Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-08
2004-12-07
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C360S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06827307
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording tape cartridge rotatably accommodating a single reel, around which a recording tape such as a magnetic tape is wound.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, magnetic tape cartridges have been known in which a magnetic tape, which is used as a data recording/playback medium of a computer or the like, is wound on a single reel, and the reel is accommodated within a case. A leader member, which is a leader pin, a leader tape, or a leader block, for example, is provided at the distal end of the magnetic tape. A pull-out means provided at a drive device pulls out the leader member from an opening of the magnetic tape cartridge, and the magnetic tape fixed to the leader member is wound onto a take-up reel of the drive device.
A reel gear is carved in a ring shape at the center of the bottom surface of the reel which emerges from an opening formed in the bottom surface of the magnetic tape cartridge. Due to a driving gear, which is provided at a rotating shaft of the drive device, meshing with the reel gear, the reel is driven to rotate. Further, due to the reel of the magnetic tape cartridge and the take-up reel of the drive device being rotated synchronously, data can be recorded onto the magnetic tape or data recorded on the magnetic tape can be played back.
A large amount of information can be recorded in this magnetic tape cartridge, although little space is needed to accommodate the magnetic tape cartridge when it is stored. As shown in
FIGS. 10 through 12
, the position of the opening of the magnetic tape cartridge and the type of door for opening and closing the opening differ in accordance with the type of the leader member. Namely, in the case of a leader pin
108
, as shown in
FIG. 10
, an opening
104
is formed in a side wall
102
A of a case
102
which side wall
102
A is parallel to the direction of loading the magnetic tape cartridge into a drive device (the direction of arrow A). The opening
104
is opened and closed by a door
106
which slides in the same direction as the loading direction.
However, if the opening
104
is provided at the side wall
102
A of the case
102
in this way, the pull-out means of the drive device must pull the leader pin
108
out from the left-right lateral direction of the case
102
(i.e., non-rectilinearly). Thus, space for the pull-out means to move around the case
102
must be ensured in the left-right lateral direction of the case within the drive device, and the mechanism for moving the pull-out means around (i.e., non-rectilinearly) becomes complex. In other words, the drawback arises that the drive device becomes large. Moreover, there is the problem that the path along which a magnetic tape T is pulled out becomes long.
Further, in the case of a leader tape T, as shown in
FIG. 11
, an opening
116
is formed in a front wall
114
A of a case
114
which front wall is orthogonal to the direction of loading the magnetic tape cartridge into a drive device (the direction of arrow A). A door
118
, which opens and closes the opening
116
, is a pivoting-type door which pivots toward the front around a shaft supported in a vicinity of a corner of the case
114
. However, if the opening
116
is provided at the front wall
114
A of the case
114
in this way, although there is no need for the pull-out means of the drive device to move non-rectilinearly, the door
118
opens over a wide area toward the front. Therefore, space must be ensured within the drive device such that nothing interferes with the door
118
when the opening
116
is to be opened. In short, a drawback arises in that the drive device becomes large.
Moreover, in the case of a leader block
126
, as shown in
FIG. 12
, an opening
124
is formed by diagonally cutting off a corner portion of the front side of the case in the direction of loading the magnetic tape cartridge into the drive device. The opening
124
is opened and closed directly by the leader block
126
. However, if the opening
124
is opened and closed by the leader block
126
in this way (namely, if the leader block
126
also functions as the door for opening and closing the opening), a problem arises in that it is easy for the leader block
126
to become scratched or dirtied. Specifically, the leader block
126
fits together with a reel hub
130
of the drive device and forms a portion of the reel hub
130
. Thus, if a scratch is formed in or dirt adheres to the leader block
126
, even if the scratch or dirt is a scratch or dirt which is not problematic when the leader block
126
is ordinarily used as the door, it may become difficult for the leader block
126
to fit-together with the reel hub
130
, and there is the possibility that problems in the moving of the magnetic tape T may arise.
Further, since the leader block
126
forms a part of a winding surface for winding the magnetic tape T, the above-described damage or contamination may damage the data recorded on the magnetic tape T or may create damaged areas on the magnetic tape T where data cannot be recorded.
Furthermore, since the leader block
126
is merely anchored at the edge of the opening
124
, the leader block
126
may come off when the case
122
is dropped. Moreover, since the size of the leader block
126
is larger than the size of the leader pin, many constraints are imposed on the form of the case
122
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording tape cartridge in which an opening, which is adapted to minimize a distance of a path for drawing out a recording tape, can be opened or closed by a shielding member, which allows to reduce a space in a drive for accommodating the cartridge, without interfering with a reel and a leader member, as well as a structure of an opening/closing device of the drive, which operates the shielding member to open or close the opening, can be simplified.
In order to accomplish the above-described object, a recording tape cartridge according to the invention comprises: a rectangular case; an opening through which a leader member is drawn out; a shielding member for opening and closing the opening; and a handling portion disposed at an end portion of the shielding member. The case rotatably accommodates a single reel, around which a recording tape is wound. The opening is formed by notching one of corner portions of the case at a side coming first when the case is mounted in the drive, and the leader member is attached at an end of the recording tape. The shielding member is disposed at the case, and one of ends of the shielding member is movable outside side walls of the case along a mounting direction in which the case is mounted in the drive. The shielding member is movable along the mounting direction while engaging with the opening/closing member of the drive during an operation to mount the case in the drive.
Since the opening is formed by notching the corner of the rectangular case at the side coming first when the case is mounted, an open plane is oriented in the mounting direction in which the case is mounted in the drive as well as in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction. In other words, the open plane is inclined with respect to the mounting direction. Therefore, a drawing device can access the leader member in the mounting direction, in the direction perpendicular to the mounting direction, or from a side of the corner of the case, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the inclined open plane.
This allows a design of the drive in which a distance of a path for drawing out the recording tape is minimized. Further, since there is no need of a driving mechanism for driving the drawing device so as to move around to hold or fix the leader member, a compact and low-cost drive can be designed.
Further, since the one end portion of the shielding member moves outside the side wall of the case along the mounting direction to open or close the opening which is inclined with respect to th
Hiraguchi Kazuo
Iino Wataru
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Nguyen John Q.
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