Gang tape dispenser

A gang tape dispenser for a multiplicity of dissimilar rolls of pressure sensitive tape selectively usable at the user's option. Each roll may bear a roll of distinctive symbols dissimilar from those on the other rolls enabling the user to employ strips alone or in any of a profusion of combinations for coding and identifying and the like purposes. The tape rolls are housed in aligned storage cells having dispensing ports facing a common severing blade. The dispenser can be bench mounted or suspended on a workman's belt.

This invention relates to tape dispensers and more particularly to an 
improved gang dispenser housing a multiplicity of dissimilar pressure 
sensitive tapes having many uses as, for example, identifying articles, 
ducting, cables, and conductors with distinctive code symbols. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There have been proposals heretofore to provide a gang tape dispenser as 
evidenced by the U.S. Patents to Thompson No. 259,438; Rosen No. 1,487,607 
and Mariani No. 3,547,327. However, each of these prior constructions is 
subject to various disadvantages and shortcomings avoided by this 
invention. Mariani's dispenser is intended for use to serve the same 
general purposes as my dispenser. However, it is lacking in versatility 
and requires a multiplicity of separate severance components. There is no 
provision for clipping the dispenser to a workdman's clothing. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing and other shortcomings of prior dispensers are avoided by 
this invention. The improved gang tape dispenser comprises essentially a 
one piece housing of tough molded plastic material having a row of storage 
cells for separate rolls of tape each bearing a row of distinctive symbols 
or characters, the several rolls being retained captive by a cover having 
a flexible hinge integral with the housing proper. The combination tape 
severing ledge and support for the tape ends is spaced forwardly of and 
extends along the ported face of the housing and includes a common 
severing blade for all tapes. This replaceable blade is held assembled by 
a snap-in keeper and guard member. The dispenser is mountable on a work 
bench or suspendable from a workman's belt by a self-locking spring clip 
insertable at either end of the housing to accommodate either a right hand 
or a left hand worker. 
These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the 
following specification and claims and upon considering in connection 
therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring more particularly to FIGS . 1 and 2, there is shown an 
illustrative embodiment of the invention gang tape dispenser, designated 
generally 10, having an elongated generally rectangular housing 11 
provided with a cover 12 molded in one unitary assembly inter-connected by 
a living flexible hinge 13. A plastic composition having high durability 
impact strength and shatterproof characteristics and sufficiently flexible 
to provide a living hinge is utilized as, for example, a polypropylene 
composition available from Eastman Kodak Co., under the trade name Tenite 
No. 5321 is preferred or a composition having similar properties. Tenite 
5321 has a density of 0.896 grams/cc, a Rockwell hardness of 46 on the R 
scale, a stiffness in flexure of (10.sup.5 psi) 0.80 and a tensile 
strength at yield of 3050 psi. 
Integral with and extending along the front face of the dispenser body is 
an L shaped ledge 15 having an upwardly and outwardly inclined leg 16. A 
single tape severing blade 17 extends the full length of ledge 15 and is 
provided with sharp severing teeth 18 and a plurality of deep notches 20. 
Blade 17 is seated in a rabbet recess 19 along the inner face of leg 16 
and is held firmly but detachably therein by an L-shaped molded plastic 
keeper 22 extending substantially the full length of ledge 15. This keeper 
is shaped to mate with and conform to the upwardly facing surface of ledge 
15. Projecting downwardly and outwardly from the upper portion of its 
upright leg are a plurality of bosses 23 best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. 
These bosses are positioned to extend through the cutouts or notches 20 in 
the severing blade and into elongated openings 24 formed in leg 16. 
The assembly operation of blade 17 and keeper 22 is accomplished by 
inserting the blade in rabbet 19 and then tilting the longer left hand 
edge of the keeper, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 5, so as to insert bosses 23 
into openings 24. Thereafter the keeper is rotated counter clockwise until 
its innermost edge 25 seats against the junction of the front face of the 
tape housing with the horizontal leg of ledge 15. When in the fully 
assembled position, edge 25 has a firm frictional fit with the adjacent 
face of the housing wall and bosses 23 are held pressed against the upper 
end of the receiving openings 24, thereby locking blade 17 firmly in its 
assembled operating position. 
As is best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the upper edge of keeper 22 is 
provided with rectangular tangs 27 which extend over and conceal portions 
of teeth 18 of the severing blade while leaving short sections of teeth 18 
exposed for engagement with an associated roll of tape stored within the 
dispenser. It will be understood that either moisture or pressure 
sensitive adhesive may be used on tape 35, and that the term gummed is 
intended as generic to both types of adhesive. The portion of keeper 22 
between adjacent flanges 27 includes a downwardly and forwardly shelf 29 
(FIG. 5) which lies generally in a plane slightly above the upper edge of 
teeth 18. Thus the surface of this shelf is inclined downwardly and 
forwardly toward these teeth for a purpose which will be explained more 
fully presently. 
Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, it is pointed out that 
the interior of the main body of the dispenser is divided into tape 
storage cells 30, 30 by upright partitions 31. These partitions are deeply 
notched at 33 to seat short tubular shafts 34 each supporting an 
individual roll of pressure sensitive tape 35. Shafts 34 are held loosely 
captive in notches 33 by downwardly extending flanges 31' integral with 
the interior wall of cover 12. Desirably, shafts 34 are additionally 
retained captive by an interference fit with ears 36 projecting toward one 
another from the opposite edges of notches 33. Ears 36 may be formed after 
the main housing has been removed from the mold by upsetting the edges of 
notches 33 with a suitable heated forming tool. This tool is pressed 
downwardly from the entrance edge of the notches softening the plastic 
material and deforming it into the ear configuration shown at 36. Shafts 
34 are held against excessive endwise movement by separator bosses 38 
(FIGS. 3 and 4) projecting upwardly from the upper edge of stiffening webs 
39 (FIGS. 3 and 4) integral with partitions 31. 
Dispenser 10 may be mounted on a workbench in a generally horizontal 
position. Alternatively, the dispenser may be suspended from either end by 
means of a resilient spring clip 40. Clip 40 is generally U-shaped and the 
upper end portions 41 of its legs may be bent to lie in a plane normal 
thereto. Portions 41 are also offset from one another as clearly indicated 
in FIG. 1 to provide shoulders 42 which interlock with the interior 
corners of the main housing. 
Portions 41, 42 of the suspension clip are insertable through elongated 
openings 44 in the bottom of the dispenser while the legs of the clip are 
held collapsed toward one another. After insertion, portions 41, 42 expand 
until offsets 42 engage the adjacent interior portions of the housing to 
retain the clip firmly but detachably in assembled position. It will be 
noted that there are separate pairs fo openings 44 at the opposite ends of 
the bottom wall of the housing thereby enabling the user to insert the 
clip in either one or the other pair of openings 44 to support either end 
of the dispenser upwardly from the workman's trouser belt 45. Right handed 
workers prefer to have the dispenser suspended along one leg whereas left 
hand workmen prefer to suspend the dispenser from the other end along the 
left leg. 
The dispenser cover 12 is held closed by the notched latching tangs 47 
(FIG. 3) which project downwardly from the forward lip edge of the cover 
and engage detents 48 at the upper edge of notches 49 (FIGS. 1, 2). 
Notches 49 extend downwardly through the bottom of the housing in order 
that a rod, screwdriver or other tool can be inserted upwardly 
therethrough to disengage tangs 47, thereby releasing cover 12 and 
permitting access to the interior of the dispenser. 
The front wall of the dispenser is provided with tape dispensing slots or 
ports 50 (FIG. 5) through which the free ends of the tape 51 are threaded 
and pressed against the shelves 29 carried by the upper edge of keeper 22. 
As illustrated in FIG. 2, each of the rolls of tape 35 are imprinted or 
otherwise distinguished from one another by closely spaced distinctive 
symbols or digits. As shown in FIG. 2, the symbols carried by the 10 
dissimilar tapes are the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. In 
other words, the illustrated dispenser had ten storage comparts for ten 
dissimilar rolls of tape 35. It will be understood that other symbols or 
combinations of symbols may be carried by the different tapes. 
In use, an article to be identified or coded can be marked by a short 
length of tape severed from any one or more of the tapes. For example if a 
conductor were to be identified as number 521, the operator first detaches 
a short length from roll 5 and wraps this length about the conductor. 
Thereafter, he similarly applies a length of "2" tape and then a length of 
"1" tape. 
Although the tapes shown are impressed with numerals it will be understood 
that the tapes may be distinguished from one another by various other 
means as by different colors, letters or symbols as well as by various 
colors of tapes imprinted with various symbols. 
While the particular gang tape dispenser herein shown and disclosed in 
detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the 
advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely 
illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and 
that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design 
herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.