US2192634A - Tape applying machine - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1940. R BLOMQUIST 2,192,634

TAPE APPLYING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 li VENT OR. iZgy (2.3[0272gzu29 A4 ATTORNEY.

March 5, 1940.

R. A. BLOMQ UIST TAPE APPLYING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. [@923 @fiza ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. s, 1940 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The invention relates generally to a portable or hand machine for applying adhesive tape and more particularly to the provision of such a machine for applying adhesive tape to the leather I upper portions of shoes to cover the decorative perforations in the leather and prevent the lining from showing through the perforations.

The general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tape applying machine.

10 Other objects include the provision, in such a machine, of'means for mounting a roll of tape so as to feed automatically, means for severing the tape, means for automatically resetting the tape applying mechanism, after a piece has been severed, so as to permit the workman to proceed with the next operation, and means for placing a drag on the tape as it is applied so as to stretch it, and thereby reduce or take out the stretch in the leather to which the tape is applied.

a A further object -is to provide a portable tape applying machine which may be operated by the use of one hand and manipulated much in the manner of an ordinary flat iron, the tape being fed from the tip or point of the body member of u the device. An important object is the provision of a tape applying machine which not only facilitates application of tape in straight lines but which will also apply tape along curved lines. This reduces the cost of taping materially since so it enables the use of narrow tape following the curve whereas formerly a wide tape was applied in a cord-like manner.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent fromthe following detailed de- 35 scription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of the invention in the process 'of applying tape.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

40 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the machine in the process of severing the tape.

45 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom view'of the invention as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section along the line- Fig. 'i,is a fragmentary section along the line While my invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, I have shown in n the drawings and will herein describe in detail one such embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exempliflcation of the principles of the invention and ispot intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the 5 invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the form chosen for purposes of disclosure, the invention is portrayed as a portable machine having a body member or block Ill provided at 10 one end with a pair of wheels ll mounted on headed screw devices II, and at its other end with a pair of tape applying rollers i2, so that the machine mayreadily be moved over a plane surface. A frame I3 is secured to the upper surface of the block In by means of screw devices "it which pass through a horizontal portion l3 of the frame and into the block. The frame has an upstanding portion ii", to the upper end of which a tape reel I5 is rotatabLv secured. A han- 3:? I6 is secured to the frame to facilitate han-' ng. The invention provides means for guiding and placing a drag upon a tape II which is fed from a roll I! mounted on the tape reel i5. As illustrated herein, the guide and drag means is mounted on anupwardly extending portion or post I. at the forward end of the block ill and consists generally of a vertically slidable guide plate I! which is movable from a lower normal position, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and '7, to a raised position, as illustrated in Fig. 4. A U- shaped member 20 surrounds the block portion l0 and is secured atits forward ends to the plate I! by means of a plurality of screws 2! so as to retain the plate memberlain fitted slidable engagement with theblock portion ID.

The. tape l'l passes downwardly from the roll I! and over the forward surface of the plate I! (as illustrated most clearly in Fig. '7) and then 0 down under the rollers l2, so that by pressing downwardly -on the handle it and moving the device forwardly (toward the left in Fig. 1), the tape is unreeled from the roll l8 and applied to, the surface of the material 25 over which the device is moved. In order to facilitate the feeding of the tape to the rollers i2, the lower end of the plate i9 is preferably curved at is (Figs. 1

and '7), and side ribs 26 and 21 are provided to form a channel for guiding the tape over the surface ll. As illustrated herein, these side. ribs (Figs. 2 and 3) are secured to the plate is at their upper ends by screw devices 32 so as to permit lateral adjustment of the lower ends-0f the ribs to compensate for different widths of u tape. The lower end of the rib 26 has a laterally extending portion 28 which is slotted at 29 to admit a screw device 29, the reduced portion of which passes through the slot and into threaded engagement with the rib 21, as shown in Fig. 3. When the screw devices 32 and 29' are tightened, the guide ribs are rigid with the plate and form a channel.

In order to take the stretch out of the tape as it is applied, means is provided for placing a drag on the tape. This means is herein shown in the form of a spring member secured at its upper end to a cross bar 3| which extends across the upper ends of the side ribs 26 and 21 and is secured thereto by means of the screw devices 32. The spring 30 is fastened to the cross bar by means of a plurality of screw devices 33 in such a manner that the lower end of the spring is urged toward the right (Figs. 1, 4 and 7) so as to drag against the downwardly moving tape I1. Preferably, the lower end of the spring 30 is notched to provide teeth 30'.

Means is also provided for severing the tape I! whenever the operator has completed the application of a stretch of tape. In the preferred form of the invention shown herein, this means comprises a severing means or knife 35 secured to one end of a lever 36 which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the upper end of the block portion III by means of a transversely extending pivot member 31. The knife 35 is secured to a laterally bent portion 36 of the lever 36 by means of screw devices 31 and preferably has a slanting edge 35 to facilitate cutting the tape when the lever 36 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Figs. 1 and '7 to that shownin Fig. 4. Further to facilitate the cutting of the tape, a slot 38 is formed in the forward edge of the block I0, and the guide plate I9, together with the drag means supported thereon, are raised simultaneously from the position shown in Fig. '7 to that shown in Fig. 4, so that the portion of the tape cut by the knife 35 is then stretched under the tension caused by the upward movement of the guide and drag means.

In order to operate the severing knife, an operating lever 40 is pivotally mounted on the up-.

right portion l3" of the frame by means of a pivot pin 4| which extends through a cylindrical member 4| welded to the frame portion l3". The lever 40 is provided with a thumb knob 42 so that when the handle I6 is grasped by the right hand of an operator, his thumb may readily be applied to the knob 42 without loosening his grip on the handle. The other end of the operating lever 40 is connected by means of a link 43 to the free end 36" of the knife lever 36, so that when the knob 42 is depressed the knife lever is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 4. In order to raise the guide and drag means during this severing operation, a link 44 is secured at its lower end (by means of a pivot device 45) to an upwardly extending ear 46 formed on the U-shaped member 20 which is secured to the plate I9. The upper end of the link 44 is secured by a pivot member 41 to an intermediate point on the operating lever 40. As will be readily apparent from the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and 4, the link 44 functions to raise the guide and drag means from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 4 when the thumb knob 42 of the operating lever is depressed to operate the tape severing knife.

Means is preferably provided for resetting the machine for a succeeding tape applying operation upon the completion of the tape severing operation, and for this purpose a coil spring 50 is hooked at one end to an intermediate ofl'set portion 40 of the operating lever 40 (see Figs. 2 and '7) and at its other end is secured to the upwardly extending frame portion I3" by means of an anchoring screw device 5i. This spring acts to pull back the operating lever 40 ,from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 1. This movement of the operating lever causes a return movement of the knife lever 36 and at the same time causes a return or downward movement of the guide and drag means.

It is to be noted that when the guide and drag means are raised to the position shown in Fig. 4 they are raised sufliciently high to leave a piece of tape I'l extending downwardly below the lower curved end I3 of the guide plate. When the device is automatically reset for the next tape applying operation, the guide and drag means in their downward movement unreel tape from the reel I8, due to the action of the drag spring 30 in securely holding the tape against the guide plate l9 and against backward or upward movement thereon. When the guide and drag means reach their lower position, as shown in Fig. 7, the free end of the tape l'l then extends downwardly a sufficient distance so that it will reach under the first roller I2, as shown in Fig. 7, and permit the operator to proceed with the application of the tape. Although the free end of the tape may extend straight down from'the end of the plate I9, it is readily caused to move under the roller I2 merely by tilting thedevice slightly and pointing it into the material on which the tape is being applied.

In the exemplary form of the invention, the block In is arched on its under surface at I0" and the forward portion of the block is provided with a longitudinally extending channel-like recess 52 (Figs. 2, 5 and 7). Roller supporting bars 53, secured together by a cross piece 54, are inserted in the recess 52 and secured to the block III- by means of screw devices 55. The rollers I2 have trunnions I2 fitting into suitable bores in the bars 53.

The tape supporting reel I5 is herein shown mounted on a pivot device 56 secured to the upper end of the frame portion I3". A diametrically extending retaining bar 5'! is provided on one side of the reel and a pair of radially extending retaining bars 58and 58' are provided on the other side of the reel, the bar 58' being provided with a handle 58" to facilitate rotating this bar approximately 180 to an upright position to permit installation of a tape roll.

There is illustrated in Fig. 8 a portion 50 of the leather upper of a shoe on which pieces of tape have been applied to cover up perforations (not shown) in the leather. Not only has a piece of tape been applied along a straight line, as indicated at 6|, but also pieces have been applied along various curved lines, as indicated at 62, 63, 64, and 65. In order to apply the tape along a curved line, such as illustrated, it is merely necessary for the operator to steer the device along the curve, much as a fiat iron is steered around on an article being ironed. Since in the past a curved line of perforations have been covered by means of a piece of tape applied in a straight line, a piece of tape to cover the perforations covered by the tape 64 would have to be of the size in dicated by the dashed lines 64. The saving resuiting from the use of the present invention will be readily apparent.

In operating the preferred form' of the invention, a roll" of tap'eis applied to the reel I! between guide bars 51, I8 and 58'. The bar 58' may be pivoted upwardly in a well known manner to permit the roll l8 to be applied. The tape I1 is stretched downwardly over the guide plate I! and under the drag spring 30 with a suflicient end projecting to reach under the first roller l2, the adhesive 'part of the tape being toward the left (Figs. 1 and 7), so that it is pressed downwardly on the surface of the material to which it is applied. In applying tape to a leather shoe upper, such as shown in Fig. 8, it is merely necessary to place the device so that the free end of the tape under the first roller I2 is pressed downwardly over one end of a row of perforations. Thereafter, the of the line of perforations, the operator applying sufllcient pressure on the'handle it to draw the tape through the drag means. At the same time, the device may be moved in a straight or a curved line; as desired. when tape has been applied over substantially the entire row of perforations, the operator can, by stopping the device and depressing the thumb knob 42, cause the knife 35 to sever the tape, as illustrated in Fig. 4;. The device is then moved ahead sufficiently to apply the upward extending end of the severed piece of tape. The device may then be removed and reset merely by releasing the thumb knob 42. During the application of the tape, the drag means maintains the .tape in a stretched condition as it is applied. This is advantageous in that it counteracts anylater stretching in the leather.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tape applying machine having, in combination, a block adapted to be moved over the material to which the tape is applied, a roller adjacent the forward end of theblock for pressing the tape onto such'material, means for supporting a roll oftape on said block,.said block having an upstanding member above said roller and a transverse knife receiving slot adjacent said roller, a tape guide member slidably mounted on said upstanding member, a spring tensioned drag member for the tape carried on said guide member, a knife for severing the tape movable through the tape and into said slot, a lever pivotally mounted on said upstanding member and carrying saidknife at one end, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon the tape supporting means, a link connecting said levers, and a second link connecting said operating lever and said guide member for raising the guide member above said slot during the tape severing operation.

2. A device of the character described having, in combination, a portable support, a tape applying roller rotatably supported thereon, a frame extending upwardly from said support and including a horizontal handle spaced above said support and a tape reel support above the handle, a tape reel on said tape reel support, means for guiding tape from a roll on said reel to a point substantially tangential to and contacting the tape applying roller, and means for severing the tape adjacent said roller including an operating member pivotally supported on said frame with one end located within the reach of an operator's thumb when his hand grasps'said handle.

3. A device of the character described having, in combination, a support, a tape applying roller rotatably supported thereon, a frame extending device is moved in the direction I 3 upwardly from said support and including a handle and a tape reel support, means for guiding tape from a roll on said reel support to the tape applying roller, means carried on the guide.

means for placinga drag on the tape so as to provide a stretched run of tape adjacent the roller,

means for severing the tape adjacent said roller, means for retracting the guide and drag means during the severing operation to permit the cut to be made in the stretched run of the tape at a point leaving sufflcient tape "extending to reach the roller when the guide and drag means are returned to their normal positiomand means for returning the guide and drag means to their normal positions and thereby reset the device for the nexttape applying operation.

' 4. A tape applying machine having, in combination, a block adapted to be moved over the material to which the tape is applied, a roller adjacent the forward end of the block for pressing the tape onto such material, means for supporting a roll of tape on said block, said block having an upstanding member above said roller, a tape guide member slidably mounted on said upstanding member, a spring drag member for the tape carried on said guide member, a knife for severing the tape, a lever pivotally mounted on said -upstanding member and carrying said knife at one end, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon the tape supporting means, a link connecting said levers, and a second link connecting said operating lever and said guide member for raising the guide member during the tape severing opera- 5. A tape applying machine having, in combination, a block adaptedto be moved over the material to which the tape is applied, a roller adjacent the forward end of the block for pressing the tape onto such material, means for supporting aa'oll of tape on said block, said block having an upstanding member above said roller, a tape guide member slidably mounted on said upstanding member, a knife for severing the tape, a lever pivotally mounted on said upstanding member and carrying said knife at one end, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon the tape supporting means, a link connecting said levers, and a second link connecting said operating lever and said guide member for raising the guide member during the tape severing operation.

6. A tape applying machine having, in combination, a portable frame, means adjacent the forward end of said frame for applying tape, a handle for manipulating the machine, means for supporting a roll of tape on said frame, means for guiding the tape to said tape applying means comprising a guide member slidably mounted on said frame for movement from a lower guiding position to an upper withdrawn position, a spring tensioned drag device for the tape carried on said guide member, means for raising said guide member to its withdrawn position, and a knife for severing said tape operable by said last mentioned means as the guide member is withdrawn to cut the tape. 1

"I. A tape applying machine having, in combination, a portable frame, means adjacent the forward end of said frame for applying tape, a handle for manipulating the machine, means for supporting a roll of tape on said frame, means for guiding the tape to said tape applying means comprising a guide member slidably mounted'on said frame for movement from a lower guiding position to an upper withdrawn position, means in combination, a portable frame, a tape applying for raising said guide member to its withdrawn position, and a knife for severing said tape operable by said last mentioned means as the guide member is withdrawn to cut the tape.

8. A tape applying machine having, in combination, a portable frame, means adjacent one end of said frame for applying tape, a handle for manipulating the machine, means for supporing a roll of tape on said frame, means'for feeding the end of the tape to said tape applying means -comprising a member slidably mounted on said roller rotatable thereon, a handle'for manipulating said frame, means for supporting a roll of tape on said frame, means for placing a drag on the tape so as to provide a stretched run of tape adjacent said roller, said drag means being movable on the frame away from said roller to increase the length of the stretched run, means for severing the tape adjacent said roller, means for retracting the drag means during the severing operation to permit the cut to be made in the stretched run of the tape at a point leaving sufficient tape extending to reach the roller when the drag means is returned to its normal position adjacent the roller, and means for returning the drag means to its normal position and thereby reset the device for the next tape applying operation.

ROY A. BLOMQUIBT.

Images