Patent ID: 6115208
Filing Date: 2000-09-05
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A tape drive for use with a tape cartridge having a housing including (a) at least one tape reel disposed for rotation about an axis and (b) a length of recording tape that is windable on the reel, the drive including:a chassis having a reference plane;a structure mounted on the chassis for moving the housing from a preliminary position to an operative position;a read and/or write transducer mounted on the chassis for reproducing a signal from and/or recording a signal on the tape;a transport mechanism mounted on the chassis for moving the tape longitudinally from the tape reel past the transducer;a tape guide mounted on the chassis between the reel and the transducer, the tape guide including (a) a guide portion for guiding the tape on a path between the reel and transducer, (b) a registration portion that is engaged by the cartridge housing when the cartridge housing is in the operative position, and (c) a mounting portion by which the tape guide is mounted; the guide portion, registration portion and mounting portion being fixed together; anda structure for coupling the mounting portion with the chassis so that:when the cartridge housing approaches the operative position, the cartridge housing engages the registration portion and moves the tape guide toward the reference plane, andwhen the cartridge housing attains the operative position, the position of the guide portion with respect to the reference plane is defined by (a) the fixed position of the guide portion with respect to the registration portion and (b) the position, with respect to the reference plane, of the registration portion and the cartridge housing engaged therewith, whereby the guide portion is registered with respect to the tape cartridge.