JP3238296B2 - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cassette, and more particularly to a tape cassette provided with a lock mechanism for locking a lid covering a front portion from which a magnetic tape is pulled out.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a tape cassette of a type having an openable / closable lid 2 for covering a front portion of a case includes a case main body 1 and a front portion for drawing out a magnetic tape in the case main body. And a lid 2 that opens and closes. The lid 2 has side plates 4 pivotally mounted on both sides of the main body with a shaft 5 and is always urged in a closing direction by a spring. As shown in FIG. 2, a locking projection 6 is provided on one inner surface of the side plate 4, while a lid lock member 3 constantly urged forward by a spring 7 on the case body 1 side. Is axis 8
It is attached by. Claw 9 of lid lock member 3
Engages with the locking portion 6 of the lid and locks the lid so that rotation of the lid in the direction of arrow a does not occur.

[0003] In the current tape cassette, the lid lock operation is often performed by rotation through a shaft 8 as shown in FIG. 2, but the one that rotates through the shaft is up and down. Since the bearing is supported by the hole formed by the combination of the cases, the rotation operation may be deteriorated due to a slight dust or a variation in the size of the upper and lower cases. Also, in the rotation operation via the shaft, the shaft is always in contact with the half,
Due to the white powder due to the scraping, only an expensive resin having good slidability such as POM could be used as the molding resin.

[0004] Therefore, it has been demanded to improve the operation failure due to the variation in component combination accuracy and to provide a tape cassette having a reliable lock mechanism without being limited to expensive resin.

[0005] In order to meet this demand, it is necessary to provide a configuration in which the displacement of the claw is caused without passing through the shaft. Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the lock member 3 in which the fixed portion 3a, the connecting portion 3b, and the lock portion 3c are integrally formed, the spring 7 presses the back of the lock portion 3c in the engaging direction, and the claw 9 is pressed. Is side plate 4
A configuration that engages with the locking projections 6 of the above was considered. According to this configuration, the displacement of the claw 9 can be obtained by using the bending of the connecting portion 3b without using the shaft, so that the above requirement can be satisfied.

However, in this lock member 3 in which the thickness of the connecting portion 3b is constant and thin, when an unnecessary external force is applied to the lid, the best position (in the vicinity of the fixing portion 3a) does not bend, and the vicinity of the locking portion 3c is not bent. Deflects, the pawl 9 slips through between the stopper 11 and the locking projection 6, and the engagement with the locking projection 6 may be released. This is because the bent portion of the connecting portion 3b is not limited to one where the swing radius (the linear distance between the bent portion and the claw 9) is long.

In the case of FIG. 3A, when the tape cassette is installed in the deck for a long period of time, the temperature inside the deck is high, so that the connecting portion 3b is connected as shown in FIG. Sometimes deformed like a bow. If such a deformation occurs, the lid 2 cannot be locked because the engagement with the locking projection 6 does not work well, or even if the lid 2 can be locked, the lid 2 becomes loose, so that dust may enter from a slight opening. The tape could be damaged.

[0008] In order to suppress deformation due to heat,
It is conceivable to increase the thickness . Regarding such a configuration, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-132383 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-83
No. 4976, No. 4-16678, and No. 4-1
There is a conventional example such as No. 6679. The latter two examples have a configuration in which the swing radius is longer than those of the first two examples. With this configuration, since the amount of deformation of the connecting portion with respect to the displacement of the lock portion can be small, it is more suitable for repeated use than the first two examples in which the swing radius is short. The lock mechanism of Japanese Utility Model Laid- Open No. 4-16679 has a fixing portion 3a 'and a connecting portion 3 as shown in FIG.
Lock member 3 'integrally formed with b' and lock portion 3c '
However, after the tape cassette is assembled, it is fitted and fixed at a predetermined position, and the spring 7 ′ presses the back of the lock portion 3 c ′ in the engaging direction so that the claw 9 ′ engages with the locking projection 6 ′ of the side plate 4. It has become.

However, since the lock member 3 'having the thick wall shape has to increase the unlocking force of the deck, the load on the fixing portion increases. Further, in the lock member 3 ', although most of the large deviations in dimensions due to heat can be eliminated, there is still a possibility of deformation such that the engagement relationship is hindered. When deformation occurs in this thick shape, the urging force of the spring 7 'must be increased, and as a result, the unlocking force must be further increased.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a lock mechanism in which the engagement between the locking projection and the claw is not released due to unnecessary external force. An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette having a lock mechanism capable of maintaining an appropriate engagement relationship between a projection and a claw and requiring no increase in the urging force and unlocking force of a spring.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A tape cassette according to the present invention comprises an upper case and a lower case having a tape reel therein, a lid rotatably mounted on the upper and lower cases, and a lock for locking the lid. A lid lock formed by integrally molding a lock portion including a dovetail, a fixed portion fixed near the upper surface side of the upper case, and a connecting portion connecting the lock portion and the fixed portion so that the lock portion swings. A member, an engaged portion provided on the lid and engaged with an upper surface of the engagement claw , and the lid lock held by the upper or lower case always attached to the engagement claw of the lid. In a tape cassette provided with a biasing spring, the connecting portion is formed as a thin portion only near the fixed portion, and
Lid that restricts the movement of the lock member in the locking direction
A lock stopper is provided near the lower side of the engaging claw.
Tape cassette, characterized in that. Another aspect of the tape cassette according to the present invention is characterized in that the thin portion of the connecting portion is formed in a hinge shape.

[0012]

The lid lock member is formed integrally with the lock portion, the connecting portion and the fixed portion, and the portion near the fixed portion of the connecting portion is formed to be thin, so that the bent portion is swung by the engaging claw. It is limited to the part where the moving radius is maximum. As a result, even if an unnecessary external force acts on the lid, the swing radius of the engaging claw is long, so that the displacement of the engaging claw can be reduced and the disengagement due to the external force can be avoided. Even if the connecting portion is deformed due to heat, the portion to bend is limited to the thin portion, so that it is not necessary to increase the urging force and the unlocking force of the spring. Further, if the thin portion of the connecting portion is formed in a hinge shape, a pivoting fulcrum is fixed at one point and a position at which the swinging radius of the engaging claw can be maximized can be selected, so that the disengagement due to the external force can be further reduced. It can be reliably prevented.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The structure of the tape cassette of the present invention is the same as that of the conventional tape cassette except for the lock mechanism. Therefore, the above description will be referred to, and the common parts to the conventional example will be indicated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 5 shows a first embodiment of the lock mechanism of the present invention. In the lock mechanism of the present invention, the locking projection 6 of the lid side plate 4, the lock portion 32 including the claw 31, and the connecting portion 35 including the thin portion 37 (the portion within the circle) and the fixing portion 36 are integrally formed from plastic or the like. And a lock portion 3 of the lid lock member 30.
And a lid lock member integrally formed with the lower half 1b on the lower side in the vicinity of the claw 31 and the spring 20 for constantly biasing the claw 31 toward the left of the drawing (the direction of engagement between the claw 31 and the locking projection 6). 30
Lid lock stopper 4 to limit leftward movement of
0, and when closed, as shown in FIG.
Is engaged with the pawl 31 of the lid lock member 30, and the lid 2
In addition to preventing unnecessary opening due to rotation of the lid,
Lid lock stopper 40
Lock by preventing movement of the padlock member 30.
To ensure.

The spring 20 is fixed to the case body 1 at one end 21 and presses the back 33 of the lock portion 32 at the other end 22 to the left in the drawing.

In the lid lock member 30, a lock portion 32 including a claw 31, a connecting portion 35 including a thin portion 37 for facilitating swinging of the lock portion 32, and a fixing portion 36 are integrally formed of plastic. In the manner as shown in FIG.
The fixing portion 36 is fixed to a position near the upper surface side of the upper half 1 a, and the back portion 33 of the lock portion 22 is pressed by the spring 20 and constantly urged in the direction of engaging with the locking protrusion 6 of the lid side plate 4. .

The case body 1 is further provided with a lid lock stopper 40 so that the claw 31 of the lid lock member 30 is not pushed more than necessary to the left by the spring 20.

[0018]

When a lock release member (not shown) of the recording / reproducing apparatus acts on the lock mechanism having such a structure, a force against the urging force of the spring 20 is exerted on the lid lock member 30 so that the thin portion 37 is provided. With the lid as the fulcrum
The swing of the lock portion 32 of 0 is obtained, and the same effect as the conventional rotation via the shaft is obtained. As a result, since there is no need to provide a hole for supporting the shaft of the lid lock member, there is no influence of accumulated dust, and there is no problem in that the rotation operation is deteriorated due to variations in dimensions of the upper and lower cases. Further, since there is no fear of scraping at the contact portion, even an inexpensive resin can be used.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, by providing the thin portion 37 near the fixing portion 36 of the connecting portion 35, a long swing radius of the claw 31 can be secured, and unnecessary external force is applied to the lid 2. However, the engagement between the locking projections 6 and the claws 31 can be reliably prevented. The long swing radius further leads to providing a lock member suitable for repeated use.
Further, even if the connecting portion 35 is deformed by heat, since the bent portion is the thin portion 37, the spring 20 has a disadvantage as described above.
It is not necessary to increase the urging force and the unlocking force of. Thereby, the object of the present invention is achieved.

Lastly, in FIG. 5, a part of the connecting part 35 is simply made thinner. However, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vicinity of the fixing part 36 of the connecting part 35 is hinged (3).
8, 38 '), and a similar effect can be obtained. With such a configuration, since the fulcrum can be limited to one point, the fulcrum can be selected at a position closer to the fixed portion 36,
A longer swing radius is obtained, and the engagement between the locking projection 6 and the claw 31 can be more reliably prevented.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, what is currently considered to be the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
It will be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are to be included in the spirit of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional tape cassette.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional lock mechanism.

3 (a) is a partial perspective view of a lock mechanism considered to solve the disadvantage of the lock mechanism of FIG. 2,
(B) is a partial perspective view of the lock mechanism showing a state where a part of the lock mechanism of (a) is deformed by heat.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a conventional lock mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a lock mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a lock mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view showing a lock mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case main body 2 Lid 3, 30 Lid lock member 3a, 3a ', 36 Fixed part of lid lock member 3b, 3b', 35 Connection part of lid lock member 3c, 3c ', 32 Lock part of lid lock member 4 Lid side plate 5 Opening / closing shaft of lid 6, 6 'Locking projection 7, 7', 20 Spring for urging lock portion 8 Shaft of lid lock member 9, 9 ', 31 Engagement claw of lid lock member 11, 40 Stopper 21 Spring Fixed end 22 Spring biasing end 33 Back part of lock part 37 Thin part of connecting part 38, 38 'Hinge part of connecting part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-78082 (JP, A) JP-A-4-19883 (JP, A) JP-A-62-270083 (JP, A) 16679 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G11B 23/087 521

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An upper case and a lower case having a tape reel therein, a lid rotatably mounted on the upper and lower cases, a lock portion including an engagement claw for locking the lid, A lid lock member formed integrally with a fixed portion fixed near the upper surface side and a connecting portion connecting the lock portion and the fixed portion so that the lock portion swings; and An engaged portion to be engaged with the upper surface of the engaging claw , and a spring held by the upper or lower case and constantly biasing the lid lock against the engaging claw of the lid. In the tape cassette, the connecting portion is formed in a thin portion only in the vicinity of the fixing portion.
The lock restricts the movement of the lid lock member in the locking direction.
A lock lock stopper close to the lower side of the engaging claw.
Tape cassette characterized by the fact that 2. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion comprises a thin portion and a thick portion. 3. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the thin portion of the connecting portion is formed in a hinge shape.