LOCKING TAPE DISPENSER

Abstract

A tape dispenser adapted to dispense lengths of adhesive tape from a roll of adhesive tape wound upon a cylindrical tape core having a first sidewall, a second sidewall generally parallel to the first sidewall, a hub structure and a tape retaining tab extending inwardly from at least one of the first and second sidewalls. A hinged tongue is supported between the sidewall front portions, the tongue includes a front edge approaching the tape retaining tab. An unwound portion of the tape passes between the retaining tab and the tongue, and the tongue is movable between a first position for holding the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab and a second position allowing the unwound portion of the tape to separate from the retaining tab.

Description

BACKGROUND

Exemplary embodiments herein relate to tape dispensers and more particularly to hand-held dispensers for adhesive tape such as packaging tape and the like.

Adhesive tape is used in many applications by consumers and businesses. One type of adhesive tape is sometimes called packaging tape. Packaging tape is frequently sold as rolls of tape which is approximately two inches wide. It comes in various lengths from a few yards to 100 yards and beyond. The tape normally consists of a plastic film with an adhesive on one side. The adhesive tape is wound upon a cylindrical core, which is often made from either a cardboard or a plastic material. Consumers and businesses often use packaging tape to seal boxes. A length of the tape is removed from the roll and applied to the flaps of the box to close the box. Packaging tape is also used in other similar applications. Packaging tape comes in various colors, forms, and with various attributes. Some tapes have filaments to reinforce the tape. Other tapes have particularly clear plastic films. Other tapes have different kinds of adhesives for different applications. “Packaging tape” is used herein to mean adhesive tape having a plastic film of substantially uniform width with adhesive on one side rolled in many turns upon a core.

Packaging tapes are often used on a dispenser. Many inexpensive dispensers are available for use with packaging tape. Rolls of packaging tape are often sold on a dispenser as consumers and some small businesses find buying a roll of tape on a dispenser to be more convenient and cost effective. To be attractive to consumers, a dispenser for packaging tape should be easy to use, apply tape to a substrate reliably, cut tape from the roll of tape after application of tape, and be inexpensive. Reusability of a tape dispenser is also a positive attribute.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to one aspect of the disclosure a tape dispenser adapted to dispense lengths of adhesive tape from a roll of adhesive tape wound upon a cylindrical tape core comprises a first sidewall, a second sidewall generally parallel to the first sidewall, a hub structure and a tape retaining tab extending inwardly from at least one of the first and second sidewalls, the tape core being rotatably supported on the hub structure of the first and second sidewalls, and a tongue hingedly supported at a proximal end thereof between the sidewall front portions, the tongue extending from a point closer to the hub structure forward towards the tape retaining tab, a distal end of the tongue having a surface approaching the tape retaining tab. An unwound portion of the tape passes between the surface of the tongue approaching the tape retaining tab and the retaining tab, and the tongue is movable between a first position for urging the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab and a second position not urging the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab.

In an embodiment, the surface of the tongue approaching the tape retaining tab is a bottom surface of the tongue, and when the tongue is moved to the second position, the bottom surface of the tongue is spaced farther from the tape retaining tab than when the tongue is in the first position. The tongue can be biased towards the first position. The tape retaining tab can interfere with the tongue to restrict the tongue from extending beyond the first position. The tongue can include a resilient material on a surface thereof for engaging the unwound portion of tape. At least a portion of the tape engaging surface of the tape retaining tab can be curved, and the tongue can urge the unwound portion of tape against the curved portion of the tape engaging surface. A front edge of the tongue can be displaced upwardly when tension is applied to the unwound portion of the tape during dispensing. The dispenser can further include a cutter bar extending between and interconnecting the first and second sidewalls at front portions thereof, and the tongue can extend forward towards the cutter bar. A resilient material can be interposed between the tongue and the cross member, and movement of the tongue from the first position towards the second position can compress the resilient material. The dispenser can further include a foot portion located between the hub structure and the tab on at least one of the side walls, the foot structure extending radially beyond an edge of the tape roll for supporting the tape dispenser on a surface with the tape guide in an elevated position.

In accordance with another aspect, a tape dispenser for dispensing a length of tape from an associated tape roll comprises a tape roll hub portion for supporting the associated tape roll, a tape guide portion adjacent the tape roll hub portion adapted to retain an unwound portion of tape connected to the associated tape roll in a dispensing position and guide the unwound portion of tape during dispensing. The tape guide includes a pair of spaced apart side walls extending radially from the hub portion, the side walls defining therebetween a channel for guiding the unwound portion of tape extending from the associated tape roll when supported on the hub portion, at least one of the side walls having a tape retaining tab extending into the channel, the tape retaining tab having a tape engaging surface on which the unwound portion of tape is held prior to dispensing, and a tongue supported on at least one of the side walls, said tongue hingedly supported at a proximal end thereof between the sidewall front portions, the tongue extending from a point closer to the hub structure forward towards the tape retaining tab, a distal end of the tongue having a surface approaching the tape retaining tab, said tongue movable between a first position for urging the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab and a second position not urging the unwound portion of the tape against the retaining tab.

The tongue can be biased towards the first position. The bottom surface of the tongue can be above the tape engaging surface of the retaining tab when the tongue is in the second position. The dispenser can further include a foot portion located between the hub portion and the tape retaining tab, the foot portion extending radially beyond an edge of the hub portion for supporting the tape dispenser on a surface with the tape guide portion in an elevated position. The tape guide portion can further include a cutter bar located at a forward end of the tape guide portion extending the side walls, and the tongue can be cantilevered and extends towards the cutter bar. At least a portion of the tape engaging surface of the tape retaining tab can be curved, and the tongue can urge the unwound portion of tape against the curved portion of the tape engaging surface. The tongue can approach the tape retaining tab from above. The dispenser can further include a pair of opposed tape retaining tabs extending inwardly from respective sidewalls, wherein the tongue approaches both tape retaining tabs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side and top of an exemplary tape dispenser in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a side and bottom of the tape dispenser of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the tape dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2 with a sidewall thereof removed to expose various components of the dispenser and tape roll;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational cutaway view of the tape dispenser of FIGS. 1-3 in a first stage of manufacturing;

FIG. 5 is a perspective cutaway view of the tape dispenser of FIGS. 1-3 in a first stage of manufacturing;

FIG. 6 is a perspective cutaway view of the tape dispenser of FIGS. 1-3 in a second stage of manufacturing;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of another exemplary tape dispenser with one of the sidewalls removed from view in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of another exemplary tape dispenser with one of the sidewalls removed from view in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of yet another exemplary tape dispenser with a sidewall removed from view in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is the exemplary tape dispenser of FIG. 9 with an unwound portion of tape in a dispensing configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are merely illustrative and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the present disclosure. Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1-3 depict an exemplary tape dispenser 10 for a roll of tape 12. The roll of tape 12 is conventional in construction and includes a cylindrical core, formed from either plastic or cardboard material, with a length of adhesive tape wound upon the core in many turns. In the depicted exemplary embodiment, a two (2) inch wide or 48 mm wide packaging tape is used. The inside diameter of the core of the depicted embodiment is 1.5 inches. A smaller or larger core can be used with the tape dispenser 10, as will be appreciated. The packaging tape used is a polypropylene film (sometimes referred to as a backing) with adhesive coated on one side of the film; although, alternative packaging tapes are contemplated.

The tape dispenser 10 in a most general description includes a hub portion that holds the roll of tape 12, and a tape guide portion for guiding tape as it is unwound from the roll 12. More specifically, the tape dispenser 10 generally comprises a left sidewall 14, a right sidewall 16 and a cutter bar 18 extending therebetween and supporting a cutter blade 20. The side walls 14 and 16 define therebetween a channel for guiding an unwound portion of tape extending from the tape roll 12 as will be described. For ease of description, the following conventions will be adopted with reference to the tape dispenser 10 as seen in the figures. Forward or front means towards the cutter blade 20. Rearward or rear means away from the cutter blade 20, e.g., opposite the front. Top or upper refers to that portion of the tape dispenser 10 or the direction of the tape dispenser toward the cutter bar 18 and away from foot portions 44 and 46. Inward means projecting from one sidewall 14/16 toward the other sidewall 14/16 of the tape dispenser 10.

Returning to the drawings, the left and right sidewalls 14 and 16 are mirror images of one another. Therefore, the description of the sidewalls will be understood with reference to each of the sidewalls 14 and 16, and portions thereof, as they are visible in the drawings. The sidewalls 14 and 16 are generally planar and each includes a hub structure 22 and 24, respectively. The hub structures 22 and 24 extend inwardly from the rear portions of the respective sidewalls 14 and 16 and comprise a generally U-shaped flange 26 (flange of sidewall 14 not visible in the drawings) which is inverted when the tape dispenser 10 is seen in the upright position of FIGS. 1 and 3.

The U-shaped flange 26 has a forward vertical leg portion 32, a rearward vertical leg portion 34 and a connecting top portion 36 having a curved shape. A forward horizontal rib 38 projects forwardly from the forward side of the forward vertical leg portion 32. A rearward horizontal rib 40 projects rearwardly from the rearward vertical leg portion 34. The horizontal ribs 38 and 40, are generally coplanar.

The hub structures 22/24 are hollow within the inverted U-shaped flanges 26. This allows a user to insert a finger and thumb into the hub structures 22 while gripping the dispenser 10 and roll of tape 12. Additionally, as can be best seen in FIG. 3, the flanges 26 with ribs 38, 40, provide good support for the interior cylindrical surface of the core of the roll of tape 12. The ribs 38, 40 are roughly on a diameter of the tape core while the connecting top portion 36 supports the top of the tape core. The bottoms of the leg portions 32, 34 prevent the tape core from riding up on the dispenser.

The roll of tape 12 is loaded by moving the left sidewall 14 away from the right sidewall 16. As the left and right sidewalls 14 and 16 are connected to the cutter bar 18 at their forward portions, moving the sidewalls away from one another at the rear end causes the hub structures 22 to move away from one another more at the rear end than at the front end. This allows for insertion of an appropriate width roll of tape without undue stress on the tape dispenser 10. The exemplary hub structures 22 are an example of one manner of connecting the roll of tape 12 to the tape dispenser 10. Different hub structures are known in the tape dispensing art. Some different hub structures, such as arc portions of an incomplete circle and other known structures, may be used without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed herein.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3, moving forward from the hub structures 22, the bottom edges of the left sidewall 14 and the right sidewall 16 extend downwardly to respective foot portions 44 and 46. The left side foot portion 44 and the right side foot portion 46 are the lowest portions of the tape dispenser 10. A bottom of each foot portion is angled upwardly toward the vertical leg portion 32 of each hub 22. The left and right sidewalls 14 and 16 have a significantly smaller height dimension forward of the right and left foot portions 44 and 46. This raises the bottom end of each sidewall 14 and 16 well above the foot portions 44 and 46. The relationship between the foot portions 44 and 46 and the roll of tape 12 can be seen best in FIG. 1. There, it is seen that the tape dispenser 10 can be placed upon a horizontal surface with the bottom of the roll of tape 12 and the foot portions 44 and 46 supporting the tape dispenser 10 and roll of tape 12 in a stable position. The advantages of this position and other structures of the tape dispenser 10 will be explained more fully hereinafter.

The tape dispenser 10 further comprises a tape roll protector/brake tongue 58 extending rearwardly over the upper curvature of the tape roll 12. A pair of tape retaining tabs 60 extend inwardly from the side walls 14 and 16. The tape retaining tabs 60 are generally opposed and extend towards each other, each of the tabs 60 having a tape engaging surface 62 (see FIGS. 3), which is a smooth, curved upper surface that is adapted to be engaged by a surface of an unwound tape portion 66 of roll 12 (also referred to herein as a leading end of the tape, or a free end of the tape) prior to dispensing a length of tape, as will be described in more detail below.

With additional reference to FIG. 4, to ensure the unwound tape portion 66 of the tape roll 12 engages the tape engaging surfaces 62 of the tabs 60, a hinged tongue 70 extends forwardly and downwardly from cross member 72 towards the tape retaining tabs 60. The unwound tape portion 66 is held against the tape engaging surfaces 62 of tabs 60 by the weight of the hinged tongue 70. The tongue 70 is movable between a first position (FIG. 3) for holding or urging the edges of the unwound tape portion 66 of the tape roll 12 against the tape retaining tabs 60, and a second position as indicated by arrow A allowing the unwound portion 66 of the tape roll 12 to separate from the retaining tabs 60. To this end, the tongue 70 is attached to the cross member 72 via hinge 74 and extends downward and forward beyond an uppermost surface of the tape retaining tabs 60.

It will also be appreciated that the tongue 70 can be biased against the tabs 60 such that, when tape is not present between the tongue 70 and tabs 60, there is no gap therebetween. In such a configuration, the gap would exist only when tape passes between the tabs 60 and the tongue 70 and, due to the deflection of the tongue in such scenario, the tongue 70 would serve to bias the tape against the tabs 60. A living hinge could also be provided to allow the tongue 70 to pivot about a certain axis, for example adjacent and parallel to the cutter bar 18.

As seen in FIG. 4, the tongue 70 is resiliently deflectable from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4, with the natural resiliency of the tongue tending to bias it back towards the position of FIG. 3. In the position of FIG. 4, the rear edge of the tongue 70 is spaced farther from the tape retaining tabs 60 than when the tongue 70 is in the position of FIG. 3. This allows the tape to separate from the tabs 60 for dispensing.

In the rest position (FIG. 3), the tongue 70 pushes the leading end of the tape downwardly so that the portion adjacent the tape retaining tabs 60 is in engagement with the tape retaining surfaces 62 of the tape retaining tabs 60 and held in place. The forward end (e.g., free end) of the tape does not fall back upon the tape roll 12 and the tape roll 12 does not back up when the tape dispenser 10 is rested upon the surface. When one wishes to dispense tape, the dispenser 10 is grasped by placing fingers and thumbs on the outside of the sidewalls 14 and 16 and the leading end of the tape is engaged upon a substrate. The tape dispenser 10 is drawn rearwardly, which places tension upon the leading end 66 of the tape. The leading end 66 of the tape forces the tongue 70 upwardly away from the retaining tabs 60. This generally occurs because the shortest distance from the leading end 66 of the tape to the top of the roll of tape is displaced upwardly with respect to the top of the tape retaining tabs 60 and the bottom surface 78 of the tongue 70. This also disengages the leading end 66 of the tape from the tape engaging surfaces 62 of the tape retaining tabs 60 and allows the tape to move with respect to the tabs 60 and be dispensed from the roll 12.

Upon application of a desired amount of tape, the tape dispenser 10 is rotated counter clockwise to engage the unwound portion of tape 66 to the cutter 20, thereby cutting off the selected length of tape. The new leading end 66 of tape falls downwardly from the cutter 20, the upward force on the tongue 70 is released and the leading end 66 of tape is again forced into engagement with the tape retaining tabs 60 by the tongue 70. It is then held in a position ready to commence another dispense cycle.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure increases the holding power of the tape retaining tabs 60 to reduce the likelihood of the free end of the tape falling back onto the roll 12. This highly undesirable condition occurs, for example, when the roll of tape 12 is inadvertently rotated in a direction that tends to rewind the unwound portion of tape 66. If the unwound portion of the tape 66 is not secured sufficiently to resist the force tending to rewind the roll 12, then it may come loose and ultimately rejoin the tape on the roll 12.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-6, partial cutaway views illustrate exemplary dispenser 10 with tongue 70 in two positions. The first position illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 show the tongue in a generally vertical orientation. It will be appreciated that in one embodiment, the tongue 70 is molded in this position. After molding, the tongue 70 is pivoted about hinge 74 to the second position shown in FIG. 6. In order to reach the second position, the tongue 70 is urged beyond the top surface of the tape retaining tab 60. That is, there is an interference between the tongue 70 and the tape retaining tab 60 that prevents the tongue 70 from returning to the first position under ordinary circumstances.

Although the tongue 70 in the illustrated embodiment is shown as unitary with the side wall, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments it can be a separate component secured to the sidewall or other structure.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate two additional embodiments of the present disclosure. In these embodiments, like reference numerals refer to like components with respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6. It will be appreciated that each of these embodiments further include a resilient material 82 associated with the tongue 70 for assisting with tape retention on tape retention tabs 60. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the resilient material 82 is supported on the tongue 70 on a surface thereof facing the tape retaining tabs 60 and adapted to engage the unwound portion of tape 66. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the resilient material 82 is interposed between the cross member 72 and the tongue 70 such that as the tongue 70 is moved to its second position, the resilient material 82 is compressed therebetween. In each embodiment, dispensing of tape generally results in compression of the resilient material 82 such that, when dispensing is completed, the resilient material 82 tend to urge the unwound portion of tape 66 against the tape retaining tabs 60. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the resilient material 82 directly acts on the unwound portion of tape 66 to urge it against the tape retention tabs 60. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the resilient material 82 acts between cross member 72 and the tongue 70 to urge the tongue against the unwound portion of tape 66. The resilient material 82 can be any suitable material such as foam, rubber, or other similar materials.

It will now be appreciated that the present disclosure sets forth an improved tape dispenser. Although the tongue 70 in the illustrated embodiment extends forwardly towards the tape retaining tabs 60, other configurations are possible. For example, the tongue could extend rearward from a position forward of the tape retaining tabs. In such an embodiment, the rear edge of the tongue would approach the tape retaining tabs with a bottom surface thereof being at or below a top surface of the tape retaining tabs. Such tongue would generally be operable in a similar manner as the tongue 70 described above.

Turning to FIGS. 9 and 10, yet another exemplary embodiment of a tape dispenser 10′ in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated. This embodiment is similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 7 and 8 but does not include the tongue 70. The components of tape dispenser 10′ are otherwise similar to those in tape dispenser 10, and, thus, like components bear the same reference numeral and will not be described in detail here. Variations in the components are indicated by attaching a prime (′) to the common reference numeral. In this case, cross member 72′ does not include the tongue of tape dispenser 10, and the resilient material 82′ is secured to the cross member 72′.

In FIG. 9, the tape dispenser 10′ is shown in a resting state, with unwound tape portion 66 retained on tape retention tabs 60. In FIG. 10, the tape dispenser 10′ is shown in a dispensing state, with the resilient material 82′ compressed slightly and the unwound portion of tape 66 spaced apart from the tape retention tabs 60.

It will be appreciated that resilient member 82′ can have an uncompressed thickness that is greater than the spacing between the cross-member (or other structure to which the resilient material 82′ is attached) and the tape retention tabs 60 such that a surface of the resilient member 82′ is at least slightly compressively engaged with one or both of the tape retention tabs 60 when in a resting state. Accordingly, the resilient member 82′ can actively hold the unwound portion of tape 66 against the tape retention tabs 60 between dispensing operations.

It will be appreciated that in some configurations the tape retention tabs of the described embodiments can comprise a continuous surface extending between the sidewalls. Likewise, the tongue 70 and/or resilient material 82′ can be coextensive with such continuous surface so as to apply a compressive force across the width of the unwound portion of tape 66.

The resilient material can include a foam material, a gel material, a polymer material, a rubber (elastomer) material or any other resilient material. Certain foams/gels can have a low friction outer surface against which the unwound portion of tape 66 is configured to slide during dispensing operations.

The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A tape dispenser adapted to dispense lengths of adhesive tape from a roll of adhesive tape wound upon a cylindrical tape core, the tape dispenser comprising:

a first sidewall;

a second sidewall generally parallel to the first sidewall;

a hub structure and a tape retaining tab extending inwardly from at least one of the first and second sidewalls, the tape core being rotatably supported on the hub structure;

a tongue hingedly supported at a proximal end thereof between a first sidewall front portion and a second sidewall front portion, the tongue extending from a point closer to the hub structure forward towards the tape retaining tab, a distal end of the tongue having a surface approaching the tape retaining tab;

wherein an unwound portion of the tape passes between the surface of the tongue approaching the tape retaining tab and the retaining tab;

wherein the tongue is movable between a first position for urging the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab and a second position not urging the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab; and,

wherein the tongue includes a resilient material on a surface thereof, and wherein the resilient material extends upwardly when uncompressed.

2. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein the surface of the tongue approaching the tape retaining tab is a bottom surface of the tongue, and when the tongue is moved to the second position, the bottom surface of the tongue is spaced farther from the tape retaining tab than when the tongue is in the first position.

3. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tongue is biased towards the first position.

4. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tape retaining tab interferes with the tongue to restrict the tongue from extending beyond the first position.

5. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tongue includes a resilient material on a surface thereof for engaging a cross member.

6. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a tape engaging surface of the tape retaining tab is curved, and wherein the tongue urges the unwound portion of tape against the curved portion of the tape engaging surface.

7. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a cutter bar extending between and interconnecting the first and second sidewalls at front portions thereof, wherein the tongue extends forward towards the cutter bar.

8. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the resilient material interposed between the tongue and a cross member, wherein movement of the tongue from the first position towards the second position tends to compress the resilient material.

9. A tape dispenser for dispensing a length of tape from an associated tape roll comprising: wherein the tape guide includes:

a tape roll hub portion for supporting the associated tape roll;

a tape guide portion adjacent the tape roll hub portion adapted to retain an unwound portion of tape connected to the associated tape roll in a dispensing position and guide the unwound portion of tape during dispensing;

a pair of spaced apart side walls extending radially from the hub portion, the side walls defining therebetween a channel for guiding the unwound portion of tape extending from the associated tape roll when supported on the hub portion;

at least one of the side walls having a tape retaining tab extending into the channel, the tape retaining tab having a tape engaging surface on which the unwound portion of tape is held prior to dispensing; and

a tongue supported on at least one of the side walls, said tongue hingedly supported at a proximal end thereof between a first sidewall front portion and a second sidewall front portion, the tongue extending from a point closer to the hub structure forward towards the tape retaining tab, a distal end of the tongue having a surface approaching the tape retaining tab, said tongue movable from an initial molded generally vertical orientation to a first position for urging the unwound portion of the tape against the tape retaining tab and a second position not urging the unwound portion of the tape against the retaining tab.

10. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 9, wherein when the tongue is moved to the second position, a bottom surface of the tongue is spaced farther from the tape retaining tab than when the tongue is in the first position.

11. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 9, wherein the tongue is biased towards the first position.

12. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 9, wherein a bottom surface of the tongue is angled with respect to a top surface of the tape retaining tab.

13. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 12, wherein the bottom surface of the tongue is above the tape engaging surface of the retaining tab when the tongue is in the second position.

14. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the tape engaging surface of the tape retaining tab is curved, and wherein the tongue urges the unwound portion of tape against the curved portion of the tape engaging surface.

15. A tape dispenser for dispensing a length of tape from an associated tape roll comprising:

a tape roll hub portion for supporting the associated tape roll;

a tape guide portion adjacent the tape roll hub portion adapted to retain an unwound portion of tape connected to the associated tape roll in a dispensing position and guide the unwound portion of tape during dispensing;

wherein the tape guide includes: a pair of spaced apart side walls extending radially from the hub portion, the side walls defining therebetween a channel for guiding the unwound portion of tape extending from the associated tape roll when supported on the hub portion; at least one of the side walls having a tape retaining tab extending into the channel, the tape retaining tab having a tape engaging surface on which the unwound portion of tape is held prior to dispensing; a support member extending from at least one of the side walls, said support member being spaced apart from the tape retaining tab; a resilient material secured to the support member and extending towards away from the tape retaining tab; whereby the unwound portion of tape is configured to pass between the support member and the tape retaining tab such that the resilient material biases the support member and the unwound portion of tape to the tape retaining tab;

wherein the resilient material includes a compressible foam interposed between the support member and a cross member; and, wherein the compressible foam, in an uncompressed state, extends to and engages the cross member.

16-18. (canceled)

19. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the tape engaging surface of the tape retaining tab is curved, and wherein the resilient material urges the unwound portion of tape against the curved portion of the tape engaging surface.

20. A tape dispenser as set forth in claim 15, wherein the resilient material is configured to be compressed during dispensing of tape from the tape dispenser as the unwound portion of tape is separated from the tape retaining tab.