Abstract: A method of confirming that chucking between a supply leader tape (20) and a take-up leader tape (10A) is properly carried out comprises a step of confirming whether or not the chucking is properly carried out and a step of reconfirming whether or not the chucking is properly carried out. The reconfirming step is carried out at least once.

Abstract: To provide a business processing technical art which can carry out an order reception with a shortened waiting time of a customer, when carrying out an business through a network, an order reception processing section (122) carries out processing for receiving an on-line input of order information on specified business from an orderer, and processing for obtaining payment certifying information for certifying payment for the order. Further, an authorization request processing section (123) carries out an authorization request about payment certifying information through a payment center. At this time, the order reception processing section (122) supplies the orderer an on-line output of information indicating that the order has been received without waiting for presentation of a result of the authorization.

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: A reel motor (40) for rotatebly driving a take-up reel (30) rotatably attached onto an upper surface of a chassis (20) of a tape drive (10) comprises a motor board (41), a rotor (42) rotatably attached onto the motor board, and a stator (43) fixedly mounted to the motor board in close proximity to the outside of the rotor. The rotor has air flow means (423a, 423b) for flowing air in and out between the interior and the exterior of the tape drive. The air flow means may be at least one fin (423a) or at least one hole (423b).

Abstract: A thrust producer of a moving-magnet type includes a rod supported for upward and downward movements by an apparatus main body through an air hydrostatic bearing and a thrust producer for moving the rod up and down, the thrust producer has a magnet mounted to the rod to be displaced with the rod and a coil provided to the apparatus main body to generate magnetic force when the coil is energized, and the thrust producer produces thrust by an interaction of the magnet and the magnetic force generated by the coil.

Abstract: In a take-up reel for use in taking up a tape, a pair of flanges are connected to opposite ends of a cylindrical reel hub in an axial direction thereof, respectively. A take-up region is defined between the flanges as a region where the tape is taken up. Each of the flanges comprises a plurality of vanes extending outward from the reel hub in directions different from one another. Each vane has an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion smaller in mass than the inner peripheral portion.

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 a roller shaft (10) comprising a shaft portion (12) of a substantially solid cylindrical shape and a flange portion (14) of a disk-like shape, the shaft portion (12) comprises a hollow cylindrical portion (121) having a substantially hollow cylindrical shape and formed at a lower end (10a) side. The hollow cylindrical portion has an inner peripheral surface with a female screw (12a) formed thereon. As positioning and rotation preventing means for positioning the roller shaft (10) with respect to the chassis (32) and for preventing the roller shaft from rotating around the chassis, a D-shaped cut (122) is provided on an outer peripheral wall of the hollow cylindrical portion at one place thereof. The positioning and rotation preventing means may comprise a D-shaped cut (141) or a slot (142) formed in the flange portion (14) at one place thereof.

Abstract: A method of confirming that chucking between a supply leader tape (20) and a take-up leader tape (10A) is properly carried out comprises a step of confirming whether or not the chucking is properly carried out and a step of reconfirming whether or not the chucking is properly carried out. The reconfirming step is carried out at least once.

Abstract: In order to provide a head transfer mechanism capable of absorbing a play of a head assembly not only in a thrust direction but also in a radial direction as well as a head actuator assembly and a tape drive using the same, the head transfer mechanism comprises a lead screw with a thread ridge, a head elevation guiding member, a preload bushing arranged in a hollow opened portion of a head lift, and a compression coil spring for applying the head lift with a pressing force in an axial direction of the lead screw. The head elevation guiding member comprises as an integral structure a head lift on which the head assembly is mounted and a head guide having a thread groove engaged with the lead screw and serving to move the head lift up and down along a rotation center axis following the rotation of the lead screw. In the head elevation guiding member, the head assembly is given a biasing load in a radial direction of the lead screw.

Abstract: A head lift body (42) with a head assembly (30) mounted thereon has a nut (45) engaged with a lead screw (41). The head lift body has an integral structure formed by resin molding with a through hole, a hollow opening, and a guide portion (47). The through hole receives the lead screw inserted therethrough. The hollow opening is formed at the center of the head lift body to accommodate a backlash preventing mechanism (43). The guide portion inhibits the rotation of the head lift body and guides the head lift body moving up and down along a rotation center axis of the lead screw. The backlash preventing mechanism comprises a preload bushing (431) and a preload spring (432). The preload bushing has an internal thread to be engaged with the external thread of the lead screw. The preload spring presses the head lift body against the preload bushing along the rotation center axis of the lead screw.

Abstract: In a loading mechanism which is for use in a tape drive having a supply reel motor and which serves to engage the supply reel motor with a supply reel contained in a tape cartridge inserted into the tape drive, a drive gear is arranged coaxially with a rotor of the supply reel motor to be movable in an axial direction, and is engaged with a drive hub, fixed to the rotor, and the supply reel in a rotating direction when the drive gear is moved towards one direction in the axial direction. A drive ring is arranged coaxially with the rotor to be movable in the axial direction and engaged with the drive gear against urging force of a spring. The drive ring is formed by pressing a ring-shaped plate material. An engaging pin is fixed to the drive ring and engaged through a guide slit of a cylindrical member with a cam groove of a ring cam.

Abstract: In a tape drive in which a magnetic tape in the tape cassette loaded therein is driven and wound on a take-up reel in the tape drive, a ring cam is rotated by a mode motor and controls engagement of a supply reel motor with supply reel of the cassette and operation of a buckle to engage a take-up leader tape of the take-up reel with a supply leader tape of the magnetic tape of the cassette. The ring cam has first and second arc-shaped shielding plates at different angular positions on a circle around its rotation axis, while first and second optical switches are fixedly disposed to straddle the first and second shielding plates, respectively, to produce detection signals depending on angular position of the ring cam rotating. A control unit starts rotation of the mode motor when said cassette is loaded and then controls stop and rotation of the mode motor in response to the detection signals.

Abstract: In a magnetic tape drive including a magnetic head for accessing a magnetic tape traveling along a traveling path, a sensor is provided for detecting behavior of the magnetic tape. A flexible circuit board is connected to the sensor. A hook is disposed in the vicinity of the sensor. The circuit board is folded to form a curved portion between the circuit board and the hook.

Abstract: This invention provides a stocking-burden-reducing sales-management system for articles such as computer readable media upon which an executable computer program is written. In a sales management server 1, an order-delivery processor 120 performs order and delivery processing with a manufacturer terminal 3. An order accepting unit 130 receives order information from a customer terminal 2, stores the order information in a sales database 170, and performs inventory management processes. A charging processor 140 performs the task of charging customers. The charging processor also determines a royalty to be paid to an added value creator of the article, and then transmits the information to an added value creator terminal 4. A delivery instruction unit 150 provides an instruction of delivery of the ordered articles to a delivery terminal 8.

Abstract: A capstan shaft cleaning device has a cleaning member removing dirt attached to a capstan shaft and a moving mechanism moving the cleaning member between a position at which the cleaning member contacts the capstan shaft and a position at which the cleaning member is separated from the capstan shaft, the cleaning member having at least two points of contact contacting a periphery of the capstan shaft.

Abstract: A plurality of permanent magnets are embedded at predetermined pitches &tgr;p in a longitudinal direction in a field yoke composed of a magnetic substance so that adjacent magnet poles have opposite polarity, and a plurality of electromagnets, which have magnetic pole pitches &tgr;≈(2n+1)&tgr;p of preset intervals provided that n is 0, 1, 2, . . . , which are disposed at predetermined pitches &tgr;g=(2s+1/m)&tgr;e in the longitudinal direction of the field yoke provided that m is a number of exciting phase and s is 1, 2, 3, . . . , and which are separated from the field yoke by a predetermined gap while opposing to the field yoke, are provided. The field yoke is driven by successively exciting the electromagnets.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dangerous area alarm system. This system comprises a detection device which is provided in a vehicle and detects conditions of the vehicle to output vehicle data; a communication device which is provided in the vehicle and transmits the vehicle data output by the detection device; a server which is provided outside the vehicle and stores accident data regarding the conditions of vehicles involved in past accidents; a comparison device which is provided in the server and compares the vehicle data transmitted by the communication device with the accident data stored in the server; and an alarm device which issues an alarm to a driver of the vehicle when the comparison device determines that the vehicle data corresponds to the accident data.

Abstract: An agent apparatus increases security, and can make responses suited to individuals, thereby increasing convenience. The agent apparatus comprises an individual recognition unit which recognizes individuals who use a vehicle; a memory unit which stores agent data corresponding to each individual recognized by the individual recognition unit; a selection unit which selects agent data corresponding to a specific individuals recognized by the individual recognition unit from the agent data stored in the memory unit; and a response unit which responds to the individual based on the agent data selected by the selection unit.

Abstract: A method is provided for detecting the position of a moving body in which the position of a moving body such as a vehicle can be detected with a high degree of precision. It is possible to perform at least data communication using radio waves between radio base stations and a vehicle capable of movement. Precise positions are stored in advance in the radio base stations and radio wave clocks that keep a common time are provided in the radio base stations. The radio base stations transmit radio waves containing this time information. The vehicle receives these radio waves and determines the difference between the received time information and a clock provided in the vehicle in order to detect the current position of the vehicle by calculating the distances between the vehicle and each of the radio base stations.