Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-23
2001-05-08
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C242S338400, C242S344000, C360S132000, C360S069000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227477
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data storage cassette used for storing data and to a data recording and reproducing device or apparatus. More specifically, the invention relates to a data storage cassette that can be discriminated or distinguished from the conventional cassette of the other kind and can be prevented from being erroneously loaded and set in the recording and reproducing device. The invention also relates to a data recording and reproducing device for recording and reproducing data with the use of such data storage cassette.
The data storage cassette of the invention is obtainable by making slight improvements on a lower cassette half of an existing or a conventional cassette, and similarly the data recording and reproducing device of the invention is obtainable by making slight improvements on a conventional data recording and reproducing device.
2. Related Art
A magnetic tape has been used as a medium for recording and storing a large amount of data, processed by a computer or the like, for backup purposes. Such magnetic tape is usually contained in a cassette. Such cassette is called “a data storage cassette” or “a cassette for data storage” (hereinafter referred to, also, as “data cassette). Conventionally, the data cassette was constructed as a single-purpose cassette having a size or a dimension different from the cassettes of the other kind. Thus, a special cassette box for receiving such cassette was provided in the data recording and reproducing device.
Consequently, even if an
8
-mm video cassette was inserted into such data recording and reproducing device having a special cassette box, the recording and reproduction could not be effected. Similarly, even if the data cassette was inserted into a video recording and reproducing device, the recording and reproduction could not be effected. Generally, such data cassette was expensive. Also the data recording and reproducing device was expensive since it lacked versatility.
Recently, from the viewpoint of the cost reduction, an attempt has been made to use an existing or a conventional video cassette as the data cassette. More specifically, an attempt has been made to use cassette halves having outer shapes substantially identical with those of the conventional video cassette, and to contain in the cassette halves a data recording or a data storage tape capable of effecting high-density recording.
If the cassette halves of the conventional video cassette are used as those of the data cassette, the cost can be reduced. Further, the video recording and reproducing device can be used as the data the recording and reproducing device by modifying a part of the video recording and reproducing device. This also contributes to the cost reduction.
In such a case, however, both of the video cassette and the data cassette can be loaded and set in the data recording and reproducing device. Thus, there is the fear that the user uses the data recording and reproducing device without noticing that the video cassette is erroneously loaded and set in the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a data cassette which can be obtained by making slight improvements on the existing or conventional cassette, and can be discriminated or distinguished from the conventional video cassettes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a data recording and reproducing device which can use such data cassette.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data storage cassette including an upper cassette half and a lower cassette half and containing therein a tape for storing data, the cassette having an outer shape of a predetermined dimension, the lower cassette half being formed with a reel lock release hole, comprising: a discrimination hole formed through the lower cassette half at a location adjacent to the reel lock release hole for discriminating said cassette from another cassette having an outer shape of a dimension substantially identical with said predetermined dimension of the outer shape of the data storage cassette.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a date recording and reproducing device for recording and reproducing data with the use of the abovementioned data storage cassette comprising: discrimination means provided in the device for identifying the presence of the discrimination hole of the data storage cassette during a loading operation of the data storage cassette into the device and enabling only the data storage cassette to be loaded and set in the device for recording and reproducing data.
When the discrimination hole in the lower cassette half is detected or identified by the discrimination means on the device body, it is judged that the data storage cassette is to be loaded and set in the device body. In contrast, if the discrimination hole is not detected, it is judged that the cassette other than the data storage cassette is to be loaded and set in the device body. With such construction, the kind of the cassette can be easily and positively judged.
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Endo Yoshihiro
Komatsuzaki Shoji
Konno Ayumu
Usui Takumi
Abel David B.
Aiwa Co. Ltd.
Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
Walsh Donald P.
Webb Collin A.
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