Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-25
2001-07-24
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C360S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264126
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a single-reel type tape cartridge for magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus.
2. Prior Art
Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 63-251983 discloses a single-reel type tape cartridge in which a brake lock is urged downward by a spring member to keep teeth formed on the brake lock in mesh with teeth of the reel so as to avoid unwanted turning of the reel when the tape cartridge is not in use. When the cartridge is loaded in recording-reproducing apparatus (hereinafter called a “recorder”), a projection of the brake lock is raised by a drive of the recorder to a predetermined position where the teeth of the reel and the brake lock are out of mesh to set the reel free to turn and allow the tape to be drawn out. The brake lock is formed with a cruciform recess adapted to engage with a cruciform projection in the upper casing of the housing, whereby the brake lock is made movable upward and downward without turning.
FIG. 4
is an exploded view of a single-reel type cartridge of the prior art, and
FIG. 5
is a cross sectional view of the essential parts of the cartridge. For a better understanding of the arrangement the components are shown upside down. The cartridge comprises a housing composed of an upper casing
1
and a lower casing
2
, and a single tape reel
3
around which a length of tape
14
is wound and which is turnably held within the housing.
Between upper and lower casings
1
,
2
is formed an opening composed of half openings
12
,
22
in the both casings and which is adapted to receive a leader block
18
as the latter is drawn out by a drive member of a recorder.
Tape reel
3
has a hub
32
formed in one piece with a lower flange
33
. Tape reel
3
is driven for rotation by a drive of a recorder through the opening
22
of lower casing
2
.
On the inner surface of hub
32
is provided teeth adapted to engage with a brake lock
5
to prevent unwanted turning of tape reel
3
when the cartridge is not in use.
Brake lock
5
has teeth
51
on its underside which is in mesh with the teeth of hub
32
. Brake lock
5
is normally urged in a braking position by a brake spring
4
.
Follower projections
52
of brake lock
5
are formed with recesses
73
for sliding engagement with a guide member
13
formed on the inner surface of upper casing
1
, so that brake lock
5
can be positively moved up and down between a lower braking position and an upper brake release position.
A brake-releasing projection
63
, formed on the underside of brake lock
5
, fits in a center hole
43
at the bottom of hub
32
. As the cartridge is inserted in a recorder, brake-releasing projection
63
is forced upward, with concomitant upward movement of brake lock
5
out of engagement with tape reel
3
, setting the reel free to turn.
The beginning of tape
14
is wound round a pin member
8
, which in turn is fitted securely in a pin-receiving groove of leader block
18
. When the cartridge is loaded in a recorder, a draw-out member of the recorder enters a clamp groove
19
of leader block
18
to grip the block, draw it out, thread the tape up to take-up reel along a tape path inside the recorder, and eventually hold the block in a recess formed on the outer periphery of the take-up reel in the recorder.
Not merely the counterpart of the tape cartridge of the prior art but generally the brake mechanism of the character in which a brake lock moves upward and downward as fitted in a projection of projections formed in the upper casing of a cartridge housing has a construction such that a guide member (indicated at
11
in
FIGS. 1 and 2
) of the upper casing and recesses of the brake lock are combined so as to avoid turning of the brake lock itself. Usually a tape cartridge is assembled by first packing the lower casing with upper casing. The assembling is impossible if the recesses of the brake lock and the projections of the upper casing are not properly aligned, and actually the aligning has involved much difficulty.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a tape cartridge equipped with a brake mechanism of the character having a brake lock which moves upward and downward in engagement with projections formed in the upper casing of the cartridge housing, wherein a guide of the upper casing and a follower of the brake lock having contours such that the former has guide slopes and positioning points and the latter has projections adapted to be guided by the guide slopes and positioned at the positioning points so that the latter revolves in sliding contact with and fits in the former for positioning.
To be more concrete, the invention provides a tape cartridge comprising a housing composed of upper and lower casings, a single tape reel around which a length of tape is wound and which is turnably held within the housing, the lower casing having an opening through which a drive shaft of a recorder is to be inserted, the tape reel being composed of an upper flange, a lower flange, and a hub which is open at top and closed at bottom, the hub having a hole formed at its bottom in engagement with a brake release plate, a metal disk being attached to the outer side of the bottom of the hub and teeth being formed on the underside around the disk for engagement with the drive shaft of a recorder, the hub having teeth provided on the inner side of its bottom in mesh with a brake lock, a brake release plate mounted in the hub in engagement with its hole, a brake lock mounted further on the brake release plate, the brake lock having brake teeth on the outer periphery of its bottom and follower projections on its top, the hub teeth and the brake teeth of the brake lock being engageable to prevent turning of the tape reel, the follower projections being adapted to be guided by a guide provided in the upper casing, and a spring member disposed between the brake lock and upper casing to urge the brake lock normally in the brake position. The guide of the upper caseing and the follower of the brake lock have contours such that the former has guide slopes and positioning points and the latter has projections adapted to be guided by the guide slopes and positioned at the positioning points so that the latter revolves in sliding contact with and fits in the former positioning. Thus the brake lock at the time of assembling can be accurately positioned, regardless of its direction, with respect to the guiding part of the upper casing. This brings improvements in efficiency and quality of tape cartridge assembling.
Here each of the positioning points is formed of two walls defining a gap for sliding contact with each of the slopes, and each of the projections is adapted to fit in each of the gaps for positioning. The height of each wall is made greater than the distance that the brake lock travels, whereby the direction of travel of the brake lock is constrained to be vertical.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5027249 (1991-06-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5813622 (1998-09-01), Von Alten
patent: 5826811 (1998-10-01), Melbye et al.
patent: 5893527 (1999-04-01), Mizutani et al.
patent: 5901916 (1999-05-01), McAllister et al.
patent: 6014293 (2000-01-01), Casey et al.
patent: 6097574 (2000-08-01), Morita et al.
patent: 0 284 687 (1988-10-01), None
patent: 63-251983 (1988-10-01), None
Kaneda Hiroshi
Shima Motohiko
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
Rivera William A.
TDK Corporation
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