Manual tape dispensing apparatus

A portable manual tape stretching and dispensing apparatus for use with a roll of stretchable adhesive tape, the apparatus comprising:

• a hub having a surface with dimensions such that the surface can be slidably received within an interior of the roll of tape to securely hold the roll of tape;
• a handle means for manually grasping and manipulating the dispensing apparatus;
• and
• a stretching surface relative to which the tape moves and over which the tape slides during dispensing and which is operatively connected to the hub, said stretching surface for providing a frictional force against the relative sliding movement of the tape over the stretching surface during dispensing so that the operator may selectively orient the dispensing apparatus in a stretching position and an unstretching position by changing the amount of sliding contact between the stretching surface and the tape, wherein in the stretching position, the sliding contact and frictional force are greater than the sliding contact and frictional force when in the unstretching position as caused by the change in orientation.