JP2000231774A - Cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use in common the main body case of a cartridge incorporating a memory element and the main body case of a standard-specification cartridge incorporating no such elements. SOLUTION: An opening part 29 is provided in the outer wall of a main body case 1. Either of a memory element and a closing member 32 is provided inside the main body case 1 so as to close the opening part 29. Thus, the main body case 1 of a cartridge incorporating the memory element and the main body case of a standard-specification cartridge incorporating no memory element are used in common. For use as the main body case of the standard-specification cartridge with no built-in memory elements, the opening part 29 is closed by the closing member 32 to prevent the incursion of dusts therefrom.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cartridge of 8 mm or VHS type.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a cartridge of this kind, for example, as a tape cartridge, a tape (VTR) for detecting the open / close state of an ID hole provided in a main body case by using the tape information, a standard grade product, and tape characteristic data;
Alternatively, there is a high-quality grade product having a built-in memory element for storing setting data at the time of recording such as a recording mode and audio recording data. The latter type of tape cartridge with a built-in memory element is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-16608.
No. 5, JP-A-63-164085 and the like.

[0003]

These two types of cartridges have the same basic structure except that they have a built-in memory element or not. In the case of the specification having a built-in memory element, an opening for exposing the terminal portion of the memory element to the outside is required in the main body case. However, in the case of the standard specification that does not require a memory element, it is not necessary to provide an opening for such a purpose in the main body case, and on the contrary, the opening is not required to prevent dust from entering the main body case. It is. Therefore, even if two types of cartridges having only a difference between having or not incorporating a memory element are manufactured, a main body case having an opening for exposing a terminal portion of the memory element to the outside, This means that the main body case having no opening must be individually molded with plastic. However, this leads to an increase in the types of molding dies and molding costs, which is disadvantageous in terms of inventory management.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a single type of main body case that can be used for obtaining two types of cartridges which differ only in the presence or absence of a memory element.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cartridge comprising a case for accommodating a recording medium, the case being capable of exposing a terminal portion of a memory means for storing information to the outside. An opening is provided, and the opening is arranged so as to close the opening, and is provided with a closing member formed separately from the memory means. A first cartridge including a first cartridge and a second cartridge, wherein the first cartridge includes a first recording medium, a first case accommodating the first recording medium, and a first cartridge. A first opening that is opened on an outer surface of the case, wherein the second cartridge accommodates a second recording medium and the second recording medium, and has substantially the same external dimensions as the first case. A second case that is the same as the first case, and a second opening that is open on the outer surface of the second case and that has substantially the same shape as the first opening. Is arranged so that a terminal portion of a memory means for storing information is exposed to the outside, and a closing member formed separately from the memory means has a second opening in the second opening. It is configured so as to be closed. Further, the outer shape of the closing member is formed to have substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the memory means. Further, the closing member is formed of a resin, particularly a polystyrene resin.

[0006]

When the opening 29 of the main body case 1 is closed by the closing member 32, it is possible to obtain a standard specification cartridge which does not have a built-in memory element and can secure dustproofness. However, when the opening 29 of the same main body case 1 is closed with the memory element 25, a cartridge with a built-in memory element can be obtained. That is, the main body case 1 of the cartridge with the built-in memory element can be shared with the main body case 1 of the cartridge without the built-in memory element.

[0007]

1 and 2 show a standard 8 mm video tape cartridge which does not require a memory element, and FIGS. 3 to 6 show an 8 mm video tape cartridge incorporating a memory element. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a tape cartridge having a built-in memory element has a left and right side on which a tape 2 is wound inside a main body case 1 formed by integrally joining plastic upper and lower cases 1a and 1b. A pair of tape reels 3 are rotatably accommodated. The tape 2 pulled out from one of the tape reels 3 is guided by a tape guide 6 provided at a tape pull-out port 5.5 on the front left and right sides of the main body case 1 and wound on the other tape reel 3. A tape loading pocket 7 is provided at the center of the front surface of the main body case 1, that is, between the left and right tape outlets 5.5. The pocket 7 has upper and lower surfaces and a front surface opened. Tape 2 led out to the front side of body case 1
Is protected by being respectively covered with a front lid 9, a back lid 10 and an upper lid 11 when not in use.

The front cover 9 is moved right and left over a position for closing the front surfaces of the left and right tape outlets 5.5 and the pocket 7 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 6 and an upper open position as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Openable and closable about the support shaft 12. The front cover 9 is always urged to rotate in the closing direction by a spring member 13 fitted to one of the left and right support shafts 12.

The upper lid 11 closes the upper surface of the pocket 7 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 6 with the opening / closing operation of the front lid 9 and the opening which retreats to the rear of the upper surface of the pocket 7 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It can be opened and closed freely over the position.
For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper lid 11 pivotally connects the connection shafts 15 at the front ends of the arm portions 14 provided at the left and right ends of the upper lid to the left and right connection holes 16 at the upper end of the front lid 9, respectively. The slide shaft 17 provided on the inner surface of the rear end of the
Are slidably engaged in a guide groove 19 formed on the outer surface of the left and right side walls.

As shown in FIG. 5, the back cover 10 has pivotally connected connecting pins 20 provided on the left and right of the upper end thereof to a pin hole 21a of a boss 21 provided on the inner surface of the upper cover 11. Also, leg portions 22 are provided on the left and right of the lower rear surface of the back cover 10, and slide pins 23 provided on the leg portions 22 are slidable in “S” -shaped guide grooves 24 provided on the left and right side walls in the pocket 7. Is engaged. Therefore, the back cover 10 is
And a closing position for covering the back side of the tape 2 in the pocket 7 as shown by a solid line in FIG.
As shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure, the pocket 7 can be opened and closed over an open position located below the upper lid 11 in the open state behind the upper surface of the pocket 7.

The main body case 1 contains a memory element 25 therein. The memory element 25 includes, for example, a ROM chip that stores fixed data such as specification and characteristic data of the tape 2 and an R chip that stores variable data such as setting data at the time of recording.
The AM chip and the battery are combined as a single rectangular parallelepiped unit, and a terminal portion 26 is provided on the front side of the unit so as to be in contact with a connection terminal on the deck side when the unit is mounted on the deck.

This memory element 25 is installed facing the outer wall of the main body case 1. In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rear wall of the pocket is less affected by external force as much as possible among the four outer walls of the main body case 1. 27 are selected. The pocket rear wall 27 has an opening 29 at the center in the left-right direction, and a pair of left and right engagement ribs 30
Are integrally protruded from the inner bottom of the lower case 1b. Thus,
The memory element 25 is housed between the engagement rib 30 and the pocket rear wall 27 so that the terminal 26 faces outward from the opening 29.

In this case, the engagement rib 30 and the memory element 25
The elastic body 31 made of a leaf spring or the like is interposed between the rear surface and the rear surface. The memory element 25 is constantly urged forward by the elastic body 31, and the terminal 26 faces the opening 29. As means for restricting the movement of the memory element 25 to the front, a flange 35 extends laterally from the rear surface of the memory element 25, and the flange 35 contacts the inner surface of the pocket rear wall 27 so that the memory element 25 is moved further forward. I am not allowed to move.

The elastic body 31 may be a compression coil spring, a torsion coil spring, or another coil spring instead of a leaf spring. In addition to the metal spring, a non-metal spring such as plastic or rubber can be used. In addition, the elastic body 31 is not limited to a metal or non-metal spring separate from the main body case 1.
It may be a plastic spring integrally molded with the spring.

The memory element 25 urged to move by the elastic body 31 in the main body case 1 unexpectedly encounters a fall accident or the like, and its terminal 26 receives an impact to apply an external force to the memory element 25. When the elastic member 31 is retracted, the elastic member 31 is compressed and deformed by the backward movement of the memory element 25 to absorb and reduce the impact, thereby preventing the terminal portion 26 from being damaged or deformed.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a tape cartridge of a standard specification which does not require the memory element 25. The basic configuration of the tape cartridge is exactly the same as that of the tape cartridge having the memory element 25 described above. That is, the main body case 1 having the same shape and dimensions as those described above, and the tape 2 and the tape reel 3 etc. are also accommodated and arranged in the main body case 1 in the same manner, and the front lid 9, the back lid 10, and the upper lid 11 are also the same. Prepare for. However, instead of the memory element 25, a closing member 32 having substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the memory element 25 is prepared, and the closing member 32 is connected to the engaging rib 30 and the pocket in the same manner as when the memory element 25 is incorporated. It is stored together with the elastic body 31 between the rear wall 27. As a result, the opening 29 is closed by the closing member 32, and dust intrusion from the opening 29 can be prevented.
The cost of the closing member 32 can be reduced by molding it with a general-purpose resin such as PS (polystyrene) resin.

In the tape cartridge which does not require the memory element 25, the same main body case 1 as the main body case 1 of the tape cartridge which requires the memory element 25 is used, and the closing member 32 having the same shape as the memory element 25 is used.
By closing the opening 29, dustproofness can be ensured, and the assembly equipment of the tape cartridge requiring the memory element 25 can be shared.

The memory element 25 or the closing member 32
It is advantageous to use the elastic body 31 in combination with the above in order to protect the terminal portion 26 of the memory element 25 from an impact as described above, but the elastic body 31 is not necessarily required. When the elastic body 31 is not used, the memory element 2
5 or the closing member 32 is fixedly mounted in the opening 29. In addition to the pocket rear wall 27, the outer wall of the main body case 1 provided with the opening 29 may be a rear wall 33 or left and right side walls 34 shown in FIGS.

[0019]

According to the present invention, an opening 29 for exposing the terminal 26 of the memory element 25 is provided in the main body case 1, and the opening 29 is alternatively formed by the memory element 25 and the closing member 32. The main body case 1 can be shared between a cartridge that requires the memory element 25 and a standard specification cartridge that does not require the memory element 25, and the assembly equipment can be shared, thereby reducing the cost. Can be obtained. Further, since one mold can be used for molding the main body case 1 of the two types of cartridges, molding costs can be reduced, and the inventory management of the main body case 1 is advantageous.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a standard specification tape cartridge which does not require a memory element.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the entire tape cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the entire inside of a tape cartridge incorporating a memory element.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of the tape cartridge shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the entire tape cartridge shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional side view of a pocket portion of the tape cartridge shown in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Tape 3 Tape reel 25 Memory element 26 Terminal part 29 Opening 32 Closing member

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hidekazu Takeda 292 Yoshidacho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Hitachi Media Media Research Laboratories (72) Inventor Tatsumi Nishijima 292 Yoshidacho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Co., Ltd. Hitachi Media Imaging Laboratory (72) Inventor Hikaru Mizutani 1-1-88 Ushitora, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Hitachi Maxell Co., Ltd. (72) Katsuo Maehara 1-1-88 Ushitora, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Hitachi Maxell, Inc.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A cartridge comprising a case for accommodating a recording medium, the case comprising an opening capable of exposing a terminal of a memory means for storing information to the outside, wherein the opening A closing member that is disposed so as to close the opening and that is formed separately from the memory means. A first cartridge including a first recording medium, a first case accommodating the first recording medium, and a first case. A first opening which is opened on an outer surface of the first case, wherein the second cartridge accommodates a second recording medium and the second recording medium, and has an outer dimension corresponding to the first case. And a second case having substantially the same shape as the first case, and a second opening which is open to an outer surface of the second case and has substantially the same shape as the first opening. In the opening, a terminal portion of a memory means for storing information is arranged so as to be exposed to the outside. In the second opening, a closing member formed separately from the memory means is provided in the second opening. A cartridge which is arranged so as to close an opening. 3. A recording medium comprising: a second recording medium; and a second case accommodating the second recording medium, wherein the second case has a second case opened on an outer surface of the second case. A second cartridge provided with a closing member disposed so as to close the second opening, the first cartridge being used with a second cartridge provided with a closing member arranged to close the second opening. A first recording medium; a first case in which the first recording medium is accommodated, and a first case having substantially the same outer dimensions as the second case; An opening is provided on an outer surface of the first case, and a first opening having substantially the same shape as the second opening is provided. The terminal is exposed to the outside in the first opening. And a memory means for storing information. Cartridge. 4. A recording medium comprising: a first recording medium; and a first case in which the first recording medium is stored, wherein the first case has a first case opened on an outer surface of the first case. One opening is provided, and the first opening is used together with a first cartridge having memory means for storing information, the terminal being arranged so as to be exposed to the outside. A second cartridge, wherein a second recording medium, a second case accommodating the second recording medium, and having substantially the same outer dimensions as the first case; and a second case. Is provided with a second opening that is open on the outer surface of the second case and has substantially the same shape as the first opening. The second opening is provided with: Including a closing member formed separately and arranged to close the second opening. Second cartridge characterized by Rukoto. 5. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein an outer shape of the closing member is formed in substantially the same shape as an outer shape of the memory means. 6. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the closing member is formed of a resin. 7. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the closing member is formed of a polystyrene resin. 8. The first cartridge according to claim 3, wherein an outer shape of the closing member is formed to have substantially the same shape as an outer shape of the memory means. 9. The first cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the closing member is formed of a resin. 10. The first cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the closing member is formed of a polystyrene resin. 11. The second cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the outer shape of the closing member is formed to have substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the memory means. 12. The second cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the closing member is formed of a resin. 13. The second cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the closing member is formed of a polystyrene resin.