Tape cassette with guide means for unidirectional insertion and holder

Abstract

In a tape cassette having a housing of generally rectangular configuration containing a supply of tape and including top and bottom walls which define top and bottom surfaces of the housing, a peripheral wall extending between the top and bottom walls and first and second guiding means, for example, constituted by respective grooves, extending along the peripheral wall at opposite sides of the housing for slidable engagement with complementary guiding means, for example, constituted by ribs, on respective side walls of a cassette holder into which the cassette is slidably insertable; the distances from the top and bottom surfaces of the housing to upper and lower guiding surfaces, respectively, on at least one of the first and second guiding means are made unequal, and either the distances from the upper and lower guiding surfaces of the first and second guiding means, respectively, to the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of the housing are unequal or the distances from the lower and upper guiding surfaces of the first and second guiding means, respectively, to the bottom and top surfaces, respectively, of the housing, are unequal, with the result that the cassette is insertable into the holder in only one orientation of the cassette housing relative to the holder. In a preferred tape cassette, the housing thereof is made up of individually molded upper and lower portions which respectively include the top and bottom walls of the housing and peripheral flanges extending from the top and bottom walls and mating edgewise with each other to define the peripheral wall of the housing, and grooves which constitute the aforesaid first and second guiding means are each defined by a respective rabbet extending along the edge of the flange of at least one of the upper and lower portions of the housing so as to facilitate the molding of such housing portions.