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(11) | EP 0 741 102 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Dispenser for strip material |
| (57) A cutter device (10) for use in dispensing strip material (2), for example foam tape,
from a container (1) has a lower body portion (14) with a slot (15) which allows the
cutter device to be positioned on the side (16) of the container, and an upper body
portion with a cutting blade (13) located in a guide slot (12). In use, the cutter
device is slotted onto the side (16) of the container adjacent an opening (4) through
which the strip material can be withdrawn from the container. When the required length
of strip material has been pulled from the container, the strip is moved into the
guide slot (12) in the cutter device and severed on the blade (13). The cutter device
can be moved to another container as required, for example when the first container
is empty or when a different type of strip material is to be dispensed. |
[0001] The present invention relates to a dispenser for strip material, more especially a strip material that is difficult to tear by hand and is best cut with the aid of scissors or a knife blade when a length of the material is required from a roll. The invention also relates to a cutter device for use in dispensing strip material from a container and to a method for dispensing strip material, especially foam tape material, from a container.
[0002] Strip materials are often supplied in rolls in containers, for example boxes or cartons, which enable lengths of a strip material to be taken from a roll without it being necessary to remove the roll from its container. Some strip materials can be torn by hand but others are best cut and it is not always easy to ensure that an appropriate cutting implement is available when required. Even if a cutting implement (for example, a pair of scissors or a knife blade) is provided specifically for use with a particular roll of strip material, it is difficult to ensure that it remains with that roll of material and does not get removed for use elsewhere. It can also be difficult for a user to remember always to have some form of cutting implement to hand and, in some working environments, it may be undesirable and even dangerous for loose cutting implements to be employed. It is then most convenient if some form of attached cutting blade is provided for the roll of strip material so that it is unnecessary to rely on scissors or a separate knife blade to enable lengths of the material to be cut.
[0003] An example of a strip material that can be difficult to tear by hand is foam tape of the type described in US-A-4 996 092. Foam tape of that type is used as a masking material in automobile body shops and, in recognition of the fact that it can be difficult to tear by hand, it is already known to supply such tape in a box which the user can put inside a separate dispenser box incorporating a cutting blade adjacent a dispenser opening. A length of tape can be pulled out from the inner box, through the opening in the outer dispenser box, and cut off as required on the cutting blade. For example, a dispenser box incorporating a cutting blade has previously been available for the product "Soft Edge Masking Foam Tape" available from the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.
[0004] A disadvantage of the above-described type of dispenser box, particularly for a strip material that is available in a range of sizes or qualities, is that either a respective dispenser box must be provided for each size/quality of strip material that is required, or a box of strip material that is temporarily not being used must be removed from the dispenser box so that another can be put in its place.
[0005] The present invention is directed to the provision of an improved dispenser for strip material, which is convenient to use and makes it unnecessary for a user to have access to a separate cutting implement to remove lengths of strip material from a roll.
[0006] The present invention provides a dispenser for strip material, comprising a container for the material and a cutter device removably-located on the container, the cutter device including a cutting blade and being so positioned on the container that strip material withdrawn from the container can be severed on the cutting blade.
[0007] In the case in which the container is generally box-shaped, the cutter device may be located on one side of the box. In the particular case in which the container has an opening through which strip material can be withdrawn from the container, the cutter device may be located on an edge of the opening. The cutter device may be so shaped that the cutting blade is spaced apart from the edge of the opening.
[0008] Advantageously, the container is one in which the strip material is supplied. The strip material may, for example, be a roll of foam tape contained within the container.
[0009] The present invention also provides a cutter device suitable for use in such a dispenser. In particular, the present invention provides a cutter device for use in dispensing strip material from a container, the cutter device including a cutting blade and being so shaped that the device can be removably-located on a container from which strip material is to be dispensed and in such a position that strip material withdrawn from the container can be severed on the cutting blade.
[0010] The cutter device may be so shaped that it can be removably-located on the side of a container, for example on the edge of an opening in the container. The opening may be one through which strip material is withdrawn from the container. The cutter device may be so shaped that, when it is located on the side of a container, the cutting blade lies in a plane which is inclined to the plane of that side of the container. Alternatively, it may be so shaped that the cutting blade lies in the plane of the side of the container, or in a plane parallel thereto.
[0012] More specifically, the present invention provides a cutter device for use on a carton for strip material, the carton being of the type including a planar side panel having inner and outer surfaces and having an outlet opening partially defined by a lower edge surface between said inner and outer surfaces which lower edge surface normally defines the bottom of the outlet opening when strip material is being withdrawn from the carton through the outlet opening,
said cutter device comprising a body including a supported portion having surfaces defining a panel-receiving slot adapted to receive a portion of the side panel adjacent said lower edge surface, which slot defining surfaces include a supported surface adapted to be positioned and supported along said lower edge surface of the panel, and opposed surfaces adapted to be positioned along the inner and outer surfaces of said panel adjacent the lower edge surface,
said body also including a blade support portion projecting from said supported portion, said blade support portion having opposite major surfaces, edge surfaces extending between said opposite major surfaces, and surfaces defining a guide slot opening through said major surfaces and one of the edge surfaces of said blade support portion, said guide slot being adapted to have a portion of the strip material moved transversely into said guide slot; and
said cutter device further including a cutting blade mounted on said blade support portion with said cutting blade extending across said guide slot in a position adapted to sever a portion of strip material moved transversely into said guide slot.
[0013] The present invention further provides a method of dispensing strip material from a container, including the steps of: removably locating a cutter device on the container, the cutter device including a cutting blade and being so positioned that strip material withdrawn from the container can be severed on the cutting blade; withdrawing a length of strip material from the container, and severing the strip material on the cutter device. The cutter device may be a device as defined above.
[0014] By way of example only, tape dispensers in accordance with the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carton which forms part of a tape dispenser in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view of a roll of foam tapes contained within the carton;
Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end view of the roll of foam tapes;
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of one side of the carton showing, schematically, a cutter device in accordance with the invention being located on the carton; and
Figures 5 to 9 each show a perspective view (not all to the same scale) of a respective form of cutter device suitable for use as illustrated in Fig. 4.
[0015] Referring first to Fig. 1, there is shown a carton 1 containing a roll of parallel foam tapes 2 each of which is at least partially coated with a layer of adhesive. The foam tapes 2 are wound on a core 3 which is mounted for rotation within the carton 1. The carton 1 is made of corrugated cardboard and has an outlet opening 4 in one side panel through which the foam tapes are accessible. The opening 4 has a lower edge surface 4a between the inner and outer surfaces of the side panel, which lower edge surface 4a normally defines the bottom of the opening 4 when foam tape 2 is being withdrawn from the carton through the opening.
[0016] The foam tapes 2 may comprise an array 5 of tapes joined together by welded seams 6 as shown in Fig. 3. Such an array may be formed by a method as described in US-A-4 996 092, in which a foam web having a coating of a pressure-sensitive adhesive on one side is compressed and cold-welded along a series of parallel lines extending longitudinally of the web. The resulting foam tapes are joined to each other by the sections of compressed welded foam and are wound on the core 3 in that form with the exposed ends 7 of the foam tapes being secured in position by plastic clips or short lengths of adhesive tape 8 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When a length of foam tape is required from the roll, the end 7 of one of the foam tapes in the array 5 is released from the securing clip or tape 8 and pulled from the carton 1 through the opening 4, in the process of which that foam tape will unwind and simultaneously shear from the remainder of the array. When the required length of foam tape has been pulled from the carton, it is cut off as described below.
[0017] The array 5 of foam tapes may be formed from any suitable compressible foam which can be cold welded. Suitable foam materials are described in US-A-4 996 092. The array 5 may, in particular, be the product "Soft Edge Masking Foam Tape" available from the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A. That product is utilized in vehicle body shops for masking purposes and, normally, several different sizes (for example, widths of 13 mm, 19 mm and 27 mm) would be available in a body shop so that an appropriate size for any particular operation can be selected.
[0018] Although lengths of the smaller diameter foam tapes 2 can be torn from a roll by hand, that becomes increasingly difficult as the diameter of the tapes increases and, traditionally, the tapes are cut using scissors or a knife. However, as described above, it can be difficult to ensure that a cutting implement remains with a particular roll of tapes, and also difficult for a user to remember always to have a knife or scissors to hand. To overcome that problem, a cutter device is provided which can be located on a carton 1 when the foam tapes within that carton are to be used and which can be removed and located on another carton when the tapes in the first carton are not in use or have all been used. Such a cutter device is shown schematically at 10 in Fig. 4 in the process of being located on a carton 1 (as indicated by the arrow 10A), and is shown in greater detail (and from the opposite side) in Fig. 5. In Fig. 4, the foam tapes within the carton have been omitted for simplicity.
[0019] Generally, as shown in Fig. 4, the body 18 of the cutter device 10 comprises an upper, blade support, portion 11 containing a horizontal guide slot 12 which includes a cutting blade 13, and a lower supported, portion 14 containing a vertical slot 15. The slot 15 is adapted to receive a portion of the planar side panel 16 of the carton 1 adjacent the lower edge surface 4a of the opening 4, and thus to locate the cutter device on the side panel adjacent the opening. The slot 15 is defined by a supported surface 15a adapted to be positioned and supported on the lower edge surface 4a of the opening 4, and opposed surfaces 15b, 15c adapted to be positioned adjacent the inner and outer surfaces 16a, 16b of the side panel 16. The upper, blade support, portion 11 of the cutter device body 18 has opposite major surfaces 11a, 11b, edge surfaces 11c extending between those major surfaces, and further surfaces defining the guide slot 12 which, as shown in Fig. 4, opens through the major surfaces 11a, 11b and one of the edge surfaces 11c. when the cutter device is in position on the side panel 16, the upper portion 11 is located in the opening 4 and a foam tape 2 which is being pulled from the carton can be moved into the guide slot 12 and severed on the blade 13. The edge 11c of the upper portion 11, in which the entrance to the guide slot 12 is located, is set back from the corresponding edge of the lower portion 14 of the device, thereby providing an unobstructed region in the opening 4 through which foam tape can be pulled from the carton and from which the tape can be moved into the guide slot 12 for cutting.
[0020] As shown in Fig. 5, the cutter device 10 is formed from two pairs of plates alternated with each other and secured together by screws 20 in the upper portion 11 of the device. The plates 21, 22 forming one pair are similarly-shaped and comprise upper and lower portions corresponding to the upper and lower portions 11, 14 of the cutter device. The plates 23, 24 forming the second pair are mirror images of each other and correspond in shape to the upper portion 11 of the device with an outwardly-projecting guide 25 around the slot 12. The plate 24 is located between the plates 21 and 22, while the plate 23 is located on the other side of the plate 21, that is on the outside of the cutter device. The cutting blade 13 is held between the plates 21, 24 and extends at an angle across the slot 12 with the cutting edge directed downwards.
[0021] It will be appreciated that, in the cutter device shown in Fig. 5, the slot 15 which is used to locate the device on the side panel 16 of the carton 1 is defined between the plates 21, 22. The width of the slot 15 is determined by the thickness of the plate 24 and should be sufficient to enable the cutter device to be slid easily into position on the side panel 16 of the carton and then remain securely in place during use. The device can be positioned on the carton with the opening to the guide slot 12 facing either to the right as shown in Fig. 4 or, by reversing the device, to the left if that is more convenient.
[0022] An alternative form of cutter device is shown in Fig. 6. Unlike the device shown in Fig. 5, the device shown in Fig. 6 has only one intended orientation on the carton I and is viewed in the drawing from the rear, that is the side intended to be directed towards the inside of the carton. The device has a similar construction to that of Fig. 5 and corresponding components carry the same reference numerals. In this case, however, the plates 21, 22 are formed with two right-angled bends 30, 31 (one at the junction between the upper and lower portions 11, 14 of the device and the other at an intermediate location in the lower portion 14) so that a horizontal platform 32 is formed between the upper portion 11 of the device and the slotted portion that fits over the side panel 16 of the carton. The bends in the two plates 21, 22 are such that the plates lie closely adjacent each other after the first bend 30 (i.e. over the length of the horizontal platform 32) but are spaced apart from each other after the second bend 31 to define the slot 15. When the cutter device is located on the side panel 16 of the carton 1, the horizontal platform 32 extends away from the carton and positions the cutting blade 13 at a distance from the side panel 16. Depending on the shape of the carton, the cutter device shown in Fig 6 may provide easier access to the foam tapes 2 inside the carton. In addition, the platform 32 of the cutter device provides a surface to which the free end of a foam tape may be secured after a length of tape has been cut from the roll inside the carton.
[0023] Another form of cutter device is shown in Fig. 7. The device is similar to that shown in Fig. 6 except that the upper portion 11 is inclined away from the horizontal platform 32 at an angle greater than 90° (for example, 135°) which, depending on the shape of the carton on which the device is used, may provide easier access to the foam tapes 2 inside the carton. It will also be noted that the entrance to the guide slot 12 containing the cutting blade 13 is located on the opposite edge of the device and that the lower slotted portion 14 of the device is formed, not by the plates 21, 22 which are shorter than in the device of Fig. 6, but by two separate parallel plates 21a, 22a secured one on either side of the horizontal platform 32. In addition, an insert 36 is provided between the plates 21a, 22a in the lower portion 14 of the device to improve the rigidity of that part of the device and to define the height of the slot 15. However, those features are not essential: the entrance to the guide slot 12 for the cutting blade 13 could, if required, be on the other side of the cutter device; the insert 36 could be omitted; and the plates 21a, 22a could also be omitted with the slot 15 being formed between continuations of the plates 21, 22 as in the cutter device of Fig. 6.
[0024] Yet another form of cutter device is shown in Fig. 8, the device being viewed in this case from the front, that is the side intended to be directed away from the carton 1. In the cutter device shown in Fig. 8, the upper portion 11 is not inclined to the horizontal platform 32 but is also horizontal and forms an extension of the platform. Such an arrangement also provides easier access to the foam tapes 2 inside the carton 1 but may provide less easy access to the guide slot 12 than the arrangement shown in Fig. 7. It may also result in greater forces being exerted on the side panel 16 of the carton when the foam tapes 2 are being cut and in an increased risk of the carton being torn. It will also be noted that the pairs of plates 21, 22 and 23, 24 do not alternate in the upper portion 11 of the cutter device as in Figs. 5 to 7: in this case, the plate 21 does not extend into the upper portion 11 at all but terminates in the region of the horizontal platform 32 where it is secured to the plate 22, with the result that the plates 23, 24 are adjacent one another in the upper portion 11. That particular construction is not essential, however, and the plate 21 could be extended into the upper portion 11 of the cutter device, if required.
[0025] Fig. 9 shows a modified form of the cutter device shown in Fig. 7. The device is viewed from the front, that is the side intended to be directed away from the carton, and it will be noted the front one (21a) of the two plates 21a, 22a is shorter than the rear one (22a): the difference in length assists in slotting the device on to the side 16 of the carton 1. As in the device shown in Fig. 7, the plates 21a, 22a could be omitted with the slot 15 being formed between continuations of the plates 21, 22 (with or without the insert 36) as in Fig. 6. The device shown in Fig. 9 also includes a guard 35 at the entrance to the guide slot 12 to protect the fingers of the user from coming into contact with the cutting blade 13 which, in this case, is located in the guide slot with the cutting edge 13a directed upwardly rather than downwardly as in Fig. 7. The slot 12 itself, as defined by the guard 25, has an outwardly flared entrance 12a.
[0026] The carton 1 in which the foam tapes 2 are contained typically has square side faces, 380 mm x 380 mm, and is 180 mm wide. The opening 4 has a width of 140 mm and a maximum height of 160 mm and the bottom of the opening is 145 mm above the bottom of the box. A cutter device for use on such a carton, and of the type shown in Fig. 9, has an upper portion 11 of length 60 mm (i.e. between the upper edge and the junction with the platform 32); a platform 32 of length 50 mm (i.e. between the junction with the upper portion 11 and the junction 31 with the lower portion 14), and a lower portion 14 of maximum length 115 mm (that length being due to the rear plate 22a, with the front plate 21a being 25 mm shorter). The widths (side to side) of the upper and lower portions 11, 14 are, respectively, 115 mm and 140 mm; the width (top to bottom) of the guide slot 12 for the cutter blade is 8.5 mm at the inner end of the slot, tapering to 7.5 mm adjacent the flared entrance 12a; the total width (front to back) of the guide slot 12 with the platforms 25 is 30 mm, and the width (front to back) of the slot 15 for locating the cutter device on the carton 1 is approximately 3 mm. Generally, the dimensions of the cutter devices shown in Figs. 5 to 8 would be similar to those of the device shown in Fig. 9. In each of the cutter devices, the blade 13 would usually be a metal blade while the body 11, 14 of the device may be made up from formed polystyrene sheeting, typically 3 mm thick.
[0027] Although each of the cutter devices shown in Figs 5 to 9 is intended simply to be slid into position on a side panel 16 of the carton so that it can easily be removed, it would also be possible to secure the device to the carton in some way after it has been slid into position, for example by bolts or an adhesive or a hook-and-loop type of fastening system.
1. A cutter device for use in dispensing strip material from a container, the cutter
device including a cutting blade and being so shaped that the device can be removably-located
on a container from which strip material is to be dispensed and in such a position
that strip material withdrawn from the container can be severed on the cutting blade.
2. A cutter device as claimed in claim 1, in which the cutter device is formed with a
slot for locating the device on the side of a container.
3. A cutter device as claimed in claim 2, in which the cutter device has a body portion
which comprises at least two generally parallel plates, and the slot for locating
the device on the container is formed between the two plates.
4. A cutter device as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, in which the plane of the cutting
blade is inclined to the plane of the slot whereby, when the device is located on
the side of a container, the cutting blade lies in a plane which is inclined to the
plane of that side of the container.
5. A cutter device as claimed in claim 4, in which the plane of the cutting blade is
perpendicular to the plane of the slot whereby, when the device is located on the
side of a container, the cutting blade lies in a plane which is perpendicular to the
plane of that side of the box.
6. A cutter device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the cutting
blade is located in a guide slot in the cutter device, the guide slot having an open
end into which strip material can be inserted and being shaped to direct strip material
to the cutting blade.
7. A dispenser for strip material, comprising a container for the material and a cutter
device removably-located on the container, the cutter device including a cutting blade
and being so positioned on the container that strip material withdrawn from the container
can be severed on the cutting blade.
8. A dispenser as claimed in claim 14, in which the container is generally box-shaped
and has an opening through which strip material can be withdrawn from the container,
the opening having an edge in the said one side of the box, and the cutter device
being located on that edge of the opening.
9. A dispenser as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, in which the strip material is a roll
of foam tape contained within the container, and the container is one in which the
strip material is supplied.
10. A method of dispensing a strip material from a container, including the steps of:
removably locating a cutter device on the container, the cutter device including a
cutting blade and being so positioned that strip material withdrawn from the container
can be severed on the cutting blade; withdrawing a length of strip material from the
container; and severing the strip material on the cutter device.
11. A method as claimed in claim 10, in which the strip material is a foam tape.