Patent ID: 7934675

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first, running spool of tape having a trailing end portion and a first splicing element secured to the trailing end portion; a second, stand-by spool of tape having a leading end portion and a second splicing element secured to the leading end portion; and wherein the second splicing element comprises a shape-memory material and has at least one aperture sized to receive the tape from the first spool and first and second leg portions bounding at least a portion of the aperture, whereby the tape being dispensed from the first spool can be introduced into the aperture by inserting the tape through a gap defined between the leg portions; wherein when the tape from the first spool is inserted in the aperture and the first spool becomes depleted of tape, the first splicing element engages the second splicing element so as to splice the tape from the first spool to the tape from the second spool; wherein the leg portions can be bent between a first position in which the leg portions are spaced apart from each other and the tape from the first spool can be inserted into the aperture via the gap and a second position in which the leg portions are placed in contact with each other in an overlapping relationship so as to completely enclose the aperture in the second splicing element, wherein the leg portions are configured such that they are normally biased toward the first position and the contact between the leg portions in the overlapping relationship resists movement of the leg portions back toward the first position while tape from the first spool is being dispensed through the aperture.