Patent ID: 6631863
Filing Date: 2003-10-14
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A reel hub lock releasing mechanism for use in a tape drive, said tape drive comprising a chassis having a main surface and a back surface, a take-up reel rotatably mounted on the main surface of said chassis, a take-up reel motor mounted on the back surface of said chassis for rotatably driving said take-up reel, a slot disposed on the main surface of said chassis for inserting a tape cartridge containing a supply reel, a supply reel motor mounted on the back surface of said chassis at a position opposed to said slot for rotatably driving said supply reel in said tape cartridge, and a loading mechanism for engaging said supply reel with said supply reel motor after said tape cartridge is inserted in said slot, said loading mechanism including a loading motor disposed on said chassis and a ring cam operatively driven by said loading motor, said ring cam being coaxial with a rotation axis of said supply reel motor, said ring cam being rotatably disposed between the back surface of said chassis and said supply reel motor, said ring cam having a cam groove, said tape cartridge being put into a reel hub locked state where a reel hub of said supply reel is locked by a reel hub lock mechanism to stop rotation of said supply reel when said tape cartridge is not inserted in said slot, said reel hub lock mechanism including a lock lever for enabling to release a reel hub lock by operating said lock lever from the exterior, said reel hub lock releasing mechanism being for releasing the reel hub lock by operating said lock lever in response to rotation of said ring cam when said tape cartridge is inserted in said slot, said reel hub lock releasing mechanism comprising:a seesaw-type release lever rotatably disposed on the back surface of said chassis around a fulcrum part at a center thereof, said seesaw-type release lever comprising first and second plate bodies extending from said fulcrum part toward both sides, said first plate body having, at a tip thereof, an engaging projection engaged with the cam groove of said ring cam, said second plate body having, at a tip thereof, a lever operating projection which projects upward to operate said lock lever.