Abstract:
A tape cartridge capable of reliably identifying difference in type among tape cartridges without causing a tape drive side to have increased costs is provided. On the outer surface of a main case, an identification indicator is formed in a stripe shape having a grain printed portion and a mirror surface portion arranged alternately toward a loading direction of a magnetic tape cartridge onto a tape drive. An indicator format of the identification indicator on the magnetic tape cartridge, which is displaced and moved in the loading direction when loading operation of the magnetic tape cartridge onto the tape drive is conducted, is read by an optical reader mounted on the tape drive. This makes it possible to obtain type information on the magnetic tape cartridge on the tape drive side.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge having an identification indicator for identifying type information peculiar to the cartridge including tape characteristics and a tape standard of the magnetic tape on the tape drive side. 
   It is publicly known, as shown in Patent Documents of JP 2002-373479 A (FIG. 1, FIG. 2) and JP 2002-367336 A (FIG. 1, FIG. 2) for example, that in the field of magnetic tape cartridges, an identification indicator which can be read by an optical reader mounted on the tape drive side is provided on the outer surface of the main case. In the Patent Documents, a two-dimensional code as an identification display is formed on the outer surface of the main case. 
   The two-dimensional codes can carry data with a data size several dozen to several hundred times larger than the data size of bar codes, and therefore according to the tape cartridges in the Patent Documents, ample information can be transmitted to the tape drive side. The problem of this system is inevitable increase in manufacturing costs of the tape drive due to an expensive optical reader as the two-dimensional codes need to be read by the optical reader having a CCD area image senor incorporated in the tape drive. There is further a disadvantage that a read portion of this kind of CCD area image sensor is relatively large, which requires considerable design change on the tape drive side, leading to increase in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cartridge capable of reliably identifying difference in type among tape cartridges without causing the tape drive side to have increased costs. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention is about a magnetic tape cartridge made up of a reel  2  disposed inside a main case  1  for housing a magnetic tape  3  in a wounded state, and an identification indicator  7  formed on the outer surface of the main case  1  for identifying type information peculiar to the cartridge including tape characteristics and a tape standard of the magnetic tape  3  on the side of a tape drive D. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the identification indicator  7  is in a stripe shape having a grain printed portion  10  and a mirror surface portion  9  arranged alternately toward a loading direction  11  of the magnetic cartridge onto the tape drive D, and an indicator format defined by combination of these grain printed portion  10  and the mirror surface portion  9  is set in conformity with the type information. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 3 , when loading operation of the magnetic tape cartridge onto the tape drive D is conducted, the indicator format of the identification indicator  7  on the magnetic tape cartridge, which is displaced and moved in the loading direction inside the tape drive, is read by an optical reader  15  mounted on the tape drive D, so that the type information on the magnetic tape cartridge can be obtained on the tape drive D side. 
   The grain printed portion  10  herein refers to a printed region having microscopic asperities formed by printing with use of a print ink containing microscopic particles. As the microscopic particles mixed in the print ink, any one of elastomers, calcium silicates, natural collagens, fine glasses, Shirasu balloons, resin beads, or combinations thereof may be used. As the mirror surface portion  9 , aluminum pieces and plastic pieces subjected to aluminum evaporation treatment for example may be used. 
   Further, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the present invention is about a magnetic tape cartridge made up of a reel  2  disposed inside a main case  1  for housing a magnetic tape  3  in a wounded state, and gear teeth  27  formed on a bottom surface of the reel  2  so as to be vertically engaged with a drive gear  26  of a drive shaft  25  on the tape drive side, the bottom surface of the reel  2  facing an outer surface of the main case through a drive aperture  29  open in a bottom wall of the main case  1 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , an identification indicator  30  for identifying type information peculiar to the cartridge including tape characteristics and a tape standard of the magnetic tape  3  on a tape drive side is disposed concentrically about a center of the gear teeth  27  in an outer peripheral portion away from the gear teeth  27  on the bottom surface of the reel  2 . The identification indicator  30  is in a two-color circular shape having two kinds of colored portions  31 ,  32  different in light reflectance formed alternately in a circular ring direction, and an indicator format defined by combination of these colored portions  31 ,  32  is set in conformity with the type information. While the reel  2  is rotated by the drive shaft  25 , the indicator format of the identification indicator  30  is read by an optical reader  33  mounted on the tape drive, so that the type information on the magnetic tape cartridge can be obtained on the tape drive side. 
   In the present invention in a first aspect (corresponding to claim  1 ), first, an indicator format defined by combination of the grain printed portion  10  and the mirror surface portion  9  is preset in conformity with the type information peculiar to the cartridge including tape characteristics and a tape standard. Then, in the manufacturing process of the tape cartridge, the indicator format corresponding to each type is formed on the outer surface of the main case  1 . 
   Once such a tape cartridge is loaded onto the tape drive D, the magnetic tape cartridge is displaced and moved in a loading direction  11  by a loading mechanism of the tape drive D as shown in  FIG. 3  from a posture position shown by a virtual line to a loading position shown by a solid line. During the displacement and movement process, the optical reader  15  irradiates detection light from a light emitting device  16  to the identification indicator  7 . At this point, an indicator format of the identification indicator  7  defined by combination of a width size of the loading direction  11  and an arrangement position of respective mirror surface portions  9  is detected based on a detection signal from a light receiving device  17 , and based on the detection result, the type of the magnetic tape cartridge is determined. Then, based on the determination result, processing corresponding to the type of the magnetic tape cartridge is conducted. 
   As described above, in the present invention, on the outer surface of the main case  1 , the identification indicator  7  is formed in a stripe shape having a grain printed portion  10  and a mirror surface portion  9  arranged alternately toward the loading direction  11  of the magnetic tape cartridge onto the tape drive D, and the indicator format of the identification indicator  7  on the magnetic tape cartridge, which is displaced and moved in the loading direction  11  when loading operation of the magnetic tape cartridge onto the tape drive D is conducted, is read by the optical reader  15  mounted on the tape drive D, so that the type information on the magnetic tape cartridge can be obtained on the tape drive D side. Therefore, unlike the conventional tape cartridges having two-dimensional code identification indicators, adoption of the expensive optical reader including CCD area image sensor is not necessary, which enables the tape cartridge in the present invention to contribute to reduction in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. More particularly, the optical reader  15  can be structured into a so-called single scan line-type reader capable of detecting the indicator format of the identification indicator  7  with a single beam of detection light, which allows considerable cost reduction of the reader compared to the conventional optical readers having CCD area image sensors, thereby making it possible to proportionally contribute to reduction in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. This kind of single scan line-type optical reader is smaller in size than the image sensor-type readers, and therefore the tape drive with the reader to be incorporated therein is sacred from considerable design change, which is counted as another contribution for reduction in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. Above all, the tape cartridge in the present invention is advantageous as the identification indicator  7  is simpler in structure than the two-dimensional code and the optical reader  15  for reading the data is inexpensive, thereby allowing considerable reduction in expense necessary for introducing an identification means to the tape cartridge and the tape drive. 
   In the present invention in a second aspect (corresponding to claim  2 ), as shown in  FIG. 5 , the identification indicator  30  in a two-color circular shape having two colored portions  31 ,  32  different in light reflectance is formed in an outer peripheral portion away from the gear teeth  27  on the bottom surface of the reel  2 , and while the reel  2  is rotated by the drive shaft  25 , the indicator format of the identification indicator  30  is read by the optical reader  33  mounted on the tape drive, so that the type information on the magnetic tape cartridge can be obtained on the tape drive side. 
   In the present aspect, the effects similar to those in the first aspect can be achieved. That is, unlike the conventional tape cartridges having two-dimensional code identification indicators, adoption of the expensive optical reader including CCD area image sensor is not necessary, which enables the tape cartridge in the present invention to contribute to reduction in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. More particularly, the optical reader  33  can be structured into a so-called single scan line-type reader capable of detecting the indicator format of the identification indicator  30  with a single beam of detection light, which allows considerable cost reduction of the reader compared to the conventional optical readers having CCD area image sensors, thereby making it possible to proportionally contribute to reduction in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. This kind of single scan line-type optical reader is smaller in size than the image sensor-type readers, and therefore the tape drive with the reader to be incorporated therein is sacred from considerable design change, which is counted as another contribution for reduction in manufacturing costs of the tape drive. Above all, the tape cartridge in the present invention is advantageous as the identification indicator  30  is simpler in structure than the two-dimensional code and the optical reader  33  for reading the data is inexpensive, thereby allowing considerable reduction in expense necessary for introducing an identification means to the tape cartridge and the tape drive. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts in the several views, and wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view for showing a tape cartridge according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view for showing a main part of the tape cartridge according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a view for explaining an identification method on the tape cartridge according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a longitudinal sectional side view for showing the tape cartridge according to the present invention; and 
       FIG. 5  a plane view showing a main part of the tape cartridge according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   First Embodiment 
     FIG. 1  through  FIG. 3  show a first embodiment in which a magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention is applied for computer data backup. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the magnetic tape cartridge has a box-shaped main case  1  formed by combining plastic upper and lower cases  1   a  and  1   b  so as to face each other. Inside the main case  1 , a single reel  2  is disposed, and a tape (magnetic tape)  3  for recording data signals is wound around the reel  2 . There is shown a reader pin  5  which is connected to a tape supply end and is caught by coupling means on the tape drive side. When the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded onto the tape drive D, the tape  3  is pulled to the outer front side of the main case  1  via the reader pin  5 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 3 , an identification indicator  7  for identifying type information peculiar to the cartridge including tape characteristics and a tape standard of the tape  3  on the tape drive D side is provided on the right-and-left side face (left-hand side face  8  in the drawing) of the main case  1 . The identification indicator  7  is composed of a mirror surface portion  9  which demonstrates sufficient light reflectivity and a grain printed portion  10  which has light reflectivity lower than the mirror surface portion  9 , with these mirror surface portion  9  and the grain printed portion  10  being arranged alternately toward a loading direction  11  of the tape drive D (a hollow arrow mark: see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). More particularly, the identification indicator  7  is in a stripe shape having the grain printed portion  10  and the mirror surface portion  9  arranged alternately toward the loading direction  11  of the magnetic cartridge onto the tape drive D. Herein, the identification indicator  7  was formed by printing the grain printed portion  10  on the entire outer surface of the main case  1  and applying four aluminum films as the mirror surface portion  9  on the rear end portion of the left-hand side face  8 . 
   The indicator format of the identification indicator  7  defined by combination of these grain printed portion  10  and the mirror surface portion  9  is set at various formats in conformity with the type information of the magnetic tape cartridge. More particularly, the indicator format of the identification indicator  7  defined by a width size of the mirror surface portion  9  along the loading direction  11  and a wide size of the grain printed portion  10  formed between adjacent mirror surface portions  9 ,  9  along the loading direction  11  (i.e., an interval size between the mirror surface portions  9  in the loading direction  11 ) is set to be the format in conformity with the type information of the magnetic tape cartridge. 
   The tape drive D has a loading mechanism for loading the magnetic tape cartridge, a drive mechanism for rotatably driving the tape reel  2 , a signal read/write mechanism for pulling out the tape  3  and conducting both read and write access to the tape  3 , and a control circuit for controlling each mechanism, each disposed in the box-shaped case. In  FIG. 3 , there are shown a loading frame  12  constituting the loading mechanism, and a loading port  13  formed on the front face of the case for inserting and loading the magnetic tape cartridge. 
   In  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , there is shown an optical reader  15  incorporated in the tape drive D for reading the identification indicator  7 . The optical reader  15 , which is composed of a light emitting device  16  for irradiating detection light toward the identification indicator  7  and a light receiving device  17  for receiving the detection light reflected by the identification indicator  7 , is a single scan line-type reader for detecting an indicator format of the identification indicator  7  with a single beam of detection light irradiated from the light emitting device  16 . The optical reader  15  is secured on the left-hand side face of a loading space of the magnetic tape cartridge in the tape drive D, or more specifically, secured at a position facing the movement path of the identification indicator  7  in the tape drive D and in horizontal orientation so that the light emitting/receiving devices  16 ,  17 -face the movement path. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the magnetic tape cartridge is inserted and loaded from the loading port  13  along the loading frame  12 , the magnetic tape cartridge is displaced and moved in a loading direction by the loading mechanism of the tape drive D from a posture position shown by a virtual line to a loading position shown by a solid line. During the displacement and movement process in the tape drive D, the optical reader  15  irradiates detection light from the light emitting device  16  to the identification indicator  7 . Based on a detection signal sent at this point from the light receiving device  17 , an indicator format of the identification indicator  7  defined by combination of a width size of the loading direction  11  and an arrangement position of respective mirror surface portions  9  is detected, and based on the detection result, the type of the magnetic tape cartridge is determined. More particularly, since the displacement/movement speed during loading of the cartridge by the loading mechanism on the tape drive D side is almost constant, the width size of the mirror surface portion  9  and the like can be detected from a detection time of detection light by the light receiving device  17 . Then, based on the determination result, processing corresponding to the type of the magnetic tape cartridge is conducted. 
   Second Embodiment 
   A second embodiment of the magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the magnetic tape cartridge has a box-shaped main case  1  formed by combining plastic upper and lower cases  1   a  and  1   b  so as to face each other. Inside the main case  1 , a single reel  2  is disposed, and a tape (magnetic tape)  3  for recording data signals is wound around the reel  2 . 
   The reel  2  is a plastic molding composed of: a bottomed cylinder-shape hub  20  having a round cylinder wall  20   a , a bottom wall  20   b  and an openable upper face; an upper flange  21  molded integrally with an upper outer periphery of the hub  20  in a protruding state; and a disc-shaped lower flange  22  welded to a lower outer periphery of the hub  20 . 
   In order to prevent the reel  2  from turning over during off-periods of operation, a means to press and bias the reel  2  toward the bottom wall of the case is provided in the hub  20 . The biasing means includes a compression coil-type spring  23  and a bearing  24  receiving the spring pressure from the spring  23 . 
   Gear teeth  27  vertically engaged with a drive gear  26  of a drive shaft  25  on the tape drive side are formed on the lower face of a bottom wall  20   b  of the hub  20 . The gear teeth  27  face the outside of the case through a drive aperture  29  open in the bottom wall of the lower case  1   b.    
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , an identification indicator  30  for identifying type information peculiar to the cartridge including tape characteristics and a tape standard of the magnetic tape  3  on a tape drive side is disposed concentrically about a center of the gear teeth  27  in an outer peripheral portion away from the gear teeth  27  on the bottom surface  20   b  of the hub  20 . The identification indicator  30  is in a two-color circular shape having two kinds of colored portions  31 ,  32  different in light reflectance formed alternately in a circular ring direction. Herein, only the colored portion  31  is colored while the colored portion  32  presents the color of the bottom surface  20   b  of the hub  20 . 
   The indicator format of the identification indicator  7  defined by combination of these colored portions  31 ,  32  is set at various formats in conformity with the type information of the magnetic tape cartridge. More particularly, the indicator format of the identification indicator  7  defined by a length size of the colored portion  31  in rotating direction of the hub  20  and a length size of the colored portion  32  formed between adjacent colored portions  31  and  31  in rotating direction is set to be the format in conformity with the type information of the magnetic tape cartridge. 
   In  FIG. 4 , there is shown an optical reader  33  for reading the identification indicator  30 . The optical reader  33 , which is composed of a light emitting device  35  for irradiating detection light toward the identification indicator  30  and a light receiving device  36  for receiving the detection light reflected by the identification indicator  30 , is a single scan line-type reader for detecting an indicator format of the identification indicator  30  with a single beam of detection light irradiated from the light emitting device  35 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the optical reader  33  is secured in the vicinity of the drive shaft  25  on the tape drive side in an upward posture so as to irradiate detection light toward the rotating position of the identification indicator  30 . 
   When the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded onto the tape drive, the tape drive displaces and moves the magnetic tape cartridge to a specified rotational driving position by a loading mechanism. Next, the tape drive pushes the drive shaft  25  up, by which the drive gear  26  engages with the gear teeth  27  on the bottom surface  20   b  of the hub  20  through the drive aperture  29 , and the reel  2  is put in a slightly uplifted rotatable state as shown in  FIG. 4 . While the tape drive in such a state rotates the drive shaft  25 , the optical reader  33  irradiates detection light from the light emitting device  35  to the identification indicator  30 . Based on a detection signal sent at this point from the light receiving device  36 , an indicator format of the identification indicator  30  defined by combination of a length size of the rotating direction and an arrangement position of the colored portions  31  is detected, and based on the detection result, the type of the magnetic tape cartridge is determined. Then, based on the determination result, processing corresponding to the type of the magnetic tape cartridge is conducted. 
   Although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention, they should be construed as being included therein.