In accordance with at least one aspect of the present disclosure, a printing apparatus includes: a housing including at least one removable portion, a pair of spool supports which are rotatably drivable by at least one motor, a supply spool, a take-up spool, each spool being receivable on a respective spool support, such that, in use, a ribbon extends along a ribbon path between the supply spool and the take-up spool, a ribbon identification system comprising: a tag for storing information concerning a property of the ribbon, a reader, wherein the tag is attached to one of the supply and take-up spools and the reader is attached to the removable portion or one of the removable portions, and wherein a signal emitted by the tag and received by the reader allows the reader to identify a property of the ribbon.

A tape cartridge is detachably installed in a tape printing apparatus on a cartridge installation portion that has a platen driving shaft. The tape cartridge includes a platen roller in which the platen driving shaft is inserted, an outer peripheral surface which is provided parallel with a cartridge installing direction and on an outer shell of the tape cartridge, a pair of projections formed on opposite sides of the outer peripheral surface, and a recessed portion provided on the outer peripheral surface. When seen from the attaching direction of the tape cartridge, the recessed portion is disposed on an opposite side with respect to the platen roller over an imaginary line connecting the pair of projections and disposed at a position to which one of the pair of projections farther from the platen roller is closer than the other of the pair of projections.

A tape cartridge is detachably installed in a tape printing apparatus on a cartridge installation portion that has a platen driving shaft. The tape cartridge includes a platen roller in which the platen driving shaft is inserted, an outer peripheral surface which is provided parallel with a cartridge installing direction and on an outer shell of the tape cartridge, a pair of projections formed on opposite sides of the outer peripheral surface, and a recessed portion provided on the outer peripheral surface. When seen from the attaching direction of the tape cartridge, the recessed portion is disposed on an opposite side with respect to the platen roller over an imaginary line connecting the pair of projections and disposed at a position to which one of the pair of projections farther from the platen roller is closer than the other of the pair of projections.

A cartridge unit for a printer including a cartridge and a circuit assembly. The circuit assembly includes a base member and a circuit substrate having a memory module and a plurality of second electrical contacts. In a cartridge attached state, the circuit assembly is configured to be in a circuit assembly attached state where the circuit assembly is arranged between the plurality of first electrical contacts of the printer and the particular cartridge side wall, the plurality of first electrical contacts electrically contacting the plurality of second electrical contacts, respectively. In a circuit assembly unattached state, the circuit assembly is not arranged between the plurality of first electrical contacts and the particular cartridge side wall. A thickness of the circuit assembly is larger than a distance between the plurality of first electrical contacts and the particular cartridge side wall in the cartridge attached and the circuit assembly unattached state.

A tape cassette configured to accommodate a tape has a cassette case having first-sixth outer walls, a substrate having first and second surfaces. A storage is provided to the second surface. The third wall is formed with a first recess having a bottom wall, which is formed with a second recess or a hole. The substrate is arranged in the first recess with an adhesive layer being sandwiched between the bottom wall and the second surface. The storage or a molded part protecting the storage is arranged in the second recess or the hole. The first recess is formed with an opening part, at least a part of the adhesive layer being accessible through the opening part, and the cassette case is provided with a blocking member overlapping the one of the storage and the molded part in a first direction at the particular position.

A tape cassette configured to contain a tape has a box-like cassette case having a wall formed with one of a recess and a hole, and a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, at least two conductive electrodes being provided to the first surface, a storage electrically connected to the pair of conductive electrodes being provided to the second surface. The at least one of the recess and the hole being arranged at a central area, in a particular direction, of the wall, and the substrate being attached on the wall such that the substrate is arranged at the one of the recess and the hole, and the at least two conductive electrodes are aligned in the particular direction regardless of whether the substrate is attached on the wall in a first orientation or a second orientation which is a reversed orientation with respect to the particular direction.

A tape printing device on which a tape cartridge is mounted, the device includes a sensor unit that faces a specification reading pattern formed on a base end surface of the tape cartridge; and a unit energizing portion that energizes the sensor unit toward a base end surface side. The sensor unit has a sensor portion that irradiates a specification reading pattern with a detection light and reads the specification reading pattern, and a sensor holder that supports the sensor portion and presses the base end surface by energizing of the unit energizing portion.

The tape cartridge is attached or detached in an attaching and detaching direction to or from the tape printing device including a detecting portion for reading specification information of the tape cartridge from a detected portion by irradiating the detected portion disposed in the tape cartridge with detection light. The tape cartridge includes the detected portion disposed on a wall surface in the attaching and detaching direction; and a fitting portion that is disposed on a wall surface on a rear side in a mounting direction. The detected portion is disposed at a position facing the detecting portion when being mounted.

The tape cartridge is attached or detached in an attaching and detaching direction to or from the tape printing device including a detecting portion for reading specification information of the tape cartridge from a detected portion by irradiating the detected portion disposed in the tape cartridge with detection light. The tape cartridge includes the detected portion disposed on a wall surface in the attaching and detaching direction; and a fitting portion that is disposed on a wall surface on a rear side in a mounting direction. The detected portion is disposed at a position facing the detecting portion when being mounted.

The present discloses methods and systems for preventing unauthorized usage of an electronic component. The method includes removing an electronic component from a first multi-function device by a user, the electronic component includes a logic device having a security code. The electronic component is received by a second multi-function device, the second multi-function device includes a controller and a user interface. A communication is established between the logic device and the controller of the second multi-function device. The user interface is provided to input the security code associated with the electronic component, for authorizing the usage of the electronic component in the second multi-function device. A security code is received via the user interface. The usage of the electronic component is authorized in the second multi-function device, if the security code input by the user matches with the security code stored in the logic device.