JP4936318B2 - Storage case for tape cartridge - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage case for storing and storing or carrying a tape cartridge, and particularly to a storage case in which a case body and a lid are integrally formed.

  A storage case that integrally includes a case body, a lid, and a back wall is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. In this case, the case main body and the lid are connected via a back wall, and adjacent edges of the case main body, the lid and the back wall are connected by an integrally formed hinge. In the storage case of Patent Document 2, the back wall is formed integrally with the case main body, and adjacent edges of the case main body and the lid are connected by an integrally formed hinge.

  In this type of storage case, a pair of locking ribs are provided on the left and right of the central portion of the case body made of polypropylene, and the tape cartridge accommodated in the case body is inserted and fitted into the locking rib hub hole. Positioning is known from US Pat. The locking rib is formed of a cylindrical protrusion that opens upward, and a slit is formed on the cylindrical wall from the cylindrical wall protruding end to the cylindrical wall proximal end. This storage case is intended for storing large and heavy commercial tape cartridges, and is required to have high durability as a basic specification.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-171283 (paragraph number 0008, FIG. 2) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-54380 (paragraph number 0012, FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-8142 (paragraph number 0014, FIG. 1)

  In the storage case of Patent Document 3, in order to position the tape cartridge stored in the case body, the hub hole of the tape reel is inserted and fitted into the pair of left and right locking ribs. Thus, in the storage case that positions the tape cartridge with the pair of left and right locking ribs, for example, when the storage case is accidentally dropped on the floor surface, the drop impact concentrates on the locking ribs. The locking rib may be damaged. In particular, when the long side portion of the storage case falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface, the locking rib is easily damaged.

  In that regard, in the storage case of Patent Document 3, since the slit is formed in the locking rib, it is expected that the impact load can be alleviated by the elastic deformation of the cylindrical wall divided by the slit. However, an imaginary line passing through the centers of the opposed slits is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the long side portion of the tape cartridge. Therefore, when the impact force in the direction orthogonal to the previous imaginary line acts on the cylindrical wall of the locking rib, the cylindrical wall having a semicircular cross section can be elastically deformed to effectively relax and absorb the impact load. When the long side of the storage case falls in a posture that is parallel to the floor, that is, when the storage case falls in a posture that is most susceptible to damage during the fall, the drop impact cannot be effectively mitigated. Stop ribs are easily damaged.

  Since the slit is formed from the protruding end of the locking rib to the base end of the cylindrical wall, when an external force acts on the cylindrical wall, stress concentrates on the base end portion of the locking rib, and the cylindrical wall has a semicircular cross section. It is inevitable that the bending strength of the steel plate is lowered, which also causes the locking ribs to be easily damaged.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a storage case in which the case body is provided with a restriction boss that engages with the reel gear of the tape reel. An object of the present invention is to provide a storage case that can reliably prevent damage and protect a tape cartridge appropriately. An object of the present invention is to provide a storage case suitable for a large-sized and heavy business tape cartridge that is often used under severe use conditions.

  In the storage case of the present invention, tape reels 22 for winding the tape 21 are arranged on the left and right sides of the main body case 20, and a reel gear 30 that meshes with the drive shaft of the tape drive is formed on the inner surface of the boss 28 of the tape reel 22. The tape cartridge is a storage target. The storage case is integrally provided with a case body 1 that houses the tape cartridge and a lid 3 that opens and closes the upper opening surface of the case body 1. Cylindrical regulating bosses 8 that engage with the reel gear 30 of the tape reel 22 project from the left and right inner surfaces of the bottom wall 5 of the case body 1. A pair of slits 15 are formed on the opposing surface of the cylinder wall of the restriction boss 8 from the protruding end of the restriction boss 30 to the middle part in the vertical direction. Both slits 15 are formed so that a virtual center line P passing through the centers of both slits 15 is parallel to the long side portion of the tape cartridge accommodated in the case body 1. A thin-walled portion 16 having a tapered shape is formed at least at the center portion in the circumferential direction of each cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15 from the middle part of each cylindrical wall 8a toward the tip of each cylindrical wall 8.

  The restriction boss 8 is formed in a circular cross section. The thin-walled portion 16 is formed in a tapered shape that is tapered on the entire peripheral surface of each cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15.

  The slit width B of both slits 15 is set larger than the tooth tip width b of the gear teeth 30a constituting the reel gear 30, and the lower end position of the slit 15 is set higher than the lower end position of the tooth tip surface 30b of the gear teeth 30a. To do.

  In the present invention, a pair of slits 15 are formed on the opposing surfaces of the cylindrical wall of the restriction boss 8, a virtual center line P passing through the centers of both slits 15, and the long side portion of the tape cartridge housed in the case body 1 To be parallel. Furthermore, when the cylindrical wall 8a is elastically formed when an external force is applied to the cylindrical wall 8a by forming an upper constricted thin portion 16 at least in the central portion in the circumferential direction of each cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15. The external force can be relaxed and absorbed by deformation.

  Therefore, according to the storage case of the present invention, even under the worst situation in which the long side portion of the storage case falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface, the impact force is received by the thin portion 16 of the cylindrical wall 8a. The impact force can be relaxed and absorbed by the wall 8a being elastically deformed. In other words, the upper half portion of the restriction boss 8 is bent more easily than the lower half portion, and the upper half portion is bent and deformed to reduce the impact force. Therefore, the load is concentrated on the protruding proximal end portion of the restriction boss 8. Therefore, it is possible to reliably eliminate the breakage of the restricting boss 8 and protect the tape cartridge properly. In particular, it is possible to provide a storage case suitable for a business-use tape cartridge which is often used under severe use conditions and which is large and heavy.

  When the restricting boss 8 is formed in a circular cross section and the tapered tapered thin portion 16 is formed on the entire peripheral surface of each cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15, the restricting boss 8 is externally applied from an arbitrary direction around it. When receiving, the thin-walled portion 16 is elastically deformed equally, so that the restriction boss 8 can always be prevented from being damaged regardless of the falling posture of the storage case.

  The slit width B of both slits 15 is set larger than the tooth tip width b of the gear teeth 30a constituting the reel gear 30, and the lower end position of the slit 15 is set higher than the lower end position of the tooth tip surface 30b of the gear teeth 30a. Then, when the short side portion of the storage case falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface, the gear teeth 30 a try to enter the slit 15. However, since the lower end position of the slit 15 is set to a position slightly higher than the lower end position of the tooth tip surface 30b of the gear tooth 30a, the lower part of the tooth tip surface 30b is received by the edge of the bottom surface of the slit 15, and the gear tooth 30 a cannot enter the slit 15. In this way, by receiving only a part of the gear teeth 30a with the restriction boss 8, the tape reel 22 is tilted to release the impact, and the other part of the tilted gear teeth 30a contacts the cylindrical wall 8a. A part of the cylindrical wall 8a is elastically deformed, so that the impact can be reduced and the restriction boss 8 can be prevented from being damaged.

(Example) FIGS. 1-6 shows the Example of the storage case based on this invention. 1 and 2, the storage case is made of a plastic molded product that integrally includes a case body 1, a back wall 2 that is continuous with the rear edge of the case body 1, and a lid 3 that is continuous with the back wall 2. The case body 1 is formed in a shallow rectangular box shape that is open upward, with a horizontally long bottom wall 5 and a square frame-shaped peripheral frame 6 provided along the periphery of the bottom wall 5. A flange wall 5 a for receiving the lid 3 is projected along the peripheral edge of the base end 6. The left and right of the front and rear walls of the peripheral frame 6 and the front and rear walls of the left and right walls are respectively formed with bulging portions 7 for receiving the four circumferential side surfaces of the main body case 20 of the tape cartridge. A restricting boss 8 is provided so as to protrude from the reel gear 30 of the tape reel 22 to restrict the rattling of the tape cartridge.

  The lid 3 is formed by an upper wall 11 having the same shape and size as the bottom wall 5 and a U-shaped frame-shaped peripheral frame 12 provided along the periphery of the upper wall 11. The case body 1 and the back wall 2, and the back wall 2 and the lid body 3 are continuous via thin integral hinges 13 and 14 provided at the respective adjacent edges. As a result, the back wall 2 can be bent around the integrally formed hinge 13, and similarly, the lid 3 can be bent via the integrally formed hinge 14.

  2, the upper surface opening of the case body 1 is closed by the lid body 3 by covering the case body 1 with the back wall 2 standing upright, and the surrounding frame 6 of the case body 1 is closed. Is covered with a peripheral frame 12 on the lid 3 side. In this state, the protruding edge of the latter peripheral frame 12 is received by the flange wall 5a. Although not shown, a lock structure is provided between the case body 1 and the lid body 3 to restrict the lid body 3 from being inadvertently opened.

  In FIG. 1, the tape cartridge is composed mainly of a business-use tape cartridge in which tape reels 22 and 22 for winding a tape (magnetic tape) 21 are arranged on the left and right sides of a horizontally long rectangular box-shaped main body case 20, respectively. The total weight is 192g. A lid 23 that swings and opens the loading pocket is provided on one long side of the main body case 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tape reel 22 includes a lower flange 26 in which a reel hub 25 is integrally formed, and an upper flange 27 fixed to the lower flange 26. A boss 28 is integrally provided on the inner surface of the reel hub 25, and a spline hole-like reel gear 30 that meshes with a drive shaft (not shown) on the tape drive side is formed in a hub hole 29 surrounded by the boss 28. It is. As shown in FIG. 4, the reel gear 30 is formed by projecting six gear teeth 30 a at equal intervals on the inner surface of the hub hole 29. The upper flange 27 is welded and fixed to the upper end surface of the boss 28. When not in use, the tape reel 22 is pressed downward by a reel presser spring 31 made of a leaf spring, whereby the central portion of the lower flange 26 opens in the drive shaft insertion hole 32 opened in the bottom wall of the main body case 20. Through the case (see FIG. 3). That is, the hub hole 29 and the reel gear 30 face the outside of the case via the drive shaft insertion holes 32, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tape cartridge is accommodated in the case main body 1 with the lid 23 facing the back wall 2, and the reel gear 30 of the tape reel 22 engages with the restriction boss 8. Specifically, the restriction boss 8 is fitted into the space surrounded by the six gear teeth 30a to restrict the entire tape cartridge from rattling. As shown in FIG. 4, the gear teeth 30a and the restriction boss 8 are engaged via a slight gap (about 0.3 mm).

  In the storage case configured as described above, in order to prevent the restriction boss 8 from being damaged even when the storage case falls in a posture that is most susceptible to damage during dropping, the cylinder wall of the restriction boss 8 is prevented from being damaged. In consideration of the relationship with the storage posture of the tape cartridge, the pair of slits 15 is formed, and the thin portion 16 is formed on the outer surface of the semicircular cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15. There are features.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the slit 15 is formed from the protruding end of the restriction boss 8 to a slightly lower side in the vertical center, and a virtual center line P passing through the centers of both the slits 15 and 15 is a case main body. 1 is formed so as to be parallel to the long side portion of the tape cartridge housed in 1. The slit width B of the slit 15 is set to be larger than the tooth tip width b of the gear tooth 30a. In this embodiment, when the tooth tip width b is 2 mm, the slit width B is 4 mm. The bottom surface of the slit 15 is rounded into a semicircle.

  The thin-walled portion 16 is formed in an upwardly tapered shape over the entire peripheral surface of each cylindrical wall 8 a, and its lower end position is set to the same height as the lower end position of the slit 15. This height is set at a position slightly higher than the lower end position of the tooth tip surface 30b of the gear tooth 30a. The reason will be described later. In addition, the thickness dimension of the upper end of the thin part 16 was made into the half of the cylinder wall thickness of the control boss | hub 8.

  As described above, the thin-walled portion 16 formed in an upwardly tapered shape can relieve the impact force by being elastically deformed by receiving an external force such as a drop impact. Further, by forming the thin portion 16 on the entire peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 8a, the thin portion 16 can be equally elastically deformed when receiving an external force acting from any direction around the regulating boss 8. Further, when the tape cartridge is loaded into the case body 1 while the main body case 20 is applied to the bulging portion 7, the thin taper portion 16 having a tapered shape is formed when the reel gear 30 is fitted into the restriction rib 8. Since it functions as a guide surface, the tape cartridge can be easily loaded.

  As described above, when the slit 15 is formed so that the long side portion of the tape cartridge housed in the case body 1 and the virtual center line P passing through the centers of the slits 15 and 15 are parallel, The impact when the side portion falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface is received by the peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15, and the impact can be mitigated by the elastic deformation of the thin portion 16.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in the worst condition in which one gear tooth 30a contacts the circumferential central portion of the thin portion 16 of the cylindrical wall 8a, the circumferential central portion of the cylindrical wall 8a is crushed, At the same time, both ends of the cylinder wall facing the slit 15 bend radially outward. That is, the entire cylindrical wall 8a is bent and deformed to relax and absorb the impact force. Even in this case, the entire tooth tip surface 30b of the gear tooth 30a does not contact the thin portion 16, but the lower portion of the tooth tip surface 30b contacts the cylindrical wall 8a first.

  As described above, if the upper half portion of the restriction boss 8 is bent more easily than the lower half portion and the upper half portion is bent and deformed so that the impact force can be mitigated, a load is applied to the protruding proximal end portion of the restriction boss 8. Therefore, it is possible to surely eliminate the breakage of the restricting boss 8. In some cases, it is expected that the central portion of the cylindrical wall 8a and both ends of the deformed cylindrical wall are received by the three gear teeth 30a. In that case, it is possible to prevent the impact load from concentrating on the central portion in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical wall 8a, to disperse the load, and to restrict excessive deformation of the cylindrical wall 8a.

  The two gear teeth 30a may simultaneously contact the peripheral surface of the thin portion 16 of the cylindrical wall 8a. In that case, the impact load can be dispersed and received as much as the number of contact points increases, and the thin wall portion 16 is elastically deformed into a complicated shape to reduce the impact force. Can be prevented. The two gear teeth 30a may simultaneously contact the peripheral surface of the thin portion 16 of the adjacent cylindrical wall 8a with the slit 15 therebetween. In this case, the impact load can be distributed and received by each cylindrical wall 8a, and the thin wall portion 16 is elastically deformed into a complicated shape to reduce the impact force, so that the restriction boss 8 is similarly damaged. Can be prevented. When the short side of the storage case falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface, or when the corner portion of the storage case contacts the floor surface, the impact load is similarly received by the cylindrical wall 8a. It is possible to prevent the boss 8 from being damaged.

  When the short side portion of the storage case falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface, the gear teeth 30a try to enter the slit 15 as shown in FIG. 6, but the lower end position (bottom surface) of the slit 15 is the gear teeth 30a. Since the bottom surface of the tooth tip surface 30b is set to a position higher than the lower end position of the tooth tip surface 30b and the bottom surface is formed in a semicircular shape, the lower part of the tooth tip surface 30b is received by the edge of the bottom surface of the slit 15, and Cannot enter the slit 15. In this way, by receiving only a part of the gear teeth 30a with the restriction boss 8, the tape reel 22 is tilted to release the impact, and the other part of the tilted gear teeth 30a contacts the cylindrical wall 8a. A part of the cylindrical wall 8a is elastically deformed, so that the impact can be reduced and the restriction boss 8 can be prevented from being damaged.

  As the tape reel 22 tilts, the side edge of the tooth tip surface 30 b is pushed up while being guided by the semicircular edge, and a part of the gear tooth 30 a may enter the slit 15. At this time, a part of the impact is relieved by the friction between the tooth tip surface 30 b and the semicircular edge of the slit 15. Further, the gear teeth 30a that have entered the slit 15 are received by the end of the cylindrical wall 8a that faces the slit 15, and a part of the cylindrical wall 8a is elastically deformed so that the impact is alleviated and the regulating boss 8 is damaged. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the thin portion 16. In this case, only the central portion in the circumferential direction of each cylindrical wall 8a divided by the slit 15 is provided with a thin-walled portion 16 that is tapered from the middle part of each cylindrical wall 8a toward the tip of each cylindrical wall 8a. Formed. The cylindrical wall 8a in this embodiment is most easily elastically deformed when an impact force is applied to the thin wall portion 16. Therefore, the cylindrical wall 8a is subject to a drop impact when the long side portion of the storage case falls in a posture parallel to the floor surface. It is possible to prevent the restriction boss 8 from being damaged by absorbing the elastic deformation of the 8a. Since others are the same as the previous embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members, and descriptions thereof are omitted. The same applies to the following embodiments.

  The thin portion 16 can be formed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8A, the entire inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 8 a is formed in a tapered shape with a thin wall portion 16. In FIG. 8B, each of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 8a is formed in a tapered shape with a thin wall portion 16.

  Other than the above-described embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the restriction boss 8 does not need to be circular, and can be changed to an ellipse or a polygonal shape. The shape of the bottom surface of the slit 15 does not need to be semicircular, and can be formed in a V shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. If necessary, the bottom surface can be formed as a flat surface. In the above-described embodiment, the thin portion 16 is formed in a constricted shape. However, it is not necessary, and the thin portion 16 is formed with a wall having a uniform thickness that is thinner than the thickness of the restriction boss 8. May be.

It is a perspective view shown in the state where a storage case and a tape cartridge were separated. It is a top view of the state which opened the lid | cover of the storage case. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the impact relaxation operation | movement of a control boss | hub. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows another impact relaxation operation | movement of a control boss | hub. It is a perspective view which shows another Example of a control boss | hub. It is sectional drawing which shows another Example of a thin part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case main body 3 Cover body 5 Bottom wall 8 Restriction boss 8a Cylinder wall 15 Slit 16 Thin part 20 Main body case 21 Tape 22 Tape reel 29 Hub hole 30 Reel gear 30a Gear tooth

Claims (3)

Tape reels for winding the tape are arranged on the left and right sides of the main body case, and the tape cartridge in which the reel gear that meshes with the drive shaft of the tape drive is formed on the inner surface of the boss of the tape reel,
The storage case is integrally provided with a case main body for storing the tape cartridge and a lid for opening and closing the upper opening surface of the case main body,
On the left and right inner surfaces of the bottom wall of the case body, a cylindrical regulating boss that engages with the reel gear of the tape reel is protruded.
A pair of slits are formed on the opposing surface of the cylindrical wall of the restriction boss from the protruding end of the restriction boss to the middle part in the vertical direction,
The slits are formed so that a virtual center line passing through the centers of the slits is parallel to the long side of the tape cartridge housed in the case body,
A tape cartridge in which a tapered thin wall portion is formed at least in the circumferential central portion of each cylindrical wall divided by the slit from a vertically middle portion of each cylindrical wall toward the tip of each cylindrical wall. Storage case.   2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the restriction boss is formed in a circular shape in cross section, and the thin wall portion is formed in a tapered shape that is tapered in front of the entire peripheral surface of each cylindrical wall divided by the slit. Storage case. The slit width of both the slits is set larger than the tooth tip width of the gear teeth constituting the reel gear,
The storage case for a tape cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a lower end position of the slit is set to be higher than a lower end position of a tooth tip surface of the gear tooth.

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