JP2001344940A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the hermeticity of a front cap and an upper cap as well as the front cap and a rear cap and to protect a tape from dust by regulating the deformation of an upper cap. SOLUTION: The tape cassette consists of the front cap, the upper cap and the rear cap and is provided with an engaging projection on the front end surface of the upper cap. The top surface part of the engaging projection and the horizontal surface part of the upper side corner part of the front cap are arranged apart a slight spacing. The tape cassette is so constituted that, when the upper cap is displaced in an upward direction, the top surface part of the engaging projection abuts on the horizontal surface part in the upper corner part of the front cap.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lid structure for a tape cassette used in a magnetic recording / reproducing device such as a video tape recorder or other various information processing devices. And a three-sheet tape cassette that covers the rear surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the increase in density of magnetic recording,
Video tape recorders (VTRs) and tape cassettes are becoming smaller. as a result,
VTRs have been increasingly used outdoors, such as in landscapes and in photography.

[0003] Among them, a tape cassette is also considered especially for outdoor use, and as a measure against dust, two or three tapes respectively covering the front and rear surfaces of the tape to shield the tape from the outside air.
A sheet type lid structure has been devised and put into practical use.

Hereinafter, the above-described conventional tape cassette 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is an assembled perspective view of a conventional tape cassette 10 in a closed state, and FIG.
0 is an assembly perspective view in an open state, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a cover in a closed state. In FIG. 10, the cassette body is formed as an integral housing by combining upper half 2 and lower half 3 formed of synthetic resin from above and below. A pair of reels 5 around which the tape 4 is wound are housed in the cassette body. VTR on the front of the cassette body
An opening 6 for inserting a tape pull-out member (not shown) on the side is provided. A pair of tape guides 7 formed integrally with the lower half 3 is provided on both sides of the lower half 3 side of the opening 6, and the tape 4 is guided by the tape guide 7 and stretched along the opening 6. Is done. Tape 4
At the time of closing the cover, as shown in FIG. 9, it is covered by a slide-type upper cover 8, a rear cover 9 inside, and a flip-up type front cover 11.

In FIG. 11, a pair of fulcrum pins 11b is provided on a side plate 11a of the front lid 11, and the fulcrum pins 11b are provided in a pair of notches (not shown) provided on both front side walls of the upper half 2. The front cover 11 is inserted, and is rotatable about a fulcrum pin 11b. Also, the front part 1 of the front lid 11
A pair of pin holes 11d are formed at both upper ends of 1c.

A pair of support pins 8b are provided on the front inside of the side plate 8a of the upper cover 8, and the support pins 8b are inserted into pin holes 11d of the front cover 11 and are rotatable. further,
A pair of bearings 8d are provided inside the upper plate 8c, and a pin hole 8e is formed in the bearing 8d.

A pair of guide grooves 2a are formed in front of the side wall of the upper half 2, and guide pins 8f formed on the side plate 8a of the upper lid 8 are slidably mounted in the guide grooves 2a.

A pair of support pins 9a are provided on the upper side surface of the rear lid 9.
Is provided, and the support pin 9a is provided with a bearing 8d of the upper lid 8.
Is mounted to be rotatable. A projection 9c having a pair of guide pins 9b is provided on a lower side surface of the rear lid 9.

A pair of rear lid guide grooves 3a are provided behind the pair of tape guides 7 formed on the lower half 3 and on both side surfaces of the opening 6. A guide pin 9b of the rear lid 9 is slidably inserted into the rear lid guide groove 3a.

[0010]

However, this configuration has the following problems.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view in a closed state when the upper lid is warped, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the lid in the state of FIG. Since the upper lid 8 is in the form of a flat plate having a relatively small thickness, it tends to warp during molding, and is thermally deformed when left in a high-temperature environment for a long time. As a result, as shown in FIG. Direction, the gap a may be generated more than necessary between the upper lid 8 and the upper end of the front lid 11.

If a gap a more than necessary occurs between the upper lid 8 and the upper end of the front lid 11, the rear lid 9 moves in the direction a in conjunction with the movement of the front lid 11, as shown in FIG. The guide pin 9b of the rear cover 9 is connected to the rear cover guide groove 3a of the lower half 3.
, And rotate in the direction B, a gap b is generated between the front lid 11 and the rear lid 9. As a result, dust invades from the outside through the gaps a and b and adheres to the tape surface, causing problems such as image deterioration and inability to perform recording and reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tape having a lid structure for protecting a tape from dust by maintaining the lid in a sealed state even when the upper lid is deformed. To provide a cassette.

[0014]

A tape cassette according to the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems has an engaging projection provided on a front end surface of an upper cover, and a top surface portion of the engaging projection and a horizontal plane portion at an upper corner portion of the front cover. Are arranged at a small interval so that when the upper lid is deformed in the upward direction, the upper surface of the engagement projection and the horizontal surface at the upper corner of the front lid come into contact with each other.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tape cassette 1 according to the present invention. The same members as those of the conventional tape cassette 10 shown in FIGS. 9 to 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The basic structure of the tape cassette 1 is the same as that of the conventional tape cassette 10.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention, like the conventional tape cassette 10, is formed by combining the upper half 2 and the lower half 3 into an integral housing. Formed and fastened by screws 12. A pair of reels 5 around which the tape 4 is wound are housed in the housing. An opening 6 is provided on the front surface of the lower half 3, and a pair of tape guides 7 integrally formed with the lower half 3 are provided on both sides. Tape 4
Is stretched along the opening 6 guided by the tape guide 7.

The front lid 11 is a tape 4 stretched over the opening 6.
11c, upper half 2 and lower half 3
And a side plate 11a that covers the front side surface of the front side of the vehicle, and has a substantially U-shape. A pair of fulcrum pins 11b is provided on the side plate 11a of the front lid 11, and the fulcrum pins 11b are inserted into a pair of notches 2b provided on both front side walls of the upper half 2, and the front lid 11 is centered on the fulcrum pins 11b. It is freely rotatable. Further, a coil spring 13 is mounted on one side of the fulcrum pin 11b of the front cover 11, and constantly biases the front cover 11 in the closing direction. Also, the front part 1 of the front lid 11
A pair of pin holes 11d are formed at both upper ends of 1c.

The upper lid 8 is provided with a tape 4 stretched over the opening 6.
And a side plate 8a that covers the side surface of the upper half 2. A pair of support pins 8b are provided on the front inner side of the side plate 8a of the upper cover 8, and the support pins 8b are inserted into pin holes 11d of the front cover 11 and are rotatable. Further, a pair of guide pins 8f is provided on the rear inner side of the side plate 8a. A pair of bearings 8d having a distance substantially equal to the width of the opening 6 is provided inside the upper surface 8c, and a substantially L-shaped portion is provided near the center of the front end of the upper surface 8c. An engaging projection 8g is formed.

At the front of the side wall of the upper half 2, there is provided a pair of cutouts 2c which are cut out to have dimensions substantially equal to the thickness of the upper lid side plate 8a. The notch 2c includes a curved portion and a straight portion,
And a pair of guide grooves 2d having one end opened are formed,
A guide pin 8f of the upper lid side plate 8a is slidably attached to the guide groove 2d.

The rear cover 9 has a substantially U shape, and covers the back surface of the tape 4 stretched over the opening 6. A pair of support pins 9 a are provided at both upper ends of the rear lid 9, and the support pins 9 a are rotatably attached to bearings 8 d of the upper lid 8. A projection 9c having a pair of guide pins 9b is provided at both lower ends of the rear lid 9.

A slit 3 is formed on one side wall 3b of the lower half 3.
c is provided, and a bearing 3d is formed in the upper part of the wall in the slit 3c. A lid lock member 14 is attached to the bearing portion 3d.
5 is urged in the locking direction.

The detailed structure of the upper lid 8, the rear lid 9, and the front lid 11 has been described above. Next, the case of assembling them will be described. First, as shown in FIG.
Then, the support pin 9a of the upper lid 8 is inserted into the pin hole 11d of the front lid 11 as shown in FIG.
And assemble the lid unit. Then, although not shown, the guide pins 8f of the upper lid 8 of the lid unit are inserted from the open side of the guide grooves 2d of the upper half 2 and the front lid 1 is inserted.
By inserting one fulcrum pin 11b into the notch 2c of the upper half 2, an upper half unit is completed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the lid after assembly. As shown in FIG. 4, the engagement projection 8g of the upper lid 8 enters the upper corner 11e of the front lid 11, and the upper surface 8h of the engagement projection 8g and the horizontal surface 11f of the upper corner 11e are spaced apart from each other by a slight distance. It is provided to be located.

The operation of the tape cassette 1 of the present invention configured as described above will be described below.

When the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the VTR (not shown), the lid unlocking member 16 of the cassette holder (not shown) arranged on the VTR side is attached to the front part 11c of the front lid 11 as shown in FIG. The cover lock member 14 enters through a notch (not shown) provided, contacts the contact portion 14 a of the cover lock member 14, moves in the C direction against the leaf spring 15, and The locking of the front lid 11 is released by disengagement of the lock claw 14b of 14 from the projection 11i provided inside the side plate 11a of the front lid 11.

Thereafter, the tape cassette 1 is inserted into the D shown in FIG.
When it is moved in the direction, the lid opening pin 17 arranged on the VTR side
Thereby, the side plate 11a of the front lid 11 is pushed up. Therefore, the front lid 11 rotates upward against the coil spring 13. At this time, the rear lid 9 connected to the front lid 11 is guided by the rear lid guide groove 3a and is opened. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the lid showing the opened state. The engaging projection 8g provided on the upper lid 8 is adapted to enter into the recess 9d of the rear lid 9. In addition,
The closing operation is performed in a completely opposite manner to the above-described operation.

As described above, Embodiment 1 of the present invention
In the closed state, the upper lid 8 may be warped by molding in the closed state, or may be deformed by the engagement projections 8g provided on the upper lid 8 even when the upper lid 8 is left in a high-temperature environment for a long time and thermally deformed. There is no gap between the front cover 11 and the upper end of the front cover 11 more than necessary, so there is no gap between the front cover 11 and the rear cover 9 so that the airtightness is maintained at all times, and dust which has conventionally been generated enters the tape surface. Such adhesion can prevent problems such as image deterioration and inability to perform recording / reproduction.

Further, since the engaging projection 8g is configured to enter into the concave portion 9d of the rear cover 9 at the opening position, the total height at the opening position does not become higher than in the conventional case.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the shape of the upper lid 8 of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention.
In FIG. 7, reference numerals 17a, 17b, and 17c denote the first embodiment.
And is disposed at a position substantially equally divided with respect to the longitudinal direction of the upper lid 8.

As described above, the present invention has an advantage that it is possible to cope with various deformation patterns of the upper lid 8 by providing a plurality of engagement projections. Note that the number of the engagement projections is not particularly limited to three. Also, the position is not limited to the present invention.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the shape of the upper lid 8 of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention.
In FIG. 8, reference numeral 18 denotes an engagement projection which is arranged over substantially the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the upper lid 8.

As described above, in the present invention, one engaging projection is arranged over almost the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the upper lid 8 so that various deformation patterns of the upper lid 8 can be obtained as in the second embodiment. And the rigidity of the upper lid 8 itself can be increased.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, the engaging projection is provided on the front end face of the upper lid, and the upper surface of the engaging projection and the horizontal plane at the upper corner of the front lid are spaced apart from each other by a slight distance. When the upper lid is to be displaced in the upward direction, the upper surface of the engaging projection is in contact with the horizontal surface of the upper corner of the front lid. There is no gap between the upper edge of the tape and the gap between the front lid and the rear lid. And recording and reproduction cannot be performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tape cassette which does not cause problems such as image deterioration and inability to perform recording / reproduction due to dust entering and adhering to the tape surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of an upper lid and a rear lid of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of an upper lid unit and a front lid of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the lid of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention in a closed state.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a lid portion of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention in a state where the lid lock releasing member has finished opening the lid lock member.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the lid of the tape cassette 1 according to the present invention in a fully opened state.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an upper lid according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an upper lid according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which a conventional tape cassette 10 is closed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a lid of a conventional tape cassette 10 is opened.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a lid portion of the conventional tape cassette 10 in a closed state.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper lid of the conventional tape cassette 10 is warped.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a state in which the upper lid of the conventional tape cassette 10 is warped.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape cassette (of this invention) 2 Upper half 3 Lower half 4 Tape 5 Reel 6 Opening 7 Tape guide 8 Upper lid 8g, 17a, 17b, 17c, 18 Engagement projection (of upper lid) 8h Upper surface of (engagement projection) Part 9 Back lid 10 (Conventional) tape cassette 11 Front lid 11e Upper corner part (of front lid) 11f Horizontal plane part (of upper corner part)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cassette body comprising an upper half (2) and a lower half (3) and having an opening (6) for inserting a tape pull-out member on the front side on the front surface, and a cassette body on both sides of the opening (6). A tape (4) stretched over the opening (6) by a tape guide (7) provided, and a front lid (11) rotatably supported by the cassette body and covering the front surface of the tape (4). And an upper lid (8) for covering the upper surface of the tape (4) and a rear lid (9) for covering the rear surface of the tape (4), and an engaging projection (8g) is provided on the front surface of the upper lid (8). In a closed position, the upper surface portion (8h) of the engagement protrusion (8g) and the upper corner portion (11) of the front cover (11).
e) is positioned at a slight distance from the horizontal surface portion (11f), and when the upper lid (8) is displaced upward, the upper surface portion (8h) of the engagement projection (8g) and the front lid (8g). 1
The tape cassette according to 1), wherein the upper corner portion (11e) comes into contact with the horizontal surface portion (11f). 2. A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein said engaging projections (8g) are arranged at a substantially central position in a longitudinal direction of said upper lid (8). 3. The tape according to claim 1, wherein at least two or more engaging projections (8g) are provided and arranged at positions substantially equally spaced in the longitudinal direction of the upper lid (8). cassette. 4. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein said engaging projections (8g) are arranged over substantially the entire area in the longitudinal direction of said upper lid (8).