Tape cartridge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016159123-A1
Application number	US-201615042027-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 11, 2016
Priority date	Oct 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tape cartridge includes a tape roll around which a printing medium is wound, a platen roller that has a first fitting portion to be fitted to a drive shaft when the tape cartridge is mounted on a mounting section of a tape printer, and a second fitting portion that is disposed at a center of a tape roll in an axial direction of the tape roll and is fitted to an identification portion when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer. In the tape cartridge, when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer, the second fitting portion is disposed in a depressed portion facing the mounting section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tape cartridge which is mounted on a mounting section of a tape printer, the tape printer having a print head configured to perform a printing operation on a tape-shaped printing medium, a drive shaft configured to provide a conveying force to the printing medium, and an identification portion configured to identify a type of a cartridge containing the printing medium, the tape cartridge comprising:
a tape roll around which the printing medium is wound; a platen roller that has a first fitting portion to be fitted to the drive shaft when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer; and a second fitting portion that is disposed at a center of the tape roll in an axial direction of the tape roll and is fitted to the identification portion when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer, wherein when the tape cartridge is mounted on the mounting section of the tape printer, the second fitting portion is disposed in a depressed portion facing the mounting section.

2 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the identification portion of the tape printer includes an actuated portion, and
the second fitting portion includes an actuating portion actuating the actuated portion of the identification portion.

3 . The tape cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein the actuating portion is a protruding portion which is convex in a mounting direction in which the tape cartridge is mounted.

4 . The tape cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein a position or a shape of the actuating portion varies depending on the type of the cartridge.

5 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein an axial direction of the platen roller, an axial direction of the tape roll, and a cartridge mounting/demounting direction are parallel to each other.

6 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the second fitting portion is closer to a center of the tape cartridge than the first fitting portion is in the axial direction of the tape roll.

7 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the first fitting portion has a guide shape for fitting the drive shaft.

8 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein in mounting the tape cartridge, the first fitting portion is likely to be fitted to the drive shaft prior to beginning of fitting of the second fitting portion to the identification portion.

9 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein in mounting the tape cartridge, a movement stroke from fitting of the first fitting portion to the drive shaft to completing of the fitting is longer than a movement stroke from fitting of the second fitting portion to the identification portion to completing of the fitting.

10 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft has a spline shaft portion, and
the first fitting portion has a spline boss portion corresponding to the spline shaft portion.

11 . The tape cartridge according to claim 10 , wherein the number of grooves of the spline boss portion is greater than the number of teeth of the spline shaft portion.

12 . The tape cartridge according to claim 10 , wherein an interval of a plurality of grooves of the spline boss portion is larger than an interval of a plurality of teeth of the spline shaft portion.

13 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein when the axial direction of the platen roller coincides with a gravity direction, a lower end of the first fitting portion is positioned to be lower than a lower end of the second fitting portion.

14 . The tape cartridge according to claim 6 , wherein when the center of the tape cartridge is a geometric center of the tape cartridge.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sakano Hideki

Classifications

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J32/00 Primary

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J3/36

  for portability {, i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers (B41J3/4075 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

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