Cassette including guide for restraining disengagement of tape

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084304-B2
Application number	US-202016833901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2020
Priority date	Jun 28, 2019
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A cassette includes: a tape having a first surface and a second surface opposite each other; an ejecting portion for discharging the tape in a conveying direction; and a guide provided at the ejecting portion. The tape has a thickness in a first direction defined as a direction from the first surface to the second surface. The guide includes a first region in contact with the first surface of the tape at the guide, and second and third regions in contact with the second surface of the tape at the guide. The first region is positioned between the second region and the third region in a widthwise direction of the tape perpendicular to the first direction. The first region is positioned further in the first direction of the tape at the guide relative to the second region and the third region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cassette comprising:
a tape having a first surface and a second surface opposite each other, the tape having a thickness in a first direction defined as a direction from the first surface to the second surface, and the tape having a width in a widthwise direction perpendicular to the first direction;
an ejecting portion configured to discharge the tape in a conveying direction; and
a guide provided at the ejecting portion and configured to guide the tape in the conveying direction, the guide comprising:
a first region in contact with the first surface of the tape at the guide;
a second region in contact with the second surface of the tape at the guide; and
a third region in contact with the second surface of the tape at the guide, the first region being positioned between the second region and the third region in the widthwise direction of the tape at the guide, the first region being positioned further in the first direction of the tape positioned at the guide relative to the second region and the third region.

2. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the first region has a portion positioned offset from the second region and the third region in the conveying direction.

3. The cassette according to claim 2 , wherein the portion of the first region is positioned upstream of the second region and the third region in the conveying direction.

4. The cassette according to claim 2 , wherein the portion of the first region is positioned downstream of the second region and the third region in the conveying direction.

5. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the guide further comprises a sloped region connected to an upstream edge of the first region in the conveying direction, the sloped region being sloped to extend in the first direction toward downstream in the conveying direction.

6. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the tape is in a form of a tape roll, and
wherein the second surface of the tape is an inner surface of a curl of the tape, the curl being an inherent nature originated from a rolled shape of the tape.

7. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the second surface of the tape is a surface to be printed.

8. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the tape comprises:
a first tape provided in a form of a first roll, the first tape having the first tape having a first rigidity; and
a second tape provided in a form of a second roll, the second tape paid out from the second roll being configured to be overlapped with the first tape paid out from the first roll, the second tape having a second rigidity,
wherein the second surface is a surface of the first tape in a case where the first rigidity is lower than the second rigidity, and
wherein the second surface is a surface of the second tape in a case where the second rigidity is lower than the first rigidity.

9. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the guide further comprises:
a first guide region connected to the second region; and
a second guide region connected to the third region, the first guide region and the second guide region being configured to guide widthwise ends of the tape in the widthwise direction.

10. The cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a case formed with a head opening in which a thermal head of a printing device is insertable;
a first guide positioned upstream of the head opening in the conveying direction and configured to guide the tape in the conveying direction; and
a second guide positioned downstream of the head opening in the conveying direction and configured to guide the tape conveyed from the first guide toward the ejecting portion in the conveying direction,
wherein the first region is positioned offset in a second direction from a first imaginary line connecting the first guide and the second guide, the second direction being coincident with the first direction of the tape at the head opening.

11. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the first region and the second region define a first distance therebetween in the first direction of the tape at the guide, the first distance being equal to or smaller than 2 mm, and
wherein the first region and the third region define a second distance therebetween in the first direction of the tape at the guide, the second distance being equal to or smaller than 2 mm.

12. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the second region and the third region are arrayed with each other with a space therebetween in the widthwise direction, the first region facing the space, and the space being open in the first direction of the tape at the guide.

13. The cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the cassette is attachable to and detachable from a printing device including a discharge opening,
wherein the tape comprises:
a first tape provided in a form of a first roll; and
a second tape provided in a form of a second roll, the second tape paid out from the second roll being configured to be overlapped with and stuck to the first tape paid out from the first roll at a sticking position, a direction from the first tape to the second tape at the sticking position being defined as a third direction, the discharge opening having one end in the third direction,
wherein the first region is positioned offset in a direction opposite the third direction from a second imaginary line connecting the sticking position and the one end of the discharge opening in the third direction.

14. The cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising a roll of an ink ribbon configured to be overlapped with the tape paid out from a roll of the tape,
wherein the cassette is attachable to and detachable from a printing device including a print head, the print head being configured to perform printing on the tape overlapped with the ink ribbon at a printing position in an attached state of the cassette to the printing device, the ink ribbon being separated away from the tape at a peeling position after the printing is performed by the print head at the printing position in the attached state of the cassette to the printing device, a direction from the tape to the print head at the printing position being defined as a fourth direction, and
wherein the first region is positioned offset in the fourth direction from a third imaginary line connecting the printing position and the peeling position.

15. A cassette comprising:
a tape having a first surface and a second surface opposite each other, the tape having a thickness in a first direction defined as a direction from the first surface to the second surface, and the tape having a width in a widthwise direction perpendicular to the first direction;
an ejecting portion configured to discharge the tape in a conveying direction; and
a guide provided at the ejecting portion and configured to guide the tape in the conveying direction, the guide comprising:
a first region in contact with the first surface of the tape at the guide;
a second region in contact with the second surface of the tape at the guide; and
a third region in contact with the second surface of the tape at the guide, the first region being positioned between the second region and the third region in the widthwise direction of the tape at the guide,

wherein, at the guide, the tape in contact with each of the first region, the second region and the third region is deformed to be convex in the first direction.

16. The cassette according to claim 15 , wherein the first region has a portion positioned offset from the second region and the third region in the conveying direction.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nakai Shimako
• Iijima Shota
• Noda Arisa

Classifications

• B41J15/046

  for the guidance of continuous copy material, e.g. for preventing skewed conveyance of the continuous copy material · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

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

• B41J32/00 Primary

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J33/003

  Ribbon spools · CPC title

• B41J2/32

  using thermal heads · CPC title