Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record medium – In container
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-16
2004-05-25
Letscher, George J. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record medium
In container
Reexamination Certificate
active
06741423
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention related to a magnetic tape cartridge, and in particular to a magnetic tape cartridge and a single reel around which a magnetic tape with a leader pin fixed to the leading end thereof is wound and which is contained in the cartridge casing for rotation, having a latch spring removably mounted at the cartridge casing tape outlet opening, and the cartridge case opening is provided with an opening and closing slide door and lock.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a single-reel magnetic tape cartridge as for example the type disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-242870, comprising a cartridge casing and a single reel around which a magnetic tape is wound and which is contained in the cartridge casing for rotation, as a recording medium for an external storage device for a computer and the like. In this type of magnetic tape cartridge, a leader pin fixed to the lead end of the magnetic tape is engaged by the lateral drawing force of a latch spring fixed in the tape cartridge casing, and is removably held in the cartridge casing.
FIGS. 23 and 24
show a vertical cross-section view and a fragmentary horizontal cross-sectional view, respectively of the structure of the pin holding portion contained in aforementioned publication.
In
FIGS. 23 and 24
, synthetic resin cartridge casing
4
is formed by upper half
2
and lower half
3
, and a single reel (not shown) around which the magnetic tape, connected at the tail end thereof to leader pin
5
, is wound. A tape outlet opening
8
for drawing out the magnetic tape is formed on one sidewall of cartridge casing
4
, and tape outlet opening
8
is provided with a slide door
20
, which is movable in the direction parallel with the side of cartridge casing
4
. Slide door
20
is propped in the direction of the closed position of tape outlet opening
8
by a door spring (not shown).
A concave recess
9
for extracting leader pin
5
is formed adjacent to tape outlet opening
8
of cartridge casing
4
, and a latch spring
30
is provided for removably holding leader pin
5
in recess
9
when the magnetic tape cartridge is not in use and the tape is in the completely wound state.
When the magnetic tape cartridge is installed in the record and playback apparatus of an external storage device slide door
20
opens, leader pin
5
is drawn out by a robot arm of the record and playback apparatus, and the magnetic tape is drawn out to the predetermined running position from which reading and writing data thereto are possible.
Leader pin
5
, as shown clearly in
FIG. 23
, comprises a shaft-shaped tape clamp
5
a
at the center thereof, around which the lead end of the magnetic tape is wound and secured in place by fastening a cross-sectional C clamp
5
e.
Tape clamp
5
a
is connected at its upper and lower ends to a pair of thin plate-shaped flanges
5
d,
and on the outside of flanges
5
d
in the axial direction are a pair of small diameter portions
5
b,
which are caught by the robot arm of the playback and record system, which are spaced by a pair of column-shaped flanges
5
c.
Latch spring
30
, as in the form shown in
FIG. 25
for example, is formed of a plate spring pinched between respective upper and lower halves
2
and
3
of cartridge casing
4
, and upper and lower flanges
5
c
of leader pin
5
are each inserted into respective recesses
9
on the upper and lower halves of cartridge casing
4
and removably held therein by latch spring
30
.
As shown in
FIG. 25
, latch spring
30
is formed in a substantially U shape in plan and is symmetrical about the horizontal axis thereof, and comprises a vertical base portion
30
a
from the upper and lower ends of which extends a back plate
30
c
and a pair of arms
30
b
that extend substantially parallel to each other, on the free end portion of each arm
30
b
is provided a pin holding portion
30
d.
The area between upper and lower arms
30
b
is cut out, and arms
30
b
are formed so that only pin holding portion
30
d
is brought into abutment with flange
5
c
of leader pin
5
. Each pin holding portion
30
d
protrudes in a mound-shape, and a rear inclined pin guide surface
31
is formed at the lead end thereof (FIG.
24
). When leader pin
5
is held by the robot arm inserted into cartridge casing
4
, at the first contact made with guide surface
31
by the outer circumference of flange
5
c
of leader pin
5
, arm
30
b
of latch spring
30
presses against flange
5
c
and is resiliently deflected toward the side, and it is possible for leader pin to be inserted in to recess
9
. Having passed guide surface
31
, flange
5
c
of leader pin
5
, as shown in
FIG. 24
, is held against the inner wall of recess
9
by the resilient force of pin holding portion
30
d,
and with this type of latch pin, with the fastening of respective upper and lower halves
2
and
3
of cartridge casing
4
, the upper and lower edges of base portion
30
a
and back wall
30
c
are pinched and fixed in place by respective upper and lower halves
2
and
3
.
FIG. 26
provides detailed illustration of the state in which leader pin
5
is inserted from tape outlet opening
8
into cartridge casing
4
.
Recess
9
, which accommodates leader pin
5
, is provided with straight-line shaped guide walls
9
A and
9
B, for guiding flange
5
c
of leader pin
5
into the back of recess
9
, and a semi-spherical holding wall
9
c,
which is of a slightly larger diameter than that of flange
5
c.
Up until now, leader pin
5
has been designed so that the center axis S thereof passes through the center of the curvature of semi-spherical holding wall
9
c
in the back of recess
9
along a perpendicular center line L
1
of the sidewall of tape outlet opening
8
of cartridge casing
4
and is inserted into the recess
9
, and if flange
5
c
of leader pin
5
is brought into abutment with leader pin guide surface
31
of the free end of latch spring
31
, flange
5
c
is drawn in, and by the pressure brought to bear against guide surface
31
, arm
30
b
is deflected toward the side (left side of the Figure) whereby it becomes possible for leader pin
5
to be inserted into the back of recess
9
, and flange
5
c,
which has been passed over guide surface
31
to the back of recess
9
, is held by the resilient force of pin holding portion
30
d
of latch spring
30
in the holding wall of recess
9
.
However, because there are instances in which, due to unevenness, etc. in the relative positions of the robot arm of the record and playback apparatus and the magnetic tape cartridge inserted therein, leader pin
5
is inserted into recess
9
in a state in which the center axis S thereof is off track to the left or right of center line L
1
of recess
9
, if recess
9
is widened on the tape outlet opening
8
side to and guide walls
9
A and
9
B are provided inclining surfaces opening toward the outward direction, even if leader pin
5
is inserted into recess
9
in a state in which the center axis S thereof is off-center with respect to center line L
1
, guide walls
9
A and
9
B are structured so as to guide flange
5
c
so that center axis S is directed toward the center of the curvature of holding wall
9
c.
However, because there is also unevenness in the relative positions of guide surface
31
of latch spring
30
, as shown in
FIG. 26
, when inserted into recess
9
from the state in which flange
5
c
of leader pin
5
is guided on guide wall
9
A on the latch spring
30
side, if guide surface
31
is only pressed against by flange
5
c,
because arm
30
b
of latch spring
30
will not be deflected toward the side, and a problem arises in that it is not possible for leader pin
5
to be inserted into cartridge casing
4
.
Guide surface
31
of latch spring
30
has a predetermined angle &agr;′ relative to parallel straight line L
2
parallel to center line L
1
. Conventionally, &agr;′ has been an angle of 55°. Note that because the angle between guide wall
Ishihara Yusuke
Shiga Hideaki
Takahashi Daisuke
Tsuyuki Seiji
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Letscher George J.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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