JP5233923B2 - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

A second tape spool (41) on which a film tape (59) is wound is rotatably supported by a lower tape support section (66B) provided to a lower case (31B). The second tape spool (41) is prevented from rotating in the counterclockwise direction by a rotation member (71) and a clutch spring (72). A ribbon spool (42) on which an ink ribbon (60) is wound is rotatably supported by an upper ribbon support section (68A) provided to an upper case (31A). The ribbon spool (42) is prevented from rotating in the clockwise direction by the rotation member (71) and the clutch spring (72).

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a laminate-type tape cassette is known in which a transparent film tape, a double-sided adhesive tape having a release paper attached on one side, and an ink ribbon are accommodated. In such a tape cassette, a film tape, a double-sided adhesive tape and an ink ribbon are each wound around a spool and supported rotatably in the cassette case. The tape printer pulls out a film tape, a double-sided adhesive tape and an ink ribbon from each spool during a printing operation using a laminate type tape cassette. After printing using the ink ribbon on the printing surface of the film tape, a printed label is created by sticking a double-sided adhesive tape to the printing surface.

  The speed at which the ink ribbon is pulled out during the printing operation of the tape printer is not necessarily constant. In order to stabilize the drawing out of the ink ribbon, it is known to apply a back tension to the ink ribbon using a clutch spring (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this, even when the drawing speed of the ink ribbon fluctuates, it is possible to prevent the ink ribbon from being pulled out excessively due to the inertia accompanying the rotation of the ribbon spool, and the print quality is deteriorated or the ink ribbon is not properly run. Is suppressed.

  Similarly, it is desirable to apply a back tension to the film tape drawn out during the printing operation of the tape printer in order to stabilize the drawing. Therefore, it is known that the film tape is sandwiched between leaf springs (for example, see Patent Document 2) or the film tape is entangled with a plurality of transport pins on the film tape transport path.

JP-A-8-25768 JP 2006-289991 A

  However, when applying a back tension to a film tape using the above-described leaf springs or transport pins, it is difficult to apply an equal back tension to various film tapes of different materials and thicknesses, etc. However, there was a fear that it was not always stable. Therefore, it is conceivable to apply a back tension to the film tape using the clutch spring described in Patent Document 1. However, according to the clutch spring described in Patent Document 1, the back tension is not applied to the ink ribbon until the upper case and the lower case are assembled.

  Here, since the resin film tape has a larger elastic force than the ink ribbon, the resin film tape is likely to bulge on the outer peripheral side of the ink ribbon when wound on the spool. In other words, the film tape wound around the tape spool is more likely to be separated than the ink ribbon wound around the ribbon spool. For this reason, when the clutch spring described in Patent Document 1 is used, the film tape may be broken before the upper case and the lower case are assembled, and it may be difficult to manufacture the tape cassette.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a tape cassette capable of stabilizing both the drawing of the tape and the ink ribbon and improving the assembly of the case. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 1 has a cassette case in which an upper case and a lower case are combined in a vertical direction, and a cylindrical shape around which a tape as a printing medium is wound. In the cassette case, a tape roll having a shaft hole penetrating in the direction, a cylindrical shape around which an ink ribbon used for printing the tape is wound, a ribbon roll having a shaft hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the cassette case The tape storage area in which the tape roll is stored, the ribbon storage area in which the ribbon roll is stored in the cassette case, the upper case protruding from the lower case, and stored in the tape storage area A first support portion inserted into the shaft hole of the tape roll and rotatably supporting the tape roll within the tape storage area; and the upper case A second support portion that protrudes downward and is inserted into a shaft hole of the ribbon roll stored in the ribbon storage area, and rotatably supports the ribbon roll in the ribbon storage area; The tape roll is attached to the shaft hole of the tape roll and rotates integrally with the tape roll, and when the tape roll is supported by the first support portion, the rotation of the tape roll in one direction or the other direction is restricted. The one direction of the ribbon roll when the first brake member is mounted in the shaft hole of the ribbon roll and rotates integrally with the ribbon roll, and the ribbon roll is supported by the second support portion. Or a second brake member that restricts rotation in the other direction.

  According to the tape cassette of the first aspect of the present invention, the tape roll stored in the tape storage area is rotatably supported by the first support portion provided in the lower case and is unidirectionally supported by the first brake member. Or rotation in the other direction is restricted. The ribbon roll stored in the ribbon storage area is rotatably supported by a second support portion provided in the upper case, and rotation in one direction or the other direction is restricted by the second brake member. Therefore, a back tension can be applied to the tape drawn from the tape roll and the ink ribbon drawn from the ribbon roll, and both the drawing of the tape and the ink ribbon can be stabilized. Further, the back tension can be applied to the tape by the first brake member before the upper case is assembled to the lower case. Thereby, when the upper case is assembled to the lower case, the occurrence of a problem that the tape roll is broken in the tape storage area is suppressed, and the assembling property of the cassette case can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tape cassette according to the first aspect, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, when the tape roll is supported by the first support portion, the tape is pulled out. When the ribbon roll is supported by the second support part, the ribbon roll rotates in the other direction as the ink ribbon is pulled out, and the first brake member is rotated in the one direction. When the tape roll is supported by the first support portion, the rotation of the tape roll in the other direction is restricted, and the second brake member has the ribbon roll supported by the second support portion. And the first brake member and the second brake member have a common configuration for restricting rotation in a predetermined direction. Together, characterized in that each of the vertical direction is attached to invert the tape roll and the ribbon roll.

  According to the tape cassette of the second aspect of the invention, the rotation of the tape roll in the direction opposite to the tape drawing direction is restricted by the first brake member. The rotation of the ribbon roll in the direction opposite to the direction of drawing out the ink ribbon is restricted by the second brake member. The first brake member and the second brake member have a common configuration that restricts rotation in a predetermined direction, and are attached to the tape roll and the ribbon roll so that their respective vertical directions are reversed. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the tape cassette can be easily designed and manufactured by making the first brake member and the second brake member have a common configuration. In particular, when the first brake member and the second brake member are common parts, the parts management of the brake members is facilitated, and the assembly error of the brake members with respect to the tape roll and the ribbon roll can be suppressed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, the first brake member and the second brake member are provided with a cylindrical protrusion at the tip of a cylindrical main body. Each of the first spring receiving member, a coiled annular portion attached to the cylindrical protrusion, and a clutch spring having a locking portion extending from the annular portion, The brake member has the main body portion engaged with the shaft hole of the tape roll, the locking portion is locked by the first support portion, and the second brake member has the main body portion which is the ribbon roll. The engagement portion is engaged with the second support portion, and the annular portion of the clutch spring is a force that rotates the spring receiving member in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction. While the diameter of the spring receiving member increases, Reduced in diameter when a force that rotates the constant direction is applied, characterized by applying a rotation load to said through said spring receiving member tape roll or the ribbon roll.

  According to the tape cassette of the invention of claim 3, the first brake member and the second brake member have the same configuration including the spring receiving member and the clutch spring. When a force that rotates in a predetermined direction acts on the spring receiving member, the annular portion of the clutch spring contracts and a rotational load is applied to the tape roll or ribbon roll. That is, back tension is applied to the tape and the ink ribbon by the clutch action of the clutch spring. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of slack and wrinkles when the tape and the ink ribbon are pulled out, and to facilitate the assembly of the components of each brake member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect of the invention, the first support portion and the second support portion include a cylindrical portion that holds the spring receiving support portion, and A locking groove provided on the outer peripheral side of the annular part of the clutch spring in the cylindrical part and to which the engaging part of the clutch spring is engaged, and an outer peripheral side of the annular part of the clutch spring in the cylindrical part And an expansion preventing member that prevents the annular portion of the clutch spring from expanding beyond a predetermined width.

  According to the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the cylindrical portion and the locking groove, the first support portion and the second support portion expand the diameter of the annular portion of the clutch spring beyond a predetermined width. A diameter expansion preventing member for preventing this is provided. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 3, when each brake member is fitted to the first support portion and the second support portion, the back tension can be applied to the tape and the ink ribbon. Further, since the expansion of the annular portion of the clutch spring is suppressed by the diameter expansion preventing member, the tape and the ink ribbon that have already been drawn out in the case when the annular portion returns from the expanded state to the contracted state. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of defects that are pulled back to the point.

  A tape cassette according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the tape cassette of the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the tape that is pulled out from the tape roll is stored in the ribbon storage portion. In a tape transport path that is transported along the outer periphery of the ribbon roll and spaced from the ribbon roll, the tape transport direction is bent at an acute angle along the outer periphery of the ribbon roll. A bent portion and a cylindrical rotating body provided in the bent portion, the roller member rotating along with the conveyance of the tape whose bending direction is bent at the bent portion.

  According to the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 5, the bent portion that is bent in the tape conveyance direction in the tape conveyance path is provided with the roller member that rotates as the tape is conveyed. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the tape can be smoothly conveyed in the cassette case by providing the roller member at the bent portion where the tension of the tape increases. . Furthermore, since the load applied to the tape on the tape transport path is reduced, the back tension resulting from the first brake member can be stably applied to the tape. Further, since the tape is transported along the outer periphery of the ribbon roll and spaced from the ribbon roll, the tape being transported is prevented from coming into contact with the ribbon roll, so that the tape is more stable. Can be transported.

  The tape cassette of the invention according to claim 6 is the ink ribbon in which, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 5, the cassette case is drawn in from the ribbon roll in the transport direction of the tape drawn out from the tape roll. The tape drawn out from the tape roll is conveyed in a state separated to a predetermined position where the tape is printed with respect to the ink ribbon drawn out from the ribbon roll. It is characterized by.

  According to the tape cassette of the invention of claim 6, the tape transport direction and the ink ribbon transport direction are opposite directions, and the tape and the ink ribbon are transported in a state separated to the printing position. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 5, even when the tape storage area and the ribbon storage area are adjacent to each other, the tape and the ink ribbon are conveyed in the reverse direction in a separated state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tape and the ink ribbon from being dragged to each other. Therefore, the back tension applied to the tape and the ink ribbon does not interfere with each other, and the tape and the ink ribbon can be stably conveyed to the printing position.

2 is a plan view of the tape cassette 1. FIG. It is a top view of the tape cassette 1 which removed the upper case 31A. FIG. 2 is a component development view of the tape cassette 1. FIG. 2 is a component development view of the tape cassette 1 showing a cross-section in the direction of the arrows along the line I-I in FIG. 1. It is arrow direction sectional drawing in the II line | wire of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state before the rotating member 71 to which the clutch spring 72 is attached is fitted to the lower tape support portion 66B. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the state after the rotating member 71 with which the clutch spring 72 was mounted | worn was fitted by the lower tape support part 66B.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the described apparatus is not intended to be limited thereto, but is merely an illustrative example. is there.

  The tape cassette 1 according to the present embodiment will be described later with reference to FIGS. In the description of this embodiment, the lower side of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the front side of the tape cassette 1, the upper side of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the rear side of the tape cassette 1, and the right side of FIGS. And the left side of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the left side of the tape cassette 1. Below, the tape cassette 1 which mounted the general purpose cassette which can mount various tape types as a laminate type is illustrated.

  The overall structure of the tape cassette 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the tape cassette 1 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 is configured by assembling an upper case 31A and a lower case 31B in the vertical direction. In the cassette case 31, a first tape spool 40 around which a double-sided adhesive tape 58 is wound, a second tape spool 41 around which a transparent film tape 59 is wound, and a ribbon spool 42 around which an ink ribbon 60 is wound. The three types of tape rolls are stored. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 58 is a double-sided tape with a release paper attached on one side, and is attached to the printing surface side of the printed film tape 59.

  The double-sided adhesive tape 58 is stored in a first tape storage portion 101 provided at the left rear portion (the upper left portion in FIGS. 1 and 2) in the cassette case 31. In the first tape storage unit 101, the first tape spool 40 in which the release paper of the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is wound outward is rotatably supported by a support unit 65 inserted into the shaft hole of the first tape spool 40. Is done. The support portion 65 is formed by connecting a cylindrical body 65B standing upward from the lower case 31B and a cylindrical body 65A standing downward from the upper case 31A (see FIG. 3).

  The film tape 59 is stored in a second tape storage portion 102 provided at the right rear portion (upper right portion in FIGS. 1 and 2) in the cassette case 31. In the second tape storage portion 102, the second tape spool 41 around which the film tape 59 is wound is rotatably supported by the support portion 66. Further, the ink ribbon 60 is stored in an ink ribbon storage portion 103 provided at the right front portion in the cassette case 31 (lower right portion in FIGS. 1 and 2). In the ink ribbon storage unit 103, the ribbon spool 42 around which the ink ribbon 60 is wound is rotatably supported by the support unit 68. Details of the support portions 66 and 68 will be described later.

  A tape driving roller 46 for pulling out the film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is pivotally supported by a support portion 64 at the left front corner of the cassette case 31 (lower left corner in FIGS. 1 and 2). The The support portion 64 includes a pair of holes 64A and 64B that penetrate the upper case 31A and the lower case 31B in the vertical direction (see FIG. 3). The support part 64 supports the tape drive roller 46 rotatably by inserting the upper end and the lower end of the tape drive roller 46 into the pair of holes 64A and 64B, respectively.

  Between the first tape spool 40 and the ribbon spool 42 in the cassette case 31, a ribbon take-up spool that pulls out the ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 and winds up the ink ribbon 60 used for printing characters or the like. 44 is rotatably supported by the support portion 67. The support portion 67 includes a pair of holes 67A and 67B that penetrate the upper case 31A and the lower case 31B in the vertical direction (see FIG. 3). The support portion 67 supports the ribbon take-up spool 44 rotatably by inserting the upper end and the lower end of the ribbon take-up spool 44 into the pair of holes 67A and 67B, respectively.

  When the tape cassette 1 is mounted on the tape printer and a printing operation is executed, the tape drive roller 46 is rotationally driven via a tape drive shaft (not shown) of the tape printer. The tape drive roller 46 pulls out the film tape 59 from the second tape spool 41 and pulls out the double-sided adhesive tape 58 from the first tape spool 40 in cooperation with a movable conveyance roller (not shown) of the tape printer. A ribbon take-up spool 44 that is rotationally driven through a tape drive shaft (not shown) of the tape printer draws the ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 in synchronization with the printing speed.

  The second tape spool 41 rotates in the clockwise direction (clockwise direction) in plan view as the film tape 59 is pulled out. The film tape 59 pulled out from the second tape spool 41 is conveyed toward the right front corner of the cassette case 31 (lower right corner in FIGS. 1 and 2). At the right front corner of the cassette case 31, the film tape 59 is conveyed along the outer periphery of the ribbon spool 42 around which the ink ribbon 60 is wound and at a distance from the ribbon spool 42. Therefore, the film tape 59 being conveyed is prevented from coming into contact with the ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42, and the film tape 59 is stably conveyed.

  At the right front corner of the cassette case 31, a bent portion 33, which is a conveyance pin for bending the conveyance direction of the film tape 59 along the outer periphery of the ribbon spool 42 around which the ink ribbon 60 is wound, is provided upright. ing. In the bent portion 33, the film tape 59 is conveyed toward the left front corner of the cassette case 31. In addition, the bending part 33 is inserted in the shaft hole of the roller member 35 which is a cylindrical rotary body, and supports the roller member 35 rotatably. The roller member 35 comes into contact with the film tape 59 passing through the bent portion 33 and rotates as the film tape 59 is further conveyed. As a result, the film tape 59 passing through the bent portion 33 is smoothly fed out toward the left front corner of the cassette case 31 by the roller member 35.

  The ribbon spool 42 rotates counterclockwise (counterclockwise) in plan view as the ink ribbon 60 is pulled out. The ink ribbon 60 pulled out from the ribbon spool 42 is conveyed toward the left front corner of the cassette case 31. Similarly, the first tape spool 40 rotates counterclockwise (counterclockwise) in plan view as the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is pulled out. The double-sided adhesive tape 58 pulled out from the first tape spool 40 is conveyed toward the left front corner of the cassette case 31.

  Inside the arm portion 34 extending leftward from the right side of the tape cassette 1, the film tape 59 drawn from the second tape spool 41 and the ink ribbon 60 drawn from the ribbon spool 42 are guided together. In the opening 34 </ b> A formed on the distal end side of the arm portion 34, the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 passing through the arm portion 34 are superposed, and an opening 77 provided on the front surface of the tape cassette 1 is opened. It is discharged towards.

  A head insertion portion 39 into which a thermal head (not shown) of the tape printer is inserted is provided on the left side of the ink ribbon storage portion 103 at the front portion of the cassette case 31. The head insertion portion 39 is connected to the outside on the front surface of the tape cassette 1 through the opening 77. The film tape 59 discharged to the opening 77 is printed by a thermal head (not shown) using the ink ribbon 60 polymerized on the film tape 59. That is, the opening 77 becomes a printing position by a thermal head (not shown).

  The film tape 59 on which printing has been performed by a thermal head (not shown) is conveyed toward the tape drive roller 46. Then, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 drawn out from the first tape spool 40 is guided between the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller (not shown) and is wound on the printed surface of the printed film tape 59. Stacked and pasted. The printed film tape 59 (that is, the printed tape 50) to which the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is attached is further conveyed toward the tape discharge port 49 and cut by a cutting mechanism (not shown) of the tape printer. . On the other hand, the ink ribbon 60 used for printing by the thermal head (not shown) is separated from the film tape 59 by the guide wall 47 erected on the right side of the tape drive roller 46, and then is transferred to the ribbon take-up spool 44. It is wound up.

  A structure for applying back tension to the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the first tape spool 40, the ribbon take-up spool 44, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, and the tape drive roller 46 are removed for easy understanding.

  First, a structure for applying a back tension to the film tape 59 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the support portion 66 that rotatably supports the second tape spool 41 includes an upper tape support portion 66A provided on the lower surface of the upper case 31A and a lower portion provided on the upper surface of the lower case 31B. The tape support part 66B is connected.

  The upper tape support portion 66 </ b> A has a base portion 81 and a cylindrical portion 82. The base 81 has a cylindrical shape that protrudes downward from the upper case 31A and has a lower end surface, and is inserted into the shaft hole 41A of the second tape spool 41 from above. The cylindrical portion 82 has a small-diameter cylindrical shape that protrudes downward from the center of the lower end surface of the base portion 81 and has a shaft hole that penetrates in the vertical direction.

  The lower tape support portion 66B includes a base portion 83, a support shaft 84, a plurality of locking protrusions 85, a plurality of locking grooves 86, and a diameter expansion prevention body 87 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The base 83 has a cylindrical shape that protrudes upward from the lower case 31B and has an upper end surface, and is inserted into the shaft hole 41A of the second tape spool 41 from below. The support shaft 84 is a small-diameter shaft body standing at the center of the upper end surface of the base portion 83, and the upper end portion is fitted into the shaft hole of the cylindrical portion 82. The plurality of locking projections 85 are a plurality of prisms arranged radially around the support shaft 84 in plan view along the periphery of the upper end surface of the base 83. The plurality of locking grooves 86 are a plurality of grooves formed respectively between the adjacent locking protrusions 85. The diameter expansion preventing body 87 will be described later separately.

  The rotating member 71 has a substantially cylindrical shape having substantially the same diameter as the shaft hole 41A. On the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 71, a pair of protrusions 71 </ b> B protruding outward in the diameter are formed at positions facing each other. On one end side of the rotating member 71, a small-diameter cylindrical protrusion 71A having a shaft hole formed in the vertical direction is formed. A clutch spring 72 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion 71A so as to have a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 71A is attached.

  The clutch spring 72 includes a coil-shaped annular portion 72A attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion 71A, and an engagement extending radially outward from the rear end (lower end in FIGS. 3 to 5) of the annular portion 72A. And a stop 72B. The annular portion 72A is wound in the clockwise direction (clockwise direction) from the front end (upper end in FIGS. 3 to 5) to the rear end (that is, the locking portion 72B) of the annular portion 72A. . The aforementioned cylindrical protrusion 71A is inserted into the shaft hole of the annular portion 72A that is slightly enlarged in diameter so as to penetrate from the front end side to the rear end side of the annular portion 72A. As a result, the clutch spring 72 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical projection 71A by the elastic force of the annular portion 72A, and the locking portion 72B is disposed on the distal end side (lower end in FIGS. 3 to 5) of the cylindrical projection 71A. Is done. The winding direction of the annular portion 72A (that is, the clockwise direction from the front end to the rear end of the annular portion 72A) coincides with the drawing direction of the film tape 59 in plan view.

  The rotating member 71 to which the clutch spring 72 is mounted is mounted in the shaft hole 41A of the second tape spool 41 so that the cylindrical protrusion 71A faces the lower tape support portion 66B. A pair of sliding grooves 41B having a groove shape extending in the vertical direction is formed at positions facing each other on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 41A. In the shaft hole 41 </ b> A, each protrusion 71 </ b> B of the rotating member 71 is engaged with each sliding groove 41 </ b> B of the second tape spool 41. Thereby, each protrusion 71B and each sliding groove 41B cooperate, and the rotation member 71 can rotate integrally with the second tape spool 41. Further, the support shaft 84 of the lower tape support portion 66B is inserted into the rotating member 71 (specifically, the shaft hole of the cylindrical protrusion 71A) mounted on the second tape spool 41. As a result, the second tape spool 41 is rotatable about the support shaft 84 via the rotating member 71.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cylindrical protrusion 71 </ b> A faces the upper end surface of the base portion 83 in a state where the support shaft 84 is inserted into the rotating member 71 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The clutch spring 72 is disposed between a cylindrical protrusion 71A inserted on the inner peripheral side of the clutch spring 72 and a plurality of locking protrusions 85 provided on the lower tape support portion 66B. A locking portion 72 </ b> B extending from one end of the clutch spring 72 is locked to one of the plurality of locking grooves 86. Here, the clutch spring 72 is attached to the rotating member 71 so that the winding direction of the annular portion 72A coincides with the drawing direction (clockwise direction) of the film tape 59. For this reason, the annular portion 72A increases in diameter when a clockwise rotational force acts in a plan view, and decreases in diameter when a counterclockwise rotational force acts in a plan view.

  On the upper end surface of the base 83, along the surface of each locking projection 85 that faces the support shaft 84, a diameter expansion prevention body 87 having a substantially cylindrical shape with a small diameter is erected. In other words, the plurality of diameter-expansion preventing bodies 87 are provided radially around the support shaft 84 in plan view, and are provided slightly inside each locking projection 85. Therefore, the annular portion 72A of the clutch spring 72 is positioned inside the plurality of diameter expansion preventing bodies 87 in plan view. When the diameter of the annular portion 72A is increased to a predetermined width, the annular portion 72A comes into contact with the plurality of diameter-expansion preventing bodies 87. Note that when the diameter of the annular portion 72A is increased until the annular portion 72A comes into contact with the plurality of diameter-expansion preventing bodies 87, the close contact between the annular portion 72A and the cylindrical protrusion 71A is released.

  With such a configuration, when the second tape spool 41 rotates in the clockwise direction by pulling out the film tape 59 during the printing operation by the tape printer, the rotation member 71 rotates in the clockwise direction via the second tape spool 41. Force acts. Since the locking portion 72B is locked in the locking groove 86, sliding friction is generated between the cylindrical projection 71A and the annular portion 72A, and a clockwise torque is applied to the annular portion 72A. Thereby, the annular portion 72A is rewound and expanded in diameter, and sliding friction is reduced between the cylindrical protrusion 71A and the annular portion 72A. When the diameter of the annular portion 72A is increased to a predetermined width that contacts the plurality of diameter expansion preventing bodies 87, the connection between the clutch spring 72 and the second tape spool 41 is released, and the second tape spool 41 can rotate smoothly. Become.

  On the other hand, when the second tape spool 41 is rotated in the direction opposite to the drawing direction of the film tape 59 (that is, counterclockwise), the second tape spool 41 is rotated counterclockwise to the rotating member 71 via the second tape spool 41. The rotational force of Then, counterclockwise torque is applied to the annular portion 72A by sliding friction generated between the cylindrical protrusion 71A and the annular portion 72A. As a result, the annular portion 72A is wound and reduced in diameter, and sliding friction increases between the cylindrical protrusion 71A and the annular portion 72A. That is, the clutch spring 72 and the second tape spool 41 are connected, and a rotational load is applied to the second tape spool 41.

  The annular portion 72A can be expanded to a predetermined width (a diameter expansion width that satisfies the condition that the rotation of the second tape spool 41 is smooth) in contact with the plurality of diameter expansion prevention bodies 87. That is, excessive diameter expansion of the annular portion 72 </ b> A is regulated by the plurality of diameter expansion prevention bodies 87. For this reason, when the annular portion 72A returns from the expanded diameter state to the reduced diameter state, the action of the second tape spool 41 being reversed as the annular portion 72A is reversed is reduced. Thereby, when the annular portion 72A returns from the expanded diameter state to the reduced diameter state, the occurrence of a problem that the film tape 59 that has already been pulled out from the second tape spool 41 is pulled back into the cassette case 31 is suppressed.

  Next, a structure for applying a back tension to the ink ribbon 60 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the support portion 68 for rotating and supporting the ribbon spool 42 includes an upper ribbon support portion 68A provided on the lower surface of the upper case 31A and a lower ribbon support provided on the upper surface of the lower case 31B. The part 68B is connected.

  The upper ribbon support portion 68 </ b> A includes a base portion 91, a cylindrical portion 92, a plurality of locking protrusions 93, and a plurality of locking grooves 94. The base 91 has a cylindrical shape that protrudes downward from the upper case 31A and has a lower end surface, and is inserted into the shaft hole 42A of the ribbon spool 42 from above. The cylindrical portion 92 has a small-diameter cylindrical shape that protrudes downward from the center of the lower end surface of the base portion 91, and has a shaft hole that penetrates in the vertical direction. The plurality of locking protrusions 93 are a plurality of prisms arranged radially around the cylindrical portion 92 in plan view along the periphery of the lower end surface of the base portion 91. The plurality of locking grooves 94 are a plurality of grooves formed respectively between the adjacent locking protrusions 93.

  The lower ribbon support portion 68 </ b> B has a base portion 95 and a support shaft 96. The base 95 has a cylindrical shape that protrudes upward from the lower case 31B and has an upper end surface, and is inserted into the shaft hole 42A of the ribbon spool 42 from below. The support shaft 96 is a small-diameter shaft body provided upright at the center of the upper end surface of the base portion 95, and the upper end portion is fitted into the shaft hole of the cylindrical portion 92.

  In the present embodiment, the support portion 66 of the second tape spool 41 and the support portion 68 of the ribbon spool 42 have substantially the same connection structure. Further, the shaft diameters of the support shafts 84 and 96, the hole diameters of the cylindrical portions 82 and 92, the number, shape, and positional relationship of the plurality of locking projections 85 and 93 (that is, the locking grooves 86 and 94) are common to each other. is there. Further, since the ribbon spool 42 has substantially the same configuration as the second tape spool 41, the shape and the diameter of the shaft holes 41A and 42A are common to each other, and also slides on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 42A. A sliding groove 42B similar to the groove 41B is provided. However, in the support portion 66, the locking projection 85 and the locking groove 86 are provided in the lower case 31B, whereas in the support portion 68, the locking projection 93 and the locking groove 94 are provided in the upper case 31A. It is different in point.

  The rotating member 71 and the clutch spring 72 attached to the ribbon spool 42 are common parts with the rotating member 71 and the clutch spring 72 attached to the second tape spool 41. Similarly to the case where the second tape spool 41 is mounted, the rotating member 71 in which the cylindrical protrusion 71A is inserted into the annular portion 72A of the clutch spring 72 is mounted in the shaft hole 42A of the ribbon spool 42. In the shaft hole 42 </ b> A, each protrusion 71 </ b> B of the rotating member 71 is engaged with each sliding groove 42 </ b> B of the ribbon spool 42. The support shaft 96 of the lower ribbon support portion 68B is inserted into the rotating member 71 (specifically, the shaft hole of the cylindrical protrusion 71A) mounted on the ribbon spool 42.

  However, the rotating member 71 to which the clutch spring 72 is mounted is mounted in the shaft hole 42A of the ribbon spool 42 so that the cylindrical protrusion 71A faces the upper ribbon support portion 68A. That is, the rotating member 71 and the clutch spring 72 that are mounted on the ribbon spool 42 are mounted on the ribbon spool 42 with the up and down direction reversed from that when the second tape spool 41 is mounted. Thereby, the winding direction of the annular portion 72A (that is, the clockwise direction from the front end to the rear end of the annular portion 72A) coincides with the drawing direction (clockwise direction) of the ink ribbon 60 in the bottom view. . That is, the winding direction of the annular portion 72A coincides with the drawing direction (counterclockwise direction) of the ink ribbon 60 in plan view.

  In the state where the support shaft 96 is inserted into the rotating member 71, the cylindrical protrusion 71 </ b> A faces the lower end surface of the base 91. The clutch spring 72 is disposed between the cylindrical protrusion 71A inserted on the inner peripheral side of the clutch spring 72 and the plurality of locking protrusions 93 of the upper ribbon support portion 68A. A locking portion 72 </ b> B extending from one end of the clutch spring 72 is locked in one of the plurality of locking grooves 94. Here, the clutch spring 72 is attached to the rotating member 71 so that the winding direction of the annular portion 72A coincides with the drawing direction (counterclockwise direction) of the ink ribbon 60. Therefore, the diameter of the annular portion 72A is increased when a counterclockwise rotational force is applied in a plan view, and is reduced when a clockwise rotational force is applied in a plan view.

  With such a configuration, when the ribbon spool 42 rotates counterclockwise by pulling out the ink ribbon 60 during the printing operation by the tape printer, the same as when the second tape spool 41 is rotated clockwise. The ribbon spool 42 can be smoothly rotated by expanding the diameter of the annular portion 72A. On the other hand, when the ribbon spool 42 is rotated in the direction opposite to the pulling-out direction of the ink ribbon 60 (that is, in the clockwise direction), as in the case where the second tape spool 41 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, A rotational load is applied to the ribbon spool 42 by the reduced diameter of the annular portion 72A.

  In order to mount the above structure, when the tape cassette 1 is assembled, first, the second tape spool 41 around which the film tape 59 is wound is inserted into the shaft hole 41A so that the support shaft 84 of the lower case 31B is inserted, It is stored in the second tape storage unit 102. Next, the rotating member 71 fitted with the clutch spring 72 as described above causes each protrusion 71B to be inserted into each sliding groove 41B and the support shaft 84 to be inserted into the cylindrical protrusion 71A. Are mounted in the shaft hole 41A. At this time, the rotating member 71 is mounted in the shaft hole 41A so that the cylindrical protrusion 71A (that is, the clutch spring 72) faces downward. Then, since the locking portion 72B is locked in one of the locking grooves 86 in the shaft hole 41A, back tension is applied to the film tape 59. Therefore, even before the upper case 31A is assembled, the occurrence of the bulge to the outer peripheral side of the film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41 is suppressed.

  On the other hand, the ribbon spool 42 around which the ink ribbon 60 is wound is stored in the ink ribbon storage portion 103 so that the support shaft 96 of the lower case 31B is inserted into the shaft hole 42A. Next, the rotating member 71 fitted with the clutch spring 72 as described above causes the protrusions 71B to be inserted into the sliding grooves 42B and the support shaft 96 to be inserted into the cylindrical protrusions 71A. Are mounted in the shaft hole 42A. At this time, the rotating member 71 is mounted in the shaft hole 42A so that the cylindrical protrusion 71A (that is, the clutch spring 72) faces upward. In other words, the rotating member 71 fitted with the clutch spring 72 is attached to the second tape spool 41 and the ribbon spool 42 so that the vertical directions thereof are reversed.

  In the state before the upper case 31A is assembled, the annular portion 72A is not locked in the locking groove 94, so that no back tension is applied to the ink ribbon 60. However, since the ink ribbon 60 is thinner than the film tape 59 and the like and contains a magnetic material as a material component, the wound state is easily maintained under the influence of static electricity. Therefore, the ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42 is restrained from bulging to the outer peripheral side even if no back tension is applied.

  Finally, the upper case 31A and the lower case 31B are combined, and the upper ends of the support shafts 84 and 96 of the lower case 31B are fitted into the shaft holes of the cylindrical portions 82 and 92 of the upper case 31A. At this time, since the locking portion 72B is locked in one of the locking grooves 94 in the shaft hole 42A, back tension is also applied to the ink ribbon 60. As described above, when the upper case 31A and the lower case 31B are assembled, the occurrence of a problem that the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are separated is suppressed, so that the assembling property of the cassette case 31 is improved.

  By using a common configuration for the brake members (rotating member 71 and clutch spring 72) for applying back tension to the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60, the design and manufacture of the tape cassette 1 can be facilitated. . In particular, by using the brake member as a common component, it becomes easy to manage the components of the brake member, and it is possible to suppress an assembly error of the brake member with respect to the second tape spool 41 and the ribbon spool 42. Further, since the brake member has a simple structure including the rotating member 71 and the clutch spring 72, it is possible to easily assemble the parts of each brake member.

  When the second tape spool 41 is rotated in the drawing direction of the film tape 59, the film tape 59 is pulled out smoothly and the back tension is small enough to prevent the film tape 59 from being pulled out excessively. Is granted. When the second tape spool 41 is rotated in the direction opposite to the drawing direction of the film tape 59, a large back tension is applied to the film tape 59 so as to restrict the rotation of the second tape spool 41. Therefore, the film tape 59 can be stably conveyed and generation of wrinkles and slack in the film tape 59 can be suppressed.

  When the ribbon spool 42 is rotated in the drawing direction of the ink ribbon 60, a small back tension is applied to the ribbon spool 42 to such an extent that the ink ribbon 60 is drawn out smoothly and the ink ribbon 60 is not drawn out excessively. Is done. When the ribbon spool 42 is rotated in the direction opposite to the drawing direction of the ink ribbon 60, a large back tension is applied to the ink ribbon 60 so as to restrict the rotation of the ribbon spool 42. Therefore, the ink ribbon 60 can be stably conveyed, and generation of wrinkles and slack in the ink ribbon 60 can be suppressed.

  Since the bending member 33 includes the roller member 35, the load applied to the film tape 59 on the tape transport path is reduced, so that the back tension caused by the brake member is stably applied to the film tape 59. be able to. Furthermore, the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are transported in a state where the transport directions are opposite to each other and are separated to the printing position. Therefore, even when the second tape storage unit 102 and the ink ribbon storage unit 103 are adjacent to each other, it is possible to prevent the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 from being dragged to each other. The back tension applied to the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 does not interfere with each other, and the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 can be stably conveyed to the printing position.

  In the above embodiment, the second tape spool 41 around which the film tape 59 is wound corresponds to the “tape roll” of the present invention. The ribbon spool 42 around which the ink ribbon 60 is wound corresponds to the “ribbon roll” of the present invention. The second tape storage unit 102 corresponds to the “tape storage area” of the present invention. The ink ribbon storage unit 103 corresponds to the “ribbon storage area” of the present invention. The lower tape support portion 66B corresponds to the “first support portion” of the present invention. The upper ribbon support portion 68A corresponds to the “second support portion” of the present invention. The rotating member 71 and the clutch spring 72 attached to the second tape spool 41 correspond to the “first brake member” of the present invention. The rotating member 71 and the clutch spring 72 mounted on the ribbon spool 42 correspond to the “second brake member” of the present invention. The rotating member 71 corresponds to the “spring receiving member” of the present invention.

  The tape cassette 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the said embodiment, although the tape cassette 1 mounted in the laminate type was illustrated, it is not limited to this. For example, the tape cassette may be mounted as a so-called receptor type in which the printing tape is wound around the second tape spool 41 and the ink ribbon 60 is wound around the ribbon spool 42. Also in this case, back tension can be applied to the printing tape in the same manner as the film tape 59 of the above embodiment.

  Further, even when the film tape 59 is wound around the first tape spool 40, the support portion 65 of the first tape storage portion 101 has the same configuration as the support portion 66 of the second tape storage portion 102, so that Back tension can be applied in the same manner as in the embodiment. However, in order to use the brake member as a common component, it is preferable that the transport direction of the film tape 59 and the print tape is opposite to the transport direction of the ink ribbon 60.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are wound around the 2nd tape spool 41 and the ribbon spool 42, respectively, it is not limited to this. For example, a so-called coreless type tape roll or ribbon roll in which the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are wound without using a spool or the like may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape cassette 31 Cassette case 31A Upper case 31B Lower case 33 Bending part 35 Roller member 41 2nd tape spool 42 Ribbon spool 59 Film tape 60 Ink ribbon 66B Lower tape support part 67 Support part 68A Upper ribbon support part 71 Rotating member 71A Cylinder Shaped projection 72 clutch spring 72A annular portion 72B locking portion 77 opening 87 diameter expansion prevention body 102 second tape storage portion 103 ink ribbon storage portion

Claims (6)

A cassette case in which the upper case and the lower case are combined in the vertical direction;
A tape roll having a cylindrical hole wound with a tape as a printing medium and having a shaft hole penetrating in the vertical direction;
Ribbon roll having a cylindrical shape wound with an ink ribbon used for printing the tape, and having a shaft hole penetrating in the vertical direction;
A tape storage area in which the tape roll is stored in the cassette case;
A ribbon storage area in which the ribbon roll is stored in the cassette case;
A first support portion that protrudes upward from the lower case and is inserted into a shaft hole of the tape roll stored in the tape storage area, and rotatably supports the tape roll in the tape storage area. When,
A second support portion that protrudes downward from the upper case and is inserted into the shaft hole of the ribbon roll stored in the ribbon storage area, and rotatably supports the ribbon roll in the ribbon storage area. When,
When the tape roll is mounted in the shaft hole of the tape roll and rotates integrally with the tape roll, and the tape roll is supported by the first support portion, the rotation of the tape roll in one direction or the other direction is restricted. A first brake member that
When the ribbon roll is mounted in the shaft hole of the ribbon roll and rotates integrally with the ribbon roll, and the ribbon roll is supported by the second support portion, the ribbon roll rotates in the one direction or the other direction. A tape cassette comprising: a second brake member for regulating the pressure. When the tape roll is supported by the first support portion, the tape roll rotates in the one direction as the tape is pulled out;
When the ribbon roll is supported by the second support portion, the ribbon roll rotates in the other direction as the ink ribbon is pulled out,
The first brake member regulates rotation of the tape roll in the other direction when the tape roll is supported by the first support portion;
The second brake member regulates the rotation of the ribbon roll in the one direction when the ribbon roll is supported by the second support part,
The first brake member and the second brake member have a common configuration for restricting rotation in a predetermined direction, and are mounted on the tape roll and the ribbon roll so that their vertical directions are reversed. The tape cassette according to claim 1. The first brake member and the second brake member are:
A spring receiving member provided with a cylindrical projection at the tip of a cylindrical main body,
Each comprising a coiled annular part mounted on the cylindrical projection and a clutch spring having a locking part extending from the annular part,
In the first brake member, the main body portion is engaged with the shaft hole of the tape roll, and the locking portion is locked to the first support portion,
In the second brake member, the main body is engaged with the shaft hole of the ribbon roll, and the locking part is locked with the second support part,
The annular portion of the clutch spring increases in diameter when a force that rotates in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction acts on the spring receiving member, while a force that rotates in the predetermined direction acts on the spring receiving member. The tape cassette according to claim 2, wherein the tape cassette is sometimes reduced in diameter and a rotational load is applied to the tape roll or the ribbon roll via the spring receiving member. The first support part and the second support part are:
A cylindrical portion for holding the spring support portion;
A locking groove provided on an outer peripheral side of the annular portion of the clutch spring in the cylindrical portion, and a locking groove for locking the locking portion of the clutch spring;
A diameter expansion prevention member provided on the outer peripheral side of the annular portion of the clutch spring in the cylindrical portion and preventing the annular portion of the clutch spring from expanding beyond a predetermined width. The tape cassette according to claim 3. The cassette case is
In the tape transport path in which the tape drawn out from the tape roll is transported along the outer periphery of the ribbon roll stored in the ribbon storage section and spaced from the ribbon roll, the tape A bending portion that bends the conveying direction of the ribbon roll in an acute angle along the outer periphery of the ribbon roll;
2. A cylindrical rotating body provided at the bent portion, comprising: a roller member that rotates in accordance with the conveyance of the tape, the conveyance direction being bent at the bent portion. The tape cassette in any one of thru | or 4. The cassette case is
The direction of transport of the tape drawn from the tape roll is opposite to the direction of transport of the ink ribbon drawn from the ribbon roll,
The said tape withdrawn from the said tape roll is conveyed in the state isolate | separated to the predetermined position where printing of the said tape is performed with respect to the said ink ribbon withdraw | derived from the said ribbon roll. Tape cassette.

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