Device For Dispensing And Applying Lengths Of Adhesive Tape

Abstract

Devices are disclosed for applying sections of tape from a roll of tape with the tape trained about a polygonal feed block rotatably supported by a carriage under the control of means to reciprocate it between a first position and a second or tape section applying position. The device includes means turning the feed block and cutting the tape thereon to provide a severed section, neither operation being effected on movement of the carriage from the first to the second position. Carriage reciprocation is effected by various power operated means and such may include stroke adjustments and controls for varying the action of the power-operated means. Means are also disclosed enabling the spacing of the carriage relative to the work to be varied. Stripping means are also included when the tape has an interliner.

Description

The present invention relates to devices for applying to a surface a section of tape from a roll of pressure-sensitive, heat-sensitive, or pressure-heat-sensitive tape.

Devices such as are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,455,769 are effective in making tape applications for many purposes but are not adapted for use where the tape-applying feed block must travel a substantial distance or where the amount of force that can be applied to carry the feed block into its tape-applying position must be limited. The reason for the latter limitation is that dispensers in accordance with said patent require that cutting and tape-unwinding be effected as part of the stroke bringing the feed block into a tape-applying position and the stroke is, additionally, opposed by return springs.

The principle objective of the present invention is to provide dispensers that will be free of the above referred-to limitations, an objective attained by providing a dispensing device in which the operations of turning the feed block and cutting the tape thereon are both divorced from the movement of the carriage for the feed block from its first into its second or tape section-applying position, both operations desirably being effected on the return of the carriage from its second into its first positions.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide for adjustments in the length of the stroke of the carriage.

Other objectives of the invention are to provide a dispenser in which the rate of travel of the carriage or its force, or both, in either or both directions of its travel can be adjusted.

Another objective of the invention is to provide devices in which tape rolls of larger size can be used and yet another objective is to provide devices in which tapes of the type having an interliner can be used with the interliner removed as such a roll is unwound during use.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown embodiments of the invention illustrative of these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device, in accordance with the invention, for applying tape sections;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary and partly sectioned side view thereof on an increase in scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front end view of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, vertical section, on an increase in scale, taken approximately along the indicated lines 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the apparatus with the feed block in a tape section-applying position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary and partly sectioned side view of the apparatus with the feed block in said position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the feed block on a further increase in scale;

FIG. 8 is a like view of one of the side plates of the feed block carriage showing one of the pressure feet;

FIG. 9 is a side view of apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side view of apparatus in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a section, on an increase in scale, taken approximately along the indicated lines 11--11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 12--12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a face view of a tape roll and its supporting hub;

FIG. 14 is a like view but with the roll supported by the hub;

FIG. 15 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 15--15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a partly sectioned and somewhat schematic view illustrating an embodiment of the invention in which the carriage is lowered by means of a spring and raised by fluid under pressure;

FIG. 17 is a like view of another embodiment in which the carriage is raised by a spring and lowered by means of fluid under pressure;

FIG. 18 is a view of yet another embodiment in which the carriage is raised by a spring and moved into its second position by electrically powered means; and

FIG. 19 is a like view of another embodiment of the invention in which the carriage is lowered by a spring and returned to its first position by electrically operated means.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 1-8, a support 20 includes a base 21 and is cut away to provide an entrance 22 enabling the work to be positioned on the base 21 in the path of the carriage 23, the path including a cushion 24 embedded in the base 21. The support 20 has an inturned flange 25 extending along its upper and rear edges.

Brackets 26 in support of the cylinder 27 of a double-acting, air-operated unit generally indicated at 28 are secured to the support 20 by bolts 29 extending through vertically disposed slots 30 thus to position the stem 31 of the unit 28 perpendicular to the base 21 and to permit the position of the cylinder 27 to be varied relative thereto. At the upper end of the stem 31 there is a split clamping ring 32 whose ends are joined by a clamping screw 33 enabling the ring 32 to be moved upwardly and downwardly on the stem 31 and locked in any desired position. The bottom face of the ring 32 carries a cushioning member 34. By these or equivalent means, the downward travel of the stem 31 may be accurately limited.

A transverse arm 35 in support of a tape guide roll 36 is fixed on the upper end of the stem and provided with antifriction inserts 37, of nylon, for example, see FIGS. 5 and 6, in engagement with the support 20 thus to prevent the stem 31 from turning.

The carriage 23 is fixed on the lower end of the stem 31 and a sleeve 38 on the stem 31 and butted against the carriage 23 carries a cushioning member 39. The carriage 23 has axles 40, 41, and 42 as may best be seen in FIGS. 2, 6, and 7. The axle 40 rotatably supports a feed block 43, shown as rectangular, with its corners establishing transverse, linear cutting edges. Pins 44 project laterally from the sides of the block 43, one pin at each corner thereof. The axle 41 is provided with a tape guide roller 45 and the axle 42 has a yieldable backing 46 and is provided with a rotatable anvil 47.

The lower bracket 25 has a depending arm 48 having a central, downwardly opening slot 49. Pawl members 50 are interconnected as at 51 and each is pivotally connected to the arm 48 by a pivot pin 52 which also serves to support within the slot 49 a coil spring 53 whose ends are caught on the arm 48 and on the interconnection 51 thus to yieldably maintain the forked pawl ends 54 in a pin-engaging position with the upper ends of the pawl members 50 in engagement with stops 55 with which the arm 48 is provided.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that when the stem 31 is moved downwardly from its upper, first position, the opposition to such movement is only the slight resistance of the spring 53 as the pawl members 50 are forced away from their movable position by the uppermost proximate pins 44 as the carriage 23 is lowered and the resistance of the tape as it unwinds. The minimum downward movement of the stem 31, is, accordingly, that necessary to bring such uppermost pins 44 into a position below the forked pawl ends 54 for engagement therewith on the return of the carriage 23 into its first position while its maximum stroke depends only on the maximum stroke the power operated unit 28 provides.

On the return stroke, the pawl members 50, when engaged by the then operatively positioned pins 44 cause the feed block 43 to turn a quarter turn, in a counter clockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6. Rotation of the feed block 43 in the other direction is prevented by means of a yieldably resilient latch 56 engageable by and holding a pin 44 thus to prevent such turning.

The support 20 is also provided with a hub 57 in support of the core 58 of a roll of tape 59. The hub 57 and core 58 are shown as of the type fully disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 798,852, filed Jan. 9, 1969. The support 20 is also provided with a tape guide roller 60.

Tape 59 from the roll mounted on the hub 57 is trained about the guide rolls 60, 36, and 45 and sticky side out about the feed block 43 and, in order that it may be held thereon the headed anchoring pins 61 are provided, desirably two for each face of the feed block 43. The axle 40 is shown as holding the pins 61 operatively exposed but has a cam recess 62, see FIG. 2, to enable the pins 61 to move vertically out of their holding position when the lowermost face of the feed block 43 comes into engagement with a surface to which a tape section is to be applied. As the feed block 43 is turned on upward movement of the carriage 23, the tape covered corner, whose pins 44 are held by the forked pawl ends 54, comes into shearing contact with the anvil 47 thus to provide a severed tape section on the face of the feed block 43 that is disposed towards the base 21 when the carriage 23 is returned into its uppermost or first position.

Where a tape roll of a large diameter is used, say 10 to 12 inches, it is desirable to provide a follower in engagement with the periphery thereof. For this purpose, the support 20 is provided with a pivot 63 projecting from the side of the support 20 opposite to that on which the hub 57 is mounted. An arm 64 is rotatably mounted on the pivot 63 and has a hub 65 on its upper end extending through an arcuate slot 66 in the support 20 and rotatably supporting the core 67 of a friction roller 68. The arm 64 is under the influence of a spring 69 yieldably maintaining the friction roller 68 in contact with the periphery of the tape roll. As it may be desirable to limit the travel of the friction roller 68 after the tape roll has been partially unwound, the support 20 is provided with a series of threaded holes 70 spaced along one edge of the slot 61 for a threaded member 71 engageable by the arm 64 and functioning as a stop therefor, see FIGS. 1 and 5. The hub 65 and core 67 are also of the type disclosed in the above referred-to application, Ser. No. 798,852.

The hub 57 and core 58 are detailed in FIGS. 12-14. The hub 57 is cylindrical and houses a cup-shaped member 72 rotatably secured by a headed pivot 73 threaded in the closed end of the hub 57 and supporting a coiled spring 74 confined between the pivot head and the closed end of the member 72 thus to provide a frictional drag between the member 72 and the hub 57. A spring 75 is shown as being located within the member 72 with one end 76 anchored thereto and the other end 77 projecting radially outwardly through a slot 78 extending transversely of the member 72. At the outer end of the member 72, there are a pair of diametrically opposed, outwardly disposed flanges 79 behind one of which the slot 78 is located and which are spaced apart to receive between them the appropriate one of the inwardly disposed and diametrically opposed flanges 80 of the core 58 thus to enable the core 58 to be slipped in place on the hub 57.

When a tape roll has thus been mounted on the hub 57 and the tape 59 connected to the feed block 43 as above described, the core 58 has been turned in a counterclockwise direction as it is viewed in FIGS. 1 and 14 with its flanges 80 now in back of the flanges 79 and one of them in engagement with the spring end 77.

With this arrangement, a pull on the tape 59 first causes the core 58 to turn relative to the hub 57 with such turning yieldably cushioning the pull on the tape 59 as it is being unwound and, at the same time so tensioning the spring 75 as to enable it to turn the tape roll in a winding direction when the pull on the tape 59 is terminated and provided that there is slack to be taken up. As the hub 65 and core 67 are similar in construction, they are not detailed but it is noted that its spring that corresponds to the spring 75 is necessarily of the opposite hand.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that on appropriate operation of the fluid pressure operated unit 28, the carriage 23 is reciprocated from its first position into and out of its second position and back into its first position. In the second position, a severed tape section is pressed against a surface by the feed block 43 and when the carriage 23 has been returned into its first position, the feed block 43 has been turned and another tape section severed and presented for subsequent application. To ensure that work is not picked up by the feed block 43 as it moves with the carriage 23 from its second position, the carriage 23 is provided with pressure or holddown feet 81.

As may best be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, each foot 81 includes a U-shaped upper end 82 slidably confined in a cavity 83 in a sideplate 84, each sideplate 84 attached to the appropriate side of the carriage 23. The feet 81 normally depend below the feed block 43 and the upward movement of each is yieldably opposed by a spring 85 backed by a pin 86 thus to provide holddown pressure on the work until the feed block 43 has become separated from the severed tape section deposited on the work.

While the opposition to movement of the carriage 23 from its first position is so slight that it would move, when released, into its second position by gravity, it is usually desirable to have the carriage under the control of power-operated means, the double-acting, air-operated unit 28, for example. The air supply to the cylinder 27 of the unit is shown in FIG. 1 as including a four-way valve 87 having a supply conduit 88 connected thereto and conduits 89 and 90 in communication with opposite ends of the cylinder 27, the conduits 89 and 90 being each under the control of a flow control valve 91 whereby the rate of travel of the carriage in either or both directions can be varied as desired. Desirably, where the contact of the feed block 43 with the work must be light, the conduit 89 is provided with an adjustable pressure regulator 92. The four-way valve 87 may be of any conventional type and is not herein detailed. It may be either manually or automatically operated.

While the embodiment of the invention just described permits the position of the air-operated unit 28 to be adjusted relative to the base 21 and the length of the stroke varied, in some operations, such adjustments may be inadequate. Reference is made to FIG. 9 wherein a box 93 is being carried by a conveyor, generally indicated at 94. At one side of the conveyor 94 there is a post 95 in support of a device in accordance with the invention and identical to that just described except that it does not have a base. Corresponding parts are distinguished by the suffix addition A to the appropriate reference numeral. The support 20A includes clamping rings 96 encircling the post 95 and provided with clamping screws 97 thus providing means whereby the spacing of the device from the conveyor 94 may be varied as required. In FIG. 9, the follower arm 64A is urged towards the tape roll by a counterweight 69A instead of a spring.

Thus far, it is assumed that the tape being used is single-faced, pressure-sensitive, heat-sensitive or pressure-heat sensitive tape. With double-faced tapes, the tape 59B, for example, the devices must have means for stripping the interliner 98 therefrom and reference is now made to FIGS. 10-12 wherein parts that correspond to those of previously described embodiments are distinguished by the suffix addition B to the appropriate reference numerals.

The support 20B has a mount 99 below and rearwardly of the periphery of a tape roll mounted on the hub 57B supporting a tape guide roll 100 of small diameter between its end walls 101. In practice, the ends of the tape 59B and the interliner 98 are separated and in order that the tape 59B may be maintained sharply angled, there is provided a tape guide roll 102 on the infeed side of the guide roll 100 and a pair of tape guide rolls 103 and 104 adjacent the outfeed side of guide roll 100, the rolls 102 and 103 being shown as located to insure that, even with large-size tape rolls, the guide roll will establish an acute angle in the tape 59B. The tape 59B is, accordingly, disposed as shown in FIG. 10 past the guide roll 102, about the angle-defining guide roll 100, and between the rolls 102 and 103. The tape 59B is then trained about the other guide rolls and connected to the feed block in the manner previously described, see FIG. 1.

A stripping member 105 is then replaced and secured to the support 20B as by means of a screw 106. The stripper 105 has a slot 107 dimensioned to receive the interliner 98 and in communication, when in place, with a similarly dimensioned slot 108 opening through the base 21. The stripper 105 has a transverse rounded shoulder 109 fitting against the end walls 101 to define with the roll 100 a throat 110 dimensioned to receive the tape 59B. The shoulder 109 so intersects the slot 107 as to establish a straight edge 111. It will be noted that the slot 107, when the stripper 105 is in place is in alignment with the path of the tape on the infeed side of the roll 100 so that the path of the stripped interliner 98 is straight as it passes the edge 111 which is desirably a rounded edge and is disposed close to the roll 100 so as to prevent the interliner 98 from being pulled into the throat 110 and substantially in the plane of severance between the tape 59B and its interliner 98.

In the embodiments of the invention previously described, the power-operated means is air-operated and double-acting and embodiments utilizing other power-operated means are shown in FIGS. 16-19.

As the device illustrated by FIG. 16 may be the same as any of the previously described embodiments, it will not be detailed except as to its power-operated means and corresponding parts are distinguished by the suffix addition C to the appropriate reference numerals. The power operated means 28C has its stem 31C yieldably urged downwardly by a spring 112 within the cylinder 27C. Air is delivered into the bottom end of the cylinder 27C through a conduit 113 under the control of a three-way valve 114 and a flow control valve 115 adjustable to control the rate at which the stem 31C is raised to establish the first position of the carriage 23C. The valve 114 may be manually or automatically operated to close the cylinder 27C with reference to the conduit 116 from a source of air under pressure and to connect it to the relief conduit 117 thus to permit the spring 112 to move the carriage 23C into its second position. Desirably the port 118 at the upper end of the cylinder 27C is controlled by a flow control valve 119 by which the rate of travel of the carriage 23C, in moving from its first to its second position, can be adjusted.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIG. 17 parts corresponding to those previously described in other embodiments are distinguished by the suffix addition D to the appropriate reference numerals. The embodiment of FIG. 17 is the same as that of FIG. 16 except that the function of the spring 112D is that of returning the carriage 23D to its first position and the function of the air, when the source is connected to the conduit 113D by the three-way valve 114D is to move the carriage 23D into its second position.

To the extent the embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 18 is similar to those previously described, the same reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding parts but these are distinguished by the suffix addition E. In FIG. 18, the spring 112E yieldably maintains the carriage 23E in its first position while a solenoid 120 is operable in response to the closing of a control circuit (not shown) either manually or automatically, to move the carriage 23E into its second position against the action of the spring 112E.

In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 19, parts corresponding to those of previously described embodiments are distinguished by the suffix addition F to the appropriate reference numeral. This embodiment is shown as identical to that of FIG. 18 except that the solenoid 120F is of the pull rather than the push type and the spring 112F yieldably urges the carriage 23F into its first position.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that devices in accordance with the invention are well adapted to meet a wide range of operating requirements and conditions.

Claims

I claim:

1. A device for applying to a surface a section of tape from a roll of pressure-sensitive, heat-sensitive, or pressure-heat-sensitive tape, said device comprising a support member, a carriage member, means connecting said members for movement of the carriage member between first and second positions relative to the support member, a feed block about which the tape is to be trained and which has a plurality of angularly disposed faces and is axially supported by the carriage member for rotation relative thereto, each corner of the block providing a transverse, linear cutting edge, means to turn said block in one direction through the angle defined by the radii of each two proximate cutting edges thereby to place a trailing face in a position for engagement with the surface when the carriage member is in its second position, said feed block including means operable to detachably anchor said tape to each face on engagement of the tape therewith and releasable on engagement with said surface, and means carried by one of said members and coacting with a trailing corner of the feed block and operable prior to carriage movement from said first position to sever the tape on a leading face thus to provide a tape section thereon when in said surface-engaging position, said turning means being connected to said fixed member and said turning and tape-severing means being operable when the carriage member moves from its second into its first position.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the carriage member moving means includes a reciprocable member and the block turning means and the feed block include coacting portions that are disengaged on movement of the carriage member from its first position and become reengaged on movement of the carriage member towards its first position when the remaining distance of travel is that required to effect the next turn of the block.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the carriage member moving means also includes power-operated means in control of the reciprocable member and operatively connected to the support member.

4. The device of claim 2 and means to adjust the distance of travel of the reciprocable member.

5. The device of claim 3 and means to cushion the stroke at each position of the carriage member.

6. The device of claim 3 in which the carriage member is fixed on one end of the reciprocable member, the support member has a stop, and an adjustable, stop-engaging member is carried by the reciprocable member.

7. The device of claim 6 and a mount is fixed on the other end of the reciprocable member and the carriage member and the mount each carries a tape guide roll.

8. The device of claim 7 in which the support member includes a hub for rotatably supporting a roll of tape and a tape guide roll near the guide roll of the stop-engaging member.

9. The device of claim 2 in which the coacting portions are pins carried by the feed block and pawls carried by the support member, and means establishing a pin-engaging position for the pawl members when the coacting portions are disengaged.

10. The device of claim 7 in which the support member and the mount have portions slidably engageable and holding the reciprocable member from turning.

11. The device of claim 1 and resiliently yieldable, work-engaging, pressure feet attached to the carriage member and having a normal position projecting beyond the plane of the face of the feed block that is disposed towards the work and yieldable to permit engagement of that face with the work.

12. The device of claim 1 and means operable to reciprocate the carriage member from its first position into and out of its second position and back into its first position.

13. The device of claim 12 and means operable to cushion the action of the reciprocating means in both directions.

14. The device of claim 12 in which there are means to regulate the rate of travel of the carriage member, at least from its first to its second position.

15. The device of claim 12 in which there are means to regulate the force of the carriage member, at least in its travel from its first to its second position.

16. The device of claim 12 in which, at least in the travel of the carriage member from its first to its second position, there are means both to regulate its force and its rate of travel.

17. The device of claim 12 in which the power-operated means is a double-acting, fluid pressure operated unit and a four-way valve in control of the unit.

18. The device of claim 17 in which the power-operated means includes a flow control valve in control of the rate of travel of the carriage member, at least in movement from the first to the second position.

19. The device of claim 17 in which the power-operated means includes a pressure regulator in control of the carriage member, at least in its travel from its first to its second position.

20. The device of claim 17 in which the power-operated means includes a pair of valves in control of the travel of the carriage member from its first position to its second position, one valve being a flow control valve and the other being a pressure regulator.

21. The device of claim 12 in which the power-operated means includes a spring urging the carriage in one direction and a power-operated device operable to urge the carriage member in the other direction.

22. The device of claim 21 in which the spring urges the carriage member into its second position.

23. The device of claim 21 in which the spring urges the carriage member into its first position.

24. The device of claim 21 in which the power-operated device is a solenoid.

25. The device of claim 21 in which the power-operated device is a fluid pressure operated unit.

26. The device of claim 21 and means to regulate the rate of travel of the carriage member, at least in its travel from the first position to the second position.

27. The device of claim 21 and means to regulate the pressure exerted by the carriage member, at least in its travel from its first to its second position.

28. The device of claim 21, and means in control of the power-operated means, at least in its travel from its first to its second position to regulate both its rate of travel and its force.

29. The device of claim 25 in which the unit includes a delivery and relief conduit and a three-way valve in control thereof.

30. The device of claim 29 and means operable to control the relief of the unit to modify the action of the spring.

31. A device for applying a tape section of a predetermined length from a roll of tape having at least one face coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, said device including a support and hub on said support for rotatably supporting the core of a roll of tape and including rotatable biasing means connectable to said core and operable to cushion an unwinding pull on the tape and yieldably urging the turning of the tape roll in a winding direction, reciprocable means carried by said support and operable to form and apply a severed section and in one direction exerting an unwinding pull on the tape when a tape roll is mounted on said hub and connected to said means, and a follower including a friction roll for engagement with the periphery of the tape roll mounted on said hub, a member connected to said support for movement relative thereto as the mounted roll is unwound to maintain said friction roll in contact with the periphery of said tape roll, and rotatable biasing means connecting said friction roll to said member and operable to cushion an unwinding pull on the tape and yieldably urge the friction roll to urge the turning of the tape roll in a winding direction.

32. The device of claim 31 and means limiting the action of the follower after the tape roll has been unwound to a predetermined extent.

33. The device of claim 32 in which the tape roll hub also includes an adjustable drag.