Sony Assigned Patent

Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,282,542) developed by Iwahashi, Yuji, Kumagai, Hiroshi, and Akasaka, Chisato, Miyagi, Japan, for a “tape cartridge with reel lock release member having gradually decreasing thickness extension portions.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A tape cartridge includes a reel, a cartridge case, a reel lock member, and a reel lock release member. The reel includes a reel hub including a cylindrical bottom portion. The reel lock member includes a projecting portion projecting to engage with the reel hub. The reel lock release member includes a main body and leg portions, the main body disposed between the reel lock member and cylindrical bottom portion, the leg portions extending from the main body and being inserted into through holes, the reel lock release member releasing engagement of the reel lock member and reel hub. The main body includes central portion and extension portions, the central portion in contact with the projecting portion, the extension portions extending radially to end portions connected to the leg portions, thicknesses of the extension portions along a uniaxial direction gradually decreasing from the central portion toward the end portions.”

The patent application was filed on December 3, 2019 (16/970,847).