Tape cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802432-B2
Application number	US-201615276599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2009
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A tape cassette that includes a housing having a front wall and a tape feed exit located on the front wall, a tape included at least partially within the housing, and a pressing portion and a first non-pressing portion on the front wall. The pressing portion and the first non-pressing portion are positioned to oppose tape type detecting switches of the label printer when the cassette is in the label printer. The pressing portion is configured to change a state of an opposing one of the tape type detecting switches, and the first non-pressing portion is configured to avoid changing a state of an opposing one of the tape type detecting switches. The first non-pressing portion is a planar area of the front wall extending in a tape width direction from a top surface of the housing to a bottom surface of the housing.

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 mounted in the housing;
a tape exit through which the tape, guided in the housing along a predetermined feed path, is discharged from the housing, 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 located between the at least one first surface portion and the portion of the feed path in a specific direction that is generally orthogonal to the front surface, wherein:
the type indicator portion includes five strip-shaped vertical information sections extending along a vertical direction orthogonal to the feed direction and the specific direction, each of the five strip-shaped vertical information sections including one of the at least one first surface portion and the at least one second surface portion,
the five strip-shaped vertical information sections includes:
a first vertical information section located, in the feed direction, between the tape exit and a first virtual centerline of the tape cassette in the feed direction, the first virtual centerline being orthogonal to the top and bottom surfaces;
a second vertical information section located, in the feed direction, between the first vertical information section and the first virtual centerline;
a third vertical information section intersected by the first virtual centerline;
a fourth vertical information section located, in the feed direction, upstream of the third vertical information section; and
a fifth vertical information section located, in the feed direction, upstream of the fourth vertical information section,

the type indicator portion includes three strip-shaped horizontal information sections extending parallel to the feed direction, the five strip-shaped vertical information sections and the three strip-shaped horizontal information sections intersecting one another,
the three strip-shaped horizontal information sections includes:
a first horizontal information section intersected by a second virtual centerline of the tape cassette in the vertical direction, the second virtual centerline being parallel to the top and bottom surfaces and extending in the feed direction;
a second horizontal information section located, in the vertical direction, between the first horizontal information section and the bottom surface; and
a third horizontal information section located, in the vertical direction, between the second horizontal information section and the bottom surface, and

one of the five strip-shaped vertical information sections and one of the three strip-shaped horizontal information sections intersect in a first overlapping area including the first surface portion, another one of the five strip-shaped vertical information sections and another one of the three strip-shaped horizontal information sections intersect in a second overlapping area including the second surface portion.

2. The tape cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a recess formed on the front surface from a bottom edge of the front surface to a top edge of the front surface, the recess being located upstream of the first virtual centerline in the feed direction, wherein
the fourth vertical information section and the fifth vertical information section are located between the first virtual centerline and the recess in the feed direction.

3. The tape cassette of claim 1 , wherein the fifth vertical information section includes a third surface portion located, in the vertical direction, between a top edge of the front surface and an overlapping area in which the fifth vertical information section and the first horizontal information section intersect, the third surface portion being located between the at least one first surface portion and the portion of the feed path in the specific direction.

4. The tape cassette of claim 1 , wherein:
the first vertical information section and the second horizontal information section intersect in the first overlapping area including the first surface portion,
the second vertical information section and the first horizontal information section intersect in the second overlapping area including the second surface portion,
the third vertical information section and the second horizontal information section intersect in a third overlapping area including the first surface portion,
the fourth vertical information section and the first horizontal information section intersect in a fourth overlapping area including the first surface portion, and
the fifth vertical information section and the third horizontal information section intersect in a fifth overlapping area including the second surface portion.

5. The tape cassette of claim 4 , wherein the fifth vertical information section includes a third surface portion between a top edge of the front surface and the fifth overlapping area in the vertical direction, the third surface portion being located between the at least one first surface portion and the portion of the feed path in the specific direction.

6. The tape cassette of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one first surface portion includes a plurality of first surface portions, the plurality of the first surface portions forming a single continuous surface in a specified area, and
at least two of the five strip-shaped vertical information sections and at least two of the three strip-shaped horizontal information sections intersect the single continuous surface.

7. The tape cassette of claim 6 , further comprising:
a rear indentation indented from a rear portion of the bottom surface toward the top surface up to a ceiling surface, the ceiling surface being located between the top surface and the bottom surface in the vertical direction; and
a circular edge formed on the ceiling surface, a third virtual centerline of the tape cassette in the feed direction intersecting the single continuous surface and the circular edge, the third virtual centerline being parallel to the top surface and the bottom surface and extending in the specific direction.

8. The tape cassette of claim 1 , further comprising a protrusion formed on the front surface and protruding in the specific direction, wherein
the first surface portion is located on a distal end of the protrusion.

9. A tape cassette for use with a label printer having a plurality of detecting switches each having ON and OFF possible states, the tape cassette comprising:
a housing having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces;
a tape mounted in the housing;
a tape exit through which the tape, guided in the housing along a predetermined feed path, is discharged from the housing, 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 located between the at least one first surface portion and the port

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Koshiro
• Nagae Tsuyoshi
• Imamaki Teruo

Classifications

• B41J32/00 Primary

  Ink-ribbon cartridges · CPC title

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · 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

• B41J33/26

  by rollers engaging the ribbon · CPC title

• B41J33/14

  Ribbon-feed devices or mechanisms · CPC title