Tape cartridge with expandable housing

A recording tape cartridge comprising:

• a housing;
• two tape hubs each mounted in said housing for rotation around a rotational axis, the respective rotational axes being substantially parallel;
• magnetic recording tape wound in respective tape packs on said two hubs for winding and unwinding between said two hubs in a tape transport direction, thereby resulting in an increase in a diameter of the tape pack wound on one of said hubs;
• said housing comprising a first housing part and a second housing part which are movable relative to each other in a movement direction which is perpendicular to said tape transport direction and perpendicular to said rotational axes, to expand said housing in said movement direction to accommodate said increase in said diameter of said tape pack wound on said one of said hubs;
• said first housing part comprises a first planar wall, disposed substantially parallel to said rotational axes, and two first lateral walls each disposed perpendicular to said first planar wall, and said second housing part having a second planar wall, disposed substantially parallel to said rotational axes, and two second lateral walls disposed perpendicular to said second planar wall, said first lateral walls fitting inside of, and being adjacent to, said second lateral walls;
• a lifting mechanism disposed in said housing and having a gripping element which is accessible from an exterior of said housing, via at least one of said second lateral walls, to operate said lifting mechanism to expand said housing by moving said first and second housing parts away from each other in said movement direction;
• and
• a tape positioning mechanism disposed in said housing and engaging said tape between said hubs to maintain said tape between said hubs close to said first housing part when said housing is not expanded, and to move said tape between said hubs toward said second housing part when said housing is expanded in said movement direction.

A recording tape cartridge and tape drive combination, comprising:

• a tape cartridge having a housing;
• two tape hubs each mounted in said housing for rotation around a rotational axis, the respective rotational axes being substantially parallel;
• magnetic recording tape wound in respective tape packs on said two hubs for winding and unwinding between said two hubs in a tape transport direction, thereby resulting in an increase in a diameter of the tape pack wound on one of said hubs;
• said housing comprising a first housing part and a second housing part which are movable relative to each other in a movement direction which is perpendicular to said tape transport direction and perpendicular to said rotational axes, to expand said housing in said movement direction to accommodate said increase in said diameter of said tape pack wound on said one of said hubs;
• said tape drive comprising first and second drive motors respectively having first and second drive shafts which respectively engage said two tape hubs for rotating said two tape hubs around said rotational axes, and a head mount disposed between said first and second drive shafts with a magnetic read/write head mounted on said head mount;
• and
• said housing having a end face with first and second access openings therein in registration with said rotational axes for allowing engagement of said first and second drive shafts respectively with said two tape hubs, and a third access opening, between said first and second access openings, for allowing insertion of said head mount into an interior of said housing.