Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539837-B2
Application number	US-201514867877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2009
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A tape cassette includes a generally rectangular housing, a tape, an opening, and a roller. The housing has a top wall and a bottom wall. The top wall includes a top surface, a lower surface and a connection portion connecting. The housing defines first, second, third, and fourth corner portions. The lower surface includes a first portion between the connection portion and a side of the second corner portion and a second portion between the connection portion and a rear of the second corner portion with a space between the first portion and the second portion. An intersection of the connection portion and the lower surface includes a third portion that is a part of an edge forming the space between the first portion and the second portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette comprising;
a housing having a top wall and a bottom wall, the top wall comprising a top surface, a lower surface, and a connection portion connecting the top surface and the lower surface, the bottom wall comprising a bottom surface, the lower surface being positioned between the top surface and the bottom surface in a first direction from the top surface to the bottom surface, the first direction being perpendicular to the top surface or the bottom surface, the housing having a front surface extending from the bottom surface to the top surface, the housing defining a first corner portion, a second corner portion, a third corner portion, and a fourth corner portion, wherein the fourth corner portion and the second corner portion are disposed diagonally at opposite ends of the bottom wall, and wherein the lower surface is positioned in the second corner portion;
a tape housed at least partly in the housing;
a roller provided in the fourth corner portion to feed the tape along a predetermined feed path;
an arm portion defined by a front arm wall and a rear arm wall, the front arm wall being a section of the front surface, the rear arm wall extending from the bottom surface to the top surface and being spaced from the front arm wall in a second direction perpendicular to the front surface, the front arm wall and the rear arm wall forming an exit, the tape fed in the arm portion being fed in a feed direction toward the exit, the feed direction being generally perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction;
an opening extending through the housing in the first direction, the opening being defined by the rear arm wall, a first peripheral wall, and a second peripheral wall, the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall extending from the bottom surface to the top surface, the rear arm wall and the first peripheral wall facing each other, the rear arm wall being disposed between the first peripheral wall and the front surface in the second direction, the second peripheral wall connecting upstream ends of the rear arm wall and the first peripheral wall in the feed direction;
an ink ribbon housed at least partly in the housing, the ink ribbon to be used for printing on the tape; and
a ribbon take-up spool rotatably disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall to draw out and take up the ink ribbon, a center of rotation of the ribbon take-up spool being disposed on a rear side of the opening,
wherein the lower surface further includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being between the connection portion and a side of the second corner portion, and the second portion being between the connection portion and a rear of the second corner portion, with a space between the first portion and the second portion,
wherein an intersection of the connection portion and the lower surface includes a third portion that is a part of an edge forming the space between the first portion and the second portion,
wherein at least a portion of the second peripheral wall is disposed upstream in the feed direction of a virtual straight line extending in the second direction through the center of rotation of the ribbon take-up spool, and
wherein the opening includes a downstream side opening and an upstream side opening that communicate with each other in the feed direction, the downstream side opening being disposed downstream of the virtual straight line in the feed direction, the upstream side opening being disposed upstream of the virtual straight line in the feed direction.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an extending portion extending in the first direction from the edge.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the housing has a side surface and a rear surface, the side surface and the rear surface being perpendicular to the top surface, the edge including a straight edge in the lower surface, the side surface being at an acute angle to a second virtual straight line parallel to the straight edge.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tape containment portion positioned around the tape, the tape containment portion extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface, a part of the tape containment portion contacting the third portion, the tape containment portion comprising an arc-like wall, the arc-like wall accommodating the tape inside the arc-like wall, the space being outside the arc-like wall.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an arc-like wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface, a part of the arc-like wall contacting the third portion, the arc-like wall being convexed toward the second corner portion with a center of an arc along which the arc-like wall is formed, the center of the arc being positioned inside the arc-like wall, the space being outside the arc-like wall.

6. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a surface portion positioned in the second corner portion, the surface portion being generally parallel to the bottom surface, the surface portion being positioned between the lower surface and the bottom surface in the first direction.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a tape containment portion positioned around the tape, the tape containment portion extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface, a part of the tape containment portion contacting the surface portion, the tape containment portion comprising an arc-like wall, the arc-like wall accommodating the tape inside the arc-like wall, the surface portion being positioned outside the arc-like wall.

8. The tape cassette according to claim 7 , wherein another part of the tape containment portion contacts the third portion, and the space is outside the arc-like wall.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an arc-like wall extending from the bottom surface toward the top surface, a part of the arc-like wall contacting the surface portion, the arc-like wall being convexed toward the second corner portion with a center of an arc along which the arc-like wall is formed, the center of the arc being positioned inside the arc-like wall, the surface portion being outside the arc-like wall.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 9 , wherein another part of the arc-like wall contacts the third portion, the space is outside the arc-like wall.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an extending portion extending in the first direction from the edge to the surface portion.

12. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a connecting wall extending in the first direction; and
a bottom opening provided in the bottom surface and formed in the second corner portion, the connecting wall being between the space and the bottom opening.

13. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the upstream side opening in the second direction is smaller than a length of the downstream side opening in the second direction.

14. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the second peripheral wall includes an indentation portion formed by a first wall portion and a second wall portion, the first wall portion extending from an upstream end of the first peripheral wall in the feed direction toward the front surface along the second direction, the second wall portion extending from a front end of the first wall portion toward upstream of the first wall portion in the feed direction.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Sago Akira

Classifications

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J35/28

  Detachable carriers or holders for ink-ribbon mechanisms · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J33/003 Primary

  Ribbon spools · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

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