Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Robert A Luhman

Michael W Gruber

Craig D Thompson

Karl M Kropp

Kenneth J Perrington

Gary K Kuhn

John R Ward

James D Ramacier

Kent S Tarbutton

Donald Joseph Geisel

Richard L Patten

Steven J Rossini

Mark E Schwartz

Larry A Bettenhausen

James H Casey

Keith T Pinckney

Raymond D Zachrison

Richard J Pilarski

Rudolf I Shvartsman

Edward J Schwarz

Adhesive tape transfer applicator

A hand-held tape dispenser has a tape support hub and a support frame. A brake assembly is pivotally mounted on the frame, and has a curved brake actuator and flat brake plate. The brake plate is aligned to engage a tape roll mounted on the tape support hub and inhibit its free rotation (and dispensing) according to an operator's selection of applied pressure. The brake plate bends about the tape roll as pressure is increased to facilitate tape cutting or tape stretching (in the case of stretchable tape in the dispenser).

Hand-held tape dispenser

An adhesive sheeting applicator and method adapted to dispense strips of adhesive-backed sheeting from a supply roll rotatably disposed thereon and to apply said strips of sheeting to a surface with a desired spacing between successive strips by advancing the applicator a distance along the surface, the sheeting on the supply roll being in successive cut strips applied to a continuous substrate liner. The applicator includes an application device for compressively engaging the adhesive of a strip of the adhesive sheeting to a surface commencing at a first end of the strip of adhesive sheeting and progressing to a second of the strip of adhesive sheeting as the applicator is advanced a distance along the surface and an adhesive sheeting spacing device for feeding a successive strip of adhesive sheeting from the supply roll to the application means as a function of the distance along the surface that the applicator has been advanced, whereby a desired spacing is achieved between successive strips of adhesive sheeting applied to the surface.

Hand applicator for adhesive sheeting

A continuous tape supply apparatus is provided in accordance with the present invention for supplying tape at a substantially consistent tension to a tape applicator machine having an indexing demand, such as a box sealing and taping machine. In general, the continuous tape supply apparatus includes plural tape sources, such as in roll form, from which tape can be supplied to the tape applicator machine, a splicing station for splicing the tape from at least one of the tape sources to another of the tape sources, a means for causing the splice and thus the changeover of tape from one source to another, and a tension control means for providing the tape from the continuous tape supply apparatus at a substantially consistent tension under an indexing demand. Preferably, the splicing mechanism also splices tape in the reverse order from the other tape source station back to the first tape source stations. The tension control means is preferably provided by a tape drive station, a first dancer arm providing a variable loop forming means between each of the tape supply sources and the splicing station, and a second dancer arm positioned operatively after the tape drive station which is located operatively after the splicing station. The first dancer arm is further preferably used to control a braking mechanism which together eliminate roll inertia effects to the splicing station. The second dancer arm is also advantageously used to control the speed of the motor drive of the tape drive station.

Tape supply and applicator system including a tape splicing mechanism

An apparatus for binding a plurality of sheets of paper together is disclosed. A pair of clamping plates presents one edge of the sheets for binding after a jogging plate aligns the edges. After a solid hot melt adhesive material sheet is placed along the edge of the sheets, a heating platen heats and melts the hot melt adhesive material sheet and causes the liquid adhesive to bind the sheets together. The method of binding the stack of a plurality of sheets of paper includes positioning a plurality of sheets between the clamping plates, vibrating the sheets to square and align their edges, clamping the aligned sheets of paper, presenting the aligned edge of the paper to the heating platen, placing an adhesive hot melt material sheet on the edge of the sheets, heating and melting the hot melt adhesive material sheet onto the edge, and removing the bound sheets from the apparatus.

Hot melt adhesive bound book

The invention relates to a portable dual advance dispenser for a supply of linered tape material having an adhesive tape mounted in separable strips on a release liner. The dispenser includes a frame for supporting a supply of linered tape material and a dispensing apparatus for dispensing desired portions of the linered tape. The dispensing apparatus includes a rotatable liner dispensing member which directs a portion of the liner in a different direction from the adhesive tape, a rotatable adhesive tape material dispensing apparatus for dispensing the adhesive tape, a separation member to separate the liner from the adhesive tape, and a drive transfer mechanism which causes interaction between the rotatable adhesive tape material dispensing apparatus and the rotatable liner dispensing member. If the user selects a first dispensing option, adhesive tape is pulled from the adhesive tape dispensing apparatus, and the liner is advanced through the liner dispensing apparatus. If the user selects a second dispensing option, then the liner is pulled from the liner dispenser apparatus, and the adhesive tape is advanced through the adhesive tape dispensing apparatus. The linered tape may be dispensed by grasping either the liner or the adhesive tape.

Tape dispenser

Hand held tape applicator

The present invention is a portable manual tape dispensing apparatus for use with a stretchable adhesive tape such as of the type that progressively detackifies when stretched. The apparatus has a supply spool for carrying a supply of the tape and a handle connected to the supply spool for manually grasping and manipulating the apparatus. A mechanism for stretching the tape is arranged and configured to receive the tape from the supply spool. The stretching mechanism has a stretching zone defined between first and second engagement surfaces. The first and second engagement surfaces frictionally engage the tape and move at disparate longitudinal speeds to stretch the tape when the stretching mechanism is activated. A manually operative mechanism is provided for selectively activating the stretching mechanism so an operator can remove the tape from the supply in a substantially detackified stretched condition when the stretching mechanism is activated. The manually operative mechanism also permits the operator to remove the tape from the supply in an unstretched condition.

Manual tape dispensing apparatus

Hot melt adhesive applicator

Hot melt adhesive binding method

An automatic application device for dispensing an adhesive transfer tape with the liner removed includes a hub for rotatably supporting a roll of adhesive transfer tape and an application head for pressing the adhesive transfer tape unwound from the roll onto a product to which it is to be applied. An idler roller is disposed above the application head to pull the liner away from the application head. A motor driven take-up roller and corresponding nip roller are provided to pull the liner along its path over said idler roller away from the application head. A brake roller is provided along the path of the transfer tape between the roll and the application head to selectively stop the tape's advance. When the brake roller is released, the product to which the adhesive is applied pulls the tape underneath the application head, unwinding it from the roll. When the brake roller is stopped, the tape stops advancing and the adhesive strip carried on the liner is broken. A compensation roller provides that when the head is lifted the tape is maintained in a fixed position relative to the head so that the leading edge of the adhesive on the tape liner returns to the proper position when the head is lowered.

Automated liner removing transfer tape applicator method

Combined hand-held tape dispenser and applicator

An automatic application device for dispensing an adhesive transfer tape with the liner removed includes a hub for rotatably supporting a roll of adhesive transfer tape and an application head for pressing the adhesive transfer tape unwound from the roll onto a product to which it is to be applied. An idler roller is disposed above the application head to pull the liner away from the application head. A motor driven take-up roller and corresponding nip roller are provided to pull the liner along its path over said idler roller away from the application head. A brake roller is provide along the path of the transfer tape between the roll and the application head to selectively stop the tape's advance. When the brake roller is released, the product to which the adhesive is applied pulls the tape underneath the application head, unwinding it from the roll. When the brake roller is stopped, the tape stops advancing and the adhesive strip carried on the liner is broken. A compensation roller provides that when the head is lifted the tape is maintained in a fixed position relative to the head so that the leading edge of the adhesive on the tape liner returns to the proper position when the head is lowered.

Automated liner removing transfer tape applicator

Apparatus and method for assembling a backing card to a plastic blister using strips of double-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Parallel feed wheels are rotatably mounted for wrapping and transporting tape from tape rolls to an application station from where the tape can be transferred from the wheels to the backing card. Cutting blades are provided for cutting the tape at both ends to form tape strips to be transferred to the backing card. A hingeably mounted tray supports and positions a backing card over the feed wheel surfaces. A pair of rollers are mounted on a carriage and are used to press the backing card onto the surfaces of the feed wheel to transfer tape on the surfaces to the backing card. A blister fixture is further provided for holding a blister to be assembled to a taped backing card. The carriage further supports the rollers for rolling movement over a blister card in the fixture to seal them together.

Growing community of inventors

Deer Park, WI, United States of America

Robert A Luhman