Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10265976-B2
Application number	US-201615357004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 16, 2009
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

A tape cassette includes a cassette case, a tape roll, an ink ribbon, an arm portion, a long hole, and a ribbon take-up spool. A first distance, which is a length of the long hole in a left-right direction, is larger than a second distance, which is a length from a right side surface of the cassette case to a right side end portion of the long hole. A center of gravity of the tape cassette is located in a specific area, which is an area whose both end positions in the left-right direction are the same as both left and right side end portions of the long hole, and which extends in a front-rear direction of the cassette case. The right side end portion of the long hole is located further to the right than a center of the ribbon take-up spool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette comprising:
a cassette case that has a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a rear side, a left side surface and a right side surface, and that includes a top case having a top plate that forms the top surface and a bottom case having a bottom plate that forms the bottom surface, the cassette case having a left-right direction extending between the left and right side surfaces, an up-down direction extending between the top and bottom surfaces and a front-rear direction extending between the front surface and the rear side;
a tape roll that is a wound tape that is a printing medium and that is housed in the cassette case;
an ink ribbon that is to be used for printing on the tape;
an arm portion that includes a part of the front surface and that guides the tape toward a discharge opening along a section of a predetermined feed path, the section extending in parallel with the front surface;
a long hole that extends in the left-right direction of the cassette case to the rear of and adjacent to the arm portion, that penetrates the cassette case in the up-down direction of the cassette case, and that is formed straddling a center position of the cassette case in the left-right direction, the long hole having a left side end portion and a right side end portion;
a ribbon spool around which the unused ink ribbon is provided, at least a part of the ribbon spool being located between the right side end portion of the long hole and the right side surface of the cassette case; and
a ribbon take-up spool that is adapted to wind the ink ribbon that has been used for printing on the tape;
wherein
a first distance, which is a length of the long hole in the left-right direction that extends from the left side end portion to the right side end portion, is larger than a second distance, which is a length from the right side surface of the cassette case to the right side end portion of the long hole,
a third distance is larger than a fourth distance, the third distance being a length from a center line to a specific line in the left-right direction, the center line being a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction through the center of the cassette case in the left-right direction, the specific line being a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction through the right side end portion of the long hole, the fourth distance being a length from the specific line to a left side end portion of the ribbon spool in the left-right direction,
a center of gravity of the tape cassette is located in a specific area, which is an area whose both end positions in the left-right direction are the same as both the left and right side end portions of the long hole, and which extends in the front-rear direction of the cassette case, and
the right side end portion of the long hole is located further to the right than a center of the ribbon take-up spool.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein:
the long hole includes a first hole portion and a second hole portion that communicate with each other in the left-right direction, the first hole portion being disposed on the left side of a first virtual straight line, the first virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction through the center of the ribbon take-up spool, the second hole portion being disposed on the right side of the first virtual straight line, and
a sixth distance is smaller than a fifth distance, the fifth distance being a length of the first hole portion in the front-rear direction at a mid-point in the left-right direction, the sixth distance being a length of the second hole portion in the front-rear direction at a mid-point in the left-right direction.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein:
the cassette case includes a recessed portion that recesses from the front surface toward the rear side of the cassette case to a rear end of the recessed portion and extends from the bottom surface to the top surface, the rear end of the recessed portion being located further to the right than the right side end portion of the long hole.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cassette case includes a recessed portion that recesses from the front surface toward the rear side of the cassette case to a rear end of the recessed portion and extends from the bottom surface to the top surface, the rear end of the recessed portion being located further to the right than the right side end portion of the long hole.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cassette case includes a rear indentation indented from a rear portion of the bottom plate toward the top surface to a ceiling surface, the ceiling surface being parallel to the top surface and the bottom surface,
the ceiling surface includes a plurality of indicator apertures, the plurality of indicator apertures being provided between a second virtual straight line and the specific line, the second virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction through the discharge opening.

6. A tape cassette comprising:
a cassette case that has a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a rear side, a left side surface and a right side surface, and that includes a top case having a top plate that forms the top surface and a bottom case having a bottom plate that forms the bottom surface, the cassette case having a left-right direction extending between the left and right side surfaces, an up-down direction extending between the top and bottom surfaces and a front-rear direction extending between the front surface and the rear side;
a tape roll that is a wound tape that is a printing medium and that is housed in the cassette case;
an ink ribbon that is to be used for printing on the tape;
an arm portion that includes a part of the front surface and that guides the tape toward a discharge opening along a section of a predetermined feed path, the section extending in parallel with the front surface;
a long hole that extends in the left-right direction of the cassette case to the rear of and adjacent to the arm portion, that penetrates the cassette case in the up-down direction of the cassette case, and that is formed straddling a center position of the cassette case in the left-right direction, the long hole having a left side end portion and a right side end portion;
a ribbon spool around which the unused ink ribbon is provided, at least a part of the ribbon spool being located between the right side end portion of the long hole and the right side surface of the cassette case; and
a ribbon take-up spool that is adapted to wind the ink ribbon that has been used for printing on the tape;
wherein
a first distance, which is a length of the long hole in the left-right direction that extends from the left side end portion to the right side end portion, is larger than a second distance, which is a length from the right side surface of the cassette case to the right side end portion of the long hole,
a third distance is larger than a fourth distance, the third distance being a length from a center line to a specific line in the left-right direction, the center line being a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction through the center of the cassette case in the left-right direction, the specific line being a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction through the right side end portion of the long hole, the fourth distance being a length from the specific line to a left side end portion of the ribbon spool in the left-right direction,
a center of gravity of the tape cassette is located in a specific area, which is an area whose both end positions in the left-right direction are the same as both the left and right side end portion

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Sago Akira

Classifications

• B41J35/28

  Detachable carriers or holders for ink-ribbon mechanisms · CPC title

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

  Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J33/003

  Ribbon spools · CPC title