Spring-loaded tape spool for belt-driven cartridge
US5092537A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 16, 1990 |
| Grant date | Mar 3, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 16, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B23/08728
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A tape spool for use in a magnetic tape cartridge which includes means for maintaining the spool at a predetermined height relative to the cartridge base in order to stabilize the tape path. The spool is adapted for mounting on and rotation relative to a cylindrical pin extending perpendicularly from a base toward an opposite wall, the base and wall defining opposite substantially parallel sides of an enclosure, the tape spool remaining a constant distance from the base and including: a hub having a central aperture for mounting on the pin, an upper surface, a lower bearing surface, and a circumferential tape supporting rim; a disc attached to the hub; a spring formed in the disc and in contact with the upper surface of the hub; and a central aperture for mounting on the pin; and a retaining member adjacent the upper portion of the disc, the spring urging the disc against the retaining member and simultaneously urging the hub downward such that the hub is retained at a constant distance from the base. A tape cartridge which uses the spools of this invention can be used in non-horizontal orientations and are effectively immune from temperature induced tape floating.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.