Hitachi Maxell, Limited

Nobutaka Miyazaki

Takashi Sumida

Hikaru Mizutani

Teruo Sogabe

Osamu Yamamoto

Tadao Matsuki

A single-reel tape cartridge cooperable with an operatively compatible tape drive including a tape catch member (H) includes a cartridge housing ( ) having a tape window ( ) defined therein and accommodating therein a single reel ( ) with a roll of a length of magnetic recording tape ( ) thereon. A leader pin ( ) is secured to a free end of the magnetic tape ( ) and engageable with the tape catch member (H) when the length of magnetic tape is to be drawn out of the cartridge housing and into the tape drive. A releasable locking mechanism for locking the leader pin ( ) in a predetermined posture at a retracted position at which the leader pin is housed within the cartridge housing ( ) and positioned adjacent the tape window ( ) includes a pair of first locking members ( ) and a second locking member ( ) cooperable with each other to lock the leader pin ( ) at a retracted position.

Single-reel tape cartridge with leader locking mechanism

A single-reel tape cartridge cooperable with an operatively compatible tape drive including a tape catch member ( ) includes a cartridge housing ( ) having a tape window ( ) defined therein and accommodating therein a single reel ( ) with a roll of a length of magnetic recording tape ( ) thereon. A leader member ( ) includes a metallic leader pin ( ) extending in a direction orthogonal to a lengthwise direction of the magnetic tape and first and second hooking arms ( ). The leader pin has opposite ends thereof insert-molded into the first and second hooking arms ( ) to thereby connect the leader pin with the first and second hooking arms ( ) so as to represent a generally U-shaped configuration.

Tape leader member in a single-reel tape cartridge

A cartridge includes a housing having a medium chamber defined therein for accommodating the recording medium and also having at least one access opening defined therein, a slide shutter slidably mounted on the housing for movement between an opened position in which the access opening is opened and a closed position in which the access opening is closed, and a biasing member for biasing the slide shutter towards the closed position. The biasing member is in the form of a twin-coiled torsional spring including first and second coils connected together by means of a bridge and first and second spring arms extending outwardly from the first and second coils, respectively. The first spring arms has a free end engaged to the slide shutter and the second spring arm has a free end engaged to a portion of the housing.

Recording medium cartridge with a twin-coiled torsional spring-biased

A single-reel tape cartridge includes a rectangular flattened casing including upper and lower panels joined together to define a reel chamber therebetween. A tape reel includes a cylindrical hollow boss and upper and lower flanges protruding radially outwardly from upper and lower ends of the hollow boss, respectively, and is accommodated rotatably within the reel chamber. A drive ring is disposed at a lower portion of a hollow of the hollow boss and adapted to receive a rotary drive from a drive element of a tape drive mechanism when the drive element is brought into engagement with the drive ring in a planar contact fashion. This drive ring is supported in a fashion slidable up and down, but non-rotatable relative to the hollow boss. A reel retainer is biased by a biasing spring in one direction towards the lower panel of the casing, such that the drive ring can be sandwiched between the drive element and the reel retainer while the drive element is held in tight contact with an undersurface of the drive ring.

Single-reel tape cartridge

A magnetic tape cartridge, particularly for use in a digital audio tape player, which includes a lock mechanism for avoiding an arbitrary motion of any one of the reels within the cartridge so as to avoid an undesirable loosening of a length of the magnetic tape extending between the reels, The lock mechanism including a lock member normally biased to a lock position and having lock pawls normally engaged with toothed lock wheels integral with the respective reels, at least one stopper rod protruding from one end of the lock member and terminating in alignment with a free end of a corresponding one of hinge arms integral with a front cover used to selectively open and close a front opening of the cartridge such that so long as the front cover is in position to close the front opening, the free end of the stopper rod is positioned in close proximity to the corresponding hinge arm to keep the lock member immovable even when a drastic impact acts on the tape cartridge tending the lock member to move from the locked position towards an unlocked position.

Tape cartridge reel lock mechanism

A magnetic tape cartridge, particularly for use in a digital audio tape player, which includes a lock mechanism for avoiding an arbitrary motion of any one of the reels within the cartridge so as to avoid an undesirable loosening of a length of the magnetic tape extending between the reels, the lock mechanism including a lock member normally biased to a lock position and having lock pawls normally engaged with toothed lock wheels integral with the respective reels, at least one stopper rod protruding from one end of the lock member and terminating in alignment with a free end of a corresponding one of hinge arms integral with a front cover used to selectively open and close a front opening of the cartridge such that so long as the front cover is in position to close the front opening, the free end of the stopper rod is positioned in close proximity to the corresponding hinge arm to keep the lock member immovable even when a drastic impact acts on the tape cartridge tending the lock member to move from the locked position towards an unlocked position.

A case body composed of upper and lower halves having a main wall in which there is defined at an intermediate portion thereof a pair of drive shaft insertion holes in right and left portions thereof, and the case body includes two pairs of upper and lower flange members inwardly projected from inner peripheral portions of the drive shaft insertion holes continuous with the main wall. A name plate made of a materials harder than the plastic material of the case body, is attached to an outer surface of the main wall including the right and left drive shaft insertion holes, and the name plate has one or more indexes formed on the outer surface thereof and has a pair of right and left shaft insertion openings defined therein. The positions of the shaft insertion openings correspond to the drive shaft insertion holes defined in the case body.

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Kusatsu, Japan

Nobutaka Miyazaki