Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Imation Corporation

Leslie M Collins

Davin Stowell

Gregory H Johnson

Thomas M Dair

Steven R Seeman

Myron Zarr

John T Gianfagna

Peter Stathis

Karyn I Zucker

Stephen D Russak

Randolph L Carlson

A tape cartridge including a cartridge housing, one or more tape hub pins substantially fixed at both ends to the cartridge housing, and tape hubs, carrying tape, e.g., magnetic tape, that are mounted around the tape hub pins for rotation within the cartridge housing. Also described is a method for preventing tilt of a tape hub including fitting a first end of the pin into a baseplate, which is part of the tape cartridge housing. The method also includes fitting a second end of the pin into a pin retention device formed into a cover, which is another part of the tape cartridge housing. The pin retention device of this method may take the form of a ring-like feature, provided in the cover, which retains the second end of the pin.

Data tape cartridge with modified hub mounting arrangement

Data storage tape cartridge

Data cartridge case

A conductive, carbon-filled acetal resin capstan within a belt driven tape cartridge is rotatably supported by a pin and includes a cylindrical outer surface for engaging a drive belt. The capstan is electrically conductive to dissipate static electrical charges and includes a polytetrafluoroethylene-filled acetal resin sleeve interposed between the pin and the capstan to increase the wear resistance of the capstan where it frictionally engages the cartridge.

Wear-resistant capstan for belt driven cartridge

A tape spool including two flanges interconnected by a hub providing a cylindrical tape winding surface is adapted for mounting on and rotation around a cylindrical pin extending from one of two spaced, parallel walls of a data cartridge by providing a bore extending through the hub and one of the flanges which closely but freely fits said pin, and a bearing protrusion extending from the other of the flanges into the bore wherein the extension of the pin from its cartridge wall is greater than the length of the bore to the bearing protrusion so that the spool is suspended above the wall for free rotation about the pin. Oscillation of the spool on the pin may be prevented by also providing a wear-button protrusion extending from the other of the flanges opposite and coaxial with the bore and a spring which extends from the remaining cartridge wall to contact the wear-button protrusion and force the spool into contact with the pin.

Anti-friction and non-oscillating spool for belt driven cartridge

Growing community of inventors

White Bear Lake, MN, United States of America

Leslie M Collins