HK1096076B - Rotatable applicator tip for a corrective tape dispenser and a transfer tape dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Rotatable applicator tip for a correction tape dispenser and transfer tape dispenser

Technical Field

The present invention relates to transfer tape dispensers, and more particularly to rotatable applicator tips for use in correction tape dispensers.

Background

The correction tape dispenser may be used to cover errors on a substrate such as paper including writing or printing errors. In a general example, the correction tape dispenser includes a housing having a supply spool and a take-up spool disposed therein. The carrier ribbon has a first end wound onto the supply spool and a second end wound onto the take-up spool. One side of the carrier ribbon is coated with a corrective coating that is used to cover errors on the substrate.

An applicator tip having a platform with a front edge is mounted to the housing with the front edge positioned outside of the housing. The applicator tip helps transfer the correction coating from the carrier ribbon to the paper.

The housing may be held in the hand during use. In passing from the supply spool to the take-up spool, the carrier ribbon is directed toward the applicator tip, past the platform, and around the leading edge back to the take-up spool. The front edge of the applicator tip forms a sharp bend in the carrier ribbon that aids in the release of the corrective coating from the carrier ribbon. The leading edge presses the carrier ribbon against the surface of a sheet of paper or other substrate to transfer a corrective coating from the carrier ribbon to the paper to cover errors formed thereon to facilitate correction of the errors.

As the leading edge moves past the paper, the carrier tape carrying the new corrective coating is drawn from the supply spool while the take-up spool is driven to wind the carrier tape which has passed the leading edge and thus has had the corrective coating removed therefrom, so that a straight continuous strip of corrective coating is deposited onto the paper until the forward movement of the applicator tip is stopped and the applicator tip is lifted away from the paper.

Current designs provide a flexible applicator tip that allows a user to more easily maintain contact between the applicator tip and the substrate. The purpose of such designs is to more easily maintain contact between the edge of the applicator tip and the paper over which the applicator tip is drawn, but even so, the relative positioning of the applicator tip to the substrate is not necessarily stable or permanent. Most of these designs have a reduced cross-sectional thickness of a portion of the applicator tip to provide the flexibility described above. This necessarily results in a thin portion of the applicator that is prone to cracking and/or damage during manufacture.

In another aspect of the prior applicator tip design, the correction tape guide extends perpendicularly from the platform of the applicator tip. These correction tape guides are used to maintain alignment of the carrier tape relative to the applicator tip and edge while the dispenser is in use, while not allowing the carrier tape to slip off the sides of the platform.

The alignment tape guides of such prior art applicator tips are typically located on the outside of the housing, and since most of these designs include guides extending perpendicularly from the edge, the alignment tapes and guides cannot rotate or flex within the housing and remain a tight fit within the housing.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a correction tape dispenser constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the correction tape dispenser of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an applicator tip disposed within a housing;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along IV-IV of the applicator tip disposed within the housing;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the applicator tip of FIG. 3 with its leading edge in a bent condition;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second example of an applicator tip having a slotted platform and a square rail for a correction tape;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third example of an applicator tip with a circular rail and an unslotted platform for a correction tape;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the applicator tip with a notch in the slot of the platform; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of an applicator tip having a rotating bearing surface on a corrector-belt guide slot.

While the disclosure herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, a correction tape dispenser 10 is illustrated. Although the correction tape dispenser 10 is illustrated herein, it is only one example of a transfer tape dispenser that can employ the techniques of the present invention. Other transfer tape dispensers, including but not limited to adhesive tape dispensers, high brightness light emitting tape dispensers, and decorative tape dispensers can also implement the principles disclosed herein.

The dispenser 10 includes a housing 12 sized to be held in one hand during use of the dispenser 10. A supply spool 14 and a take-up spool 16 are rotatably disposed within the housing 12. The housing 12 has an opening 18 through which an applicator tip 20 with a platform 22 may be placed.

The carrier ribbon 24 has a first end 26 connected to the supply spool 14 and a second end 28 connected to the take-up spool 16. The carrier ribbon 24 is generally wound onto the supply spool 14 in the region of the first end 26 and onto the take-up spool 16 in the region of the second end 28. In the transition between the supply spool 14 and the take-up spool 16, the carrier ribbon 24 is positioned over and around the applicator tip 20. The carrier ribbon 24 may be coated with a releasable corrective coating on the side thereof remote from the platform 22 of the applicator tip 20. As is well known in the art, a slip band (not shown) may be disposed around the supply spool 14 and the take-up spool 16 such that when the supply spool 14 rotates, the slip band rotates and drives the take-up spool 16.

Referring now to fig. 3, the platform 22 of the applicator tip 20 extends in a direction D1 and includes a top surface 30, a bottom surface 32, a front edge 34, a rear edge 36, a first side edge 38, and a second side edge 40. The platform 22 may be substantially flat to allow the carrier ribbon 24 to easily slide thereon. The applicator tip 20 may be made from a flexible but strong polymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Other suitable materials having such properties are well known in the art.

Extending upwardly from the top surface 30 of the platform 22 adjacent each of the side edges 38 and 40, respectively, and near the front edge 34 along a portion of the platform 22 in the direction D1 are a first arcuate wall 42 and a second arcuate wall 44. The first curved wall 42 may be tangent to a plane perpendicular to the platform 22 and intersect the first side edge 38. The second curved wall 44 may be tangent to a plane perpendicular to the platform 22 and intersects the second side edge 40, and the first curved wall 42 and the second curved wall 44 may be capable of flexing relative to each other on the platform 22.

Third curved wall 50 and fourth curved wall 52 exit bottom surface 32 of platform 22 adjacent each of side edges 38 and 40, respectively, near front edge 34, and extend along a portion of platform 22 in direction D1. The third curved wall 50 may be tangent to a plane perpendicular to the platform 22 and intersect the first side edge 38, and the fourth curved wall 52 may intersect a plane perpendicular to the platform 22 and intersect the second side edge 40. The third curved wall 50 and the fourth curved wall 52 are capable of flexing relative to each other on the platform 22. The combination of the first curved wall 42, the second curved wall 44, the third curved wall 50, and the fourth curved wall 52 may form a portion of the cylinder 46.

The first and second curved walls 42 and 44 may define a first slot 48 in the cylinder 46, and the third and fourth curved walls may define a second slot 54 in the cylinder 46. The first curved wall 42 and the third curved wall 50 can define a continuous curved portion of the cylinder 46 and the second curved wall 44 and the fourth curved wall 52 can also define a continuous curved portion of the cylinder 46.

The first and second slits 48, 54 may have unequal widths along their lengths in the direction D1, and in this example have a wider front width W1 closest to the front edge 34 than a rear width W2 closest to the rear edge 36. This facilitates better viewing of the carrier ribbon 24 during use of the dispenser 10.

The curved walls 42, 44, 50, 52 help to retain the carrier ribbon 24 on the platform 22 and within the applicator tip 20 when the dispenser 10 is in use. If the carrier ribbon 24 were to slide toward the first or second side edges 38, 40 during use, the carrier ribbon 24 would not be able to snap over the curved walls 42, 44, 50, 52 due to their respective curvatures.

As can be seen in fig. 2 and 3, the first and second curved walls 42, 44 may extend substantially to the front edge 34 of the platform on the top surface 30, while the third and fourth curved walls 50, 52 are spaced rearwardly from the front edge 34 on the bottom surface 32. This ensures that the leading edge 34 can be pressed directly onto the sheet without interference from the third and fourth curved walls 50, 52. This further ensures that the first and second curved walls 42, 44 retain the carrier ribbon 24 in use on the platform 22.

The applicator tip 20 can further include a first post 56 and a second post 58 extending laterally from the first and second side edges 38, 40 of the platform 22 adjacent the rear edge 36 of the platform 22. The first post 56 extends in a direction opposite the second post 58.

The housing 12 may include a first receiving hole or recess 57 and a second receiving hole or recess 59 sized to receive the first post 56 and the second post 58, respectively. In fig. 1, these receiving holes extend only partially through the wall of the housing 12 from the interior and are therefore not visible. First receiving hole 57 can be seen in fig. 2, while both receiving holes 57 and 59 are shown in phantom in fig. 3. It is contemplated that receiving holes 57 and 59 are through holes and extend completely through the wall of housing 12. The first and second posts 56, 58 in the first and second receiving holes 57 and 59 help secure the applicator tip 20 within the housing 12. In addition, the first post 56 and the second post 58 are rotatable within the first and second receiving holes, as will be discussed in more detail below. Finally, the applicator tip 20, due to its flexibility, may be removed from the housing 12 by pulling the rods 56 and 58 out of the receiving holes 57 and 59.

The applicator tip 20 further includes a first arm 60 and a second arm 62 defining a platform slot 64 therebetween. This platform slot 64 helps to impart flexibility to the platform 22 to allow it to bend and rotate within the housing 12, as will also be discussed below. In this example, the platform slot 64 extends along the platform 22 in the direction D1 from the rear edge 36 to the area of the platform 22 near the front edge 34.

In use, a user may impart uneven forces along the leading edge 34 due to the leading edge 34 not being properly aligned with the substrate 66, and if a portion of the leading edge 34 fails to lift from the paper surface during use, the corrective coating will not transfer to the paper. To address this problem, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front edge 34 of the applicator tip 20 is flexibly rotatable relative to the housing 12 about the long axis A-A, and when an uneven force is applied along the front edge 34, such as when a user twists the housing 12 by pressing the front edge 34 against the substrate 66, the platform 22 is rotatably and resiliently flexed to compensate for the twist, to reliably maintain the entire front edge 34 in contact with the substrate 66 while allowing all of the corrective coating to be dispensed from the carrier ribbon 24 onto the substrate 66. The rotational flexibility of the platform 22 is partly due to the slits 64, since the first leg 60 can bend independently of the second leg 62, partly due to the elasticity of the material itself.

To further improve the rotatability of the front edge 34 about the long axis A-A, the first and second posts 56, 58 are rotatable within the first and second receiving holes about the post axis B-B. Because the platform 22 is slotted, the first lever 56 can rotate independently of the second lever 58, and when the front edge 34 rotates, the first lever 56 and the second lever 58 rotate in opposite directions as indicated by the first and second rotation indicators 68, 70. Thus, the disclosed tip structure provides rotation about two independent axes. In addition, the entire top surface 30 and the entire bottom surface 32 of the platform 22 in this example are able to flex to ensure that the carrier ribbon 24 does not fall off the top surface 30 or the bottom surface 32.

In this example, the curved walls 42, 44, 50, 52 can extend partially within and partially outside of the housing 12 and still allow the applicator tip 20 to rotate relative to the housing 12. Because the curved walls 42, 44, 50, 52 extend into the housing 12, the curved walls 42, 44, 50, 52 extend a greater distance than the length of the applicator tip platform surface, thereby more effectively retaining the carrier ribbon 24 on the applicator tip 20.

A second example of an applicator tip 80 is disclosed and illustrated in fig. 6. The applicator tip 80 in this example includes a platform 82 having first and second side edges 84, 86 and a rear edge 88. The first and second bars 90, 92 extend laterally outward in opposite directions from the first and second side edges 84, 86. Platform 82 includes a first leg 94 and a second leg 96 that define a slot 98 that extends from rear edge 88 to a forward edge 99 in direction D2. Extending upwardly from the platform 82 along the first and second side edges 84, 86 are first and second planar guide walls 100, 102. The first and second guide walls 100, 102 retain the carrier ribbon within the applicator tip 80, which simplifies the cutting process as compared to the manufacture of the arcuate walls 42, 44, 50 and 52 of the first example. The applicator tip 80 may include a platform 82 that rotates about a long axis C-C and first and second rods 90, 92 that rotate about rod axes D-D in use as in the previous example. This can reduce the cost of the parts and the cutting process as compared with the case of the first example.

A third example of an applicator tip 110 is disclosed in fig. 7. The applicator tip 110 includes a platform 112 with a front edge 114 and first and second side edges 116, 118. In this example, the first and second curved walls 120, 122 function similarly to the walls of the first example, but the platform 112 is monolithic or continuous, i.e., no slots are provided in the platform 112. This example may be used where other means are employed to allow the front edge 114 to rotate, or where little to no rotation is required. This can reduce the cost of parts and machining compared to the case of the first example.

A fourth example of an applicator tip 130 is shown in fig. 8. The applicator tip 130 includes a platform 132 having a first leg 134 and a second leg 136 and defining a slot 138 therebetween, as in the first example. In this example, however, the slot 138 includes several notches 140. The notches 140 may increase the flexibility of the platform 132 to allow for a greater amount of rotation. Furthermore, the specific configuration of such recesses 140 or irregular slit walls may vary widely.

Fig. 9 illustrates a fifth embodiment of an applicator tip 150 having first and second side edges 152, 154 and four curved walls 156, 158, 160, 162, as in the first example. In this example, however, the arcuate walls 156, 158, 160, 162 each include first and second rotational bearing surfaces 164, 166. Bearing surfaces 164, 166 each extend radially outward from arcuate walls 156, 158, 160, 162 and are available to rest against the inside of the housing. This ensures that the side edges 152, 154 of the applicator tip 150 do not contact the inside of the housing as the applicator tip 150 rotates, helping to maintain smooth rotation.

From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention describes a flexible applicator tip for a correction tape, but that the skilled artisan will be able to quickly adapt the novel principles disclosed herein to a wide variety of applicators. As such, the principles disclosed herein are not to be considered as limited by the specific examples disclosed herein, but rather as encompassing all aspects of the application within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. A resiliently rotatable applicator tip adapted to be disposed in a correction tape dispenser housing, comprising:

a platform having a front edge, a rear edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, a top surface, a bottom surface, and defining a length axis, wherein the top surface, the bottom surface, and the front edge are operable to support a carrier ribbon;

a first wall extending upwardly from a first lateral edge of the platform;

a second wall extending upwardly from a second lateral edge of the platform;

wherein the platform includes a slot between the first and second side edges, the slot defining a first arm and a second arm in the platform;

a first lever extending laterally from a first side edge of the first arm and adapted to be rotatably positioned within a first receiver in the housing;

a second lever extending laterally from a second side edge of the second arm and adapted to be rotatably positioned within a second receiver in the housing; the first and second rods defining a rod axis; and

wherein the first link rotates about the link axis within the first and second receivers, respectively, as the leading edge rotates about the length axis.

2. The applicator tip of claim 1, wherein the first wall is arcuate and the second wall is arcuate.

3. The applicator tip of claim 2, wherein the first and second arcuate walls each include a bearing surface extending from the wall.

4. The applicator tip of claim 2, wherein the first and second arcuate walls form a portion of a cylinder and define a cylinder slot therebetween.

5. The applicator tip of claim 4, wherein the post slot has a width proximate the front edge that is wider than a width proximate the rear edge.

6. The applicator tip of claim 1, further comprising a third wall extending downwardly from the first side edge and a fourth wall extending downwardly from the second side edge.

7. The applicator tip of claim 6, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth walls are all arcuate walls.

8. The applicator tip of claim 7, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth arcuate walls form portions of a cylinder.

9. The applicator tip of claim 8, wherein the first and second arcuate walls define slots in the cylinder.

10. The applicator tip of claim 6, wherein the first and second walls are located closer to the leading edge than the third and fourth walls.

11. The applicator tip of claim 1, wherein the first lever and the second lever rotate in opposite directions about the lever axis as the leading edge rotates about the length axis.

12. The applicator tip of claim 1, wherein the first and second arms include a plurality of notches.

13. The applicator tip of claim 1, wherein the first wall is flat and the second wall is flat.

14. A transfer tape dispenser comprising:

a housing having a pair of receiving holes;

a supply reel disposed in the housing;

a take-up reel disposed within the housing;

a carrier ribbon having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to the supply spool and the second end is connected to the take-up spool;

an applicator tip partially within the housing and including a platform with a front edge, a rear edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, a top surface, and a bottom surface;

a first wall extending upwardly from a portion of the first side edge;

a second wall extending upwardly from a portion of the second side edge;

wherein the carrier ribbon is disposed on the top surface, around the front edge and the bottom surface between the first side edge and the second side edge of the platform;

wherein the platform includes a slot defining a first arm and a second arm; and

the first rod piece transversely extends out from the first side edge, the second rod piece transversely extends out from the second side edge, and the first rod piece and the second rod piece are rotatably arranged in the receiving hole of the shell.

15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the first and second walls are arcuate.

16. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein a portion of said first arcuate wall is disposed within said housing and a portion is disposed outside of said housing.

17. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the applicator tip passes through a circular aperture in the housing, the applicator tip being rotatable within the circular aperture.