Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9533522-B2
Application number	US-201514755141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 25, 2008
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A tape cassette includes a housing and a tape. An indicator aperture is formed on a front surface of the housing. An arm portion of the housing is defined by a section of the front surface and a first wall. An opening extends through the housing in a first direction perpendicular to a top or bottom surface of the housing. The opening is defined by the first wall, a second wall and a connection portion. The connection portion connects upstream ends of the first wall and the second wall in a feed direction. A first surface is provided in the connection portion. The first surface is disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface in the first direction. The housing has a first indentation extending from the bottom surface to the first surface. The first surface is parallel to the top surface or the bottom surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette, comprising:
a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a tape feed exit, wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are parallel to each other and the front surface is perpendicular to the top surface and the bottom surface;
a tape included at least partially within the housing;
an indicator aperture formed on the front surface;
an arm portion defined by a section of the front surface and a first wall, the first wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface and being spaced from the section of the front surface, the tape feed exit being formed on a downstream end of the arm portion in a feed direction of the tape within the arm portion;
an opening extending through the housing in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the top surface or the bottom surface, the opening being defined by the first wall, a second wall and a connection portion, the first wall and the second wall facing each other, the first wall being disposed between the second wall and the front surface, the second wall extending from the bottom surface to the top surface and being parallel to the front surface, the connection portion connecting upstream ends of the first wall and the second wall in the feed direction; and
a first surface provided in the connection portion, the first surface being disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface in the first direction, the housing having a first indentation extending from the bottom surface to the first surface, the first surface being parallel to the top surface or the bottom surface.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second surface connected to the second wall, the second surface being disposed closer to the downstream end of the first wall than to the upstream end of the first wall in the feed direction, the second surface being disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface in the first direction, the housing having a second indentation extending from the bottom surface to the second surface, the second surface being parallel to the top surface or the bottom surface.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 2 ,
wherein a first distance in the first direction between the first surface and a center position in the first direction of the tape included at least partially within the housing is equal to a second distance in the first direction between the second surface and the center position of the tape.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a cut-out portion provided in the second wall, the cut-out portion positioned between the first surface and the second surface in the feed direction.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 2 ,
wherein the indicator aperture is positioned between the first surface and the second surface in the feed direction.

6. The tape cassette of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second indicator aperture formed at a bottom edge of the front surface,
wherein the front surface and the bottom surface is connected with each other at the bottom edge.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6 ,
wherein the second indicator aperture is positioned between the first surface and the second surface in the feed direction, the second indicator aperture being closer to the first surface than the indicator aperture in the feed direction.

8. A tape cassette, comprising:
a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a tape feed exit;
a tape included at least partially within the housing;
an aperture formed on the front surface;
an arm portion defined by a section of the front surface and a first wall, the first wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface and being spaced from the section of the front surface, the tape feed exit being formed on a downstream end of the arm portion in a feed direction of the tape within the arm portion;
an opening extending through the housing in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the top surface or the bottom surface, the opening being defined by the first wall, a second wall and a connection portion, the first wall and the second wall facing each other, the first wall being disposed between the second wall and the front surface, the second wall extending from the bottom surface to the top surface and being parallel to the front surface, the connection portion connecting upstream ends of the first wall and the second wall in the feed direction; and
a first surface provided in the connection portion, the first surface being disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface in the first direction, the housing having a first indentation extending from the bottom surface to the first surface, the first surface being parallel to the top surface or the bottom surface.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a second surface connected to the second wall, the second surface being disposed closer to the downstream end of the first wall than to the upstream end of the first wall in the feed direction, the second surface being disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface in the first direction, the housing having a second indentation extending from the bottom surface to the second surface, the second surface being parallel to the top surface or the bottom surface.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 9 ,
wherein a first distance in the first direction between the first surface and a center position in the first direction of the tape included at least partially within the housing is equal to a second distance in the first direction between the second surface and the center position of the tape.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a cut-out portion provided in the second wall, the cut-out portion positioned between the first surface and the second surface in the feed direction.

12. The tape cassette according to claim 9 ,
wherein the aperture is positioned between the first surface and the second surface in the feed direction.

13. The tape cassette of claim 12 ,
wherein the aperture is formed at a bottom edge of the front surface, wherein the front surface and the bottom surface is connected with each other at the bottom edge.

14. The tape cassette of claim 13 ,
wherein a second aperture is provided on the front surface and is positioned between the first surface and the second surface in the feed direction, the aperture is closer to the first surface than the second aperture in the feed direction.

15. A tape cassette, comprising:
a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a tape feed exit;
a tape included at least partially within the housing;
an aperture formed on the front surface;
an arm portion defined by a section of the front surface and a first wall, the first wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface and being spaced from the section of the front surface, the tape feed exit being formed on a downstream end of the arm portion in a feed direction of the tape within the arm portion;
an opening extending through the housing in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the top surface or the bottom surface, the opening being defined by the first wall, a second wall and a connection portion, the first wall and the second wall facing each other, the first wall being disposed between the second wall and the front surface, the second wall extending from the bottom surface to the top surface and being parallel to the front surface, the connection por

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Imamaki Teruo
• Horiuchi Takashi
• Sago Akira
• Shibata Yasuhiro

Classifications

• B41J32/00 Primary

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

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

• 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

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J33/14

  Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms · CPC title