Tape Cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016368284-A1
Application number	US-201615250310-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 29, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2009
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tape cassette includes a box-like housing, a tape mounted within the housing, a hole and a first indicator portion. The housing includes a top wall having a top surface, a bottom wall having a bottom surface and opposing the top wall, and a front wall having a specified height and being formed along peripheries of the top wall and the bottom wall. The hole is provided in the front wall. The first indicator portion includes at least one first aperture and indicates a first element among a plurality of elements of a type of the tape. The first indicator portion is provided in a portion, spaced from the front wall, of the bottom wall. The hole and the one first aperture is located to intersect a virtual line orthogonal to the front wall when viewing along a vertical direction orthogonal to the top wall and the bottom wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A tape cassette comprising:
a housing that includes a top wall having a top surface, a bottom wall having a bottom surface and opposing the top wall, and a front wall formed along peripheries of the top wall and the bottom wall, the front wall including an outermost wall of the housing, the outermost wall having a front surface; a tape mounted within the housing; an ink ribbon mounted within the housing and to be used for printing on the tape; a ribbon take-up spool on which a used ink ribbon is to be wound, the used ink ribbon being a portion of the ink ribbon that has been used for printing, the ribbon take-up spool being rotatably supported by a first support through-hole provided in the top wall and a second support through-hole provided in the bottom wall; and a first indicator portion including at least one first indicator aperture and indicating a first element among a plurality of elements of a type of the tape, the first indicator portion being provided in a portion, spaced apart from the front wall, of the bottom wall, wherein the outermost wall includes a first portion defined by edges formed on the front surface, the edges defining the first portion including a first edge and a second edge, the first edge extending in a left-right direction, the left-right direction being a direction orthogonal to a vertical direction and orthogonal to a center line, the vertical direction being a direction orthogonal to the top wall and the bottom wall, the center line being a virtual straight line orthogonal to the outermost wall and located at a center position in the left-right direction of the tape cassette, the second edge extending in the vertical direction and connecting to the first edge, wherein the first support through-hole, the first edge, and a first aperture of the at least one first indicator aperture intersect a first virtual line when viewing along the vertical direction, the first virtual line being a virtual straight line parallel to a second virtual line when viewing along the vertical direction, the second virtual line being a virtual straight line parallel to the center line and passing through a center position of the first support through-hole when viewing along the vertical direction, and wherein the second edge is located between the center line and the first virtual line when viewing along the vertical direction.

2 . The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein a first virtual flat plane including a first opening edge, formed on the bottom surface, of the first aperture provided in the bottom wall is substantially orthogonal to a second virtual plane including the first edge and the second edge of the outermost wall.

3 . The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein:
the housing further includes a first tape housing area and a second housing area at an inside thereof; the first tape housing area in which the tape is stored has a generally circular shape when viewing along the vertical direction; the second tape housing area is formed as a space having a generally circular shape when viewing along the vertical direction; the first tape housing area and the second tape housing area are aligned with each other in the left-right direction such that the first tape housing area and the second tape housing area contact each other; and the first virtual line passes through a contact position where the first tape housing area and the second tape housing area contact each other.

4 . The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the first indicator portion indicates a tape color as the first element, the tape color being a color of the tape itself, and the print color being a color to be formed on the tape.

5 . The tape cassette according to claim 4 , wherein the first indicator portion indicates, as the print color, an ink color of the ink ribbon.

6 . The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second indicator portion provided in the outermost wall, the second indicator portion indicating a second element, other than the first element, among the plurality of elements of the type of the tape.

7 . The tape cassette according to claim 6 , wherein the second indicator portion indicates, as the second element, at least a width of the tape mounted in the housing.

8 . The tape cassette according to claim 6 , wherein the second indicator portion indicates, as the second element, whether a print mode is a normal image print mode or a mirror image print mode.

9 . The tape cassette according to claim 6 , wherein:
the first aperture is located at a position in the first indicator portion in accordance with a predetermined pattern corresponding to a tape color of the tape mounted in the housing, the tape color being a color of the tape itself; and the second indicator portion has at least one second indicator aperture, the at least one second indicator aperture being located at a position in the second indicator portion in accordance with a predetermined pattern corresponding to the type, other than the tape color, of the tape mounted in the housing.

10 . The tape cassette according to claim 6 , wherein:
the first indicator portion is provided at a generally central position in the left-right direction of the housing; and the second indictor portion is provided at a generally central position in the left-right direction of the housing.

11 . The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first indicator portion includes a first lateral information section adjoining a rear end of the bottom wall, the first lateral information section being a strip-shaped section extending along the left-right direction; and a tape-color indicating aperture is provided at a position in the first lateral information section in accordance with a predetermined pattern corresponding to a tape color of the tape mounted in the housing, the tape color being a color of the tape itself.

12 . The tape cassette according to claim 11 , wherein:
the first indicator portion further includes a second lateral information section provided on the bottom wall and located farther from the rear end of the bottom wall than the first lateral information section, the second lateral information section being a strip-shaped section extending along the left-right direction; and a ribbon-color indicating aperture is provided at a position in the second lateral information section in accordance with a predetermined pattern corresponding to an ink color of an ink ribbon mounted within the housing and to be used for printing on the tape.

13 . The tape cassette according to claim 12 , wherein:
the first indicator portion further includes a reference vertical information section located on the first virtual line when viewing along the vertical direction, the reference vertical information section being a strip-shaped section along a front-rear direction parallel to the first virtual line; and at least one of the tape-color indicating aperture and the ribbon-indicating aperture is provided in the reference vertical information section.

14 . The tape cassette according to claim 13 , wherein:
the first indicator portion includes a plurality of vertical information sections that are a plurality of strip-shaped sections extending along the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction; the plurality of vertical information sections include the reference vertical information section and a subordinate vertical information section arranged in parallel with the reference vertical section; and at least one of the tape-color indicating aperture and the ribbon-color in

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Sago Akira
• Horiuchi Takashi
• Iriyama Yasuhiro
• Shibata Yasuhiro
• Nagae Tsuyoshi
• Kato Masato
• Imamaki Teruo

Classifications

• B41J11/009 Primary

  Detecting type of paper, e.g. by automatic reading of a code that is printed on a paper package or on a paper roll or by sensing the grade of translucency of the paper · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

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

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J2/325

  by selective transfer of ink from ink carrier, e.g. from ink ribbon or sheet · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title