# US 10,369,820 B2 · Tape cartridge

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- Number: US 10,369,820 B2
- Document ID: US10369820B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/963,917
- Filed: 2018-04-26
- Published: 2018-08-30
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-03-24
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Hideki Sakano; Shinsaku Kosuge
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369820B2

## CPC

- B41J 15/044: {Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices}
- B41J 3/4075: {Tape printers; Label printers}
- B41J 17/32: Detachable carriers or holders for impression-transfer material mechanism
- B41J 17/36: Alarms, indicators, or feed-disabling devices responsible to material breakage or exhaustion
- B41J 32/00: Ink-ribbon cartridges
- B65H 23/032: Controlling transverse register of web
- B65H 23/04: longitudinally
- B65H 23/18: by controlling or regulating the web-advancing mechanism, e.g. mechanism acting on the running web
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

A tape cartridge is detachably installed in a tape printing apparatus on a cartridge installation portion that has a platen driving shaft. The tape cartridge includes a platen roller in which the platen driving shaft is inserted, an outer peripheral surface which is provided parallel with a cartridge installing direction and on an outer shell of the tape cartridge, a pair of projections formed on opposite sides of the outer peripheral surface, and a recessed portion provided on the outer peripheral surface. When seen from the attaching direction of the tape cartridge, the recessed portion is disposed on an opposite side with respect to the platen roller over an imaginary line connecting the pair of projections and disposed at a position to which one of the pair of projections farther from the platen roller is closer than the other of the pair of projections.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A tape cartridge detachably installed on a cartridge installation portion of a tape printing apparatus having a platen driving shaft on the cartridge installation portion, the tape cartridge comprising:
a platen roller in which the platen driving shaft is inserted;
an outer peripheral surface which is provided parallel with a cartridge installing direction and on a cartridge casing that forms an outer shell of the tape cartridge;
a pair of projections which are formed on the outer peripheral surface and positioned on opposite sides of the outer peripheral surface; and
a recessed portion provided on the outer peripheral surface;
wherein, when seen from an attaching direction of the tape cartridge, the recessed portion is disposed on an opposite side with respect to the platen roller over an imaginary line connecting the pair of projections and disposed at a position at which a first projection, of the pair of projections, that is farthest from the platen roller is closer to the recessed portion than is a second projection of the pair of projections.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein,
the recessed portion and the platen roller function as a landmark so that the tape cartridge is installed on the cartridge installation portion in a correct direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein,
the pair of projections are grasping portions that allow the tape cartridge to be grasped when the tape cartridge is installed to or detached from the tape printing apparatus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The tape cartridge according to claim 3, wherein,
when the tape cartridge is installed in the cartridge installation portion, the pair of grasping portions are positioned to face hollowed portions of a surrounding wall surface of the cartridge installation portion.