The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 09, 1996
Filed:
Dec. 29, 1994
Yuji Iwahashi, Miyagi, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
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.