Sony Corporation

Yuji Iwahashi

Shinya Sato

Kiyoshi Urayama

Hiroshi Kumagai

Hiroshi Ozaki

Masanori Tanaka

Masanori Abe

Toshihiro Watanabe

Takeshi Saito

Masahiro Makino

Shuichi Yamashina

Minoru Yahagi

Chisato Akasaka

A tape cartridge includes a reel; a cartridge case; a reel lock member; and a reel lock release member. The reel includes a reel hub including a cylindrical bottom portion. The reel lock member includes a projecting portion projecting to engage with the reel hub. The reel lock release member includes a main body and leg portions, the main body disposed between the reel lock member and cylindrical bottom portion, the leg portions extending from the main body and being inserted into through holes, the reel lock release member releasing engagement of the reel lock member and reel hub. The main body includes central portion and extension portions, the central portion in contact with the projecting portion, the extension portions extending radially to end portions connected to the leg portions, thicknesses of the extension portions along a uniaxial direction gradually decreasing from the central portion toward the end portions.

Tape cartridge with reel lock release member having gradually decreasing thickness extension portions

A tape cartridge according to an embodiment of the present technology includes: a tape reel; a cartridge case; and a reel lock member. The tape reel includes a reel hub having a bottomed cylindrical shape, a tape having been wound on the reel hub. The cartridge case includes a first protruding portion and a plurality of second protruding portions, the first protruding portion protruding toward a center of a bottom portion of the reel hub, the plurality of second protruding portions being arranged around the first protruding portion. The reel lock member is disposed inside the reel hub. The reel lock member includes a first tubular portion and a plurality of second tubular portions, the first tubular portion fitting with the first protruding portion, the plurality of second tubular portions fitting with the plurality of second protruding portions. The reel lock member is movable in a direction of the one axis between a lock position and a lock release position, the reel lock member engaging with the bottom portion of the reel hub at the lock position, engagement between the reel lock member and the bottom portion of the reel hub being released at the lock release position.

Tape cartridge including reel lock member

A magnetic tape cartridge includes a reel that is capable of winding a magnetic tape thereonto, a cartridge main body that is capable of accommodating the reel, a leader pin that is attached to the magnetic tape wound onto the reel and is capable of moving between a first position where the leader pin is accommodated in the cartridge main body and a second position where the leader pin is taken out of the cartridge main body, and a retention clip that is disposed in the cartridge main body and includes an elastic member which is capable of deforming elastically following the movement of the leader pin along with a tip end portion protruding on the path of the movement of the leader pin. The retention clip includes an abutting portion that is capable of abutting on the cartridge main body in response to the movement of the leader pin.

Magnetic tape cartridge

A tape cassette having a reel lock mechanism which includes a slider adapted to slide in frontward and rearward directions within a cassette housing; a pair of lock pawls adapted to engage with outer circumferential toothed portions of a pair of reels to lock rotation of the reels in tape slacking directions, the lock pawls being rotatably mounted on the slider; a first spring for biasing the lock pawls to rotate the same in such a direction as to engage the lock pawls with the toothed portions of the reels; a second spring for biasing the slider to slide the same in the frontward direction and drive the reels through the lock pawls in tape winding directions; and a pair of guides for rotating the lock pawls in such a direction as to disengage the lock pawls from the toothed portions against a biasing force of the first spring when the slider is slid in the rearward direction. Accordingly, when the reels are locked by the lock pawls, the reels are rotationally driven in the tape winding directions to thereby securely prevent slacking of the tape.

Tape cassette with slidably guided, spring-biased reel locking means

In order to prevent drop-out in recording and reproducing, a cassette back lid is constituted by a first swing plate having a first engagement member engageable with a first cam surface, and a second swing plate having a second engagement member engageable with a second cam surface. The first swing plate is urged by torsion springs, in the lid opening direction. Therefore, a rotational operation of a cassette front lid in the lid opening direction causes the first swing plate to swing in the lid opening direction, and the second swing plate to swing in the lid opening direction, independently of the swing motion of the first swing plate, that is, the first and second swing plates swing relative to each other and also relative to the front lid in response to the swinging movements of the front lid between its opened and closed positions. This arrangement makes it possible to add the cassette back lid behind the front lid without changing the conventional open angle, and to improve the ability of protecting the tape.

Lid assembly for a tape cassette which protects front and rear surfaces

A tape cassette includes a main lid which is pivotally mounted on an open end of a cassette shell. The main lid pivotally mounts a sub lid having a cam boss portion which is positioned in a lower end of a cam groove provided at each side of the open end of the cassette shell. A portion of the cassette shell supporting the cam groove also includes a tape guide surface backed by a concave portion. A rib is provided across the concave portion to prevent the cam boss from entering thereinto during closing operation of the cassette, thus preventing jamming and assuring reliable opening and closing operation of the tape cassette.

Tape cassette having an improved lid/sub lid structure

A tape cassette case for accommodating therein a tape cassette is increased in airtight property and is also prevented from being damaged when dropped. Further, this tape cassette case is a high-class tape cassette and excellent in external appearance. A case body portion (1) and a lid portion (2) are molded by a dichromatic molding process of a polypropylene (3) and a thermoplastic elastomer (4) serving as a surface material of the polypropylene (3). Of contact portions of the case body portion (1) and the lid portion (2), the contact portion of the case body portion (1) is molded by the thermoplastic elastomer (4) and the contact portion of the lid portion (2) is molded by the polypropylene (3).

Tape cassette case made by a dichromatic manner

A reel brake device for a tape reel of a magnetic tape cassette has a pair of braking strips for a supply reel and a take-up reel. The braking strips are formed with at least one hinged section to allow resilient deformation in order to absorb kinematic energy exerted on the braking strips from the tape reel as the reel is subjected to rotational torque or lateral force. By providing the capability of resilient deformation for the braking strips, braking engagement can be maintained even when vibration exerting rotational force is applied to the tape reels.

Brake device for tape reel in magnetic tape cassette

A tape cassette reel having an upper flange portion and a lower flange portion formed as one body with a reel hub, in which the central portion of the upper flange portion is made of an opaque resin and a peripheral portion thereof is made of a transparent resin by a dichromatic molding process and a stepped portion is formed on a bonding surface between the central portion and the peripheral portion of the upper flange portion so as to increase a bonding strength of the bonding surface.

Tape cassette reel having an upper reel portion formed by dichromatic

A tape cassette having an opening at the front of the cassette housing across which a run of the tape is guided is provided with a lid assembly which includes a front closure having a relatively deep outer portion joined at the top to a relatively shallow inner portion which embrace the tape run in a closed position of the lid assembly, a rear closure pivoted to the inner portion of the front closure for completing the enclosure of the tape run when embraced by the front closure, and a forwardly directed flange at the top of the cassette housing extending to the front closure in the closed position of the latter for closing the top of the front opening of the cassette housing without obstructing the mouse area thereof.

Tape cassette with lid assembly which, in a closed position, protects

A tape cassette suitable for use in an 8-mm video tape recorder for recording and/or reproducing video and audio signals, which comprises a light projecting section inserting aperture formed on the bottom surface of the cassette near the front surface of the cassette between supply and takeup reels juxtaposed in the cassette, light receiving windows formed through the both side walls of the cassette for passing therethrough a light emitted from a light emitting element inserted in the light projecting section inserting aperture and a transparent portion molded integrally with the upper surface of the cassette such that the supply and takeup reels are visible through the transparent portion, wherein a transparent portion formed at least a part of a wall portion surrounding the light projecting section inserting aperture is integrally molded with the transparent portion of the upper surface of the cassette, to thereby easily manufacture the tape cassette which can prevent infiltration of dust or the like and accordingly protect the magnetic tape from appearing thereon rust or the like.

Tape cassette with sealed light aperture

A tape cassette reel of the type having an opaque, upper flange portion which is bonded to an outer peripheral flange portion and to an integrally formed lower flange portion and reel hub, wherein a shock-absorbing rib portion is formed on a radially inner surface of the outer peripheral flange portion so as to oppose an end face of the reel hub, and a pouring gate mark is formed on the radially inner side of the shock-absorbing rib portion during molding of the outer peripheral flange portion.

Tape cassette reel having an upper reel molded by dichromatic molding

A tape cassette for video or audio units which consists of a housing having an upper half and a lower half, the upper half being composed mainly of an opaque material, the upper half having a transparent window portion on the upper wall thereof. A cover portion is laminated to the upper half, the cover portion being composed of a transparent material, the window portion consisting of a single layer of the transparent material, with an additional portion of the upper half formed of a double layer of the transparent material and the opaque material.

Tape cassette with transparent reel viewing windows and laminated

A tape reel lock and release device having gear portions formed around outer peripheries of a pair of tape reels rotatably provided within a cassette half, a tape reel locking member having a slider portion which is slidably spring-biased by a spring between the pair of tape reels within the cassette half in the direction in which it is engaged with the gear portions of the pair of tape reels and a pair of engaging members coupled to a top end of the slider portion to be engaged with the gear portions of the tape reels, the pair of engaging members being curved at their tip ends toward the gear portions and having hinge portions formed at their base end portions so as to be displaced in the direction in which the pair of engaging members approach each other and an extending operation member protrusively formed on the cassette half so as to be located between the engaging members and entering, when the tape reel locking member is slidably moved toward the reel locking direction, between the engaging members to extend the engaging members toward the gear portions of the tape reels. Thus, when the engaging members are engaged with the gear portions of the tape reels, the slackening of a magnetic tape wound around the tape reels can be absorbed and the tape reels can be prevented from being rotated inadvertently.

Tape cassette having means for locking reels thereof

A tape cassette arrangement includes structures formed integrally with the cassette halves or simply fitted into the light transmission apertures. Specific embodiments of the invention include light polarizing elements which are fitted into apertures formed in the sides of the cassette, corrugations on the interior of the cassette proximate the apertures, and shielding walls which are located to block light and in particular that light which tends to enter through a large window provided in the upper surface of the cassette and through which the status of the tape is visible.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi, Japan

Yuji Iwahashi