Patent ID: 8393375

Claim:
A tape applicator comprising a front applicator for applying a leading end of a tape to a case being taped and a rear applicator for pressing a trailing end of said tape to said case, a connector interconnecting said front and rear applicators for interaction, a tape roll providing a source of said tape, said tape having an adhesive side and a non-adhesive side, a path of said tape from said tape roll to said front applicator, the improvement comprising; a dancer arm mounting a dancer platform that is positioned along said a path of said tape between said tape roll and said front applicator and adjacent to said tape roll, a nip roll rotatably mounted on a free end of said dancer arm adjacent to said tape roll, means biasing said dancer arm to press said nip roll onto a periphery of said tape roll and against said non adhesive side of said tape, a tape folding station mounted on said dancer platform and through which said tape on said tape path passes to fold at least one side edge of said tape onto an adjacent adhesive side of said tape to form a folded edge on said tape as said tape travels through said folding station on said path.