Adhesive and tape dispensing device

Claim 1

In combination with a quantity of an adhesive of paste like consistency that hardens when exposed to the atmosphere and a roll of tape to which said adhesive will adhere, said roll having a transverse opening in the center thereof, a device for storing substantially all of said adhesive out of contact with said atmosphere when said device is not in use, and said device when in use permitting a desired length of said tape to be withdrawn therefrom, with said withdrawn length being enveloped with a continuous film of said adhesive of a desired thickness, said device including: a. a container defined by a bottom and a continuous wall that extends upwardly therefrom to terminate in a free edge, said container of such size that said roll may be disposed therein and rotated on an axis parallel to said bottom and upwardly disposed therefrom; b. two transversely spaced and aligned tubular bosses supported from the interior surface of said sidewall a substantial distance above said bottom; c. a rigid transverse member inside said container, said member having the ends thereof supported in said bosses, and said member extending through said opening in said roll rotatably supporting said roll thereon; d. first and second, spaced elongate transverse guides inside said container that are adjacently disposed to said bottom and parallel to said rigid member, said first and second guides having the ends thereof rigidly secured to said side wall; e. a cover that sealingly engages the free edge of said side wall, said cover having a slot therein of slightly greater length than the width of said tape, and the width of said slot being substantially greater than the thickness of said tape, witH said tape extending from said roll thereof to said first guide, under said first guide to said second guide, and upwardly from said second guide through said slot, with said quantity of adhesive being sufficient to fill said container up to at least said bosses, said tape when withdrawn from said slot being enveloped in a continuous film of said adhesive, with the thickness of said film being determined by the width of said slot, said adhesive enveloped tape as it is withdrawn from said container being periodically severed from the balance of said tape remaining in said container, said balance of said tape having the free end portion thereof formed into an Lshaped tab that is placed in sealing contact with the exterior of the surface of said cover until additional tape from said container is again needed, said adhesive in said slot and on said tab hardening to form a plug that fills said slot and prevents air from the ambient atmosphere entering said container to harden said adhesive therein, and said ahrdened adhesive in said slot that defines said plug being easily separated from said cover by an upwardly directed force on the portion of said tape that defines said tab to permit an additional length of said adhesive enveloped tape to be withdrawn from said device and f. a sheet that sealingly engages said cover and extends over said slot, said sheet secured to the uppermost end of said tape to prevent said end dropping downwardly into said container.