Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-21
2004-03-09
Matecki, Kathy (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
active
06702216
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a single-reel type tape cartridge for use with magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus, especially a tape cartridge having a door member covering a tape outlet in the housing.
PRIOR ART
With respect to a single-reel type tape cartridge for use with magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus, Japanese Patent Application Kokai 11-328,922 describes a door member covering a tape outlet in a housing, used with a torsion coil spring in which two coil portions are connected in tandem, thereby applying force to the door member in the direction of dosing. With this coil spring, the distance between two coil portions as well as the distance from each coil portion to the respective end of the spring are kept small as compared with the case of a torsion spring having one coil portion. Therefore, when the door member is opened or dosed, the distance of the door movement, without the spring being brought into contact with the upper or lower wall of the housing, becomes longer.
Briefly, in the prior art (FIG.
7
), a door member
7
is provided to cover the tape outlet extending over the upper housing
1
and the lower housing
2
; two coil portions
110
and
112
are connected with each other via a medium arm portion
114
; an arm portion
113
extending from the coil portion
110
is fixed to the housing, and the other arm portion
115
extending from the coil portion
112
is fixed to the door member
7
, so that the door member
7
is constantly pushed by the coil spring towards the dosed position. When the door member
7
is pushed in the door-opening direction by the means equipped in the apparatus, each of the spring arm portions
113
and
115
moves using the respective ends of the arm as a fulcrum, thereby allowing the door member
7
to move to the opened position. The height of the spring is lower as compared with that of the spring with one coil portion, which allows larger moving distance of the door member
7
as compared with the case of the spring with one coil portion, in the cartridge having the smaller space between the upper wall and the lower wall.
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
However, in the structure of the door disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai 11-328,922, the coil portions
110
and
112
are arranged in tandem, and thus the distance between them are kept constant while the door member is shifting its position. As the result, when the door member
7
is in opened position, relatively large space is required for the spring in the housing. In addition, in the case of a smaller cartridge in which the perpendicular movement of the coil portion relative to the direction of the sliding of the door member (i.e. upward or downward movement relative to the cartridge) is limited, portions of the door member or the housing may be subjected to abrasion by the arm portions of the spring, as the opening-closing movement of the door member is repeated.
Therefore, it is desired to provide a force-adding spring that allows the door member to move in wider range, while the spring occupies smaller space.
Means to Solve the Problem
The problem mentioned above will be solved by providing the cartridge having a torsion coil spring of the present invention. Specifically, the present invention provides a tape cartridge including a housing, a single tape reel turnably held within the housing, said tape reel carrying a length of tape wound thereon, the outer end of the tape being fixed to a leader member in the form of pin, which can be taken out of the cartridge through an outlet formed in the housing by a tape draw-out member of a recording-reproducing apparatus, a door member covering said outlet, and a spring member pushing said door member towards the dosed position, wherein said spring member is a torsion coil spring comprising two coil portions; a connecting portion linking said two coil portions; a first arm portion that extends from one of said coil portions forming a first angle relative to said connecting portion and has an end abutting the housing; and a second arm portion extending from the other of said coil portions, forming a second angle relative to said connecting portion, said second angle pointing in a direction opposite to said first angle and having an end fixed to said door member.
With this construction, the interference by two coil portions is prevented, and smooth opening/dosing of the door member is attained, even though the space for the torsion coil spring is small.
Preferably, the first arm portion is longer than the second arm portion.
With this construction, when the door member is opened, said first arm portion abutting the housing is deformed at first, and then said second arm portion fixed to the door member is deformed, thereby keeping the initial driving force for opening the door member small.
Preferably, among the arm portions, the first arm portion abutting the housing has an end in the form of a coil.
With this construction, abrasion of the housing can be prevented.
Preferably, the portion of the door member to which the spring member is fixed is provided with a hood that prevents the spring member from being brought into contact with the upper wall of the housing.
Preferably, the housing has a second abutting portion which functions as a fulcrum at the position apart from the above-mentioned abutting portion of the housing for the first arm portion, during the late stage of the deformation of the first arm portion, thereby shortening the effective length of the first arm portion, which allows the second arm portion to be deformed as the door member is opened.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
FIG. 1
shows an exploded perspective view of the tape cartridge according to one embodiment of the present invention.
The cartridge comprises a housing composed of the upper housing
1
and the lower housing
2
, within which a single tape reel
3
is turnably held.
The lower housing
2
has an opening
21
through which a drive shaft of the apparatus is inserted. In the upper housing
1
and the lower housing
2
, notches
12
and
22
are formed respectively, and they together form a tape outlet
100
.
A tape reel
3
comprises an upper flange
31
, a lower flange
33
and a hub
32
, the latter two of which are integrally formed together. On the bottom of the hub
32
, a metal plate
34
is embedded. On the bottom side of the hub
32
surrounding the metal plate
34
, there formed dents arranged in circle (not shown) to engage with the drive shaft of the apparatus. Since the end of the tape is directly adhered to the outer surface of the hub by means of water or the like, the hub has no member for securing the tape.
The inner surface of the hub
32
has engage dents
35
, which engage with a brake lock
5
, thereby preventing undesired rotation of the tape reel
3
when the cartridge is not in use.
The bottom side of the brake lock
5
has engage dents
51
, which engage with the dents
35
of the hub
32
. The brake lock
5
is constantly pushed to the braking position by a brake spring
4
. A guided projection
52
of the brake lock
5
is allowed to securely move upward or downward (to the braking position or to the brake-releasing position) by a position-regulating part
13
formed in the inner side of the upper housing
1
.
Between the hub
32
and the brake lock
5
, a brake-releasing plate
9
is inserted.
The brake-releasing plate
9
is composed of a main plate
91
and legs
92
. Each of the legs
92
is inserted in the hole
36
on the bottom plate of the hub
32
, and when the cartridge is applied to the apparatus, the legs
92
of the brake-releasing plate
9
are lifted upward, which leads to the upward lift of the brake lock
5
, thereby releasing the engagement with tape reel
3
to allow the tape reel
3
to turn.
The outer end of the tape T is fixed to the leader member
8
. The leader member
8
is composed of a pin member
81
and a C-shaped damp
82
. The tape T is wound around the pin member
81
, and the C-shaped damp
82
is snap-fitted over the pin
Kaneda Hiroshi
Momoi Akio
Shima Motohiko
TDK Corporation
Wood Phillips Katz Clark & Mortimer
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