5 to be removed from the backing tape 16 in isolation.

In use, the applicator 10 is removably placed on the upper edge 12 of the container 14 by parting the lower edges of the side flanges 20a/b and sliding the applicator 10 on to the upper edge 12. The gripping action of the side flanges 20a/b allows the applicator 10 to be held in position without the use of adhesive or other means. The backing tape 16 bearing the adhesive dots 18 is then threaded from point 28 on a side wall of the container 14 where it exits the container to the upper edge 12, along the upper edge, over the platform portion 24 of the applicator 10 to the opposite end of the upper edge 12,down the opposite side of the container and into a stand 28. A user then pulls the backing tape 16 through the stand 28 so that the backing tape 16 moves across the platform portion 24 of the applicator 10. When a dot of adhesive 18 is located generally centrally on the platform portion 24 an article, such as a compact disc holder is pressed onto the adhesive dot 18. Adhesion between the article and the adhesive dot 18 is greater than the adhesion between the adhesive dot 18 and the backing tape 16, thus allowing the adhesive dot to be pulled from the backing tape 16. The article may then be secured to a magazine for instance for subsequent sale.

It is a benefit of the present invention that the use of 8 the applicator allows a single dot of adhesive to be deposited on a laterally extensive article, without manual contact and without other dots of adhesive from the backing tape being removed.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,

9 abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combinat. ion, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. An applicator for applying adhesive secured to a backing tape to another article comprises adhesive isolation means operable to isolate a piece of adhesive on the backing tape in a plane spaced from that of remaining pieces of adhesive located on the backing tape, and location means for holding the applicator in position relative to a dispensing container on which the applicator is operable to be located.

2. An applicator according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive isolation means is adapted to be located, in use, between the backing tape and an edge of the dispensing container.

3. An applicator according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein the isolation means, in use, urges the backing tape away from the dispensing container.

4. An applicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the adhesive isolation means includes a platform, which platform supports, in use, a section of the backing tape.

5. An applicator according to claim 4, wherein the said section of backing tape is a section on which only a single piece of adhesive is located.

11

6. An applicator according to either of claims 4 or 5, wherein the platform is sized to have a length approximately equal to or less than twice a spacing between adjacent pieces of adhesive on the backing tape, to ensure that only one piece of adhesive is located on the platform at a time.

7. An applicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the adhesive isolation means comprises a sloping front portion and a sloping rear portion.

8. An applicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the location means comprises container gripping means, which comprises a first projection arranged to be located on a first side of the container and a second projection arranged to be located on a second side of the container.

9. An applicator according to claim 8, wherein the first and second projections are flexible and are arranged to be biased towards each other.

10. An applicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the location means comprises adhesive means to secure the applicator to the container.

11. An assembly comprises an applicator as described in any preceding claim and a dispensing container containing a backing tape having pieces of adhesive secured thereto.

12 12. An assembly comprising an applicator according to claim 11, wherein the pieces of adhesive are spaced from one another.

13. An assembly comprising an applicator according to either claim 11 or 12, wherein the applicatoris locatable on an upper side of the container.

14. A method f or applying a piece of adhesive secured to a backing tape to an article comprises isolating a section of the tape bearing a piece of adhesive with isolating means of an applicator, by isolating the section of tape in a different plane to that of other pieces of adhesive on the backing tape, and pressing is the article onto the isolated piece of adhesive on the isolated section of tape to thereby cause the adhesive to adhere to the article.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the backing tape extends from one end of an upper side of the container, over the applicator and to the other end of the upper side of the container.

16. An applicator for applying adhesive secured to a backing tape to another article as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawings.