Adhesive Segment Indexing Method and Apparatus and Roll of Adhesive Segments for Use Therewith

An adhesive segment dispensing tape, comprising:

• (a) a flexible carrier release tape extending longitudinally and having a transverse width, said flexible carrier release tape also having opposed first and second release surfaces;
• (b) a plurality of adhesive segments, each segment having first and second tacky surfaces, arrayed non-contiguously in a longitudinally spaced-apart progression along the first release surface of the carrier release tape, consecutive ones of the adhesive segments being spaced longitudinally apart by a predetermined and substantially uniform distance on the first release surface of the carrier release tape, wherein each of the adhesive segments is configured to adhere with the first tacky surface to a work piece and support an object attached to the second tacky surface;
• and
• (c) a plurality of optically detectable visible lines printed so as to extend transversely across the carrier release tape on at least one of the first and second release surfaces of the carrier release tape and in a uniformly spaced apart longitudinal progression on the carrier release tape such that each of the visible lines is positioned between adjacent adhesive segments on the carrier release tape, wherein each of the visible lines is in the same relative position on the carrier release tape with respect to at least one corresponding adhesive segment;
• wherein the adhesive segment dispensing tape is arranged and configured to have the adhesive segments dispensed directly from the dispensing tape onto a work piece by an adhesive segment dispensing apparatus having a dispensing location accommodating the carrier tape with the plurality of adhesive segments arrayed thereon, wherein a single optical detector mounted on the adhesive segment dispensing apparatus in a fixed relationship to the dispensing tape automatically detects a position of at least one of the adhesive segments on the adhesive segment dispensing tape and automatically moves the adhesive segment dispensing tape to position an adhesive segment on the dispensing tape at the dispensing location on the adhesive dispensing tape apparatus using the detected position of the at least one of the adhesive segments, whereupon the adhesive segment dispensing apparatus applies the adhesive segment at the dispensing location onto a work piece.

An adhesive segment dispensing tape, comprising:

• (a) a flexible carrier release tape extending longitudinally and having a transverse width, said flexible carrier release tape also having opposed first and second release surfaces;
• (b) a plurality of adhesive segments, each segment having first and second tacky surfaces, arrayed non-contiguously in a longitudinally spaced-apart progression along the first release surface of the carrier release tape, consecutive ones of the adhesive segments being spaced longitudinally apart by a predetermined and substantially uniform distance on the first release surface of the carrier release tape, wherein each of the adhesive segments is configured to adhere with the first tacky surface to a work piece and support an object attached to the second tacky surface;
• and
• (c) a plurality of detectable indices on at least one of the first and second release surfaces of the carrier release tape and in a uniformly spaced apart longitudinal progression on the carrier release tape, wherein each of the detectable indices is in the same relative position on the carrier release tape with respect to at least one corresponding adhesive segment.