Carrier tape system

A carrier tape system, comprising:

• an elongated base strip;
• an elongated cover strip coextensive in length with said base strip;
• said cover strip having a top surface and opposed sidewalls extending downwardly from said top surface, said opposed sidewalls being spaced apart from each other a distance substantially equal to the width of said base strip, and means for securing said cover strip to said base strip;
• said base strip having an upper surface for engaging said cover strip when said cover strip is secured to said base strip;
• a plurality of longitudinally spaced cavities, extending downwardly from said upper surface of said base strip, for housing a plurality of components therein;
• and a plurality of trough-like grooves extending longitudinally between and interconnecting adjacent ones of said plurality of cavities at a level beneath said upper surface of said base strip but above a bottom wall portion of each one of said cavities upon which each one of said components is supported;
• and
• retaining means extending downwardly from a lower surface of said cover strip so as to be disposed within said longitudinally extending trough-like grooves of said base strip when said cover strip is secured to said base strip and for engaging and pressing against top surfaces of said components disposed within said cavities of said base strip so as to restrict any extraneous movement of said components and thus prevent said components from prematurely falling out of said cavities during wrapping of said carrier tape system around a storage reel;
• wherein a portion of said cover strip defined within the vicinity of said retaining means includes a clear viewing window for viewing said components disposed within said cavities of said base strip.