JP2000251439A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tape cassette having excellent dimensional precision and improved sliding reliability of a slider by restraining the deformation of the slider. SOLUTION: A projecting area 20 consisting of a plurality of lines having the height for coming into slide-contact with the bottom surface of a main body case 1 is radially provided around a resin pouring gate 40 within a range not crossing over the central line in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. Thus, the flow of resin in a recessed groove 17 and its periphery becomes smooth, the generation of a warp or the like in the molding of a slider 5 is controlled and thereby the slider 5 having excellent dimensional precision and excellent quality is obtained. Furthermore, the opening and closing operations are faultlessly performed when the slider 5 is assembled wit the main body case 1, and such a functional failure that the slider 5 is abnormally brought into slide-contact with the main body case 1 is not generated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has an opening on the bottom of a main body case into which a tape loading device of a recording / reproducing apparatus can be inserted, and a slidable slider for opening and closing the opening. Regarding the tape cassette,
More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in the structure of the slider.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a tape cassette of this kind, a hub around which a magnetic tape is wound is housed on the left and right sides of a main body case. The above-mentioned opening is provided so that the loading of. Further, in order to prevent dust and the like from entering from outside through the opening, a slider for closing the above-mentioned bottom opening when not in use slides in the tape cassette loading direction along the bottom side of the main body case. It is movably arranged.

[0003] With respect to the above-mentioned tape cassette, a technique in which a slider installed in a main body case so as to be able to advance and retreat slidably opens and closes in accordance with an operation of loading the tape cassette into a recording / reproducing apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-1985. No. 129885,
Nos. 60-136078, 60-136079 and 60-175271.

Further, when the slider is slidably mounted on the bottom surface of the main body case, if the slider is brought into sliding contact with the bottom surface of the main body case in a state of being in close contact with the whole surface, a slight manufacturing accuracy error or internal strain or Since the sliding resistance becomes excessive due to the thermal deformation and the slider malfunctions, a rib-shaped protrusion that runs in the front-rear direction on the inner surface of the slider is provided. A technique for making contact is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-19552. In this prior art, a mechanism for locking the slider at an open position and a closed position is provided, and a concave groove for guiding an unlocking member for releasing the locked state is formed on the bottom surface of the slider.

FIG. 7 shows a structural example of a slider 5 in a conventional tape cassette. Although the overall structure will be described later, the slider 5 has through holes 15 and 16 for engaging and locking the tip of the elastic locking piece of the main body case 1.
And a concave groove 17 for guiding an unlocking member for releasing the engagement is provided on the bottom surface, and a projection which slides on the bottom surface of the lower case 3 (see FIG. 1) is provided on the upper surface of the slider 5. Reference numeral 20 extends from the front end to the rear end of the slider 5 along the sliding direction and extends in a rib shape over the entire length in the front-rear direction. For other structures, the same structures as those shown in FIG. 1 described later are denoted by the same reference numerals, and therefore, the description thereof is to be referred to.

[0006]

By the way, in a tape cassette having a slider as in the prior art, the slider is provided with a projection having a full width in the sliding direction including a substantially rectangular concave groove for guiding an unlocking member. Accordingly, in this slider, the thick portion and the thin portion are adjacent to each other, and warpage is likely to occur in the form after the formation, and the dimensional accuracy may be reduced to cause various adverse effects.

That is, when the slider is formed, the portion where the concave groove for guiding the unlocking member is formed becomes thin, so that the flow of the resin is not smooth and the molded product is partially distorted. For this reason, there is a problem that warpage or partial deformation occurs, and a problem in appearance, specifically, poor transfer of grain, weld line, appearance unevenness, sink mark, and the like easily occur.

Further, if the slider is provided with a projection having the entire width in the sliding direction including the range in which the concave groove is formed, when dust or the like from the outside enters the sliding contact portion between the projection and the main body case, the sliding is performed. Since the moving direction and the sliding length are always in a fixed direction, there is also a problem that foreign matter is not discharged from the slidable contact portion and hinders sliding.

Techniques for solving such a problem include:
There is a technique proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-246511 "Tape Cassette". This technology has a tape cassette in which a tape loading device in a recording / reproducing device has an opening at a bottom surface of a main body case, and a slidable slider for opening and closing the opening is provided. On the surface on the side facing the main body case, for example, a circular convex region having a height in sliding contact with the bottom surface of the main body case is a portion where a substantially rectangular concave groove provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus is projected. And the slider is provided in a range not to exceed a center line in a direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the slider from a tip of a side facing the opening of the bottom surface of the main body case of the slider. Is what you do.

However, since the above-mentioned circular convex region is provided at a position distant from the gate for resin injection, it cannot be said that a complete solution is always provided in consideration of distortion after molding of the slider. In terms of,
Had a problem. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette that suppresses deformation of a slider, has good dimensional accuracy, and has improved sliding reliability of the slider. is there.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, a tape cassette according to the present invention is provided with an opening in a bottom surface of a main body case so that a tape loading device can be inserted therein. , Slidable sliders for opening and closing the opening are disposed facing each other, and one or more elastic lock pieces having an engagement head capable of swinging up and down are provided on the bottom surface of the main body case. The slider is formed with a through hole for engaging the engaging head of the elastic locking piece so that the slider is locked in a state where the opening is opened and a state where the opening is closed. Further, the surface of the slider not facing the main body case is brought into contact with the engaging head of the elastic lock piece engaged with the through-hole, and the recording / reproducing device for releasing the locked state is provided. Provided A substantially rectangular concave groove for guiding the unlocking member is formed in a longitudinal shape in the tape cassette loading direction, and the axis in the longitudinal direction is the same as the axis of the elastic lock piece in the tape cassette loading direction. In a tape cassette molded with a resin formed at a substantially overlapping position, a convex region formed of a plurality of stripes having a height that slides on a bottom surface of the main body case is provided on a surface of the slider facing the main body case. Including at least a part of the projected portion of the substantially rectangular concave groove, while forming a resin flow path flowing from the resin injection gate to the thin portion,
It is characterized by being provided continuously.

It is preferable that the above-mentioned plurality of convex regions have a plurality of ridges symmetrical to each other, and have a substantially M-shaped configuration constituted by, for example, two opposing triangles. In addition, it is preferable to form a slide assist projection at a position away from the above-mentioned convex region in the rearward direction in the loading direction. further,
A concave portion for reducing the sliding contact area may be formed in the convex region.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on a preferred embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a tape cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the slider, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the tape cassette.

The tape cassette includes an upper case (hereinafter, referred to as an upper half) 2 and a lower case (hereinafter, referred to as a lower half) 3
And a slider case 5 slidably mounted on the lower surface side of the main body case 1.

A magnetic tape is wound around and accommodated in hubs (not shown) on both sides inside the main body case 1, and a bottom surface 3 a formed on the lower half 3 is oriented in a direction D in which the recording / reproducing apparatus is loaded. The center of the bottom of the front portion is removed together with the front portion to form an opening 4 for tape loading. The front part of the upper half 2 is also opened at the front part, and a front lid 7 is disposed in front of the front opening part so as to be able to move up and down, and is opened and closed with the loading of the recording / reproducing apparatus. You.

A tape loading device (not shown) of a recording / reproducing device is provided in the opening 4 on the bottom surface of the lower half 3.
Can be inserted from below, and the tape is pulled out to perform recording and reproduction. In the lower half 3, drive shaft insertion holes 3b are opened on both sides.

The slider 5 opens and closes the bottom opening 4 of the lower half 3 of the main body case 1 as the tape cassette advances and retreats along the loading direction D. Plate portion 5 parallel to bottom surface 3a
a and a side wall 5b standing on both sides, and the whole is integrally formed of synthetic resin.

The side wall 5b is provided with a retaining piece 11 extending upward, as shown in FIG. 3, which is inserted into a slit 12 formed at a joint portion between the upper half 2 and the lower half 3, and It is slidable and the amount of movement is restricted.

The length of the flat portion 5a of the slider 5 in the front-rear direction is formed shorter than the length of the main body case 1 in the front-rear direction, and the front end thereof coincides with the front end position of the main body case 1 when moving forward. The opening 4 is fully closed when it retreats.
At this time, a drive shaft insertion hole 5c is also opened in the slider 5 at a position corresponding to the drive shaft insertion hole 3b of the lower half 3. The center position of the drive shaft insertion hole 5c is aligned with a center line S perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider 5.
It is formed so as to be offset more rearward.

The lower half 3 is provided with a lock mechanism for locking the slider 5 between an open position and a closed position. The lock mechanism includes an elastic lock piece 14 of the lower half 3 and through holes 15 and 16 of the slider 5. The elastic lock piece 14 is provided on the bottom surface 3 of the lower half 3.
a, one or more places (one on each side in the case shown),
It is molded integrally.

As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic lock piece 14 has a base connected to the lower half 3 and a distal end connected to the lower half 3.
The hook-shaped engaging head 14a, which is elastically deformable and can be vertically swung, is formed downward at its tip. The engaging head 14a is provided so as to protrude further downward from the bottom surface 3a of the lower half 3, and can be engaged with the through holes 15, 16 of the slider 5.

The through holes 15 and 16 are formed in the flat plate portion 5a of the slider 5 so as to penetrate two in a rectangular shape at right, left, front and rear sides. That is, the front through-hole 15 engages with the engaging head 14a at a position where the slider 5 opens the opening 4 and moves backward, and an engaging head 14a at a position where the slider 5 closes the opening 4 and moves forward. Rear through hole 1 that engages with
6 are provided, and the movement of the slider 5 is locked by the engagement of the two at each position.

The release of the locked state by the engagement between the engagement head 14a of the elastic lock piece 14 and the through holes 15 and 16 is performed by a lock release member 30 provided in a recording / reproducing apparatus into which the tape cassette is loaded. Push-up piece 31 (see FIG. 4)
Done by The unlocking member 30 is guided by a concave groove 17 having a substantially rectangular cross section formed on the bottom surface of the slider 5, and is engaged with the through holes 15, 16 opened corresponding to the concave groove 17. The upwardly-moving push-up piece 31 comes into contact with the engaging head 14a of the lock piece 14 to release the engagement. The front end of the concave groove 17 is formed so as to expand in the left-right direction (see FIG. 2).

The concave groove 17 is formed in a longitudinal shape along the loading direction D of the tape cassette, and the longitudinal axis is formed at a position substantially overlapping the axis of the elastic lock piece 14 along the loading direction D. . The rear end of the concave groove 17 is provided at a position forward of the center of the drive shaft insertion hole 5c, particularly, forward of a center line S (see FIG. 2) of the slider 5 in the front-rear direction.

Further, the through holes 15, 16 and the concave groove 1 are so surrounded as to surround the projected portion of the concave groove 17.
7. The flat plate portion 5a of the slider 5 in the peripheral portion including the forming range of 7
, The bottom surface 3a of the lower half 3 of the slider 5
A convex region 20 having a height that is in sliding contact with the back surface (the lower surface in the figure) of the bottom surface 3a of the lower half 3 is formed on the surface on the side opposite to. Then, the slider 5 comes into sliding contact with the back surface of the bottom surface 3a of the lower half 3 via the convex region 20.

The convex region 20 extends radially around the resin injection gate 40 from the front end of the slider 5 to the side or obliquely rearward in the form of a plurality of convex lines. The range is such that the rear extension end (outer peripheral portion) 20a of the convex region 20 does not exceed the center line S in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider 5 (see FIG. 1). Further, the convex region 20 includes a portion where the substantially rectangular concave groove 17 is projected.

Due to the formation of the convex region 20, the thickness of the flat plate portion 5a of the slider 5 becomes thicker in the peripheral portion except the concave groove 17 than in other portions, and thinner in the concave groove 17 portion.

The tip of the engaging head 14a engaged with the through holes 15 and 16 is located in the concave groove 17 (in the height direction) so as not to protrude below the lower surface of the slider 5. It has become.

The slider 5 has a resin injection gate 40 at the center of the front end thereof at the time of molding.
A locking member 18 is provided to hang a spring (not shown) for urging the spring in the closing direction.

Further, on the upper surface of the slider 5 near the rear end portion, auxiliary projections 21 are formed on the right and left so that the front end can come into contact with the bottom surface of the lower half 3 so as to prevent rattling during sliding. ing. The auxiliary protrusion 21 has the same height as the convex region 20. The tip of the auxiliary projection 21 may be a curved surface such as a sphere or the like in addition to a flat surface. The height of the protruding region 20 is, for example, about 0.05 to 0.3 mm so that the amount of protrusion from the periphery is about 0.05 to 0.3 mm.

In the above-described tape cassette,
Before loading into the recording / reproducing apparatus, the slider 5 is at the forward position and closes the bottom opening 4. In this state,
The engaging head 14a of the elastic locking piece 14 is locked so as not to engage with the rear through hole 16 to perform the opening operation.

With the loading into the recording / reproducing apparatus, the unlocking member 30 is inserted from the front end of the concave groove 17 and
The engaging head 1 engaged with the rear through-hole 16 by the operation of 1
The engagement of the slider 4a is released, the slider 5 is made movable, and the slider 5 is moved rearward relative to the main body case 1 in accordance with the loading operation to open the bottom opening 4, and the elastic lock is provided at the retracted position. The engaging head 14a of the piece 14 is
To lock the open position. The tape loading device is inserted into the opened opening 4 and the tape is pulled out forward to enable recording and reproduction.

When the tape cassette is taken out after use, the unlocking member 30 moves relatively forward and engages with the engaging head 14a of the elastic locking piece 14 engaged with the front through hole 15. Is released by the operation of the push-up piece 31, the slider 5 moves in the closing direction by the urging force of the spring, and closes the opening 4. In the movement of the slider 5 as described above, the formation of the convex region 20 and the auxiliary protrusion 21 ensures the sliding characteristics and eliminates the problem such as warpage during molding.

That is, the slider 5 having the shape as described above is used.
In the molding of the resin, the flow of the resin flowing from the resin injection gate 40 goes around so as to bypass the concave groove 17 since the concave portion 17 is thin, and there is no convex region 20 on the rear side and this portion is The resin is not thicker than the other portions, and is thicker around the concave groove 17 due to the formation of the convex region 20, so that the resin flows into the concave groove 17 more quickly and smoothly. For this reason, the problem of molding defects due to distortion and poor flow can be reduced.

If the convex region 20 is formed wide to the rear portion of the slider 5 as in the conventional case, the resin bypasses the thin portion where the concave groove 17 is formed and flows into the thick portion first. The thin part will be filled at the final stage of the flow, and the strain will remain in this part and will be concentrated in this part. For this reason, warpage and partial deformation are likely to occur, and problems in appearance (such as poor transfer of grain, weld lines, appearance unevenness, and sink marks) are likely to occur. On the other hand, in the configuration according to the present embodiment, , As described above, the convex region 2
By providing 0 radially from the resin injection gate 40 and only on the front side, the thin portion is filled with the resin at an early stage, and the above-described molding defects are less likely to occur.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment, in which the above-mentioned gate 40 has to be provided further behind the slider due to restrictions on specifications. Here, the shape of the outer peripheral portion 22a of the convex region 22 provided including the formation range of the concave groove 17 is a straight line closer to the center line S, and the rest is the same as the above-described embodiment. The same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment, in which it is assumed that the gate 40 must be provided further behind the slider due to restrictions on the specifications as in the embodiment shown in FIG. It was done. Here, the shape of the outer peripheral portion 23a of the convex region 23 is a bent line of a central convex closer to the center line S, and the other configuration is the same as that of the above-described embodiment.

As described above, the outer portion 23a of the convex region 23
Is formed into a bent shape of a central convex so that dust and the like from the outside that have entered the convex region 23 and its surroundings can
a positively removes the convex region 23 from the sliding range.

[0039]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the projecting region having a height which is in sliding contact with the bottom surface of the main body case is formed so as not to exceed the center line in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. The smooth flow of the resin around the concave groove and the surrounding groove can be suppressed, and the occurrence of warpage or the like during molding of the slider can be suppressed, and a slider of good quality with good dimensional accuracy can be obtained. become. In addition, the opening and closing operation can be reliably performed in assembling with the main body case, so that a functional obstacle such as an abnormal sliding contact of the slider with the main body case does not occur.

Further, since a molding defect is less likely to occur, a tape cassette of high commercial value which has no surface shape defect and has few problems in appearance can be obtained, and foreign matter which has entered between the convex region and the main body case can be slid. It can be positively removed from the moving part and a good opening / closing operation can be maintained for a long time.

In particular, in the case where the outer shape of the convex region is formed in an arc shape, molding defects are less likely to occur, and the rejection characteristics of foreign substances are improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a tape cassette according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the slider of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a combined state of a main body case and a slider.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part showing an engaged state of an elastic lock piece.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a slider according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a slider according to still another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a slider in a conventional tape cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Upper half 3 Lower half 3a Bottom surface 4 Opening 5 Slider 14 Elastic lock piece 14a Engagement head 15,16 Through hole 17 Concave groove 20,22,23 Convex area 20a, 22a, 23a Rear extension end ( Outer peripheral portion) 21 auxiliary projection 30 unlocking member 40 resin injection gate D tape cassette loading direction

Claims (1)

[Claims] An opening is provided on a bottom surface of a main body case so that a tape loading device can be inserted, and slidable sliders for opening and closing the opening are disposed on both outer sides of the bottom surface so as to face each other. On the bottom surface of the main body case, at least one elastic lock piece having an engagement head capable of swinging up and down is formed, and the slider has a state in which the slider has opened the opening. A through-hole for engaging the engaging head of the elastic lock piece is formed so as to be locked in a closed state, and further, on the surface of the slider that does not face the main body case, The tape cassette has a substantially rectangular concave groove which contacts an engaging head of the elastic lock piece engaged with the through hole and guides an unlocking member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus for releasing the locked state. Loading direction In a tape cassette molded with a synthetic resin, the elastic lock piece is formed at a position substantially overlapping with the axis of the elastic lock piece in the loading direction of the tape cassette. On the surface of the slider facing the body case,
A plurality of convex regions having a height that is in sliding contact with the bottom surface of the main body case include at least a part of a projected portion of the substantially rectangular concave groove, and constitute a resin flow path flowing from the resin injection gate to the thin portion. And a tape cassette provided continuously.