Tape dispenser

An adhesive tape dispenser comprising:

• a housing comprising;
• a housing body portion including a generally cylindrical part having an axis and comprising wall means defining a socket adapted to receive the roll of tape including a peripheral wall adapted to encircle the roll of tape and defining a tape roll aperture through which a roll of tape may be inserted into the socket, said peripheral wall having a tape passage for tape being pulled from said roll of tape in the housing body,
• said housing body further including a generally triangular part defined by walls having outer major surfaces disposed parallel with said axis, said part being generally triangular when viewed in a plane at a right angle to said axis, said walls defining said generally triangular part comprising a first straight wall extending as a tangent to said peripheral wall a second straight wall disposed at a right angle to said first straight wall at the end of said first straight wall opposite said peripheral wall, said second straight wall having a length longer than the diameter of said generally cylindrical part, and a third straight wall extending from the end of said second straight wall opposite said first straight wall to said peripheral wall so that said straight walls are disposed in the shape of a triangle, said tape passage being disposed adjacent said third straight wall and said generally triangular part including a tape cutting edge and a member adapted to have an end of the adhesive tape adhered thereto adjacent the intersection of said second and third straight walls;
• a cover adapted for closing the tape roll aperture so that said cover and said cylindrical housing body close said socket except for said tape passage;
• a supporting hub in said housing body portion for rotatably supporting said roll of tape;
• said cover including a stud;
• and
• said stud and said supporting hub comprising cooperating means for securing said cover to said housing body by twisting said cover relative to said housing body;
• said dispenser further including holding means for releasably attaching said housing to a support surface, said holding means comprising:
• spaced holding projections having edges along said outer surface of said first straight wall partially defining openings through and spaced along said first straight wall, said edges being generally parallel to said axis and being aligned in a direction perpendicular to said axis, and
• a mounting member comprising a holding plate having opposite front and rear major surfaces, which holding plate can be fastened to said support surface with said rear major surface along said support surface, and two spaced hook-shaped holding elements projecting from the front major surface of said holding plate, said holding elements having proximal ends attached to said holding plate and distal ends opposite said holding plate and being adapted to be received in said spaced openings along said first straight wall with said front major surface of the holding plate against the outer surface of said first straight wall of the dispenser, and having inclined surfaces adapted for releasably engaging said edges of said holding projections of said housing by movement of said housing relative to said mounting member in a direction parallel to said first straight wall, said holding projections substantially pointing to the pull-off direction of said tape from said roll of tape, and said inclined surfaces being generally planar, extending from said proximal to said distal ends of said holding elements, and being oriented to cause forces occurring when tape is pulled from said roll of tape to bias said inclined surfaces into engagement with said edges of said holding projections and thereby said outer surface of said first straight wall into surface to surface engagement against said front major surface of said holding plate.