Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9566808-B2
Application number	US-201113240322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2011
Priority date	Mar 31, 2009
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A tape cassette that includes a box-shaped cassette case whose outline being defined by a bottom wall, a top wall, and a side wall and including a plurality of corner portions, at least one tape contained within a tape containment area defined within the outline, a pair of cavities extending from the bottom wall and being provided between the tape containment area and the outline at opposite ends of a diagonal line connecting one of the corner portions to another of the corner portions, and a side face indicator portion provided in the side wall, indicating a type of the tape, and including a plurality of indicator portions disposed in a pattern in accordance with the type of the tape, each of the indicator portions being one of a switch hole and a surface portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette comprising:
a box-shaped cassette case comprising a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall, and a side wall, the front wall having a tape exit, the top wall comprising a first surface, a second surface, and a connecting surface, the second surface being disposed between the first surface and the bottom wall in a vertical direction, the connecting surface connecting the first surface and the second surface;
a tape at least partially contained within the cassette case;
a tape roller provided in a vicinity of or at a first corner portion of the cassette case, the tape roller being positioned downstream of the tape exit in a tape feed direction of the tape along the front wall;
a first opening provided on the top wall or the bottom wall, the first opening being provided in a vicinity of or at the first corner portion;
a second opening provided on the top wall, the second opening being provided in a vicinity of or at a second corner portion of the cassette case, the second corner portion being positioned at a diagonally opposite end of the first corner portion in the cassette case, the second opening being located in the second surface of the top wall, a portion of an edge defining the second opening being connected with the connecting surface;
a wall portion extending from the portion of the edge to the bottom wall, the wall portion defining a continuous space from the second surface to the bottom wall in the vertical direction; and
an indicator portion provided in the front wall, the indicator portion including a switch hole and a surface portion, the indicator portion being positioned between the first opening and the second opening in the tape feed direction along the front wall.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising a third opening provided on the top wall or the bottom wall, and positioned to oppose a center of the tape,
wherein the center of the tape is positioned within one of two areas into which the cassette case is divided along a line connecting the first opening and the second opening.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein the indicator portion is positioned between the second opening and the third opening in the tape feed direction.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 3 , further comprising a take-up spool, wherein:
the tape is configured to be discharged from the tape exit in the tape feed direction;
an axis of the tape roller passes through the first opening;
the cassette case further comprises a second side wall, the second side wall being generally perpendicular to the tape feed direction, the second side wall being positioned downstream of the tape roller in the tape feed direction, the second side wall including a discharge exit from which the tape is configured to be discharged;
the third opening is positioned between the first opening and the second opening in the tape feed direction;
the cassette case includes a fourth opening provided on the top wall or the bottom wall, the fourth opening being provided between the third opening and the second opening in the tape feed direction, an axis of the take-up spool passing through the fourth opening;
at least a portion of the indicator portion is positioned between the third opening and the fourth opening in the tape feed direction; and
the center of the take-up spool is positioned within another of the two areas into which the cassette case is divided along the line connecting the first opening and the second opening.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first opening is provided on the bottom wall;
the second opening is provided on the top wall; and
the tape roller is configured to rotate clockwise to draw the tape from the tape exit when viewed from a top surface of the top wall.

6. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the switch hole is a recessed portion.

7. A tape cassette comprising:
a box-shaped cassette case comprising a bottom wall, a top wall, a front wall, and a side wall, the front wall having a tape exit, the top wall comprising a first surface, a second surface, and a connecting surface, the second surface being disposed between the first surface and the bottom wall in a vertical direction, the connecting surface connecting the first surface and the second surface;
a tape at least partly contained within a cassette case;
a tape roller provided in a vicinity of or at a first corner portion of the cassette case, the tape roller being positioned downstream of the tape exit in a tape feed direction of the tape along the front wall;
a first opening provided on the top wall or the bottom wall, the first opening being provided in a vicinity of or at the first corner portion;
a second opening provided on the top wall, the second opening being provided in a vicinity of or at a second corner portion of the cassette case, the second corner portion being positioned at a diagonally opposite end of the first corner portion in the cassette case, the second opening being located in the second surface of the top wall, a portion of an edge defining the second opening being connected with the connecting surface;
a wall portion extending from the portion of the edge to the bottom wall, the wall portion defining a continuous space from the second surface to the bottom wall in the vertical direction; and
first and second front openings provided in the front wall, the first and second front openings being positioned between the first opening and the second opening in the tape feed direction along the front wall.

8. The tape cassette according to claim 7 , further comprising a third opening provided on the top wall or the bottom wall and positioned to oppose a center of the tape,
wherein the center of the tape is positioned within one of two areas into which the cassette case is divided along a line connecting the first opening and the second opening.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 8 , wherein the first and second front openings are positioned between the second opening and the third opening in the tape feed direction.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 9 , further comprising a take-up spool, wherein:
the tape is configured to be discharged from the tape exit in the tape feed direction;
an axis of the tape roller passing through the first opening;
the cassette case further comprises a second side wall, the second side wall being generally perpendicular to the tape feed direction, the second side wall being positioned downstream of the tape roller in the tape feed direction, the second side wall including a discharge exit from which the tape is configured to be discharged;
the third opening is positioned between the first opening and the second opening in the tape feed direction;
the cassette case includes a fourth opening provided on the top wall or the bottom wall, the fourth opening being provided between the third opening and the second opening in the tape feed direction, an axis of the take-up spool passing through the fourth opening;
at least a portion of at least one of the first and second front openings is positioned between the third opening and the fourth opening in the tape feed direction; and
the center of the take-up spool is positioned within another of the two areas into which the cassette case is divided along the line connecting the first opening and the second opening.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 7 , wherein:
the first opening is provided on the bottom wall;
the second opening is provided on the top wall; and
the tape roller is configured to rotate clockwise to draw the tape from the tape exit when viewed from a top surface of the top wall.

Assignees

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Kato Tsutomu
• Kato Masato
• Iriyama Yasuhiro
• Shibata Yasuhiro
• Imamaki Teruo
• Sago Akira
• Nagae Tsuyoshi
• Horiuchi Takashi
• Sugino Tomohiko
• Noda Kengo
• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Kato Tsutomu
• Kato Masato
• Iriyama Yasuhiro
• Shibata Yasuhiro
• Imamaki Teruo
• Sago Akira
• Nagae Tsuyoshi
• Horiuchi Takashi
• Sugino Tomohiko
• Noda Kengo

Classifications

• B41J15/044 Primary

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

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J17/32

  Detachable carriers or holders for impression-transfer material mechanism · CPC title