Sony Corporation

Yasuaki Kano

Katsumi Maekawa

Toshiya Kurokawa

Atsushi Mitani

Yoshihisa Takayama

Joichi Daiba

Yoshitsugu Taki

Takao Hiramoto

Kazuyuki Hirooka

Taketoshi Yamagishi

Kyoichi Isomura

Osamu Nakamura

Atsushi Ito

Mitsunori Sakama

Shuichi Kikuchi

Hidekazu Seto

Nobuhiko Tsukahara

Kazuya Koseki

Hidetoshi Honda

Katsumi Ikeda

Tatsuya Kato

Masahiro Kodama

Masaki Yoshizawa

Takaaki Sanpei

Shin Kimura

Fumiharu Sudo

Motoyoshi Fujimori

Tsuyoshi Toukairin

Toru Hasegawa

Masahiro Kiyota

Takeshi Mizutani

A magnetic tape cartridge includes a cartridge case, a pair of cylindrical hubs rotatably provided in the cartridge case, and a magnetic tape laid between the hubs and wound around outer peripheries of the hubs. Each of the hubs has an inner diameter portion provided with a height-position determining member. The height-position determining member determines a height position of the hub in the magnetic tape cartridge by contacting a driving shaft inserted in the hub when the magnetic tape cartridge is mounted in a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.

Position determining member to align a magnetic tape cartridge in a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus

The invention proposes a tape drive apparatus, tape extraction apparatus and tape cartridge that enable a reliable chucking and chucking release, and a stable carrying of a tape being extracted from a cartridge. The invention is constituted by a magnetically recording/reproducing apparatus; a cartridge mount mechanismwhereon a tape cartridgewith the magnetic tape T wound therein is mounted; a takeup reelto wind up magnetic T thereon; a leader blockattached to one end of the magnetic tape T with a rotation restriction section provided thereon; a chucking mechanismwhich comprises a chucking pinthat restricts the rotation of the leader block and chucks the leader block, chucking and releasing chucking of the leader block; a carrying mechanismwhich comprises the carrying sectionfor carrying the chucked leader block; a chucking release leversandwhich releases chucking of the chucking mechanism, which is actuated by camsandprovided on the carrying sectionand disposed on both ends of the cam groovefor guiding the movement of the leader block; and reel motorsC andT including frequency generatorsC andT for rotationally driving the tape reelwithin the tape cartridgeand the takeup reel, respectively.

Tape drive apparatus, tape extraction apparatus and tape cassette

The present invention provides a tape drive apparatus enabled to directly and accurately detect dew condensation on a rotary head drum. Tape serving as a recording medium is drawn out of a cartridge. The drawn tape runs in such a way as to be wound on a tape takeup reel provided in a tape drive apparatus body. Signals are recorded on and reproduced from the tape by winding the drawn tape around the rotary head drum. This tape drive apparatus has a prethreading mechanism that brings the tape into slight contact with the rotary head drum before the tape is completely wound therearound. Dew condensation on the rotary head drum is detected by rotating the rotary head drum during a status in which the tape is brought by the prethreading mechanism into contact with the rotary head drum.

Tape drive apparatus

A tape drive apparatus, tape extraction apparatus and tape cartridge that enable a reliable chucking and chucking release, and a stable carrying of a tape being extracted from a cartridge. The apparatus includes a carrying mechanism for extracting the tape as a recording medium from the cartridge where the magnetic tape is stored, and for carrying the magnetic tape to be wound up onto a takeup reel provided on the drive apparatus.

Tape drive device, tape extraction device and tape cassette

There is provided a recording and/or reproducing apparatus including: a cartridge loading member into which is loaded a tape cartridge having a magnetic tape provided with a leader block on one end; a take-up mechanism for winding the magnetic tape; a carrying mechanism for carrying a tape pulling member, which engages with the leader block and pulls the magnetic tape from the tape cartridge, between the tape cartridge and the take-up mechanism; and a magnetic head mechanism for recording or reproducing signals. An area in which the cartridge loading member is formed, and an area in which the take-up mechanism, the carrying mechanism and the magnetic head mechanism are formed are divided by a partition, and the partition has an opening, and a shutter mechanism for shutting the opening. Thus, a recording and/or reproducing apparatus capable of preventing dust and the like from entering into the drive area is provided.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus

A single-reel tape cartridge includes a leader block and a take-up reel disposed inside a drive apparatus that are provided with retaining members so that the leader block is firmly positioned and rattling thereof is prevented. A pair of changer grips which extend from end to end of a housing of the cartridge in the vertical direction are formed at two corners of the cartridge housing. In addition, a memory module, which stores the management information for the tape-like recording medium and which is used for radio communication, is disposed at an angle in one of the corners of the cartridge so that a communication antenna of the memory module faces at least two directions. In addition, the leader tape is provided with a striped portion used for identifying the medium, and the cartridge housing is closed by a shutter used for disengaging the reel lock.

Single reel tape cartridge and recording and reproducing device using the tape cartridge

A tape drive uses a single-reel type tape cassette, and includes a pull-back guide shaft for pulling back a tape-shaped recording medium at a predetermined position and a pair of moveable guide pins, whereby the tape-shaped recording medium is positioned between the paired guide pins is wound around the drum. A tension device applies a predetermined tension when the tape-shaped recording medium has been drawn out and a tape path has been formed. A non-winding fast feed mode is set in which the tape-shaped recording medium is fed at high speed under a predetermined tension wherein the tape-shaped recording medium is not wound around the drum. The tension device has a tension regulator lever having two guide shafts for both winding feed mode and non-winding feed mode.

Tape drive

A tape cartridge housing a magnetic tape includes an auxiliary storage medium having a storage unit in which to store the recording medium information such as design parameters or the number of times of recording and/or reproduction of the magnetic tape, and a transmission/reception unit for effecting inputting/outputting of the recording medium information with the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The auxiliary storage medium is mounted so that the transmission/reception unit is exposed to the outside through an opening provided in a lateral surface of the main cartridge body unit not obstructing the loading of the magnetic tape, that is in a surface of the main cartridge body unit other than its front surface as an inserting end of the tape cartridge into the inside of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The auxiliary storage medium has an antenna constituting the transmission/reception unit for inputting/outputting the recording medium information with the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. It is through this antenna that the power is supplied from the auxiliary recording and/or reproducing unit provided on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus in accordance with a non-contact system transmitting the recording medium information and the power overlaid on the recording medium information.

Recording medium device containing recording medium and recording/reproducing device

A tape cassette includes an MIC (Memory-In-Cassette) installed inside the center section of the label surface, and a case capable of housing the magnetic tape. A switch circuit board is installed in the front part of the chassis parallel to the inner side of the front panel, and a communications antenna is mounted on this switch circuit board. When the cassette is loaded in the chassis from the cassette insertion slot, the MIC is in proximity to the front of the communications antenna and wireless communications between the antenna and MIC are carried out with high accuracy. By efficiently installing an MIC in a tape cassette having little excess space such as DAT (digital audio tape recorder) cassettes, an increase in the number of parts and the number of assembly processes can be avoided and highly accurate reading and writing of control information on the MIC in the cassette can be performed.

Information storage device having tape cassette with noncontact memory and antenna

When a memory in cassette (MIC) in a loaded tape cassette can successfully be accessed, an MIC type stored in the MIC is detected to judge a data format the tape cassette has. To this end, the tape cassette is adapted such that the data format or the loaded tape cassette can be identified without detecting an identification hole formed in the tape cassette. Thus, it is possible to easily accommodate any future extension of the data format.

Recording medium, tape drive, and method for identifying type of recording medium

This invention is directed to a tape cassette in which a tape body is wound across a pair of tape reels rotatably supported by the cassette body. At the cassette body, there are provided a first write protect mechanism provided in correspondence with the position where there is provided a write protect mechanism provided at other tape cassette loaded with compatibility with respect to a recording/reproducing apparatus into which tape cassette is loaded, and a second write protect mechanism provided at the position which is not in correspondence with the position where write protect mechanism provided at the other tape cassette is provided, wherein the first write protect mechanism is in write protect state at all times. Thus, when there is loaded tape cassette where recording of information signals is carried out by other recording format into recording/reproducing apparatus corresponding to only tape cassette of a specific recording format of tape cassettes different in the recording format, recording of information signals with respect to this tape cassette is inhibited to realize protection of already recorded data.

Tape cassette having first and second write inhibit mechanisms

This invention is directed to a tape cassette in which a tape body is wound across a pair of tape reels rotatably supported by the cassette body. At the cassette body, a location of a first write inhibit mechanism corresponds to the position of a write inhibit mechanism for another tape cassette. A second write inhibit mechanism is provided at the position that is not in correspondence with the position where write inhibit mechanism provided at the other tape cassette is provided. The first write inhibit mechanism is in a write inhibit state at all times. Thus, when there is loaded a tape cassette where recording of information signals is carried out by a different recording format into recording/reproducing apparatus corresponding to only a tape cassette of a specific recording format of tape cassettes different in the recording format, recording of information signals with respect to this tape cassette is inhibited to realize protection of already recorded data. Discrimination techniques are also disclosed.

Tape cassette having first and second write inhibit mechanisms for cassette type discrimination

A transformer for reading information from and writing information to a memory for storing predetermined information, which is mounted on a recording medium cassette, without being in contact with the memory. This transformer is formed as a multi-layer substrate by stacking a plurality of flexible printed substrates each having a predetermined circuit pattern. Thus, the thickness of the transformer and the number of parts thereof are decreased without reducing the sensitivity thereof.

Transformer and cassette library system having the same

A reading device for reading identification information of cartridges comprises a judging circuit for judging whether the cartridge has an identification information storer for storing the identification information of a recording medium thereof, and an information reader for reading the identification information of the identification information storer. This judgment is made before the information reader reads the identification information of the identification information storer, and the information reader reads the identification information only in the event that the cartridge has an identification information storer. Accordingly, waste of time and labor are spared for reading the identification information, and trouble such as deterioration and damage from to attempting to read the identification information from storage medium cartridges which do not have the identification information storers can be prevented. Consequently, reading of identification information of the recording medium cartridges can be performed efficiently.

Reading device for reading identification information of a cartridge

A cassette transfer mechanism for transferring a cassette recording medium to and from a cassette accommodating portion for accommodating cassette recording mediums, the cassette transfer mechanism having a unit which stores information in a memory included in the cassette and/or reads information from the same and which has a connector structured to be brought into contact with a memory terminal provided for the cassette recording medium when information is stored in the memory and/or read from the same. The above-mentioned structure enables information to be stored in the memory included in the cassette and/or read from the same without a necessity of loading the cassette recording medium into a drive unit whenever information is stored/read.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yasuaki Kano