Tape cartridge having a single use cleaning leader which utilizes rupturable pouches of cleaning solvent
US5638236A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 25, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jun 10, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B15/026
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A tape having a first portion (preferably a magnetic tape portion for recording video, audio, or computer data), and a cleaning leader attached to the first portion, and a tape cartridge including such a tape. The leader includes one or more cleaning solvent modules, each of which is preferably a thin pouch containing cleaning solvent designed to rupture when squeezed between rollers of a tape player transport mechanism (or in the tape cartridge). Preferably, several cleaning solvent modules are evenly spaced along the leader, to expose tape player heads to periodic bursts of solvent during cleaning. A leader control mechanism prevents translation of the leader through the player's tape transport mechanism following the first play of the leader therethrough (or the first play therethrough in a particular direction). The leader control mechanism can include a nodule mounted to the leader so that during rewinding of the tape, the nodule will lock into depressions in the reel on which the leader is wound. Alternatively, the leader control mechanism includes catches (which engage a notch or shoulder along the leader), and/or an electrically conductive strip on the magnetic tape (which …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.