Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-10
2003-11-25
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C242S610600, C242S611000, C242S611100, C360S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06651917
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tape cartridge having a tape reel rotatably received within a body of the tape cartridge, with a magnetic tape wound around the tape reel.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a tape cartridge of this kind, the present applicant has already developed a magnetic tape cartridge
51
shown in
FIGS. 5
to
7
(hereinafter simply referred to as “the tape cartridge”).
As shown in
FIG. 5
, this tape cartridge
51
is comprised of a casing body (cartridge body)
2
, a tape reel
52
, a lock member
4
, a spring
5
, a brake release plate
53
, and a pin member
7
. It should be noted that the tape reel
52
has a magnetic tape wound therearound, but for ease of understanding of construction of each component, illustration of the magnetic tape is omitted. Further, a leading end of the magnetic tape is wound around the pin member
7
and fixed by a fixing tool
7
a
. The pin member
7
guides the magnetic tape to a take-up reel within a record/playback apparatus when it is moved along a tape traveling passage within the record/playback apparatus to the take-up reel.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the casing body
2
is comprised of a pair of cartridge halves (an upper casing
11
and a lower casing
12
), which are shallow plate-shaped and can be fitted to each other, and a shutter member
2
b
which can close a tape draw-out slot
2
a
formed by the upper casing
11
and the lower casing
12
when they are fitted. Further, as shown in
FIG. 7
, from an inner surface of the upper casing
11
perpendicularly extend four guide projections
11
a
,
11
a
,
11
a
,
11
a
for mounting the lock member
4
such that the lock member
4
cannot be rotated but is allowed to move vertically. Further, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the lower casing
12
has an insertion hole
12
a
formed therethrough for allowing a driving shaft S (see
FIG. 7
) of the record/playback apparatus to be inserted therein.
As shown in
FIG. 5
, the tape reel
52
is comprised of a hub
54
, a pair of flanges (an upper flange
55
and a lower flange
56
), and a metal plate
18
. The hub
54
is formed to have a bottomed cylindrical shape around which a magnetic tape can be wound, and integrally formed with the lower flange
56
. Further, as shown in
FIG. 6A
, teeth
56
a
for meshing with the lock member
4
are formed on an inner surface of the lower flange
56
surrounded by the hub
54
, and three insertion holes
56
b
,
56
b
,
56
b
for mounting the brake release plate
53
in a vertically movable fashion extend to an outer surface of the lower flange
56
in a communicating fashion (see FIG.
6
B). Further, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the upper flange
55
is formed therethrough with an insertion hole
55
a
allowing insertion of the lock member
4
and the brake release plate
53
. Further, as shown in
FIG. 6B
, at a location of the outer surface of the lower flange opposed to the insertion hole
12
a
of the lower casing
12
, driving teeth
56
c
,
56
c
,
56
c
are formed on an identical circumference. Further, an area inward of the driving teeth
56
c
,
56
c
,
56
c
, there is mounted the metal plate
18
(see
FIG. 5
) for causing the tape reel
52
to be magnetically attracted to the driving shaft S. The hub
54
, the upper flange
55
, and the lower flange
56
,which form the tape reel
52
are each made by resin molding. The driving teeth
56
c
is demanded of a high strength since it is meshed with the driving teeth of the driving shaft S of the record/playback apparatus. Therefore, the driving teeth
56
c
, the hub
54
, and the lower flange
56
are integrally formed from a mixed resin material in which a reinforcing material, such as a glass fiber, is mixed in a natural resin material (pure resin material not containing a pigment (opaque material which neither reacts with a material mixed therewith, nor dissolves in water or alcohol, but exhibits a certain color; an inorganic material, such as a metal salt), a dye, or a reinforcing material, the definition being applied hereinafter), such as polycarbonate. On the other hand, the upper flange
55
is not demanded of such a high strength as the lower flange
56
, since the upper flange
55
is not brought into contact with the record/playback apparatus. Therefore, the upper flange
55
is formed by resin molding by using the natural resin material having no reinforcing material mixed therein. Further, the upper flange
55
is formed by using the natural resin material used in forming the lower flange
56
, in view of facility of ultrasonic welding of the upper flange
55
to the lower flange
56
.
The lock member
4
has a bottom formed with teeth
4
a
which can be meshed with the teeth
56
a
of the lower flange
56
, and a protrusion
4
b
which can be brought into contact with a center of the brake release plate
53
, as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 7
. Further, a positioning protrusion
4
c
in the shape of a cross in plan view extends perpendicularly from an upper surface of the lock member
4
. In this case, the protrusion
4
b
has a function of decreasing the sliding resistance offered when the brake release plate
53
rotates together with the tape reel
52
, by bringing the lock member
4
into point contact with the brake release plate
53
. Further, the positioning protrusion
4
c
is formed with a guide groove
4
d
in the shape of a cross into which the four guide projections
11
a
,
11
a
, . . . of the upper casing
11
can be inserted. Further, by having the protrusions
11
a
,
11
a
, . . . inserted into the guide groove
4
d
, the lock member
4
is attached to the upper casing
11
in a rotation-inhibited but vertically movable fashion, and constantly urged toward the inner surface of the lower flange
56
(toward a brake position) by the spring
5
.
The brake release plate
53
is formed as a thin flat plate from a resin material, as shown in
FIG. 7
, and three legs
53
a
,
53
a
,
53
a
which can be inserted into the insertion holes
56
b
,
56
b
,
56
b
of the lower flange
56
extend perpendicularly from a reverse surface thereof. The brake release plate
53
is attached to the inside of the hub
54
in a state in which the legs
53
a
,
53
a
,
53
a
thereof are inserted into the insertion holes
56
b
,
56
b
,
56
b
of the lower flange
56
, respectively. Thus, the brake release plate
53
is configured such that it is vertically movable with respect to the lower flange
56
within a range of the length of the legs
53
a
,
53
a
,
53
a
, and at the same time, it cannot be rotated relative to the lower flange
56
. Therefore, the brake release plate
53
is rotated together with the hub
54
and the lower flange
56
during rotation of the tape reel
52
.
According to the tape cartridge
51
, when it is taken out of the record/playback apparatus, the lock member
4
is constantly urged toward the inner surface of the lower flange
56
(toward the brake position) by the spring
5
, within the casing body
2
. Further, the teeth
4
a
of the lock member
4
and the teeth
56
a
of the tape reel
52
are brought into mutual contact and meshed with each other. In this state, since the teeth
4
a
of the lock member
4
are meshed with the teeth
56
a
of the tape reel
52
, and at the same time, the guide protrusions
11
a
,
11
a
, . . . of the upper casing
11
are inserted into the guide groove
4
d
of the lock member
4
, rotation of the tape reel
52
within the casing body
2
is inhibited by the lock member
4
. Therefore, loosening or collapse of winding of the magnetic tape wound around the tape reel
52
within the casing body
2
is prevented. Further, in this sate, the brake release plate
53
is pressed against the inner surface of the lower flange
56
by the lock member
4
urged by the spring
5
, so that the legs
53
a
,
53
a
,
53
a
of the brake release plate
53
extend through the insertion holes
56
b
,
56
b
,
56
b
of the lower flange
56
to be projected out from the outer surface of the lower flange
56
.
On the other hand, when the tape car
Momoi Akio
Shima Motohiko
Nguyen John Q.
TDK Corporation
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