Tape cartridge and tape printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016297218-A1
Application number	US-201414777528-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2014
Priority date	Mar 21, 2013
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a tape cartridge allowing rimless printing to be reliably performed on respective label portions. A tape cartridge installed in a tape printing apparatus includes: a label tape 101 having a plurality of label portions 105 provided along a tape length direction and a plurality of detection convex portions 109 provided along the tape length direction corresponding to the plurality of label portions 105 ; a cartridge case in which the label tape 101 is accommodated; and a platen roller 103 accommodated in the cartridge case and paying out the label tape 101 by rotation outside the cartridge case, wherein, in the tape length direction, detection tip-ends 109 a serving as downstream-side ends of the detection convex portions 109 are positioned downstream of label tip-ends 105 a serving as downstream-side ends of the label portions 105 in a paying-out direction of the label portion 105 at printing.

First claim

1 . A tape cartridge to be installed in a tape printing apparatus, the tape cartridge comprising:
a tape-shaped member having
a plurality of label portions provided along a tape length direction and
a plurality of detection convex portions provided along the tape length direction corresponding to the plurality of label portions and partially projecting from an end in a tape width direction;
a cartridge case in which the tape-shaped member is accommodated; and a platen roller accommodated in the cartridge case and paying out the tape-shaped member outside the cartridge case, wherein, in the tape length direction, detection tip-ends serving as downstream-side ends of the detection convex portions are positioned downstream of label tip-ends serving as downstream-side ends of the label portions in a paying-out direction of the tape-shaped member.

2 . The tape cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein
the cartridge case has
an exposed area in which the plurality of detection convex portions is exposed one after another as the tape-shaped member is paid out by the platen roller and
a tape delivery port from which the tape-shaped member is ejected outside the cartridge case as being paid out by the platen roller, and
the tape delivery port is provided on a downstream side of the exposed area in the paying-out direction of the tape-shaped member.

3 . The tape cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein
the cartridge case has a passage port, through which the plurality of detection convex portions passes one after another as the tape-shaped member is paid out by the platen roller, on an upstream side of the exposed area in the paying-out direction of the tape-shaped member.

4 . The tape cartridge according to claim 3 , wherein
the cartridge case has an exposed opening that connects the tape delivery port and the passage opening to each other and causes the plurality of detection convex portions to be exposed in the exposed area.

5 . The tape cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein
the cartridge case has a platen engagement hole that pivotally supports a rotation shaft of the platen roller in the exposed area.

6 . The tape cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein
a detection portion provided in the tape printing apparatus is positioned in the exposed area when the tape cartridge is installed in the tape printing apparatus.

7 . A tape printing apparatus comprising:
a cartridge installation portion in which the tape cartridge according to claim 1 is installed; a feed portion that pays out and feeds the tape-shaped member; a light sensor that detects passage of the respective detection convex portions and has
a light-emission element and a light-reception element facing each other across a feed path of the tape-shaped member and
a sensor casing in which the light-emission element and the light-reception element are accommodated and a light-emission-side facing surface and a light-reception-side facing surface facing each other across the feed path are formed; and
a detection target guide portion that guides feeding of the respective detection convex portions at a guide width narrower than a facing distance between the light-emission-side facing surface and the light-reception-side facing surface.

8 . The tape printing apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a casing cover portion that covers a peripheral surface of the sensor casing that guides the respective detection convex portions to the feed path.

9 . The tape printing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the sensor casing has a groove portion that serves as the feed path while constituting the light-emission-side facing surface and the light-reception-side facing surface, the detection target guide portion has
an upstream-side guide portion provided so as to close some of an upstream-side opening portion of the groove portion on the upstream side in the paying-out direction of the tape- shaped member and
a downstream-side guide portion provided so as to close some of a downstream-side opening portion of the groove portion on the downstream side in the paying-out direction of the tape shaped member, and
each of the upstream-side guide portion and the downstream-side guide portion is made of a light-shielding material.

10 . The tape printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the upstream-side guide portion has a light-reception-side upstream guide portion provided so as to close a side of the light-reception element of the upstream-side opening portion, the downstream-side guide portion has a light-reception-side downstream guide portion provided so as to close a side to the light-reception element of the downstream-side opening portion, and each of the light-reception-side upstream guide portion and the light-reception-side downstream guide portion extends to a near side of the light-reception element along the light-reception-side facing surface.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp
• King Jim Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sasaki Taishi

Classifications

• B65H20/02

  by friction roller · CPC title

• B65H2701/1311

  leading edge · CPC title

• B65H2404/61

  Longitudinally-extending strips, tubes, plates, or wires · CPC title

• B65H2301/5151

  transversally to feeding direction · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title