Abstract: Disclosed is a tape cassette in which two positioning holes is formed in the back surface of a cassette shell. One of the two positioning holes is formed into a circular shape and the other is formed into a long-hole shape. The positioning hole formed into the long-hole shape is divided into two parts in the major direction of the long-hole. An about half of the long-hole shape is used as a positioning hole and an about remaining half thereof is used as an information detecting (ID) hole for providing various kinds of information. A removable block piece is provided on an opening portion of said ID hole. With this configuration, the ID hole can be surely provided in the tape cassette, even if the tape cassette is miniaturized.

Abstract: Each lock portion (15) has a front portion (23) including an anchoring pawl (24) and a back portion (25) extending in a direction opposite to the front portion. Therefore, when a slider (14) withdraws, each back portion comes into contact with the inside surface of a back wall (10) of a cassette shell (4) and each lock portion rotates in an unlocking direction.

Abstract: A tape cassette, in which a mouth portion opened forward, upward, and downward is provided in a front portion of a cassette shell containing tape reels around which a tape-like magnetic recording medium is wound, and part of the tape-like recording medium is positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion, includes a front lid positioned on the front side of part of the tape-like recording medium positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion; a slider movable forward and rearward, the slider being provided on the cassette shell; and a back lid positioned on the rear side of part of the tape-like recording medium positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion, the back lid being separated rearward from the tape-like recording medium along with rearward movement of the slider. The tape cassette is characterized in that the back lid is supported on the slider, and each of the slider and the back lid is made from a good conductor, for example, stainless steel.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tape cassette which is loaded in a tape drive apparatus by a manner of inserting the tape cassette in a cassette holder and then moving the cassette holder relative to a main chassis of the tape drive apparatus. The tape cassette includes a mouth portion provided in a front portion of a cassette shell in such a manner as to be opened forward, upward, and downward. Part of a magnetic tape (tape-like recording medium) is positioned to cross the front end of the mouth portion. The tape cassette also includes a front lid for covering the front side of the magnetic tape. The front lid is opened when the tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder. This tape cassette is characterized by including two side butting portions and two upper butting portions which are brought into contact with two side receiving portions and two upper receiving portions of the cassette holder when the tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder.

Abstract: In a tape cassette 10 in which a mouth portion 21 opened in forward and up-and-down directions is provided at the front portion of a cassette shell 20 accommodating therein tape reels 40 and 50 having a magnetic tape 30 wound therearound, a part of the magnetic tape is located so as to traverse the front end of the mouth portion, and a front lid 60 for covering the front side of the magnetic tape is provided, a slider 80 is provided so as to be freely movable forwardly and downwardly, each side surface portion of the slider along the side surface of the front lid has a lid-support portion 83 at the front-end portion thereof and a main-surface portion 82 located so as to be farther outward than the lid-support portion, the front lid has a front-surface portion 61 covering the front surface of the tape-shaped recording medium, and side-surface portions 62 projecting backwardly from both the ends of said front surface portion, the side surface portions being freely-rotatably supported to the lid-support portion

Abstract: A recording/playback apparatus which accommodates in a cassette shell a recording medium and which performs recording and/or playback with respect to the recording medium cassette provided with a cassette-side antenna connected to an in-cassette memory recording information regarding recording contents or the like.

Abstract: A recording/playback apparatus accommodates a recording medium in a cassette shell and performs recording and/or playback with respect to the recording medium cassette provided with a cassette-side antenna connected to an in-cassette memory. The playback apparatus includes a recording/playback mechanism, a cassette holding member, a cassette passing member and an apparatus side antenna. The apparatus side antenna effects communication through the in-cassette memory and the cassette-side antenna. An electric wave transmission portion is formed in a portion of the cassette holding member opposed to the cassette-side antenna. The apparatus-side antenna is arranged in correspondence with the electric wave transmission portion.

Abstract: A tape cassette comprising a tape reel around which a tape-shaped recording medium is wound, a cassette shell in which the tape-shaped recording medium is accommodated, a mouth portion which is opened forwardly, upwardly and downwardly at the front portion of the cassette shell, a part of the tape-shaped recording medium being disposed so as to traverse the front end of said mouth portion, and a front lid which covers the front side of the tape-shaped recording medium and is moved backward when the lid is opened to made the front side of the tape-shaped recording medium open, thereby making the upper side of the mouth portion open.

Abstract: A tape cassette comprising tape reels around which a tape-shaped recording medium is wound, a cassette shell in which the tape reels are accommodated, a mouth portion provided at the front portion of the cassette shell so as to be opened in the forward direction and in the up-and-down direction, a part of the tape-shaped recording medium being located so as to traverse the front end of said mouth portion, a front lid located at the front side of the tape-shaped recording medium, and a back lid which is located at the back side of the tape-shaped recording medium to cover the tape-shaped recording medium and provided to the cassette shell so as to be freely movable in the forward and backward direction, the back lid being moved back to the just back side thereof when a lid-open operation is carried out to expose the tape-shaped recording medium to the outside.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cassette holder for inserting therein a tape cassette formed so that a front lid for opening and closing the front of a part of a tape-like recording medium located so as to traverse the front of a cassette shell accommodating therein tape reels having wound therearound the tape-like recording medium, the front lid is rotatable upward and movable rearward when the lid is opened to open the front of the tape-like recording medium, the cassette holder for mounting the tape cassette in a predetermined mounting position in a recording/playback apparatus. The cassette holder includes a lid-pressing member for pressing forward an end of the front lid when the tape cassette is to be removed from the cassette holder.

Abstract: In a tape cassette having a slider which is freely forward and backward movably provided to a cassette shell in which a tape reel having a tape-shaped recording medium wound therearound is accommodated, the cassette shell comprises an upper shell constituting substantially the upper side portion thereof and a lower shell constituting substantially the lower side portion thereof, and the upper shell and the lower shell are temporarily coupled to each other through the slider by butting the lower shell and the upper shell against each other after the upper shell and the slider are coupled to each other and moving the slider, and then the upper shell and the lower shell are really coupled to each other.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tape cassette which is loaded in a tape drive apparatus by a manner of inserting the tape cassette in a cassette holder and then moving the cassette holder relative to a main chassis of the tape drive apparatus. The tape cassette includes a mouth portion provided in a front portion of a cassette shell in such a manner as to be opened forward, upward, and downward. Part of a magnetic tape (tape-like recording medium) is positioned to cross the front end of the mouth portion. The tape cassette also includes a front lid for covering the front side of the magnetic tape. The front lid is opened when the tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder. This tape cassette is characterized by including two side butting portions and two upper butting portions which are brought into contact with two side receiving portions and two upper receiving portions of the cassette holder when the tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder.

Abstract: A tape cassette, in which a mouth portion opened forward, upward, and downward is provided in a front portion of a cassette shell containing tape reels around which a tape-like magnetic recording medium is wound, and part of the tape-like recording medium is positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion, includes a front lid positioned on the front side of part of the tape-like recording medium positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion; a slider movable forward and rearward, the slider being provided on the cassette shell; and a back lid positioned on the rear side of part of the tape-like recording medium positioned so as to cross the front end of the mouth portion, the back lid being separated rearward from the tape-like recording medium along with rearward movement of the slider. The tape cassette is characterized in that the back lid is supported on the slider, and each of the slider and the back lid is made from a good conductor, for example, stainless steel.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tape cassette in which two positioning holes is formed in the back surface of a cassette shell. One of the two positioning holes is formed into a circular shape and the other is formed into a long-hole shape. The positioning hole formed into the long-hole shape is divided into two parts in the major direction of the long-hole. An about half of the long-hole shape is used as a positioning hole and an about remaining half thereof is used as an information detecting (ID) hole for providing various kinds of information. A removable block piece is provided on an opening portion of said ID hole. With this configuration, the ID hole can be surely provided in the tape cassette, even if the tape cassette is miniaturized.

Abstract: In a tape cassette including a cassette shell in which a tape reel having a tape-shaped recording medium wound therearound is accommodated, and a front lid which serves to cover the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium exposed to the front face of the cassette shell and is provided to the cassette shell so as to be movable between a lid-closed position at which it covers the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium and a lid open position at which the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium is opened, the front lid comprises a main portion for covering the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium and a side surface portion projecting backward from the side edge of the main portion, and a lid lock member for locking the front lid at the lid-closed position is provided to the inner surface of the side surface portion of the front lid so as to be rotatable inside the side surface portion of the front lid.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tape cassette including a cassette shell in which tape reels around which a tape-like recording medium is wound are contained; a mouth portion provided in a front portion of the cassette shell in such a manner as to be opened forwardly, upwardly, and downwardly, the mouth portion being positioned such that part of the tape-like recording medium crosses the front end of the mouth portion; and a front lid, provided on the cassette shell, for covering the front side of the tape-like recording medium; wherein both side portions of the mouth portion of the cassette shell are taken as tape extraction portions opened forwardly; and each of the inner surfaces of outer side surface front portions of the cassette shell, which forms each of the inner surfaces of outer side walls of the tape extraction portions, is formed into a taper surface which becomes wider outwardly as nearing the front end.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tape cassette including a cassette shell in which two tape reels are rotatably contained; a front lid, turnably supported by the cassette shell, for opening/closing the front side of a tape-like recording medium crossing a front portion of a mouth portion provided in a front portion of the cassette shell in such a manner as to be opened forwardly, upwardly, and downwardly; and a lid lock member for locking the front lid in the closed state to the cassette shell, wherein the locking of the front lid by the lid lock member is released when the tape cassette is mounted in a tape drive apparatus; the lid lock member is biased in the locking direction by biasing means; and the lid lock member is engaged with and held by a tape cassette side member in the unlocking state. With this configuration, the mounting state of the tape cassette in a tape drive apparatus can be stabilized and also the size and weight of the tape drive apparatus can be reduced.

Abstract: A tape cassette including: a case consisting of an upper half and a lower half, and having a recess in its front side; two tape reels rotatably supported within the case; a recording tape having opposite ends fastened to the two tape reels, respectively, and wound on the two tape reels so that a portion thereof extends along the front side of the recess of the case; and a lid assembly covering the portion of the recording tape extending along the front side of the recess while the tape cassette is not in use; wherein the lower half is formed with locating contact protrusions; the locating contact protrusions being contacted with locating lugs formed in a recording/reproducing apparatus for locating a miniature tape cassette commonly used for the recording/reproducing apparatus; and the locating contact protrusions being engaged with gaps formed on the lower edge of a front surface portion of the lid assembly when the tape cassette is not in use and the lid assembly is at its closed position.

Abstract: A cassette having one of a plurality of sizes, in which each size cassette is adapted for use with a common cassette recording/reproducing apparatus. Each size cassette includes a cassette case holding a recording medium therein, an information device for providing information pertaining to the respective cassette to the cassette recording/reproducing apparatus when the respective cassette is being used with the cassette recording/reproducing apparatus, and a reference hole for positioning the cassette case in the cassette recording/reproducing apparatus. The reference hole and the information device have a constant positional relationship therebetween regardless of the size of the cassette.

Abstract: A recording medium cassette being easily miniaturized if necessary, and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a VTR, adapted to use the same recording medium cassette. The recording medium cassette includes a printed wiring board having a plurality of information indicating contacts and which is fixed to the bottom wall of a case of the recording medium cassette so that the information indicating contacts are accessible from outside through slots formed in the bottom wall. The recording and/or reproducing apparatus is provided with a plurality of information detecting contacts respectively corresponding to the information indicating contacts of the recording medium cassette. The information detecting contacts may respectively contact the information indicating contacts upon insertion of the recording medium cassette into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus so as to enable information to be transferred therebetween.