Patent Publication Number: US-6705373-B1

Title: Tape cutting device of an adhesive-tape holder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the tape cutting device of an adhesive-tape holder, particularly to one provided with a press member which can be pressed to push a blade to move forward and cut off an adhesive tape precisely, convenient in use and able to be handled smoothly. 
     The automatic tape cutting device of a conventional adhesive-tape holder, as disclosed in a Taiwan Patent No.5641377 titled “RETRACTABLE BLADE HAND HELD TAPE APPLICATION” issued on Jul. 24 in 1977, includes a blade and a press plate combined together. The press plate is pressed by the force of a user&#39;s wrist to push the blade to move forward to cut an adhesive tape, always making a user&#39;s wrist uncomfortable and unable to cut off an adhesive tape precisely and smoothly because the press plate is made of elastic plastic. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is devised to offer a tape cutting device of an adhesive-tape holder, having a press member additionally provided at a predetermined location of an adhesive-tape holder to be pressed by a user&#39;s fingers to move a blade outward and carry out cutting, able to cut off an adhesive tape precisely, avoiding retracting of the adhesive tape and be handled smoothly and comfortably. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adhesive-tape holder in the present invention: 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the adhesive-tape holder in the present invention: 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the press member of the adhesive-tape holder in the present invention: 
     FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the tape cutting device in the present invention, illustrating that the blade of a tape cutting device is not yet pushed outward: and 
     FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the tape cutting device in the present invention, illustrating that the blade of the tape cutting device is pushed outward. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A preferred embodiment of the tape cutting device of an adhesive-tape holder in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is provided at the front side of an adhesive-tape holder  10  which is composed of an inner plate  11 , a handle  13 , an adhesive-tape base  14 , an outer plate  20  and a press member  30 . 
     The inner plate  11  , as shown in FIG. 2, is formed at its bottom side with a bottom base  12  extending outward horizontally, and a handle  13  is provided under the bottom base  12 , with a round stud  121  protruding outward on the front center. An adhesive-tape base  14  is disposed at the rear side of the adhesive-tape holder  10  for a tape roll fitted around thereon. Besides, the inner plate  11  has two threaded holes  15  and a fitting hole  16  bored near its front end, an arcuate position-limiting slot  17  bored in the center and a support shaft  18  provided horizontally at a lower side. 
     The outer plate  20  is provided with two horizontal pivotal shafts  21  respectively at a front and a rear side to be respectively screwed together with the two threaded holes  15  of the inner side plate  11  by bolts  40 , with the front pivotal shaft  21  mounted thereon with a cylinder-shaped roller  22 . The outer plate  20  is further fixed on a front upper side with a blade holder  23  having an fitting block  231  formed at the outer side to be stably fitting in the fitting hole  16  of the inner plate  11  of the adhesive-tape holder  10 . The blade holder  23  is provided on top with two fixing studs  232  protruding upward and respectively having a threaded hole  233 , a receiving groove  234  in the center and two slide grooves  235  respectively positioned at the left side and the right side of the receiving groove  234 . 
     A blade  24  to be mounted on the blade holder  23  is bored with two oval slide slots  241  to be respectively fitted around the two fixing studs  232  of the blade holder  23  to enable the blade  24  to move back and forth thereon. The blade  24  is further provided with two position holes  242 . An L-shaped slide base  25  to be disposed on the blade  24  is provided with two slide slots  251  matching with the two fixing studs  232  of the blade holder  23 , having two engage studs  252  protruding downward under the bottom to respectively pass through the two position holes  242  of the blade  24  and positioned in the two slide grooves  235  of the blade holder  23  to let the blade  24  shift within a defined stroke. In addition, the slide base  25  is formed with a vertical push plate  253  extending downward from the rear edge and having a stud  254  protruding inward on the inner wall and fitting in one end of a spring  255  which has the other end stably positioned in the receiving groove  234  of the blade holder  23 . Further, an L-shaped press plate  26  to be positioned on the slide base  25  has its bottom portion formed as a flat support plate  261  having two lengthwise round holes  262  for two bolts  41  to be screwed therethrough. 
     The press member  30  positioned in front of the handle  13 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is provided with a shaft combining portion  31  at the center for a support shaft  18  of the inner plate  11  to be fitted therein and fixed by a bolt  42 . The shaft combining portion  31  is formed with an accommodating groove  311  in the center for a holding plate  32  to be pivotally connected therein. The holding plate  32  has a torsion spring  33  combined at its rear side so as to supply the holding plate  32  with elasticity so as to prop up an adhesive tape by its front edge. Besides, the press member  30  is provided with an actuating plate  34  on top for pressing and pushing the push plate  253  to move the slide base  25  forward and a position-limiting stud  35  at one side edge facing the adhesive-tape holder  10  to movably fit in the position-limiting slot  17  of the inner side plate  11 . In addition, the press member  30  is formed with a pull plate  36  extending downward to be pressed by a user&#39;s fingers and having a fixing stud  361  on the rear side, with a spring  37  fitted between the fixing stud  361  of the pull plate  36  and the round stud  121  of the bottom base  12 . 
     In assembling and using, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the press member  30  has its shaft combining portion  31  fitted around the support shaft  18  of the inner side plate  11 . Thus, when the pull plate  36  of the press member  30  is pressed, the press member  30  will rotate around the support shaft  18 , which functions as a fulcrum, and its upper actuating plate  34  will shift forward and push the slide base  25  together with the blade  24  to move forward and subsequently cut off an adhesive tape. The position-limiting stud  35  of the press member  30  fitting in the arcuate position-limiting slot  17  of the inner side plate  11  is limited to shift within the defined stroke, and at the same time the slide base  25  is restricted to move by the slide grooves  23 . 5  of the blade holder  23  and the slide holes  241  of the blade  24  and also by the slide slots  251  of its own, the re fore the blade  24  is able to cut off an adhesive tape precisely. 
     After the blade  24  finishes cutting of an adhesive tape and the pull plate  36  is released, the press member  30  as well as its actuating member  34  will recover its original position by the resiliency of the spring  37 . Then the slide base  25  will also move back to its original location by the resilience of the spring  255  to let the blade  24  retract in the blade holder  23  to prevent a user&#39;s hand from being cut and ensure safety in handling. 
     Additionally, the holding plate  32  has its rear end received in the accommodating groove  311  of the press member  30  and actuated by the torsion spring  33  to let its front end elastically prop up stably an adhesive tape to prevent the adhesive tape from retracting and adhering to a tape roll or falling off. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.