JP3358035B2 - Tape cartridge - 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 cartridge having a front lid and an upper lid for opening and closing a tape loading pocket.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of tape cartridge is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
It is known in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 584. Here, as part of the compactness of the tape recorder system, unlike a lid opening / closing mode in which a tape loading pocket is opened / closed by a double lid of a front lid and a rear lid, as in an 8 mm video tape cartridge, for example. In addition to the lid and the back cover, an upper cover that opens and closes the upper surface of the pocket is also provided, and the addition of the upper cover increases the opening amounts of the front cover and the back cover.

[0003]

However, the upper lid of the above-mentioned conventional tape cartridge is pivotally connected to the front lid.
As the front lid rotates upward, the upper lid merely slides on the upper wall of the main body case toward the rear of the upper surface of the pocket, and there is an upper lid between the upper lid and the main body case. Therefore, if the pivotal connection between the upper lid and the front lid is loose, it is difficult to accurately move the upper lid backward, and there is a concern that the opening / closing operation of the upper lid cannot be reliably performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a tape cartridge having a front lid and an upper lid as described above, whereby the upper lid is reliably moved and guided to the rear of the pocket in conjunction with the front lid, thereby ensuring the opening and closing operation of the upper lid. is there. Another object of the present invention is to increase the upper opening angle of the front cover so that the head cylinder can enter the pocket.

[0005]

As shown in the drawing, a tape cartridge which is the premise of the present invention has tape outlets 4, 4 on the left and right sides of the front surface of a main body case 1 having a reel 3 on which a tape 2 is wound. A tape loading pocket 6 whose upper and lower surfaces and a front surface are opened is provided between the tape outlets 4, 4, respectively, and a front lid 7 for opening and closing the pocket 6 and the front surface of the tape outlets 4, 4 is provided as a main body case. 1 is supported so as to be openable and rotatable about a rotation shaft 13, and in conjunction with opening and closing of the front lid 7, the upper surface of the pocket 6 and the tape outlet 4.
4 is provided with an upper lid 10 for opening and closing the upper wall.

In addition, according to the present invention, the upper lid 10 comprises a main face plate 24 and side plates 25 and 2 connected to both left and right ends of the main face plate 24.
5, the front end of the main face plate 24 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the front lid 7 so as to be rotatable around the joint pin 27;
A guide means is provided between the main body case 1 and the upper lid 10 for moving and guiding the upper lid 10 to retreat to the rear of the upper surface of the pocket 6 as the front lid 7 opens and rotates.
Sliding shafts 26 protrude from the inner rear ends of the left and right side plates 25, and are attached to the left and right side walls 14 of the main body case 1.
Is slidably fitted in a guide groove 30 recessed in the front-rear direction on the outer surface of the main body case 1, and the rear end of the guide groove 30 is formed to extend to a position near the position intersecting with the reel storage area W in the main body case 1, At the rear end of the guide groove 30, a forwardly inclined surface 31 is formed which is inclined upward from the groove bottom toward the rear of the outer surface of the side wall 14.
The backward inclined surface 3 having substantially the same gradient as the forward inclined surface 31
2 is provided.

[0007]

When the front lid 7 is opened upward around the pivot shaft 13 toward the upper side of the pocket 6, the upper lid 10 is pushed upward by the front lid 7 toward the rear of the pocket while the front end of the upper lid 10 is pushed upward. However, at this time, the sliding shaft 26 is moved and guided along the guide groove 30 to the rear of the upper surface of the pocket 6, so that the sliding shaft 26 is stably and reliably opened to the rear of the pocket.

The rear end of the guide groove 30 is formed so as to extend to a position near the position where the guide groove 30 intersects the reel storage area W in the main body case 1. Therefore, the upper lid 10 can largely move the sliding shaft 26 to the rear of the upper surface of the pocket 6 until the rearwardly inclined surface 32 approaches or comes into contact with the forwardly inclined surface 31 at the rear end of the guide groove 30. The upper opening angle of the head cylinder 7 can be increased, and the head cylinder can be made to enter the inside of the pocket 6 without interfering with the front lid 7.

[0009]

An embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This tape cartridge is for a video recorder for making a tape recorder system more compact. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main body case 1 is formed by abutting plastic upper and lower cases 1a and 1b. A pair of left and right reels 3 around which the tape 2 is wound are rotatably provided. The tape 2 pulled out from one of the reels 3 is guided by tape guides 5.5 provided at the left and right tape outlets 4 in the front of the main body case 1 and wound on the other reel 3.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a tape loading pocket 6 is provided at the center of the front surface of the main body case 1, that is, between the left and right tape outlets 4. The pocket 6 is formed to open the upper and lower surfaces and the front surface. The tape 2 led out to the front side of the main body case 1 is covered and protected by the front cover 7, the back cover 9 and the upper cover 10 when not in use.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the front lid 7
Principal plate 1 that closes the front of pocket 6 and tape outlet 4
1 and a side plate 12 integrally connected from the left and right ends of the main face plate 11 toward the rear of the case. Rotating shafts 13 project from respective inner surfaces of the left and right side plates 12.
The left and right side plates 12 are the left and right side walls 1 of the main body case 1.
The rotation shaft 13 is rotatably fitted into a shaft hole 15 provided in each side wall 14 such that the front ends of the front ends 4 and 14 face each other. As a result, the front lid 7 can be turned left and right over a position for closing the front surfaces of the left and right tape outlets 4.4 and the pocket 6 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 and an upper open position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is openable and closable about the driving shaft 13. The front lid 7 has a torsion coil type spring 16 mounted on one of the left and right rotation shafts 13 (see FIG. 7).
The spring 16 is always biased to rotate in the closing direction.

In FIG. 6, a lock member 17 is provided to securely hold the front lid 7 in the closed state. The lock member 17 has a claw 18 at an upper and lower intermediate portion at a front end thereof and a shaft 19 at a base at an upper end thereof. The shaft 19 swings back and forth on a bearing 20 provided on a side wall 14 of the lower case 1b. Freely support it horizontally. When not in use, a spring member 21 disposed on the rear side of the lock member 17 is urged to swing forward, so that the claw 18 projects from the inner surface of the rear end of the side plate 12 of the front lid 7. The projection 22 is engaged with the projection 22, whereby the closed state of the front lid 7 is maintained. When the tape is loaded into the tape recorder, the release member 23 on the recorder side enters between the side wall 14 and the side plate 12 from the front of the main body case 1 and presses and contacts the lower end of the lock member 17. 17 swings backward against the force of the spring member 21, and the pawl 18
Get off.

An upper lid 10 for opening and closing the upper surface of the pocket 6 is pivotally connected to the front lid 7. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the upper lid 10 includes a main surface plate 24 that covers the upper surface of the pocket 6 and the upper walls of the left and right tape outlets 4, and a side plate that extends downward from both left and right ends of the main surface plate 24. The sliding shafts 26 project from the inner surfaces of the rear ends of the left and right side plates 25, respectively. The upper lid 10 closes the upper surface of the pocket 6 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 and retreats greatly to the rear of the upper surface of the pocket 6 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It can be opened and closed freely over the open position. For this purpose, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the upper lid 10 is provided with a pair of left and right forked arms 28, 28 having joint pins 27 at both left and right ends of a front end 24a of the main face plate 24. The upper end 11a of the front lid 7 in between
And the joint pin 27 is connected to the upper end portion 11.
By being fitted into pin holes 29 provided on both right and left end surfaces of a, a pivotal connection is made rotatably around the joint pin 27. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the sliding shaft 26 is slidable in a substantially “H” -shaped guide groove 30 which is recessed in the front and rear outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 14 of the main body case 1. Fit into

The left and right side walls 1 on which the guide grooves 30 are formed
4 can be roughly divided into a first half 14A and a second half 14B as shown in FIG. The front half portion 14A is formed so as to be deflected more inward than the rear half portion 14B, and the inner front half portion 14A is arranged in the front-rear direction with respect to the reel storage area W (the location indicated by stippling in FIG. 2) in the main body case 1. Is arranged to intersect.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the guide groove 30 is formed on the outermost surface 14A of the front half 14A of the side wall 14. As shown in FIG.
a linear groove portion 30a, which is recessed on the first stepped surface 14b, which is stepped down by about the thickness of the side plate 25 of the upper lid 10 one step inside from the inner side of the upper lid 10 and is horizontally recessed in the front-rear direction,
and a circular groove portion 30b continuously formed in a forward downward shape at the front end of a. First half 14
At the front end of the first stepped surface 14b of A, there is formed a second stepped surface 14c which is further depressed inward. The second
Of the side wall 14 and the side plate 1 of the front lid 7
This is because a gap is formed between the recording medium 2 and the release member 23 on the recorder side for releasing the closed lock state of the front lid 7 by the lock member 17 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide groove 30 has a rear end of the linear groove 30a formed in the reel housing area W in the main body case 1 in order to increase a retreat amount (stroke) of the upper cover 10 as much as possible. And extend backward until it reaches the vicinity of the position where it intersects. When the guide groove 30 is formed to extend rearward, for example, as shown in a comparative example in FIG. 8, it is conceivable to form the guide groove 30 so as to maintain a constant groove depth up to the rear end of the linear groove portion 30a. From the above-mentioned cross-sectional shape of the side wall 14, the thickness of the groove bottom wall becomes thin at the rear end, so that the formability is deteriorated. In the worst case, a hole P is opened as shown in FIG. And dust enter. Therefore, in forming the rearward extension of the guide groove 30, at the rear end of the linear groove portion 30a, a forwardly inclined surface 31 is formed which inclines upward from the groove bottom toward the rear of the outer surface of the side wall 14 as shown in FIG. Adopt a groove bottom structure. As a result, the thickness of the groove bottom wall can be sufficiently secured up to the rear end of the guide groove 30, and it is possible to prevent a hole from being formed at the rear end and the occurrence of molding defects. On the other hand, the sliding shaft 26 of the upper lid 10 fitted in the guide groove 30 is provided with a rearward inclined surface 32 having substantially the same gradient as the inclined surface 31 at the end thereof, and the rearward inclined surface 32 is provided on the inclined surface 31. The upper lid 10 can be retracted with the opening of the front lid 7 until the upper lid 10 approaches or comes into contact with the upper lid 10.

The back cover 9 is, as shown in FIGS.
Connecting pins 35 are provided on the left and right of the upper end, and the connecting pins 3
5 are pin holes 3 at both ends of a rib 36 provided on the inner surface of the upper lid 10.
7 to be pivotally connected. Also, leg portions 38 are provided on the left and right of the lower rear surface of the back cover 9, and sliding pins 39 provided on the left and right legs 38 are provided on the left and right side walls in the pocket 6, respectively. 40 is slidably engaged. Therefore, the back cover 9 closes the back side of the tape 2 in the pocket 6 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 5 with the opening and closing of the front cover 7 and the upper cover 10, and the pocket as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Upper lid 1 in the open state behind the upper surface of 6
Openable and closable over an open position located below 0.

When the tape cartridge having the above configuration is loaded into the tape recorder, the front lid 7 is pivoted upward about the pivot shaft 13. When the front lid 7 is pivoted upward, the slide shaft 26 is connected to the arc groove of the guide groove 30. The front end 24a is tilted obliquely upward from the upper surface of the pocket 6 and is pushed rearward by being moved and guided backward by the pocket 30b and the linear groove portion 30a. At the same time, with the opening of the upper lid 10, the back lid 9 is guided by the sliding pin 39 upward and rearward by the guide groove 40 and is taken behind the upper surface of the pocket 6 until it overlaps the lower side of the open lid 10. Open and move. In this case, since the guide groove 30 is formed to extend rearward to a position near the position intersecting with the reel storage area W in the main body case 1 and a forwardly inclined surface 31 is provided at a rear end thereof, the upper lid 10 is provided with the sliding shaft 26. The rearwardly inclined surface 32 can be largely retreated backward until it approaches or comes into contact with the forwardly inclined surface 31. For this reason, the front cover 7 has an angle α of 100 ° or more as shown in FIG.
This allows the head cylinder to enter the pocket 6 without interfering with the front lid 7.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the sliding shaft 26 and the guide groove 30 are provided between the upper lid 10 and the main body case 1.
Is provided, the upper cover 10 can be reliably guided to the rear of the pocket with the opening rotation of the front cover 7, and the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 10 can be performed reliably. In addition, the rear end of the guide groove 30 is formed to extend to a position near the position intersecting with the reel storage area W in the main body case 1,
A forward inclined surface 31 is provided at the rear end, while a backward inclined surface 32 is provided at the distal end of the sliding shaft 26 that slides in the guide groove 30. Therefore, the guide groove 30 can be formed as long as possible rearward without making a hole, ensuring a sufficient thickness of the bottom wall of the groove and improving moldability. In addition, the upper lid 10
Can be guided sufficiently rearward, and the front lid 7 can be largely opened upward, so that the head cylinder can enter the pocket 6 and the tape recorder system can be made compact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a main part in a state in which a lid is being opened.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the entire appearance.

FIG. 4 is an overall cross-sectional plan view.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view around the front lid closing lock mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a front lid, a back lid, and an upper lid.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a defective comparative example corresponding to FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Tape 4 Tape outlet 6 Pocket 7 Front lid 10 Upper lid 13 Rotating axis 14 Side wall of main case 24 Main face plate of upper lid 25 Side plate of upper lid 26 Sliding axis 30 Guide groove 31 Forward inclined surface 32 Backward inclined surface

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tape in which a tape outlet (4) is provided on the left and right sides of a front surface of a main body case (1) containing a reel (3) on which a tape (2) is wound, and upper and lower surfaces and a front surface are opened between the tape outlets (4). A loading pocket 6 is provided, and a front lid 7 for opening and closing the front surface of the pocket 6 and the tape outlets 4 is supported by the main body case 1 so as to open up around a rotation shaft 13 and to be rotatable. An upper lid 10 for opening and closing the upper surface of the pocket 6 and the upper wall of the tape outlet 4 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front lid 7, and the upper lid 10 is provided continuously at the left and right ends of the main face plate 24 and the main face plate 24. The front end side of the main face plate 24 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the front cover 7 so as to be rotatable around a joint pin 27, between the main body case 1 and the upper cover 10. When the front lid 7 is opened upward, the upper lid 10 is A guide means for moving the guide to retreat into the top rear side of Tsu bets 6, the guide means is the upper cover 10
Sliding shafts 26 protrude from the inner rear ends of the left and right side plates 25, and are attached to the left and right side walls 14 of the main body case 1.
Is slidably fitted in a guide groove 30 recessed in the front-rear direction on an outer surface of the main body case 1.
The guide groove 3 is extended to the vicinity of the position where the guide groove 3 intersects.
At the rear end of the sliding shaft 26, a forwardly inclined surface 31 is formed which is inclined upward from the groove bottom toward the rear of the outer surface of the side wall 14. A tape cartridge having an inclined surface 32.