Patent ID: 7520461

Claim:
A take-up reel for a single reel cartridge magnetic tape drive, said single reel cartridge including a magnetic tape on a reel, said magnetic tape including a leader pin at a free end, comprising: a first flange and a second flange spaced from one another to define a tape winding space therebetween; a central hub mounted between said first and second flanges, said central hub having a substantially cylindrical wall defining an interior space, said cylindrical wall defining a slot open to said interior space; a leader pin gripper selectively receivable in said slot in said central hub, said leader pin gripper including: a hook portion having a hook for selective engagement with the leader pin of the magnetic tape, an end face on said hook portion, said end face forming a portion of said cylindrical wall of said central hub when said leader pin gripper is in a fully inserted position in said slot, a middle portion connected to said hook portion by an articulated connection, said middle portion having an engagement portion for engagement with a gripper mover, and an end portion connected to said middle portion by an articulated connection at an opposite end of said middle portion from said hook portion, said end portion having a pull-in wedge; first and second arms pivotally mounted in said interior space of said central hub, said first and second arms each having a free end disposed so that pivoting movement of said first and second arms brings said free ends closer together and alternately further apart, said first and second arms being biased to pivot said free ends toward one another; said pull-in wedge of said end portion moving between said free ends of said first and second arms as said tape leader gripper is moved into said slot in said central hub and into said fully inserted position; and first and second magnetically attracted elements mounted in said interior space of said central hub and a second magnet mounted at said tape leader pin gripper, respectively, said first and second magnetically attracted elements being in magnetic engagement when said tape leader pin gripper is in said fully inserted position.