Tape holding mechanism for display device

Claim 1

In a display device: a tape bearing indicia and having front and rear sides, said tape having the property of tending to form coils at opposite ends when unrestrained, said tape having aperture means near its opposite ends, a member having a rigid front wall providing a surface of predetermined length for supporting said tape in a region intermediate its ends and to present the front of said tape for observation of said indicia and for enabling said tape to be pressed against said rigid surface and slid to translate said tape. first and second pin means spaced from each other on opposite ends of said rigid front surface length, said pin means projecting generally rearwardly away from said rigid front surface and having tips, a portion of said tape beyond each end of the length of said rigid surface being disposed for sliding over said tips such that the end portions of said tape may form coils, respectively, in the space between said first and second pin means, each of said first and second pin means comprising a pair of pins which are spaced apart from each other in the crosswise direction of said tape and said respective aperture means are a pair of apertures which are spaced apart correspondingly with said pair of pins, translation of said tape in one direction until one of its end portions is substantially uncoiled resulting in said aperture means near said one end slipping onto said pin means to prohibit positively further translation of the tape in said one direction and translation of said tape oppositely of said one direction resulting in said aperture means slipping off of said pin means to enable said one end portion to recoil.