Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573401-B2
Application number	US-201313934512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2013
Priority date	Jun 30, 2009
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A tape cassette that includes a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface and a pair of side surfaces, a tape that is a print medium housed in the housing, a tape exit that discharges, from the housing, the tape guided in the housing along a predetermined feed path, at least a part of the feed path extending parallel to the front surface, and a type indicator portion provided adjacent to the tape exit and in a specified area of the front surface on an upstream side of the tape exit in a feed direction of the tape, the type indicator portion indicating a type of the tape and including vertical information sections and a protrusion formed in at least one of the vertical information sections, the vertical information sections being strip-shaped sections extending along a direction orthogonal to the feed direction.

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 pair of side surfaces;
a tape that is a print medium mounted in the housing;
a tape exit that discharges, from the housing, the tape guided in the housing along a predetermined feed path, at least a portion of the feed path extending parallel to the front surface; and
a type indicator portion provided adjacent to the tape exit and in a specified area of the front surface on an upstream side of the tape exit in a feed direction of the tape, the type indicator portion indicating a tape type of the tape and including at least one first surface portion and at least one second surface portion arranged in a pattern corresponding to the tape type, each of the at least one second surface portion being a surface portion located between the at least one first surface portion and the portion of the feed path in a direction that is generally orthogonal to the front surface, wherein
the type indicator portion includes a plurality of strip-shaped vertical information sections extending along a direction orthogonal to the feed direction,
each of the plurality of vertical information sections includes one of the at least one first surface portion and the at least one second surface portion, and
a first vertical information section is positioned at an interval from the tape exit toward an upstream side in the feed direction, the first vertical information section being a vertical information section located on a most downstream side in the feed direction among the plurality of vertical information sections.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , wherein the type indicator portion includes at least a tape width indicator portion that indicates a tape width of the tape.

3. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein:
the tape width indicator portion includes, of the plurality of vertical information sections, the first vertical information section and a second vertical information section that is a vertical information section located second closest to the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction; and
a combination of whether a first surface portion is formed in each of the first vertical information section and the second vertical information section indicates the tape width.

4. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein:
the plurality of vertical information sections include vertical information sections arranged in at least three rows;
the tape width indicator portion includes, of the plurality of vertical information sections, the first vertical information section, a second vertical information section that is a vertical information section located second closest to the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction, and a most upstream vertical information section that is a vertical information section located farthest from the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction; and
a combination of whether a first surface portion is formed in each of the first vertical information section, the second vertical information section and the most upstream vertical information section indicates the tape width.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 4 , wherein adjacent vertical information sections of the plurality of vertical information sections are arranged at an equal interval.

6. The tape cassette according to claim 2 , wherein the type indicator portion includes a print mode indicator portion that indicates whether a print mode is a normal image or a minor image.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 6 , wherein:
the plurality of vertical information sections include vertical information sections arranged in at least three rows;
the print mode indicator portion includes, of the plurality of vertical information sections, a third vertical information section that is a vertical information section located third closest to the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction; and
whether a first surface portion is formed in the third vertical information section indicates whether the print mode is the normal image or the mirror image.

8. The tape cassette according to claim 7 , wherein:
the tape width indicator portion includes, of the plurality of vertical information sections, the first vertical information section and a second vertical information section that is a vertical information section located second closest to the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction; and
a combination of whether a first surface portion is formed in each of the first vertical information section and the second vertical information section indicates the tape width.

9. The tape cassette according to claim 7 , wherein:
the plurality of vertical information sections include vertical information sections arranged in five rows;
the tape width indicator portion includes, of the plurality of vertical information sections, the first vertical information section, a second vertical information section that is a vertical information section located second closest to the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction, and a most upstream vertical information section that is a vertical information section located farthest from the tape exit toward the upstream side in the feed direction; and
a combination of whether a first surface portion is formed in each of the first vertical information section, the second vertical information section and the most upstream vertical information section indicates the tape width.

10. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tape guide portion that is provided on a downstream side of the tape exit on the feed path, and that guides the tape that is discharged from the tape exit and exposed,
wherein:
a length in the feed direction of the specified area of the front surface on which the type indicator portion is provided is equal to or less than a tape exposure length that is a distance between the tape exit and the tape guide portion and is a length of the exposed tape;
the top surface and the bottom surface of the housing each have a rectangular shape that is longer in a right-and-left direction; and
at least a part of the first vertical information section is on a downstream side of a cassette center line in the feed path's direction, and is positioned such that a distance from the cassette center line is within a range of 14 to 20 percent of the tape exposure length, the cassette center line being a center line of the housing in the right-and-left direction.

11. The tape cassette according to claim 10 , wherein a distance between center lines in the right-and-left direction of adjacent vertical information sections is within a range of 7 to 10 percent of the tape exposure length.

12. The tape cassette according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tape guide portion that is provided on a downstream side of the tape exit on the feed path, and that guides the tape that is discharged from the tape exit and exposed,
wherein:
a length in the feed direction of the specified area of the front surface on which the type indicator portion is provided is equal to or less than a tape exposure length that is a distance between the tape exit and the tape guide portion and is a length of the exposed tape; and
at least a part of the first vertical information section is positioned such that a distance from the tape exit is within a range of 30 to 36 percent of the tape exposure length.

13. A tape cassette, comprising:
a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface and a pair of side surfaces;
a tape that

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Nagae Tsuyoshi
• Imamaki Teruo

Classifications

• 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

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

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J32/00 Primary

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J33/26

  by rollers engaging the ribbon · CPC title