Patent Publication Number: US-6666350-B1

Title: Dispenser with integral separator for removing a backing from a self-adhesive article

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/290,422 filed on May 11, 2001. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to dispensers for rolled self-adhesive articles with a backing layer, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a dispenser for rolled, self-adhesive postage stamps, labels and other self-adhesive articles. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Self-adhesive articles have long been problematic in the past for daily usage, especially with regards to removing the weakly adhered back from self-adhesive postage stamps and self-adhesive labels. The self-stick adhesive allows for the stamps and labels to be removed by peeling off the backing layer. Office workers utilize these self-adhesive products all day long, and are in need of a reliable means for easily separating the backing from the self-adhesive article. More and more articles are utilizing the technology of self-adhesive articles with a backing layer made into a roll product, as the public demands more and more convenience items. In keeping pace with this technology, one of the many applications utilizing the self-adhesive technology includes the United States Postal Service which sells self-adhesive postage stamps that include elongated strips of paper stamps having a pre-gummed backing loosely adhered to a waxy backing layer. These postage stamps can be obtained in strips that are supported by the waxy backing layer and wound into rolls. Many previous products for dispensing self-adhesive materials, including postage stamps and labels, have proven to be unreliable, complex and require some physical effort. Prior art devices have attempted to provide such a separating dispenser, although they have not met with any great success. Without the features of the present invention, the prior art dispensers did not separate quite as nicely, nor did the self-adhesive article stick straight up, perfectly separated from the waxy backing layer all the time. Consequently, there continues to be a need for a device that is compact, easy-to-use, reliable, lightweight and economical. 
     It would be advantageous to have such an improved dispenser for automatically separating the self-adhesive articles, such as U.S. Post Office pre-gummed stamps, from the waxy backing layer. Besides the use with postage stamps, it would also be advantageous for such a dispenser to find utility with other self-adhesive strip materials, including stickers and labels. The device should be reliable and simplify the dispensing of self-adhesive materials as compared to the physical and mental effort required to properly use products currently available for dispensing self-adhesive materials. 
     A separating dispenser is desirable which will perfectly dispense the self-adhesive articles every time. Furthermore, the self-adhesive articles should be separated from the backing layer in such a manner that the stamp or label being removed from the backing layer will stick straight up, for ready handling and usage. Conventionally, there is a great tendency for the stamp or label to stick to the backing layer such that the self-adhesive article will not cleanly be separated, nor will the stamp end up in a configuration for truly easy removal. Usually, the stamp would somewhat follow the backing layer, and the user would have to do nearly as much work to separate he stamp from the backing layer, just in a different location. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the above objectives and advantages, the present invention provides a separating dispenser for holding rolled self-adhesive articles, which need to be separated from the backing layer. The improved dispenser of the present invention automatically separates the self-adhesive articles, such as post office stamps, from the backing layer. The present invention is also adaptable for use with many other rolled self-adhesive labels, stickers and the like. The separating dispenser of the present invention perfectly dispenses self-adhesive articles every time, by separating the backing layer in a manner that the stamp being removed from the backing layer will stick straight up, ready to be handled by the user in an easy and reliable manner. In the prior art devices, the stamp tends to follow the backing layer through the dispenser, and the user is confronted with performing the same service whether the self-adhesive stamp is inside or outside the dispenser. 
     With reference to the preferred embodiment for the use of the dispenser for post office stamps, the dispenser includes a container having an interior space for receiving a roll of self-stick postage stamps therein. As is well known, 100 stamps are sold by the post office in a roll. The container has a slit which is adapted to allow linear passage there through of self-stick postage stamps. Adjacent to the slit and laterally off set therefrom is a guide bar wedge located next to guide pins, which are opened in the center. The guide bar wedge includes a small bar or wedge which is a higher than the guide pins in order to separate the backing from the stamp before the backing layer is received under the guide pins. Although it is preferable to use a pair of alternately disposed guide pins, the present invention also contemplates the use of a single, continuous guide pin. 
     In operation, the container is opened and a roll of self-stick postage stamps is placed therein. Of course, other self-adhesive materials made be included in this container, although within this discussion, we will restrict our comments to the use of self-adhesive postage stamps. The end of the self-stick postage stamps is passed-upwardly through the slit, the backing is pulled over the guide bar wedge, and the backing is slipped under the guide pins. Now, as the backing is pulled laterally, the self-stick postage stamps separate from the backing as the self-stick postage stamp advances outwardly through the slit. Following this operation, the postage stamp, now without the backing attached thereto, sticks straight up and is easy for the user to grab hold. 
     The following structural features aid in the facilitation of the operation of the above described dispenser. A lid is preferably provided which snappingly engages the body of the container and which has formed therein a slit. The guide bar or guide bar wedge, depending on which embodiment is used, is connected to the exterior side of the lid, proximal to the slit. Attached to the interior side of the lid is a stamp roll container for holding the roll of self-stick postage stamps. An optional cutter, preferably in the form of a thin serrated edge, may be adhered to the lid in a spatial relation to the guide bar or the guide bar wedge for providing a convenient cutting location for the excess backing layer which is generated by separating it from self-adhesive stamps. The container may also be weighted and the bottom side thereof may be provided with a non-slip pad or mat so as to resist a tendency to lift or slide when the backing is pulled. 
     In yet another embodiment, it may be preferred to provide an alternative configuration wherein the bottom side of the lid is releasably attachable to a base such as for example by hook and eye releasable adhesive material, such as, for example, VELCRO (“Velcro” is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries, Inc., of the United States). 
    
    
     Therefore, in accordance with the objects and advantages discussed above, the present invention provides a separating dispenser for self-adhesive stamps, labels, stickers, and the like. The present invention addresses and overcomes these issues, and the invention will now be described in greater detail in conjunction with the appended drawings. The scope of the invention is not be limited to the embodiments given here, but rather shall be limited by the scope of the allowability over the prior art. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For an understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the below drawings in which like parts are given like reference numerals and, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the separating dispenser  10 ; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the separating dispenser  10  which shows the upper side of the dispenser cap  14 ; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the separating dispenser  10 ; and 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the separator. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen in FIGS. 1 through 3, there is shown a separating dispenser, generally denoted by the numeral  10 , made in accordance with the present invention which may include a substantially cylindrical dispenser container housing  12  having a closed bottom and an open top with a dispenser cap  14  to cover the container housing  12 . The container housing may be of any shape, although this embodiment is preferably cylindrical. In the pictured embodiment, housing  12  has a diameter sufficient to permit the placement of a normally sized wound roll of postage stamps readily available from the Post Office or any other self-adhesive strip of a like size. Of course, the dispenser of the present invention may be made of any dimension or shape to accommodate other self-adhesive articles including rolled labels, stickers, and the like. However, for the purposes of this description, we will restrict our comments to a postage stamp dispenser, although realizing that the possible applications in accordance with the present invention go much further than that restricted application. 
     Returning now to FIG. 1, the dispenser cap  14  is securable to housing  12  and includes a lower surface  14   a  and an upper surface  14   b , the lower surface  14   a  facing the interior of the housing  12  and the upper surface  14   b  being opposite the lower surface  14   a  and facing upward from the housing  12 . Dispenser cap  14  may be secured to the housing by a snap fit, or by a threaded configuration, in addition to any other suitable means for securing the cap to the housing. The dispenser cap  14  includes a slot  16  to allow for the passage therethrough of the stamps, labels, stickers, or the like. The slot  16  has a slot undersurface  16   a  and a slot uppersurface  16   b , which extend from the lower surface  14   a  to the upper surface  14   b  of the dispenser cap  14  such that postage stamps or any equivalents thereof inserted from the housing  12  interior through the slot under surface  16   a  are dispensed through the slot upper surface  16   b.    
     A conventional self-adhesive stamp strip assembly generally has two parts, i.e., the self-adhesive stamp strip and the waxy backing layer for covering and de-tackifying the self-adhesive stamps. Initially, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, at the exposed latitudinal edge of the strip assembly, the strip assembly is pulled out of the housing  12  through slot  16 , and the waxy backing layer is bent back at least 90° to peel the backing layer from the self-adhesive stamps and over a guide bar wedge means  18 , in the direction of a pair of guide pins  20   a  and  20   b . The guide bar wedge  18  may be rectangular, triangular, circular, or of any suitable shape to accomplish the task of separating the self-adhesive article from its backing. 
     Guide bar wedge  18  acts to force the latitudinal edge of the self-adhesive article into an upwardly extending position for simple and easy removal by the user, without any extra effort on the part of the user. By using guide bar wedge  18  in conjunction with slot  16 , this operation separates the self-adhesive strip from the waxy backing layer, and exposes the respective pre-gummed side of the self-adhesive strip latitudinal edge and waxy backing latitudinal edge. The exposed latitudinal edge of the waxy backing travels from the slot  16 , asses over the guide bar wedge  18  and is threaded through the guide pins  20   a  and  20   b . By forcing the waxy backing layer through this tortuous path, the separation is complete every time. 
     The preferred guide bar wedge  18  is shaped to change the angle of the path of the backing layer from the slot  16  to the guide pins  18  from about 90° to greater than 90°. Such angle reduction between the slot  16  and the guide pins  20   a ,  20   b , increases the respective slope, and thereby helps to prevent crimping, jamming and folding back of the self-adhesive strip. Once this arrangement is positioned by threading the waxy backing layer through this path, the stamp dispenser  10  dispenses and separates the waxy backing from the self-adhesive strip by pulling on the latitudinal edge of the carrier backing in a direction away from the slot  16  and through the guide pins  20   a  and  20   b.    
     The pair of guide pins  20   a  and  20   b , when adequately positioned, serve as a simplified yet effective guide that helps to prevent the crimping, jamming and folding back of stamps. Such crimping, jamming and folding back destroys the value of the stamps, labels and other self-adhesive material. The guide pins  20   a  and  20   b  are spaced to permit the longitudinal edges of the carrier backing to be threaded through and restrained by the guide pins  20   a  and  20   b , and a portion of the waxy backing is unrestrained by the guide pins, thereby reducing the possibility of crimping, jamming and folding back of stamps, particularly when stamps are rapidly dispensed. Such crimping, jamming and folding back can occur between the point of dispension from the housing  12  via the slot  16  to the point of completed passage through the guide pins  20   a  and  20   b . In addition to the guide pins configuration shown in the Figures, it must be realized that the guide pins could be a single, raised or continuous bar under which the waxy backing would be threaded. Although the guide pins are much easier to thread, it is envisioned by the present inventor that there are many other suitable configurations for holding the waxy backing layer after it is drawn over the guide bar wedge to effect the separation of the backing from the self-adhesive article. 
     FIG. 3 shows a side view of another embodiment of the present invention which may include optional roll holder means  20  secured within the interior of the container housing  12 , such that the roll of the self-adhesive articles is supported in a freely rotatable relation to the lid and the container housing. Further, an optional cutter means  22  may be connected to the lid in a spaced relation to the guide bar wedge means to provide an edge upon which the backing may be cut off when it accumulates after being separated. Optional weight  24  may be included in the base of the separator  10  to provide the user with help for single-handed operation. Furthermore, an optional high friction mat  26  may cover the bottom side to aid the cutting operation by preventing slipping on a desk or other smooth surface. This will help the single-handed user. Other cups, stabilizers and gripping devices may also be utilized without undue experimentation, and they are also contemplated by the present invention and fall within the scope of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 shows a side elevational view of one of the preferred embodiments of the guide bar wedge means of the present invention. Guide bar wedge  18  is located on top of the lid  14 , and acts as the separator for the self-adhesive article roll to render the self-adhesive material AA being separated from the waxy backing layer BB. It is also envisioned that the guide bar wedge  18  could be made in other cross-sectional configurations, including rectangular, semicircular, or pyramidal, although the right angle isosceles triangle laying on its back appears to be the best configuration. However, it should be noted that any of these cross-sections may be substituted in without undue experimentation. The present invention also contemplates the use of a dual guide wedge means, and other combinations. 
     Although all the components may be made of any suitable material, it is envisioned that the present invention be preferably made of a moldable plastic material. The dispenser of the present invention would function equally as well if it was made of wood, and may include clear panels in the sides for viewing the status of the roll, or it may be carved from stone, as many other office supplies are made of these materials to match the desk accessories of workers. The housing is preferably a transparent material as this enables the user to be aware of the stamp supply remaining in the housing, although any suitable material may be used.