Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9493016-B2
Application number	US-64457209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2009
Priority date	Dec 25, 2008
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A tape cassette that includes a box-like housing having a front wall, a top surface and a bottom surface, a wound tape mounted within the housing, a tape guide, and an indicator of the tape type formed in the front wall. The housing directs the tape along a path to an exit, and at least a portion of the path extends parallel to the front wall. The tape guide is spaced downstream of the exit, whereby a section of tape is exposed between the exit and the tape guide. The indicator is formed in the front wall proximal to the exposed section of tape, and includes at least one aperture that extends generally parallel to the top and bottom surfaces and perpendicular to the portion of the path extending parallel to the front wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette comprising:
a box-like housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a front wall, the front wall extending in a direction that is generally orthogonal to the top surface and the bottom surface, and connecting the top and the bottom surfaces;
a wound tape mounted within said housing, said housing directing said tape along a path to an exit, at least a portion of said path extending parallel to said front wall, a portion of said tape being exposed;
an ink ribbon to be used for printing on the tape, the ink ribbon being wound and mounted within the housing;
a ribbon take-up spool rotatably supported within the housing by support holes respectively provided on the top surface and the bottom surface, the ribbon take-up spool being configured to take up the ink ribbon after printing;
an arm portion defined by the front wall and an arm rear wall of the housing, the arm rear wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface and being spaced rearwardly from the front wall, the front wall and the arm rear wall forming the exit, the arm portion directing the tape between the front wall and the arm rear wall along the portion of the path to the exit;
an opening surrounded by the arm rear wall and a peripheral wall extending continuously from the arm rear wall, the opening extending through the housing in a vertical direction in which the top surface and the bottom surface are opposed to each other;
a tape guide spaced downstream of said exit whereby said exposed portion of said tape is exposed between said exit and said tape guide; and
a latching hole and an indicator portion formed in said front wall proximal to said exposed portion of said tape, said indicator portion indicating a type of the tape and comprising a first aperture extending generally parallel to said top and bottom surfaces and perpendicular to said portion of said path, wherein
the latching hole and the first aperture are at least partly disposed downstream of an upstream end of the arm rear wall in a feed direction of the tape directed in the arm portion along the portion of the path,
the latching hole is at least partly disposed in a specific area of the front wall, the specific area being an area whose both end positions in the feed direction are the same as both end positions of the support holes in the feed direction, and
the first aperture is disposed downstream of the support holes in the feed direction.

2. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said indicator portion indicates a width of the tape.

3. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 2 , wherein:
the tape is mounted within said housing such that a width direction of the tape is generally parallel to the vertical direction, and
said exposed portion of the tape is exposed such that the indicator portion and a width of the tape can be seen from a same direction.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein the indicator portion further includes a second aperture formed as an indented section on a bottom edge of the front wall, the bottom edge being an edge connecting with the bottom surface, said indented section being indented toward the tape fed along the portion of the path extending parallel to the front wall.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 4 , wherein the second aperture indicates a width of the tape of less than 18 millimeters.

6. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the tape has the width of less than 18 millimeters.

7. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the tape has the width of 12 millimeters.

8. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the tape has the width of one of 6 millimeters and 9 millimeters.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein
the housing has a bottom wall forming the bottom surface, and
the indicator portion further includes a second aperture formed as an indented section on a front edge of the bottom wall, the front edge being an edge connecting with the front wall, said indented section being indented toward the tope surface.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 9 , wherein the second aperture indicates a width of the tape of less than 18 millimeters.

11. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the tape has the width of less than 18 millimeters.

12. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the tape has the width of 12 millimeters.

13. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the tape has the width of one of 6 millimeters and 9 millimeters.

14. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein
the indicator portion further includes a second aperture formed as a through-hole penetrating through the front wall and provided on a bottom edge of the front wall, the bottom edge being an edge connecting with the bottom surface.

15. The tape cassette according to claim 14 , wherein the second aperture indicates a width of the tape of less than 18 millimeters.

16. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the tape has the width of less than 18 millimeters.

17. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the tape has the width of 12 millimeters.

18. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the tape has the width of one of 6 millimeters and 9 millimeters.

19. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said indicator portion indicates a presence of a laminated tape.

20. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said indicator portion indicates a width of the tape and a presence of a laminated tape.

21. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said indicator portion comprises at least two apertures, said at least two apertures indicating a width of a tape.

22. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said indicator portion comprises a plurality of apertures, said apertures being offset from one another in a direction transverse to said portion of said path extending parallel to said front wall.

23. The tape cassette in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first aperture is one of a through-hole penetrating through the front wall and an indentation formed in the front wall and indented from a front surface of the front wall toward the tape fed along the portion of the path extending parallel to the front wall.

24. A tape cassette detachably mountable to a printer, the printer including a latch portion, a head holder and a plurality of detecting switches, the tape cassette comprising:
a box-like housing having a top surface, a bottom surface and a front wall, the front wall extending in a direction that is orthogonal to the top surface and the bottom surface, and connecting the top and the bottom surfaces;
a wound tape mounted within said housing, said housing directing said tape along a path to an exit, at least a portion of said path extending parallel to said front wall, a portion of said tape being exposed;
an ink ribbon to be used for printing on the tape, the ink ribbon being wound and mounted within the housing;
a ribbon take-up spool rotatably supported within the housing by support holes respectively provided in the top surface and the bottom surface, the ribbon take-up spool being configured to take up the ink ribbon after printing;
an arm portion defined by the front wall and an arm rear wall of the housing, the arm rear wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface and

Assignees

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

Inventors

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

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

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J33/14

  Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms · CPC title

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title