The present invention relates to a dispenser for adhesive tape or the like, comprising a housing with means for rotatably holding a roll of adhesive tape or the like in the housing, at least one opening for leading the free end portion of the roll of adhesive tape outwards, and a cutting device for cutting off said end portion outside the opening in the housing.

Tape dispensers are known in many different types and sizes. On the one hand, there are heavy stationary tape dispensers, and, on the other hand, there are light types which have to be held in one's hand when cutting off an end portion of the roll of adhesive tape. Generally, a sharp serrated knife is used as a cutting device. When handling the tape dispenser, one may easily cut oneself. The knife may also cause damage to clothes, when a small dispenser is taken along in a trouser pocket or the like. The present invention aims to provide a dispenser for adhesive tape or the like which can be used in a safer way. To this end, the dispenser for adhesive tape or the like according to the invention is characterized in that the cutting device and an adjacent part of the housing are movable relative to each other, in such a way that, in a first (rest) position, the cutting device is located substantially within the housing, and, in a second

(cutting) position, the cutting device projects from the adjacent part of the housing.

This measure allows to arrange that the cutting device is normally located in a protected position, in which there is no risk of it causing injuries or damage. The cutting device is not activated until the onset of the act of cutting off the tape and then assumes such a position that the tape can be cut off along it. In this way, a very safe dispenser is provided which is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for being taken along in a pocket of a garment.

In a simple embodiment of the dispenser according to the invention, the cutting device itself is movable, the dispenser preferably comprising an operating device for moving the cutting device from the rest position to the cutting position.

The operating device is preferably activated by a pressure exerted via the end portion of the adhesive tape, because, in that case, the operation of the cutting device automatically takes place when the adhesive tape is pulled out to cut off the end portion thereof. This invention can, for example, be realized by forming the operating device as a movable part of the housing, which is located adjacent to and between the cutting device and the opening in the housing. When the housing has a substantially circular section, a very compact tape dispenser is realized. In that case, the operating device may pivot, via an arm, on a pivoting pin disposed near to the wall of the housing, the shape of the arm of the operating device being adapted to the circular shape of the housing. In this embodiment, the cutting device is advantageously provided at the free end of a leaf spring, which is placed between the wall of the housing and the operating device and which biases the operating device in the direction of the rest position, in which the opening in the housing is closed while allowing the passage of the end portion of the adhesive tape.

In the embodiment described, the dispenser can be given a dimension which only slightly exceeds that of the roll of adhesive tape disposed therein. Furthermore, the opening in the housing is closed off by the operating device in the rest position of the cutting device, as a result of which hardly any dirt can enter the dispenser when it is carried along in a trouser pocket. By means of a spring, the operating device, and thus the cutting device, is automatically returned to the rest position thereof each time it has been used. The number of components can be reduced to a minimum by providing the knife as part of the leaf spring.

The invention will be further elucidated with the aid of the drawings, which represent an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of the dispenser for adhesive tape according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the tape dispenser according to fig. 1, in which the cover has been removed.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III in fig.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV inf. fig.

The invention will hereinafter be elucidated with reference to its application as a tape dispenser, but one must bear in mind that the invention can just as well be applied to dispensers of other rolled or wound up ribbon- shaped or foil-shaped materials.

As can be seen in the drawings, the tape dispenser comprises a housing 1 which, in this case, comprises a main part 2 and a fitting cover 3 which can be removed from the main part 2 in order to replace a roll of adhesive tape T. The roll of adhesive tape T can be placed rotatably on a core which is mounted or formed on the part 2 of the housing. This core 4 also allows to lock the cover 3 to the main part 2, for the purpose of which the inner side of the core 4 and the outer side of a central bush 5 formed on the cover 3 comprise triple bayonet devices 6 and 7, respectively, for realizing a bayonet catch. The core 4 further comprises two resilient legs 8 which are oriented radially outwards, in order to slightly retain a roll of adhesive tape in place on the core by friction, so that it requires some effort to make the roll of adhesive tape T rotate on the core 4. The purpose of this will be elucidated later. The main part 2 of the housing 1, which has a substantially circular cross-section, comprises a flattened and, due to the circular shape, somewhat recessed portion 9 in one particular place of its circumference, including an opening 10 for allowing the

passage of the end portion E of the roll of adhesive tape T.

The opening 10 for allowing the passage of the end portion E of the roll of adhesive tape T is, as already stated, defined on one side by the recessed portion 9 of the main part 2 of the housing 1, and on the other side by a movable part 11 of the housing, which, in this case, has also been formed as an operating device for a cutting device 12 for cutting off the end portion E of the adhesive tape. The housing part, or the operating device 11, comprises a corrugated wall portion 13 and an arm 14 formed thereon, which, on the end which is opposite to the wall part 13, can pivot, over a small angle, on a pivoting pin 15 formed on the main part 2 of the housing 1. A leaf spring 16 is accommodated between the operating device 11 and the adjacent wall of the main part 2 of the housing 1, which pushes the operating device 11 away from the wall of the main part 2 and at one end of which the cutting device 12 is formed in the form of a somewhat turned back and serrated end portion of the leaf spring 16. The leaf spring 16 is held by a rib 17 on the wall of the main part 2 of the housing 1, a pin 18 on the bottom of the main part 2 and a support 19, in such a way that in principle only a portion 20 of the leaf spring 16 beyond the support 19 can carry out a swivelling movement. The arm 14 of the operating device 11 and the leaf spring 16 are flat and bent in such a way that they are adapted to the cylindrical shape of the main part 2 of the housing 1 and of the roll of adhesive tape T, and take up little space in radial direction, so that the diameter of the housing 1 only needs to be slightly greater than that of a full roll of adhesive tape T. This makes the tape dispenser very suitable for being taken along in the pocket of the user. According to the invention and as appears from a comparative consideration of fig. 2 and 3, the cutting device 12 is located within the housing in a first rest position, as shown in fig. 3, and the cutting device 12 is movable to a second cutting position as shown in fig. 2, in which it projects from the adjacent parts of the

housing 1 in order to allow the end portion E of the adhesive tape T to be cut off. This has the advantage that the cutting device 12 cannot cause any damage or injuries in the rest position, and that it only operatively projects when a piece of adhesive tape is actually being cut off. The movement of the cutting device 12 is produced by the operating device 11 which in turn is biased in the direction of the leaf spring with the cutting device 12 by the end portion E of the adhesive tape T, on which the user exerts a pulling force, substantially in the direction of the cutting device 12 or with a component in that direction. The counterforce on the end portion E of the adhesive tape is produced by the adhesiveness of the adhesive tape on the roll and by the friction of the legs 8 of the core 4 against the inner side of the roll. This will prevent the adhesive tape from unrolling to readily and enough resistance will remain to produce the pressure force against the operating device 11. In order to operate the operating device 11 and thus the cutting device 12, no additional operation is required, because the acts of pulling out an end portion E with a desired length, operating the cutting device 12 and cutting off the end portion, merely constitute one single operation, which is also carried out in the case of tape dispensers with a fixed cutting device. Thus, the tape dispenser according to the invention is very easy to handle and to operate.

The length of the wall part 13 between the opening 10 and the cutting device 12 is chosen such (for example, between 1 and 2 cm, preferably 1,5 cm) that, after cutting off a piece of adhesive tape, the end portion E of the adhesive tape T remaining outside the opening 10 is such that this can be easily taken hold of to pull the adhesive tape further outwards for cutting off a next piece of adhesive tape. Preferably, the roll of adhesive tape T is placed in such a way in the dispenser that the adhesive side is turned away from the cutting device 12 and the end portion E of the adhesive tape T cannot stick to the wall part 13 but will stand away from the housing 1, so that it

can be easily taken hold of (see fig. 1 and 3) . This is a great advantage of the invention.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment represented in the drawings and described in the foregoing, which can be varied in various ways within the scope of the invention. Thus, the shapes of the housing, the operating device and the cutting device can be chosen as desired according to the intended application. Furthermore, instead of providing a movable cutting device and to make it come outwards, it is also possible to provide a stationary cutting organ and to form an adjacent part of the housing in such a way that it can be moved inwards, so that by moving the housing part inwards, the cutting device projects from the housing. The cutting device and the corresponding leaf spring or another kind of spring may consist of separate components and may, for example, be mounted on a tumbler which can pivot on a journal and which can be operated by means of the adhesive tape or by means of an operating holder tiltable by the roll of adhesive tape.