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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJustin Ryan Cripps, Ernest Stewart Gale, Robert Allen Hutchins, James Mitchell Karp
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus to dispose a tape around the hub portion of a rotatable reel disposed within a tape cartridge, said hub including a pair of flanges extending outwardly therefrom and arranged to contain said tape, each of said flanges having an inner surface, said tape disposed on said hub such that a first edge of a first portion of said tape is disposed on the inner surface of a first flange and such that neither of the edges of a second portion of the tape are disposed on the inner surface of that first flange. A tape cartridge comprising a length of tape and rotatable reel disposed therein, said rotatable reel including a hub, and said hub including a pair of flanges extending outwardly therefrom and arranged to contain said tape, each of said flanges having an inner surface, said tape disposed on said hub such that a first edge of a first portion of said tape is disposed on the inner surface of a first flange and such that neither of the edges of a second portion of the tape are disposed on the inner surface of that first flange.
A method to dispose a length of tape around the hub portion of a rotatable reel, said reel comprising a first flange having an inner surface, and a second flange having an inner surface, said flanges connecting to said hub and extending outwardly therefrom to contain said tape, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Containers; Storing means both adapted to cooperate with the recording or reproducing means: single reels or spools
Web-winding mechanisms: mechanisms in which power is applied to web-roll spindle
Guiding record carrier: threading; Loading; Automatic self-loading
Threading; Loading; Automatic self-loading: by extracting end of record carrier from container or spool
Term ended 22 Mar 2021 (estimated)
This invention relates to the field of winding a tape within a tape storage cartridge which includes a rotatably mounted reel. In particular, the invention relates to method and apparatus to wind a tape medium on a reel disposed within a tape storage cartridge. Applicants' invention further relates to a tape cartridge having a tape medium disposed therein.
Tape media, such a magnetic tape, is a common medium for the storage of data to be utilized by a computer. Magnetic tape has found widespread use as a data storage medium because it provides a relatively inexpensive solution for storing large amounts of data. There are, however, some problems with the methods previously used to store magnetic tape that can cause damage to the magnetic tape media. This damage results in errors when reading or recording data on the magnetic tape.
Magnetic tape is stored on cartridges of which there are a variety of different types and sizes. One reason for the variety of cartridge types is the variety of different tape drives in which the cartridges are used. Tape cartridges are comprised essentially of a cartridge shell which houses a rotatably mounted reel. Magnetic tape is wound around the hub of the reel. Reel flanges are used to contain the magnetic tape as the magnetic tape is wound on the hub. A fully loaded tape cartridge has magnetic tape wound around the hub such that the multiple layers of tape form a stack of magnetic tape extending out to near the end of the reel flanges.
The invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like reference designators are used to designate like elements, and in which:
FIG. 1 shows a complete tape cartridge;
FIG. 2 shows a cutaway view of a reel within a tape cartridge;
FIG. 1 depicts tape cartridge 100. Tape cartridge 100 comprises cartridge shell 110 which encases a reel (not shown in FIG. 1) around which is wound magnetic tape 120. Leader block 130 is attached to the end of the length of magnetic tape 120 contained inside shell 110 and is formed to cooperate with the tape drive mechanism (not shown) to allow the automatic threading of magnetic tape 120 in the tape drive mechanism. Leader block 130 and attached magnetic tape 120 are shown slightly extended from shell 110 in FIG. 1. There are various features not shown on shell 110, such as locating notches, write-inhibiting switches, and the like, which are not relevant to the present invention. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that tape cartridge 100 is only exemplary and the present invention is applicable to any configuration of tape cartridge 100.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a cut-away view of tape cartridge 200. Reel 210 is contained within shell 202 and, when engaged by a drive motor mechanism (not shown) of the tape drive mechanism as described below, spins within shell 202 in response to the operation of the drive motor. Reel 210 comprises top portion 212 and bottom portion 214.
Reel 210 includes annular-shaped hub 250 and flanges 220 and 230. Flanges 220 and 230 connect to, and extend radially outward from, hub 250 forming a channel between them in which tape (not shown in FIG. 2) is contained as that tape is wound around hub 250. Flange 220 is disposed on top portion 212 of reel 210. Flange 220 includes proximal end 222 disposed at the connection point between flange 220 and hub 250, and distal end 224 disposed outwardly from hub 250. Flange 230 is disposed on bottom portion 214 of reel 210. Flange 230 includes proximal end 232 disposed at the connection point between flange 230 and hub 250, and distal end 234 disposed outwardly from hub 250.