This invention relates to a container for rolls of tape and in particular to a container for rolls of adhesive tape.
Containers for rolls of tape (adhesive and non- adhesive) are known which retain the roll by means of a spindle onto which the roll is rotatably mounted and the roll must accordingly possess an axial hole of the correct dimensions to enable the roll to be mounted upon the spindle. Known containers of the above type often suffer from the disadvantage that mounting and dismounting of the roll of tape is tedious and slow.
US-A-1 961 511 discloses a one piece elongate carton for dispensing sheet material, such as wax paper, from a roll.
The present invention seeks to overcome the above limitations by providing a roll of adhesive tape whether or not the roll is provided with an axial hole. In addition the container allows quick and easy loading and unloading of the roll of adhesive tape.
According to the present invention, there is provided a container for a roll of adhesive tape, comprising a base portion which detachably engages with a top portion, the base portion comprising a spring and a vertically extending guard portion, said spring being arranged to rotatably support the roll and to urge it against the guard portion, said guard portion terminating in a partial top wall, and a serrated cutting edge being located on a top edge of the top portion adjacent to a tape retaining element which is in the form of a flat plate, such that with the roll supported on the spring the free end of the tape may be located in a gap between the partial top wall and the tape retaining element.
Preferably the spring is arranged within the container to bear against the outer surface of the roll of tape, and in a particularly preferred embodiment the spring is in the form of a leaf spring on which the roll of tape may be mounted.
The container of the invention is provided with a cutting edge to enable strips of tape to be cut to any required length, and the edge is preferably in the form of a serrated blade of metal or plastic.
The container of the invention is also provided with a tape retaining element onto which a free end of adhesive tape may be attached for easy retrieval, the retaining element optionally being detachable from the container. The element is suitably positioned adjacent to the cutting edge so that after cutting, a cut end of tape may be adhered to the element. In one form of the invention the retaining element may be attached by means of a hinge to the container, and in the preferred two-part container, may be located upon the top portion thereof.
The retaining element is preferably in the form of a flat plate which abuts the upper surface of the top portion of a two part container.
In one form the retaining element is located as a snug fit within an opening in the top portion, adjacent the cutting edge. The element may be provided with lateral projections which can be gripped manually to pull the element away from the container. The lateral projections may abut the upper surface of the top portion to prevent the element from falling into the opening.
In one form of the invention the retaining element is pivotally attached to an abutting surface by means of a cut end of tape, so that on manually gripping and pulling the lateral projections one end of the element pivots away from the container thereby allowing the cut end of the tape to be easily retrieved.
The lateral projections on the retaining element, also enable the element to be pulled away from the container, thereby pulling the tape from the roll which can then be cut to a desired length. Suitable materials for constructing the main parts of the container of the present invention include any light, durable and rigid material, preferably plastics.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a tape container 1 comprises a generally rectangular, cross-sectional shaped base 2 and a similarly cross-sectional shaped top 3.
The base 2 comprises a seat 4, which terminates in an inclined mouth 5, a guard portion 6 and leaf spring 7. Guard portion 6 is formed by three side walls 8, 9 and 10 which extend vertically from mouth 5, and which terminate in a top wall 11. The top wall 11 protrudes beyond the top edges of side walls 8 and 9 and lies parallel to the inclined mouth 5.
Leaf spring 7 is attached at one end to the inside of the open end wall of the seat 4, and extends into a cavity 12 bounded by the seat 4 and guard portion 6.
The mouth 5 is surrounded by a ledge 13, which provides an abutting support for the top 3, as is shown in Figure 1.
The top 3 has an open end 14, two opposing rhomboidally shaped walls 15 and 16 and two smaller opposing rectangular shaped walls 17 and 18. A serrated cutting edge 19 protrudes from a top edge 20 of wall 18.
A rectangular tape-retaining plate 21 forms a snug fit within the space 22 formed by walls 15 and 16 and cutting edge 19, as is shown in Figures 1 and 3. The chamfered rear end 23 of the plate 21 abuts an upper portion 24 of a sloping internal wall 25 of top 3, while the chamfered front end 26 abuts the top edge 20 of the wall 18.
A rectangular, flat bottomed stop 27 with a quadrantal cross-sectional shape is fixed to a top face 28 of plate 21. Both ends 29 and 30 of the stop 27 laterally overhang the top face 28 of the plate 21 and abut the top edges of walls 15 and 16 respectively.
In use, a roll of adhesive tape is placed in the base 2, on the leaf spring 7. The natural resilience of the leaf spring 7 causes the roll to be pressed against walls 9 and 11 of guard portion 6, thereby retaining the roll in position. Any size roll of tape can be retained in this way provided the diameter of the roll is large enough to enable the spring 7 to press the roll against walls 9 or 11.
The top 3 is then mounted as a snug push-fit onto the base 2, so that open end 14 of the top 3 abuts the ledge 13. As illustrated in Figure 3, a loose end of the tape 31 may then be threaded through a gap 32 between the wall 11 and the plate 21, and the required length of tape 31 pulled through the gap 32 from the roll. The tape 31 may then be cut to the required length by pulling it into contact with the plate, tensioning it against stop 27 and cutting it on cutting edge 19.
After the tape has been cut the loose end remains adhered to the plate 21 and stop 27, but only loosely adheres to chamfered end 23.
The tape 31, loosely adhered to chamfered end 23, acts as a temporary hinge between the plate 21 and the top edge 33 of the wall 25. The cut end of the tape 31 may be easily retrieved by grasping ends 29 and 30 of the stop 27, rotating the element 21 about the temporary hinge and then retrieving that part of the tape 31 loosely adhered to the end 23.
When a roll of tape is finished, the base 2 and top 3 may be separated by manually pulling apart, and to facilitate this the walls 11, 15 and 16 are formed with a ridged exterior to aid gripping.