JP2011110845A - Ribbon cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ribbon cassette, wherein a regulating portion which restricts the movement of an ink ribbon in an upward or downward direction is manufactured with good dimensional accuracy, and dimensional control is easy. <P>SOLUTION: A first receiving portion 391 that is a recess obtained by recessing a bottom surface 302 upward is provided in continuous contact with an upstream end of an arm portion 34 guiding the ink ribbon for printing toward an exit 341 in parallel with a front surface of a cassette case, and first lower ribbon regulating portions 386B and 387B provided at positions separate in a vertical direction by a distance in accordance with the width of the ink ribbon from a first lower flat surface 391B of the first receiving portion 391 are provided inside the arm portion 34. Since the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the first lower ribbon regulating portions 386B and 387B is made higher with the first lower flat surface 391B as a reference surface, the feeding accuracy of the ink ribbon is improved. In addition, the dimensional control of the first lower ribbon regulating portions 386B and 387B is easily performed with the first lower flat surface 391B as reference after manufacture. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a ribbon cassette that is detachable from a printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a ribbon cassette configured to be detachable from a cassette mounting portion of a printing apparatus is known. When such a ribbon cassette is used in a tape printer, it usually has a configuration in which a tape as a printing medium and an ink ribbon for printing are accommodated in a box-shaped cassette case. Within the cassette case, the tape and the ink ribbon are conveyed along predetermined paths different from each other. Therefore, there are known ribbon cassettes each provided with a guide member for restricting movement of the tape and the ink ribbon in the vertical (width) direction during conveyance (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP 7-314866 A JP 2006-182034 A

  Conventionally, a predetermined position is used as a reference when setting dimensions of each component of a ribbon cassette or measuring dimensions after manufacture. For example, regardless of the width of the ink ribbon to be stored, the bottom of the pin hole located at a predetermined height from the vertical center position of the cassette case is used as the reference position.

  The pin holes described above are provided near the left and right side surfaces of the cassette case on the bottom surface of the cassette case. On the other hand, the above-described guide member is provided in an arm portion that is a portion that guides the ink ribbon immediately before printing by the print head. That is, since the bottom part of the pin hole used as the reference position is at a position away from the guide member, it is difficult to utilize it for improving the dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing the guide member and for managing the dimensions after manufacturing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a ribbon cassette that can manufacture a restricting portion that restricts the upward or downward movement of an ink ribbon with high dimensional accuracy, and that facilitates dimensional management.

  A ribbon cassette according to the present invention has a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces, and is housed in the cassette case, which includes a top case having the top surface and a bottom case having the bottom surface. In addition, an ink ribbon used for printing and a predetermined transport path that includes a part of the front surface and connects from a first area that stores the unused ink ribbon to a second area that stores the used ink ribbon. An arm portion that guides the ink ribbon toward the discharge port along a portion extending in parallel with the front surface, and an end portion of the arm portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the ink ribbon in the lower case. A first concave portion having a first lower flat portion, which is a concavity formed by concatenating a portion of the bottom surface toward the upper side and is a flat portion located above the bottom surface. And in the portion constituting the arm portion of the lower case, the cassette case is located on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the discharge port and a distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon from the first lower flat surface portion. And a first lower restricting portion for restricting the downward movement of the ink ribbon, which is provided at a position separated in the vertical direction.

  That is, in the lower case, the first lower regulating portion and the first lower flat portion of the ribbon cassette are provided at positions close to each other with respect to the arm portion, and the vertical position of the first lower regulating portion is The first lower plane portion is defined as a reference. Therefore, it is possible to increase the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the first lower regulating portion, and the ink ribbon transport accuracy is improved. In addition, after manufacturing, it is possible to easily manage the dimensions of the first lower restricting portion with reference to the first lower flat portion.

  In the ribbon cassette, the first lower flat portion may be provided at a certain distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the ink ribbon housed in the cassette case. In this case, the vertical position of the ink ribbon with respect to the vertical position of the first lower plane portion becomes clearer, and the ink ribbon transport accuracy is further improved.

  In the ribbon cassette, the distance in the vertical direction between the center position and the first lower flat portion may be constant regardless of the width of the ink ribbon. In this case, even for a plurality of types of ribbon cassettes containing ink ribbons having different ribbon widths, the position of the same first lower plane portion can be used as a reference, and the dimensions of the cassette case and the management of parts can be controlled. It becomes easy.

  The ribbon cassette is adjacent to the rear of the arm portion and extends in the left-right direction of the cassette case. The opening extends vertically through the cassette case; Ribbon guide portion provided at the downstream end of the opening portion in the transport direction and configured to bend the ink ribbon discharged from the discharge port toward the second region along the transport path. And in the lower case, provided on the outer periphery of the opening in the vicinity of the ribbon guide portion and in front of a portion connecting the ribbon guide portion and the second region in the transport path, It may be further provided with a second concave portion having a second lower flat portion that is a flat portion located above the bottom surface, the concave portion having a part of the bottom surface recessed upward. . In this case, the first lower recess is provided on the outer periphery of the opening and in the vicinity of the end of the opening on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the first lower restricting portion is provided on the cassette case. In the left-right direction, the first lower plane portion and the second lower plane portion are positioned between the first lower plane portion and the second lower plane portion, and the width direction of the ink ribbon It may be located at the same distance from the center position in the vertical direction.

  That is, in the lower case, the first lower restricting portion includes the first lower flat portion provided in the vicinity of the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of the opening and the first lower restricting portion sandwiching the first lower restricting portion. 2 The vertical position may be determined with reference to the lower flat portion. In this case, the dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing the first lower regulating portion can be further increased, and the ink ribbon transport accuracy is further improved. In addition, after the manufacture, the size management of the first lower restricting portion can be more easily performed on the basis of the first lower flat portion and the second lower flat portion.

  The ribbon cassette is provided at a position away from the second lower flat surface portion in the vertical direction by the distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon in a portion constituting the ribbon guide portion of the lower case. You may further provide the 2nd lower side control part which controls the downward movement of the said ink ribbon.

  That is, in the lower case, the second lower flat portion and the second lower restricting portion are provided in the vicinity of the end portion on the downstream side in the transport direction of the opening, and the vertical position of the second lower restricting portion is the second position. It may be determined on the basis of the lower plane portion. In this case, it is possible to increase the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the second lower restricting portion, and it is possible to easily perform dimensional management after manufacturing. Furthermore, since the first lower flat portion and the second lower flat portion are located at the same distance from the vertical center position of the cassette case, the upper and lower portions of the first lower restricting portion and the second lower restricting portion are The direction position is the same. Accordingly, the downward movement of the ink ribbon is restricted in each lower regulating portion, and the ink ribbon is accurately conveyed in parallel to the vertical center line of the cassette case from the arm portion to the ribbon guide portion.

  In the ribbon cassette, the first region is adjacent to the first lower plane portion, and the ribbon cassette is separated from the first lower plane portion in a portion constituting the first region of the lower case. The apparatus may further include a third lower regulating portion that regulates the downward movement of the ink ribbon provided at a position separated in the vertical direction by the distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon. In this case, the first lower flat surface portion and the third lower flat surface portion may be located at the same distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the ink ribbon.

  That is, in the lower case, the third lower restricting portion and the first lower planar portion are provided at positions close to each other with respect to the first region, and the vertical position of the third lower restricting portion is the first position. It may be determined on the basis of the lower plane portion. In this case, the dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing the third lower restricting portion can be increased, and dimensional management can be easily performed after the manufacturing. Furthermore, since the vertical position of the first lower restriction portion and the third lower restriction portion are the same, the ink ribbon extends from the first region in which the ink ribbon is stored to the arm portion in the vertical center line of the cassette case. Are accurately transported in parallel to.

  In the upper case, the ribbon cassette is a concave portion that is provided so as to be connected to the end portion of the arm portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the ink ribbon and in which a part of the upper surface is recessed downward. The upper concave portion having an upper plane portion which is a plane portion below the upper surface and opposite to the first lower plane portion, and a portion constituting the arm portion of the upper case, The upward movement of the ink ribbon, which is provided at the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the outlet and at a position away from the upper flat portion by the distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon in the vertical direction, is restricted. And an upper restricting portion that performs the above-described operation.

  In other words, in the upper case, the first upper restricting portion and the first upper flat portion are provided at positions close to each other with respect to the arm portion, and the vertical position of the first upper restricting portion is the same as the first upper flat portion. It may be defined as a standard. In this case, the dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing the first upper regulating portion can be increased. As a result, the movement of the ink ribbon in the vertical direction in the arm portion is regulated with high accuracy, and the ink ribbon transport accuracy is further improved. In addition, after manufacture, the first upper regulating portion can be easily managed in size with reference to the first upper plane portion.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the tape printer 1 in a state where a cassette cover 6 is closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the tape printer 1 with a cassette cover 6 opened. It is a perspective view from the lower part of the cassette cover 6 which abbreviate | omitted some components and illustrated. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the tape cassette 30 and the cassette mounting part 8 in 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the laminate type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the standby position. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the laminate type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the printing position. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the receptor type tape cassette 30 was mounted | worn when the platen holder 12 exists in a printing position. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the thermal type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the printing position. 4 is a plan view of a head holder 74. FIG. 3 is a front view of a head holder 74. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the head holder 74. FIG. It is a rear view of the cassette opposing surface 122 provided with the arm detection part 200. It is arrow sectional drawing in the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is the figure which rotated 90 degree | times counterclockwise in the arrow direction sectional view in the II line | wire of FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of an arm front wall 35 of a wide cassette 30. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an arm portion 34 of a narrow cassette 30. FIG. 4 is a front view of an arm front wall 35 of a narrow cassette 30. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cassette case 31. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a lower case 312. FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the front side of the bottom surface 302 of the tape cassette 30. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first cylindrical member 861. FIG. It is the figure showing the arrow direction cross section in the IV-IV line of FIG. 20 in the case of manufacturing the lower case 312 and the cross section of the metal piece 84. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tape cassette 30. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an upper case 311. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first press-fit pin 871. FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tape cassette 30 for explaining a fitting process between a first cylindrical member 861 and a first press-fit pin 871. FIG. 10 is another vertical cross-sectional view of the tape cassette 30 for explaining a fitting process between the first cylindrical member 861 and the first press-fit pin 871. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the tape cassette 30 for demonstrating the 1st cylindrical member 861 and the 1st press-fit pin 871 in the state fitted. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the wide cassette 30 with which the tape printer 1 was mounted | worn from the front side. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the wide cassette 30 with which the tape printer 1 was mounted | worn from the left side surface side. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the narrow cassette 30 with which the tape printer 1 was mounted | worn from the front side. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the narrow cassette 30 with which the tape printer 1 was mounted | worn from the left side surface side. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrows along the line III-III in FIG. 16 when the platen holder 12 faces the tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 16. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the tape cassette 30 and the cassette mounting part 8 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the tape cassette 30 was mounted in 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view from the bottom 302 front side of the tape cassette 30 of 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the tape cassette 30 with which the tape printer 1 in 2nd Embodiment was mounted | worn from the front side. It is a perspective view from the upper part of the tape printer 1 of the modification in the state in which the cassette cover 6 was closed. It is a perspective view from the upper side of the tape printer 1 of the modification in which the tape cassette 30 is mounted and the cassette cover 6 is opened.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and are merely illustrative examples.

<First Embodiment>
The tape printer 1 and the tape cassette 30 according to an embodiment will be described later with reference to FIGS. In the description of this embodiment, the lower left side of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the front side of the tape printer 1, the upper right side of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the rear side of the tape printer 1, and the lower right side of FIGS. The side is the right side of the tape printer 1, and the upper left side of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the left side of the tape printer 1. 4 is the front side of the tape cassette 30, the upper left side of FIG. 4 is the rear side of the tape cassette 30, the upper right side of FIG. 4 is the right side of the tape cassette 30, and the lower left side of FIG. The left side of the cassette 30 is assumed.

  4 and the like used in the following description, when walls forming the periphery of the cassette mounting portion 8 are illustrated, these drawings are merely schematic diagrams, and the walls shown in the drawings are actually It is drawn thicker than. Further, the gear group including the gears 91, 93, 94, 97, 98, 101 shown in the perspective view showing the tape cassette 30 and the cassette mounting portion 8 in FIG. 4 is actually the bottom surface of the cavity 811. It is covered by. However, in order to explain these gear groups, the bottom surface of the cavity 811 is not shown in these drawings. 5 to 8 and the like, the tape cassette 30 shown in the state of being mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 is in a state where the upper case 311 is removed. Further, in FIG. 17 and other perspective views seen from the bottom surface 302 side of the tape cassette 30, the illustration of the tape drive roller 46 and the like is omitted for convenience of explanation. About these points, the figure used for description of other embodiment is also the same.

  First, a schematic configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described. The tape printer 1 is a general-purpose tape printer that can use various tape cassettes such as a thermal type, a receptor type, a laminate type, and a heat-sensitive laminate type. The thermal type is a type of tape cassette that contains only thermal paper tape. The receptor type is a type of tape cassette in which a printing tape and an ink ribbon are stored. The laminate type is a type of tape cassette in which a double-sided adhesive tape, a film tape, and an ink ribbon are stored. The thermal laminate type is a type of tape cassette in which a double-sided adhesive tape and a thermal paper tape are stored.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printer 1 includes a main body cover 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the front side of the upper surface of the main body cover 2, a keyboard 3 including character keys such as characters, symbols and numbers, various function keys, and the like is disposed. On the rear side of the keyboard 3, a display 5 capable of displaying input characters and symbols is provided. A cassette cover 6 that is opened and closed when the tape cassette 30 (see FIG. 4) is replaced is provided on the rear side of the display 5.

  The cassette cover 6 is a lid portion having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The cassette cover 6 has an open position where the cassette mounting portion 8 formed inside the main body cover 2 is exposed, as shown in FIG. 2, and a cassette mounting portion shown in FIG. 8 is pivotally supported between the closed position and the closed position. The cassette mounting portion 8 is formed as an area in which the tape cassette 30 is detachable. The cassette mounting unit 8 is provided with a transport mechanism that pulls out the tape from the tape cassette 30 and transports it, a printing mechanism that prints characters and the like on the surface of the tape, and the like, which will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a hook-shaped locking lock 411 that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the cassette cover 6 is provided at substantially the center of the front surface of the cassette cover 6. The main body cover 2 is provided with a lock hole 412 at a position corresponding to the lock lock 411. When the cassette cover 6 is closed as shown in FIG. 1, the lock lock 411 is fitted into the lock hole 412. By being locked, natural opening of the cassette cover 6 is prevented. Further, on the lower surface of the cassette cover 6 are further provided a head pressing member 7 projecting downward from the lower surface and peripheral pressing members 911 to 914.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the head pressing member 7 is a prismatic member protruding from the lower surface. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the cassette cover 6 is closed, the head pressing member 7 is located above the press receiving portion 393 (see FIG. 4) provided in the upper case 311 of the tape cassette 30. This is a member that abuts against and presses. The presser receiving portion 393 will be described later in detail. Further, the peripheral pressing members 911 to 914 are respectively connected to the peripheral edge of the tape cassette 30 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the cassette cover 6 is closed. It is a member which contacts and presses four places on the upper surface of the corner portions 321 to 324 (see FIG. 4) from above. In FIG. 3, illustrations other than the head pressing member 7 such as the locking lock 411 and the peripheral pressing members 911 to 914 are omitted.

  A discharge slit 111 for discharging the printed tape to the outside is provided behind the left side surface of the main body cover 2, and the cassette cover 6 is discharged in a closed state on the left side surface of the cassette cover 6. A discharge window 112 that exposes the slit 111 to the outside is formed.

  Next, an internal structure of the main body cover 2 below the cassette cover 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, the cassette mounting portion 8 includes a cavity 811 and a corner support portion 812. The cavity 811 is recessed so as to substantially correspond to the shape of the bottom surface 302 of the cassette case 31 described later when the tape cassette 30 is mounted, and has a flat bottom surface. The corner support portion 812 is a plane portion that extends horizontally from the outer edge of the cavity 811. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the corner support portion 812 faces the periphery of the tape cassette 30, more specifically, the lower surface of the first to fourth corner portions 321 to 324 (see FIG. 4). It is a part to support.

  Two positioning pins 102 and 103 are provided at two positions of the corner support portion 812. More specifically, a positioning pin 102 is provided on the left side of the cavity 811, and a positioning pin 103 is provided on the right side of the cavity 811. The positioning pins 102 and 103 are located at positions corresponding to pin holes 62 and 63 (see FIG. 21), which are two concave portions formed in the lower case 312 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Is provided. The positioning pins 102 and 103 are inserted into the pin holes 62 and 63 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, and the tape cassette 30 is moved in the front-rear and left-right directions at the left and right positions of the peripheral edge of the tape cassette 30. Position it.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a head holder 74 on which a thermal head 10 including a heating element (not shown) is mounted is fixed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8. A tape feed motor 23, which is a stepping motor, is disposed outside the cassette mounting portion 8 (upper right side in FIG. 4). A drive gear 91 is fixed to the lower end of the drive shaft of the tape feed motor 23. The drive gear 91 is engaged with the gear 93 through the opening, and the gear 93 is engaged with the gear 94.

  On the upper surface of the gear 94, a ribbon take-up shaft 95 is installed to rotate the ribbon take-up spool 44 (see FIG. 5) described later. Further, a gear 97 is engaged with the gear 94, a gear 98 is engaged with the gear 97, and a gear 101 is engaged with the gear 98. On the upper surface of the gear 101, a tape drive shaft 100 is erected to rotate the tape drive roller 46 described later.

  When the tape feed motor 23 is driven to rotate counterclockwise with the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the ribbon take-up shaft 95 is moved counterclockwise via the drive gear 91, gear 93, and gear 94. It is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction. The ribbon take-up shaft 95 rotates the ribbon take-up spool 44 in which the ribbon take-up shaft 95 is inserted. Further, the rotation of the gear 94 is transmitted to the tape drive shaft 100 through the gear 97, the gear 98, and the gear 101, and the tape drive shaft 100 is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction. The tape drive shaft 100 rotates the tape drive roller 46 in which the tape drive shaft 100 is inserted.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, an arm-shaped platen holder 12 is pivotally supported on the front side of the head holder 74 so as to be swingable around a pivotal support 121. At the front end side of the platen holder 12, a platen roller 15 provided so as to be able to contact and separate relative to the thermal head 10 and a tape drive roller 46 into which the tape drive shaft 100 is inserted is provided so as to be able to contact and separate. The movable transport roller 14 is rotatably supported together.

  The platen holder 12 is connected to a release lever (not shown) that moves in the left-right direction in conjunction with opening and closing of the cassette cover 6. When the cassette cover 6 is opened, the release lever moves in the right direction, and the platen holder 12 moves toward the standby position shown in FIG. In the standby position shown in FIG. 5, the platen holder 12 moves in a direction away from the cassette mounting portion 8, so that the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8. The platen holder 12 is always elastically biased to the standby position by a winding spring (not shown).

  On the other hand, when the cassette cover 6 is closed, the release lever moves to the left, and the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the platen holder 12 moves in the direction approaching the cassette mounting portion 8. As shown in FIG. 6, when the laminate type tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60. At the same time, the movable conveyance roller 14 presses the tape driving roller 46 via the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the receptor type tape cassette 30 is mounted, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the print tape 57 and the ink ribbon 60. At the same time, the movable conveyance roller 14 presses the tape driving roller 46 via the printing tape 57. As shown in FIG. 8, when the thermal type tape cassette 30 is mounted, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the thermal paper tape 55. At the same time, the movable conveying roller 14 presses the tape driving roller 46 via the thermal paper tape 55.

  As a result, at the printing position shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, printing can be performed using the various tape cassettes 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Details of the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, the film tape 59, and the ink ribbon 60 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a path through which the printed tape 50 passes is provided between the tape discharge portion 49 of the tape cassette 30 and the discharge slit 111 (see FIG. 2) of the tape printer 1. In this path, a cutting mechanism 17 for cutting the printed tape 50 at a predetermined position is provided. The cutting mechanism 17 includes a fixed blade 18 and a movable blade 19 that is opposed to the fixed blade 18 and is movably supported in the front-rear direction (vertical direction shown in FIGS. 5 to 8). The movable blade 19 is moved in the front-rear direction by a cutter motor (not shown).

  Here, a detailed configuration of the head holder 74 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 9 to 11. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the head holder 74 is formed from a single plate-like member, and a pedestal portion 743 fixed below the bottom surface (not shown) of the cavity 811, and a pedestal portion 743. The head fixing portion 744 is bent substantially vertically from the head and extends upward. As shown in FIG. 5, the head fixing part 744 is arranged along the left-right direction of the tape printer 1. The arrangement position of the head holder 74 in the cassette mounting portion 8 is a position corresponding to a head insertion portion 39 to be described later when the tape cassette 30 is mounted. However, the right end portion of the head holder 74 extends to the right side of the right end portion of the head insertion portion 39. The thermal head 10 is fixed to the front surface of the head fixing portion 744 (see FIG. 5).

  The head fixing portion 744 includes a first support portion 741 and a second support portion 742 (hereinafter collectively referred to as a cassette support portion 741) that support the tape cassette 30 from below when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1. , 742). The first support portion 741 is a step portion formed at a predetermined height position by cutting out the right end portion of the head fixing portion 744 into an L shape in front view. The second support portion 742 has a rectangular shape in a side view extending from the left end portion of the head fixing portion 744 to be bent substantially perpendicularly to the head fixing portion 744 at the same vertical position (height position) as the first support portion 741. It is an extended piece of a shape.

  That is, the first support part 741 and the second support part 742 extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other in plan view. The first support portion 741 and the second support portion 742 support the tape cassette 30 at the same height position on the upstream side and the downstream side in the tape transport direction with respect to the thermal head 10, respectively. The first support portion 741 and the second support portion 742 are set at positions that are separated from the center position of the thermal head 10 in the vertical direction by a predetermined distance. Therefore, it becomes a reference for positioning the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction with respect to the vertical center position of the thermal head 10. The support of the tape cassette 30 by the cassette support portions 741 and 742 will be described in detail later.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the arm detection unit 200 is provided on the rear side surface 122 of the platen holder 12, that is, the surface facing the thermal head 10, slightly on the right side from the middle position in the longitudinal direction. Is provided. Hereinafter, the rear side surface 122 of the platen holder 12 is referred to as a cassette facing surface 122. The arm detection unit 200 includes a plurality of detection switches 210, and the switch terminals 222 of the detection switches 210 protrude substantially horizontally from the cassette facing surface 122 toward the cassette mounting unit 8.

  In other words, each detection switch 210 is connected to the front wall (more than the front wall of the tape cassette 30 in the cassette mounting portion 8 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction (vertical direction in FIG. 4) of the tape cassette 30 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 8. In detail, it protrudes so as to face an arm front wall 35) which will be described later. Each detection switch 210 is provided at a height position facing an arm identification unit 800 (see FIG. 4) described later in a state where the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting unit 8.

  Here, the detailed arrangement and structure of the arm detection switch 210 in the platen holder 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 12, five through holes 123 are arranged in three rows in the vertical direction on the cassette facing surface 122 of the platen holder 12. More specifically, two are arranged in the uppermost row, two in the middle row, and one in the lowermost row. And the position of the through-hole 123 in the left-right direction is different. Specifically, in order from the right side of the cassette facing surface 122 (left side in FIG. 12), there are five in order from the bottom row, the right side of the top row, the right side of the middle row, the left side of the top row, and the left side of the middle row. The through holes 123 are arranged in a zigzag manner. Corresponding to these through holes 123, five arm detection switches 210 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the arm detection switch 210 includes a substantially cylindrical main body portion 221 installed inside the platen holder 12, and a rod-like switch terminal 222 that can advance and retract in the axial direction from one end side of the main body portion 221. It has. The other end side of the main body 221 of each arm detection switch 210 is attached to the switch support plate 220 and installed inside the platen holder 12. Further, on one end side of each main body 221, the switch terminal 222 can be advanced and retracted through a plurality of through holes 123 formed in the cassette facing surface 122 of the platen holder 12.

  Each switch terminal 222 is always held in a state of being extended from the main body 221 by a spring member (not shown) provided inside the main body 221. That is, the switch terminal 222 is in a state of being extended from the main body portion 221 when not pressed (off state), and in a state of being pressed into the main body portion 221 when being pressed (on state).

  When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, when the platen holder 12 moves toward the standby position (see FIG. 5), each arm detection switch 210 is separated from the tape cassette 30. The switch 210 is turned off. On the other hand, when the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position (see FIGS. 6 to 8), the arm detection switch 210 faces the front wall of the tape cassette 30 (more specifically, the arm front wall 35 described later). The arm detection switch 210 is selectively pressed by an arm identification unit 800 described later. At this time, the type of the tape cassette 30 is detected based on the ON / OFF combination of the arm detection switch 210. The detection of the type of the tape cassette 30 by the arm detection unit 200 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the cassette facing surface 122 of the platen holder 12 is provided with a locking piece 225 that is a plate-like protrusion extending in the left-right direction. Similarly to the switch terminal 222 of the arm detection switch 210, the locking piece 225 protrudes substantially horizontally from the cassette facing surface 122 toward the cassette mounting portion 8. That is, it protrudes so as to face the front wall of the tape cassette 30 existing in the cassette mounting portion 8 (more specifically, the arm front wall 35 described later). The locking piece 225 is opposed to a locking hole 820 (see FIG. 4) provided in the arm front wall 35 of the tape cassette 30 described later in a state where the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8. It is provided at the height position.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the arrangement and configuration of the locking pieces 225 in the platen holder 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, on the cassette facing surface 122 of the platen holder 12, the locking piece 225 is above the uppermost arm detection switch 210 in the vertical direction and overlaps the lowermost arm detection switch 210 in the left-right direction. Placed in position.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the locking piece 225 is integrally formed with the platen holder 12 so as to protrude rearward (left side in FIG. 13) from the cassette facing surface 122 of the platen holder 12. The protruding height of the locking piece 225 with respect to the cassette facing surface 122 is substantially the same or slightly larger than the protruding height of the switch terminal 222 of each arm detection switch 210 with respect to the cassette facing surface 122. In addition, the locking piece 225 is formed with an inclined portion 226 in which a part of the lower surface is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the thickness gradually decreases toward the tip side (left side in FIG. 13).

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, a cassette hook 75 is provided on the rear side of the head holder 74. Here, the cassette hook 75 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 14 is a diagram in which the sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. 5 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise in order to display it clearly.

  The cassette hook 75 includes a plate-like protrusion 751 that protrudes upward from a bottom surface (not shown) of the cavity 811 substantially vertically. The upper end portion of the projecting portion 751 is a claw portion 752 having a substantially triangular shape in cross section and projecting rearward (leftward in FIG. 14). The protruding portion 751 has flexibility in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 14) of the tape printer 1. The claw portion 752 is provided corresponding to the height position from the bottom surface of the cavity 811 of the locking portion 397 of the tape cassette 30 described later. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, it is locked by a cassette hook 75. This point will be described in detail later.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the tape printer 1 includes a control circuit unit 500 formed on a control board. The control circuit unit 500 includes a CPU 501 that controls each device, a ROM 502, a CGROM 503, a RAM 504, an input / output interface 511, and the like connected to the CPU 501 via a data bus 510.

  The ROM 502 has a display drive control program for controlling the liquid crystal drive circuit (LCDC) 505 in correspondence with character code data such as characters and numbers input from the keyboard 3, and printing for driving the thermal head 10 and the tape feed motor 23. Drive control program, pulse number determination program for determining the number of applied pulses corresponding to the amount of energy to form each printing dot, cutting drive control program for driving the cutter motor 24 to cut the printed tape 50 at a predetermined cutting position, etc. Various programs necessary for control of the tape printer 1 are stored. That is, the CPU 501 performs various calculations based on these various programs.

  In the CGROM 503, for each of a large number of characters such as alphabet letters and symbols, printing dot pattern data for printing the character is classified for each typeface (Gothic typeface, Mincho typeface, etc.). Are stored in correspondence with code data for six types (for example, dot sizes of 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, and 96).

  The RAM 504 is provided with a plurality of storage areas such as a text memory and a print buffer. Document data input from the keyboard 3 is stored in the text memory. In the print buffer, print dot patterns such as a plurality of characters and symbols are stored as dot pattern data. That is, the thermal head 10 performs dot printing according to the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer. In the other storage area, various calculation data and the like are stored.

  The input / output interface 511 drives an arm detection switch 210, a keyboard 3, a liquid crystal drive circuit (LCDC) 505 having a video RAM (not shown) for outputting display data to a liquid crystal display (LCD) 5, and a thermal head 10. A driving circuit 506 for driving the tape feeding motor 23, a driving circuit 507 for driving the tape feeding motor 23, a driving circuit 508 for driving the cutter motor 24, and the like are respectively connected.

  Next, the configuration of the tape cassette 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8, 14, and 16 to 21. In the following, it is configured as a general-purpose cassette that can mount various tapes such as the thermal type, receptor type, laminate type, etc. by changing the type of tape stored in it and the presence or absence of ink ribbon as appropriate The tape cassette 30 made is illustrated. The receptor-type and laminate-type tape cassettes 30 function as a tape cassette and a ribbon cassette because they accommodate both a tape and an ink ribbon that are printing media. On the other hand, the thermal-type tape cassette 30 functions only as a tape cassette because it does not contain an ink ribbon.

  First, a schematic configuration of the entire tape cassette 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the tape cassette 30 has a cassette case 31 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (box-shaped) housing having rounded corners in plan view as a whole. The cassette case 31 includes a lower case 312 including a bottom plate 306 that forms the bottom surface 302 of the cassette case 31 and an upper plate 305 that forms an upper surface 301 of the cassette case 31, and is fixed to the upper portion of the lower case 312. It consists of. The distance from the bottom surface 302 to the top surface 301 is referred to as the height of the tape cassette 30 or the cassette case 31.

  In the cassette case 31 of the present embodiment, the entire periphery of the upper plate 305 and the bottom plate 306 is surrounded by a peripheral wall that forms a side surface, but the entire periphery is not necessarily surrounded, and a part of the peripheral wall (for example, the back surface). An opening that exposes the inside of the cassette case 31 may be provided, or a boss that connects the upper plate 305 and the bottom plate 306 may be provided at a position facing the opening.

  The cassette case 31 has four corners formed with the same width (the same length in the vertical direction) regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30. In the following, the left rear corner is the first corner 321, the right rear corner is the second corner 322, the right front corner is the third corner 323, and the left front corner is the fourth corner 324. And The first to fourth corner portions 321 to 324 protrude outward from the side surface of the cassette case 31 so as to form a right angle in plan view. However, the fourth corner 324 on the left front is not perpendicular because the tape discharge portion 49 is provided at the corner. The lower surfaces of the first to fourth corner portions 321 to 324 are portions that are supported to face the corner support portion 812 described above when the tape cassette 30 is mounted to the cassette mounting portion 8.

  As shown in FIG. 21, pin holes 62 and 63 corresponding to the positioning pins 102 and 103 of the tape printer 1 described above are provided at two locations on the lower surfaces of the second corner portion 322 and the fourth corner portion 324, respectively. . More specifically, a recess provided on the lower surface of the fourth corner 324 is a pin hole 62 into which the positioning pin 102 is inserted. A recess provided in the lower surface of the second corner 322 is a pin hole 63 into which the positioning pin 103 is inserted.

  A portion (first to first) surrounding the side surface of the cassette case 31 with the same position and width as the first to fourth corner portions 321 to 324 in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31 over the entire circumference. The four corner portions 321 to 324) are referred to as a common portion 32. More specifically, the common portion 32 is a portion having a symmetrical width in the vertical direction with respect to the center line N in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31 (see FIGS. 16 and 18). The height of the tape cassette 30 differs depending on the tape width of the print medium (the thermal paper tape 55, the print tape 57, and the film tape 59) and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 (hereinafter collectively referred to as tape) to be stored. However, the width (length in the vertical direction) T of the common portion 32 is set to the same dimension regardless of the tape width of these tapes.

  For example, when the width T of the common portion 32 is 12 mm, when the tape width increases (for example, 18 mm, 24 mm, 36 mm), the height of the cassette case 31 increases accordingly, but the width T of the common portion 32 (see FIG. 16, see FIG. 18) is constant at 12 mm. When the tape width is equal to or smaller than the width T of the common portion 32 (for example, 6 mm, 12 mm), the height (width) of the cassette case 31 is the width of the common portion 32 (12 mm) + a predetermined width. In this case, the height of the cassette case 31 is the smallest.

  As shown in FIG. 4, support holes 65, 66, 67 and 68 are provided in the cassette case 31. The support holes 65, 66, 67, and 68 rotatably support a first tape spool 40, a second tape spool 41, a ribbon spool 42, and a ribbon take-up spool 44 (see FIGS. 5 to 8), which will be described later. . In FIG. 4, only the support holes 65, 66, 67 and 68 of the upper case 311 are shown, but the lower case 312 is also provided with corresponding support holes 65, 66, 67 and 68.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the cassette case 31 stores a first tape area 400 and a second tape area 410 that are areas in which a tape as a printing medium can be stored, and an unused ink ribbon 60. A first ribbon area 420 that is used, and a second ribbon area 440 that houses the ink ribbon 60 that has been used for printing characters and the like are provided.

  The first tape region 400 is adjacent to the first corner portion 321 and is a substantially circular region in plan view that substantially occupies the left half of the cassette case 31. The second tape area 410 is an area that is substantially circular in plan view and is located on the right rear side in the cassette case 31 adjacent to the second corner 322. The first ribbon region 420 is a substantially circular region in plan view that is adjacent to the third corner portion 323 and the head insertion portion 39 to be described later and is located in the right front of the cassette case 31. The second ribbon region 440 is a substantially circular region in plan view located between the first tape region 400 and the first ribbon region 420 in the cassette case 31.

  In the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a double-sided adhesive tape 58 that is a double-sided tape with a release paper attached on one side, a transparent film tape 59 that is a print medium, and a cassette case 31; Three types of tape rolls of the ink ribbon 60 are stored. The double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40 with the release paper facing outward is stored in the first tape region 400. The film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41 is stored in the second tape area 410.

  The unused ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42 is stored in the first ribbon area 420. The used ink ribbon 60 is taken up by the ribbon take-up spool 44 and stored in the second ribbon area 440. A clutch spring (not shown) is attached to the lower portion of the ribbon take-up spool 44 to prevent the ink ribbon 60 taken up by the reverse of the ribbon take-up spool 44 from loosening.

  In the receptor-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 7, two types of tape rolls, that is, a printing tape 57 that is a printing medium and an ink ribbon 60, are accommodated in a cassette case 31. The printing tape 57 wound around the first tape spool 40 is stored in the first tape area 400. The unused ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42 is stored in the first ribbon area 420, and the used ink ribbon 60 is wound around the ribbon take-up spool 44 and stored in the second ribbon area 440. The The receptor type tape cassette 30 does not include the second tape spool 41. That is, nothing needs to be stored in the second tape area 410.

  In the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 8, one type of tape roll of the thermal paper tape 55 is stored in the cassette case 31. The thermal paper tape 55 wound around the first tape spool 40 is stored in the first tape area 400. The thermal type tape cassette 30 does not include the second tape spool 41 and the ribbon spool 42. That is, nothing needs to be stored in the second tape area 410 and the first and second ribbon areas 420 and 440. Hereinafter, when referring to any of the thermal paper tape 55, the print tape 57, and the film tape 59, which are print media, they are simply referred to as a tape.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a semicircular groove 340, which is a substantially semicircular groove in a plan view, is formed on the front surface of the cassette case 31 in the height direction of the cassette case 31 (that is, from the top surface 301 to the bottom surface 302). It is provided over. The semicircular groove 340 is an escape portion provided so that the shaft support portion 121 that is the rotation center of the platen holder 12 does not interfere with the cassette case 31 when the tape cassette 30 is attached to the cassette attachment portion 8.

  A portion of the front wall of the cassette case 31 that extends to the left from the semicircular groove 340 is referred to as an arm front wall 35. A portion extending leftward from the right side of the tape cassette 30, which is defined by the arm front wall 35 and the arm back wall 37 provided in the height direction at a position spaced rearward from the arm front wall 35, is provided in the arm portion 34. That's it. The left end portion of the arm front wall 35 is bent rearward, and a gap extending in the vertical direction formed between the left ends of the arm front wall 35 and the arm back wall 37 extends from the arm portion 34 to the tape (and ink). A discharge port 341 for discharging the ribbon 60). The arm front wall 35 is provided with an arm identification portion 800 and a locking hole 820. Details of the arm identification unit 800 and the locking hole 820 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, in the arm portion 34, the tape drawn from the first tape spool 40 or the second tape spool 41 is guided along a conveyance path extending substantially parallel to the arm front wall 35, It is discharged from the discharge port 341. Further, the ink ribbon 60 drawn from the ribbon spool 42 is guided in the arm portion 34 along a transport path different from that of the tape, and is discharged after being overlapped with the tape at the discharge port 341.

  A substantially rectangular space in plan view penetrating the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction and defined by the arm back wall 37 and the peripheral wall surface provided continuously from the arm back wall 37 is the head insertion portion 39. The head insertion portion 39 is connected to the outside on the front surface of the tape cassette 30 through an opening 77 provided on the front surface of the tape cassette 30. A head holder 74 that supports the thermal head 10 of the tape printer 1 is inserted into the head insertion portion 39. The tape discharged from the discharge port 341 of the arm portion 34 is printed by the thermal head 10 using the ink ribbon 60 at the opening 77 (see FIGS. 5 to 8).

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of upper and lower restricting members 361 and 362 are provided on the downstream side of the head insertion portion 39 in the tape transport direction. The regulating members 361 and 362 guide the tape, which has been discharged from the discharge port 341 and printed, toward the tape discharge portion 49 on the downstream side of the thermal head 10. As will be described in detail later, the ink ribbon 60 used for printing is separated from the tape on the upstream side of the regulating members 361 and 362, conveyed along another conveyance path, and taken up on the ribbon take-up spool 44. .

  A support hole 64 (see FIG. 21) is provided on the downstream side of the regulating members 361 and 362 in the tape transport direction, and the tape drive roller 46 is rotatably supported inside the support hole 64. When the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the tape drive roller 46 is moved from the second tape spool 41 by cooperation with the opposed movable transport roller 14. The film tape 59 is pulled out and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40. Further, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is guided and adhered to the printing surface of the film tape 59, and is conveyed toward the tape discharge portion 49 as the printed tape 50.

  When the receptor type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 7 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the print tape 57 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by the cooperation of the tape drive roller 46 and the movable transport roller 14. . On the downstream side of the thermal head 10, the printed print tape 57, that is, the printed tape 50 is guided toward the tape discharge portion 49 by the regulating members 361 and 362. Further, the used ink ribbon 60 conveyed via the head insertion portion 39 is separated from the print tape 57 upstream of the regulating members 361 and 362 and conveyed toward the ribbon take-up spool 44.

  When the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 8 is mounted, the thermal paper tape 55 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14. On the downstream side of the thermal head 10, the printed thermal paper tape 55, that is, the printed tape 50 is guided toward the tape discharge portion 49 by the regulating members 361 and 362.

  The tape discharge portion 49 is a plate-like member that is provided slightly spaced forward from the front end portion of the left side surface of the cassette case 31 and extends over the top surface 301 and the bottom surface 302. The tape discharge portion 49 guides the printed tape 50 conveyed through the regulating members 361 and 362 and the tape driving roller 46 into a passage formed between the cassette case 31 and the front end portion on the left side surface. Then, discharge from the tape outlet at the end of the passage.

  Here, with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18, the details of the arm identification part 800 and the locking hole 820 provided on the arm front wall 35 of the arm part 34 will be described. When the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position with the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 (see FIGS. 6 to 8), the arm detection unit 200 and the locking piece provided on the cassette facing surface 122 are used. 225 oppose the arm identifying portion 800 and the locking hole 820, respectively.

  The arm identification unit 800 is a part that allows a human to specify the type of tape stored in the tape cassette 30 and selectively presses the arm detection switch 210 of the arm detection unit 200, whereby the tape printer 1. This is a part that allows the type of the tape cassette 30 to be detected. A locking piece 225 is inserted into the locking hole 820.

  The arm identification unit 800 is provided with a non-pressing portion 801 and a switch terminal 222 which are provided in positions corresponding to the arm detection switch 210 and are switch holes 222 having a vertically long rectangular shape when viewed from the front. One of the pressing parts 802 which is a possible surface part is included. That is, the arm identification unit 800 of the present embodiment has one of the non-pressing part 801 and the pressing part 802 at five positions corresponding to the five arm detection switches 210.

  The non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 are arranged in a specific pattern according to the type of the tape cassette 30. The locking hole 820 is a through hole that is provided in the upper right part of the arm front wall 35 and has a horizontally long rectangular shape in plan view. Hereinafter, when the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 are collectively referred to, or when neither is specified, it is simply referred to as an identification portion.

  With reference to FIGS. 4 and 16 to 18, detailed configurations of the arm identification unit 800 and the locking hole 820 will be described. 4 and 16 show a tape cassette 30 (hereinafter referred to as a wide cassette 30) in which the tape width of the printed tape 50 (film tape 59 and double-sided adhesive tape 58 in the case of a laminate type) is a predetermined width (for example, 18 mm) or more. An example of the arm identification part 800 and the locking hole 820 in FIG. On the other hand, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show the arm identification portion 800 and the locking hole in the tape cassette 30 (hereinafter referred to as the narrow cassette 30) in which the film tape 59 in which the tape width of the printed tape 50 is less than the predetermined width is stored. An example of 820 is shown.

  First, the arm identification unit 800 will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, at least a part of the identification part (non-pressing part 801 and pressing part 802) of the arm identification part 800 is provided within a range of a predetermined height T1 on the arm front wall 35. The predetermined height T1 is the height of the cassette case 31 of the tape cassette 30 having the minimum height among the tape cassettes 30 having a plurality of different heights.

  A region in the range of the predetermined height T1 on the arm front wall 35 is referred to as a common identification unit 831. More preferably, at least a part of the identification portions (the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802) is in the vertical direction around the center line N in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31 in the arm front wall 35. Provided within a symmetric common identifier 831. In the case of the wide cassette 30 shown in FIG. 16, an identification unit may be further provided at least above or below the common identification unit 831 within the range of the predetermined height T2 of the arm front wall 35. . A region other than the common identification unit 831 within the range of the predetermined height T2 of the arm front wall 35 is referred to as an expansion unit 832.

  In the present embodiment, the positions in the left-right direction of the identification units are different from each other. In other words, there are no identification portions overlapping in the vertical direction, and the five identification holes are arranged in a zigzag manner. Therefore, a line connecting the respective identification portions intersects with the up and down direction of the tape cassette 30 which is the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette 30.

  In the present embodiment, in the wide cassette 30 illustrated in FIG. 16, four of the five identification units are provided in two rows within the range of the height T1 of the common identification unit 831, and one is the common identification unit 831 and its It extends across the lower extension 832. More specifically, a non-pressing part 801 is provided on the left side of the tape cassette 30 and a pressing part 802 is provided on the right side in the upper row in the common identification part 831. In the lower row in the common identification portion 831, a pressing portion 802 is provided on the left side of the tape cassette 30, and a non-pressing portion 801 is provided on the right side. A pressing portion 802 is provided across the common identification portion 831 and the extended portion 832 below. As described above, in the wide cassette 30, the number of types of the tape cassette 30 that can be detected by the tape printer 1 can be increased by configuring the arm identification unit 800 with a larger area corresponding to the wide arm front wall 35. Can be increased.

  In the tape cassette 30 having a predetermined width or more, as shown in FIG. 16, the identification unit (at the bottom row pressing unit 802 in FIG. 16) extends over at least one of the common identification unit 831 and the extension unit 832 above and below the common identification unit 831. 17 and 18, a relief hole 803, which is a through hole, is formed at a corresponding position of the narrow cassette 30 so as not to press the opposing arm detection switch 210. Is done. Alternatively, in place of the escape hole 803, an escape step formed by bending in a staircase shape toward the inside may be provided. The type detection of the tape cassette 30 using the arm identifying unit 800 having such a configuration will be described in detail later.

  When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the locking hole 820 has a rectangular penetrating shape in which the locking piece 225 (see FIG. 5) is detachably opposed and is long in the left-right direction in plan view. It is a hole. Specifically, the locking hole 820 is above the all identification portions of the arm identification portion 800 in the vertical direction of the tape cassette 30 and below the coupling portion between the upper case 311 and the lower case 312, in the left-right direction. Are formed at positions that overlap with the rightmost identification portion (the lowermost row of pressing portions 802 in the example of FIG. 16). A part of the lower wall of the locking hole 820 is formed as an inclined portion 821 inclined upward from the arm front wall 35 toward the inside (see FIG. 34). That is, the vertical opening width of the locking hole 820 is the largest on the arm front wall 35 and gradually decreases toward the inside.

  Below, with reference to FIGS. 19-28, the detailed structure of the lower case 312 and the upper case 311 of the cassette case 31 is demonstrated. In FIG. 20, for convenience of explanation, the arrangement of the film tape 59, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, and the ink ribbon 60 and the transport path when used as a laminate type tape cassette 30 are indicated by dotted lines.

  First, the configuration of the lower case 312 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 19, the outer shape of the lower case 312 is formed by a bottom surface 302 and a lower peripheral wall 304 that extends upward at a predetermined height from a bottom plate 306 that forms the bottom surface 302. A portion of the lower peripheral wall 304 that forms the lower part of the arm front wall 35 is referred to as a lower arm front wall 352. Further, a wall constituting a lower portion of the arm back wall 37 erected from a bottom plate 306 that is spaced rearward from the lower arm front wall 352 and forms the bottom surface 302 is referred to as a lower arm back wall 372. A peripheral wall that defines the lower portion of the head insertion portion 39 continuously with the lower arm rear wall 372 is referred to as a lower head peripheral wall 373.

  A detailed configuration around the head insertion portion 39 in the lower case 312 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, in the position facing the head insertion portion 39 on the outer periphery of the head insertion portion 39 of the lower case 312, the vertical positioning when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1 is performed. Two support receiving portions used in the above are provided. Specifically, with respect to the insertion position (more specifically, the printing position) of the thermal head 10 (see FIGS. 5 to 8), the first receiving portion 391 is provided at two locations on the upstream and downstream sides in the tape transport direction. A second receiving portion 392 (hereinafter collectively referred to as support receiving portions 391 and 392) is provided.

  The first receiving portion 391 is connected to the upstream end portion of the arm portion 34 in the tape transport direction and the upstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39. The second receiving portion 392 is connected to the downstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39.

  Each of the first receiving portion 391 and the second receiving portion 392 is a concave portion in which the bottom surface 302 of the bottom plate 306 is recessed upward. The first receiving portion 391 is recessed from the head insertion portion 39 in a direction along the arm front wall 35. The second receiving portion 392 is recessed from the head insertion portion 39 in a direction orthogonal to the arm front wall 35. That is, the first receiving portion 391 and the second receiving portion 392 face the head insertion portion 39 in directions orthogonal to each other.

  The first receiving portion 391 and the second receiving portion 392 are respectively a first lower flat surface portion 391B that is a lower surface of the substantially rectangular flat surface portion (the bottom portion of the recess) located above the bottom surface 302. And a second lower flat surface portion 392B. The positions of the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B in the vertical direction (height direction) of the lower case 312 and the center position in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 stored in the cassette case 31 are a tape cassette. Regardless of the type of 30, it is constant even if the height of the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction is different. Therefore, the depth of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 which are concave portions provided on the bottom surface 302 is increased as the tape cassette 30 having a wider width of the tape to be stored and the ink ribbon 60 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B are located at the same distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60. That is, the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B are at the same height position in the lower case 312. In the present embodiment, the center position in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 and the center position in the vertical direction of the cassette case 31 are the same.

  The first and second lower plane portions 391B and 392B are reference surfaces in the lower case 312. The reference surface is a surface used as a reference in dimension setting or dimension measurement of a certain part. In the present embodiment, the first and second lower flat surface portions 391B and 392B are provided as reference surfaces for various restricting portions that restrict the movement of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 described later in the width direction. The first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B are supported from below by cassette support portions 741 and 742 provided on the head holder 74, respectively, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. It also functions as a site.

  A cylindrical first cylindrical member 861 is erected on the upper side of the first receiving portion 391. That is, the first cylindrical member 861 is provided above the first lower flat surface portion 391B in the vertical direction. In addition, a cylindrical second cylindrical member 862 is erected on the upper side of the second receiving portion 392. That is, the second cylindrical member 862 is provided above the second lower flat portion 392B in the vertical direction. The first cylindrical member 861 and the second cylindrical member 862 are in contact with the lower head peripheral wall 373, respectively. The first cylindrical member 861 and the second cylindrical member 862 have the same configuration. Therefore, hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 22, the configuration of the first cylindrical member 861 will be described on behalf of the first cylindrical member 861 and the second cylindrical member 862.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the first cylindrical member 861 has a cylindrical hole portion 891. The cylindrical hole portion 891 is a concave shape that does not penetrate the bottom surface 302 of the tape cassette 30 and is formed in a circular shape in plan view. The cylindrical hole portion 891 may be formed as a hole that penetrates the bottom surface 302 of the tape cassette 30. The upper portion of the cylindrical hole portion 891 is gradually widened so that the opening diameter at the upper end is maximized. Therefore, a first press-fit pin 871 (see FIGS. 25 and 26) of the upper case 311 described later can be easily inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891 of the first cylindrical member 861.

  The first fitting portion 881 (see FIGS. 20 and 29) is configured by inserting the first press-fit pin 871 into the cylindrical hole portion 891 of the first cylindrical member 861. Similarly, a second fitting portion 882 (see FIG. 20) is configured by inserting a second press-fit pin 872 (see FIG. 25) of the upper case 311 described later into the cylindrical hole portion 891 of the second cylindrical member 862. Is done. Details of the first and second fitting portions 881 and 882 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the first receiving portion 391 and the second receiving portion 391 are located on the outer periphery of the head insertion portion 39 of the lower case 312, at a position facing the head insertion portion 39, and in the longitudinal direction of the head insertion portion 39. A locking portion 397 is provided between the receiving portions 392. The locking portion 397 is provided at a portion of the lower head peripheral wall 373 that faces the arm back wall 37 at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the head insertion portion 39. The locking portion 397 is formed by cutting out a part above a predetermined height from the bottom surface 302 of the lower head peripheral wall 373. The locking portion 397 (the upper end of the cut-out lower head peripheral wall 373) is located at a position facing the claw portion 752 of the cassette hook 75 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Therefore, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the cassette hook 75 is locked to the locking portion 397.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the left side wall defining the downstream end of the head insertion portion 39 in the tape transport direction in the lower head peripheral wall 373 is referred to as a ribbon guide wall 47. The ribbon guide wall 47 is adjacent to the upstream side of the regulating member 362. The transport path of the ink ribbon 60 extends from the first ribbon area 420 where the ribbon spool 42 is disposed to the second ribbon area 440 where the ribbon take-up spool 44 is disposed via the arm portion 34 and the opening 77. The ribbon guide wall 47 bends the ink ribbon 60 used for printing at the opening 77 along the conveyance path and guides the ink ribbon 60 toward the second ribbon region 440. The second receiving portion 392 that is connected to the downstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39 is positioned in front of the transport path of the ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon guide wall 47 to the second ribbon region 440.

  Next, the detail of the part which comprises the arm part 34 in the lower case 312 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the arm portion 34 component of the lower case 312 includes the aforementioned lower arm front wall 352 and lower arm rear wall 372, and the separation wall 33 provided therebetween. On the lower arm front wall 352, a mold escape hole 850 is provided on the right side of the bent portion at the left end. The mold relief hole 850 is a portion cut out in a vertically long rectangular shape from the top of the lower arm front wall 352. When the upper case 311 is joined to the lower case 312, a through hole is formed in the arm front wall 35. Form (see FIG. 4).

  The separation wall 33 is formed highest among the three wall surfaces of the arm portion 34, and its height is slightly larger than the width of the tape stored in the cassette case 31. Of the lower arm front wall 352, the left side portion of the mold escape hole 850 has a height about half that of the separation wall 33, and the right side portion of the mold escape hole 850 is about two thirds of the separation wall 33. Have The lower arm back wall 372 is slightly lower than the separation wall 33 and has a height substantially equal to the width of the ink ribbon 60. Further, the right end portion of the separation wall 33 in a columnar shape in plan view is located at the approximate center of the arm portion 34. The left end of the separation wall 33 is in a position facing the mold escape hole 850 provided in the lower arm front wall 352 in the front-rear direction of the lower case 312. The mold escape hole 850 is a mold escape hole used when the lower case 312 is molded.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the transport path of the tape (film tape 59 in the example of FIG. 20) is formed between the lower arm front wall 352 and the separation wall 33. On the other hand, the transport path of the ink ribbon 60 is formed between the separation wall 33 and the lower arm back wall 372. Therefore, on these transport paths, there are provided restricting pieces that restrict the movement of the tape and ink ribbon 60 in the width direction (up and down direction of the cassette case 31).

  First, regarding the tape conveyance path, first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B for restricting the downward movement of the tape are provided at the lower end portions of the left end portion and the right end portion of the separation wall 33, respectively. The first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B slightly protrude upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 306, and extend forward to the lower arm front wall 352. Further, a separation wall restricting portion 383 for restricting the upward movement of the tape is provided at the upper end of the left end portion of the separation wall 33. The separation wall restricting portion 383 is a protruding piece that protrudes forward from the upper end of the separation wall 33. The vertical distance between the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B and the separation wall restricting portion 383 is the same as the width of the tape.

  On the other hand, regarding the conveyance path of the ink ribbon 60, first ribbon lower restriction portions 386B and 387B for restricting the downward movement of the ink ribbon 60 are provided at the left end portion and the lower end portion of the right end portion of the separation wall 33, respectively. It has been. The first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B slightly protrude upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 306, respectively. The first ribbon lower restricting portion 386 </ b> B extends from the left end portion of the separation wall 33 to the left end portion of the lower arm back wall 372 toward the diagonally left rear. The first ribbon lower restriction portion 387B extends from the right end portion of the separation wall 33 to the lower arm back wall 372 toward the rear.

  The first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B, the separation wall restricting portion 383, and the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B are respectively the first and second lower flat portions 391B of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 described above. The height position of the lower case 312 in the vertical direction is set with 392B as a reference plane.

  More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end (upper end) of the first tape lower restricting portion 381B, 382B and the first and second lower flat portions 391B, 392B, and the lower end of the separation wall restricting portion 383 and the first The vertical distance between the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B is set according to the width of the tape. The vertical distance between the protruding ends of the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B is set according to the width of the ink ribbon 60. These restricting portions are all in the arm portion 34, and the first and second lower plane portions 391B and 392B are in the vicinity of the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39, respectively. That is, each restricting portion and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B which are reference surfaces are in positions close to each other.

  Since the reference position (for example, the bottom of pin holes 62 and 63 described later) that has been conventionally used when setting the dimensions of the restricting portion and measuring the dimensions after manufacture is located away from the restricting portion, both There are cases where the mold pieces for molding are different. In such a case, the dimensional error of the restricting portion of the manufactured tape cassette 30 increases as the frame at the reference position becomes farther. Even if it can be formed with the same piece, if the reference position and the restricting portion are at a distance, there is a measurement error and the dimensional accuracy is low. On the other hand, if the distance between the restricting portion and the reference surface is made closer as in the present embodiment, the measurement error is reduced and the possibility that both can be formed with the same piece is increased.

  Here, a case where the restricting portion and the reference surface are formed by the same mold piece 84 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 23, illustration of parts not necessary for description is omitted, and for example, illustration of the first cylindrical member 861 and the like is omitted. As shown in FIG. 23, when the lower case 312 is manufactured, the first lower flat surface portion 391B and the first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B are manufactured using the same piece 84. The first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B and the second lower flat surface portion 392B are similarly manufactured using the same piece 84, but the illustration is omitted. The piece 84 includes an upper nesting mold 841 and a lower nesting mold 842. The bottom insert mold 842 forms the bottom surface 302 of the lower case 312 and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B. Further, the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B and the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B are formed by the upper nesting die 841.

  In this way, the same piece 84 composed of the upper nesting die 841 and the lower nesting die 842 is used, and the first and second lower flat surface portions 391B and 392B and the first tape lower regulating portions 381B and 382B are used. First ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B are formed. For this reason, compared with the case where the first and second lower flat portions 391B, 392B, the first tape lower restricting portion 381B, 382B, and the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B, 387B are formed by separate pieces, The dimensional accuracy can be increased. Further, since the restricting portion and the reference surface are close to each other, the measurement error is reduced and the dimensional accuracy is increased.

  As a result, the conveyance accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is improved. Since the arm portion 34 is in the vicinity of the upstream side of the position (opening portion 77) where printing is performed by the thermal head 10 (see FIG. 5), the conveyance accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 in the arm portion 34 is improved. Printing accuracy is also improved.

  In addition, after the manufacture, the size management of each restricting portion can be easily performed on the basis of the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B. For example, when the tape cassette 30 is inspected, the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B, which are reference surfaces, are placed on the placement surface of the jig, and the dimensions of each regulating portion are measured. At this time, since the distance between each restricting portion and the reference surface is closer than before, the inspector can accurately measure the dimensions. For example, in the case of the tape cassette 30 molded using the piece 84 shown in FIG. 23, the first lower flat surface portion 391B in the lower case 312 after being molded is installed on the jig installation surface. Then, the distance D in the vertical direction between the first lower flat surface portion 391B and the first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B is accurately measured.

  The first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B are provided at a certain distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the tape and ink ribbon 60 stored in the cassette case 31. Therefore, the vertical position of the tape and ink ribbon 60 with respect to the vertical position of the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B becomes clearer, and the transport accuracy of the tape and ink ribbon 60 is further improved.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the distance between the central position in the width direction of the tape and ink ribbon 60 and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B is constant regardless of the width of the tape and ink ribbon 60. Therefore, the positions of the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B can be used as a unified reference for a plurality of types of tape cassettes 30 in which tapes having different tape widths and ink ribbons 60 are stored. Measurement of dimensions of the case 31 and management of parts are facilitated.

  Furthermore, each restricting portion in the arm portion 34 is located between the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B in the left-right direction of the lower case 312 and is close to any reference plane. That is, dimension setting and dimension measurement can be performed using any one of the reference planes, or both reference planes can be used. By using both reference surfaces, the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing each regulating portion can be further increased, and the transport accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is further improved. In addition, after manufacturing, dimensional management can be performed more accurately and easily.

  As shown in FIG. 20, in the tape transport direction, in the vicinity of the third corner portion 323 further upstream than the arm portion 34, the tape moves downward in the same manner as the first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B. A guide pin 327 having a restriction portion 384B for restriction is provided. Therefore, also with respect to the restricting portion 384B, similarly to the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B, the dimension setting and the dimension management may be performed using the first lower flat portion 391B of the first receiving portion 391 as a reference plane.

  A second tape lower restricting portion 363 that restricts the downward movement of the tape is provided at the base of the restricting member 362 provided in the lower case 312 adjacent to the downstream end of the head insertion portion 39. . The second tape lower restricting portion 363 is a height position of the lower case 312 in the vertical direction with the second lower flat portion 392B of the second receiving portion 392 adjacent to the downstream end of the head insertion portion 39 as a reference plane. Is set. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end (upper end) of the second tape lower restricting portion 363 and the second lower flat portion 392B is set according to the width of the tape. Therefore, it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the second tape lower restricting portion 363 using the second lower flat surface portion 392B as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after the manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the second tape lower restricting portion 363 and the second lower flat portion 392B is the distance between the protruding end of the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B and the first and second lower sides. It is the same as the distance to the flat portions 391B and 392B. That is, the height position of the second tape lower restriction portion 363 provided in the restriction member 362 is the same as the height position of the first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B provided in the arm portion 34. Therefore, since the downward movement of the tape is restricted at each restricting portion and the tape is properly positioned in the vertical direction, the tape is accurately and parallel to the center line in the width direction of the tape from the arm portion 34 to the restricting member 362. Is transported.

  Next, the details of the first and second corner portions 321 and 322 and the portion constituting the tape and ink ribbon 60 storage area in the lower case 312 will be described. As shown in FIG. 20, the lower case 312 includes a third lower flat surface portion 321 </ b> B that is a lower surface of the first corner portion 321 and a fourth lower flat surface portion 322 </ b> B that is a lower surface of the second corner portion 322. The third lower plane portion 321 </ b> B and the fourth lower plane portion 322 </ b> B are both plane portions located above the bottom surface 302.

  Regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30, the positions of the third and fourth lower flat portions 321B and 322B in the vertical direction (height direction) of the lower case 312 and the center position in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 That is, even if the height of the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction is different, it is constant. Therefore, the distance from the bottom surface 302 to the third and fourth lower flat portions 321B and 322B increases as the tape cassette 30 in which the tape and the ink ribbon 60 to be stored are wider.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second lower plane portions 391B and 392B, and the third and fourth lower plane portions 321B and 322B are the center positions in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 (in the present embodiment). , At the same distance in the vertical direction from the vertical center position of the cassette case 31). That is, the first, second, third, and fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B are all at the same height position in the lower case 312. The third and fourth lower flat surface portions 321B and 322B are used as reference surfaces for the restriction portions that restrict the downward movement of the tape and the ink ribbon 60.

  The lower case 312 is a portion constituting the first lower tape region 400B, which is a portion constituting the first tape region 400, a second lower tape region 410B, which is a portion constituting the second tape region 410, and a portion constituting the first ribbon region 420. The first lower ribbon region 420B, and the second lower ribbon region 440B, which is a part constituting the second ribbon region 440.

  A third cylindrical member 863 is erected on the back surface of the third lower flat surface portion 321B, that is, on the inner surface side of the lower case 312. That is, the third cylindrical member 863 is provided above the third lower flat portion 321B in the vertical direction. The third cylindrical member 863 is in contact with the first peripheral wall 70 that is a wall erected along the first lower tape region 400B on the left rear side of the first lower tape region 400B. The configuration of the third cylindrical member 863 is the same as the configuration of the first cylindrical member 861 (see FIG. 22) described above. The first peripheral wall 70 is provided in an arc shape from a slightly left side from the rear side of the first lower tape region 400B to a slightly rear side from the left side of the first lower tape region 400B. The third cylindrical member 863 is fitted with a third press-fit pin 873 (see FIG. 25) to form a third fitting portion 883, which will be described later in detail.

  A fourth cylindrical member 864 is erected on the back surface of the fourth lower flat portion 322B, that is, on the inner surface side of the lower case 312. That is, the fourth cylindrical member 864 is provided above the fourth lower flat surface portion 322B in the vertical direction. The fourth cylindrical member 864 is provided on the right rear side of the second lower tape region 410 </ b> B and is in contact with the second peripheral wall 71. The configuration of the fourth cylindrical member 864 is the same as the configuration of the first cylindrical member 861 (see FIG. 22) described above. The second peripheral wall 71 is provided in an arc shape along the second lower tape region 410B from the left side of the second lower tape region 410B through the rear side to the right front side. The fourth cylindrical member 864 is fitted with a fourth press-fit pin 874 (see FIG. 25, described later) to form a fourth fitting portion 884, which will be described later in detail.

  The first lower tape region 400B is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes slightly upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 306. More specifically, an annular protrusion is provided at the center position of the first lower tape area 400B where the first tape spool 40 is disposed, and three linear lines extend radially from there to the periphery of the first lower tape area 400B. The protrusion of These protrusions are referred to as third tape lower restriction portions 40B. The third tape lower regulating portion 40B is a thermal paper tape 55, a printing tape 57, or a double-sided adhesive tape 58 (see FIGS. 5 to 8) wound around the first tape spool 40 and disposed in the first tape region 400. Restrict downward movement.

  In the third tape lower restriction portion 40B, the height position in the vertical direction of the lower case 312 is set with the third lower plane portion 321B of the adjacent first corner portion 321 as a reference plane. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end (upper end) of the third tape lower restricting portion 40B and the third lower flat portion 321B is set according to the width of the tape. Therefore, it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the third tape lower restricting portion 40B using the third lower flat surface portion 321B as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after manufacturing.

  In this embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the third tape lower restricting portion 40B and the third lower flat portion 321B is the distance between the protruding end of the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B and the first and second lower sides. It is the same as the vertical distance between the flat portions 391B and 392B and the vertical distance between the protruding end of the second tape lower restricting portion 363 and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B. That is, the height position of the third tape lower restriction portion 40B provided in the first lower tape region 400B is provided in the first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B and the restriction member 362 provided in the arm portion 34. This is the same as the second tape lower restricting portion 363.

  Accordingly, the downward movement of the tape is restricted in each restricting portion, and the tape is conveyed while being properly positioned in the vertical direction. In the case of the receptor-type or thermal-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the printing tape is accurately parallel to the center line in the width direction of the tape across the first tape region 400, the arm portion 34, and the regulating member 362. 57 or thermal paper tape 55 is conveyed. In the case of the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the film tape 59 is accurately conveyed in parallel to the center line in the width direction of the tape from the arm portion 34 to the regulating member 362. Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 are accurately conveyed in a state where the vertical positions coincide.

  Between the transport path of the used ink ribbon 60 from the rear end of the ribbon guide wall 47 located at the downstream end of the head insertion portion 39 to the second lower ribbon area 440B and the first lower tape area 400B. Is provided with a separation wall 48 along the outer periphery of the first lower tape region 400B. The separation wall 48 prevents the used ink ribbon 60 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40 from contacting each other.

  A second ribbon lower restricting portion 388 </ b> B that restricts the downward movement of the ink ribbon 60 is provided at the rear end portion of the ribbon guide wall 47. The second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B slightly protrudes upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 306, and extends rearward to the front of the first lower tape region 400B.

  The second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B has a height position in the vertical direction of the lower case 312 with the second lower flat portion 392B of the second receiving portion 392 adjacent to the downstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39 as a reference plane. Is set. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end (upper end) of the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B and the second lower flat portion 392B is set according to the width of the ink ribbon 60. Therefore, it is possible to increase the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B using the second lower flat surface portion 392B as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after the manufacturing.

  In this embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B and the second lower flat portion 392B is the same as the distance between the protruding end of the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B and the first and second lower flat portions. It is the same as the vertical distance between 391B and 392B. That is, the height position of the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B provided at the rear end portion of the ribbon guide wall 47 is the same as that of the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B provided in the arm portion 34. Accordingly, the downward movement of the ink ribbon 60 is restricted in each restricting portion, and the ink ribbon 60 is properly positioned in the vertical direction, and reaches the center line in the width direction of the ink ribbon 60 from the arm portion 34 to the rear end portion of the ribbon guide wall 47. Conveyed with high accuracy in parallel.

  Similar to the first lower tape area 400B, the second lower tape area 410B is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes slightly upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 306. More specifically, an annular protrusion is provided at the center position of the second lower tape area 410B where the second tape spool 41 is disposed, and eight linear lines extend radially therefrom to the periphery of the second lower tape area 410B. The protrusion of These protrusions are referred to as fourth tape lower restriction portions 41B. The fourth tape lower restriction portion 41B is a downward direction of the film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41 and disposed in the second tape region 410 in the laminate type tape cassette 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Restrict movement to

  In the fourth tape lower restricting portion 41B, the height position in the vertical direction of the lower case 312 is set with the fourth lower plane portion 322B of the adjacent second corner portion 322 as a reference plane. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end (upper end) of the fourth tape lower restricting portion 41B and the fourth lower flat portion 322B is set according to the width of the tape. Therefore, it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the fourth tape lower restricting portion 41B using the fourth lower flat surface portion 322B as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the fourth tape lower restricting portion 41B and the fourth lower flat portion 322B is the distance between the protruding end of the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B and the first and second lower flat portions. The vertical distance between 391B and 392B, the vertical distance between the protruding end of the second tape lower restricting portion 363 and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B, and the protrusion of the third tape lower restricting portion 40B It is the same as the vertical distance between the end and the third lower flat surface portion 321B. That is, the height position of the fourth tape lower restricting portion 41B provided in the second lower tape region 410B is provided in the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B and the restricting member 362 provided in the arm portion 34. This is the same as the second tape lower restricting portion 363 and the third tape lower restricting portion 40B provided in the first lower tape region 400B.

  Accordingly, the downward movement of the tape is restricted in each restricting portion, and the tape is properly positioned in the vertical direction and conveyed. In the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the film tape 59 is accurately conveyed in parallel to the center line in the width direction of the tape over the second tape region 410, the arm portion 34, and the regulating member 362. . Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 are accurately conveyed in a state where the vertical positions coincide.

  The first lower ribbon region 420B is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes slightly upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 306. More specifically, the protrusion provided annularly at the center position of the second lower tape region 410B where the second tape spool 41 is disposed is referred to as a third ribbon lower restriction portion 42B. The third ribbon lower restricting portion 42 </ b> B restricts the downward movement of the unused ink ribbon 60 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) wound around the ribbon spool 42 and disposed in the first ribbon region 420.

  In the third ribbon lower restricting portion 42B, the height position in the vertical direction of the lower case 312 is set with the first lower flat portion 391B of the adjacent first receiving portion 391 as a reference plane. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end (upper end) of the third ribbon lower restricting portion 42 </ b> B and the first lower flat surface portion 391 </ b> B is set according to the width of the ink ribbon 60. Therefore, it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the third ribbon lower restricting portion 42B using the first lower flat surface portion 391B as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after the manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the third ribbon lower restricting portion 42B and the first lower flat portion 391B is equal to the protruding end of the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B and the first and second lower flat portions. The vertical distance between 391B and 392B and the vertical distance between the protruding end of the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B and the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B are the same. That is, the height position of the third ribbon lower restricting portion 42B provided in the first lower ribbon region 420B is the rear position of the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B provided in the arm portion 34 and the ribbon guide wall 47. This is the same as the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B provided at the end.

Accordingly, since the downward movement of the ink ribbon 60 is restricted in each restricting portion and the ink ribbon 60 is properly positioned in the vertical direction, the ink ribbon 60 is positioned behind the first ribbon region 420, the arm portion 34, and the ribbon guide wall 47. The ink ribbon 60 is accurately conveyed in parallel to the center line in the width direction across the end.

  Next, the configuration of the upper case 311 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 24 to 26. As shown in FIG. 19, the outer shape of the upper case 311 is formed by an upper surface 301 and an upper peripheral wall 303 that extends downward from the upper plate 305 that forms the upper surface 301 at a predetermined height. A portion of the upper peripheral wall 303 that constitutes the upper portion of the arm front wall 35 is referred to as an upper arm front wall 351. Further, the wall constituting the upper part of the arm back wall 37 that extends downward from the upper plate 305 that forms the upper surface 301 and is spaced rearward from the upper arm front wall 351 is referred to as an upper arm back wall 371. A peripheral wall that defines the upper portion of the head insertion portion 39 continuously to the upper arm rear wall 371 is referred to as an upper head peripheral wall 374.

  A detailed configuration around the head insertion portion 39 in the upper case 311 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, a press receiving portion 393 (see FIG. 16) is provided so as to be connected to the upstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39 of the upper case 311 in the tape transport direction. When the upper case 311 is joined to the lower case 312, the presser receiving portion 393 is positioned so as to overlap the first receiving portion 391. The presser receiving portion 393 is a concave portion in which the upper surface 301 of the upper plate 305 is recessed downward. The presser receiving portion 393 is recessed from the head insertion portion 39 in the direction along the arm front wall 35, similarly to the first receiving portion 391 of the lower case 312.

  The presser receiving portion 393 has a first upper flat surface portion 393A that is an upper surface of a substantially rectangular flat surface portion (a bottom portion of the concave portion) located below the upper surface 301. Regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30, the position of the first upper flat surface portion 393A in the vertical direction (height direction) of the upper case 311 and the center position in the width direction of the tape and ink ribbon 60 stored in the cassette case 31 are independent of each other. That is, even if the height of the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction is different, it is constant. Therefore, the depth of the press receiving part 393 which is a recessed part provided in the upper surface 301 becomes larger as the tape cassette 30 having a wider width of the tape to be stored and the ink ribbon 60 is provided.

  The first upper plane portion 393A is a reference plane in the upper case 311. In the present embodiment, the first upper flat surface portion 393A is provided as a reference surface for various restriction portions that restrict upward movement of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 described later. Further, the first upper plane portion 393A may be a portion that is pressed from above by the head pressing member 7 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the cassette cover 6 of the tape printer 1 is closed. Function.

  A first lower flat surface portion 391B of the first receiving portion 391 provided in the lower case 312 is located immediately below the first upper flat surface portion 393A of the presser receiving portion 393. That is, the first upper flat surface portion 393A and the first lower flat surface portion 391B are at a position where at least a part thereof is opposed in the vertical direction of the tape cassette 30. An inclined portion 394 is provided behind the first upper plane portion 393A. The inclined portion 394 is a side surface of the presser receiving portion 393 extending from the rear end of the first upper plane portion 393A to the upper surface 301 and inclined upward and rearward from the rear end of the first upper plane portion 393A.

  The presser receiving portion 393 is provided with a first press-fit pin 871 that protrudes downward. That is, the first press-fit pin 871 is provided below the first upper plane portion 393A in the vertical direction. Further, the first press-fit pin 871 is provided at a position corresponding to the first cylindrical member 861 (see FIG. 20) provided on the first lower flat surface portion 391B of the lower case 312 in the first upper flat surface portion 393A. Yes. Further, in the vicinity of the downstream end of the head insertion portion 39 in the tape transport direction, a position corresponding to the second cylindrical member 862 (see FIG. 20) provided on the second lower flat portion 392B of the lower case 312 A second press-fit pin 872 is provided so as to protrude to the rear.

  The first press-fit pin 871 and the second press-fit pin 872 have the same configuration. Therefore, here, with reference to FIG. 26, the configuration of the first press-fit pin 871 will be described on behalf of the first press-fit pin 871 and the second press-fit pin 872. As shown in FIG. 26, the presser receiving portion 393 provided with the first press-fit pin 871 is formed with a cylindrical portion protruding downward. The column portion is provided to determine the height of the tape cassette 30 by contacting the upper end portion of the first cylindrical member 861. However, depending on the place where the first press-fit pin 871 or other second to fourth press-fit pins 872 to 874 (see FIG. 25) are provided, the cylindrical portion is not necessary. Moreover, you may form in the shape different from column shape.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the first press-fit pin 871 has a support column 901 and a protruding member 902. The support column 901 extends downward from the lower surface of the presser receiving portion 393 (the back surface of the first upper flat surface portion 393A). The support column 901 has a substantially columnar shape, and is formed so that the diameter gradually decreases from a slightly lower side than the center in the vertical direction. That is, the lower part of the support column 901 (hereinafter referred to as the support column tip 903) is formed so that the tip is thin. The diameter of the bottom surface of the column end portion 903 is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical hole portion 891 (see FIG. 22) provided in the first cylindrical member 861. For this reason, it is possible to easily insert the support column 901 into the cylindrical hole 891.

  A plurality of protruding members 902 are provided radially around the support column 901. The protruding member 902 is provided on the upper side from the approximate center of the support column 901 in the vertical direction, and the upper end thereof is connected to a columnar portion formed on the presser receiving portion 393. Further, the protruding member 902 protrudes from the support column 901 in an arc shape in plan view. The diameter of the first press-fit pin 871 including the protruding member 902 is formed larger than the diameter of the cylindrical hole portion 891 (see FIG. 22) of the first cylindrical member 861.

  Further, the lower portion of the protruding member 902 is formed to be an arc having a gradually smaller diameter toward the lower end. That is, the lower part of the protruding member 902 is formed so that the tip is thin. Accordingly, when the first press-fit pin 871 is inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891 of the first cylindrical member 861, the lower portion of the protruding member 902 is smoothly inserted without being caught on the upper surface of the first cylindrical member 861. Details of the fitting between the first press-fit pin 871 and the first cylindrical member 861 will be described later.

  Next, the detail of the part which comprises the arm part 34 in the upper case 311 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 19, the arm portion 34 component of the upper case 311 includes an upper arm front wall 351 and an upper arm rear wall 371 corresponding to the lower arm front wall 352 and the lower arm rear wall 372 of the lower case 312, respectively. . Therefore, the height of the upper arm front wall 351 is larger than that of the upper arm rear wall 371. The upper plate 305 is provided with a fitting hole 331 having the same shape as the plan view of the separation wall 33 at a position corresponding to the separation wall 33 provided in the arm portion 34 of the lower case 312. When the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are joined, the separation wall 33 is fitted into the fitting hole 331.

  In the portion constituting the arm portion 34 of the upper case 311, the tape transport path is between the upper arm front wall 351 and the fitting hole 331. On the other hand, the transport path of the ink ribbon 60 is between the fitting hole 331 and the upper arm back wall 371. Therefore, on these transport paths, similarly to the lower case 312, there are provided restricting pieces that restrict upward movement of the tape and the ink ribbon 60.

  First, regarding the tape transport path, a first tape upper restriction portion 381A is provided on the right side of the left end portion of the fitting hole 331. A first tape upper restriction portion 382A is provided in contact with the right end portion of the fitting hole 331. The first tape upper restricting portions 381A and 382A slightly protrude downward from the lower surface of the upper plate 305, respectively. The first tape upper restricting portion 381A extends rearward from the upper arm front wall 351 to the front of the fitting hole 331, and the first tape upper restricting portion 382A is fitted rearward from the upper arm front wall 351. It extends to the joint hole 331. The first tape upper restriction portions 381A and 382A restrict the upward movement of the tape, respectively.

  On the other hand, with respect to the transport path of the ink ribbon 60, first ribbon upper restriction portions 386A and 387A are provided in contact with the left end portion and the right end portion of the fitting hole 331 to restrict the upward movement of the ink ribbon 60, respectively. It has been. The first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A slightly protrude downward from the lower surface of the upper plate 305, respectively. The first ribbon upper restricting portion 386A extends from the left end portion of the fitting hole 331 to the left end portion of the upper arm back wall 371 toward the left diagonally rearward direction. The first ribbon upper restricting portion 387A extends from the right end portion of the fitting hole 331 to the upper arm back wall 371 toward the rear.

  The first tape upper restricting portions 381A and 382A and the first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A respectively have a height in the vertical direction of the upper case 311 with the first upper flat portion 393A of the presser receiving portion 393 described above as a reference plane. The position is set.

  More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding ends (lower ends) of the first tape upper restricting portions 381A and 382A and the first upper flat portion 393A is set according to the width of the tape. The vertical distance between the protruding ends of the first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A and the first upper flat portion 393A is set according to the width of the ink ribbon 60. These restricting portions are all in the arm portion 34, and the first upper plane portion 393 </ b> A is in the vicinity of the upstream end portion of the head insertion portion 39. That is, each restricting portion and the first upper flat surface portion 393A that is the reference surface are in positions close to each other.

  Therefore, using the first upper flat surface portion 393A as a reference surface, the dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing each restricting portion can be increased, and the transport accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is improved. Since the arm portion 34 is in the vicinity of the upstream side of the position (opening portion 77) where printing is performed by the thermal head 10 (see FIG. 5), the conveyance accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 in the arm portion 34 is improved. Printing accuracy is also improved. In this embodiment, by providing such a restricting portion in the upper case 311 in addition to the lower case 312, the movement of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is restricted in the vertical direction. Further improve. In addition, after the manufacture, the size management of each restricting portion can be easily performed on the basis of the first upper plane portion 393A.

  The first upper flat surface portion 393A is provided at a certain distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the tape and ink ribbon 60 stored in the cassette case 31. Therefore, the vertical position of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 with respect to the vertical position of the first upper plane portion 393A becomes clearer, and the conveyance accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is further improved.

  Next, details of the first and second corner portions 321 and 322 and the portion constituting the storage area for the tape and ink ribbon 60 in the upper case 311 will be described. As shown in FIG. 25, the upper case 311 includes a second upper plane portion 321 </ b> A that is an upper surface of the first corner portion 321 and a third upper plane portion 322 </ b> A that is an upper surface of the second corner portion 322. The second upper plane portion 321 </ b> A and the third upper plane portion 322 </ b> A are both plane portions located below the upper surface 301. When the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are joined, the second upper plane portion 321A and the third upper plane portion 322A are vertically aligned with the third lower plane portion 321B and the fourth lower plane portion 322B of the lower case 312. It is in the position opposite to.

  The first corner portion 321 is provided with a third press-fit pin 873 that protrudes downward. That is, the third press-fit pin 873 is provided below the second upper plane portion 321A in the vertical direction. Further, the third press-fit pin 873 is provided at a position corresponding to the third cylindrical member 863 (see FIG. 20) provided on the third lower flat portion 321B of the lower case 312 in the second upper flat portion 321A. Yes. The configuration of the third press-fit pin 873 is the same as the first press-fit pin 871 (see FIG. 26) described above. As described above, the third fitting member 883 is configured by fitting the third cylindrical member 863 and the third press-fit pin 873, and details thereof will be described later.

  The second corner portion 322 is provided with a fourth press-fit pin 874 that protrudes downward. That is, the fourth press-fit pin 874 is provided vertically below the third upper plane portion 322A. In addition, the fourth press-fit pin 874 is provided at a position corresponding to the fourth cylindrical member 864 (see FIG. 20) provided on the fourth lower plane portion 322B of the lower case 312 in the third upper plane portion 322A. Yes. The configuration of the fourth press-fit pin 874 is also the same as the first press-fit pin 871 (see FIG. 26). As described above, the fourth fitting member 884 is configured by fitting the fourth cylindrical member 864 and the fourth press-fit pin 874, and details thereof will be described later.

  The positions of the second and third upper flat portions 321A and 322A in the vertical direction (height direction) of the upper case 311 and the center position in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 are independent of the type of the tape cassette 30, that is, Even if the vertical height of the tape cassette 30 is different, it is constant. Therefore, the distance from the upper surface 301 to the second and third upper plane portions 321A and 322A increases as the tape cassette 30 in which the tape and the ink ribbon 60 to be stored are wider.

  In the present embodiment, the first upper plane portion 393A and the second and third upper plane portions 321A and 322A are the center positions in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 (in this embodiment, the upper and lower sides of the cassette case 31). It is located at the same distance in the vertical direction from the direction center position). That is, the first, second, and third upper plane portions 393A, 321A, and 322A are all at the same height position in the upper case 311. The second and third upper plane portions 321A and 322A are used as reference surfaces for the restriction portions that restrict upward movement of the tape and the ink ribbon 60.

  The upper case 311 includes a first upper tape area 400A that is a part constituting the first tape area 400, a second upper tape area 410A that is a part constituting the second tape area 410, and a part that constitutes the first ribbon area 420. A first upper ribbon region 420A, and a second upper ribbon region 440A which is a part constituting the second ribbon region 440.

  The first upper tape region 400A is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes slightly downward from the lower surface of the upper plate 305. More specifically, an annular protrusion is provided at the center position of the first upper tape area 400A where the first tape spool 40 is disposed, and three linear lines extend radially from there to the peripheral edge of the first upper tape area 400A. The protrusion of These protrusions are referred to as second tape upper restriction portions 40A. The second tape upper regulating portion 40A is a thermal paper tape 55, a printing tape 57, or a double-sided adhesive tape 58 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) wound around the first tape spool 40 and disposed in the first tape region 400. Regulates upward movement.

  In the second tape upper restricting portion 40A, the height position in the vertical direction of the upper case 311 is set with the second upper plane portion 321A of the adjacent first corner portion 321 as a reference plane. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end of the second tape upper restricting portion 40A and the second upper flat portion 321A is set according to the width of the tape. Therefore, it is possible to increase the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the second tape upper regulating portion 40A using the second upper flat portion 321A as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after the manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the second tape upper restricting portion 40A and the second upper flat portion 321A is the vertical direction between the protruding end of the first tape restricting portions 381A and 382A and the first upper flat portion 393A. Is the same as the distance. That is, the height position of the second tape upper restriction portion 40A provided in the first upper tape region 400A is the same as that of the first tape upper restriction portions 381A and 382A provided in the arm portion 34.

  Therefore, the upward movement of the tape is restricted in each restricting portion, and the tape is transported while being properly positioned in the vertical direction. In the case of the receptor-type or thermal-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the print tape 57 or the thermal paper tape is accurately and parallel to the center line in the width direction of the tape from the first tape region 400 to the arm portion 34. 55 is conveyed. In the case of the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the film tape 59 is accurately conveyed in parallel with the center line in the width direction of the tape in the arm portion 34. Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 are accurately conveyed in a state where the vertical positions coincide.

  Similar to the first upper tape region 400A, the second upper tape region 410A is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes slightly downward from the lower surface of the upper plate 305. More specifically, an annular protrusion is provided at the center position of the second upper tape area 410A where the second tape spool 41 is disposed, and eight linear lines extend radially from there to the peripheral edge of the second upper tape area 410A. The protrusion of These protrusions are referred to as third tape upper restriction portions 41A. The third tape upper restricting portion 41 </ b> A restricts the upward movement of the film tape 59 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) wound around the second tape spool 41 and disposed in the second tape region 410.

  In the third tape upper restricting portion 41A, the height position in the vertical direction of the upper case 311 is set with the third upper plane portion 322A of the adjacent second corner portion 322 as a reference plane. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end of the third tape upper restricting portion 41A and the third upper flat portion 322A is set according to the width of the tape. Therefore, it is possible to increase the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the third tape upper regulating portion 41A using the third upper plane portion 322A as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after the manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the third tape upper restricting portion 41A and the third upper flat portion 322A is the vertical direction between the protruding end of the first tape restricting portions 381A and 382A and the first upper flat portion 393A. And the distance in the vertical direction between the protruding end of the second tape upper restricting portion 40A and the second upper plane portion 321A. That is, the height position of the third tape upper restricting portion 41A provided in the second upper tape region 410A is the first tape upper restricting portions 381A and 382A provided in the arm portion 34, and the first upper tape region 400A. This is the same as the second tape upper restricting portion 40A provided in FIG.

  Therefore, the upward movement of the tape is restricted in each restricting portion, and the tape is transported while being properly positioned in the vertical direction. In the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the film tape 59 is accurately conveyed in parallel with the center line in the width direction of the tape from the second tape region 410 to the arm portion 34. Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 are accurately conveyed in a state where the vertical positions coincide.

  The first upper ribbon region 420A is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes slightly downward from the lower surface of the upper plate 305. More specifically, the protrusion provided annularly at the center position of the first upper ribbon region 420A where the ribbon spool 42 is disposed is referred to as a second ribbon upper restriction portion 42A. The second ribbon upper restricting portion 42 </ b> A restricts the upward movement of the unused ink ribbon 60 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) wound around the ribbon spool 42 and disposed in the first ribbon region 420.

  In the second ribbon upper restricting portion 42A, the height position in the vertical direction of the upper case 311 is set with the first upper flat surface portion 393A of the adjacent presser receiving portion 393 as a reference surface. More specifically, the vertical distance between the protruding end of the second ribbon upper restricting portion 42 </ b> A and the first upper plane portion 393 </ b> A is set according to the width of the ink ribbon 60. Therefore, it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy when manufacturing the second ribbon upper regulating portion 42A using the first upper flat surface portion 393A as a reference surface, and it is possible to easily manage the dimensions after the manufacturing.

  In the present embodiment, the distance between the protruding end of the second ribbon upper restricting portion 42A and the first upper flat portion 393A is the vertical direction between the protruding ends of the first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A and the first upper flat portion 393A. Is the same as the distance. That is, the height position of the second ribbon upper restricting portion 42A provided in the first upper ribbon region 420A is the same as that of the first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A provided in the arm portion 34.

  Accordingly, the upward movement of the ink ribbon 60 is restricted in each restricting portion, and the ink ribbon 60 is positioned properly in the vertical direction. Therefore, the ink ribbon 60 extends from the first ribbon region 420 to the arm portion 34 in the width of the ink ribbon 60. It is accurately transported parallel to the direction center line.

  Below, with reference to FIGS. 27-29, the joining method of the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 in the tape cassette 30 of this embodiment is demonstrated. 27 to 29 exemplify a fitting mode between the first cylindrical member 861 and the first press-fit pin 871, but the second to fourth cylindrical members 862-864 and the second to fourth press-fit are illustrated. The fitting mode with the pins 872 to 874 is the same as this.

  In the case where the lower case 312 and the upper case 311 are joined, first, as shown in FIG. 27, the support tip 903 of the first press-fit pin 871 is inserted into the cylindrical hole 891 of the first cylindrical member 861. The As described above, the tip diameter of the column tip 903 is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical hole 891. Moreover, the upper end of the cylindrical hole portion 891 has a wide opening. For this reason, the support | pillar front-end | tip part 903 is smoothly guided in the cylindrical hole part 891. FIG. Then, the column portion 901 is inserted along the cylindrical hole portion 891.

  Next, when the first press-fit pin 871 is further inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891 of the first cylindrical member 861, the protruding member 902 starts to be inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891, as shown in FIG. As described above, the protruding member 902 is formed so that the tip is thin. Moreover, the upper end of the cylindrical hole portion 891 has a wide opening. For this reason, the lower part of the protrusion member 902 is smoothly inserted without being caught on the upper surface of the first cylindrical member 861.

  The diameter of the first press-fit pin 871 including the protruding member 902 is formed larger than the diameter of the cylindrical hole portion 891. Therefore, the first press-fit pin 871 is inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891 while the protruding member 902 is pressed and crushed by the first cylindrical member 861. As the first press-fit pin 871 is inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891, the first cylindrical member 861 is pressed by the protruding member 902 and spread outward.

  When the first press-fit pin 871 is further inserted into the cylindrical hole portion 891, as shown in FIG. 29, the upper surface of the first cylindrical member 861 and the columnar portion of the presser receiving portion 393 to which the base portion of the support column portion 901 is connected. Contact. Thereby, the insertion of the first press-fit pin 871 into the cylindrical hole 891 is completed. At this time, the protruding member 902 is pressed and crushed by the first cylindrical member 861, and the first cylindrical member 861 is pressed by the protruding member 902 and spread outward. In this manner, the first press-fit pin 871 is press-inserted into the first cylindrical member 861, so that the first cylindrical member 861 and the first press-fit pin 871 are firmly fitted. Thereby, the 1st fitting part 881 is comprised.

  Similarly, the second to fourth press-fit pins 872 to 874 are also inserted into the second to fourth cylindrical members 862 to 864, respectively, and second to fourth fitting portions 882 to 884 (see FIG. 20) are configured. Is done. The lower case 312 and the upper case 311 are joined by the first to fourth fitting portions 881 to 884.

  The first fitting portion 881 is provided vertically above the first lower flat surface portion 391B, which is a reference surface, and between the first upper flat surface portion 393A. Then, the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are appropriately joined by the first fitting portion 881. For this reason, the 1st lower side plane part 391B and the 1st upper side plane part 393A which are a reference plane are each hold | maintained in an appropriate position in an up-down direction. Therefore, the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B, the separation wall restricting portion 383, the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B, which are provided in the vicinity of the first lower flat portion 391B and the first upper flat portion 393A, The positions of the restricting portions of the third ribbon lower restricting portion 42B, the first tape upper restricting portions 381A and 382A, and the first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A are appropriately held. For this reason, the conveyance accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is improved. Therefore, the printing accuracy is also improved.

  The second fitting portion 882 is provided above the second lower flat surface portion 392B, which is a reference surface, in the vertical direction. Then, the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are appropriately joined by the second fitting portion 882. Therefore, the positions of the second tape lower restricting portion 363 and the second ribbon lower restricting portion 388B provided in the vicinity of the second fitting portion 882 are appropriately held. Also, first tape lower restriction portions 381B and 382B, separation wall restriction portions 383, first ribbon lower restriction portions 386B and 387B provided between the first fitting portion 881 and the second fitting portion 882 in the left-right direction. The positions of the first tape upper restriction portions 381A and 382A and the first ribbon upper restriction portions 386A and 387A are more appropriately held. For this reason, the conveyance accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is improved. Therefore, the printing accuracy is also improved.

  The third fitting portion 883 is provided above the third lower flat portion 321B in the vertical direction and between the second upper flat portion 321A. Then, the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are appropriately joined by the third fitting portion 883. For this reason, the 3rd lower side plane part 321B and the 2nd upper side plane part 321A are held at an appropriate position. Therefore, the height positions of the third tape lower restricting portion 40B and the second tape upper restricting portion 40A provided in the vicinity of the third lower flat portion 321B and the second upper flat portion 321A are appropriately held. For this reason, the conveyance accuracy of a tape improves. Therefore, the printing accuracy is also improved.

  The fourth fitting portion 884 is provided above the fourth lower plane portion 322B in the vertical direction and between the third upper plane portion 322A. Then, the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are appropriately joined by the fourth fitting portion 884. For this reason, the fourth lower plane portion 322B and the third upper plane portion 322A are held at appropriate positions. Therefore, the height positions of the fourth tape lower restricting portion 41B and the third tape upper restricting portion 41A provided in the vicinity of the fourth lower flat portion 322B and the third upper flat portion 322A are appropriately maintained. For this reason, the conveyance accuracy of a tape improves. Therefore, the printing accuracy is also improved.

  In the present embodiment, the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, 322B are all at the same height position in the lower case 312. Here, when the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are joined, the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B, which are reference surfaces, are placed on the placement surface of the jig. When the upper case 311 is pressed downward, the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are joined by the first to fourth fitting portions 881, 882, 883, and 884. In the jig, the vertical dimension of the mounting surface in contact with the first to fourth lower planar portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B is that of the first to fourth lower planar portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B. It is desirable to accurately correspond to the dimensions.

  In the present embodiment, the height positions of the first to fourth lower planar portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B are set to the same height. For this reason, in the jig, the placement surfaces on which the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B are placed are set at the same height position. When creating the mounting surface of the jig, it can be created with the same height when created with the same height than when created with a different height. For this reason, the vertical dimension of the mounting surface of the jig accurately corresponds to the dimensions of the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B.

  For this reason, the upper case 311 and the lower case 312 are accurately joined by the first to fourth fitting portions 881, 882, 883, and 884. Accordingly, the first to fourth lower plane portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B and the first to third upper plane portions 393A, 321A, and 322A are held at appropriate positions. Therefore, the positions of the restricting portions provided at positions close to the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B and the first to third upper flat portions 393A, 321A, and 322A are appropriately held. As a result, the transport accuracy of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 is improved. For this reason, the printing accuracy is also improved.

  The operation of the tape cassette 30 and the tape printer 1 when the tape cassette 30 of this embodiment is mounted on the tape printer 1 will be described below.

  First, the mounting mode of the tape cassette 30 will be described. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the tape cassette 30 is fitted vertically from above so that the bottom surface 302 of the tape cassette 30 faces the bottom surface of the cavity 811. From the bottom surface (not shown) of the cavity 811, the head holder 74, the ribbon take-up shaft 95 and the tape drive shaft 100 shown in FIG. 4 protrude. Accordingly, the user inserts the tape cassette 30 while inserting the head insertion portion 39, the ribbon take-up spool 44, and the shaft holes of the tape drive roller 46 into these.

  As described above, the first support portion 741 and the second support portion 742 are provided at the right end portion and the left end portion of the head holder 74, respectively. Further, at positions corresponding to these of the tape cassette 30, specifically, on the outer periphery of the head insertion portion 39 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the head insertion portion 39 in the lower case 312, the first receiving portion 391 is provided. And a second receiving portion 392 are provided. A presser receiving portion 393 is provided on the outer periphery on the upstream side of the head insertion portion 39 of the upper case 311.

  When the user pushes the tape cassette 30 downward, as shown in FIG. 30, the first lower flat surface portion 391 </ b> B of the first receiving portion 391 is the first support portion provided in the head fixing portion 744 of the head holder 74. 741 is contacted and further movement in the downward direction is restricted. In addition, as shown in FIG. 31, the second lower flat surface portion 392B of the second receiving portion 392 abuts on the second support portion 742 provided on the head fixing portion 744 of the head holder 74, so that it moves downward. The above movement is restricted. That is, in the tape cassette 30, the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B, which are reference surfaces, are supported from below by the cassette support portions 741 and 742 serving as a reference for the vertical center position of the thermal head 10. Maintained at.

  When the cassette cover 6 is closed for printing, the head pressing member 7 contacts the first upper plane portion 393A of the press receiving portion 393 and presses the tape cassette 30 from above. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cassette cover 6 is pivotally supported at both left and right end portions above the back surface of the tape printer 1. Therefore, when the cassette cover 6 is closed, the tip of the head pressing member 7 does not approach the upper surface 301 of the tape cassette 30 mounted in the vertical direction but approaches an acute angle from the rear to the front. . Here, an inclined portion 394 (see FIG. 24) provided behind the first upper plane portion 393A of the presser receiving portion 393 is for eliminating interference when the head presser member 7 approaches the first upper plane portion 393A. Functions as an escape part.

  As described above, according to the tape printer 1 and the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment, the thermal head 10 that performs printing on a tape (any one of the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, and the film tape 59) that is a printing medium is close. Thus, the vertical positioning can be accurately performed. Then, the vertical print center position of the thermal head 10 and the center position in the width direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 can be matched with high accuracy. Therefore, the printing quality for the tape is improved.

  In particular, the tape cassette 30 according to the present embodiment is supported at the insertion position of the thermal head 10, more specifically at both the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the printing position in the transport direction of the film tape 59 as a printing medium. . Therefore, the transport direction of the tape and the ink ribbon 60 can be accurately maintained at a right angle to the arrangement direction (vertical direction) of the thermal head 10. As a result, the running of the tape and ink ribbon 60 is stabilized, and the vertical printing center position and the width direction central position of the tape and ink ribbon 60 can be maintained with higher accuracy.

  Further, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the first to fourth corner portions 321 to 324 are supported from below by the corner support portion 812. That is, in addition to the first and second lower plane portions 391B and 392B, the third and fourth lower plane portions 321B and 322B, which are also reference surfaces, are also supported. Therefore, for example, even when a warp or the like is deformed in the cassette case 31, the height position is corrected by supporting the reference surfaces at a plurality of positions from below in the tape printer 1. Therefore, the running performance and print position accuracy of the tape or ink ribbon 60 can be maintained well.

  Further, the head pressing member 7 comes into contact with and presses from above the first upper flat surface portion 393A located just above the first lower flat surface portion 391B. That is, in the tape cassette 30, the first lower flat surface portion 391B and the first upper flat surface portion 393A, which are reference surfaces, are sandwiched from above and below by the first support portion 741 of the head holder 74 and the head pressing member 7, so that It will be in a fixed state. Therefore, it is possible to restrict the tape cassette 30 that has been properly positioned and mounted near the printing position from moving upward (so-called floating). As a result, the vertical print center position of the thermal head 10 and the tape width direction center position of the film tape 59 can be accurately maintained, and the tape can be transported and printed stably.

  The peripheral pressing members 911 and 912 are in contact with the second upper plane portion 321A and the third upper plane portion 322A of the first and second corner portions 321 and 322 and press from above. That is, the tape cassette 30 is sandwiched from above and below at three locations. The surface surrounded by connecting three places covers a wide range, and the tape cassette 30 is more reliably fixed. Therefore, for example, even when a deformation such as a warp occurs in the cassette case 31, the height position of each reference surface is reliably corrected. Therefore, the running performance and print position accuracy of the tape or ink ribbon 60 can be improved.

  Further, the first receiving portion 391 and the second receiving portion 392 of the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment face the head insertion portion 39 from directions orthogonal to each other. Since the cassette support portions 741 and 742 extending in directions orthogonal to each other are inserted and supported by the support receiving portions 391 and 392 that are concave portions, the tape cassette 30 is not only in the vertical direction but also in the front and rear direction and the horizontal direction. Movement is also restricted. Thereby, an appropriate positional relationship between the thermal head 10 and the head insertion portion 39 can be maintained.

  Even when a tape cassette 30 having a height lower than that of the tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 30 and 31 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, it is supported by the cassette support portions 741 and 742 as shown in FIGS. The receiving portions 391 and 392 abut and are supported. When the cassette cover 6 is closed, the head pressing member 7 comes into contact with the press receiving portion 393 and presses the tape cassette 30 from above.

  32 and 33, the depths of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 which are concave portions provided on the bottom surface 302 are set smaller than that of the tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. The center position of the tape stored in the cassette case 31 (the cassette case) in the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 in the vertical direction (height direction) of the tape cassette 30 The distance H <b> 2 from the vertical center line 31 of N is constant regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30.

  32 and 33, the depth of the press receiving portion 393, which is a recess provided in the upper surface 301, is set smaller than that of the tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. The distance H1 between the first upper flat portion 393A of the presser receiving portion 393 and the vertical center line N of the cassette case 31 in the vertical direction (height direction) of the tape cassette 30 is also independent of the type of the tape cassette 30. It is constant.

  Thus, regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30, that is, even if the height of the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction is different, the heights of the same tape printer 1 are different by making the distances H1 and H2 constant. A plurality of types of tape cassettes 30 can be used. Even if the tapes have different widths, they are transported at a position where the centers in the tape width direction coincide with each other, so that meandering caused by a pressure difference to the tape in the tape width direction when they do not coincide with the center in the tape width direction. Can be prevented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30, the distance H1 between the first upper plane portion 393A and the vertical center line N of the cassette case 31 and the first and second lower plane portions 391B, 392B. And the distance H2 between the vertical center line N of the cassette case 31 is set equal. In this case, since the balance between the support from the lower side and the pressing from the upper side with respect to the tape cassette 30 is good, an appropriate positional relationship between the print center position in the vertical direction by the thermal head 10 and the center position in the width direction of the tape and ink ribbon 60 is obtained. It can be maintained stably.

  Next, the locking of the tape cassette 30 by the cassette hook 75 will be described with reference to FIG. When the user inserts the tape cassette 30 into the cassette mounting portion 8 and pushes it downward, first, the bottom surface 302 of the tape cassette 30 comes into contact with the upper portion of the claw portion 752 of the cassette hook 75. Since the upper portion of the claw portion 752 is inclined rearward (left side in FIG. 14), when the user further pushes the tape cassette 30 downward, the protrusion 751 having flexibility is caused by pressing from the bottom surface 302. Bends forward (right side in FIG. 14).

  When the user further pushes down the tape cassette 30, the most protruding position of the claw portion 752 moves upward along the lower head peripheral wall 373 and reaches the locking portion 397. The protruding portion 751 returns to the original position again, and the claw portion 752 is locked to the locking portion 397 as shown in FIG. At this time, the tape cassette 30 is supported by the support receiving portions 391 and 392. Therefore, similarly to the pressing of the presser receiving portion 393 by the head pressing member 7, the tape cassette 30 can be more reliably regulated in the direction in which the tape cassette 30 is lifted after being mounted on the tape printer 1, that is, the upward movement. It is possible to carry out and carry out printing stably.

  Next, detection of the type of the tape cassette 30 by the arm detection unit 200 and locking to the locking hole 820 by the locking piece 225 will be described. When the user mounts the tape cassette 30 at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8 and closes the cassette cover 6, the platen holder 12 moves from the standby position shown in FIG. 5 toward the printing position shown in FIGS. Moving. Then, the arm detection unit 200 and the locking piece 225 provided on the cassette facing surface 122 of the platen holder 12 face the arm identification unit 800 and the locking hole 820 provided on the arm front wall 35 of the tape cassette 30, respectively. Move to position.

  The switch terminals 222 of the five arm detection switches 210 protruding from the cassette facing surface 122 are opposed to the non-pressing portions 801 or the pressing portions 802 provided at the corresponding positions of the arm identification unit 800 and are selectively pressed. . In the wide cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 4 and 16, the non-pressing portion 801 is on the left side of the upper row within the range of the height T1 of the common identification portion 831, the pressing portion 802 is on the right side, and the pressing portion 802 is on the left side of the lower row. A pressing portion 802 is provided in a range of a predetermined height T2 below the non-pressing portion 801 and the common identification portion 831 on the right side.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 34, the upper right side pressing portion 802 in the common identification portion 831, the lower left side pressing portion 802, and the common identification portion 831 and the lower extension portion 832 are straddled. The switch terminal 222 facing the provided pressing portion 802 is pressed by the surface portion of the arm front wall 35 which is the pressing portion 802, and the arm detection switch 210 is turned on. On the other hand, the switch terminal 222 facing the non-pressing portion 801 on the left side of the upper row and the right side of the lower row within the range of the height T1 of the common identification portion 831 is inserted into the switch hole which is the non-pressing portion 801. The arm detection switch 210 is turned off.

  In the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a relief hole 803 is provided in the common identification portion 831. Therefore, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the switch terminal 222 facing the escape hole 803 is not pressed, so that the arm detection switch 210 is always in the OFF state. The type of the tape cassette 30 is specified based on the combination of the on / off states of the five arm detection switches 210 thus obtained. More specifically, a cassette specifying table in which the combination of on / off of the arm detection switch 210 is associated with the type of the tape cassette 30 is stored in advance in the ROM 502 (see FIG. 15). Then, the CPU 501 (see FIG. 15) refers to the cassette identification table and identifies the type of tape cassette corresponding to the combination of turning on and off the arm detection switch 210.

  In the example of the wide cassette 30 shown in FIG. 16, the lowermost row of identification parts (pressing part 802) is provided across the common identification part 831 and the extension part 832 below the common identification part 831. Instead, an identification part (pressing part 802) completely included in the extension part 832 may be provided. In this case, when the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the lower end of the arm front wall 35 is above the height position corresponding to the identification portion. Therefore, in such a case, it is not necessary to provide the escape hole 803 or the relief step in the narrow cassette 30. In addition, the identification unit may be provided only in the extension part 832 above the common identification part 831 of the wide cassette 30, or the identification part may be provided in both the upper and lower extension parts 832.

  In the present embodiment, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the support receiving portions 391 and 392 used for positioning in the vertical direction face the head insertion portion 39, that is, the arm identification portion 800 is provided. The arm portion 34 is provided at a position connected to the arm portion 34. Therefore, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the positional relationship between the arm detection switch 210 and the arm identification unit 800 is ensured with high accuracy, so that erroneous detection by the arm detection switch 210 can be prevented. .

  In the case of the wide cassette 30, an identification portion is also formed in a predetermined region (expansion portion 832) of the arm front wall 35 that is enlarged from the common identification portion 831 in the vertical direction of the tape cassette 30. As described above, even when the expansion unit 832 is effectively used and the number of types of the tape cassette 30 that can be detected by the tape printer 1 is increased, the detection accuracy can be ensured.

  Further, as described above, the locking piece 225 has substantially the same or larger protruding height compared to each switch terminal 222. Therefore, if the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, it is inserted into the locking hole 820. On the other hand, when the tape cassette 30 is not mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8 and the locking piece 225 faces the surface portion of the arm front wall 35 instead of the locking hole 820, the switch terminal 222 is Is not pressed by the arm front wall 35.

  In this embodiment, the vertical positioning of the tape cassette 30 can be accurately performed by the support receiving portions 391 and 392 and the head pressing portion 393. However, when the tape cassette 30 is not sufficiently pushed downward, When not properly attached, the locking piece 225 prevents the contact between each switch terminal 222 and the arm identification unit 800 as described above. Therefore, all the arm detection switches 210 are turned off. Therefore, if it is determined that the tape cassette 30 is not properly mounted in the cassette specifying table described above, it is possible to detect the mounted state of the tape cassette 30.

  As described above, the locking piece 225 gradually decreases in thickness toward the tip by the inclined portion 226 formed on the lower surface, and the locking hole 820 is formed on the arm front wall 35 by the inclined portion 821 formed on the lower wall portion. The opening width in the vertical direction gradually increases. Therefore, when the locking piece 225 is at a position slightly shifted downward with respect to the locking hole 820 (the cassette case 31 is slightly lifted from the appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8), the platen holder 12 is printed. When moving toward the position, the locking piece 225 is guided into the locking hole 820 by the interaction of the inclined portion 226 and the inclined portion 821. Therefore, if the cassette case 31 is slightly lifted from the appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, the locking piece 225 is appropriately inserted into the locking hole 820 and the arm detection switch 210 is moved to the arm identification portion 800. It can be made to oppose correctly.

  As described above, the identification units provided in the arm identification unit 800 are arranged in a zigzag manner, and there is no identification unit provided at the same position in the left-right direction. That is, in the case of the tape printer 1 without the locking piece 225 or the tape cassette 30 without the locking hole 820, if the tape cassette 30 is displaced in the vertical direction, all the arm detections are similarly performed. The switch 210 is turned on. Therefore, when such a detection result is obtained, the tape printer 1 can be recognized that the tape cassette 30 is not properly mounted, and the possibility of erroneous detection can be reduced. it can.

  As described above, when the tape cassette 30 is positioned at an appropriate position in the vertical direction and is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the tape drive shaft 100 is inserted into the tape drive roller 46, and the ribbon take-up shaft 95 is inserted. Is inserted into the ribbon take-up spool 44. When the cassette cover 6 is closed, the platen holder 12 moves to the printing position, the platen roller 15 faces the thermal head 10, and the movable conveyance roller 14 presses the tape drive roller 46. As a result, the tape printer 1 is in a state capable of executing printing on a tape that is a print medium. Further, the arm detection unit 200 detects the type of the tape cassette 30 with high accuracy.

  When the laminate-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is mounted, the tape drive roller 46 that is rotationally driven via the tape drive shaft 100 is moved by the movable transport roller 14 when printing is performed in the tape printer 1. The film tape 59 is pulled out from the second tape spool 41 in cooperation with Further, the ribbon take-up spool 44 that is rotationally driven via the ribbon take-up shaft 95 pulls out the unused ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 in synchronization with the printing speed.

  The film tape 59 pulled out from the second tape spool 41 is transported along the transport path in the arm portion 34 while passing the outside of the ribbon spool 42. Further, the film tape 59 is supplied from the discharge port 341 to the head insertion portion 39 (opening portion 77) with the ink ribbon 60 superimposed on the surface thereof, and between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15 of the tape printer 1. It is conveyed to. During this time, a stable mounting state is maintained by the action of the support receiving portions 391 and 392, the head pressing member 7, and the cassette hook 75.

  Then, in a state where the vertical print center position by the thermal head 10 and the tape width direction center position of the film tape 59 are accurately maintained, characters, figures, symbols are printed on the print surface of the film tape 59 by the thermal head 10. Etc. are printed. Thereafter, the used ink ribbon 60 is peeled off from the printed film tape 59 by the ribbon guide wall 47 and taken up on the ribbon take-up spool 44. On the other hand, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14.

  The double-sided adhesive tape 58 is overlapped and adhered to the printed surface of the printed film tape 59 while being guided and wound between the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14. The printed film tape 59 with the double-sided adhesive tape 58 attached (that is, the printed tape 50) is further conveyed toward the tape discharge portion 49 and cut by the cutting mechanism 17.

  When the receptor-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 7 is mounted, the tape drive roller 46 that is rotationally driven via the tape drive shaft 100 prints from the first tape spool 40 in cooperation with the movable transport roller 14. Pull out the tape 57. Further, the ribbon take-up spool 44 that is rotationally driven via the ribbon take-up shaft 95 pulls out the unused ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 in synchronization with the printing speed. The print tape 57 drawn out from the first tape spool 40 is folded leftward at the lower right portion of the cassette case 31 in a plan view, and is conveyed along the conveyance path in the arm portion 34.

  Further, the print tape 57 is supplied from the discharge port 341 to the head insertion portion 39 with the ink ribbon 60 superimposed on the surface thereof, and is conveyed between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15 of the tape printer 1. Then, characters, figures, symbols, etc. are printed on the printing surface of the printing tape 57 by the thermal head 10. Thereafter, the used ink ribbon 60 is peeled off from the printed printing tape 57 by the ribbon guide wall 47 and taken up on the ribbon take-up spool 44. On the other hand, the printed printing tape 57 (that is, the printed tape 50) is further conveyed toward the tape discharge portion 49 and is cut by the cutting mechanism 17.

  When the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 8 is mounted, when printing is performed, the tape drive roller 46 that is rotationally driven via the tape drive shaft 100 cooperates with the movable conveyance roller 14. To pull out the thermal paper tape 55 from the first tape spool 40. The thermal paper tape 55 pulled out from the first tape spool 40 is folded leftward at the lower right portion of the cassette case 31 in a plan view and is conveyed along the conveyance path in the arm portion 34.

  Further, the thermal paper tape 55 is supplied from the discharge port 341 of the arm portion 34 to the opening 77 and is conveyed between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15. Then, characters, figures, symbols, etc. are printed on the printing surface of the thermal paper tape 55 by the thermal head 10. Thereafter, by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14, the printed thermal paper tape 55 (that is, the printed tape 50) is further conveyed toward the tape discharge portion 49 and is cut by the cutting mechanism 17. .

  When the thermal type printing is executed, the ribbon take-up spool 44 is also rotationally driven via the ribbon take-up shaft 95. However, a ribbon spool is not accommodated in the thermal type tape cassette 30. Therefore, the unused ink ribbon is not drawn out or the used ink ribbon is not taken up by the ribbon take-up spool 44. In other words, even when the thermal type tape cassette 30 is used in the tape printer 1 having the ribbon take-up shaft 95, the rotational drive of the ribbon take-up shaft 95 affects the printing operation on the thermal paper tape 55. Can be printed properly. In the tape cassette 30 described above, the ribbon take-up shaft 95 may be similarly idled in the support hole 68 without providing the ribbon take-up spool 44.

  In this embodiment, the tape cassette 30 that is a general-purpose cassette is used in the tape printer 1 that is a general-purpose machine. Accordingly, one tape printer 1 can be used for various types of tape cassettes such as a thermal type, a receptor type, a laminate type, and a thermal laminate type, and it is necessary to use a different tape printer for each unit. Absent. When manufacturing a tape cassette, a cassette case is usually formed by combining a plurality of dies and then pouring resin. However, if the tape cassette is compatible with a tape having the same tape width, the arm identification portion 800 is formed. Since a common mold can be used except for some molds such as a mold including a part, the cost can be greatly reduced.

  In this embodiment, the laminate-type tape cassette 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) and the receptor-type tape cassette 30 (see FIG. 7) correspond to the “ribbon cassette” of the present invention. The first ribbon area 420 for storing the unused ink ribbon 60 corresponds to the “first area” of the present invention, and the second ribbon area 440 for storing the used ink ribbon 60 is the “second area”. Equivalent to.

  The first receiving portion 391 of the lower case 312 corresponds to a “first lower recess”, and the first lower plane portion 391B corresponds to a “first lower plane portion”. Each of the first ribbon lower restriction portions 386B and 387B corresponds to a “first lower restriction portion”. The head insertion portion 39 corresponds to an “opening”. The ribbon guide wall 47 corresponds to a “ribbon guide part”. The second receiving portion 392 corresponds to a “second lower flat portion”, and the second lower flat portion 392B corresponds to a “second lower flat portion”. The second ribbon lower restriction portion 388B corresponds to a “second lower restriction portion”. The third ribbon lower restricting portion 42B corresponds to a “third lower restricting portion”.

The presser receiving portion 393 of the upper case 131 corresponds to an “upper concave portion”, and the first upper flat portion 393A corresponds to an “upper flat portion”. The first ribbon upper restricting portions 386A and 387A correspond to “upper restricting portions”.
Second Embodiment
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The tape cassette 30 illustrated in FIG. 36 is of a laminate type with the upper case 311 removed. In the first embodiment, in the head holder 74 of the tape printer 1, two cassette support portions 741 and 742 are provided at two locations on the upstream side and the downstream side of the thermal head 10 insertion position. The tape cassette 30 is provided with support receiving portions 391 and 392 corresponding to the cassette support portions 741 and 742 at two locations facing the head insertion portion 39. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the support portion of the tape cassette 30 is provided only on the upstream side of the head holder 74, and the support receiving portion is also provided on the tape cassette 30 only at one location facing the head insertion portion 39. . Below, it demonstrates centering around the structure different from 1st Embodiment, and abbreviate | omits description about the same structure as 1st Embodiment.

  First, the tape printer 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, the head holder 74 of the present embodiment is a plate-like member erected on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8 along the left-right direction of the tape printer 1. More specifically, a pedestal portion 743 fixed below the bottom surface of the cavity 811 and a head fixing portion 744 that is bent substantially vertically from the pedestal portion 743 and extends upward are provided. The arrangement position of the head holder 74 in the cassette mounting portion 8 is a position corresponding to a head insertion portion 39 to be described later when the tape cassette 30 is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 36, the head holder 74 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment (see FIG. 4) in that the length in the left-right direction is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the head insertion portion 39. The size fits completely within the head insertion portion 39. In the present embodiment, the head holder 74 itself is not provided with a support portion for positioning the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction and supporting it from below. Instead, an upstream support pin 104 is provided adjacent to the right side of the head holder 74, as shown in FIG.

  The upstream support pin 104 is a columnar member standing upward from the cavity 811, and when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the upper surface of the column is the first receiving portion 391 of the tape cassette 30. The tape cassette 30 is supported from below by contacting the first lower flat surface portion 391B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 36, the diameter of the upstream support pin 104 is slightly smaller than the short side of the rectangle which is the planar view shape of the first lower flat surface portion 391B.

  Next, the tape cassette 30 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 37, in the lower case 312 of this embodiment, a position facing the head insertion portion 39 on the upstream side in the tape transport direction with respect to the thermal head 10 (the outer periphery of the head insertion portion 39), as in the first embodiment. On the upper side, a first receiving portion 391 which is a concave portion having a bottom surface 302 recessed upward is provided. Further, the upper case 311 is provided with a presser receiving portion 393 at a position above the first receiving portion 391 in the vertical direction of the cassette case 31 and overlapping the first receiving portion 391 in plan view. (See FIG. 38). The first upper flat surface portion 393A of the presser receiving portion 393 is vertically opposed to the first lower flat surface portion 391B.

  On the other hand, unlike the first embodiment, the lower case 312 is not provided with a recess serving as a support receiving portion on the downstream side of the head insertion portion 39. Accordingly, the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B provided in the arm portion 34 are set in the vertical position with only the first lower flat portion 391B as a reference plane.

  The operation of the tape cassette 30 and the tape printer 1 when the tape cassette 30 of this embodiment is mounted on the tape printer 1 will be described below with reference to FIG.

  When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the user pushes the tape cassette 30 downward, as shown in FIG. 38, the first lower flat portion 391B of the first receiving portion 391 has an upstream support pin. 104 abuts on the upper surface of the first receiving portion 391 and further movement in the downward direction is restricted. The tape cassette 30 is maintained in a state where the first lower flat surface portion 391B is supported from below by the upstream support pins 104.

  Further, as in the first embodiment, the head pressing member 7 contacts and presses from the upper side the first upper plane portion 393A positioned directly above the first lower plane portion 391B. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 that is properly positioned and mounted near the printing position using these reference surfaces is securely fixed. As a result, the vertical print center position of the thermal head 10 and the tape width direction center position of the film tape 59 can be accurately maintained, and the tape can be transported and printed stably.

  Thus, in the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment, the first lower flat surface portion 391B that is the reference surface is provided at a position immediately before printing on the film tape 59 that is the printing medium. Accordingly, the vertical positioning can be performed at the most efficient position with respect to the alignment of the vertical printing center position by the thermal head 10 and the tape width direction central position of the film tape 59. As a result, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the positional relationship between the arm detection switch 210 and the arm identification unit 800 is ensured with high accuracy, so that erroneous detection by the arm detection switch 210 can be prevented. it can.

  In addition, the ribbon cassette of this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, Of course, a various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, as an example of the ribbon cassette, in addition to the ink ribbon 60, a tape cassette of a laminate type or a receptor type in which a tape (film tape 59 or printing tape 57) as a printing medium is accommodated in the cassette case 31 is used. 30 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) has been described. However, the ribbon cassette may be configured such that only the ink ribbon 60 is stored without storing the tape in the cassette case.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lower case 312 is provided with the first to third ribbon lower restriction portions 386B, 387B, 388B, and 42B, and the first and second ribbon upper restriction portions 386A, 387A, and 42A are provided. The cassette 30 is illustrated. However, the ribbon cassette may have a single restricting portion in the arm portion 34 of the lower case 312. In this case, the position where the restricting portion is arranged in the arm portion 34 is not limited to the example of the first ribbon lower restricting portions 386B and 387B. Further, in the lower case 312, the ribbon cassette may have at least one of the second and third ribbon lower restriction portions 388B and 42B in addition to the restriction portion in the arm portion 34.

  The ribbon cassette may have at least one of the first and second ribbon upper restriction portions 386A, 387A, and 42A in the upper case 311 in addition to the restriction portion in the arm portion 34 of the lower case 312. Good. In this case, it is preferable that the restricting portion provided in the upper case 311 is disposed at a position facing the restricting portion provided in the lower case 312 in the vertical direction. This is because the pair of upper and lower restricting portions can restrict the movement of the tape in the vertical direction.

For example, a pair of upper and lower restricting portions may be provided in at least one place on the transport path of the ink ribbon 60 in the arm portion 34. And it is preferable that the position of this pair of control part is spaced apart from the opening 34A to some extent. This is because wrinkles are less likely to occur in the ink ribbon 60 at the opening 34A. In particular, it is preferable that the arm portion 34 is separated by at least one half of the length in the left-right direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, in addition to the vertical restricting portion of the ink ribbon 60, the tape vertical restricting portion (the first to fourth tape lower restricting portions 381B, 382B, 363, 40B, 41B and the first to third tapes). The tape cassette 30 provided with the tape upper regulating portions 381A, 382A, 40A, 41A) is illustrated. However, the ribbon cassette may have only the restriction part in the vertical direction of the ink ribbon 60 alone.

  When the ribbon cassette has a restriction portion in the vertical direction of the tape, one restriction portion may be provided independently in the arm portion 34 of the lower case 312. In this case, the position where the restricting portion is arranged in the arm portion 34 is not limited to the example of the first tape lower restricting portions 381B and 382B. Further, the ribbon cassette may have at least one of the second to fourth tape lower restriction portions 363, 40B, and 41B in addition to the restriction portion in the arm portion 34 in the lower case 312.

  The tape cassette 30 has at least one of the first to third tape upper restriction portions 381A, 382A, 40A, and 41A in the upper case 311 in addition to the restriction portion in the arm portion 34 of the lower case 312. It may be. In this case, it is preferable that the restricting portion provided in the upper case 311 is disposed at a position facing the restricting portion provided in the lower case 312 in the vertical direction. This is because the pair of upper and lower restricting portions can restrict the movement of the tape in the vertical direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the lower case 312, all of the first to fourth lower flat portions 391 </ b> B, 392 </ b> B, 321 </ b> B, and 322 </ b> B that are reference surfaces are at the same distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the tape. is there. That is, they are on the same plane. In this case, it is preferable in that the dimension setting and dimension management of each restricting portion are easy. However, the distance between the central position in the width direction of the tape and each of the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B is not necessarily the same. Similarly, in the upper case 311, the distances between the first to third upper plane portions 393A, 321A, and 322A that are reference surfaces and the center position in the width direction of the tape are not necessarily the same.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first to fourth fitting portions 881 to 884 are provided in the vertical direction of the first to fourth lower plane portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B, which are reference surfaces. The cassette 30 is illustrated. However, the ribbon cassette may have the 1st lower side plane part 391B which is a reference plane independently. Furthermore, the ribbon cassette may have at least one of the second to fourth lower plane portions 392B, 321B, and 322B alone in addition to the first lower plane portion 391B. At least one of the corresponding first to fourth fitting portions 881 to 884 is provided in at least one vertical direction of the first to fourth lower flat portions 391B, 392B, 321B, and 322B which are reference surfaces. Also good.

  Further, for example, the shapes and positions of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 provided in the lower case 312 are not limited to the shapes and positions exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 are substantially rectangular when viewed from the bottom, but may be other shapes such as a triangle. Further, the shape and position of the presser receiving portion 393 provided in the upper case 311 are not limited to the shape and position exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, it is possible to change the same shape as the first and second lower flat portions 391B and 392B of the support receiving portions 391 and 392 described above.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a general-purpose cassette is used in a general-purpose tape printer has been illustrated.

  The shape, size, number, and arrangement pattern of the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 in the arm identification unit 800 are not limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the non-pressing portion 801 of the arm identification unit 800 is a through-hole having a square shape when viewed from the front, but may be a through-hole having a circular shape in plan view, or may have another different shape.

  The tape printer 1 can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the first and second embodiments, a type in which the cassette cover 6 is rotated around the left-right axis and opened rearward (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is not limited to this example. . For example, FIGS. 39 and 40 show a tape printer 1 according to a modification. 39 and 40, the upper right side is the right side of the tape printer 1, the lower left side is the left side of the tape printer 1, the upper left side is the rear side of the tape printer 1, and the lower right side is the front side.

  The tape printer 1 according to the modification is of a type that can be connected to a general-purpose computer device such as a personal computer, and does not include a keyboard or a display. The cassette cover 6 is pivotally supported at the right end of the upper surface of the tape printer 1, and rotates about the front-rear axis and opens toward the right. The shape of the head pressing member 7 is not limited as long as the head pressing member 7 can press and press against the first upper plane portion 393A of the press receiving portion 393 of the tape cassette 30 when the cassette cover 6 is closed. As shown in FIG. 40, in this modification, it is comprised by the column-shaped member which protrudes below from the lower surface of the cassette cover 6. As shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the four peripheral pressing members 911 to 914 are provided. However, in the present modification, only three peripheral pressing members 911, 912, and 914 are provided.

  In the tape printer 1 in which the cassette cover 6 opens to the right, the head pressing member 7 approaches the presser receiving portion 393 along the head insertion portion 39 that is a space extending in the left-right direction. There is no interference with the tape cassette 30 before coming into contact with the flat portion 393A. However, if the inclined portion 394 is provided behind the first upper plane portion 393A, the cassette cover 6 opens rearward (FIGS. 1 and 2), and opens rightward (FIGS. 39 and 40) Any of the tape printers 1 can be used. Further, the tape printer 1 does not necessarily need to include the head pressing member 7 and the peripheral pressing members 911 to 914.

30 Tape cassette 31 Cassette case 34 Arm portion 39 Head insertion portion 42B Third ribbon lower regulating portion 60 Ink ribbon 301 Upper surface 302 Bottom surface 305 Upper plate 306 Bottom plate 311 Upper case 312 Lower case 321 First corner portion 341 Discharge ports 386A, 387A First 1 ribbon upper restricting portion 386B, 387B first ribbon lower restricting portion 388 second ribbon lower restricting portion 391 first receiving portion 391B first lower flat portion 392 second receiving portion 392B second lower flat portion 393 press receiving portion 393A First upper flat portion 420 First ribbon region 440 Second ribbon region

Claims (7)

A cassette case comprising an upper case having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces, and having an upper plate forming the upper surface, and a lower case having a lower plate forming the lower surface,
An ink ribbon used for printing, housed in the cassette case;
A part of the predetermined transport path that includes a part of the front surface and that extends from a first region that stores the unused ink ribbon to a second region that stores the used ink ribbon, and that extends in parallel with the front surface. And an arm portion for guiding the ink ribbon toward the discharge port,
In the lower case, a recess that is connected to an end of the arm portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the ink ribbon and has a part of the bottom surface that is recessed upward, and is located above the bottom surface. A first lower recess having a first lower plane portion which is a plane portion located at
In the portion constituting the arm portion of the lower case, the cassette case is vertically moved by a distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon from the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the discharge port and from the first lower flat portion. A ribbon cassette, comprising: a first lower regulating portion that regulates the downward movement of the ink ribbon provided at a position away from the direction.   2. The ribbon according to claim 1, wherein the first lower plane portion is provided at a certain distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the ink ribbon housed in the cassette case. cassette.   3. The ribbon cassette according to claim 2, wherein a distance in the vertical direction between the center position and the first lower flat surface portion is constant regardless of a width of the ink ribbon. An opening that passes through the cassette case in the vertical direction and extends in the left-right direction of the cassette case adjacent to the rear of the arm part;
In the cassette case, the ink ribbon discharged from the discharge port, which is provided at an end portion of the opening portion on the downstream side in the transport direction and on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the discharge port, is used as the transport path. A ribbon guide portion bent along the second region,
In the lower case, the bottom surface provided on the outer periphery of the opening in the vicinity of the ribbon guide part and in front of the portion connecting the ribbon guide part and the second region in the transport path. A second concave portion having a second lower flat portion, which is a concave portion having a part recessed upward, and is a flat portion located above the bottom surface;
The first lower recess is provided on the outer periphery of the opening and in the vicinity of the end of the opening on the upstream side in the transport direction,
The first lower restricting portion is located between the first lower flat portion and the second lower flat portion in the left-right direction of the cassette case,
4. The first lower flat surface portion and the second lower flat surface portion are located at the same distance in the vertical direction from the center position in the width direction of the ink ribbon. A ribbon cassette according to any one of the above.   A portion of the lower case that constitutes the ribbon guide portion, the lower portion of the ink ribbon provided in the vertical direction by the distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon from the second lower flat surface portion. The ribbon cassette according to claim 4, further comprising a second lower restricting portion that restricts movement in the direction.   The first region is adjacent to the first lower flat surface portion, and the distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon from the first lower flat surface portion in the portion constituting the first region of the lower case. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third lower restricting portion that restricts the downward movement of the ink ribbon, which is provided at a position separated by only the vertical direction. Ribbon cassette. In the upper case, a concave portion formed by connecting a part of the upper surface downwardly and provided to be connected to the end portion of the arm portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the ink ribbon, from the upper surface. An upper concave portion having an upper plane portion which is a lower portion and a plane portion located at a position facing the first lower plane portion;
In a portion constituting the arm portion of the upper case, at a position upstream from the discharge port in the transport direction and away from the upper flat portion by a distance corresponding to the width of the ink ribbon in the vertical direction. The ribbon cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an upper regulating portion that regulates upward movement of the ink ribbon.

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