Support strap dispensers and holsters for use with same

{
  "publication_number": "US9504310B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Support strap dispensers and holsters for use with same",
  "abstract": "A dispenser for storing and dispensing a rolled support strap, including but not limited to hanger straps (sometimes referred to as “plumber's tape”) such as those sold under the trade name TAB TAPE®, as well as assemblies that include a dispenser and a rolled support strap therein, and associated methods. A holster for holding the dispenser, as well as a system including a holster and a dispenser, are also disclosed.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A holster for use with a support strap dispenser having an aperture and an outlet, the holster comprising: a front wall, a rear wall, first and second side walls that extend from the front wall to the rear wall, and a bottom wall that extends from the front wall to the rear wall that together define a storage region for the support strap dispenser and at least one outlet opening which the dispenser outlet will be aligned with when the dispenser is in the storage region; a latch on the bottom wall that extends into the storage region and is configured to engage the aperture and prevent rotation of the support strap dispenser relative to the holster as the support strap is pulled from the dispenser; and a retainer that maintains the dispenser in the storage region.",
    "2. A holster as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one outlet opening comprises first and second outlet openings.",
    "3. A holster as claimed in claim 2, wherein the holster defines a vertical axis and is symmetric about the vertical axis.",
    "4. A holster as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a resilient clip on the rear wall.",
    "5. A holster as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retainer comprises first and second movable tabs.",
    "6. A holster as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first and second movable tabs are respectively mounted on the first and second side walls.",
    "7. A holster as claimed in claim 1, wherein the latch comprises a plurality of deflectable latch members.",
    "8. A system, the dispenser comprising: a support strap dispenser including a housing with an internal storage region configured to store a support strap roll, an aperture and a dispenser outlet; and a holster including a front wall, a rear wall, first and second side walls that extend from the front wall to the rear wall, and a bottom wall that extends from the front wall to the rear wall that together define a storage region for the support strap dispenser and at least one outlet opening which the dispenser outlet will be aligned with when the support strap dispenser is in the storage region, a latch on the bottom wall that extends into the storage region such that the latch will be located within the aperture when the support strap dispenser is within the storage region, and a retainer that maintains the support strap dispenser in the storage region.",
    "9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the holster includes a resilient clip on the rear wall.",
    "10. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first and second movable tabs define respective free ends that are separated from one another by a distance; and the support strap dispenser defines a maximum width that is greater than the distance between the free ends of the movable tabs.",
    "11. A system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: a support strap roll located within the support strap dispenser.",
    "12. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the latch comprises a plurality of deflectable latch members.",
    "13. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one outlet opening comprises first and second outlet openings; and the respective configurations of the support strap dispenser and the holster are such that the dispenser outlet will be aligned with the first outlet opening when the support strap dispenser is within the storage region in a first orientation, and the dispenser outlet will be aligned with the second outlet opening when the support strap dispenser is within the storage region in a second orientation.",
    "14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the holster defines a vertical axis and is symmetric about the vertical axis.",
    "15. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the retainer comprises first and second movable tabs.",
    "16. A holster as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and second movable tabs are respectively mounted on the first and second side walls.",
    "17. A system, the dispenser comprising: a support strap dispenser including a housing with an internal storage region configured to store a support strap roll, an aperture and a dispenser outlet; and a holster including a front wall, a rear wall, first and side walls that extend from the front wall to the rear wall, and a bottom wall that extends from the front wall to the rear wall that together define a storage region for the support strap dispenser and at least one outlet opening which the dispenser outlet will be aligned with when the support strap dispenser is in the storage region, a projection on the bottom wall that extends into the storage region such that the projection will be located within the aperture when the support strap dispenser is within the storage region, and a retainer that maintains the support strap dispenser in the storage region.",
    "18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one outlet opening comprises first and second outlet openings; and the respective configurations of the support strap dispenser and the holster are such that the dispenser outlet will be aligned with the first outlet opening when the support strap dispenser is within the storage region in a first orientation, and the dispenser outlet will be aligned with the second outlet opening when the support strap dispenser is within the storage region in a second orientation."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field\n\nThe present inventions relate generally to dispensers for support straps and to holsters for such support strap dispensers.\n\n2. Related Art\n\nSupport straps are commonly used to secure mechanical and electrical building components, such as plumbing pipes, conduit, heating and air conditioning ducts, and water heaters, to building support structures or to suspend these components from building support structures. In the exemplary context of hanger straps (sometimes referred to as “plumber's tape”), a flexible strip of material, such as sheet metal (e.g., a 24 or 28 gauge strip of copper-plated steel or galvanized steel) or polypropylene, is attached at one end to a support member such as a beam, post, or wall stud. The other end of the strip is wrapped around the pipe or conduit and attached in some manner to the first end, thereby forming a loop which supports the conduit. Support straps will often include regularly spaced holes along the length of the strap, and some support straps include fasteners to facilitate the connection of one portion of the strap to another after the formation of the loop.\n\nSupport straps are commonly distributed in roll form. The length of the support strap in the roll is such that many individual straps will be cut from the roll. The installer will unroll a portion of the strap and remove it from the remainder with a metal cutting tool. Exemplary roll lengths include, but are not limited to, 10 feet, 25 feet and 50 feet. The support strap rolls are commonly held with one hand and cut with a tool held in the other hand during the unrolling and cutting process.",
  "cpc": [
    "A45F 5/021",
    "A45F 2200/0575",
    "A45F 5/1575",
    "B65H 16/005",
    "B65H 2301/5121",
    "B65H 2404/6111",
    "B65H 2701/11332",
    "B65H 2701/173",
    "B65H 2701/37",
    "B65H 49/205",
    "B65H 75/40",
    "B65H 75/4402",
    "Y10S 224/904"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65H 35/00",
    "A45F 5/02",
    "B65H 16/00",
    "B65H 49/20",
    "B65H 49/00"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Marc Franklin Foreman"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-03-16",
  "publication_date": "2016-11-29",
  "grant_date": "2016-11-29",
  "priority_date": "2014-03-22",
  "application_number": "US-201514659007-A",
  "family_id": "54140856",
  "cited_by_count": 12,
  "citations": [
    "US1818514A",
    "US1990135A",
    "US2765107A",
    "US3107028A",
    "US3217955A",
    "US3589634A",
    "US3777953A",
    "US4088276A",
    "US4195794A",
    "US4339120A",
    "USD283076S",
    "US4562620A",
    "US4596370A",
    "US4606485A",
    "US4598027A",
    "US4844373A",
    "US4821933A",
    "US4852843A",
    "US5097997A",
    "US5167355A",
    "US5012965A",
    "US5025966A",
    "US5358160A",
    "US5388741A",
    "US5641109A",
    "USD390699S",
    "US5749507A",
    "US5806739A",
    "US6457252B1",
    "US6095455A",
    "US6193120B1",
    "US6193119B1",
    "US20020113104A1",
    "US6824028B2",
    "USD468525S1",
    "USD483939S1",
    "US20040004097A1",
    "US7077184B2",
    "USD548957S1",
    "USD559531S1",
    "USD583989S1",
    "USD574837S1",
    "US9033197B2",
    "USD600006S1",
    "US9182205B2",
    "US20130327799A1",
    "US20120255979A1",
    "US9261328B2",
    "US8479960B2",
    "US8616422B2",
    "USD710340S1",
    "US20140077023A1",
    "US9170082B2",
    "USD710363S1",
    "US20150265037A1",
    "US20160058161A1",
    "USD758220S1"
  ]
}