Back to results
US 5,518,328 AGranted
Tape unit
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHiroyuki Okuchi, Koshiro Yamaguchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An object of the invention is to offer tape units having a plurality of kinds of tapes and to be reloaded to corresponding tape cassettes, and when the tape unit is to be reloaded, the kind of tape unit to be reloaded can be discriminated at a single glance and the tape unit can be reloaded in a proper state to the corresponding tape cassette without fail. A cap is fitted in a spool hole disposed on the upper end part of a tape spool of each tape unit, and there is a display for displaying the ground color of a tape, a color which can be colored in printing, the use of the tape and the width of the tape provided on the upper surface of the cap. Thus, the characteristic of each tape can be recognized at a single glance, and reloading can be performed properly in selecting a desired tape unit.
Claims29
A tape cassette housing a removable tape unit, the removable tape unit comprising:
- a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette, said tape spool having an upper end and a lower end;
- a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette;
- and
- a rotatably mounted display member fitted within said spool hole on said upper end of said tape spool for displaying the kind of wound tape on a part of said tape unit.
1 more element
A tape cassette housing a removable tape unit, the removable tape unit comprising:
- a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette;
- a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette;
- a display member for displaying the kind of wound tape on a part of said tape unit;
- and
- a sensor device including a shaft inserted into said spool hole at a lower end of said tape spool and a handle part extending to an outer periphery of the tape wound around the tape spool, said handle part including a wall protruding from said handle part to indicate the kind of said tape.
2 more elements
A tape cassette comprising:
- a removable tape unit comprising a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette, a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette, and a rotatably mounted display member, said tape spool having an upper end and a lower end, the display member being fitted within said spool hole on said upper end of said tape spool for displaying the kind of wound tape;
- a cassette lid detachable from a cassette main body for removing said removable tape unit stored in said tape cassette;
- and
- a visual confirmation portion for confirming the kind of the tape stored in said tape cassette, said visual confirmation portion disposed on a surface of said cassette lid, wherein said display member is seen through said visual confirmation portion.
1 more element
A tape cassette comprising:
- a removable tape unit comprising a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette, a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette, a display member for displaying the kind of wound tape, and a sensor device including a shaft inserted into said spool hole at a lower end of said tape spool and a handle part extending to an outer periphery of the tape wound around the tape spool, said handle part including a wall protruding from said handle part to indicate the kind of said tape;
- a cassette lid detachable from a cassette main body for removing said removable tape unit stored in said tape cassette;
- and
- a visual confirmation portion for confirming the kind of the tape stored in said tape cassette, said visual confirmation portion disposed on a surface of said cassette lid, wherein said display member is seen through said visual confirmation portion.
1 more element
A tape printer comprising:
- a tape cassette storing a removable tape unit, the removable tape unit comprising a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette, a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette, and a rotatably mounted display member, said tape spool having an upper end and a lower end, said display member being fitted within said spool hole on said upper end of said tape spool for displaying the kind of wound tape, said tape cassette having a visual confirmation portion for confirming the kind of said tape;
- and
- a window for showing said display member through said visual confirmation portion, said window disposed on a top surface of said tape printer.
A tape printer comprising:
- a tape cassette storing a removable tape unit, the removable tape unit comprising a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette, a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette, a display member for displaying the kind of wound tape, and a sensor device including a shaft inserted into said spool hole at a lower end of said tape spool and a handle part extending to an outer periphery of the tape wound around the tape spool, said handle part including a wall protruding from said handle part to indicate the kind of said tape, said tape cassette having a visual confirmation portion for confirming the kind of said tape;
- a window for showing said display member through said visual confirmation portion, said window disposed on a top surface of said tape printer;
- and
- a sensor for detecting the kind of said tape by detecting said sensor device of said removable tape unit.
1 more element
A removable tape unit structured to be removable from a tape cassette, the removable tape unit comprising:
- means for enabling said tape unit to be removable from said tape cassette;
- a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette, said tape spool having an upper end and a lower end;
- a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette;
- and
- a rotatably mounted display member fitted within said spool hole on said upper end of said tape spool for displaying the kind of wound tape on a part of said tape unit.
2 more elements
A removable tape unit structured to be removable from a tape cassette, the removable tape unit comprising:
- a tape spool having a spool hole to be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided on an inner surface of the tape cassette;
- a tape wound around said tape spool, said tape and said tape spool being removable from said tape cassette;
- a display member for displaying the kind of wound tape on a part of said tape unit;
- and
- a sensor device corresponding to the kind of the tape, wherein the sensor device further comprises a shaft inserted into said spool hole at a lower end of said tape spool and a handle part extending to an outer periphery of the tape wound around the tape spool, said handle part including a wall penetrating a predetermined part on a bottom surface of a tape cassette to position the removable tape unit.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.