GB2101083A

GB2101083A - Tape cassette having a tape pad fixture

Info

Publication number: GB2101083A
Application number: GB08212572A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shuichi Abe
Original assignee: Victor Company of Japan Ltd; Nippon Victor KK
Current assignee: Victor Company of Japan Ltd; Nippon Victor KK
Priority date: 1981-05-06
Filing date: 1982-04-30
Publication date: 1983-01-12
Also published as: KR880001162Y1; JPS6245353Y2; GB2101083B; FR2505537A1; FR2505537B1; JPS57177285U; KR830004303U; DE3216819A1

Abstract

A tape cassette comprises lower and upper cassette halves which define a space therebetween to accommodate a reeled magnetic tape, the lower cassette half being integrally formed with a tape guide post 15 against which the magnetic tape engages and a tape pad fixture 7 which defines a curved path for holding therein an end portion of a pliable tape pad 1 so that its tape contact portion 2 is urged toward the guide post to keep the magnetic tape under pressure contact therewith. The fixture 7 consists of a block with projecting sections 7a, 7b and 7c and pins 7d and 7e, the curved path lying between the pins and sections. The tape pad is formed with a recess into which a lug formed on section 7b of the block engages to prevent the tape pad from being horizontally dislocated. A depending wall portion on the upper cassette half serves as a stopper to prevent upward dislocation of the tape pad. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tape cassette having a tape and pad fixture BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to tape cassettes, and in particular to a tape cassette having a tape pad fixture which permits a tape pad to be readily fixed in position with respect to a tape guide post for keeping the magnetic tape under constant pressure contact therewith. The invention is particularly useful for video tape cassettes.

In video tape cassettes, the reeled magnetic tape is guided in contact with a post located on a lower cassette half. To prevent the tape from becoming slack under varying operating speeds, a tape pad is currently provided to keep the magnetic tape under pressure contact with the guide post. Conventional tape pads are provided with a double-coated adhesive tape by means of which the tape pad is sticked to a wall of a block formed integrally with the lower cassette half and fixed in such a a position with respect to the guide post that the magnetic tape engages between it and a contact portion of the tape pad.

However, because of the limited space available for tape pad mounting a difficulty is encountered when manually aligning the position of the tape pad, and furthermore, the instant adhesive nature of the double-coated adhesive tape allows no readjustment once the tape is sticked to the mounting. This requires a substantial amount of concentration on the part of workers. The conventional method is thus time-consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a tape cassette which allows the tape pad to be fixed in position with a minimum of effort.

The tape cassette comprises lower and upper cassette halves to define a space therebetween to accommodate a reeled magnetic tape, the lower cassette half being integrally formed with a tape guide post against which the magnetic tape engages. According to the present invention, a tape pad of a pliable material having a tape contact portion at one end thereof is formed with a recess therein.

The cassette further comprises a tape pad fixture which defines a curved path for holding therein the other end portion of the tape pad so that the tape contact portion is urged toward the guide post to keep the magnetic tape under pressure contact with the guide post. A lug is formed on the lower cassette half for engaging with the recess to prevent the tape pad from being horizontally dislocated.

Preferably the tape pad fixture is shaped into a form which permits the tape pad to be inserted into the curved path in a direction normal to the plane of the lower cassette half.

This allows the use of an automatic inserting device to automatically place the tape pad into a fixed position.

The tape contact portion of the tape pad is preferably positioned slightly below the inner wall of the upper cassette half to allow the latter to serve as a stopper to prevent the tape pad from being upwardly dislocated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a video tape cassette embodying the present invention with the upper cassette half being partially broken to reveal the inside thereof; Figure 2 is a view in elevation of a tape pad according to the invention; Figure 3 is a view in elevation of a tape pad fixture with the tape pad of Fig. 2 indicated by broken lines; and Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the tape pad fixture of Fig. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings, a video cassette according to the invention is illustrated, wherein like parts are identified by like numerals throughout. In Fig. 1, the cassette is shown with an upper cassette half 5 being partly broken to reveal part of a lower cassette half 6 where the tape pad fixture according to the invention is provided,. On the lower cassette half 6 are provided guide rollers 13 and 14a and a pair of tape reels 16 and 17 between which is supported a magnetic tape 12. The tape 12 is looped around guide rollers 13, 14 adjacent to the front corners of the cassette to be transported past the front opening of the cassette. Adjacent to the guide roller 13 is located a guide post 15 integrally formed on the lower cassette half 6.

The tape pad fixture, designated generally at 7, is integrally formed with the lower cassette half 6 adjacent to the guide post 15 and roller 1 3 to secure a tape pad 1 in a fixed position to allow it to hold the tape 12 under constant pressure against the guide post 15.

The tape pad 1 is molded plastic sufficiently thin to make it pliable and, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is provided at one end thereof with a Teflon (Registered Trade Mark)-coated tape contact portion 2 having a thickness greater than the other part of the tape pad and width substantially equal to the width of the magnetgic tape. The other end portion 3 of the pad 1 is fixed to the tape pad fixture 7.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the tape pad fixture 7 is illustrated as comprising a block including end sections 7a and 7c and an intermediate section 7b, and pins 7d and 7e. The end section 7c is recessed from the intermediate section 7b and the pins 7d and 7e are located adjacent to the sections 7a and 7c respectively to define a curved path from a wall 11 to the section 7c. The tape pad 1 is mounted by bending its end portion 3 and inserting it vertically into the space between sections 7b and 7c on the one hand and pins 7d and 7e on the other hand with the end 3a being in abutment contact with the wall 11. Thus, the contact portion 2 is biased in a clockwise direction to keep the magnetic tape 12 under pressure contact with the guide post 15. The intermediate section 7b is formed with a lug 7f which engages with the recess 4 of tape pad 1 has the latter is inserted.

With the tape 1 being held in position, the upper cassette half 5 is secured to the lower cassette half 6. As seen in Fig. 3 the upper cassette half 5 has a depending wall portion 18 immediately above the supporting portion 3 3 of tape pad 1 as indicated by broken lines so that it serves as a stopper to prevent the tape pad 1 from being dislocated upward. The lug 7f serves as a horizontal stopper to prevent the tape pad 1 from being dislocated horizontally from the fixed position.

It is seen that the shape pad 1 can be readily fixed in position by simply bending and inserting it from above into the space provided by the fixture. This allows an automatic inserting device to be used for fixing tape pads in manufacturing plants.

Claims

1. A tape cassette comprising lower and upper cassette halves to define a space therebetween to accommodate a reeled magnetic tape, a tape pad of a pliable material formed with a recess therein and having a tape contact portion at one end thereof, said lower cassette half being integrally formed with a tape guide post against which said magnetic tape makes contact and a tape pad fixture comprising means defining a curved path for holding therein the other end portion of said tape pad so that said tape contact portion is urged toward said guide post to keep said magnetic tape under pressure contact with said guide post and a lug for engaging with said recess.

2. A tape cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tape pad fixture is shaped into a form which permits said tape pad to be inserted into said curved path in a direction normal to the plane of said lower cassette half.

3. A tape cassette as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said other end portion of the tape pad is positioned slightly below the inner wall of said upper cassette half to allow the latter to serve as a stopper to prevent said tape pad from being upwardly dislocated.