Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-27
2004-11-23
Marcelo, Emmanuel (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C360S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06820832
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge where a single reel with magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably housed within a cartridge case.
2. Description of the Related Art
In magnetic tape cartridges, which are being used as storage media that are employed in external storage units for computers, etc., there is known a type where a single reel with magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably housed within a cartridge case. This magnetic tape is employed to archive data for computers, etc. Since important information has been stored, the magnetic cartridge is constructed so that problems, such as tape jamming, etc., do not occur and that the magnetic tape is not pulled out of the cartridge case unexpectedly.
Also, the magnetic tape has a tape leader pin firmly attached to the leading end thereof. 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 rewound on the reel and the tape leader pin is returned into the cartridge case by the pin catching member.
The cartridge case is formed by fastening upper and lower cases of synthetic resin together with a plurality of small screws. The leader pin, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11 (1999)-306722, etc., is detachably held in a vertical direction between the upper and lower cases, near a tape leader opening provided in the cartridge case. Also, near the tape leader opening, there is provided a slide door, urged toward a closing position by a spring, for opening and closing the tape leader opening.
FIGS. 1A and 1B
illustrate the vicinity of the tape leader opening in the conventional magnetic tape cartridge described in the aforementioned publication. The open state and closed state of the slide door are shown in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, respectively. The essential part of the slide door is shown in FIG.
1
C.
In a side wall of the cartridge case
4
with an upper case
2
and a lower case
3
integrally fastened, a tape leader opening
10
is formed between the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
and near the corner. A slide door
11
for opening and closing the tape leader opening
10
is provided so that it is slidable in a direction parallel to a direction where the magnetic tape is inserted into a recording-reproducing unit (i.e., the right direction in
FIGS. 1A and 1B
and therefore the right direction is taken to be the front direction of the cartridge case
4
).
A leader pin
5
is detachably held within the cartridge case
4
, facing the tape leader opening
10
. The leader pin
5
is constructed, for example, of a metal main body and a synthetic-resin clamp member
5
e
, as shown in FIG.
1
. The main body consists of a core shaft portion
5
a
to which the leading end of the magnetic tape
6
is clamped; thin flange portions
5
b
,
5
b
formed at the upper and lower ends of the core shaft portion
5
a
; and thick flange portions
5
d
,
5
d
formed outside the flange portions
5
b
,
5
b
through thin shaft portions
5
c
,
5
c
. The clamp member
5
e
has a C-cross section and is fitted elastically onto the outer periphery of the core shaft portion
5
a
. The thin shaft portions
5
c
,
5
c
are clamped by the pin holding member of the recording-reproducing unit when the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded into or unloaded from the recording-reproducing unit.
The slide door
11
is urged toward a closing position by a spring member compressed in the interior of the cartridge case and is held in the closing position shown in FIG.
1
B. The slide door
11
is equipped with an engagement portion
12
that protrudes forward and outward from the front end (in the closing direction) of the door
11
. If the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded into the recording-reproducing unit, the engagement portion
12
engages a member provided in the unit and the slide door
11
is opened. In the front wall of the cartridge case
4
, a recess
8
is formed to house the engagement portion
12
, with the front surface of the engagement portion
12
exposed through the front wall surface of the cartridge case
4
.
In the magnetic tape cartridge constructed as described above, the front surfaces
11
a
,
11
b
, on the top side and bottom side of the engagement portion
12
, of the slide door
11
abut the back surfaces
4
a
,
4
b
of the front wall of the cartridge case, whereby the slide door
11
is held in the closing position.
However, the front wall of the cartridge case
4
with the back surfaces
4
a
,
4
b
which are abutted by the front surfaces
11
a
,
11
b
of the slide door
11
is susceptible to shock, for example, when the magnetic tape cartridge falls. When subjected to such a shock, the front wall will be deformed and the positioning precision in the sliding direction of the slide door
11
at the closing position will be reduced.
With long-term use, the synthetic-resin rail portion and/or slide door
11
will wear and vertical play will develop in the slide door
11
. Because of this, the positioning precision in the vertical direction of the slide door
11
at the closing position will be reduced.
Thus, if the positioning precision at the closing position of the slide door
11
is reduced, it will have detrimental effects on the opening operation for the slide door
11
based on the positional relationship between the engagement portion
12
of the slide door
11
and the engaging member of the recording-reproducing unit.
The upper and lower cases
2
,
3
constituting the cartridge case
4
is usually fastened together by four small screws. However, in the case where the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
are fastened together by small screws, the stem portion of the small screw requires a thickness of some magnitude or greater to have a screw groove therein. Furthermore, for these small screws, one of the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
requires bosses having a transmission bore, while the other requires bosses having a screw bore. Therefore, space for these bosses has to be assured.
Near the holding portion for the leader pin
5
, however, there is no space to provide bosses which are used for fastening small screws, because a tape running path is assured in order to avoid interference with the pin holding portion of the recording-reproducing unit. Because of this, the force fastening the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
is weaker near the leader-pin holding portions than other parts.
Therefore, in the case where a strong shock is exerted on the cartridge case
4
because of a fall, etc., or in the case where a force of opening the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
is exerted near the tape leader opening
10
, there is a problem that the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
in that portion will be moved away from each other and that the light, slender leader pin
5
will fall off the cartridge case
4
.
To prevent the falling-off of the leader pin
5
, the abutting surfaces of the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
of the cartridge case
4
can be welded over the entire circumference. However, welding the abutting surfaces of the upper and lower cases
2
,
3
is undesirable with regard to disassembly, because there is a need to disassemble the cartridge case
4
and take out the magnetic tape with important data along with the reel and then put them into a new cartridge case, in the event of an unforeseen accident, or after long-term use.
Furthermore, in the magnetic tape cartridge mentioned above, a memory element is provided to specify the contents of various data recorded on magnetic tape, tape type, etc., without reading them out. This memory element is equipped with a semiconductor chip and is constructed so that data recorded on magnetic tape is recorded on the memory element by a non-contact method such as electromagnetic induction, etc., and that conten
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Marcelo Emmanuel
LandOfFree
Magnetic tape cartridge does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Magnetic tape cartridge, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Magnetic tape cartridge will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3351560