Back to results
US 6,655,624 B2Granted
Cartridge engaging mechanism
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorToshimitsu Kawasaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorToshimitsu Kawasaki
Estimating the term…
A cartridge gear having an annular shape around its rotational center and secured to a reel of a tape cartridge loaded in a drive device has a tapered shape having a first inclination angle which is lower in height as the tooth tops thereof approach the innermost peripheral edge. A drive gear having an annular shape around its rotational center and connected to a reel motor of the drive device has a tapered shape having a second inclination angle which is lower in height as the tooth tops thereof approach the outermost peripheral edge, the second angle being smaller than the first angle. The tapered shape of the drive gear is formed in an area which extends outwardly from the radially-innermost position of the drive gear where lock pads abut against the drive gear when the drive gear and the cartridge gear are in proper engagement with each other.
A cartridge engaging mechanism for engaging a plane-type cartridge gear secured to a reel of a tape cartridge loaded in a tape drive device with a plate-type drive gear connected to a reel motor of the tape drive device, characterized in that said cartridge gear has a tapered shape having a first inclination angle that is lower in height as the tooth tops thereof approach to the innermost peripheral edge, and said drive gear has a tapered shape having a second inclination angle that is lower in height as the tooth tops thereof approach the outermost peripheral edge, the second inclination angle being set to be smaller than the first inclination angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.