Abstract: A retaining member for retaining a grabber has a positioning arrangement for fixing the grabber in place. The grabber has a rear surface having a pair of hollows at upper and lower end portions. The positioning arrangement has a retainer opposed to a front surface of the grabber on retaining the grabber and a pair of leaf springs opposed to the retainer with a space shorter than a thickness of the grabber. The pair of leaf springs is disposed apart from each other up and down. The pair of leaf springs has a pair of projections engaged with the pair of hollows. The pair of hollows is disposed the outside of a tape winding portion where a magnetic tape is wound.

Abstract: A brush driving mechanism, which drives a cleaning brush from a retracted position to an operation position opposed to a magnetic head, has a main arm having a tip coupled to the cleaning brush through a shaft. A chassis has a chassis slit, in which the shaft is inserted, for allowing to move the cleaning brush from the retracted position to the operation position by operating the main arm. The chassis slit has a tip portion stops the shaft when the cleaning brush is put into the operation position to position the cleaning brush with respect to the magnetic head.

Abstract: A driving mechanism, which drives a pull-out assembly up to an interior of a reel hub of a take-up reel, has a shaft which is inserted in a through hole bored in a grabber with a clearance. A shutter fixes the pull-out assembly in a receiving portion at a predetermined position on receiving the pull-out assembly in the receiving portion. A positioning member positions the shaft with a center of the shaft substantially coincided with a central axis of the take-up reel and with the clearance held between the shaft and an inner wall of the through hole when the pull-out assembly is received in the receiving portion.

Abstract: A driving mechanism, which drives a pull-out assembly up to an interior of a reel hub of a take-up reel, has a shaft which is inserted in a through hole bored in a grabber with a clearance. A shutter fixes the pull-out assembly in a receiving portion at a predetermined position on receiving the pull-out assembly in the receiving portion. A positioning member positions the shaft with a center of the shaft substantially coincided with a central axis of the take-up reel and with the clearance held between the shaft and an inner wall of the through hole when the pull-out assembly is received in the receiving portion.

Abstract: A take-up reel includes a reel hub having an outer circumferential surface which is used as a magnetic tape winding surface. The reel hub has an opening for passing a pull-out assembly through an interior thereof. The take-up reel has a receiving portion for receiving the pull-out assembly in the interior of the reel hub. The take-up reel includes a shutter having an open/close door for automatically opening/closing the opening in cooperation with the pull-out assembly. When the open/close door close the opening, the open/close door has an outer circumferential surface which forms a part of the magnetic tape winding surface.

Abstract: A pair of disk-shaped annular flanges is made of material firmer than that of a hollow cylindrical-shaped roller portion. The roller portion has an outer peripheral surface in which the flanges are mounted at opposite ends thereof. On press-fitting a pair of bearings in the roller portion, the flanges are retained by means of bearing flanges. The outer peripheral surface of the roller portion has a pair of flange guides, at opposite ends thereof, for guiding the flanges. The flange guide has a longitudinal length shorter than thickness of the flange. An adhesive agent may be filled in a gap formed among an end surface of the roller portion, the disk-shaped annular flange, and the bearing.

Abstract: A pin retainer locks a leader pin during a movement of a pull-out assembly where the leader pin is coupled to a grabber between a grabber holder and a take-up reel. The pin retainer is urged toward a locking position by a spring. When the grabber comes close to a cartridge, a first releasing arm makes the pin retainer retract to a retracted position opposed to urging force of the spring.

Abstract: Upper and lower leaf springs linear-movably support a sub movable portion with respect to a sub fixed portion. Each of the upper and lower leaf springs has a substantially symmetrical shape, which is symmetric with respect to a center portion thereof, so as to be mounted on the sub fixed portion at the center portion and so as to be mounted on the sub movable portions at both end portions thereof. Each of the upper and lower leaf springs has at least one pair of bending portions, which is symmetric with respect to the center portion, between the center portion and the both end portions.

Abstract: A clutch member coupling a first gear with a second gear with a play has a first clutch gear engaged with the first gear and a second clutch gear engaged with the second gear. Between the first clutch gear and the second clutch gear, a torsion spring for imparting the play to the clutch member is disposed. A combination of a protrusion portion, a lock arm cam, and a lock arm controls so that the play caused by the torsion spring is effective while a rotational angle of the first clutch gear lies in a first angular range and controls so that the play caused by the torsion spring is ineffective so as to make the first clutch gear and the second clutch gear move integrally while the rotational angle of the first clutch gear lies in a second angular range.

Abstract: An ejection position detection mechanism has an arc-shaped plate, attached to a mode gear, having a plurality of detected elements provided at positions corresponding to a plurality of ejection positions of a cartridge, and a detection arrangement, disposed near to the arc-shaped plate, for detecting the plurality of detected elements. The arc-shaped plate consists of a shielding plate. The plurality of detected elements consist of an edge of the shielding plate and two slits formed on the shielding plate. The detecting arrangement consists of a photo-interrupter.

Abstract: A pair of disk-shaped annular flanges is made of material firmer than that of a hollow cylindrical-shaped roller portion. The roller portion has an outer peripheral surface in which the flanges are mounted at opposite ends thereof. On press-fitting a pair of bearings in the roller portion, the flanges are retained by means of bearing flanges. The outer peripheral surface of the roller portion has a pair of flange guides, at opposite ends thereof, for guiding the flanges. The flange guide has a longitudinal length shorter than thickness of the flange. An adhesive agent may be filled in a gap formed among an end surface of the roller portion, the disk-shaped annular flange, and the bearing.

Abstract: A pin retainer locks a leader pin during a movement of a pull-out assembly where the leader pin is coupled to a grabber between a grabber holder and a take-up reel. The pin retainer is urged toward a locking position by a spring. When the grabber comes close to a cartridge, a first releasing arm makes the pin retainer retract to a retracted position opposed to urging force of the spring.

Abstract: A retaining member for retaining a grabber has a positioning arrangement for fixing the grabber in place. The grabber has a rear surface having a pair of hollows at upper and lower end portions. The positioning arrangement has a retainer opposed to a front surface of the grabber on retaining the grabber and a pair of leaf springs opposed to the retainer with a space shorter than a thickness of the grabber. The pair of leaf springs is disposed apart from each other up and down. The pair of leaf springs has a pair of projections engaged with the pair of hollows. The pair of hollows is disposed the outside of a tape winding portion where a magnetic tape is wound.

Abstract: A brush driving mechanism, which drives a cleaning brush from a retracted position to an operation position opposed to a magnetic head, has a main arm having a tip coupled to the cleaning brush through a shaft. A chassis has a chassis slit, in which the shaft is inserted, for allowing to move the cleaning brush from the retracted position to the operation position by operating the main arm. The chassis slit has a tip portion stops the shaft when the cleaning brush is put into the operation position to position the cleaning brush with respect to the magnetic head.

Abstract: In the engaging structure of a lead screw (51) with a head lift body (52), for simplification of a feeding side mechanism and improvement of feeding accuracy, the head lift body has only one fingernail shaped protrusion (551) as a member engaging with an external thread of the lead screw (51). The protrusion (551) is provided on an internal wall surface of a bearing portion (55) formed in an integral structure with the head lift body (52). Accordingly, the engagement of the external thread of the lead screw and the single protrusion converts the rotation movement of the lead screw (51) to the linear movement of the head lift body (52). As a result, a feeding accuracy in the linear movement converted from the rotation movement is only determined by a feeding accuracy of only the lead screw (51). In an example, the protrusion is a half-moon shaped plate.

Abstract: In a reel hub releasing mechanism, a seesaw type release lever is arranged so as to be turnable with its central part as a fulcrum, and it includes first and second flat members extending onto both sides from the fulcrum. The first flat member has an engaging protrusion at its distal end, while the second flat member has at its distal end a lever manipulating protrusion which protrudes upwards in order to manipulate a lock lever. A tape cartridge is formed with a window for snugly inserting the lever manipulating protrusion. When the lever manipulating protrusion abuts against the lock lever through the window, the operation of releasing reel hub lock is effected, and the tape cartridge is positioned so that the position of the window in the direction of inserting the tape cartridge into the slot of a tape drive may become substantially equal to the position of the lever manipulating protrusion in the inserting direction.

Abstract: In an electromagnetic linear actuator including a fixed portion with a predetermined axis and a movable portion holding an object, a single guide shaft is coupled to the fixed portion and the movable portion and guides the movable portion to be movable with respect to the fixed portion only along the predetermined axis. A position sensor is coupled to the fixed portion and the movable portion and detects a current position of the movable portion with respect to the fixed portion. The position sensor is cooperated with the single guide shaft to inhibit rotation of the movable portion around the predetermined axis.

Abstract: An electromagnetic linear actuator comprises a movable portion holding an object so that the object is movable up and down with respect to a fixed portion, a guide for constraining the movement of the movable portion except in upward and downward directions, and a base for mounting the guide. The guide comprises a cylindrical bushing fixed onto the base, a guide shaft having a lower end press-fitted into the bushing, and upper and lower dampers directly attached to upper and lower ends of the guide shaft by means of elasticity of the dampers, respectively, so as to limit a stroke of the movable portion and to absorb mechanical shock. Each of the upper and the lower dampers is preferably made of an elastic material such as rubber.

Abstract: In the engaging structure of a lead screw (51) with a head lift body (52), for simplification of a feeding side mechanism and improvement of feeding accuracy, the head lift body has only one fingernail shaped protrusion (551) as a member engaging with an external thread of the lead screw (51). The protrusion (551) is provided on an internal wall surface of a bearing portion (55) formed in an integral structure with the head lift body (52). Accordingly, the engagement of the external thread of the lead screw and the single protrusion converts the rotation movement of the lead screw (51) to the linear movement of the head lift body (52). As a result, a feeding accuracy in the linear movement converted from the rotation movement is only determined by a feeding accuracy of only the lead screw (51). In an example, the protrusion is a half-moon shaped plate.

Abstract: In a reel hub releasing mechanism, a seesaw type release lever is arranged so as to be turnable with its central part as a fulcrum, and it includes first and second flat members extending onto both sides from the fulcrum. The first flat member has an engaging protrusion at its distal end, while the second flat member has at its distal end a lever manipulating protrusion which protrudes upwards in order to manipulate a lock lever. A tape cartridge is formed with a window for snugly inserting the lever manipulating protrusion. When the lever manipulating protrusion abuts against the lock lever through the window, the operation of releasing reel hub lock is effected, and the tape cartridge is positioned so that the position of the window in the direction of inserting the tape cartridge into the slot of a tape drive may become substantially equal to the position of the lever manipulating protrusion in the inserting direction.