Patent Publication Number: US-7712506-B2

Title: Tape dispenser equipped with extra tool

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to a tape dispenser, and more particular to a tape equipped with extra tool for use. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   An earlier invention of the present inventor provides a tape dispenser equipped with a blade. The tape dispenser includes a handle, a base plate fixed on the handle, a tape reel pivoted on a rear of the base plate, and a seat on a front of the base plate, on a top of which a cutter is provided. The blade is provided on a lateral side of the seat. The blade is movable to be drawn out for cutting objects or to be retracted into the seat for storage. 
   Basically, the blade is fixed on the tape dispenser that user has to use the blade by operating the tape dispenser. Sometime, it causes user inconvenient. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tape dispenser equipped with extra tool to be operated alone. 
   According to the objective of the present invention, a tape dispenser includes a handle with a chamber therein, a holder fixed in the chamber of the handle, and a tool to be received in the chamber of the handle and held by the holder. The tool may be stored in the chamber of the handle and may be drawn out of the handle for operation. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the utility knife received in the handle of the tape dispenser; 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the utility knife drawn out of the handle of the tape dispenser; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the handle of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a front view of the handle of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view along the  5 - 5  line of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a right view of the handle of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view along the  6 - 6  line of  FIG. 6 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , a tape dispenser of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a handle  10  having a top and a bottom, a base plate  12  fixed on the top of the handle  10 , a tape reel  14  pivoted on a rear of the base plate  12 , a roller  16  and a seat  18  mounted on a front of the base plate  12 . The seat  18  is provided with a cutter  20  and a plate  22 . 
   Above elements are as same as the conventional tape dispenser, and the characters of the present invention are hereunder. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , the handle  10  has a chamber  24  therein, which is open at the bottom of the handle  10 , two openings  26  on a front side and a back side thereof communicated with the chamber  24  and two recesses  28  on the bottom thereof. 
   A holder  30  includes a base member  32 , two lock members  34  and two flexible arms  36 . The base member  32  includes a tunnel  38 , and the lock members  34  are located at opposite side of the tunnel  38 . The lock members  34  have ends connected to base member  32  and the other ends suspended. Each of the lock members  34  has a hook  40  at the suspended end and facing the tunnel  38 . The flexible arms  36  are projected from a top of the base member  32  at opposite side of the tunnel  38 , each of which has a block  36  facing outwardly. The holder  30  is inserted into the chamber  24  of the handle  10  with the blocks  36  of the flexible arms  36  engaged with the openings  26  of the handle  10 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , to fix the holder  30  in the chamber  24  of the handle  10 . 
   A tool  44 , which is a conventional utility knife in the drawings, includes a housing  46  and a blade (not shown) received in the housing  46  to be drawn out. The housing  46  has two couplers  48  at lateral sides, which are blocks or apertures. The utility knife  44  may be inserted into the chamber  24  of the handle  10  and through the tunnel  38  of the holder  30  to have the hooks  40  of the lock members  34  engaged with the couplers  48  of the utility knife  44 , such that the utility knife  44  is stored in the chamber  24  of the handle  10 , as shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 7 . In such condition, the utility knife  44  has it bottom end exposed by the recesses  28  that user may grip the exposed part of the utility knife  44 . When user grips the utility knife  44  and exerts for trying to draw the utility knife  44  out of the handle  10 , the suspended ends of the lock members will be moved outwardly to disengage the hooks  40  with the couplers  48 , such that the utility knife  44  may be drawn out of the handle  10  for operation alone and freely, as shown in  FIG. 2 ) 
   The main scope of the present invention is that we don&#39;t change the structure of the conventional tape dispenser, and we just use the useless space in the handle to store a tool that increases the practicability of the tape dispenser much. 
   The holder is the device we provide to hold the tool in the chamber of the handle. In practice, it may be made on the handle directly rather than it is an independent element like the embodiment of the present invention. The present invention provides the blocks and the openings on the handle to fix the holder in the handle that makes the holder could be detachable. In practice, the holder may be just simply fixed in the handle by glue or other fastening means. The embodiment of the present invention only shows the tool as utility knife. In fact, the tool, except utility knife, may be screwdriver, wrench or other toll that may be help in the tape dispenser job. Of course, the holder should be redesigned to fit the vary tool to be stored in the handle.