Patent ID: 6874721

Claim:
A leader pin seat for use in combination with a single reel tape cartridge having a supply reel enclosed by a cartridge housing having an access port and a data storage tape having a first end coupled to the supply reel and a second end coupled to a leader pin, the seat comprising: a first retention spring disposed within the access port at a location corresponding to one end of the leader pin, and a second retention spring disposed within the access port opposite the first retention spring at a location corresponding to another end of the leader pin, wherein each retention spring includes: opposing grooves defining a retention slot for at least partially surrounding a portion of a leader pin; opposing contact surfaces for receiving a portion of the pin as the pin is retracted from a first position outside the access port to a second position in which the pin is at least partially surrounded by the opposing grooves, wherein a surface area of the contact surfaces is substantially equal to or greater than a surface area of the grooves; and a coupler for joining the grooves to an inside wall of the cartridge.