Patent ID: 7837815

Claim:
A method for applying adhesive segments from an adhesive segment-laden carrier release tape onto a work piece, comprising: (a) providing an adhesive segment dispensing tape, including: (i) a flexible carrier release tape extending longitudinally and having a transverse width, said flexible carrier release tape also having opposed first and second release surfaces; (ii) a plurality of adhesive segments arrayed non-contiguously in a longitudinally spaced-apart progression along the first release surface of the carrier release tape, consecutive ones of the adhesive segments being spaced longitudinally apart by a predetermined and substantially uniform distance on the first release surface of the carrier release tape, wherein each of the adhesive segments is configured to adhere to a surface after release from the carrier release tape and to support an object attached to the adhesive segment; and (iii) a plurality of optically detectable indices on at least one of the first and second release surfaces of the carrier release tape and in a uniformly spaced apart longitudinal progression on the carrier release tape, wherein each of the optically detectable indices is in the same relative position on the carrier release tape with respect to at least one corresponding adhesive segment but wherein each of the optically detectable indices does not contact the at least one corresponding adhesive segment; (b) providing the adhesive segment dispensing tape to an adhesive segment dispensing apparatus, the adhesive segment dispensing apparatus having a dispensing location for receiving the dispensing tape with the plurality of adhesive segments arrayed thereon, wherefrom adhesive segments are applied directly from the dispensing tape onto the work piece; (c) automatically detecting, with a single optical detector mounted on the adhesive segment dispensing apparatus in a fixed relationship to the dispensing tape, at least a one of the detectable indices on the at least one of the first and second release surfaces of the carrier release tape and automatically moving the adhesive segment dispensing tape to position an adhesive segment on the dispensing tape at the dispensing location on the adhesive dispensing tape apparatus using the detected at least one of the detectable indices; and (d) applying the adhesive segment at the dispensing location onto a work piece.