Device for Applying Adhesive Tape to a Surface and Method for Manufacturing Such a Device

Abstract

An adhesive tape dispenser composed of a minimal number of components, including a holder for receiving and accommodating an adhesive tape roll, a handle extending from the holder, and a roller rotatably mounted in the holder for making contact to the outer periphery of an adhesive tape roll received in the holder and for guiding adhesive tape that is taken from an adhesive tape roll during use of the device and applied to a surface, outwardly from the device. The holder is a single integral entirety and has a pressing part with a free end for pressing the adhesive tape against the roller. The roller is retained in the holder exclusively on the basis of a direct connection to the holder.

1 . A device for applying adhesive tape to a surface comprising:
 a holder for receiving and accommodating an adhesive tape roll, which holder is designed to encompass an adhesive tape roll along a portion of the outer periphery thereof while also retaining it in axial direction thereof;   a handle extending from the holder; and   a roller rotatably mounted in the holder for making contact to the outer periphery of an adhesive tape roll received in the holder and for guiding adhesive tape that is taken from an adhesive tape roll during use of the device and applied to a surface, outwardly from the device;   wherein the holder is a single integral entirety and has a pressing part with a free end for pressing the adhesive tape against the roller when it is inserted between the roller and the free end of the pressing part; and   wherein the roller is retained in the holder exclusively on the basis of a direct connection to the holder.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the roller is provided with a carrier shaft at both ends thereof;
 wherein the holder has two flaps extending at a distance with respect to each other and being provided with an opening; and   wherein the roller is arranged between the flaps of the holder with the carrier shafts being received in the openings in the flaps.   
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , in which only the roller is a rotatable component. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the holder has two legs that are designed to be moved apart in a resilient fashion. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the holder is designed to accommodate an adhesive tape roll exclusively on the basis of partial enclosure. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein a width dimension of the pressing part of the holder is smaller than a general width dimension of the holder. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the holder and the handle are integrated with each other. 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , being entirely manufactured from a single material. 
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 1  further comprising a cutting assembly having a tape fixating part that extends from the holder and a cutting knife that is located in front of a free end of the tape fixating part as seen from the holder, for the purpose of cutting adhesive tape from the device;
 wherein the tape fixating part is integrated with the holder. 
 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9 , wherein a part of the cutting knife is retained in an integral entirety of the holder and the tape fixating part. 
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 9 , composed of no more than the roller, the cutting knife, and an integral entirety of the holder, the handle and the tape fixating part. 
     
     
         12 . A method for manufacturing a device for applying adhesive tape to a surface, which device comprises:
 a holder for receiving and accommodating an adhesive tape roll which holder is designed to encompass an adhesive tape roll along a portion of the outer periphery thereof while also retaining it in axial direction thereof; a handle extending from the holder; and   a roller rotatably mounted in the holder for making contact to the outer periphery of an adhesive tape roll received in the holder and for guiding adhesive tape that is taken from an adhesive tape roll during use of the device and applied to a surface, outwardly from the device;   wherein the holder is formed as a single integral entirety, with a pressing part having a free end for pressing adhesive tape against the roller when it is inserted between the roller and the free end of the pressing part; and   wherein the roller is connected to the holder in a direct fashion.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the roller is rotatably arranged in the holder on the basis of a snap connection. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the holder and the handle are integrated with each other. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein an integral entirety of the holder and the handle as well as the roller are formed from a plastic material by means of an injection molding process; and
 wherein a single injection molding mold is applied that is designed for both forming the integral entirety of the holder and the handle and forming the roller.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the roller is injection molded to the holder; and
 wherein the roller is broken off from the holder in a subsequent step.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein at least an integral entirety of the holder and the handle is formed by means of an additive manufacturing technique such as 3D printing. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the device is entirely manufactured from a single material. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the device further comprises a cutting assembly having a tape fixating part that extends from the holder and a cutting knife that is located in front of a free end of the tape fixating part as seen from the holder, for the purpose of cutting adhesive tape from the device; and
 wherein the tape fixating part is integrated with the holder.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein at least an integral entirety of the holder and the tape fixating part is formed from a plastic material by means of an injection molding process, by applying an injection molding mold; and
 wherein the cutting knife is retained in the integral entirety of the holder and the tape fixating part, by placing the cutting knife in the injection molding mold prior to the injection molding process, and allowing plastic material for forming the holder to flow around a part of the cutting knife during the injection molding process.   
     
     
         21 . (canceled)