Hand-held device for applying a film of for example adhesive or covering or coloured material onto a substrate

Abstract: The invention relates to a hand-held device (1) for applying a film of for example adhesive, covering or coloured material onto a substrate (4), comprising a housing (2) in which a film material supply (11) is disposed, and an application member (6) with an application end (6a) to which the film material can be supplied, the application member (6) being moveable back and forth between a retracted parked position in the housing (2) and an application position projecting out of the housing (2) through a housing opening (5), and an actuating element (8) which is manually moveable between a stand-by position and an active position and activates the application member (6) to move into its application position when it moves into the active position. To improve the operability and handling of the hand-held device, the actuating element (8) is arranged on a side surface of the housing (2).

Description: The invention relates to a hand-held device as defined in the preamble of claim 1. A hand-held device of this type is described in the US 5 346 580 A. The application member of this known hand-held device can move back and forth between a retracted parked position in the housing and an application position projecting out of the housing through an opening in the housing. The application member is attached to a bearing member which also bears the film material supply as well as the application member and is guided so as to be moveable backwards and forwards in the housing in such a way that the application member reaches the two aforementioned positions. For moving the movement unit comprised of the application member and the bearing member there is provided an actuating element which is disposed at the opposite end to the application member, namely at the rear end of the housing. This actuating element is part of the housing and can be moved from a rear stand-by position into a front active position into the housing and back again. A retaining device is arranged between the actuating element and the bearing member so that, when the actuating element is moved forwards into its active position, the bearing member and the application member are moved into the application position and remain in this position. By pressing a button on a side of the housing , the retaining mechanism is released and a spring presses the bearing member so far in the direction of the actuating element that the application member finds itself in its parked position retracted in the housing. During the forwards movement, the spring is put under tension. In the DE 198 24 552 A is also a device of this type described, whereby the retaining device resembling a ball point pen mechanism. By pressing a button on a side of the housing , the retaining mechanism is released and the spring presses the bearing member so far in the direction of the actuating element that the application member finds itself in its parked position retracted in the housing. During the forwards movement, the spring is put under tension. The invention is based on the object of improving the operability and handling of a hand-held device of the type described above. This object is achieved by the features of claim 1. In the embodiment according to claim 1 of the invention, the actuating element is arranged in the region of the front half of the housing and on a side surface of the housing, whereby the actuating element can move transversely to the middle axis of the housing, whereby a device for changing the direction of movement is arranged between the actuating element and the application member, which converts the lateral movement of the actuating element into a longitudinal movement of the application member, and whereby the supply is disposed behind the actuating element. The operability of the hand-held device is improved for ergonomic reasons in both of these embodiments of the invention. The actuating element is located in a position on the side of the housing in which it is more user-friendly to operate, for example with a finger of the user's hand when the hand reaches round the sides of the housing, the fingers of the user's hand also being in a side position so that the actuating element is therefore easier to reach with a finger. The actuating element moves in the opposite direction to the fingers of the user's hand because the actuating element can be actuated by the fingers of the user's hand pressing together from both sides of the housing, the finger located opposite or on the other side of the housing also exerting a skewback function and it being possible to retain the housing or the hand-held device in a simple manner at the same time as this pressing together movement takes place. The hand-held device can remain between the fingers in its retained position. Both embodiments of the invention require just minimal concentration from the person using the device so that this person can concentrate their attention on the application of the film onto the substrate, an action which is desired in order to guarantee defect-free application which, in many cases, needs to be applied accurately and cleanly. The embodiments of the invention are basically suitable for all known forms of housings and are particularly advantageous for a rod or pen-shaped housing form where the fingers of the user's hand are positioned in a favourable position to both sides of the housing. A hand-held device as described in the invention is not bound by the type of film which is to be transferred onto the substrate. Within the framework of the invention, this film can have a solid consistency, for example a film which is a coating on a backing tape and can be pulled off this backing tape. However, it can also be a film with a liquid consistency which is applied as a liquid film and then sets, as for example is known per se in the application of an adhesive film or a colour film. The subclaims contain features which contribute towards making the hand-held device user-friendly to use, lead to a small construction, can be integrated into or built onto a hand-held device at low costs and also lead to simple forms which are inexpensive to produce. The invention and further advantages which can be gained from this invention shall now be explained in more detail with the aid of advantageous embodiments of several exemplified embodiments. Fig. 1 shows a side view of the hand-held device as per the invention in its position adopted in the use function. Fig. 2 shows the hand-held device according to claim 1 as viewed from above; Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a modified embodiment of the hand-held device according to the invention; Fig. 4 shows a modified hand-held device as defined by the invention in a side view with an open housing; Fig. 5 shows the hand-held device illustrated in Fig. 4 in a different functioning position; Fig. 6 shows the hand-held device of Fig. 4 as viewed from above; and Fig. 7 shows the section VII-VII indicated in Fig. 4. The hand-held device referred to as a whole as 1 has a rod or pen-shaped housing 2 which can, for example, exhibit a round or square cross-section and is illustrated in Fig. 1 in its use position in which its front end 3a is directed diagonally downwards against a substrate 4 indicated by a horizontal line. The housing 2 comprises an opening 5 at its front end 3a (which is preferably tapered and blunted in a wedge shape) for an application member 6 - for example a pen or spatula-shaped application member 6 - mounted in the housing 2 which is mounted such as to be displaceable back and forth between a retracted parked position in the housing 2 (Fig. 2) and an application position (Fig. 1) where the application end 6a projects out of the housing 2. A straight lengthways guide 7 for the application member 6 is arranged in the housing 2 to serve this purpose. A manually operable actuating element 8 is provided for moving the application member 6 between its parked position and its application position, this element being arranged on a side surface 2a of the housing 2 and being moveable between a stand-by position (Fig. 2) and an active position (not illustrated), wherein, when this actuating member is actuated and moved, it activates the application member 6 to perform its movement into its application position. After the movement of the application member 6 into its application position, it remains in this position where it is positioned by suitable positioning elements. The actuating element 8, on the other hand, is moved back into its stand-by position by a return spring 9 as soon as the user's hand lets go of it. The forwards and backwards movement of the application member 6 is indicated by double-headed arrow 10. When the application member 6 is in its application position as illustrated in Fig. 1, the hand-held device 1 can be used to apply a film onto the substrate 4. In this way, the film is conveyed from a film supply disposed in the housing 2 and denoted as a whole with 11 to the application end 6a of the application member 6, from which the film is applied onto the substrate 4 by an application movement 12 along the substrate 4 with the user's hand applying light manual pressure against the substrate. For the application member 6 to be moved back into its parked position, the actuating element 8 again has to be moved from its stand-by position into its active position. In doing so, the application member 6 is activated to move backwards into its parked position. A diagramatically illustrated device 13 for changing the direction of movement is provided for transferring the movement of the actuating element 8 onto the application member 6. The motion transfer can be formed such that either the forwards movement of the application member 6 between its parked position and its application position or the backwards movement between its application position and its parked position is performed during the movement of the actuating element 8 into its active position. In doing so, a spring 14 can be put under tension with the spring resistance of this spring being capable of serving the counter movement of the application member. Within the context of the invention, it is possible to arrange and mount the actuating element 8 such that its back and forth movement between its stand-by position and its active position is directed transversely to the longitudinal axis 7a and longitudinal guide 7. For this purpose, a transverse guide 15 can be provided for the actuating element 8. In the embodiment exemplified in Fig. 1 and 2, the actuating element 8 is a lever arm 16 extending substantially along the length of the hand-held device 1 which is swivellably mounted about a transverse swivel axis 17a in a pivot bearing 17 located in the vicinity of the periphery of the housing 2 and is positioned in its final pivoted position by stops. The return spring 9 assigned to the actuating element 8 can be disposed transversely to the longitudinal guide 14 in the housing 8 and be supported on the housing and act against the inner side of the actuating element 8. The motion transfer device 13 can for example be the type of mechanism commonly used in ball point pens which, during a first movement of the actuating element 8 from its stand-by position into its active position simultaneously moves the application member 6 into its application position after which the actuating member 8 returns to its stand-by position under the force of the spring 14 and in its second actuation activates the application member 6 such that it is moved back into its parked position by the spring resistance stored during the first movement. The motion transfer device 13 can however work the other way round too, i.e. it can be formed such that the application member 6 is activated to move into its application position during the first movement of the actuating element 8 from a stand-by position into an active position, whereby the positioning of the application member 6 is released and the application member 6 is pushed into its application position and positioned there, by the force of a spring for example. After it has been released manually, the actuating element 8 is moved back into its stand-by position by the force of the spring 9. The next time the actuating member 8 is actuated, the application member 6 is pushed back into its parked position during this movement and the aforementioned spring put under tension. The lateral backwards and forwards movement of the actuating element 8 is indicated by a double-headed arrow 18. In the embodiment exemplified in Fig. 3, in which the same or comparable parts are given the same reference numbers, the backwards and forwards movements 18 of the actuating element 8 are directed along or parallel to the longitudinal guide 7. In this embodiment, the device 13 for changing the direction of movement can be formed in the form of a carrier which carries the application member 6 when the actuating element 8 is moved between its stand-by position and its active position. Here too, this carrying motion can be the forwards movement of the application member 6 into its application position or the backwards movement into its parked position. The actuating element 8 can be disposed and mounted such that it can be moved forwards or backwards between its stand-by position and its active position. In this embodiment too, positioning elements for the application member 6 are provided in the parked position and the application position to prevent unintentional movement from the position concerned into the other position. Similarly to the embodiment exemplified in Fig. 2, it is also possible in the embodiment exemplified in Fig. 3 to simultaneously move the application member 6 into its application position, in which it is positioned, by moving the actuating element 8 forwards into its active position, wherein the actuating element 8 can then be moved back into its stand-by position either manually or with the aid of a spring. The next time the actuating element 8 is moved forwards into its active position, the positioning of the application member 6 can then be released and the application member 6 moved back, for example by the force of a spring which has been stored up during the forwards movement. In the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 3, it is however also possible to form the motion transfer device 13 such that, when the actuating element 8 is moved forwards into its active position, the application member 6 is simultaneously moved into its application position by means of slaving and when the actuating element 8 is moved back into its stand-by position, the application member 6 is likewise moved into its parked position by means of slaving. In doing so, it is possible for the application member 6 and the actuating member 8 to form a motion unit which can be moved together. In this case, the positioning elements for positioning the application member 6 in its application position and its parked position can work together with the application member 6 or the actuating member 8 or add-on parts of the same. The embodiments exemplified in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 also allow the motion transfer device 13 to be formed such that the application member 6 is moved into its application position at the same time as the actuating element 8 is moved into its active position and is moved into its parked position at the same time as the actuating element 8 is moved into its stand-by position. Since, however, in this exemplified embodiment, the actuating member 8 and the application member 6 move transversely to each other, suitable positioning elements for the application member 6 need to be provided in the application member's parked position and application position and suitable positioning elements have to be provided for the actuating element 8 in at least its stand-by position or its active position. It is possible for the user's hand to actuate the actuating member 8 in a user-friendly manner in both forwards and backwards directions 18. In the exemplified embodiment shown in Fig. 2, in which the direction of movement 18 of the actuating element 8 is directed transversely to the longitudinal axis, the actuating element 8 can be pressed in by a finger of the user's hand in the direction of the longitudinal axis 7a, the hand-held device 1 being held between at least two fingers of the user's hand and the (at least) one finger positioned on the other side of the hand-held device performing the function of skewback. In doing so, the housing 2 can remain in a held position. It is not necessary to adjust the grip into a different holding position. The holding function and the actuating function differ merely in that the holding function exerts a lower amount of pressure and the actuating function exerts a larger amount of pressure. In the embodiment exemplified in Fig. 3, the hand-held device 1 is also held between at least two fingers of the user's hand to actuate the actuating element 8, but with the actuating element 8 being moved along the length of the hand-held device 1, the housing 2 being held by the (at least) one finger lying on the opposing side of the housing 1 on the latter. It is not however necessary to regrip the device in another holding position here either. The actuating element 8 can be arranged in a side position (as illustrated) or on the top side or on the bottom side in both embodiments according to Fig. 2 and 3. It is advantageous to arrange the actuating element 8 in the central longitudinal portion of the housing 2 or in the region of the front longitudinal half of the housing 2. In this section, the user's hand holds the housing 2 during application of the film such that it lies in a stable and ergonomically beneficial position in the user's hand. In addition, the appropriate finger of the user's hand can comfortably reach the actuating element 8 in this position region. A more ergonomically beneficial distance of the actuating element 8 from the front end 3a of the housing 2 is roughly 20 mm to 60 mm, preferably 30 mm to 40 mm. The film supply 11 is preferably disposed behind the actuating element 8. In order to improve the grip of the actuating element 8 in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the outer surface of the actuating element is roughened or provided with recesses or elevations, for example in the form of furrows. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing, the application member 6 is only arranged in the front end portion of the housing 2 and is guided on a laterally offset bearing member 21 extending rearwards from the housing 2 which also bears the film supply 11 which is formed by a leaf or strip-shaped guide member 7b and can be displaceably guided back and forth in the diagramatically illustrated longitudinal guide 7 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 2. The application member 6, the bearing member 21 and the film supply 11 form a motion unit which can be moved back and forth with the motion transfer device 13 interacting with the bearing member 21. The film to be transferred onto the substrate 4 can be a free-flowing film, for example a liquid or pulpy film. In the exemplary embodiments set out above, the film is made up of a strip-shaped thin foil of solid yet flexible material which is releasably adhered to a backing tape 22 only illustrated in Fig. 1 which extends from a supply reel 23 to the application end 6a of the application member 6 and extends about the application end 6a in the opposite direction to the direction of the application movement 12. The film strip of the backing tape 22 extending from the supply reel 23 towards the application end 6a is denoted as 22a. The outer side of the film is adhesive so that it adheres to the substrate. When moving the hand-held device 1 in the application movement direction 12 on the substrate 4, the film adhering to the outer side of the backing tape 22 is detached from the application member 22 at the application end 6a by it being pressed onto the substrate 4 and adhering thereto. The section of the backing tape 22 separated from the film is preferably wound back up by a take-up reel 24 disposed in the housing 2, wherein it is guided into the housing 2 on the other side of the application member 6 in the form of an opposing film strip 22b to the take-up reel and is wound up there. In this exemplary embodiment, the supply reel 23 and the take-up reel 24 are disposed behind one another with their rotational axes extending parallel to the tip 6b of the application member 6. The take-up reel 24 can be arranged behind the supply reel 23. The pivot bearings for the supply reel 23 and the take-up reel 24 can each be formed by a bearing axis 25, 26 protruding from the bearing member 21 on which the associated reel is freely rotatably mounted with a bearing hole. The supply reel 23 is driven by the run-off strip 22a unwinding from the reel during transfer of the film. To guarantee continuous take-up of the return strip 22b in spite of changing unwinding and take-up diameters, the reels 23, 24 are connected to one another by a diagramatically illustrated drive connection 26 integrating a sliding coupling 26 which limits the driving force to a level which is sufficient to continuously pull in the strip 22b to be taken up and to thus avoid a loop being formed. This is achieved by the drive connection 27 driving the take-up reel 24 at such a speed that the take-up reel attempts to take up the return strip 22b at a speed which is always greater than the unwinding speed, wherein however the sliding coupling always guarantees slightly taut take-up of the strip 22b. Such a drive connection 27 having a sliding coupling is known per se and therefore does not need to be described in any more detail. The housing 2 comprises a further closable housing opening through which the bearing member 21 and its add-on parts can be fitted, dismounted and exchanged so as to equip the hand-held device 1 with a new film supply 11 when the film supply has been used up. Such a housing opening can be formed by the housing 2 being divided lengthways and the two housing halves being releasable from one another and reconnectable with each other by a connection device. Such a housing opening 28 can also be arranged at the rear end 3b of the pipe-shaped housing 2 and closable by means of a lid 29, as shown by the Figures. The embodiment exemplified in Fig. 4 to 7, in which the same or comparable parts are provided with the same reference numbers, differs from the exemplary embodiments described above in several ways. The housing 2 may also be pen-shaped but it has a thickened central longitudinal section and is formed such that it diverges rearwardly to this thickened section so as to acquire a larger housing interior for reels 23, 24 with a larger receiving capacity. The housing has a dividing joint 31 stretching roughly in the vertical longitudinal mid-plane, at which two shell-shaped housing parts 2a, 2b abut each other and are connected by releasable connecting means (not illustrated), for example are locked to one another by releasable latching means. As can be seen particularly well in Fig. 4, 6 and 7, the housing 2 is wider in the transverse direction both transversely to the longitudinal mid-plane E and in the longitudinal mid-plane E with it having the flattened oblong cross-sectional shape parallel to the division plane E as shown in Fig. 7. This shape is advantageous in respect of the space required for reels 23, 24, the axial measurement of which is smaller than the measurement in the deflection plane of the backing tape 22. The housing interior is therefore advantageously exploited by the oblong cross-sectional form shown in Fig. 7 and thus the housing 2 can be realised with a handy construction and size. In the exemplified embodiment, the supply reel 23 is disposed behind the take-up reel 24. The drive connection 27 is formed by a belt drive with a belt 32 (0-ring) having a preferably circular cross-section which deflects about belt discs 33, 34 arranged laterally offset from one another in relation to the longitudinal mid-plane E or the backing tape 22. The sliding clutch can be formed by the belt drive sliding through when a certain torque is exceeded. The belt 32 is preferably made of elastic material such as rubber or plastic and deflects about the belt discs 33, 34 with elastic tensile stress.

Claims: A hand-held device (1) for applying a film of for example adhesive, covering or coloured material onto a substrate (4), comprising a housing (2), having a middle axis (7a), in which a film material supply (11) is disposed, and an application member (6) having an application end (6a) to which the film material can be supplied, and an actuating element (8) which is manually moveable between a stand-by position and an active position and shifts the application member (6) directly into its application position when it is moved into the active position, whereby the application member (6) is moveable back and forth between a retracted parked position in the housing (2) and an application position projecting out of the housing (2) through an opening (5) in the housing, the middle axis (7a) of the housing (2) extending through the housing opening (5), and whereby the application member (6) is disposed just in the front end portion of the housing (2) and a bearing member (21) extends in a straight line rearwards from the application member (6), this bearing member (21) bearing the film material supply (11) characterised in that the actuating element (8) is arranged in the region of the front half of the housing (2) and on a side surface of the housing (2), the actuating element (8) can move transversely to the middle axis (7a) of the housing (2), a device for changing the direction of movement (13) is arranged between the actuating element (8) and the application member (6), which converts the lateral movement of the actuating element (8) into a longitudinal movement of the application member (6) and the supply (11) is disposed behind the actuating element (8). A hand-held device according to claim 1, characterised in that the actuating element (8) is arranged at a gap (a) from the front end (3a) of the housing (2), this gap being between roughly 20mm and 60mm large, preferably between 30mm and 40mm. A hand-held device according to anyone of the preceding clams, characterised in that the bearing part (21) is laterally offset relative to the application member (6). A hand-held device according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the actuating element (8) is pivotably mounted in a pivot bearing (17) and is preferably formed by a lever arm (16) which is pivotably mounted about a swivel axis (17a), in particular about a swivel axis (17a) which extends transversely to the middle axis (7a) of the housing (2) extending through the housing opening (5a). A hand-held device according to claim 4, characterised in that the lever arm (16) is a double-armed lever which can be manually activated in both swivelling directions. A hand-held device according to claim 5, characterised in that the actuating sections (8a, 8b) of the double-armed lever arm (16) enclose an obtuse angle (W) which opens towards the outside. A hand-held device according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the swivel axis (17a) is mounted such that it can be moved to and fro in a guide (36) extending in the longitudinal direction of the middle axis (7a). A hand-held device according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the device (13) for changing the direction of movement has a pressure surface (35) in the form of a slanted plane or a curve. A hand-held device according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the free application end (6a) of the application member (8) is formed to be pointed or spatula-shaped. A hand-held device according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the housing (2) is pin-shaped. A hand-held device according to claim 10, characterised in that the front end portion of the housing (2) is formed so as to converge towards the free end, preferably in a truncated manner. A hand-held device according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the film is formed by a film strip made of strong yet flexible material which adheres to the outer side of a backing tape (22) in a releasable manner, this tape extending from a supply reel (23) from the application end (6a) of the application member (6) and preferably extending back into the housing (2) to a take-up reel (24).

Inventors: ROLION FRANCK, Rolion, Franck c/o Société BIC
Applicants: BIC SOC
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65H37
IPC codes: B65H37, B65H41, B43K24, B43M11