Pipe-thread sealing tape reel with tape retarding element

An improved reel for dispensing threaded-pipe sealing tape is disclosed, wherein a tape retarding element is provided and mounted for circular movement about the periphery of the reel. The tape retarding element is mounted between the side flanges of the reel so that an applied force must be tangentially directed thereto to overcome the friction between the tape retarding element and the side flange portions between which the tape retarding element is mounted. The tape retarding element allows for the paying out of the tape for its wrapping about the threaded end of a pipe, but prevents the accidental unwinding of the tape upon the dropping of the reel from a user's hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a reel for dispensing pipe-thread 
tape, which tape is used to seal the threaded ends of pipes, and the like. 
Reels for paying out pipe-thread sealing tape are usually hand-held and 
rotated by inserting a finger or fingers into the hollow hub of the reel 
and rotating the reel about the finger or fingers. The tape paid out is 
then wrapped around the threaded end of the pipe, or the like. However, it 
often occurs, due to the tediousness of the task, and margin for error, 
that the hand-held reel drops off from the finger which is used for the 
rotational axis of the hub of the reel. When such an accident occurs, long 
lengths of tape tend to become unrolled from the reel. often become 
twisted, and thus making it very difficult to wind the tape back on to the 
reel for subsequent dispensing therefrom. Further, much time is lost in 
trying to unravel the free tape, or winding it back on to the reel. The 
fact that the lead end of the tape, which has been already wrapped about 
the threaded end of the pipe to begin the sealing procedure, is firmly 
anchored to the threaded end of the pipe only after a couple of turns 
means that, when the reel does become loose and falls free, the anchored 
free end provides a reaction force to the reel that causes it to roll and 
unwind even more than if the lead end were not anchored. Further, it is 
also the case that the reel itself is used in close proximity to the pipe 
being sealed, which pipe typically is a considerable distance from the 
floor or ground, so that even more tape tends to become loose and unwound 
from the reel upon accidental dropping of the reel from the hand. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide an 
improved tape reel in which any accidental dropping of the reel during 
paying out of the tape for sealing a threaded end of a pipe will not 
result in the reel's falling to the floor with the concomitant unravelling 
of the tape therefrom. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
reel for dispensing tape, such that if the reel does become accidentally 
free of the user's hand, which hand provides a finger or fingers for the 
rotational axis of the hub of the reel, the reel will not descend or 
otherwise be removed from the area of the location at which the threaded 
pipe is situated. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
threaded-pipe sealing tape reel that will allow for easy dispensation of 
the sealing tape therefrom upon normal, hand-held use of the reel, for 
winding the tape to the end of the pipe, or the like. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
tape reel which will still readily accept a conventional closure element 
for storing the reel during non-use. 
Toward these above ends, the present invention provides a tape reel for 
pipe-thread sealing tape in which there is mounted between the outer 
portions of the side flanges of the reel, for circular movement 
therearound, a tape retarding element. Each inner face of the side flanges 
has a circular groove, in the first embodiment of the invention, in which 
are received tongue members of the tape retarding element, which tongue 
members project laterally from the main body portion of the tape retarding 
element, whereby the tongue members ride in the circular grooves of the 
inner faces of the side flanges, for rotational movement about the reel, 
adjacent the outer circumferential edge surfaces of the flanges. The 
tongue members of the tape retarding element are received, by a snug fit, 
in the circular grooves, so that enough frictional force is generated 
which must be overcome in order to move the retarding element, and, 
therefore, pay out tape from the reel. Thus, upon accidental dropping of 
the reel, the force created by gravity upon the free-falling tape reel 
will not be great enough to overcome the frictional forces between the 
tongue members and the surface walls of the circular grooves. To aid in 
the mounting of the tape retarding element to the reel between outer 
portions of the side flanges, each tongue member is provided with an 
inwardly facing canted surface, so that when the retarding element is 
mounted the canted surfaces force apart the two side flanges to allow 
entry of the tape retarding element with the tongue members snapping into 
the circular grooves upon sufficient force applied to the retarding 
element in a direction toward the center of the hub of the reel. Also, 
each tongue member of the retarding element spaces an end of the main body 
portion of the retarding element from the inner face of a side flange, so 
as to constitute a gap on either end of the retarding element, in which is 
received locking projections of a conventional closure cylinder, only one 
of the gaps at any one storage receiving therein the projections of the 
closure cylinder. Further, the outer surface of the main body portion is 
curved and lies in the same plane as the outer edge surfaces of the 
flanges, so that the closure element may be mounted over the side flanges 
for storage. 
In the second embodiment of the tape retarding element, the grooves of the 
side flanges are replaced by circular ribs or beads, while the tongue 
members of the retarding element are replaced by prong members which hug 
the circular beads at portions thereof and snap into place by utilizing a 
prong that nestles under the inner surface of the rib.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 6 show the improved tape reel 10 of the present 
invention in which a tape retarding or tape-hold-back element 12 is 
provided for movement about the reel adjacent the outer periphery thereof. 
The reel 10 has a pair of side flanges 16 and 18 supported centrally by a 
hollow hub 20. The hollow hub 20 allows for a finger, or fingers, or other 
means, to be inserted therein and about which the reel 10 may be rotated 
for paying out tape 13. The tape 13 may be any tape at all, though for 
purposes of disclosure, the tape 13 is pipe-thread sealing tape that is 
wrapped around the threaded ends of pipes for sealing them tight. Such 
tape is typically made of Teflon and is non-adhesive. The tape 13 is 
usually applied to the ends of the pipe by rotating the reel 10 about a 
finger or other element, in the hollow hub, thereby paying out tape, and 
simultaneously revolving the tape about the pipe's threaded end to wrap 
the tape around the pipe as many times as necessary to achieve proper 
sealing. Since it often occurs that the reel falls from the hand of the 
user applying the tape to the pipe, the tape may unwind freely, thus 
causing long lengths of tape 14 to be unwound from the reel in a haphazard 
and confusing fashion necessitating the rewinding of the tape on to the 
reel before re-commencing the sealing procedure. In order to prevent the 
unwanted and undesirable accidental unwinding of the tape from the reel 
upon the dropping thereof, the present invention provides the tape 
retarding element 12. The tape retarding element 12 is best seen in FIGS. 
3 and 6. The tape retarding element 12 is basically of arcuate shape to 
conform to the curvature of the outer portion of the side flanges 16 and 
18, to which and between which the tape retarding element is mounted for 
sliding movement adjacent the circumference of the flanges in grooves 24 
and 26 provided in the inner faces 16' and 18' of the flanges. The grooves 
24 and 26 extend about inner faces 16' and 18', respectively, in a 
complete circle, with the center of radius of each circle lying at the 
center of a respective side flange, so that the tape retarding element may 
be rotated about the reel through 360 degrees. The tape retarding element 
12 has a main body portion 30 of arcuate configuration to conform to the 
curve of the outer portion of the side flanges, and a pair of laterally 
projecting tongue members 32 and 34 extending from either end of the main 
body portion 30. Each tongue member 32,34 has a thickness less than that 
of the main body portion, which thickness is taken in a direction parallel 
to the radius of the respective side flange in which the tongue member is 
mounted for sliding movement. The distance between the outer surface 
portion of each tongue member to the outer surface of the main body 
portion 30 is approximately equal to the distance from the peripheral edge 
surface of each side flange to the outermost part of its respective 
groove, so that the outer surface of the main body portion lies flush and 
in the same arcuate plane as the outer peripheral edge surface of each 
flange, so that no portion of the tape retarding element projects beyond 
the peripheral edge surfaces of the side flanges, whereby a covering 
cylindrical element 38 shown in FIG. 4 may be slid over one of the side 
flanges and toward the other side flange, to cover and store the reel 
during non-use. Each tongue member 32 and 34 is also provided with an 
inner canted surface 32' and 34' which, as shown in FIG. 3, allows for the 
mounting of the tape retarding element to the reel. The canted surfaces 
32' and 34' force apart the flanges 16 and 18 at the outer portions 
thereof where the tape retarding element is initially mounted. By applying 
a force on the tape retarding element in a radial direction toward the 
center of the hollow hub 20, the canted surfaces force apart the outer 
peripheral edge surfaces 17 and 19, whereby the tongue members 32 and 34 
may be snapped into respective grooves 24 and 26. 
Each tongue member is also of arcuate configuration along its width to 
conform to the curvature of its respective groove. Further, the length of 
each tongue member, taken in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 
of the hub 20, is such that the edge end faces of the main body portion 30 
are spaced from the inner faces 16' and 18', in order to define gaps 40 
and 42, as shown in FIG. 3. These gaps 40 and 42 allow for the locking 
projections 40' and 42' to enter therein, though when mounting the cover 
38 to the reel 10, only one gap is used for the two projections. The two 
gaps 40 and 42 allow for the mounting of the cover element 38 to the reel 
starting at either the side flange 16 or side flange 18. The cover element 
38 and its projections are well-known in the art. 
The tape retarding element 12 is so dimensioned as to provide a very snug 
fit within the grooves 24 and 26, and between the side flanges, so that 
applied force must be used to move the tape retarding element along the 
circular grooves and around the reel. This snug fit may be achieved in 
different ways, such as making the length of the tape retarding element 
from the outer edge surface of one tongue member to the outer edge surface 
of the other tongue member, along a line parallel to the longitudinal axis 
of the hollow hub 20, very slightly longer than the distance between the 
side walls of the grooves along the same line parallel to the longitudinal 
axis of the hub. This will produce frictional forces between the outer 
edge surface of each tongue member and the side wall of its respective 
groove, which side wall is parallel to the inner faces 16' and 18'. 
Alternatively, or in conjunction with the above, the thickness of each 
tongue member may be made approximately equal to the width of its 
respective groove, the thickness being taken in a direction along the 
radius of its respective side flange. Since each tongue member has an 
inner canted surface, the tongue member will be received in its respective 
groove at the portion thereof approximately equal to the width of the 
groove. Thus, the canted inner surface of each tongue member provides a 
dual function, where each is used for insertion of the tape retarding 
element between the grooves, and for allowing for frictional engagement 
therewith to provide frictionalforces resisting movement of the tongue 
members. 
In use, when applying sealing tape to the threaded ends of a pipe 50, as 
shown in FIG. 7, the tape 13 is paid out from the reel 10 by rotating the 
reel about a finger of the first hand, or other element, inserted in the 
hollow hub 20. As the reel 10 rotates about the element in the hub, and 
with the free end of the tape 13 held fast to the threaded end of the pipe 
50 with the other hand, a force is applied to the tape portion directly in 
contact with the tape retarding element 12. If enough force is applied to 
the reel in the direction away from the pipe, the frictional forces 
holding the tape retarding element may be overcome, thereby causing the 
movement of the tape retarding element in the circular grooves 24 and 26, 
allowing thepaying out of more tape. If the reel 10 is accidentally 
dropped from the first hand, the tape retarding element is held fast by 
the frictional forces holding it to the side flanges, since the weight of 
the fully-wound reel is not enough to provide enough force to overcome the 
frictional forces holding the tape retarding element in place. When the 
reel is forced in a direction away from the pipe 50, it is also revolved 
simultaneously about the threaded end of the pipe to cause the paid out 
tape to wrap around the threads thereof. 
It is also, of course, possible to manually slide the tape retarding 
element along the grooves 24 and 26, thus paying out tape in a slow 
manner. This method may be used if it is desirable to apply only very 
small tensile forces to the tape, which would not be great enough to move 
the tape retarding element in the grooves 24 and 26. This also may be used 
at the very beginning of the procedure of applying tape to the threaded 
end of the pipe, so as to allow enough free tape to start the procedure. 
Either may also be adaptable to adhesive-type tapes. 
In FIG. 5, there is shown an alternative embodiment for the tape retarding 
element. In this embodiment, the reel 10' is provided with circularly 
extending and laterally projecting ribs or beads 60 and 62, each of which 
has a canted surface portion 60' and 62', respectively. The ribs 60 and 62 
provide the attaching portions for the inwardly extending flexible prong 
members 64 and 66 projecting from the inner surface of the main body 
portion 30' of the tape retarding element 12'. Each prong member projects 
inwardly toward the center of the hub of the reel, and also has a leg 
extension 70 and 72, respectively, that projects laterally toward the 
opposite side flange. Each leg extension 70 and 72 is connected to a prong 
74 and 76 via another straight leg extension, whereby the leg extensions 
70 and 72 provide portions about which the prongs 64 and 66 pivot, 
respectively, so that when mounting the tape retarding element 12' to the 
reel 10', the canted surfaces of the prongs force the prongs to pivot 
toward the opposite flange, to thereby snugly mount the prong members to 
the reel. The canted surfaces of the prongs 74 and 76 cooperate with the 
canted surfaces 60' and 62' of the beads 60 and 62, respectively, when 
mounting the tape retarding element. Enough friction is provided between 
the prong members 64 and 66 and the respective beads 60 and 62 so as to 
allow movement of the tape retarding element 12' only upon sufficient 
force application to the tape retarding element, as in the case of the 
first embodiment. 
In both embodiments of the tape retarding element, all of the parts thereof 
are preferably formed integrally, as by injection molding, or the like, 
and are made preferably of flexible plastic and typically of the same 
material as that of the reel itself, though clearly other materials may be 
used. Also, in the case of the second embodiment for the tape retarding 
element, as in the first embodiment, the main body portion 30' is curved 
to conform to the curvature of the peripheral edge of the side flanges of 
the reel 10'. Further, each prong member 64 and 66 is similarly curved to 
conform to the curvature of the beads 60 and 62. Though not shown in FIG. 
5, each prong member 64,66 has a substantial width taken in a direction 
along the circumferential length of the respective bead 60,62, thus 
requiring each prong member to have arcuate configuration in order to 
slide in its respective groove, and also to add stability and rigidity to 
the element. The prong members extend in width the same amount as does the 
main body portion 30'. Also, as in the first embodiment, gaps are provided 
between the inner faces of the side flanges of the reel and the ends of 
the main body portion of the tape retarding element, to allow for 
insertion into the gaps of the projecting locking elements of the 
conventional closure element 38 shown in FIG. 4. 
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, 
it is to be understood that numerous changes and modifications may be made 
without departing from the scope, spirit, and intent of the invention, as 
set out in the appended claims. For example, it is within the scope and 
spirit of the present invention to provide a separate retarding means that 
may readily and easily snapped on to an existing and conventional tape 
reel, where the retarding means is provided with an arcuate slot or groove 
at each end to receive therein a peripheral edge surface of a side flange, 
whereby the retarding element is readily mountable between the side 
flanges, but project outside of the plane containing therein the arcuate 
edge surfaces of the flanges. In this case, though the closure element may 
not be used while the retarding element is still mounted, it is only 
necessary to remove the retarding element and then slide the closure 
cylinder over one of the flanges, as in the conventional manner. Further, 
in this case, it is possible to provide in the closure cylinder a groove 
or slot in which may be received a projection from the retarding element 
for storing it and attaching it to the closure cylinder during non-use. 
This allows for the tape retarding element to be readily attachable to the 
reel for use in paying out tape and in preventing accidental paying out of 
the tape.