JP2002298541A - Magnetic tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetic tape cartridge which can reduce cost while maintaining the respective functions of a reel and a cartridge case and reduce the total thickness or is difficult to be damaged even in the case of receiving careless handling such as rough handling and drop. SOLUTION: A single reel around which a magnetic tape is wound is housed in a rotatable way, one of two flanges constituting the reel constitutes the central main part of one face (upper face) of the cartridge case, for example, a circular notch 15 that is larger the size of the upper flange of the reel is formed on the upper face of the cartridge case 12, the notch 15 is formed so as to make a step part 18a of the upper flange fitted to the notch 15, or a magnetic tape extraction opening is provided, avoiding the corner parts of the cartridge case.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge, and more particularly to a magnetic tape cartridge in which a single reel having a magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably accommodated in a rectangular parallelepiped cartridge case. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetic tape cartridge used as a recording medium used in an external storage device such as a computer has a single reel wound with a magnetic tape rotatably housed in a cartridge case. A known type (hereinafter, abbreviated as a one-reel type) is known.

The functions of the above-described one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge will be described with reference to a typical configuration example. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional general one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the conventional magnetic tape cartridge shown in FIG.

In a magnetic tape cartridge 60 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the magnetic tape 30 is wound around a single reel 56 in which the lower flange 24 and the upper flange 54 are connected by ultrasonic welding or the like, and the upper case 52a The reel 56 is rotatably housed in a cartridge case 52 in which the lower case 12b is fastened by screws (not shown) or the like.

The lower flange 24 has a cylindrical reel hub 24a around which the magnetic tape 30 is wound.
And a flange portion 24b projecting radially from the outer periphery of the lower end of the reel hub 24a, which is integrally molded with a synthetic resin. A reel 56 provided in a mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a drive)
A reel plate (not shown) or the like for attaching a magnetic driving means for rotationally driving the motor is mounted.

The above-mentioned magnet type rotary drive means engages with a drive gear formed around the lower surface of the reel plate to rotate the reel 56. At the same time, a leader block 32 and the like, which will be described later, are drawn into a predetermined position on the tape running path of the drive, so that data can be read from and written to the magnetic tape 30.

When the magnetic tape cartridge 60 is not used, the leader block 32 (means for a drive using the magnetic tape cartridge 60 to introduce the magnetic tape 30 into the tape running path in the apparatus) is used.
When the cartridge 0 is completely wound on the reel 56, the cartridge 0 (hereinafter simply referred to as “case”) is locked by an opening 44 for drawing out the magnetic tape 30 formed on one side wall surface of the cartridge case 52. I have.

That is, when such a one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge 60 is set in a drive of an external storage device, the magnetic tape 30 wound on the reel 56 is moved to the case 5 by a tape drive mechanism on the drive side.
2 and the information is recorded in the magnetic recording unit of the external storage device (or the already recorded information is read in the reproducing unit). The unit 30 is configured to be rewound on a reel 56 in the magnetic tape cartridge 60 and to be stored in the case 52 again.

[0009]

However, this type of one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge has a problem that its thickness (that is, the height in the reel axis direction) is large. In addition, there is another problem that the number of parts is large and it is not easy to reduce the manufacturing cost of the magnetic tape cartridge.

The former problem of a large thickness is that the drive mechanism of the external storage device for loading and using the magnetic tape cartridge must be increased in size.
This is a serious problem not only for the magnetic tape cartridge but also for the entire system. In addition, the latter problem of a large number of components is one of the factors that makes it difficult to reduce component costs and assembly costs of the magnetic tape cartridge 60.

[0011] The problem is that the conventional magnetic tape cartridge, like other magnetic tape cartridges or magnetic tape cassettes, uses a reel on which a magnetic tape is wound in a cartridge case or a cassette case (hereinafter simply referred to as a cartridge case). (Hereinafter referred to as a cartridge case), and the reel is configured to rotate in the cartridge case.

That is, from the conventional point of view, the reel on which the magnetic tape is wound and the cartridge case which is a protection means for accommodating the reel have completely different reasons (purposes). These components are combined to form a magnetic tape cartridge or a magnetic tape cassette.

Therefore, there is a problem that, although there is a portion provided between the components, the portion is provided as it is. Heretofore, there has not been any discussion as to how to fundamentally review the functions of these components and make a comprehensive configuration.

In the illustrated example, the one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge 60 having the above-described configuration has the following features.
The opening 44, which serves as a passage when the magnetic tape 30 is pulled out and rewound, is provided in the cartridge case 56.
The opening 44 is damaged if the magnetic tape cartridge 60 is inadvertently handled, such as by rough handling or dropping, due to the fact that it is provided at a portion relatively close to the corner (corner). Another problem is that it is easy to cause cases.

That is, in the conventional magnetic tape cartridge 60, the opening 44 described above is provided at a portion relatively close to the corner of the cartridge case 56 due to circumstances on the drive side.
There is a problem that the mechanical strength and rigidity are low, and even if it is subjected to careless handling, it is easily damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and to allow the reel and the cartridge case to maintain their respective functions. Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge capable of reducing the number of parts, reducing the cost, and reducing the total thickness when a magnetic tape cartridge is configured by combining them.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge which is hardly damaged even when the magnetic tape cartridge is subjected to careless handling such as rough handling or dropping.

[0018]

In order to achieve the first object, a first aspect of the present invention is to rotate a single reel on which a magnetic tape is wound in a rectangular parallelepiped cartridge case as a whole. A magnetic tape cartridge accommodated in the reel, one of the two flanges constituting the reel,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge comprising a main central portion of one surface (upper surface) of the cartridge case.

Here, when the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded into a recording / reproducing device such as an external storage device, the central main portion of the upper surface is set to one of the two flanges constituting the reel (the upper flange). ) Is preferable.

That is, the magnetic tape cartridge of this embodiment has a lower flange having an engaging portion at the center with which the rotating shaft of the recording / reproducing apparatus is engaged, and is disposed so as to face the lower flange. A single reel having an upper flange having an outer diameter larger than a diameter, a magnetic tape wound between the upper flange and the lower flange, and an engagement portion of the lower flange into which the rotating shaft is inserted; A lower case in which a first opening is opened at a position corresponding to and an upper case in which a second opening having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the lower flange and smaller than the outer diameter of the upper flange is opened.
A cartridge case for rotatably storing the single reel therein; and the upper flange preferably forms a central portion of an upper surface of the cartridge case.

Further, on the upper surface of the cartridge case,
A circular notch larger than the size of the upper flange of the reel is formed, and a step portion of the upper flange formed so as to have a step fits into the notch. Is preferred. That is, the upper case is provided on the upper surface thereof along the second opening, and has a notch having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the upper flange, and the upper flange is provided on the lower surface thereof along the outer periphery thereof. Preferably, a step portion is provided, which is fitted into the notch of the upper case from above.

The (upper side) of the step portion
It is preferable that a movement preventing means for preventing relative movement (rotation, rotation) between the lower surface of the flange and the upper surface of the cartridge case is formed.

The reel is loaded in the cartridge case only by its own weight, and the movement preventing means also operates by the own weight of the reel and the weight of the magnetic tape wound therearound. It is preferred that

Further, on the upper surface of the cartridge case,
Preferably, the reel has at least two reel locking means for locking the upper flange of the reel so as to prevent the reel from being inadvertently detached from the cartridge case.

The above-mentioned reel locking means includes (appropriate) urging means, and is preferably urged downward by the urging means, and urges the reel downward. Is preferred.

Preferably, the locking of the upper flange of the reel by the reel locking means is released when the reel is loaded into a recording / reproducing apparatus. When the magnetic tape cartridge is loaded in a recording / reproducing device such as an external storage device, the reel locking means may be movable within the same plane so as to release the locking of the reel.

[0027] A magnetic tape outlet, which is a passage for pulling out and rewinding the magnetic tape from the cartridge case, is provided on a side surface of the cartridge case so as to avoid a corner of the cartridge case. Is preferred.

In order to achieve the second object,
A second aspect of the present invention is a magnetic tape cartridge in which a single reel having a magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably accommodated in a cartridge case of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole. A magnetic tape cartridge characterized in that a magnetic tape drawing-out opening serving as a passage for drawing and rewinding is provided on a side surface of the cartridge case so as to avoid a corner of the cartridge case.

The magnetic tape outlet is provided at a position corresponding to an assembling screw hole of an upper and lower case provided at a corner (corner portion) of the cartridge case, and near a center of the cartridge case. It is preferably provided between a position corresponding to the reference hole provided.

It is preferable that the center position of the magnetic tape outlet is located at a distance from the corner of the cartridge case corresponding to approximately 1/4 of the side length of the side surface of the cartridge case.

The first and second aspects of the present invention described above can be combined with each other to provide an effect corresponding thereto.

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention will be described below in detail based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective external view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention, and FIG.
Is a sectional view taken along a plane passing through a center line between two reel stoppers described later, that is, a line II-II, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

The magnetic tape cartridge 10 according to the present embodiment has a reel 16 as shown in FIGS.
One of the two flanges (the upper flange 18 in the illustrated example) constitutes a central main portion of the upper surface of the cartridge case 12 according to the characteristics of the first embodiment of the present invention and a magnetic field guided by the leader block 32. An opening 42 for pulling out the tape 30 from the cartridge case 12 has
It is provided with the features of the second aspect of the present invention provided at a position distant from a corner (corner) of the cartridge case 12.

That is, specifically, in the magnetic tape cartridge 10 in the illustrated example, the cartridge case 1
A circular opening 14 is formed in the upper case 12a of the upper surface of the magnetic tape cartridge 60 to form a complete housing such as a cartridge case 56 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) of a conventional magnetic tape cartridge 60. In the state where the reel 16 is loaded, the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 is
Cover the opening 14 of the upper case 12 a of the upper surface of the cartridge case 12 and become the central main portion of the upper surface of the cartridge case 12, and the magnetic tape 30 guided by the leader block 32.
Is provided at a position away from the corner of the cartridge case 12, that is, at a position separated by a distance corresponding to about １ ／ of the length of the side of the cartridge case 12. Is characterized by the fact that

The above-described cartridge case 12 is constructed by assembling an upper case 12a and a lower case 12b with screws (not shown) or the like. A reel stopper 20 for elastically holding the reel 16 is provided on the upper surface of the upper case 12a so that the reel 16 is not accidentally detached from the cartridge case 12.
a and 20b are provided. This reel stopper 2
Here, 0a and 20b are rotatable in a vertical plane, and furthermore, by a torsion spring (not shown),
It is urged downward, that is, toward the upper case 12a.

The upper surface of the upper case 12a of the cartridge case 12 is concentric with the circular opening 14,
A circular notch 15 having a larger diameter than the opening 14 is provided,
A portion of the circular opening 14 that comes into contact with the reel 16 along the peripheral edge portion is formed with a step that is recessed one step, and forms an annular stepped portion 15a. Upper flange 18 of reel 16
Has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the circular notch 15, and is configured so that the upper flange 18 is received in the form of being dropped into the annular stepped portion 15 a. Thus, the upper surface of the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 does not project from the upper surface of the upper case 12a. Further, the above-described stepped portion 15a and the reel 1 abutting therewith
An annular step portion 1 provided so as to be cut out (recessed upward in FIG. 2) at a peripheral portion of the lower surface of the upper flange 18 of FIG.
8a are formed with gear teeth 15b and 18b that mesh with each other.
(In a standby state, etc.)
, It is possible to prevent inadvertent rotation (rotation).

The reel 16 is inserted into the cartridge case 12 through the opening 14, and is loaded into the cartridge case 12 by its own weight so as to cover the opening 14 of the upper case 12a. In addition, the reel 16 is provided with the stepped portion 15 of the cartridge case 12.
The rotation preventing mechanism by fitting of the gear teeth 15b and 18b in a state where the magnetic tape 30 is dropped into the reel a is the weight of the reel 16 and the weight of the magnetic tape 30 wound around the reel 16 (the magnetic tape 30 is Of the reel 16), and a special urging means or a pressing mechanism for preventing rotation is not particularly required.

Here, the shape and size of the gear teeth 15b and 18b formed on the upper surface of the upper case 12a of the cartridge case 12 and the lower surface of the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 can be appropriately set. It is. The gear teeth 15b and 18b are preferably formed continuously on both surfaces, but at least one of them may be formed intermittently.

In the above description, the reel stoppers 20a and 20b have been described as rotating in a vertical plane, but may be rotated in a horizontal plane. In any case, especially in the case of a method of rotating in a horizontal plane, when the recording / reproducing device (drive mechanism) such as an external storage device is loaded, the loading operation is performed.
It is preferable that the reel 16 be retracted in the direction of releasing the lock.

Further, although it is difficult to understand in FIG.
6 is dropped into the stepped portion 15a of the cartridge case 12, and the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 is
It is preferable to determine the size of each part such that the upper surface of the cartridge case 12 is slightly recessed from the upper end 22a of the side wall of the upper case 12a of the cartridge case 12. This is, of course, to prevent a direct load (pressure from above) from being applied to the reel 16.

Incidentally, the magnetic tape cartridge 1 of the illustrated example
0, the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 is disposed in parallel with and opposed to the lower flange 24, has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the lower flange 24, and 12a circular opening 14
Is configured to have an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 and larger than the outer diameter of the lower flange 24. Also, in the center portion of the upper surface of the upper flange 18, in the illustrated example, the central circular portion excluding the portion corresponding to the annular step portion 18 a has the formability,
It is preferable to provide a meat steal portion 18c for quality improvement.

As described above, the lower flange 24 of the reel 16 is provided at the center and the magnetic tape 30 is provided on the outer periphery.
Is wound around the cylindrical reel hub 24a, and the magnetic tape 30 wound integrally with the reel hub 24a and wound therearound.
And a rotary driving means of a drive for rotatingly driving the reel 16, for example, an engaging portion for engaging a rotating shaft, for example, provided on the outer surface of the center of the bottom surface of the reel hub 24a for joining by a magnet method. And a drive chucking 24d provided outside the reel plate 24c for engaging the reel plate 24c by other methods. Here, the rotary drive means (rotary shaft) of the drive is inserted through a circular opening 26 opened at the center of the lower case 12b. Since the configuration and operation of the lower flange 24 of the reel 16 and the portion below it are completely the same as those of the conventional magnetic tape cartridge described above, detailed description thereof is omitted here. I do.

In the magnetic tape cartridge 10 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, the upper case 12a of the cartridge case 12 and the upper flange 18 of the reel 16 are substantially formed as one component. , It is possible to reduce the thickness of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 by that much, and it is also possible to contribute to saving parts and materials for forming the same.

Further, in the magnetic tape cartridge according to the present embodiment, as described above, the entrance and exit of the magnetic tape 30 guided by the leader block 32 into and out of the cartridge case 12 (the magnetic tape pulling mechanism) is used. The opening 42 which is an outlet is located at a distance from the corner (corner) of the cartridge case 12 corresponding to about 約 of the side length of the cartridge case 12. The leader block 32 is fixed by being fitted into the opening 42 and forms a part of the side wall of the cartridge case 12 of the magnetic tape cartridge 10.

With this configuration, if
Even when the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is dropped for some reason and its corner contacts the floor or the like, the opening 42 is not directly damaged and the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is not damaged. Therefore, the reliability of the data recorded on the internal magnetic tape 30 can be improved.

Here, the positional relationship between the magnetic tape cartridge 10 according to the present embodiment and the magnetic tape transport mechanism of the drive of the recording / reproducing apparatus will be described. FIG. 4 is an operation schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the magnetic tape cartridge 10 according to the present embodiment and a drive mechanism of a recording / reproducing device such as an external storage device.
Indicates a reference hole of the magnetic tape cartridge 10, S indicates the position of a magnetic tape outlet, P1, P2,... Indicate magnetic tape guide pins on the drive side, and R indicates a machine reel.

The magnetic tape guide pins P1, P2,... On the drive side and the machine reel R are arranged in a positional relationship as shown in FIG. 4, and the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is set in the drive. In this case, the leader block 32 leading the magnetic tape 30 moves along the path indicated by the arrow along the magnetic tape guide pins P1 and P1.
Are set in the leader pin receiving portion of the machine reel R after passing through the periphery of 2,.

As is clear from FIG. 4, the position S of the magnetic tape outlet of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is outside the reference hole (here, 10b) of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 and the cartridge case of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 It can be said that it is preferable to be inside the twelve corners 10p.

The operation of the magnetic tape cartridge according to the present embodiment is as follows. That is, as described above, when the reel 16 is dropped into the stepped portion 15a of the cartridge case 12 when the reel 16 is not in use, the weight of the reel 16 and the magnetic tape 30 wound around the reel 16 (own weight) ), The rotation preventing mechanism by the engagement of the gear teeth 15b and 18b acts to prevent rotation of the reel.

When the magnetic tape cartridge 10 according to the present embodiment is loaded in an external storage device, the drive side components of the external storage device allow the magnetic tape cartridge 10 to move from the tape pull-out opening (opening 42) of the magnetic tape cartridge 10. The preparation for pulling out the magnetic tape 30 into the external storage device via the leader block 32 is completed, and the drive chucking 24d at the center of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is formed.
, The preparation for rotating the reel 16 in the cartridge case 12 is completed.

Prior to this, the central part of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is pushed up by the drive-side component of the external storage device, so that the upper case 12a of the cartridge case 12 of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 and the upper part of the reel 16 Gear teeth 15 between flange 18
The engagement of b and 18b is released, and the rotation of the reel 16 is released, so that the reel can be driven and the tape can be pulled out from the drive side.

In this state, the magnetic tape is pulled out from the drive side, and necessary magnetic processing such as recording and reproduction is performed. When this processing is completed, the magnetic tape 30
Is the cartridge case 1 of the magnetic tape cartridge 10
2 (rewinding), and when the rewinding is completed, the magnetic tape cartridge 10
Is discharged from the external storage device. In conjunction with this movement,
Tape outlet of magnetic tape cartridge 10 (opening 4
2) is closed by the leader block 32, and the rotation preventing brake (fitting of the gear teeth 15b and 18b) of the reel 16 acts to prevent the reel 16 from being accidentally rotated.

According to the magnetic tape cartridge 10 shown in the above embodiment, the reel 16 and the cartridge case 12 maintain their respective functions while adopting a configuration based on a completely different idea from the conventional one. When the magnetic tape cartridge is configured by combining the above, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in the magnetic tape cartridge 10 shown in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the position S of the magnetic tape outlet is set outside the reference hole (here, 10b) of the magnetic tape cartridge 10. The inside of the corner 10p of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is characterized in that the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is less likely to be damaged even if the magnetic tape cartridge 10 is inadvertently handled by rough handling or dropping by mistake. .

The above embodiment is the first embodiment of the present invention.
Although the present invention includes the features of the first aspect and the features of the second aspect, the present invention may include only the features of the first aspect of the present invention as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the apparatus may have only the features of the second aspect of the present invention.

That is, like the magnetic tape cartridge 40 shown in FIG. 5, a circular opening 14 is formed in the upper case 12a of the cartridge case 12, and this opening 14 is covered by the upper flange 18 of the reel 16. The magnetic tape cartridge 10 has the same characteristics as the magnetic tape cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that the magnetic tape 30 is configured to be the central main portion of the upper surface of the cartridge case 12. The opening 44 for pulling out from the magnetic tape cartridge 40 is
Like the conventional magnetic tape cartridge 60, the magnetic tape cartridge 60 may be provided at a corner (corner) of the magnetic tape cartridge 40.

As in the magnetic tape cartridge 50 shown in FIG. 6, an opening 42 for pulling out the magnetic tape 30 guided by the leader block 32 from the cartridge case 52 is located at a position away from the corner of the cartridge case 52. That is, the cartridge case 52
1 has a feature similar to that of the magnetic tape cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 1 in that it is provided at a position separated by a distance corresponding to about 1/4 of the length of the side of the cartridge. 52 upper case 52a and lower case 1
2b and the configuration of the upper and lower flanges 54 and 24 of the reel 56 may have the same configuration as the conventional magnetic tape cartridge 60.

The above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this. For example, although the effect is somewhat reduced in reducing the total thickness of the magnetic tape cartridge, in the magnetic tape cartridges 10 and 40 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the upper surface of the lower case 12 b of the cartridge case 12 and the reel 16 Lower flange 2
4, it is also possible to provide a brake mechanism using the gear teeth described above.

In the magnetic tape cartridges 10 and 40 shown in FIGS.
2, since the upper opening 14 is large, unlike the conventional case, the upper case 12a and the lower case 12b are not separately formed and assembled with screws or the like, and the entire cartridge case 12 is integrally formed. It is also possible to mold into In this case, a practical effect of reducing the number of assembling steps during assembling can be obtained.

Further, the magnetic tape cartridges 10 and 50 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6 have magnetic tape outlets serving as passages for drawing and rewinding the magnetic tape 30 from the cartridge cases 12 and 52. Since the cartridge cases 12 and 52 are provided so as to avoid the corners, even if they are inadvertently handled, such as by erroneous handling or dropping, they are less likely to be damaged.

As described above, the magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention has been described in detail with reference to various embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Improvements and changes may of course be made.

[0062]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the magnetic tape cartridge is constituted by combining the reel and the cartridge case while maintaining their respective functions. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the magnetic tape cartridge that can reduce the total thickness can be realized.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
A circular notch larger than the size of the upper flange of the reel is formed on the upper surface of the cartridge case, and the step of the upper flange formed to have a step fits into this notch. With such a configuration, the upper surface of the cartridge case and the upper flange of the reel can be substantially formed as one component. With such a configuration, it is possible to provide a magnetic tape cartridge having a reduced total thickness and advantageous in cost.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a remarkable effect that it is possible to realize a magnetic tape cartridge which is hardly damaged even when it is subjected to careless handling is obtained. According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, both of the above-described effects can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the magnetic tape cartridge shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing in the plane which passes a line.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the magnetic tape cartridge shown in FIG.

4 is an operation schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the magnetic tape cartridge shown in FIG. 1 and a magnetic tape transport mechanism of a drive of the recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the magnetic tape cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional general one-reel type magnetic tape cartridge.

8 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the magnetic tape cartridge shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 40, 50, 60 Magnetic tape cartridge 10a, 10b Reference position of magnetic tape cartridge 12, 52 Cartridge case 12a, 52a Upper case 12b Lower case 14, 26 Opening 15 Notch 15a Stepped portion 15b, 18b Gear teeth 16 , 56 Reel 18, 54 Upper flange 18a Step 18c Meat steal 20a, 20b Reel stopper 22a Upper end of side wall of cartridge case 24 Lower flange 24a Reel hub 24b Flange 24c Reel plate 24d Drive chucking 30 Magnetic tape 32 Leader Blocks 42, 44 Openings P1, P2,..., Drive side magnetic tape guide pin R Machine reel S Position of magnetic tape outlet

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A magnetic tape cartridge in which a single reel, on which a magnetic tape is wound, is rotatably housed in a cartridge case of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, wherein one of two flanges constituting the reel is A magnetic tape cartridge comprising a central main portion of an upper surface of a cartridge case. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a central main portion of a surface which becomes an upper surface when the reel is loaded in the recording / reproducing apparatus is constituted by an upper flange of one of two flanges constituting the reel. The magnetic tape cartridge as described in the above. 3. An upper surface of the cartridge case is formed with a circular cutout having a size larger than a size of the upper flange of the reel, and the cutout is formed so as to have a step. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the step portion of the flange is configured to be fitted. 4. A movement preventing means formed on the lower surface of the upper flange and the upper surface of the cartridge case in the step portion for preventing relative movement between the two. 4. The magnetic tape cartridge according to 3. 5. The reel is loaded in the cartridge case only by its own weight, and the movement preventing means also operates by the own weight of the reel and the weight of the magnetic tape wound therearound. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 4, wherein 6. At least two reel locking means for locking the upper flange of the reel on the upper surface of the cartridge case to prevent the reel from being inadvertently detached from the cartridge case. The magnetic tape cartridge according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the magnetic tape cartridge comprises: 7. The reel locking means includes a biasing means,
7. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the urging unit urges the reel downward. 8. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the locking of the upper flange of the reel by the reel locking means is released when the reel is loaded into a recording / reproducing apparatus. . 9. A magnetic tape pull-out opening, which is a passage when pulling out and rewinding the magnetic tape from the cartridge case, is provided on a side surface of the cartridge case, avoiding a corner of the cartridge case. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: 10. The magnetic tape pull-out opening is provided at a position corresponding to an assembling screw hole of an upper and lower case provided at a corner of the cartridge case, and a reference hole provided near a center of the cartridge case. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the magnetic tape cartridge is provided between the position corresponding to (b). 11. A center position of the magnetic tape outlet is located at a distance from a corner of the cartridge case corresponding to approximately 1/4 of a side length of a side surface of the cartridge case. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 9. 12. A magnetic tape cartridge in which a single reel having a magnetic tape wound thereon is rotatably accommodated in a cartridge case of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, wherein the magnetic tape is drawn out and rewinded from the cartridge case. A magnetic tape cartridge, characterized in that a magnetic tape drawing-out opening serving as a passage for performing the operation is provided on a side surface of the cartridge case so as to avoid a corner of the cartridge case. 13. The magnetic tape pull-out opening is provided at a position corresponding to a screw hole for assembling upper and lower cases provided at corners of the cartridge case, and a reference hole provided near a central portion of the cartridge case. 13. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 12, wherein the magnetic tape cartridge is provided between a position corresponding to the above. 14. A center position of the magnetic tape outlet is located at a distance from a corner of the cartridge case corresponding to approximately 1/4 of a side length of a side surface of the cartridge case. The magnetic tape cartridge according to claim 12.