Tape roll holder

A tape roll holder includes a plate from which extends a cylindrical bearing formed from two or more arcuate prongs. A cylindrical spindle dimensioned to be snugly received within an axially defined hole in the roll of tape is mounted to the bearing such that it is allowed to rotate freely. A spring clip is included to allow the holder to be worn on a belt.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates to a holder for a roll of tape.

Description of the Problem/Related Art

Painting contractors often use masking tape to define boundaries of the area to be painted. A nagging problem for painters is the cumbersome use of the roll. The user holds the tape roll while pulling the desired length of tape, but must put it down when applying the tape, requiring the user to pick the roll up again to apply more tape. This results in extra movement for the painter in each tape application and can lead to misplacing the tape roll. A safety concern arises when the painter must use a ladder or must also hold multiple paintbrushes.

Heretofore, a painter would often insert his or her arm into the hole in a tape roll wearing it on the arm. For those whose hands are too big to fit through the hole, the roll would be held in a pants pocket, in a utility belt pouch, or on a utility belt hook. This still necessitates two hands to retrieve a length of tape.

SUMMARY

A tape roll holder includes a plate from which extends a cylindrical bearing formed from two or more arcuate prongs. A cylindrical spindle dimensioned to be snugly received within an axially defined hole in the roll of tape is mounted to the bearing such that it is allowed to rotate freely. A spring clip is included to allow the holder to be worn on a belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring toFIGS. 1 through 8of the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Throughout the drawings, like numerals are used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings.

This invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics as described herein. The embodiments described above are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. The following claims rather than the foregoing description indicate the scope of the invention.

A clip plate10is configured with a plate11having first and second plate sections24a,24bdisposed at an obtuse angle20with respect to each other. Both plate sections24a,24bcomprise outward and inward planar surfaces. A spring clip13is disposed inward of the first plate section24aextending roughly perpendicularly therefrom near one end of the plate10, having a planar body disposed in parallel to the plate section24awith a free end terminating in a flange15. The spring clip13is configured to be relatively deformable but biased toward the plate10so that the clip13may be bent away from the plate10to be placed upon a user's belt and spring back toward the plate10when released. The spring clip13may also advantageously include one or more holes18defined therethrough.

A cylindrical bearing17extends perpendicularly away from the outward surface of the second plate section24b. The bearing17is preferably bifurcated with a channel14bisecting the long axis thereof forming two arcuate prongs26a,26b. It will be appreciated that bearing may be comprised for more than two prongs26a,26b. The outward ends of the prongs26a,26bare terminated with arcuate retention flanges19a,19b, and each prong26a,26bmay comprise an arcuate boss21a,21bsurrounding their respective bases where they meet the front surface of the second plate section24b.

The first section24amay further comprise an opening12from one edge of which the spring clip13extends, while the second section24bmay comprise a circular opening16from the circumferential rim of which the prongs26a,26bextend.

A spindle20is also provided formed of a cylindrical hollow housing23having an open end and defining a cylindrical chamber28therein. The spindle20comprises a diameter to snugly be received within a spool of tape A. The interior of the chamber28may be formed with a hub31defining cylindrical hole22disposed coaxially with the housing23and dimensioned to receive bearing17such that the spindle20may rotate freely about the bearing17. A plurality of support spokes29extend radially from the hub31. The rim of the opening to the chamber is surrounded by a circumferential flange25, and a plurality of raised ribs27extend radially along the exterior surface of the housing23.

To use the apparatus, the spindle20is mounted to the bearing17on the clip10by pressing the prongs26a,26btoward each other and inserting both prongs26a,26binto the cylindrical hole22in the spindle20and pressing the spindle onto the clip10until the prongs26a,26bspring back into position. Retention flanges19a,19bengage the outward rim of hole22of the housing23, as shown inFIGS. 7 & 8, and retain the spindle20on the clip10while allowing the spindle20to rotate freely around the bearing17. Next, the spindle20is pressed into an axial hole in a roll of tape A such that the roll A fits snugly on the spindle20. Ribs27provide friction to prevent the tape roll A from rotating about the spindle20when a length of tape is being drawn from the roll A.

As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the present invention comprises a tape roll holder. While particular embodiments have been described, it will be understood, however, that any invention appertaining to the method described is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the invention.