Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-05
2003-12-16
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C360S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06663035
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge, in which a single tape reel with magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably housed within a cartridge case and a tape leader pin is coupled with the leading end portion of the magnetic tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the magnetic tape cartridges, which are used as storage medium to be employed in external storage units for computers, etc., there is known a type where a single tape reel with magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably housed within a cartridge case. This magnetic tape is employed as a data archiving tape for computers, etc., and stores important information. For this reason, the magnetic tape cartridge is constructed so that trouble, such as tape jamming, etc., does not occur and that the magnetic tape is not pulled out from the cartridge case unexpectedly.
Also, a tape leader pin is coupled to the leading end of the magnetic tape. When this magnetic tape cartridge is loaded into a recording-reproducing unit, a pin catching member on the side of the recording-reproducing unit engages the tape leader pin and pulls out the magnetic tape from the cartridge case. On the other hand, when the magnetic tape cartridge is unloaded from the recording-reproducing unit, the magnetic tape is wound on the reel and the tape leader pin is returned into the cartridge case by the pin catching member. The tape leader pin is detachably retained in a predetermined position, by a pin retaining spring member provided within said cartridge case so that it faces the tape leader opening of the cartridge case.
The aforementioned tape leader pin is illustrated in FIG.
1
A. This tape leader pin P and magnetic tape T are coupled with each other, as illustrated in FIG.
1
B. The tape leader pin P is constructed of a pin main body
5
and a clamp member
6
, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-232826. The pin main body
5
is formed, for example, from stainless steel and consists of a tape clamp portion
5
a
interposed between a pair of inner flange portions
5
b
, small-diameter portions
5
c
formed outside the inner flange portions
5
b
, and outer flange portions
5
d
formed outside the small-diameter portions
5
c
. The clamp member
6
is formed, for example, from synthetic resin. This clamp member
6
is equipped with an axial slit
6
a
and has a C-shaped cross section. The clamp member
6
is inserted elastically on the tape clamp portion
5
a
of the pin main body
5
, and magnetic tape T is clamped between the clamp member
6
and the tape clamp portion
5
a.
FIG. 2
illustrates a conventional magnetic tape cartridge disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-36179. Note that in
FIG. 2
, the right side in the figure is the front side of the cartridge case, because the cartridge case is inserted toward the right side when it is loaded into a recording-reproducing unit.
In this magnetic tape cartridge, a single tape reel (not shown) with magnetic tape T coupled at its leading end with a tape leader pin P is rotatably housed within a cartridge case
4
consisting of an upper case (not shown) and a lower case
3
fastened together by means of small bolts, etc. A tape leader opening
10
for leading the magnetic tape T is formed in one side wall of the cartridge case
4
. This tape leader opening
10
is constructed so that it is opened and closed by a slide door (not shown) urged in a closing direction with a spring member (not shown).
The tape leader pin P, coupled with the leading end of the magnetic tape T, and having construction such as that shown in
FIG. 1
, is inserted in and out of the magnetic cartridge through the tape leader opening
10
. The top and bottom walls inside the tape leader opening
10
are provided with pin housing recesses
45
into which the upper and lower flange portions
5
d
of the leader pin main body
5
are inserted. Also, there is formed an insertion guide portion
21
extending linearly from the pin housing recess
45
toward the tape leader opening
10
.
A pin retaining member
50
, for detachably retaining the tape leader pin P in the pin housing recess
45
, is formed from a plate spring member having a hairpin-shaped cross section. The pin retaining member
50
has an attaching plate portion
50
a
which extends vertically between the upper and lower cases. The attaching plate portion
50
a
is clamped between (1) bosses
41
provided on the bottom surface of the top wall of the upper case and the top surface of the bottom wall of the lower case
3
along the inside surface of the case side wall
3
b
, and (2) the side wall
3
b
. The pin retaining member
50
further has a pair of upper and lower elastic arm portions
50
b
which extend from the upper and lower ends of the proximal portion
50
d
of the attaching portion
50
a
toward the tape leader opening
10
. The outer end portions of the upper and lower elastic arm portions
50
b
are formed into pin retaining portions
50
c
, which abut the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper and lower flange portions
5
d
of the leader pin main body
5
.
On the other hand, the pin housing recess
45
of the cartridge case
4
has an abutting surface in the form of a circular arc which receives the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion
5
d
of the leader pin main body
5
. However, the right side portion, on the side of the pin retaining member
50
, of the abutting surface has been removed in order to assure installation space for the elastic arm portions
50
b
and pin retaining portions
50
c
of the pin retaining member
50
.
The tape leader pin P retained in the pin housing recess
45
is pulled out of the cartridge case
4
by a pin catching member
80
, called a leader block, which is provided on the side of a recording-reproducing unit. The pin catching member
80
has an engagement cutout
80
a
which engage with the upper and lower small-diameter portions
5
c
(see
FIG. 1
) of the leader pin main body
5
. When the engaging operation is performed, the pin catching member
80
first moves linearly in the direction of arrow A toward the tape leader opening
10
and enters the tape leader opening
10
through a side opposite to the case side wall
3
b
with respect to the tape leader pin P. Then, the outer end of the pin catching member
80
rotates in the direction of arrow B toward the tape leader pin P. The engagement cutout
80
a
of the pin catching member
80
is caught on the small-diameter portion
5
c
of the tape leader pin P and is moved back in the direction of arrow C. As a result, the tape leader pin P is pulled out of the cartridge case
4
through the tape leader opening
10
. In this manner, the mechanism of the recording-reproducing unit is simplified.
On the other hand, when the magnetic tape cartridge is taken out from the recording-reproducing unit, the pin catching member
80
holding the tape leader pin P advances linearly toward the tape leader opening
10
in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow C. After the tape leader pin P has been retained in the pin housing recess
45
, the pin catching member
80
is returned via the tape leader opening
10
along the reverse route of the aforementioned route.
In the tape leader pin P of
FIG. 1
, incidentally, there is a possibility that the tape leader pin P will be disengaged from the magnetic tape T because of insufficient clamping force, since the coefficient of friction between the magnetic tape T and the pin main body
5
(or the clamp member
6
) is low. More specifically, in order to reduce the sliding friction between the magnetic tape T and the magnetic head, a lubricating agent is often coated on the magnetic layer or top surface of the magnetic tape T so that the coefficient of friction is reduced. Similarly, a lubricating agent is coated on the bottom surface of the magnetic tape T. In that case, the coefficient of friction between the pin main body
5
(or the clamp member
6
) formed from stainless steel and the magnet
Ishihara Yusuke
Morita Kiyoo
Shiga Hideaki
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Nguyen John Q.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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