Wall board taping apparatus

Claim 1

A joint taping tool for taping a joint between adjacent panels of wallboard said tool comprising: an elongated frame including a pair of spaced apart parallel bars, a first tape press wheel rotatably mounted on a shaft supported between said bars on one end of said frame for pressing a tape into a joint, a reservoir container for containing a joint compound mounted intermediate the ends of said frame and having an inlet slot on one side and a variable height outlet slot on the other side, a source of joint tape including a roll mounted on a shaft supported between said bars on the other end of said frame for passing via said inlet slot and said outlet slot through said housing for picking up joint compound thereon and passing over the press wheel for application to a joint, a handle secured to and extending downward from the frame proximate the center thereof, brake means mounted on said frame for selectively gripping and holding said tape, and a second press wheel movably mounted on said frame beneath said first tape wheel and extendable to a position forward of said first tape wheel for forcing said tape into a corner joint, said second press wheel retractable to a position behind said first press wheel for nonengagement with said tape, and said second press wheel is mounted on linkage means including first latching means for latching said second press wheel in the extended position and including second latching means for latching said second press wheel in the retracted position.