Tape drive and associated spool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11148446-B2
Application number	US-201615748720-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A tape drive comprises a spool support ( 30 ) for supporting a tape spool ( 32 ), wherein the spool support comprises a support surface ( 34 ) mounted to a tape drive base plate ( 36 ) such that the support surface ( 34 ) is fixed against rotation relative to the base plate ( 36 ), the support surface ( 34 ) being configured such that, in use, as tape is removed from or wound onto the spool ( 32 ), the spool ( 32 ) rotates relative to the spool support ( 30 ) such that the spool ( 32 ) rotates around the support surface ( 34 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tape drive of a printing apparatus, the tape drive comprising:
a spool support for supporting a tape spool, wherein the spool support comprises a support surface mounted to a tape drive base plate such that the support surface is fixed against rotation relative to the tape drive base plate, the support surface being configured such that, in use, as tape is removed from or wound onto a spool, the spool rotates relative to the spool support such that the spool rotates around the support surface; and
a resilient member including a first portion positioned within the spool support and a second portion that protrudes beyond the spool support, said second portion configured to contact a portion of the tape spool.

2. A tape drive according to claim 1 , wherein the spool support is a supply spool support for supporting a supply tape spool and wherein the supply spool support includes a braking arrangement, the braking arrangement being configured to apply a braking force to the supply spool and thereby resist relative rotation between the supply spool and the supply spool support.

3. A tape drive according to claim 2 , wherein the braking arrangement includes a braking contact which is configured to contact a portion of a supply spool supported by the supply spool support to thereby apply said braking force to the supply spool.

4. A tape drive according to claim 3 , wherein the braking contact is formed from a material which is more hard than the material from which the portion of the supply spool contacted by the braking contact is formed such that, in use, the braking force causes the portion of the supply spool contacted by the braking contact to wear in preference to the braking contact.

5. A tape drive according to claim 1 , wherein the resilient member is supported by the spool support and wherein the resilient member is a planar wire spring.

6. A tape drive according to claim 1 , wherein the spool support is generally cylindrical, extending along a central axis.

7. A tape drive of a printing apparatus, the tape drive comprising:
a generally cylindrical spool support for supporting a tape spool and extending along a central axis, wherein the spool support comprises a support surface mounted to a tape drive base plate such that the support surface is fixed against rotation relative to the tape drive base plate, the support surface being configured such that, in use, as support such that the spool rotates around the support surface;
wherein a spring has first and second ends, each of which is secured to a base portion of the supply spool support or the base plate such that at least a portion of the spring is located within the generally cylindrical supply spool support and such that the plane of the spring passes through the central axis of the generally cylindrical supply spool support.

8. A tape drive according to claim 2 , wherein the braking arrangement includes a magnetic source.

9. A tape drive according to claim 8 , wherein the magnetic source is an electromagnet, and wherein a current supplied to the electromagnet is controllable so as to vary the magnetic force produced by the electromagnet and thereby vary the braking force exerted on the supply spool.

10. A tape drive according to claim 1 , further comprising a retainer arrangement, the retainer arrangement comprising a retainer, the retainer being configured to exert a retaining force on a spool supported by the spool support which resists removal of the spool from the spool support.

11. A tape drive according to claim 10 , wherein the retainer is configured to engage an engagement feature of a supported spool to exert said retaining force on the spool which resists removal of the spool from the spool support.

12. A tape drive according to claim 10 , wherein the spool support is generally cylindrical, extending along a central axis.

13. A tape drive according to claim 10 , wherein the retainer comprises at least one of a resilient member and a retainer spring.

14. A tape drive of a printing apparatus, the tape drive comprising:
a spool support for supporting a tape spool, wherein the spool support comprises a support surface mounted to a tape drive base plate such that the support surface is fixed against rotation relative to the tape drive base plate, the support surface being configured such that, in use, as tape is removed from or wound onto a spool, the spool rotates relative to the spool support such that the spool rotates around the support surface; and
a retainer arrangemnet comprising a retainer, the retainer being configured to exert a retaining force on a spool supported by the spool support which resists removal of the spool from the spool support;
wherein the retainer is a retainer spring and the retainer spring has first and second ends, each of which is secured to the base plate or a base portion of the spool support such that at least a portion of the retainer spring is located within the generally cylindrical spool support and such that the retainer spring intersects a central axis of the spool support.

15. A tape drive device according to claim 13 , wherein the resilient member of the retainer arrangement is one and the same as the resilient member of a braking arrangement.

16. A tape drive according to claim 1 , wherein the supply spool includes a core around which tape material is wound, wherein the tape drive further comprises a braking arrangement including a braking contact based on the second portion of the resilient member configured to contact an inner face of the core of the supply spool supported by the supply spool support to thereby apply a braking force to the supply spool to reduce a speed of rotation of the supply spool.

17. A tape drive according to claim 1 , wherein the resilient member is a substantially planar wire spring and wherein the second portion of the substantially planar wire spring includes two opposed elbow portions that are configured to apply a braking force to the portion of the tape spool.

18. The tape drive according to claim 17 , wherein the spool support defines a pair of diametrically opposed openings through which the two opposed elbow portions of the second portion of the resilient member protrude beyond the spool support.

19. A tape drive according to claim 1 ,
wherein the resilient member is a retainer of a retainer arrangement, wherein the second portion of the resilient member is configured to exert a retaining force on the tape spool supported by the spool support to resist removal of the tape spool from the spool support;
and wherein the supply spool includes a core around which tape material is wound, wherein the core has an inner face that includes a step portion formed between a portion of the inner face with a first diameter and an adjacent portion of the inner face with a second diameter less than the first diameter, wherein the retainer is configured to engage the step portion of the core to exert said retaining force on the tape spool which resists removal of the tape spool from the spool support.

Assignees

• Videojet Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Mcnestry Martin
• Buckby Steven John

Classifications

• B41J35/28 Primary

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

• B41J33/00

  Apparatus or arrangements for feeding ink ribbons or like character-size impression-transfer material · CPC title

• B41J35/08

  with tensioning arrangements · CPC title

• B41J17/32

  Detachable carriers or holders for impression-transfer material mechanism · CPC title

• B41J33/52 Primary

  Braking devices therefor · CPC title