Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682584-B2
Application number	US-201414226262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2014
Priority date	Dec 25, 2008
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A tape cassette that includes a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front wall, a tape feed exit on the front wall, and an arm portion formed by the front wall and an arm rear surface behind the front wall. The arm portion partially surrounds an opening, and a tape feed path passes through the arm portion. The tape cassette also includes a tape at least partially included within the housing and configured to be fed along the tape feed path extending to the tape feed exit, an ink ribbon at least partially included within the housing, a take-up spool included within the housing and configured to take-up the ink ribbon, and a first aperture formed on a bottom edge of the front wall. A virtual line orthogonal to the front wall intersects the first aperture, the opening, and the take-up spool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape cassette, comprising:
an ink ribbon;
a take-up spool configured to take up the ink ribbon and having a first opening;
a housing at least partly accommodating the ink ribbon, the housing having a top surface, a bottom surface having a second opening exposing the first opening of the take-up spool, a front wall that meets the bottom surface at a bottom edge of the front wall, a tape feed exit, and an arm portion formed by the front wall and an arm rear surface behind the front wall, wherein the arm portion, an opening inner surface behind the arm rear surface, and an opening side surface extending from the opening inner surface toward the arm rear surface partially surround a third opening extending from the top surface to the bottom surface behind the arm portion, wherein the opening inner surface is generally parallel to the front wall, wherein the front wall and the arm rear surface form the tape feed exit, and wherein a tape feed path passes through the arm portion from an upstream, with respect to the tape feed path at the front wall, portion of the arm portion to a downstream, with respect to the tape feed path at the front wall, end of the arm portion;
a tape at least partially included within the housing and configured to be fed along the tape feed path extending to the tape feed exit;
a first aperture formed on the bottom edge of the front wall, wherein a virtual line orthogonal to the front wall intersects the first aperture, the third opening, and the take-up spool; and
a recess portion formed on the bottom surface, wherein the recess portion recesses upstream from the opening side surface in a feeding direction along the tape feed path, and wherein an upstream end of the recess portion is positioned upstream of a center of the first opening in the feeding direction,
wherein the recess portion includes a first edge, a second edge, and a third edge, wherein the first edge connects to a bottom edge of the arm rear surface, wherein the second edge is opposed to the first edge, wherein a distance between the second edge and the center of the first opening is greater than a distance between the opening inner surface and the center of the first opening in a direction parallel to the bottom surface and perpendicular to the feeding direction, and wherein the third edge connects the first edge and the second edge.

2. The tape cassette of claim 1 , wherein the tape cassette is for use with a label printer having a plurality of tape type detector switches, the tape cassette further comprising:
a second aperture formed on the front wall, wherein the second aperture opens in a same direction as the first aperture, wherein a combination of the first aperture and the second aperture forms a pattern corresponding to a type of the tape at least partially included within the housing, wherein the first aperture and the second aperture are positioned to receive corresponding ones of the tape type detecting switches of the label printer when the tape cassette is in the label printer.

3. The tape cassette of claim 2 , wherein the second aperture is disposed downstream of the first aperture with respect to the tape feed path at the front wall.

4. The tape cassette of claim 2 , further comprising:
a latching portion formed on the front wall,
wherein the latching portion is configured to engage a cassette latch of the label printer,
wherein a center of the take-up spool is located a first distance from a right edge of the tape cassette,
wherein the tape feed exit is located a second distance from the right edge of the tape cassette,
wherein a center of the first aperture, a center of the second aperture, and a center of the latching portion are located a third distance, a fourth distance, and a fifth distance, respectively, from the right edge of the tape cassette, and
wherein the third distance, the fourth distance, and the fifth distance are each greater than the first distance and less than the second distance.

5. The tape cassette of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second aperture formed on the front wall, wherein a second virtual line orthogonal to the front wall passes through a most upstream end of the first aperture and through the take-up spool, wherein a third virtual line orthogonal to the front wall passes through a most downstream end of the first aperture and through the take-up spool, wherein a fourth virtual line orthogonal to the front wall passes through a most upstream end of the second aperture and the take-up spool, and wherein a fifth virtual line orthogonal to the front wall passes through a most downstream end of the second aperture and the take-up spool.

6. The tape cassette of claim 1 , wherein the opening side surface connects the opening inner surface and the arm rear surface.

7. The tape cassette of claim 1 , wherein the housing further has a reception portion surrounded by the recess portion, wherein the reception portion is a surface parallel to the bottom surface and depressed from the bottom surface, and wherein the reception portion connects to the opening side surface.

8. A tape cassette for use with a label printer having a plurality of tape type detecting switches each having two possible states, the tape cassette comprising:
an ink ribbon;
a take-up spool configured to take up the ink ribbon and having a first opening;
a housing at least partly accommodating the ink ribbon, the housing having a top surface, a bottom surface having a second opening exposing the first opening of the take-up spool, a front wall that meets the bottom surface at a bottom edge of the front wall, a tape feed exit, and an arm portion formed by the front wall and an arm rear surface behind the front wall, wherein the arm portion, an opening inner surface behind the arm rear surface, and an opening side surface extending from the opening inner surface toward the arm rear surface partially surround a third opening extending from the top surface to the bottom surface behind the arm portion, wherein the opening inner surface is generally parallel to the front wall, wherein the front wall and the arm rear surface form the tape feed exit, and wherein a tape feed path passes through the arm portion from an upstream, with respect to the tape feed path at the front wall, portion of the arm portion to a downstream, with respect to the tape feed path at the front wall, end of the arm portion;
a tape at least partially included within the housing and configured to be fed along the tape feed path extending to the tape feed exit;
a pressing portion on the front wall and a first non-pressing portion on the front wall, wherein the pressing portion and the first non-pressing portion are positioned to oppose the tape type detecting switches of the label printer when the tape cassette is in the label printer; and
a recess portion formed on the bottom surface, wherein the recess portion recesses upstream from the opening side surface in a feeding direction along the tape feed path, and wherein an upstream end of the recess portion is positioned upstream of a center of the first opening in the feeding direction,
wherein the pressing portion is configured to change a state of a first opposing one of the tape type detecting switches, and the first non-pressing portion is configured to avoid changing a state of a second opposing one of the tape type detecting switches, when the tape cassette is in the label printer,
wherein the first non-pressing portion is formed on the bottom edge of the front wall, and a virtual line orthogonal to the front wall intersects the first non-pressing portion, the third opening, and the take-up spool, and
wherein the recess portion includes a first edge, a second edge, and a third edge, wherein the first edge

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Horiuchi Takashi
• Sago Akira

Classifications

• 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

• B41J15/00

  Devices or arrangements {of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers,} specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in continuous form, e.g. webs · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J15/044 Primary

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

• B41J32/00

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title