Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9498987-B2
Application number	US-201314141673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Mar 31, 2009
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A tape cassette that includes a housing, at least one tape, and a color indicator portion disposed between the tape housing area and the periphery, and in a specified area adjacent to the tape housing area on a rear edge side of the bottom wall, the color indicator portion indicating color information relating to the at least one tape and including a plurality of lateral information sections that are a plurality of strip-shaped sections extending along the left-and-right direction of the housing and aligned in a front-rear direction of the housing, wherein, of the plurality of lateral information sections, whether a protrusion is formed in a first lateral information section indicates a base material color of the at least one tape, and whether a protrusion is formed in a second lateral information section indicates a print color of the at least one tape.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette comprising:
a housing including a top wall having a top surface, a bottom wall having a bottom surface opposing the top wall, and a front wall having a specified height and connecting the top wall and the bottom wall, the bottom surface having a first surface portion being a flat portion and a second surface portion being a flat portion extending generally parallel to the first surface portion and located between the top surface and the first surface portion in a first direction generally orthogonal to the top surface or to the first surface portion;
a tape at least partially included within the housing;
a recess provided on the front wall and extending from the bottom surface towards the top surface;
a first aperture provided on the front wall and located on a first side of the recess in a left-right direction, the left-right direction being parallel to the front wall and to the bottom wall;
a first indicator portion provided on a portion of the bottom wall spaced from the front wall, the first indicator portion including a first protrusion formed in the second surface portion and protruding from the second surface portion, a protruding end of the first protrusion being located between the second surface portion and the first surface portion, the first indicator portion being configured to indicate a first element among a plurality of elements of a type of the tape and being located in a generally center position of the housing in the left-right direction; and
a second indicator portion provided on the front wall and located in a generally center position of the housing and on the first side of the recess in the left-right direction, the second indicator portion including a second aperture and being configured to indicate a second element among the plurality of elements of a type of the tape, the second element being different from the first element, wherein a virtual line orthogonal to the front wall passes through the first aperture, the first protrusion, and the second indicator portion when viewing along a direction orthogonal to the left-right direction and to a front-rear direction orthogonal to the front wall.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein the tape is included in one of a first tape housing area and a second tape housing area,
wherein each of the first and second tape housing areas has a generally circular shape,
wherein the first and second tape housing areas are aligned with each other in a left-right direction that is parallel to the front wall and to the bottom wall, such that outer peripheral edges of the first and second tape housing areas contact with each other at a contact point, and
wherein the virtual line passes through the contact point.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the second indicator portion indicates at least a width of the tape as the second element.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the second indicator portion indicates, as the second element, whether a print mode is a normal image or a mirror image.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the first indicator portion indicates, as the first element, a tape color and a character color.

6. The tape cassette according to claim 5 , further comprising an ink ribbon at least partially included within the housing,
wherein the first indicator portion indicates, as the character color, an ink color of the ink ribbon.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein a position of the first protrusion in the first indicator portion corresponds to the first element of the type of the tape, and
wherein a position of the second aperture in the second indicator portion corresponds to the second element of the type of the tape.

8. The tape cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first aperture and the second aperture are through-holes formed in the front wall, and
wherein sections of the tape are exposed through the first aperture and the second aperture.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a first lateral information section, wherein the first lateral information section is a strip-shaped section extending in a left-right direction of the housing and adjoining a rear edge of the bottom wall, wherein the left-right direction is parallel to the front wall and to the bottom wall, and wherein the rear edge is an edge of the bottom wall opposite from the front wall,
wherein the first lateral information section includes the first protrusion protruding from the bottom surface in a direction away from the top wall, and
a position of the first protrusion corresponds to a base material color of the tape.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 9 ,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a second lateral information section, wherein the second lateral information section is another strip-shaped section extending in the left-right direction of the housing and located to the front of the first lateral information section,
wherein the second lateral information section includes a second protrusion protruding from the bottom surface in the direction away from the top wall, and
wherein the second protrusion indicates a specific color of a character color.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 10 ,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a first vertical information section, wherein the first vertical information section is a strip-shaped section extending along the front-rear direction of the housing and includes the virtual line, and
wherein at least one of the first protrusion and the second protrusion is provided in the first vertical information section.

12. The tape cassette according to claim 10 ,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a first vertical information section and a second vertical information section, wherein the first vertical information section is a strip-shaped section extending along the front-rear direction of the housing, wherein the virtual line passes through the first vertical information section and wherein the second vertical information section is another strip-shaped section extending along the front-rear direction in parallel with the first vertical information section, and
wherein at least one of the first protrusion and the second protrusion is provided in at least one of the first and second vertical information sections.

13. The tape cassette according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a first vertical information section, wherein the first vertical information section is a strip-shaped section extending along the front-rear direction of the housing, and wherein the virtual line passes through the first vertical information section,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a first lateral information section, wherein the first lateral information section is a strip-shaped section extending in a left-right direction of the housing and adjoining a rear edge of the bottom wall, wherein the left-right direction is parallel to the front wall and to the bottom wall, and wherein the rear edge is an edge of the bottom wall opposite from the front wall,
wherein the first indicator portion includes a second lateral information section, wherein the second lateral information section is another strip-shaped section extending in the left-right direction of the housing and located to the front of the first lateral information section, and
wherein a first area where the first vertical information section and the first lateral information section intersect and overlap with each other includes the first protrusion, and
wherein a secon

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J11/009

  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

• B41J2/325

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