DESKTOP TAPE DISPENSER AND METHOD OF USING SUCH DISPENSER

• US 20070257078A1
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pei-Lin Huang
• Original Assignee: Pei-Lin Huang
• Inventors: Huang, Pei-Lin
• Granted Patent: US 7,380,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 225/2
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 35/0066 this length being adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/12 With preliminary weakening
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/206 Including means to select or adjust feed-out length
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/207 Including feed-out stop for manually pulled work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/211 Manually operated feed-out mechanism

Abstract

A desktop tape dispenser is disclosed. The desktop tape dispenser of the present invention comprises a main body portion, an adjustment portion, a stopping portion and a return portion. A rotation shaft is disposed in the lower middle part of the main body portion. The adjustment portion may be used to set the tape output length. The stopping portion is fitted in the main body portion and has a wheel piece, which extends out of the main body portion and is positioned at a level higher than that of the rotation shaft. A cutter is provided on the front part of the main body portion. A user may set the tape output length with the control piece of the adjustment portion. The desktop tape dispenser of the present invention is easy to use and can reduce the waste of the tape.

Claims

1. A desktop tape dispenser, comprising:

a main body portion, with a tape disposed in the rear part of the main body portion, a rotation shaft disposed in the lower middle part of the main body portion and a cutter provided on the front part of the main body portion;

an adjustment portion, fitted in the main body portion and able to be used to set the tape output length;

a stopping portion, fitted in the main body portion and comprising a wheel piece, a transmission piece and a return piece, wherein the wheel piece extends out of the main body portion and may be used to move the transmission piece and the return piece, and wherein the wheel piece is positioned at a level higher than that of the rotation shaft of the main body portion; and

a return portion, fitted onto the front part of the main body portion and able to return the stopping portion to its original position,

characterized in that, in use, we pull out the free end of the tape and make it go through the underside of the rotation shaft and then go through the upper surface of the wheel piece of the stopping portion so that the wheel piece, transmission piece and return piece may be rotated along with the movement of the tape, and, when the tape output length that we set is reached, the stopping portion can stop the movement of the tape, and when we cut the tape by pulling the free end of the tape downwards on the cutter, the return portion may return the stopping portion to its former position so as to be ready for the next time of cutting.

2. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 1, wherein a rod is provided on near the rear part of the main body portion so as to hold a roll of tape in place, and a space is provided near the front part of the main body portion so as to hold the adjustment portion and return portion, and wherein a hole is provided on one side wall of the space and another hole and several positioning holes are provided on the other wide wall of the space so as hold the adjustment portion in place, and wherein an extension piece is provided on a bottom plate of the main body portion.

3. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 2, wherein a rotation piece is fitted on the main body portion and may be rotated, and a rod and a rotation shaft are provided on the rotation piece, and wherein the rotation shaft is positioned at a level lower than that of the rod and that of the wheel piece of the stopping portion.

4. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 2, wherein the adjustment portion comprises a control piece, a fixing seat, a spring and a cover piece, and, during assembly, a shaft of the control piece is inserted into the space through a hole and passes through another hole so as to hold the fixing seat in place and so that the positioning pieces are engaged with the hole and so that a cap piece of the control piece remains visible, and wherein a stopping piece extends from the underside of the cap piece, the cover piece holds the fixing seat therein, the spring is disposed between the fixing seat and the cover piece so as to allow a user to press down on the control piece and to provide a returning force, tape output length numbers are provided on the circumferential portion of the fixing seat, and wherein a window is provided on the top part of the space and is aligned with the tape output length numbers so that a user may set the tape output length by looking at the window.

5. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 4, wherein several protrusion pieces are provided on the inner end of the shaft of the control piece and may engage with a hole provided on the center of the fixing seat, and the spring is fitted between a cylindrical piece provided on the fixing seat and a notch provided on the inner side of the cover piece.

6. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 1, wherein the wheel piece, transmission piece and a return piece are disposed in the space of the main body portion so that the coarse surface of the wheel piece extends out of the space, and a circular groove is provided on the inner part of the transmission piece and may be engaged with the return portion, and wherein a coiled piece is disposed in the return piece and a transmission member is provided on the inner side of the return piece, and wherein the distance between the transmission member and the stopping piece of the control piece allows a user to set the tape output length.

7. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 6, wherein a transmission member is disposed in the wheel piece of the stopping portion and the transmission piece has a first transmission member and a second transmission member, and wherein a transmission member is disposed on the inner side of the return piece so that the first transmission member may be engaged with the transmission member of the wheel piece.

8. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 7, wherein each of the transmission member of the wheel piece, the second transmission member, the first transmission member and the transmission member may has the form of cog-wheel.

9. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 1, wherein the return portion comprises a sliding piece, a spring and a flexible piece, and the spring is fitted onto the sliding piece, and wherein the sliding piece is disposed in the front part of the main body portion and the spring presses against the bottom plate so that the sliding piece may be moved vertically, and wherein the flexible piece is positioned by the extension piece of the bottom plate and the front part of the flexible piece is fixed by the main body portion, and wherein the circular groove of the transmission piece is engaged with an indentation of the flexible piece and a piece with inclined surfaces is provided in the rear part of the flexible piece and is aligned with the bottom of the sliding piece.

10. The desktop tape dispenser as in claim 9, wherein a fixing piece is provided in the front part of the flexible piece and is fixedly held in the main body portion, and wherein an indentation is provided in the middle portion of the flexible piece and may be engaged with the circular groove of the transmission piece so that the transmission piece may be moved by the flexible piece.

11. A structure of a desktop tape dispenser, comprising:

a main body portion, with a roll of tape disposed in the rear part of the main body portion, a rotation shaft disposed in the lower middle part of the main body portion and a cutter being provided on the front part of the main body portion;

an adjustment portion, fitted in the main body portion and able to be used to set the tape output length;

a stopping portion, comprising a wheel piece, which has the function of stopping; and

a return portion, which can return the wheel piece to its original position,

characterized in that;

in use, we first pull out the free end of the tape and make it go through the underside of the rotation shaft and then go through the upper surface of the wheel piece of the stopping portion so that the wheel piece, transmission piece and return piece may be rotated along with the movement of the tape, and, when the tape output length that we set is reached, the stopping portion can stop the movement of the tape, and when we cut the tape by pulling the free end of the tape downwards on the cutter, the return portion may return the wheel piece to its former position so as to be ready for the next time of cutting.

12. A method of using a desktop tape dispenser, comprising four steps:

step 1;

pulling out the free end of a roll of tape and then making it go through the upper surface of the wheel piece of the stopping portion so that the wheel piece may be rotated along with the movement of the tape;

step 2;

setting the tape output length with the adjustment portion;

step 3;

pulling the free end of the tape outwards and, when the tape output length that is set is reached, the stopping portion can stop the movement of the free end of the tape; and

step 4;

cutting the tape by pulling the free end of the tape downwards on the cutter and then the return portion being able to return the wheel piece to its original position as so be ready for the next time of cutting.