Patent ID: 11878516
Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Textile and paper machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A tape cassette for use with a printing device, the printing device comprising a conveying roller and a cassette holder to which the tape cassette is attachable, the tape cassette comprising:
a tape roll which is a roll of a tape wound about an axis extending in a first direction, the tape having one end portion and another end portion in the first direction, the tape being configured to be conveyed by the conveying roller;
a case accommodating the tape roll therein; and
a nipping member provided in the case, the nipping member being configured to nip the tape drawn out from the tape roll and to convey the tape in a second direction in cooperation with the conveying roller in a state where the tape cassette is attached to the cassette holder, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction,
the nipping member comprising:
a first region configured to face the one end portion in the first direction of the tape, the first region protruding a first length in a third direction from an outer surface of the nipping member, the third direction being perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction;
a second region configured to face the another end portion in the first direction of the tape, the second region protruding a second length in the third direction from the outer surface of the nipping member; and
a third region positioned between the first region and the second region in the first direction, the third region protruding a third length in the third direction from the outer surface of the nipping member,

wherein the third region has a dimension in the first direction that is smaller than both a dimension in the first direction of the first region and a dimension in the first direction of the second region,
wherein the nipping member is a roller, the roller comprising:
a roller body having a hollow cylindrical shape extending in the first direction, the roller body being rotatably supported by the case, the roller body having the first region and the second region; and
only one protruding portion which is the third region, the protruding portion being provided at an outer peripheral surface of the roller body and provided integrally with the roller body,

wherein the third length is greater than both the first length and the second length,
wherein only the third region is configured to make contact with the tape such that the first region and the second region do not make contact with the tape,
wherein the third region is configured to maintain contact with a center in the first direction of the tape during conveyance of the tape,
wherein the third region has a dimension in the third direction greater than a thickness in the third direction of the tape,
wherein the protruding portion is provided at a center portion in the first direction of the roller body,
wherein the tape is made of fabric,
wherein the conveying roller faces the protruding portion in a facing direction in the state where the tape cassette is attached to the cassette holder,
wherein the tape has a part configured to be nipped by the protruding portion and the conveying roller, the part having a yarn extending in the second direction, and
wherein one end edge in the first direction of the protruding portion and another end edge in the first direction of the protruding portion extend in the second direction as viewed in the facing direction.