Tape cassette dust door latch spring assembly

A dust door latch assembly for a tape cassette, the assembly comprising:

• (a) a cassette housing having an upper half case and a lower half case, the upper half case having abutment means for abutting a dust door latch and the lower half case having means for receiving the dust door latch;
• and
• (b) a dust door latch having:
• (i) a lock plate with first and second pivot pins located thereon,
• (ii) connecting means located on the lock plate for connecting a spring means to the lock plate, and
• (iii)spring means having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is attached at the connecting means, and wherein after the pivot pins of the dust door latch are positioned in the receiving means of the lower half case and when the upper half case is positioned on the lower half case, the abutment means abuts and directs the second end of the spring means downwardly and holds the spring means in a biased position along the abutment means.

A method of manufacturing and assembling a dust door latch into a cassette housing, comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a cassette housing having an upper half case and a lower half case, the lower half case having means for receiving the dust door latch and the upper half case having abutment means for receiving the dust door latch;
• (b) forming a dust door latch having:
• (i) a lock plate with first and second pivot pins located thereon,
• (ii) connecting means located on the lock plate for connecting a spring means to the lock plate, and
• (iii)spring means having first and second ends, wherein the first end is attached at the connecting means;
• and
• (c) inserting the pivot pins of the dust door latch into the receiving means in the lower half case;
• and
• (d) placing the upper half case over the lower half case such that the abutment means abuts and directs the spring means downwardly and holds the spring means in a biased position along the abutment means.

A dust door latch assembly for a tape cassette, the assembly comprising:

• (a) a cassette housing having an upper half case and a lower half case, both the upper half case and the lower half case having a substantially flat central area and perpendicular sides extending therefrom, the upper half case also having an abutment wall extending perpendicularly from the substantially flat central portion of the upper half case and the lower half case having means for pivotally receiving a dust door latch;
• and
• (b) a dust door latch having:
• (i) a substantially flat lock plate with first and second pivot pins located thereon, the lock plate being pivotally positioned in the receiving means of the lower half case,
• (ii) a boss extending substantially perpendicularly from the first pivot pin of the lock plate, and
• (iii) a coil spring having first and second ends, wherein the first end is attached to the boss, and wherein when the upper half case is positioned on the lower half case, the perpendicular abutment wall in the upper half case abuts and directs the second end of the coil spring downwardly and holds the spring in a biased position along the abutment wall.