Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Cartridge system
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-14
2003-09-02
Mansen, Michael R. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Cartridge system
C242S347100, C360S096610, C360S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612513
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new tape cassette, a new cassette holder, and particularly to a technique capable of ensuring, when a tape cassette is inserted in a cassette holder, the positioning of the tape cassette in the insertion direction with improved accuracy.
A known tape cassette is loaded in a tape drive apparatus by inserting the tape cassette in a cassette holder provided on the tape drive apparatus and turning or sliding the cassette holder to finish the loading of the tape cassette to the tape drive apparatus. Such a tape cassette is represented by a&bgr; tape cassette, an 8 mm tape cassette, a DAT, a VHS tape cassette, or a DV tape cassette.
A front lid provided on the above-described tape cassette is opened when a cassette holder, in which the tape cassette has been inserted at a specific position, is moved (turned or moved up or down) relative to the tape drive apparatus. Accordingly, the positioning of the tape cassette to the cassette holder is performed in a state in which the front lid is closed.
FIGS. 20 and 21
show one example of an 8 mm tape cassette “a” having such a front lid.
In the tape cassette “a”, a tape-like recording medium “c” crosses the front end of a mouth portion “b” from side to side, and a front lid “d” covers the front side of the recording medium “c” while a back lid “e” covers the back side of the recording medium “c” (see FIG.
21
).
Right and left end portions of the lower edge of the front lid “d” have horizontally-elongated rectangular cutouts “f”. Right and left end portions, corresponding to the cutouts “f”, of a lower shell “g” have tongue pieces “h” projecting forward. In a closed state of the front lid “d”, the tongue pieces “h” are fitted in the cutouts “f”. At this time, the front end surfaces of the tongue pieces “h” are nearly at the same level as that of the surface of the front lid “d” in the horizontal direction (see FIG.
20
). The front end surfaces of the tongues “h” are taken as butting portions “i” for performing the positioning of the tape cassette “a” to a cassette holder “j” in the insertion direction (see FIG.
21
).
On the other hand, the cassette holder “j” has receiving portions “k” at positions corresponding to those of the butting portions “i” of the tape cassette “a” (see FIG.
22
). The receiving portion “k” is formed by bending upward each of the right and left end portions of the rear edge of a receiving plate I for supporting the tape cassette “a” from below.
With respect to the front and rear sides of the cassette holder “j”, the inlet side on which the tape cassette “a” is initially inserted is taken as the front side, and the depth side is taken as the rear side. To be more specific, the front side of the tape cassette “a” enters the front side of the cassette holder “j”and, accordingly, in the state that the tape cassette “a” is inserted in the cassette holder “j” the front/rear side of the tape cassette has an inverse relationship with the front/rear side of the cassette holder “j”. The same is true for a tape cassette and a cassette holder that will be described later.
The tape cassette “a” is inserted in the cassette holder “j” in a lid closed state of the front lid “d”, and then the butting portions “i” are brought into contact with the receiving portions “k” of the cassette holder “j”. At this time, the insertion of the tape cassette “a” in the cassette holder “j” is ended and simultaneously the positioning of the tape cassette “a” to the cassette holder “j” is attained.
In addition,
FIGS. 20 and 21
are perspective views of tape cassette “a” seen from the direction tilted rightward, upward, and
FIG. 22
is a perspective view seen from the direction tilted leftward, upward. The tape cassette “a” is initially inserted in the front portion of the cassette holder “j” in the direction shown by an arrow D in FIG.
22
.
The cassette holder “j” is then turned with respect to a tape drive apparatus (not shown), to carry the tape cassette “a” to a specific loading position in the tape drive apparatus. At this time, the front lid “d” and the back lid “e” of the tape cassette “a” are opened (see FIG.
21
). The cassette loading is thus ended.
The above-described related art tape cassette “a”, however, has a problem that when the tape cassette “a” is inserted in the cassette holder “j”, the butting portions “i” may ride across the receiving portions “k” of the cassette holder “j”. Such a situation makes it impossible not only to perform the positioning of the tape cassette “a” to the cassette holder “j” but also to perform the loading of the tape cassette “a” in the tape drive apparatus.
The above problem can be solved by enlarging the receiving portions “k” of the cassette holder “j”; however, if the receiving portions “k” are enlarged, they may interfere with the front lid “d” at the time of opening the front lid “d”. Accordingly, it is undesirable to enlarge the receiving portions “k”; rather, it is desirable to make the receiving portions “k” as small as possible in order to eliminate the interference of the receiving portions “k” with the front lid “d”.
Enlargement of the butting portions “i” of the tape cassette “a” may be considered; however, if the butting portions “i” are enlarged, they may interfere with the extraction of the tape-like recording medium “c” at the time of forming the tape path. Accordingly, the butting portions “i” cannot be enlarged from a practical viewpoint.
Prevention of the front end of the tape cassette “a” inserted in the cassette holder “j” (the rear end of the cassette holder “j”) from being deviated upward by extending the upper plate of the cassette holder “j” toward the rear end portion as much as possiblealso may be considered; however, actually, the upper plate of the cassette holder “j” cannot be extended up to the rear end portion in consideration of the fact that the front lid “d” is turned upward to be opened and a rotary drum (not shown) moves forward in the mouth portion “b”.
For these reasons, according to the related art, the riding of the butting portions of the tape cassette “a” across the receiving portions of the cassette holder “a” at the time of insertion of the tape cassette “a” in the cassette holder “j” cannot be prevented unless the dimensional accuracy of each of the tape cassette “a” and the cassette holder “j” is increased. Further there may occur the above-described accident that cassette loading cannot be performed due to slight dimensional mismatching between the butting portions and the receiving portions.
In particular, such a problem tends to become more serious with the miniaturization of tape cassettes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette and a cassette holderthat are capable of ensuring, when the tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder, the positioning of the tape cassette with an improved accuracy, and loosening the dimensional accuracy of each of the tape cassette and the cassette holder.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tape cassette, which includes a mouth portion provided in a front portion of a cassette shell in such a manner as to be opened forward, upward, and downward, part of a tape-like recording medium being positioned to cross the front end of the mouth portion; and a front lid for covering the front side of the tape-like recording medium, the front lid being opened when the tape cassette is inserted in a cassette holder, and which is loaded in a tape drive apparatus by a manner of inserting the tape cassette in the cassette holder and then moving the cassette holder relative to a chassis of the tape drive apparatus. The tape cassette is characterized by including a plurality of butting portions to be brought into contact with the cassette holder when the tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder, the butting portions being provided on each of the right and left sides of a front end portion of the cassette shell.
According to a second aspect of the
Fujii Hiroshi
Ota Shuichi
Mansen Michael R.
Pham Minh-Chau
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Ronald P. Kananen, Esq.
Sony Corporation
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