MX2008008715A - Tape dispenser with cover - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hand-held device (1) for transferring a film of adhesive, covering or colored material from a backing tape (13) onto a substrate, comprising a housing (2) having a main body (5) and a neck portion (6), the neck portion (6) being provided with a tip opening (10), through which a tip (11) of an application member (12) protrudes, wherein a cover (3) is provided on the neck portion (6), the cover (3) being moveable on the neck portion (6) from a first position in which the tip (11) of the application member (12) is uncovered to a second position in which the tip (11) of the application member (12) is covered, wherein the cover (3) comprises a first member (16) adapted to spirally move on the outer surface of the neck portion (6) and a second member (17) connected to the fist member.

Description

TAPE DESPACHADOR WITH COVER The present invention relates to a device or manual for transferring a film of adhesive, cover or colored material from a backing tape onto a substrate according to the preamble of claim 1.

In the prior art, applicators of correction tape or applicators of adhesive tape or the like are known. Normally, these applicators comprise a housing and a tip of an application element projecting from the housing, wherein correction tape or the like is guided around this point. Since the correction tape or any other tape used for this type of applicators is very sensitive and the tip is always exposed to the environment and, in this way, to external influences, it is very likely that the tape is damaged or even broken when the applicator is not in use and is stored anywhere. Once this tape is broken, the entire applicator has to be discarded. However, there are some solutions to protect the tape from external influences, when the applicator is not used. For example, a cap that fits over the housing and which is placed on the applicator after use can be provided. Using this cover for protection has the disadvantage that it can easily be lost, and then the tip with the tape on it is again unprotected. In addition, the applicator is enlarged in size when a lid is placed on the housing, thus making it inconvenient to store.

Another known solution of the prior art is to provide a protection element directly on the housing, in such a way that it can not be lost. However, applicators equipped with this type of protection means are usually difficult for a user to handle.

Therefore, the present invention is based on the objective of providing a manual device for transferring a film of adhesive, cover or colored material from a backing tape onto a substrate, according to which the application element is reliably protected , when the device is not being used, and which is easy to use for a user.

This objective is solved by a manual device that has the characteristics of claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, there is provided a manual device for transferring a film of adhesive, cover or colored material from a backing tape onto a substrate, comprising a housing. The housing is provided with a tip opening, through which protrudes a tip of an application element. A cover is provided, the cover is movable in the neck portion of a first position in which the tip of the application element is uncovered to a second position in which the tip of the application element is covered. Preferably the cover is disposed radially outside a neck portion of the housing.

According to a ral idea of the present invention the cover is transferred between the first and second positions when rotating it in relation to the housing.

In this respect, the cover can be mounted, for example, directly or indirectly in the housing in such a way as to form a spiral between the first and the second position. Preferably the tip itself is not rotated when the cover is rotated, but rotates in front of the housing.

For example, the cover may comprise a first element adapted to move spirally on the outer surface of the neck portion and a second element connected to the first element adapted to cover the tip of the application element in the second position.

By means of the structure mentioned above of a manual device, the cover remains on the housing, even when the manual device is used, so the cover that is designed to protect the tip, when the manual device is not in use, can not be lost. The protection of the tip, moreover, is achieved in a very easy to handle manner whenever the cover is moved from a first position in which the tip is discovered to a second position in which the tip disappears completely into a cavity formed by the cover and, in this way, it is protected against external influences.

In this way the cover moves spirally on the outer surface of the neck portion, facilitating the handling for a user, who without any effort can hold the cover between his thumb and the index finger of one hand and move the cover when turning it. Carrying out the rotary movement in the manner described above is much easier for a user than would be the case if, for example, a linear movement had to be carried out to move the cover in a position to protect the tip. The cover slides smoothly on the surface of the cylindrical portion of the neck, whereby the spiral movement is guided by the two guide elements provided within the first element of the cover.

Preferably, the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion of the first element is corrugated or provided with ribs or holding ribs, respectively. Thus, a user, whose tip of finger and tip of thumb rests on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion of the cover to rotate it in any direction to cover or to discover the tip of the application element, will not slide out the cover surface with the tips of your fingers, when you carry out the rotation movement.

In addition, the cover itself will not slide out of the cylindrical neck portion of the handheld device, since preferably at least one detent pin is provided on the neck portion, projecting from its circumference and restricting the spiral movement in such a manner. that the cover can not slide out of the neck portion.

The present invention and additional advantages, which can be achieved by the present invention, will now be explained in detail by means of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings in which Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the housing and cover according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the handheld device according to the present invention, the cover being in the first position and Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the handheld device according to the present invention, the cover being in the second position.

Figure 1 shows the manual device 1 according to the present invention. The housing 2 and the cover 3 are illustrated separately in an exploded view. The housing 2 itself has three portions of different shapes: a rear portion 4 having a hemispherical shape, an intermediate portion or main body 5 having a rounded and stretched shape along, and a neck portion 6 provided at a front end of the manual device 1. The neck portion 6, furthermore, is constituted by two portions of different shapes: a cylindrical portion 7 adjacent to the main body 5 and a tapered portion 8, which forms the outermost part of the front end of the housing 2.

From the surface of the cylindrical portion 7 placed immediately before the transition from the cylindrical portion 7 to the tapered portion 8, a detent pin 9 is provided, against which the cover 3 will be spliced, when rotated by a user, and in this manner, it will not be released from the neck portion 6 of the housing 2. The tapered portion 8 has only a very slight taper and at the front end of the tapered portion 8, a tip opening 10 is provided through which the tip 1 1 of an application element 12 protrudes. A correction tape 13 which is composed of a backing tape on the surface from which a film of cover material is applied is directed from the cavity formed inside the housing 2 to the application element 12, around an application edge 14 and back to housing 2 again.

For a secure guide of the correction tape 13 around the tip 1 1 of the application element 12, the tip 1 1 has two opposite guide wings 15, which extend on both sides thereof substantially perpendicular to form a wall on both sides of the tip 1 1 in such a way that the correction tape 13 can not slide and detach when the application edge 14 is moved on the surface of a substrate such as, for example, a sheet of paper. A cavity 20 is formed in the tapered portion 8 of the neck portion 6. The cavity 20 extends from the front end of the tapered portion 8, where also the tip opening 10 is provided, towards the cylindrical portion 7. cavity 20 is disposed directly on the correction tape 13. Within the housing 2 or, in particular, in the cavity formed by the housing 2, a drive mechanism (not shown) is provided to supply the correction tape 13 to the application element 12 and to pick up the used tape. The drive mechanism can be of any type, as long as the belt 13 is automatically supplied and picked up, when the handheld device 1 is used since the application edge 14 is moved on a substrate.

In addition, the cover 3 is illustrated in figure 1, as already mentioned above. As can be seen from the drawing, the cover 3 comprises two main components: a lower cam or first element 16 and an upper cam or second element 17. The first element 16, in an assembled state of the manual device 1, is seated on the portion of neck 6 of the housing 2. In addition, the second element 17 is fixedly connected to the first element 16 when the manual device 1 is assembled. The first element 16 has a ring-shaped collar 18, the internal diameter of which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the neck portion 6, so it fits over it in a relatively tight manner, but nevertheless , still has some positive clearance such that the cover 3 can be moved over the neck portion 6.

Two guide elements 19 are arranged on the inner circumference of the ring-shaped collar 18, substantially opposite each other. Each guide element 19 is formed with a trailing edge 26, which is fused to create a steep elevation edge 27. Thanks to this configuration which, furthermore, in an assembled state of the manual device 1, makes contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 7 of the neck portion 6 and slides thereon, a spiral movement of the cover 3 on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 7 is made possible and is guided or controlled, respectively, when a user rotates the cover 3.

The cover 3 is then disposed radially outside the neck portion 6. This has the advantage that essentially the whole of the cover 3 can be easily fastened in order to be manipulated by the fingers of a user. Preferably the cover is completely exposed to the outside.

A further advantage of this arrangement of the cover 3 outside the neck portion 6 is that there is then more space available within the neck portion 6. This is of importance for example to provide a space between the neck portion 6 and the neck portion 6. tip in order to allow a flexible (oscillating) movement of the tip.

The bolting mechanism between the cover and the neck portion may comprise a radially acting guide curve, that is, an element of the bolting mechanism is disposed radially inside the cover. This can lead to a reduction in the length of the bolting mechanism when compared to a linearly arranged mechanism such as is known, for example, from JP 2005001850. The bolting mechanism according to the invention is preferably arranged radially. inside the cover and not at the rear end as is known for example from JP 2005001850.

The second element 17 of the cover 3 will now be described. The second element 1 7 corresponds substantially to the shape of the neck portion 6 of the housing 2, but, however, has slightly larger diameters in such a way that it still fits and also Thus, the second element 1 7 also has a cylindrical portion 21, the internal diameter of which is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 7 of the neck portion 6, and a tapered portion 22, the inner diameter of which is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tapered portion 8 of the neck portion 6.

The outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 21 of the second element 17 is corrugated in such a way that gripping ribs 23 are formed thereon, to prevent the tip of the finger and / or tip of the thumb of a user, who holds the manual device 1 in his fingers, from slipping outside the cover 3, when the cover 3 rotates to cover or discover, respectively, the application element 12. Here, the holding ribs 23 are provided on the entire surface of the cylindrical portion 21. However, it is also conceivable that they are only partially provided, for example, only in two positions, when the user must place the tips of his fingers or longitudinally, only covering a portion of the cylindrical portion 21, but still being provided around the full circumference.

In addition, the second element 17 has a first opening 22, which is adapted and sized to be slid on the first element 16 and a second opening 25, through which the tip 1 1 of the application element 12 protrudes, when the Manual device 1 is being used.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the handheld device 1 according to the present invention, the cover being in the first position, and Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the handheld device according to the present invention, the cover being in the second position. With respect to Figure 2 and Figure 3, the operation of the manual device 1 will now be explained.

In Figure 2, the cover 3 of the manual device 1 is in the first position, in which the tip 1 1 of the application element 12 is uncovered, whereby the manual device 1 is ready to be used. In this position, ie the first position of the cover 3, the tip 1 1 of the application element 12 protrudes through the second opening 25 of the cover 3. The cover 3 is in a retracted position here, since the collar 18 of the first element 16 is spliced against the main body 5 of the housing 2 and the neck portion 6 of the housing 2 is completely covered by the cover 3, so that it can not be seen from the outside.

After the user finishes using the manual device 1, he places the tip of his index finger and the tip of his thumb on the cylindrical portion 21 of the cover 3 and simply rotates the cover 3, for example, 90 degrees (any angle it is conceivable depending on the shape of the guide elements), whereby the cover 3 moves along the longitudinal axis L of the handheld device 1 spirally around the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 7 of the neck portion 6, on the surface from which the cover slides 3. When the second position is reached, that is, when the tip 1 1 of the application element 12 disappears completely into a cavity formed by the cover 3 and, in this way, is completely covered and protected, the detent pin 9 prevents any additional movement in such a way that the cover can slide out of the neck portion 6 of the housing 2. In this position, which is also an extended position of the cover 3, the manual device 1 can be carried or stored, without any risk of the correction tape 13 being damaged or broken. Further, in this extended position, a portion of the cylindrical portion 7 of the neck portion 6 is uncovered and thus is visible here. To rotate the cover 3 back to the first position, if a user wishes to use the manual device 1, it only has to be turned to the opposite direction (as shown by the respective arrows in figure 2 and figure 3), while this movement is automatically stopped when the collar 18 is butted against the main body 5 of the housing 2. Thus, a reliable protection of the tip 1 1 carrying the corrective tape 13 or the like is achieved by a very simple mechanism, which is very Easy to handle for a user.

List of Reference Numbers 1 manual device 2 housing 3 cover 4 rear portion 5 main body 6 neck portion 7 cylindrical portion 8 tapered portion 9 detent pin 10 tip opening 1 1 tip 12 application element 13 correction tape 14 application edge 15 guide wing 16 first element 17 second element 18 collar 19 guide element cavity 21 cylindrical portion 22 tapered portion 23 grip ribs 24 first opening second opening L longitudinal axis

Claims (20)

1. A manual device (1) for transferring a film of adhesive, cover or colored material from a backing tape (13) onto a substrate, comprising a housing (2) which is provided with a tip opening (10), through which protrudes a tip (1 1) of an application element (12), wherein a cover (3) is provided, the cover (3) can be moved relative to the neck portion (6) of a first position in which the tip (11) of the application element (12) is uncovered to a second position in which the tip (11) of the application element (12) is covered, wherein the cover (3) is transferable between the first and second positions when rotated in relation to the housing and the cover (3) is arranged on the outer surface of a neck portion (6) of the housing (2), characterized also because the cover (3) comprises a first element (16) and a second element (17), wherein the second element (17) is slid on the first element (16).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first element (16) is adapted to move spirally on the outer surface of a neck portion (6) of the housing.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the second element (17) is connected to the first element (16) and adapted to cover the tip (11) of the application element (12) in the second position.

4. The manual device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the neck portion (6) has a cylindrical portion (7) and a tapered portion (8).

5. The manual device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one detent pin (9) is provided on the cylindrical portion (7).

6. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first element (16) has a ring-shaped collar (18) and two guide elements (19) which are adapted to direct the spiral movement of the cover (3) on the surface of the neck portion (6).

7. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cover (3) can be moved from the first position to the second position when the cover (3) is rotated.

8. The manual device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the cover (3) can be moved from the second position to the first position by rotating it in a direction opposite to the direction of movement from the first position to the second position .

9. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the spiral movement is carried out in the cylindrical portion (7) of the neck portion (6).

10. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the second element (17) has a cylindrical portion and a tapered portion 22. eleven .

The hand-held device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the second element (17) has a first opening (24) and a second opening (15), with which with the first opening (24) it is slid over the first element (16) and the second opening (25) serves as a tip opening for the tip (11) of the application element (12).

12. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the first element and the second element 17 are fixedly connected to each other.

13. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 2 to 1, characterized in that a cavity (20) is formed in the tapered portion (8) of the neck portion (6).

14. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the first position is an extended position.

15. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the second position is a retracted position.

16. The manual device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tip is flexible.

17. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the tip (1 1) comprises an application edge (14) and two opposite guide wings (15).

18. The manual device (1) according to any of claims 6 to 15, characterized in that the guide elements (19) each have a trailing edge (26).

19. The manual device (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that the trailing edge (26) fuses into a steep elevation edge (27).

20. The hand-held device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that at least a portion of the cylindrical portion (21) of the second element (17) is corrugated around the outer circumference.