Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-14
2001-12-25
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C242S332400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332584
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to magnetic tape of the type employed for transducing information, and particularly to such magnetic tape having a leader for securing the magnetic tape to a reel hub.
2. Related Art and Other Considerations
Manufacturers of magnetic tape cartridges (also known as magnetic tape cassettes) have historically and traditionally constructed the tape portion of the cartridge in the manner illustrated in FIG.
1
. In particular, a small piece of adhesive-coated tape
20
(sometimes referred to as a “splicing tape” or “splice tape”has been used in a lap joint configuration to join magnetic tape
22
to a leader
24
. The leader
24
attaches to a reel hub
26
around which the tape is to be wound.
Unfortunately, the presence of the splicing tape creates “bumps” B or “print-throughs” in the tape pack as shown in FIG.
2
. As additional tape layers are wound on hub
26
, the inward pressure increases on the inner layers, and the stress in the magnetic tape
22
at the discontinuities attributable to the splicing tape-created bumps B at the angular positions indicated by arrows
32
. The stress may be high enough to create permanent deformations in the magnetic recording tape. These deformations appear as two vertical folds in the magnetic tape. The deformations remain (and can even become permanent) after the magnetic tape has been unwound from the reel hub, as illustrated by deformations
34
in FIG.
3
. The permanent deformations are greatest in the first outer tape layer adjacent to the splicing tape, and can persist for many layers.
The deformations occasioned by the prior art splicing tape create undesired signal losses when a transducing head attempts to record or reproduce information with respect to the magnetic tape. The signal losses are attributable, at least in part, to the increased head-to-tape spacing with both helical and longitudinal recording methods. Areas of the magnetic tape having the permanent deformations may be rendered unusable.
FIG. 4
shows the usual prior art situation in which the splicing tape
20
is vertically oriented, e.g., has splicing tape ends
20
E
which are perpendicular to the elongated edges
36
of the magnetic recording tape
22
. In this prior art vertical orientation, for helical scan recording the deformations occasioned by the splicing tape cut across many data tracks or stripes. The helical data tracks are inclined at an angle with respect to the splicing tape ends
20
E
, as exemplified by track
38
in
FIG. 4
, due to the fact, e.g., that a transducing head on a recording scanner or drum travels across the tape at a shallow angle. When the deformations or print-throughs are vertically oriented in the manner depicted by
FIG. 4
, they can affect (e.g., render unusable) many data tracks.
What is needed, therefore, and an object of the present invention, is a way to minimize or counteract the deformations occasioned by a splicing tape which joins magnetic recording tape to a leader or trailer.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A pack of magnetic recording tape comprises a splicing tape which adheres a web of magnetic tape to a leader. The leader attaches to a reel hub around which the tape is to be wound. At least an intermediate portion of the splicing tape has its ends oriented non-othogonally to the elongated dimension of the magnetic recording tape. Preferably, the ends of the splicing tape are oriented to be substantially parallel to a helical scan data track to be transduced (e.g., recorded or reproduced) on magnetic tape. In one embodiment, the ends of the splicing tape have essentially the shape of the letter “Z”. By providing splices that replicate a path that a transducing head (e.g., scanner head) will travel over magnetic tape, very few data tracks are sacrificed due to the deformations or print-through.
The tape pack of the present invention can be utilized in a magnetic tape cassette or cartridge. The cassette or cartridge can be of a type which has both a supply reel hub and a take-up reel hub, and between which the magnetic tape extends. The splicing tape of the present invention can be utilized to secure the magnetic tape to a leader at the supply reel hub, or to a leader at the take-up reel hub, or both. Alternatively, the cassette or cartridge with which the tape pack of the present invention is operable can be a single reel cartridge.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4110142 (1978-08-01), Tall
patent: 4180181 (1979-12-01), Brandwein
patent: 4325087 (1982-04-01), Moris
patent: 5332173 (1994-07-01), Kubota et al.
patent: 5348793 (1994-09-01), Stettner
patent: 5692699 (1997-12-01), Weirauch et al.
patent: 5845860 (1998-12-01), Tohjo et al.
patent: 5996927 (1999-12-01), Weirauch et al.
patent: 6135379 (2000-10-01), Argumedo
patent: 406064796-A (1994-03-01), None
Exabyte Corporation
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Rivera William A.
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