Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – With cutting – punching – piercing – severing – or tearing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-27
2003-10-21
Crispino, Richard (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
With cutting, punching, piercing, severing, or tearing
C156S538000, C156S583200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634401
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a tape applicator including a tape head. The present invention relates more particularly to a tape applicator including a tape head comprising: a base; ii) a tape roll holder attached to the base; iii) a tape application roller attached to the base for applying the tape to a surface, where the tape head includes a tape path from the tape roll holder to the tape application roller; iv) a cutter attached to the base along the tape path between the tape roll holder and the tape applicator roller for cutting tape to form a removeable portion of a tape; and v) a remover attached to the base along the tape path between the cutter and the tape application roller for removing the removeable portion of the tape. The present invention also relates to methods of applying tape to a surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various apparatuses and methods for attaching tape or labels to articles are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,505 to Salvator discloses an applicator for evenly applying an adhesive backed foil to edges of pieces of stained glass. The applicator includes guide members, which direct a foil strip from a foil spool past an application point to a take-up reel. The take-up reel is motor driven to pull the foil from the foil spool at a constant speed and to wind up a protective backing after the backing has been removed from the foil and the foil applied to the edge of a piece of stained glass.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,475 to Spotts, Jr. discloses a sealant strip applying system for applying a sealant strip to a top surface of a sheet material adjacent to a plurality of straight edges. The system is configured to support the sheet material and to produce the controlled repositioning thereof on an air flotation table with each edge being selectively aligned with a front edge of the table. The sealant strip is successively applied to each edge by a sealant strip applicator that is supported by the air flotation table and mounted for selective movement along the front edge thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,846 to Negate et al. discloses a system for the preparation of a light-sensitive material comprising a substrate, a light-sensitive layer and a base film which comprises a roller for providing a continuous light-sensitive sheet comprising the base film, the light-sensitive layer and a protective film; means for cutting the light-sensitive layer and a protective layer in the traverse direction; fixing means for temporarily fixing the sheet; a roller for providing an adhesive tape for removing the protective film; the adhesive tape-collecting roller; a bar for pressing the adhesive tape by its tip to the front end of the light-sensitive sheet and to press the front end against the bottom of the fixing means and peeling the protective film from the sheet; a dancer roll; light-sensitive sheet cutting means; substrate supplying means; and heat rollers for laminating the base film and light-sensitive layer on the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,644 to Anderson discloses a servomotor control labeler. The servo motor drives the label feed and employs a control system for the servomotor, which is responsive to the rate of feed or speed of the surface to be labeled as it is advanced to the labeler. The control system on receiving an instruct-to-label signal accelerates the servo motor smoothly from zero to the desired labeling speed while the surface to be labeled is advanced toward the labeler a predetermined distance and on receiving an end to labeling signal decelerates the servo motor smoothly from labeling speed to zero while the label feed is advanced a predetermined distance. The arrangement is such that upon an instruct to label signal being fed to the control system at a predetermined position of advance of the surface relative to the labeler the labeler will accelerate a label from a predetermined start position and deliver same to touch down on the surface to be labeled at the precise desired point with the label moving at the same speed as the surface and upon an end to labeling signal generated by a label feed sensor being fed to the control system the labeler will decelerate to bring the next label to be delivered to the predetermined start position in preparation for the next instructing-to-label signal.
Various types of tape are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,407 to Futhey et al. discloses a tape having transparent optical film made of a polymeric material that has a first smooth surface and a second structured surface for providing a simulated beveled appearance. The structured surface of the film is formed of a plurality of spaced parallel grooves, each groove being formed by a first facet which is substantially perpendicular to the first smooth surface and a second facet which makes an angle between 1 to 60 degrees with the first smooth surface. The film may be affixed to glass, the adhesive applied to the first smooth surface or the second structured surface, to simulate beveled glass. Another example of a tape is commercially available as 3M™ Accentrim™ Tape, series B200 and series B100, from 3M Company, located in St. Paul, Minn.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a tape head. The tape head, comprises:i) a base; ii) a tape roll holder attached to the base; iii) a tape application roller attached to the base for applying the tape to a surface, where the tape head includes a tape path from the tape roll holder to the tape application roller; iv) a cutter attached to the base along the tape path between the tape roll holder and the tape applicator roller for cutting tape to form a removeable portion of a tape; and v) a remover attached to the base along the tape path between the cutter and the tape application roller for removing the removeable portion of the tape. In one preferred embodiment of the above tape head, the cutter comprises a rotary die. In one aspect of this embodiment, the rotary die is configured to cut one of a plurality of shapes.
In another preferred embodiment of the above tape head, the tape head further comprises a first actuator for moving the remover from a first position adjacent the tape path to a second position remote the tape path. In one aspect of this embodiment, the remover includes a pad, where the pad includes an exposed face facing the tape path, where the pad is configured to contact the removable portion of the tape. In another aspect of this embodiment, the pad moves to a first position adjacent the removeable portion of the tape to a second position remote the tape path, the first position of the pad adjusts to accommodate the accumulated thickness of the increasing number of removed portions of tape. In another aspect of this embodiment, the remover further includes a channel, where the pad is slideably engaged with the channel, where as the pad accumulates increasing number of the removable portions of the tape, the pad moves to successive first positions within the channel to accommodate the accumulated thickness of the increasing number of removed portions of tape. In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the pad further includes an adhesive layer on the exposed face of the pad, where when the pad is in the first position, the adhesive layer adheres to a first removeable portion of tape. In another aspect of this embodiment, the tape includes a tape backing and a layer of adhesive on the backing, where the tape is on a liner, where after the remover moves to the second position, the remover moves to the first position and the layer of adhesive on the first removeable portion of tape adheres to a second removeable portion of tape. In another preferred embodiment of the above tape head, the tape head further comprises a second actuator for moving the tape application roller from a first position remote the tape path to a second position adjacent the tape path.
In another preferred embodiment of the above tape head, the tape head further comprises a unwind roller attached to the base along the tape path between the tape roll holder a
Kuhn Gary K.
Slagter Michael G.
3M Innovative Properties Company
Buss Melissa F.
Chan Sing B
Crispino Richard
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