Pneumatic drywall taper

In a drywall taper for applying drywall compound and tape to a wallboard joint and having an applicator head mounted on one end of a drywall compound storage device, there being a drywall compound flow path extending from an opposite end of the storage device to an outlet on the applicator head, an arrangement for delivering drywall compound through the drywall compound flow path, a roller rotatably mounted on the applicator head for contacting a wallboard, a tape advancing mechanism secured on the applicator head for advancing a supply of tape to the outlet and to the roller, a tape severing device connected to the applicator head for cutting the tape, and a creaser wheel assembly moveably mounted to the applicator head, the improvement comprising:

• an actuating arrangement slidably disposed upon the storage body and engaged with the tape advancing mechanism, the tape severing device and the creaser wheel assembly for separately controlling tape advancement, tape severing and creaser wheel movement,
• the actuating arrangement being slidable in one direction to separately control tape advancement and creaser wheel movement, and slidable in an opposite direction to control tape severing,
• the slidable actuating arrangement including an actuating trigger mechanism connected to a rotatable actuating tube and movable between a first position allowing tape advancement and a second position allowing creaser wheel movement.

In a drywall taper for applying drywall compound and tape to a wallboard joint and having an applicator head mounted on one end of a drywall compound storage device, the applicator head having a dispenser body, there being a drywall compound flow path extending from an opposite end of the storage device to an outlet on the dispenser body, an arrangement for delivering drywall compound through the drywall compound flow path, a roller rotatably mounted on the applicator head for contacting a wallboard, a tape advancing mechanism secured on the applicator head for advancing a supply of tape to the outlet end to the roller, a tape severing device connected to the applicator head for cutting the tape, and an actuating arrangement movably mounted on the storage device for actuating the tape advancing mechanism and the tape severing device, the improvement wherein:

• the tape advancing mechanism is secured on the top of the dispenser body;
• and
• the tape severing device is mounted on an inclined front face of the dispenser body away from the tape advancing mechanism so that the tape severing mechanism is fully accessible from an exterior of the applicator head,
• wherein the tape severing device includes:
• a mounting plate fixed to the front face of the dispenser body;
• a pair of spaced apart side blocks secured to the mounting plate;
• a slide plate slidably received in the slide blocks;
• and
• a pair of moveable link arms extending alongside the slide blocks, the link arms being connected at rear ends by a transverse bar attached to the slide plate, and being joined at front ends to a pair of interconnected links pivotally connected to the applicator head, one of the links being attached by a connecting wire to the actuating arrangement.

A drywall taper for applying drywall compound and tape to a wallboard joint, the drywall taper comprising:

• a hollow storage body;
• an applicator head connected to a top end of the hollow storage body, the applicator head having a drywall compound passage formed therein, a roller rotatably mounted thereon for engaging the tape against the wallboard joint, a tape advancing mechanism attached thereon for advancing a supply of tape to the roller, a taper severing device secured thereto for selectively cutting the tape and a creaser wheel assembly having a creaser wheel moveably mounted on the applicator head for selectively engaging the tape against the wallboard in advance of the roller;
• a delivery tube disposed in the storage body for delivering drywall compound completely therethrough, the delivery tube having a first end connected to a drywall compound supply assembly fed directly by a source of pressurized drywall compound, and a second end opposite the first end connected to and in communication with the applicator head;
• and
• an actuating arrangement slidably mounted on the storage body and engaged with the tape advancing mechanism, the tape severing device and the creaser wheel assembly for separately and individually controlling the tape advancement, tape severing and movement of the creaser wheel assembly,
• the actuating arrangement being slidable in one direction to separately control tape advancement and creaser wheel movement, and slidable in an opposite direction to control tape severing,
• the slidable actuating arrangement including an actuating trigger mechanism connected to a rotatable actuating tube and movable between a first position allowing tape advancement and a second position allowing creaser wheel movement,
• the creaser wheel assembly including an articulated strut arrangement for holding the creaser wheel, the strut arrangement having an upper end pivotally connected to the roller and a lower end selectively engageable with the actuating tube.

In a drywall taper for applying drywall compound and tape to a wallboard joint and having an applicator head mounted on one end of a drywall compound storage device, there being a drywall compound flow path extending from an opposite end of the storage device to an outlet on the applicator head, an arrangement for delivering drywall compound through the drywall compound flow path, a roller rotatably mounted on the applicator head for contacting a wallboard, a tape advancing mechanism secured on the applicator head for advancing a supply of tape to the outlet and to the roller, a tape severing device connected to the applicator head for cutting the tape, and a creaser wheel assembly moveably mounted to the applicator head, the improvement comprising:

• an actuating arrangement slidably disposed upon the storage body and engaged with the tape advancing mechanism, the tape severing device and the creaser wheel assembly for separately controlling tape advancement, tape severing and creaser wheel movement,
• wherein the actuating arrangement includes an actuating sleeve surrounding the storage body, and an actuating tube having a lower end connected to the sleeve for sliding movement therewith and for rotatable movement relative to the sleeve by means of a spring-biased trigger mechanism engaged with the sleeve, and
• wherein the actuating tube is slidable along a connecting wire having an upper end attached to the tape severing device and the lower end having a stop element located within an interior of the actuating tube and engageable with a cap on an upper end of the actuating tube.