US3350256A

US3350256A - Method and apparatus for attaching adhesive tape to a rough surface

Info

Publication number: US3350256A
Application number: US355236A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles B Eckman; Paul H Wilson
Original assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: 3M Co
Priority date: 1964-03-27
Filing date: 1964-03-27
Publication date: 1967-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-31

Description

3,350,256 ESIVE Oct. 31, 1967 c. a. ECKMAN ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING ADH TAPE TO A ROUGH SURFACE Filed March 27, 1964 3 Sheets$heet l m QM O O m M mu ww Mu [4 I1 //O\|/\ $7 .9 5&3? WI i /Q\ W. RM Q mm Rh M QM l 0 ww 9 NM gm l I II IIIII. Q. I/MN WW QM PAUL H M150 5 I/ 1 My ATTP/VE 5 06L 1957 v c B. ECKMAN ETAL METHOD AND APARATUS FOR ATTACHING ADHESIVE TAPE TO A ROUGH SURFACE Filed March 27, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v HG-Z III INVENTORS CHAR; 5 fiEcA MA/v' IDAUL 11 14 SUN %770)PNEY5 c. B. ECKMAN ETAL I 3,350,256 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING ADHESIVE Oct. 31,1967

' TAPE TO A ROUGH SURFACE Filed March 27, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS C/14RLE5 .5, EC/(Mfl/V PAUL H. lV/LSON I 14770 HEY United States Patent 3,350,256 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING ADHESIVE TAPE TO A ROUGH SURFACE Charles B. Eckman and Paul H. Wilson, St. Paul, Minn., assignors to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 355,236 3 Claims. (Cl. 156-497) The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for attaching adhesive tape to a rough surface, such as asphalt or concrete pavement, to provide a temporary or permanent striping on the pavement.

Pressure-sensitive tape has been found to be useful for the striping of highways, construction zones, detours, cross-walks, interchanges, parking lots, ramps, and many other outdoor or indoor paved surfaces, for the reason that it can be installed and removed very quickly and easily. Such tape can be made with its non-adhesive back side containing many different colors, to designate separate areas or to help carry out trafiic instructions, and the non-adhesive side of the tape can be reflectorized to provide greater visibility during the night hours. Pavement striping in the form of tape can be installed without interrupting trafiic, since it needs no drying time, and such tape can be removed easily and without a trace of its former location. However, such tapes have not been widely used for the reason that it has not heretofore been possible to adhere the tape to the pavement with sufiicient bond so that it would not become disadhered when it is contacted by moving traflic. It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for so adhering the tape to pavement by conforming the tape to the surface of the pavement.

Applicants method for attaching the adhesive tape to a rough pavement surface involves the use of a brush to tamp the tape against the pavement. Almost any kind of brush can be used, and the tape is first applied to the pavement so that the adhesive surface is in contact with the surface of the pavement, and the brush is then moved brikly and repeatedly against the non-adhesive back side of the tape so that the free ends of the projecting bristles of the brush cause the adhesive side of the tape to be driven or tamped against the rough surface of the pavement. The brush can be of any desired shape, and can be weighted to provide a greater striking force if such is necessary. Also, an apparatus can be constructed in such manner that the tape can be driven or tamped against the pavement and such a machine is shown in the attached drawings.

The embodiment of this invention which is illustrated in the drawings is a self-propelled applicator of pavement striping tape which applies the tape to the pavement and then tamps the tape against the pavement, and that machine is capable of so attaching the tape at speeds of 40 to 80 feet per minute. Since pavements are apt to be covered with dirt, sand or other debris, the illustrated machine is provided with an air blower attachment for cleaning the pavement in front of the machine. That machine also includes means for mounting a supply of the tape and for guiding and applying tape from that supply to the pavement, along with applicants novel means for tamping the tape to attach it to the pavement. Other objects and advantages of such a machine will be apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiment which is shown in tthe accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the machine of this invention, with a roll of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape mounted therein, with some of the parts of the machine cut away or shown in section and other parts shown in dotted lines, for reasons of clarity;

sprockets

19 and 20,

roller 61,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1, with some of the parts removed and others shown in section, for reasons of clarity; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the machine shown in FIGURE 1, with some of the parts removed and others shown in dotted lines, for reasons of clarity.

Referring first toFIGURE 2, the reference character 10 designates a mounting plate to which the parts of the machine are attached. Support plates 11 and 12 are attached along each side and beneath the mounting plate 10 and axle plates 13 and 14 are attached to the support plates 11 and 12. Axles l5 and 16 are attached to axle plates 13 and 14, and the driven

wheels

17 and 18 are rotatably attached to said axles.

Sprockets

19 and 20 are affixed to

wheels

17 and 18. As is shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, a pair of

castor wheels

21 and 22 are attached to support plates 11 and 12 by means of

brackets

23 and 24.

A 4 cycle gasoline motor 25 is attached to the upper surface of mounting plate 10, and pulley wheels 26 are attached to the drive shaft of said motor. A counter shaft 27 is rotatably attached to the mounting plate 10 and pulley wheels 28 are attached to said counter shaft. Pulley belts 29 are positioned around the

wheels

26 and 28 so the operation of the motor 25 will cause the counter shaft 27 to be rotated.

A four speed transmission is attached to mounting plate 10 and a gear shift lever 36 is attached to said transmission for selecting the desired speed. A pulley 37 is attached to the drive shaft of the transmission 35, a pulley 38 is rotatably attached to the counter shaft 27, and a pulley belt 39 is attached around the

pulleys

37 and 38. A clutch 40 is attached to the counter shaft 27 adjacent to the pulley 38, and operation of that clutch causes pulley 38 to be rotated with the counter shaft 27. A pair of

sprockets

41 and 42 are attached to the ends of driven shafts 43 of transmission 35, and a pair of

chains

44 and 45 are attached around the

sprockets

41 and 42 and the so that the operation of the motor 25 will cause the driven

wheels

17 and 18 to be operated in the direction and at the speed controlled by the transmission 35 when the clutch 40 is engaged to cause the rotational movement of the pulley 38.

A bracket is attached to mounting plate 10 at the front of the machine, and a roll of pressure-sensitive tape 51 is mounted on a rod 52 which extends across the top of the bracket. The unwound tape T from the roll 51 is threaded through a series of guiding and applying rollers which are attached between the support plates 11 and 12. If a liner is used to cover the adhesive surface of the tape, that liner can be removed and wound up on a takeup roll 53 as the tape is unwound from the roll 51 during the operation of the machine.

As the tape T is unwound from the roll 51, it extends first around a guide roller 56 in such a manner that the non-adhesive back side of the tape is in contact with said roller, and then around a roller 57 in such a manner that the adhesive side of the tape is in contact with the surface of a roller 57. A chain 54 extends around the take-up roller 53 and the roller 57 to cause the take-up roller 53 to be rotated as the guide rollers are rotated during the movement of the tape through the machine. The tape then extends around an idler roller 58 so that the back non-adhesive side of the tape contacts said roller, and then around a knurled roller 59 so that the adhesive side of the tape is in contact with the surface of the knurled roller 59. An applying roller 60 is pivotally attached to the end of a lever 62 and a buffer roller 61 is pivotally attached to the end of a lever 63. The

levers

62 and 63 are attached to the support plates 11 and 12, and a spring 69 is attached to the opposite end of lever 63 from butting and said spring serves to bias said bufling roller 3 toward the pavement P. A knife blade 65 is attached to support plates 11 and 12, and said blade extends between the applying roller 60 and buffing roller 61.

A crank lever 64 is pivotally attached to the support plate 12. An applicator rod 66 is attached to the crank lever, and the other end of said applicator rod is attached to an applicator handle 67. Applicator handle 67 is pivotally attached to the handle 68 for the machine. A toggle lever 49 is pivotally attached to the crank lever 64 and to the lever 62. Thus, when the applicator handle 67 is moved away from the applying roller 60, the lever 62 and roller 60 are moved toward the mounting plate and away from the pavement P, and vice versa. The tape T is threaded from the knurled roller 59 around applying roller 60 and butfing roller 61 so that the non-adhesive back side of the tape contacts those rollers when the tape is being applied to the pavement, and those rollers serve to apply and buff the tape against the pavement. When the applicator handle 67 is moved away from the roller 60, so that roller is moved toward mounting plate 10, the tape T will be pulled into and be severed by knife blade 65.

Referring again to FIGURE 2, an annular shaped brush 70 is mounted on a pair of bearings 71 which have their apertures positioned slightly off-set from the center of the bearings. A shaft 72 is journaled through the bearings 71 and attached to the support plates 11 and 12 by means of bearings 73 and 74, so the brush 70 is attached eccentricallyonto the machine. A pulley 75 is attached to the shaft 72 and a pulley 76 is rotatably attached on the counter shaft 27. A clutch 77 is attached to the counter shaft 27 and adjacent to the pulley 76, so that operation of the clutch will cause the pulley 76 to be rotated with the counter shaft 27, and a belt 78 is attached around the

pulleys

75 and 76, so that operation of the clutch 77 will cause the shaft 72 to be rotated. A counter-weight 48 is affixed to the shaft 72 to balance the rotational movement of said shaft. Since the bearings 71 on the brush 70 are eccentrically mounted on the axle 72, the rotational movement of the pulley 75 will cause the brush 70 to be moved in a cranking movement, toward and away from the pavement, and the bristles on the brush will tamp the tape against the pavement. Since the brush 70 is free to turn on the bearings 71, the brush will revolve on the shaft 72, and the same area of the brush will not contact the tape each time the brush tamps against the back of the tape. A oneway ratchet 79 is attached to brush 70, and a stop dog 80 is pivotally attached to support plate 11. The operation of the stop dog 80 and the ratchet 79 will permit rotational movement of brush 70 in the counter-clockwise direction, when viewed as shown in FIGURE 1, but will prevent the rotational movement of that brush in the clockwise direction.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, an air blower 90 is attached by means of a flexible coupling 91 to the motor 25, and a housing 92 directs the air from the blower 90 toward the front of the machine, so that the air is expelled from the blower ahead of the machine in order to remove dust, sand and gravel before tape is applied. An applicator guide bar 93 extends in the front from the housing 92 in order to provide the operator of the machine with an indication of the position in which tape will be applied to the pavement. A dust skirt 94 extends downwardly against the pavement from mounting plate 10 to keep the dust, sand and gravel which is blown from the pavement from contacting the tape T. Another dust skirt 95 is attached to the rear of the machine to protect the operator from flying sand or gravel.

The operation of the machine begins with the tape T threaded as described above and with the motor 25 started and running at idling speed. The blower 90 will then be operating to blow dust and debris away from the front of the machine. The operator first moves the shift lever 36 from the transmission 35 to the desired speed for the machine and then moves the

levers

30 and 31 toward the right when the machine is viewed as it is shown in 4 FIGURES 2 and 3, to cause the

clutches

40 and 77 to be engaged and to drive the

pulley belts

39 and 78, so that the machine will begin to move and the brush 70 will begin to be moved up and down in a pounding and scrubbing movement against the pavement. The

levers

30 and 31 are tied together by a bar 32 so the

clutches

40 and 77 will be operated at the same time. The operator guides the machine by moving the handle 68 and aligning the guide bar 93 with the area to which the tape is to be attached, and when the machine has been properly positioned, he moves the applicator handle 67 toward the pavement.

At the start of the tape applying operation, the free end of the tape from the roll 51 extends between the applying roller 60 and the pavement. Thus the end of the tape will be moved against the pavement by the movement in that direction of applying roller 60, and the end of the tape and tape adjacent to the end will be applied to the pavement by applying roller 60. The applied tape will then be buffed against the pavement by the bufiing roller 61, and continued motion of the machine will cause tape T to be unwound from the roll 51 and be pulled through the rollers and be applied to the pavement P. A rod-like tape guide 33 can be attached to the bracket 50 to aid in holding the tape roll 51 and keep the tape aligned as it is unwound from the roll.

After the unwound tape T has been applied to the pavement and buffed down by the movement of the machine, the tape is then contacted by the ends of the bristles of the brush 70, and the action of the moving bristles causes the tape to become attached to the pavement. The whipping movement of the brush 70 on the shaft 72 causes the brush to be revolved at a great speed on said shaft, so the bristles are moved briskly and repeatedly against the tape, tamping the tape and causing the tape to conform and become adhered to the rough pavement. Bristles made of nylon seem to function in the desirable manner in a brush used on this machine.

When the operator desires to stop the operation of attaching tape to pavement with the machine, he pulls back on the applicator handle 67, causing the applying roller 60 to be lifted away from the pavement and the tape T to be severed across the width thereof by the knife blade 65. The machine is permitted to continue past the cut-off point of the applied tape in order to tamp such tape against the pavement, and then the machine can be turned off.

As is evident from the above description of an embodiment of our invention, variations in the operation and various modifications of the machine can be envisioned. Such variations, embodying some or all of the novel features herein disclosed, are comprehended and we do not intend to be limited only to the specific embodiment herein described, but, rather, we intend to be limited only by our disclosure taken as a whole, including the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A machine for attaching adhesive tape to a rough surface, said machine comprising a supporting structure, means attached to said supporting structure for holding a supply of said tape, means attached to said supporting srtucture for applying said tape to said surface, an annular brush attached eccentrically to said supporting structure, and means for rotating said brush to cause said brush to be moved repeatedly and briskly against the tape after the adhesive side of the tape has been applied to the rough surface to tamp the tape to said surface and to cause the tape to become adhered to said surface.

2. A machine for attaching adhesive tape to a rough surface, said machine comprising a supporting structure including means for propelling said supporting structure, means attached to said supporting structure for cleaning said rough surface, means attached to said supporting structure for holding a supply of said tape, means attached to said supporting structure for applying said tape to said surface, an annular brush attached eccentrically to a shaft which is attached to said supporting structure, means for rotating said shaft to cause said brush to be moved repeatedly and briskly against the tape after the adhesive side of the tape has been applied to the rough surface, to tamp the tape to said surface and to cause the tape to become adhered to said surface, and means for severing said attached tape from said supply thereof.

3. A machine for attaching adhesive tape to a rough surface, said machine comprising a frame structure supported on wheels, a motor attached to said frame structure and connected to said wheels for propelling said frame, an air blower attached to said frame and connected to said motor for blowing dirt away from said frame, rollers attached to said frame for applying adhesive tape to a rough surface as said frame is propelled by said motor, a knife blade attached to said frame structure for severing said tape across the width thereof, an

annular brush attached eccentrically to a shaft on said frame structure and connection between said motor and said shaft to cause said shaft to be rotated and cause said brush to be moved repeatedly and briskly against the tape after the adhesive side of the tape has been applied to the rough surface to t-amp the tape to said surface and to cause the tape to become adhered to said surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,498,618 6/1924 Fritz 156526 1,745,802 2/1930 McBurney 156-526 3,097,986 7/1963 Kauer 156577 3,131,104 4/1964 Korn 156-73 EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner. DOUGLAS J. DRUMMOND, Examiner.

Claims

1. A MACHINE FOR ATTACHING ADHESIVE TAPE TO A ROUGH SURFACE, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF SAID TAPE, MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR APPLYING SAID TAPE TO SAID SURFACE, AN ANNULAR BRUSH ATTACHED ECCENTRICALLY TO SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BRUSH TO CAUSE SAID BRUSH TO BE MOVED REPEATEDLY AND BRISKLY AGAINST THE TAPE AFTER THE ADHESIVE SIDE OF THE TAPE HAS BEEN APPLIED TO THE ROUGH SURFACE TO TAMP THE TAPE TO SAID SURFACE AND TO CAUSE THE TAPE TO BECOME ADHERED TO SAID SURFACE.