JP5637271B2 - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Description

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

  Conventionally, when mounted on a cassette mounting portion of a printing apparatus, by selectively pressing a plurality of detection switches provided on the cassette mounting portion, the type of tape stored in the cassette case (tape width or printing) A tape cassette is known that allows a printing apparatus to detect a mode or the like (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Specifically, a cassette detection unit in which through holes are formed in a pattern corresponding to the tape type is provided on a part of the lower surface of the tape cassette. When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, the plurality of detection switches that are always biased upward are selectively pressed according to the pattern of the through holes formed in the cassette detection portion. In the printing apparatus, the tape type of the tape cassette mounted on the cassette mounting portion is detected according to the combination of pressing or non-pressing on the plurality of detection switches.

JP-A-4-133756 Japanese Patent No. 3543659

  However, since the pattern of the through holes formed in the cassette detection unit is only required to be able to detect the tape type by the printing apparatus, a random pattern is assigned to be different depending on the tape type. In other words, these through-hole patterns do not have regularity that is recognizable in appearance, and therefore it is difficult to discriminate the tape type even by human eyes. Therefore, for example, in a tape cassette manufacturing process, it is difficult for an operator to visually check the appearance of the tape cassette and confirm the type of tape to be stored in the cassette case.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette capable of recognizing a tape type by visually observing the appearance of the tape cassette.

In order to achieve the above object, a tape cassette according to a first aspect of the present invention is a tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printer having a cassette mounting portion, and includes a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces. A cassette case, a tape that is a printing medium accommodated in the cassette case, and at least a part of the cassette case is guided in the cassette case along a predetermined conveyance path that extends in parallel with the front surface. A tape discharge unit that discharges the tape and a downstream side of the transport path as viewed from the tape discharge unit, and exposes the entire width direction of the tape in a direction facing the front surface between the tape discharge unit and the tape discharge unit. A tape guide portion for forming the exposed portion of the tape and guiding the tape discharged from the tape discharge portion; and an exposed portion of the tape When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, a plurality of platen holders disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion and projecting toward the front surface are provided. An index portion facing the detection switch, and a width direction of the tape housed in the cassette case is substantially parallel to a vertical direction in which the upper surface and the bottom surface are opposed, and the index portion is at least the tape A first surface portion that is arranged based on a prescribed pattern corresponding to the tape width of the tape and that presses the detection switch when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and does not press the detection switch and a second surface portion, said second surface portion, in the direction substantially perpendicular to said front surface, said front surface of said conveying path than said first surface portion A on the side of the portion extending in parallel, and the front and than said part extending parallel positioned on the front side.

A tape cassette according to a second aspect of the present invention is a tape cassette that can be attached to and detached from a tape printer having a cassette mounting portion, the cassette case having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces, and the cassette case And a tape discharge unit for discharging the tape guided in the cassette case by the cassette case along a predetermined transport path extending at least partially in parallel with the front surface. And forming the exposed portion of the tape that exposes one surface of the tape in a direction facing the front surface, between the tape discharging portion and the tape discharging portion, provided on the downstream side of the transport path as viewed from the tape discharging portion. A tape guide portion for guiding the tape discharged from the tape discharge portion, and provided on the front surface adjacent to the exposed portion of the tape; When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, the indicator mounting portion is provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion and faces a plurality of detection switches protruding toward the front surface. The width direction of the tape stored in the cassette case is substantially parallel to the vertical direction in which the upper surface and the bottom surface are opposed to each other, and the indicator portion has a prescribed pattern corresponding to at least a printing mode on the tape. And a second surface portion that presses the detection switch when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and a second surface portion that does not press the detection switch. surface portion, in the direction substantially perpendicular to said front surface, a the side of the front and extending parallel to said portion of said first surface portion and the conveying path than, One said front and than said part extending parallel positioned on the front side.

  A tape cassette according to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration according to the first or second aspect of the invention, further includes a tape roll around which the tape is wound, and the cassette case stores the tape roll rotatably in the cassette case. The tape fed from the tape roll is guided along the transport path.

The tape cassette of the invention according to claim 4 is a tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printer having a print head in a cassette mounting portion, and includes a cassette case having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces; A tape, which is a printing medium, stored in the cassette case, and a space into which the print head is inserted when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and penetrates the cassette case vertically. And a head insertion portion extending along the front surface, and a discharge opening that opens toward the head insertion portion, guides the tape and travels the tape from the discharge port to the head insertion portion. And an arm part for discharging toward the cassette, and a side wall constituting a part of the front surface of the arm part. When a cassette is mounted, the cassette identification unit is provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting unit and faces a plurality of detection switches protruding toward the front surface. The detection switch is pressed when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, which is arranged based on a predetermined pattern corresponding to the tape width of the tape stored in the cassette case. The identification part of the first surface part and the second surface part that does not press the detection switch is a combination of the identification parts selectively provided facing each of the plurality of detection switches, second surface portion, in the direction substantially perpendicular to said front surface, a said head insertion portion side than the first surface portion, and the earth Located on the front side of the tape is traveling guide portion, a width direction of the tape housed in the cassette case, without a vertical direction substantially parallel to said top surface and said bottom surface facing said cassette The identification unit and the discharge port are provided adjacent to each other, and the entire width direction of the one surface of the tape discharged from the discharge port toward the head insertion unit, and the identification unit of the cassette identification unit The combination is exposed at least in the direction facing the front surface of the cassette case.

The tape cassette of the invention according to claim 5 is a tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printer having a print head in a cassette mounting portion, and includes a cassette case having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces; A tape, which is a printing medium, stored in the cassette case, and a space into which the print head is inserted when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, and penetrates the cassette case vertically. And a head insertion portion extending along the front surface, and a discharge opening that opens toward the head insertion portion, guides the tape and travels the tape from the discharge port to the head insertion portion. And an arm part for discharging toward the cassette, and a side wall constituting a part of the front surface of the arm part. When a cassette is mounted, the cassette identification unit is provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting unit and faces a plurality of detection switches protruding toward the front surface. The detection switch is pressed when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, which is arranged based on a prescribed pattern corresponding to at least a printing mode on the tape stored in the cassette case. The identification part of the first surface part and the second surface part that does not press the detection switch is a combination of the identification parts selectively provided facing each of the plurality of detection switches, second surface portion, in the direction substantially perpendicular to said front surface, said a head insertion portion side than the first surface portion, and said arm portion Was positioned on the front side of the tape that is travel guidance, the width direction of the tape housed in the cassette case, without a vertical direction substantially parallel to said top surface and said bottom surface facing said cassette identification And the discharge port are provided adjacent to each other, and one surface of the tape discharged from the discharge port toward the head insertion portion and the combination of the identification portions in the cassette identification portion are at least the It is exposed in the direction facing the front surface of the cassette case.
A tape cassette according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration according to the fourth or fifth aspect, stores the tape roll around which the tape is wound in a freely rotatable manner within the cassette case. The arm section guides the tape fed from the tape roll.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the tape cassette of the invention according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, the cassette identification section includes a plurality of types of the tape stored in the cassette case. Among the elements, a first region indicating a first element and a second region indicating a second element different from the first element are included, and the first region is more than the second region. It is provided adjacent to the discharge port.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the seventh aspect of the invention, the first region shows the tape width as the first element.

  The tape cassette of the invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 8, the second region indicates the type of the tape other than the tape width as the second element. To do.

  In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 10, in addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 9, the second area is a type of the tape other than the tape width, and the printing mode on the tape is a normal image and It is characterized by indicating which one is a mirror image.

  The tape cassette of the invention according to an eleventh aspect is the same as that of the invention according to the ninth or tenth aspect, but the first region has the same tape width regardless of the type of the tape other than the tape width. If there exists, it is comprised by the combination of the said identification part common.

  A tape cassette according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention has the configuration of the invention according to any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, wherein the first region has at least two of the identification portions, and The tape width is indicated by a combination.

A tape cassette according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the tape cassette according to the first or fourth aspect, wherein, in the indicator portion, the first detection switch is located at a position where the detection switch located on the most upstream side in the transport direction is pressed. When there is one surface portion, the indicator portion indicates that the tape width is equal to or larger than a predetermined width.
The tape cassette of the invention according to claim 14 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 13, the predetermined width is 18 mm.
The tape cassette of the invention according to claim 15 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the tape cassette according to claim 13 or 14, the tape width is any one of 18 mm, 24 mm, and 36 mm.

In the tape cassette according to the first aspect of the present invention, the tape is housed inside the cassette case. At least a part of the tape is guided in the cassette case along a predetermined transport path extending in parallel with the front surface, and the tape discharged from the cassette case by the tape discharge section is provided on the downstream side of the transport path as viewed from the tape discharge section. It is exposed between the tape guides. When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion adjacent to the exposed portion of the tape on the front surface of the cassette case, the cassette case is provided on the platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion and protrudes toward the front surface. An indicator portion facing the plurality of detection switches is provided. The indicator portion is arranged based on a prescribed pattern corresponding to at least the tape width of the tape, protrudes from the front to the front of the cassette case, and presses the detection switch when the tape cassette is attached to the cassette attachment portion. It includes a first surface portion and a second surface portion that does not press the detection switch. The second surface portion is located on the side of a part of the transport path extending in parallel with the front surface of the transport path in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front surface , and on the front side of the portion extending in parallel with the front surface. To do. The indicator portion and the tape discharge port are provided adjacent to each other, and the entire tape width direction and the indicator portion are exposed in a direction facing the front surface of the tape cassette. According to this, the width of the tape stored in the cassette case can be reduced by a human being viewing the index portion including the first surface portion and the second surface portion provided on the cassette case together with the tape. Can be recognized.

  According to the tape cassette according to claim 2, a human can store the indicator portion including the first surface portion and the second surface portion provided in the cassette case together with the tape, and store it inside the cassette case. The mode of printing on the tape can be recognized.

  In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 3, the tape roll around which the tape is wound is rotatably stored in the cassette case, and the tape delivered from the tape roll is guided along the transport path. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the human can recognize the width or the printing mode of the tape constituting the tape roll housed in the cassette case by viewing the indicator portion. it can.

In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 4, when the cassette is mounted in the cassette mounting portion, the cassette is provided on the platen holder arranged on the front side of the cassette mounting portion and faces the plurality of detection switches protruding toward the front surface. The identification unit is provided on the side wall of the arm unit that guides the tape and discharges the tape from the discharge port toward the head insertion unit. The cassette identification part is a combination of identification parts of either the first surface part that presses the detection switch and the second surface part that does not press the detection switch. The cassette identification portion and the discharge port are provided adjacent to each other, and the entire width direction on one surface of the tape and the combination of the identification portions are exposed in a direction facing the front surface of the cassette case. According to this, when a plurality of detection switches are selectively pressed by the cassette identification unit provided on the side wall of the arm unit, the tape printer can recognize the tape width as well as the side wall of the arm unit. By visually observing the cassette identification portion provided on the head, a human can recognize the width of the tape ejected from the arm portion.
In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 5, when the plurality of detection switches are selectively pressed by the cassette identification portion provided on the side wall of the arm portion, the tape printer may recognize the printing mode on the tape. Not only can this be done, but by visually observing the cassette identification part provided on the side wall of the arm part, a person can recognize the printing mode on the tape ejected from the arm part.

  In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 6, the tape roll around which the tape is wound is rotatably stored in the cassette case, and the tape fed from the tape roll is guided along the transport path. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 4 or 5, the human can recognize the width or the printing mode of the tape constituting the tape roll stored in the cassette case by visually observing the cassette identification portion. Can do.

  In the tape cassette according to the seventh aspect of the invention, the cassette identifying portion is configured such that the first area indicating the first element included in the tape type is more discharged than the second area indicating the second element included in the tape type. Is provided adjacent to. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the inventions according to claims 4 to 6, a plurality of areas included in the cassette identification portion can be visually discriminated according to the separation distance from the discharge port, and each area has a different tape type element. Can be recognized.

  In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 8, the first region shows the tape width as the first element. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 7, the tape width, which is information necessary for performing proper printing by the tape printer, can be recognized by visual observation of the first area.

  In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 9, the second area indicates the type of tape other than the tape width as the second element. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to the eighth aspect, the type of tape other than the tape width can be clearly distinguished from the tape width by visual observation of the second region.

  In the tape cassette according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the second region indicates whether the printing mode on the tape is a normal image or a mirror image. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to the ninth aspect, it is possible to visually recognize the printing mode which is information necessary for performing proper printing with the tape printer.

  In the tape cassette according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the first region is constituted by a combination of common identification portions as long as the tape width is the same. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 9 or 10, since a combination of common identification portions is shown if the tape width is the same regardless of the tape type other than the tape width, human beings can accurately and easily The tape width can be recognized.

  In the tape cassette according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the first region has at least two identification portions and indicates the tape width by a combination of the two identification portions. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 8 to 11, by indicating the tape width by the combination of the two identification portions, the number of tape width patterns that can be recognized by human eyes can be increased. it can.

In the tape cassette according to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, when the first surface portion is at a position for pressing the detection switch located on the most upstream side in the transport direction, the indicator portion indicates that the tape width is equal to or greater than a predetermined width. . Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or 4, a human can only determine whether or not the first surface portion is provided at a position facing the most upstream detection switch, and the tape width can be reduced. It is possible to recognize whether the width is equal to or greater than a predetermined width.
In the tape cassette according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when the first surface portion is provided at a position facing the most upstream detection switch, the indicator portion indicates that the tape width is 18 mm or more. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 13, a human can only observe whether or not the first surface portion is provided at a position facing the most upstream detection switch, and the tape width is 18 mm or more. Or not.
In the tape cassette of the invention according to claim 15, the tape width is any one of 18mm, 24mm, and 36mm. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 13 or 14, a human can recognize whether the width of the tape is 18 mm, 24 mm or 36 mm by viewing the indicator portion.

It is a perspective view of the tape printer 1 in the state where the cassette cover 6 is closed. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the tape cassette 30 and the cassette mounting part 8. FIG. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the laminate type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the standby position. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the laminate type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the printing position. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the receptor type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the printing position. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part 8 in which the thermal type tape cassette 30 was mounted when the platen holder 12 was in the printing position. It is the figure which rotated 180 degree | times arrow sectional drawing in the II line | wire of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the cassette opposing surface 12b in which the arm detection part 200 was provided. It is arrow direction sectional drawing in the III-III line of FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the tape printer 1. FIG. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the tape cassette 30 from the upper surface 30a side. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the tape cassette 30 from the bottom face 30b side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view in which an arm portion 34 of a wide cassette 30 is enlarged. It is the front view which expanded the arm front surface 35 of the wide cassette 30. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a label sheet 700 used for the wide cassette 30. FIG. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the wide cassette 30 with which the label sheet | seat 700 shown in FIG. 15 was stuck from the upper surface 30a side. It is the bottom view to which the back recessed part 68c of the wide cassette 30 with which the label sheet | seat 700 shown in FIG. 15 was affixed was expanded. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an arm portion 34 of a narrow cassette 30. FIG. It is the front view which expanded the arm front surface 35 of the narrow cassette 30. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a label sheet 700 used for the narrow cassette 30. FIG. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the narrow cassette 30 with which the label sheet | seat 700 shown in FIG. 20 was stuck from the upper surface 30a side. It is the bottom view to which the back recessed part 68c of the narrow cassette 30 with which the label sheet | seat 700 shown in FIG. 20 was affixed was expanded. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 14 when the platen holder 12 shown in FIG. 9 is opposed to the wide cassette 30 shown in FIG. 14. It is the figure which rotated 180 degree | times the sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 5 when the rear support part 8c shown in FIG. 7 is opposed to the wide cassette 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 19 when the platen holder 12 shown in FIG. 9 is opposed to the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIG. 19. It is the figure which rotated the II-II arrow direction sectional drawing in FIG. 6 180 degree | times when the back support part 8c shown in FIG. 7 opposes the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing main processing of the tape printer 1. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the 1st specific table 510. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the tape cassette 30 and the platen holder 12 face when an error is detected in a tape printer. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the 2nd specific table 520. FIG. It is the front view to which the arm front surface 35 of the other narrow cassette 30 was expanded. It is a top view of the label sheet | seat 700 used for the other narrow cassette 30. FIG. It is the perspective view which expanded the arm part 34 of the tape cassette 30 in a modification.

  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 printer 1 and the tape cassette 30 according to this embodiment will be described later with reference to FIGS. In the description of this embodiment, the lower left side of FIG. 1 is the front side of the tape printer 1, the upper right side of FIG. 1 is the rear side of the tape printer 1, and the lower right side of FIG. 1 is the left side of the tape printer 1. 2 is the front side of the tape cassette 30, the upper left side of FIG. 2 is the rear side of the tape cassette 30, the upper right side of FIG. 2 is the right side of the tape cassette 30, and the lower left side of FIG. The left side of the cassette 30 is assumed. In practice, the gear group including the gears 91, 93, 94, 97, 98, and 101 shown in FIG. 2 is covered by the bottom surface of the cavity 8a. These gear groups will be described. As necessary, the bottom surface of the cavity 8a is not shown in FIG. 2 to 6 schematically show the side wall that forms the periphery of the cassette mounting portion 8, this is only a schematic diagram, and for example, the side wall shown in FIG. 2 is thicker than the actual side wall. It is drawn. 3 to 6 show the state in which the various tape cassettes 30 are mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 with the upper case 31a removed, in order to facilitate understanding.

  First, a schematic configuration of the tape printer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following, thermal type tape cassette 30 containing only thermal paper tape, receptor type tape cassette 30 containing printing tape and ink ribbon, laminated type containing double-sided adhesive tape, film tape and ink ribbon A tape printer 1 configured as a general-purpose machine that can commonly use a plurality of tape cassettes 30 of different tape types, such as the tape cassette 30 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tape printer 1 includes a main body cover 2 having a rectangular shape in plan view. On the front side of the main body cover 2, a keyboard 3 including character keys such as characters, symbols, and numbers, various function keys, and the like is disposed. On the rear side of the keyboard 3, a display 5 capable of displaying input characters and symbols is provided. A cassette cover 6 that is opened and closed when the tape cassette 30 is replaced is provided on the rear side of the display 5. Although not shown, a discharge slit for discharging the printed tape to the outside is provided behind the left side surface of the main body cover 2, and the cassette cover 6 is provided on the left side surface of the cassette cover 6. A discharge window is formed to expose the discharge slit to the outside when closed.

  Next, the internal structure of the main body cover 2 corresponding to the cassette cover 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, inside the main body cover 2 corresponding to the cassette cover 6, a cassette mounting portion 8, which is an area in which the tape cassette 30 is detachable, is provided. The cassette mounting portion 8 is recessed so as to substantially correspond to the shape of the bottom surface 30b of the cassette case 31 to be described later when the tape cassette 30 is mounted, and has a cavity 8a having a flat bottom surface and an outer edge of the cavity 8a. And a cassette support portion 8b which is a flat portion extending horizontally.

  The plan view shape of the cassette support portion 8b is a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction, substantially corresponding to the plan view shape of the tape cassette 30. The rear edge of the cavity 8a has a shape in which two arcs are arranged side by side in a plan view. A part of the cassette support portion 8b located between these two arcs is referred to as a rear support portion 8c. The rear support portion 8 c is a portion facing the rear recess 68 c (see FIG. 12) of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, and the cassette support portions 8 b other than the rear support portion 8 c are connected to the cassette mounting portion 8. This is a portion facing the lower surface of the common portion 32 (specifically, a corner portion 32a described later) of the tape cassette 30 that is mounted.

  A rear support pin 301 and a rear detection unit 300 are provided in the rear support unit 8c. The rear support pin 301 is a cylindrical member that protrudes upward from the rear support portion 8c in the vicinity of the connecting portion of the two arcs at the rear edge of the cavity 8a. The rear support pins 301 support a rear receiving portion 910 (see FIG. 12) of the tape cassette 30 to be described later from below when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8.

  The rear detection unit 300 includes a plurality of detection switches 310, and a switch terminal 322 (see FIG. 7) of each detection switch 310 protrudes upward from a through-hole 8d provided in the rear support unit 8c. In the present embodiment, the rear detection unit 300 includes five detection switches 310a to 310e, four of which (detection switches 310a to 310d) are arranged at the rear end of the rear support unit 8c in order from the right side (left side in FIG. 7). The remaining detection switches 310e are arranged in front of the second detection switch 310b from the right. Hereinafter, the detection switch 310 provided in the rear detection unit 300 is referred to as a rear detection switch 310.

  Here, the detailed structure of the rear detection switch 310 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, each of the rear detection switches 310 (rear detection switches 310 a to 310 e) is a substantially cylindrical main body portion 321 installed below the rear support portion 8 c, that is, inside the main body cover 2 (see FIG. 2). And a rod-like switch terminal 322 that can advance and retreat in the axial direction from one end side of the main body portion 321. The other end side of the main body 321 of each rear detection switch 310 is attached to the switch support plate 320 and is installed inside the main body cover 2. In addition, on one end side of each main body portion 321, the switch terminal 322 can advance and retreat through a plurality of through holes 8 d formed in the rear support portion 8 c. Each switch terminal 322 is always held in a state of being extended from the main body 321 by a spring member (not shown) provided inside the main body 321. That is, the switch terminal 322 is in a state of being extended from the main body portion 321 (OFF state) when not pressed, and is in a state of being retracted (ON state) into the main body portion 321 when pressed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the tape cassette 30 is not mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, all the rear detection switches 310 are turned off because the rear detection switch 310 is in a state of being separated from the tape cassette 30. . On the other hand, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8, the rear detection switch 310 faces the rear identification unit 900 of the tape cassette 30 described later and is selectively pressed by the rear identification unit 900. Based on the on / off combination of the rear detection switch 310 at this time, the type of tape stored in the tape cassette 30 (hereinafter referred to as tape type) is detected. The support of the tape cassette 30 by the rear support pins 301 and the detection of the tape type by the rear detection unit 300 will be described later separately.

  As shown in FIG. 2, two positioning pins 102 and 103 are provided at two locations on the cassette support portion 8b. More specifically, a positioning pin 102 is provided on the left side of the cavity 8a, and a positioning pin 103 is provided on the right side of the cavity 8a. The positioning pins 102 and 103 are pin holes 62 and 63 which are two concave portions formed on the lower surface of the common portion 32 of the tape cassette 30 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 (see FIG. 12). Are provided at corresponding positions. The positioning pins 102 and 103 are inserted into the pin holes 62 and 63 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, and support the tape cassette 30 from below at the left and right positions of the peripheral edge of the tape cassette 30.

  The cassette mounting portion 8 is provided with a transport mechanism that pulls out the tape from the tape cassette 30 and transports it, a printing mechanism that prints characters and the like on the surface of the tape, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, a head holder 74 on which a thermal head 10 including a heating element (not shown) is mounted is fixed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, upstream and downstream support portions 74 a and 74 b that support the tape cassette 30 from below when mounted on the tape printer 1 are provided at the left and right ends of the head holder 74. (Hereinafter collectively referred to as head support portions 74a and 74b). A hook-like cassette hook 75 that locks the tape cassette 30 when mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 is provided on the rear side of the head holder 74.

  A tape feed motor 23, which is a stepping motor, is disposed outside the cassette mounting portion 8 (upper right side in FIG. 2). A drive gear 91 is fixed to the lower end of the drive shaft of the tape feed motor 23. The drive gear 91 is engaged with the gear 93 through the opening, and the gear 93 is engaged with the gear 94. On the upper surface of the gear 94, a ribbon take-up shaft 95 is provided upright for rotating the ribbon take-up spool 44 described later. Further, a gear 97 is engaged with the gear 94, a gear 98 is engaged with the gear 97, and a gear 101 is engaged with the gear 98. On the upper surface of the gear 101, a tape drive shaft 100 is erected to rotate the tape drive roller 46 described later.

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

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, an arm-like platen holder 12 is pivotally supported on the front side of the head holder 74 so as to be swingable about a shaft support portion 12 a. At the front end side of the platen holder 12, a platen roller 15 provided so as to be able to contact and separate relative to the thermal head 10 and a tape drive roller 46 into which the tape drive shaft 100 is inserted is provided so as to be able to contact and separate. The movable transport roller 14 is rotatably supported together.

  The platen holder 12 is connected to a release lever (not shown) that moves in the left-right direction in conjunction with opening and closing of the cassette cover 6. When the cassette cover 6 is opened, the release lever moves in the right direction, and the platen holder 12 moves toward the standby position shown in FIG. In the standby position shown in FIG. 3, the platen holder 12 is moved away from the cassette mounting portion 8, so that the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8. The platen holder 12 is always elastically biased to the standby position by a winding spring (not shown).

  On the other hand, when the cassette cover 6 is closed, the release lever moves to the left, and the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the platen holder 12 is moved in the direction close to the cassette mounting portion 8. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the laminate type tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the platen roller 15 moves the thermal head 10 via the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60. And the movable conveying roller 14 presses the tape driving roller 46 via the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, when the receptor type tape cassette 30 is mounted, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the print tape 57 and the ink ribbon 60 and is movable. The conveying roller 14 presses the tape driving roller 46 via the printing tape 57. As shown in FIG. 6, when the thermal type tape cassette 30 is mounted, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the thermal paper tape 55, and the movable conveyance roller 14 moves to the thermal paper tape 55. Then, the tape driving roller 46 is pressed. Thereby, at the printing position shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, printing can be performed using the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Details of the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, the film tape 59, and the ink ribbon 60 will be described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a transport path for transporting the printed tape 50 is provided between the tape discharge port 49 of the tape cassette 30 and the discharge slit (not shown) of the tape printer 1. Yes. A cut mechanism 17 that cuts the printed tape 50 at a predetermined position is provided in the transport path. The cutting mechanism 17 includes a fixed blade 18 and a movable blade 19 that is opposed to the fixed blade 18 and is movably supported in the front-rear direction (vertical direction shown in FIG. 3). The movable blade 19 is moved in the front-rear direction by a cutter motor 24 (see FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a plate-like protrusion extending in the left-right direction is provided on the rear side of the platen holder 12, that is, the surface facing the thermal head 10 (hereinafter referred to as the cassette facing surface 12 b). A protruding member 225 is provided. The protruding member 225 protrudes substantially horizontally from the cassette facing surface 12 b toward the cassette mounting portion 8. The protruding member 225 is located at a height position facing a facing portion 820 (see FIG. 14) provided on the arm front surface 35 of the tape cassette 30 to be described later in a state where the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8. Is provided.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the arrangement and configuration of the protruding member 225 in the platen holder 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the protruding member 225 is disposed on the cassette facing surface 12b of the platen holder 12 above the arm detection switches 210a and 210c described later and on the right side (left side in FIG. 8) of the lower row arm detection switch 210e. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the protruding member 225 is integrally formed with the platen holder 12 so as to protrude rearward (left side in FIG. 9) from the cassette facing surface 12 b of the platen holder 12. The protruding height of the protruding member 225 with respect to the cassette facing surface 12b is such that the cassette facing surface 12b and the arm front surface when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position. The distance is set to 35. Therefore, the protruding member 225 faces the arm front surface 35 of the tape cassette 30 present in the cassette mounting portion 8, and the tip thereof faces the facing portion 820. In addition, the protruding member 225 is formed with an inclined portion 226 in which a part of the lower surface is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the thickness gradually decreases toward the tip side (left side in FIG. 9).

  In the platen holder 12 in the example of FIG. 9, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the protruding member 225 comes into contact with the arm front surface 35 (opposing portion 820), but the protruding member 225 is not necessarily the opposing portion 820. There is no need to abut. That is, the protrusion height of the protruding member 225 with respect to the cassette facing surface 12b is the same as the cassette facing surface 12b when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the platen holder 12 is moved toward the printing position. The distance from the arm front surface 35 may be slightly shorter.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the arm detection unit 200 is provided on the cassette facing surface 12 b slightly on the right side from the middle position in the longitudinal direction. The arm detection unit 200 includes a plurality of detection switches 210, and the switch terminals 222 (see FIG. 9) of the detection switches 210 protrude substantially horizontally from the cassette facing surface 12b toward the cassette mounting unit 8. In other words, each detection switch 210 has a front surface (more detailed) of the tape cassette 30 existing in the cassette mounting portion 8 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the mounting direction of the tape cassette 30 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 8 (vertical direction in FIG. Is protruded so as to face an arm front surface 35) to be described later.

  Each detection switch 210 is provided at a height position facing an arm identification unit 800 described later in a state where the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting unit 8. Hereinafter, the detection switch 210 of the arm detection unit 200 is referred to as an arm detection switch 210.

  Here, the detailed arrangement and structure of the arm detection switch 210 in the platen holder 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, the cassette facing surface 12b of the platen holder 12 is provided with five through holes 12c arranged in three rows in the vertical direction. More specifically, the arrangement is two in the upper row, two in the middle row, and one in the lower row. And the position of each through-hole 12c in the left-right direction is different. Specifically, in order from the right side (left side in FIG. 8) of the cassette facing surface 12b, the five through holes 12c are arranged in the order of the lower row, the upper row right, the middle row right, the upper row left, and the middle row left. Are arranged in a zigzag. Corresponding to these five through holes 12c, five arm detection switches 210e, 210c, 210d, 210a, 210b are provided in order from the right side of the cassette facing surface 12b.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the arm detection switch 210 includes a substantially cylindrical main body part 221 installed inside the platen holder 12, and a rod-like switch terminal 222 that can advance and retreat in the axial direction from one end side of the main body part 221. It has. The other end side of the main body 221 of each arm detection switch 210 is attached to the switch support plate 220 and installed inside the platen holder 12. Further, on one end side of each main body portion 221, the switch terminal 222 can be advanced and retracted through a plurality of through holes 12c formed in the cassette facing surface 12b of the platen holder 12. Each switch terminal 222 is always held in a state of being extended from the main body 221 by a spring member (not shown) provided inside the main body 221. The protruding height of the switch terminal 222 in the extended state with respect to the cassette facing surface 12b is slightly smaller than the protruding height of the protruding member 225 described above. That is, the distance between the cassette facing surface 12b and the arm front surface 35 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position is slightly smaller. When the switch terminal 222 is not pressed, the switch terminal 222 extends from the main body 221 (off state), and when pressed, the switch terminal 222 is pressed into the main body 221 (on state).

  When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, when the platen holder 12 moves toward the standby position (see FIG. 3), each arm detection switch 210 is separated from the tape cassette 30, so that all arm detections are performed. The switch 210 is turned off. On the other hand, when the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position (see FIGS. 4 to 6), the arm detection switch 210 detects the arm provided on the front surface of the tape cassette 30, more specifically on the arm front surface 35 described later. Opposite part 800. At this time, there is a slight distance between the tip of the switch terminal 222 of the arm detection switch 210 in the extended state and the arm front surface 35. However, since the arm identification unit 800 is provided with the protruding pressing portion 802 in a prescribed pattern, the arm detection switch 210 is selectively pressed by the pressing portion 802. The tape type is detected based on the ON / OFF combination of the arm detection switch 210 at this time, which will be described in detail later.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the tape printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the tape printer 1 includes a control circuit unit 400 formed on a control board. The control circuit unit 400 includes a CPU 401 that controls each device, a ROM 402, a CGROM 403, a RAM 404, an input / output interface 411, and the like connected to the CPU 401 via a data bus 410.

  The ROM 402 has a display drive control program for controlling the liquid crystal drive circuit (LCDC) 405 in correspondence with character code data such as letters and numbers inputted from the keyboard 3, and printing for driving the thermal head 10 and the tape feed motor 23. Drive control program, pulse number determination program for determining the number of applied pulses corresponding to the amount of energy to form each printing dot, cutting drive control program for driving the cutter motor 24 to cut the printed tape 50 at a predetermined cutting position, etc. Various programs necessary for control of the tape printer 1 are stored. That is, the CPU 401 performs various calculations based on these various programs. The ROM 402 also stores various tables for specifying the tape type of the tape cassette 30 attached to the tape printer 1, which will be described in detail later.

  In CGROM 403, dot pattern data for printing is classified for each typeface (Gothic typeface, Mincho typeface, etc.) for each of a large number of characters for printing characters such as alphabet letters and symbols. Are stored in correspondence with code data for six types (for example, dot sizes of 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, and 96).

  The RAM 404 is provided with a plurality of storage areas such as a text memory and a print buffer. Document data input from the keyboard 3 is stored in the text memory. In the print buffer, a dot pattern for printing such as a plurality of characters and symbols, the number of applied pulses that is the amount of energy for forming each dot, and the like are stored as dot pattern data. The thermal head 10 performs dot printing according to the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer. In the other storage area, various calculation data and the like are stored.

  The input / output interface 411 includes arm detection switches 210a to 210e, rear detection switches 310a to 310e, a keyboard 3, and a liquid crystal drive circuit (LCDC) having a video RAM (not shown) for outputting display data to a display (LCD) 5. 405, a drive circuit 406 for driving the thermal head 10, a drive circuit 407 for driving the tape feed motor 23, a drive circuit 408 for driving the cutter motor 24, and the like are connected to each other.

  Next, the configuration of the tape cassette 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 and FIGS. In the following, as a general-purpose cassette that can mount various tape types such as thermal type, receptor type, laminate type, etc., by changing the type of tape stored in the inside and the presence or absence of ink ribbon as appropriate The tape cassette 30 comprised is illustrated.

  2 and 11 show the appearance of the tape cassette 30 in a state where a label sheet 700 described later is not attached. 13 to 17 are diagrams relating to a tape cassette 30 (hereinafter referred to as a wide cassette 30) in which the tape width is equal to or greater than a predetermined width (for example, 18 mm). More specifically, the wide cassette 30 illustrated in FIG. 13 to FIG. 17 is a laminate type (FIG. 3 and FIG. 3) in which a double-sided adhesive tape 59 with a base color “white” and an ink ribbon 60 with an ink color “black” are accommodated. 4), and the tape width is “36 mm”. On the other hand, FIGS. 18-22 is a figure regarding the tape cassette 30 (henceforth a narrow cassette 30) from which a tape width becomes less than predetermined width. More specifically, the narrow cassette 30 illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 22 is a receptor type (see FIG. 5) in which a print tape 57 of tape color “gray” and an ink ribbon 60 of ink color “blue” are accommodated. The tape width is “12 mm”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 11, the tape cassette 30 has a cassette case 31 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (box-shaped) casing having rounded corners in plan view as a whole. The cassette case 31 includes a lower case 31b including the bottom surface 30b of the cassette case 31, and an upper case 31a including the upper surface 30a of the cassette case 31 and fixed to the upper portion of the lower case 31b. When the upper case 31a and the lower case 31b are fixed to each other, a side surface 30c having a predetermined height is formed across the outer edges of the upper surface 30a and the bottom surface 30b. That is, the cassette case 31 has a pair of upper and lower surfaces 30a and 30b that form a rectangular plane opposed to each other in the vertical direction, and a side surface 30c (at a predetermined height across the outer edges of the upper and lower surfaces 30a and 30b). Here, it is a box-shaped case body having a front surface, a back surface, a left side surface, and a right side surface. The cassette case 31 does not have to be surrounded by the side surface 30c in its entirety on the upper surface 30a and the bottom surface 30b, and an opening that exposes the inside of the cassette case 31 is provided on a part of the side surface 30c (for example, the back surface). Or a boss connecting the upper surface 30a and the bottom surface 30b may be provided at a position facing the opening. Hereinafter, the distance (vertical length) from the bottom surface 30b to the top surface 30a is referred to as the height dimension of the tape cassette 30 or the cassette case 31. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction of the cassette case 31 (that is, the direction in which the top surface 30a and the bottom surface 30b face each other) is substantially coincident with the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 19, the cassette case 31 has a corner portion 32 a formed with the same width (the same length in the vertical direction) regardless of the type of the tape cassette 30. The corner 32a protrudes outward so as to form a right angle in plan view. However, the lower left corner 32a in plan view is not perpendicular because the tape outlet 49 is provided at the corner. The lower surface of the corner portion 32 a is a portion facing the cassette support portion 8 b described above in the cassette mounting portion 8 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. A portion (including the corner portion 32a) that surrounds the entire side surface of the cassette case 31 with the same position and the same width as the corner portion 32a in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31. That's it. More specifically, the common portion 32 is a portion formed symmetrically in the vertical direction with respect to the center line in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31. The height of the tape cassette 30 varies depending on the tape width of the tape (here, the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, the film tape 59, etc.) stored in the cassette case 31. Yes. However, the height dimension (width T) of the common portion 32 is set to the same dimension regardless of the tape width.

  For example, when the width T of the common portion 32 is 12 mm, when the tape width of the tape cassette 30 increases (for example, 18 mm, 24 mm, 36 mm), the height dimension of the cassette case 31 increases accordingly. The width T of 32 is constant. When the tape width is equal to or smaller than the width T of the common portion 32 (for example, 6 mm, 12 mm), the height dimension of the cassette case 31 is the width T (12 mm) of the common portion 32 + a predetermined width. In this case, the height of the cassette case 31 is the smallest.

  2 and 11, the upper case 31a and the lower case 31b are respectively provided with support holes 65a for rotatably supporting a first tape spool 40, a second tape spool 41, and a ribbon take-up spool 44 described later. , 66a, 67a, and support holes 65b, 66b, 67b (see FIG. 12).

  In the laminate type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40, the film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41, and the ribbon spool 42 are wound. Three types of tape rolls of the rotated ink ribbon 60 are stored in the cassette case 31. And the 1st tape spool 40 which wound the release paper of the double-sided adhesive tape 58 toward the outer side is arrange | positioned rotatably via the support holes 65a and 65b. When the cassette case 31 is divided into two regions on the left and right with the center line C (see FIG. 4) in the left-right direction, the support holes 65a and 65b It is arranged at a position biased backward. Therefore, the center of rotation of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40, that is, the center of gravity, is in a position biased backward in the left region.

  The second tape spool 41 around which the film tape 59 is wound is rotatably arranged through the support holes 66a and 66b. When the cassette case 31 is divided into two regions on the left and right with the center line C in the left-right direction, the support holes 66a and 66b are positions that are biased toward the rear of the cassette case 31 in the right region (hereinafter referred to as the right region). Is arranged. Therefore, the rotation center of the film tape 59 wound around the second tape spool 41, that is, the center of gravity is located in the right region. And, like the double-sided adhesive tape 58, the position is biased to the rear of the cassette case 31.

  Further, the ink ribbon 60 wound around the ribbon spool 42 is rotatably arranged in the same right region as the film tape 59 in the cassette case 31. Further, the arrangement position of the ink ribbon 60 is biased forward of the cassette case 31. Therefore, the center of gravity of the ink ribbon 60, that is, the center of rotation is at a position biased forward in the right region.

  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 arranged through the support holes 67a and 67b. A clutch spring (not shown) is attached to the lower portion of the ribbon take-up spool 44 to prevent the ink ribbon 60 taken up by the reverse of the ribbon take-up spool 44 from loosening. .

  In the receptor type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 5, two types of tape rolls, that is, a printing tape 57 wound around a first tape spool 40 and an ink ribbon 60 wound around a ribbon spool 42, are placed in a cassette case 31. It is stored. Therefore, the rotation center of the printing tape 57 wound around the first tape spool 40, that is, the center of gravity, is in a position biased backward in the left region. Further, the center of gravity of the ink ribbon 60, that is, the center of rotation, is at a position biased forward in the right region. This receptor type tape cassette 30 does not include the second tape spool 41.

  In the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 6, one type of tape roll of the thermal paper tape 55 wound around the first tape spool 40 is accommodated in the cassette case 31. Therefore, the rotation center of the thermal paper tape 55 wound around the first tape spool 40, that is, the center of gravity, is in a position biased backward in the left region. The thermal type tape cassette 30 does not include the second tape spool 41 and the ribbon spool 42.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the cassette case 31 has a semicircular groove 34i, which is a substantially semicircular groove in a plan view, in the height direction of the cassette case 31 (that is, from the top surface 30a to the bottom surface 30b). It is provided over. The semicircular groove 34 i is an escape portion provided so that the shaft support portion 12 a that is the rotation center of the platen holder 12 does not interfere with the cassette case 31 when the tape cassette 30 is attached to the cassette attachment portion 8. A portion of the front surface of the cassette case 31 that extends to the left from the semicircular groove 34 i (specifically, an outer wall 34 b described later) is referred to as an arm front surface 35. A portion extending from the right front portion of the tape cassette 30 to the left front and defined by the arm front surface 35 and the arm back surface 37 provided across the height direction at a position spaced rearward from the arm front surface 35 is referred to as an arm portion 34. . 3 to 6, the arm front surface 35 is slightly behind the right front surface 35A, which is the portion on the right side of the semicircular groove 34i, on the right front surface 35A. They are arranged in parallel.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 13, a configuration for guiding the tape (for example, the thermal paper tape 55, the print tape 57, and the film tape 59) and the ink ribbon 60 that are print media in the arm portion 34 will be described. The arm portion 34 of the lower case 31 b includes an outer wall 34 b constituting the arm front surface 35 and an inner wall 34 c which is higher than the outer wall 34 b and has the same height as the ribbon width of the ink ribbon 60. A separation wall 34d is provided between the outer wall 34b and the inner wall 34c so as to have substantially the same height as the inner wall 34c. A pair of guide regulating pieces 34e are formed at the lower ends of both sides of the separation wall 34d. A guide pin 34g having a guide regulating piece 34f formed at the lower end is provided at a position upstream of the separation wall 34d (right side in FIG. 13) in the arm portion 34 of the lower case 31b. A pair of guide restricting pieces 34h is formed in a portion of the upper case 31a constituting the arm portion 34 so as to correspond to the respective guide restricting pieces 34e provided at the lower ends on both sides of the separation wall 34d. The front end portion of the arm front surface 35 is bent rearward, and an opening 34 a extending in the vertical direction is formed at the left ends of the arm front surface 35 and the arm back surface 37.

  When the cassette case 31 is configured by joining the upper case 31a and the lower case 31b, a tape that is a print medium (in the example of FIG. 13) is provided in the arm portion 34 by the outer wall 34b, the separation wall 34d, and the guide pin 34g. A tape travel path for guiding the travel of the film tape 59) and a ribbon travel path for guiding the travel of the ink ribbon 60 are formed by the inner wall 34c and the separation wall 34d. At this time, the direction of the film tape 59 is changed by the guide pin 34g while the lower end of the film tape 59 is regulated by the guide regulating piece 34f, and each guide regulating piece 34e at the lower end of the separation wall 34d and each guide regulating piece of the upper case 31a. The guide is regulated in the tape width direction in cooperation with 34h. As a result, the film tape 59 is guided to travel between the outer wall 34 b and the separation wall 34 d in the arm portion 34. Further, the ink ribbon 60 is guided by the inner wall 34c and the separation wall 34d in the arm portion 34 while being guided by the inner wall 34c and the separation wall 34d having the same height as the ribbon width. . At this time, the ink ribbon 60 is regulated in the width direction by the lower surface of the upper case 31a and the upper surface of the lower case 31b. Then, the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are superposed at the opening 34a after being guided to travel along each travel route, and discharged to the head insertion portion 39 (more specifically, an opening 77 described later).

  With the above configuration, the tape traveling path and the ribbon traveling path are formed as different paths separated from each other via the separation wall 34d in the arm portion 34. Accordingly, the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 are reliably guided to travel independently in each travel path in accordance with the tape width and ribbon width. Although FIG. 13 illustrates a laminate-type tape cassette 30 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the same applies to the arm portions 34 of other types of tape cassettes 30. In the receptor type tape cassette 30 (see FIG. 5), the print tape 57 is guided along the tape travel path, and the ink ribbon 60 is guided along the ribbon travel path. In the thermal type tape cassette 30 (see FIG. 6), the thermal paper tape 55 is traveled and guided along the tape travel path, and the ribbon travel path is not used.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to 6, a substantially rectangular shape in plan view that penetrates the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction and is surrounded by the arm back surface 37 and a peripheral wall surface continuously provided from the arm back surface 37. This space is the head insertion portion 39. The head insertion portion 39 is provided at a position biased forward of the cassette case 31 (that is, a position biased to the opposite side of the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, and the film tape 59). The head insertion portion 39 is connected to the outside also on the front surface of the tape cassette 30 through an opening 77 provided on the front surface of the tape cassette 30. A head holder 74 that supports the thermal head 10 of the tape printer 1 is inserted into the head insertion portion 39, and the tape (the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, or the film tape 59 is discharged from the opening 34 a of the arm portion 34. Is exposed to the outside of the cassette case 31 through the opening 77, and printing by the thermal head 10 is performed.

  At a position facing the head insertion portion 39 of the cassette case 31, a support receiving portion used for vertical positioning when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1 is provided. In the present embodiment, the upstream side of the insertion position (more specifically, the printing position) of the thermal head 10 in the transport direction of the tape (one of the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, and the film tape 59) that is a printing medium is upstream. Side receiving portions 39a are provided, and downstream receiving portions 39b (hereinafter collectively referred to as head receiving portions 39a and 39b) are provided on the downstream side. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the head receiving portions 39a and 39b come into contact with the head support portions 74a and 74b provided on the head holder 74, respectively, and from below the head support portions 74a and 74b. It is a part to be supported. In addition, a locking portion 38 that is a concave portion having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view is provided between the upstream receiving portion 39a and the downstream receiving portion 39b at a position facing the head insertion portion 39 in the lower case 31b. (See FIG. 12). The locking portion 38 is a portion where the cassette hook 75 is locked when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, pin holes 62 and 63 corresponding to the positioning pins 102 and 103 of the tape printer 1 described above are provided at two locations on the lower surface of the corner portion 32a. Specifically, at the rear (upper in FIG. 12) of a support hole 64 (described later) provided in the left front portion (lower right side in FIG. 12) of the cassette case 31, a recess provided in the lower surface of the corner portion 32a, A pin hole 62 into which the positioning pin 102 is inserted. Further, in the vicinity of the central portion of the right end portion (left side in FIG. 12) of the cassette case 31, a concave portion provided on the lower surface of the corner portion 32a is a pin hole 63 into which the positioning pin 103 is inserted. The distance between the positions of the pin holes 62 and 63 in the vertical direction (height direction) of the tape cassette 30 and the central position in the vertical direction of the film tape 59 which is a printing medium stored in the cassette case 31 is the tape of the tape cassette 30 Regardless of the type (for example, tape width), that is, even if the height dimension of the tape cassette 30 is different, it is constant. In FIG. 12, the tape drive roller 46 and the like are omitted.

  By the way, when the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position with the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 (see FIGS. 4 to 6), the arm detection unit 200 and the protrusion provided on the cassette facing surface 12b. The member 225 faces the arm front surface 35. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the arm front surface 35 is selectively pressed with the arm detection switch 210 to cause the tape printer 1 to detect the tape type, and the protruding member 225. And a facing portion 820 which is a portion facing each other.

  Here, with reference to FIGS. 13, 14, 18, and 19, detailed configurations of the arm identification unit 800 and the facing unit 820 will be described. As described above, FIGS. 13 and 14 show the arm portion 34 in the wide cassette 30 having the tape width “36 mm”. 18 and 19 show the arm portion 34 in the narrow cassette 30 having a tape width of “12 mm”.

  The arm identification unit 800 includes a plurality of identification units configured by any one of the non-pressing unit 801 and the pressing unit 802 at positions corresponding to the plurality of arm detection switches 210. The plurality of identification portions are patterns according to information (printing information) that is essential for executing proper printing in the tape printer 1 among the tape types of the tape cassette 30, and the non-pressing portion 801 and The combination of the press part 802 is comprised. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 are located at positions where the five arm detection switches 210a to 210e face each other. It has five identification parts 800a-800e comprised by either.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the non-pressing portion 801 is a surface portion that is a part of the arm front surface 35. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the platen holder 12 is moved to the printing position, the tip of the switch terminal 222 of the arm detection switch 210 facing the non-pressing portion 801 is slightly forward of the non-pressing portion 801. It is in a position spaced apart. Therefore, the arm detection switch 210 facing the non-pressing portion 801 is turned off. On the other hand, the pressing portion 802 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped convex portion protruding forward from the arm front surface 35. The protruding height of the pressing portion 802 from the arm front surface 35 is opposite to the non-pressing portion 801 and the non-pressing portion 801 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the platen holder 12 is moved to the printing position. It is larger than the distance from the tip of the switch terminal 222 to be operated. Therefore, the arm detection switch 210 facing the pressing portion 802 is turned on when the switch terminal 222 is pressed by the pressing portion 802 which is a convex portion.

  The arm identification unit 800 is provided at a position adjacent to the opening 34a in the arm front surface 35 (the left portion of the arm front surface 35 in a front view). In other words, the arm identification unit 800 is provided so as to be adjacent to the opening 77 where the film tape 59 is exposed to the outside. A convex portion protruding forward from the arm front surface 35 substantially perpendicularly (that is, in parallel with the top surface 30a and the bottom surface 30b) is the pressing portion 802. Therefore, the formation direction of the pressing portion 802 is substantially orthogonal to the tape travel path in the arm portion 34.

  As shown in FIG. 14, at least a part of the identification portions (non-pressing portion 801 and pressing portion 802) of the arm identification portion 800 is within a predetermined height dimension (hereinafter, predetermined height) T1 in the arm front surface 35. Is provided. The predetermined height T1 is the height dimension of the tape cassette 30 in which the height dimension of the cassette case 31 is the smallest among the plurality of tape cassettes 30 having different tape widths. A region in the range of the predetermined height T1 on the arm front surface 35 is referred to as a common identification unit 831. More preferably, at least a part of the identification portions (the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802) is symmetrical in the vertical direction about the center line N in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31 on the arm front surface 35. The common identification unit 831 is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the position of each identification unit in the arm identification unit 800 in the left-right direction is different. That is, there is no identification part which overlaps with an up-down direction, and each identification part is arrange | positioned zigzag. Therefore, a line connecting the respective identification portions intersects with the up and down direction of the tape cassette 30 which is the attaching / detaching direction of the tape cassette 30. The tape type detection using the arm identification unit 800 having such a configuration will be described in detail later.

  Further, in the case of the wide cassette 30, an identification unit is further provided at least above and below the common identification unit 831 within a range of a predetermined height dimension (hereinafter referred to as a predetermined height) T2 on the arm front surface 35. It may be. A region other than the common identification unit 831 within the range of the predetermined height T2 of the arm front surface 35 is referred to as an expansion unit 832.

  For example, in the case of the wide cassette 30 having the tape width “36 mm” shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the five identification units 800 a to 800 e respectively corresponding to the five arm detection switches 210 a to 210 e (see FIG. 8) 800 is provided. That is, the four identification units 800a to 800d corresponding to the arm detection switches 210a to 210d are provided in two rows within the range of the predetermined height T1 (that is, the common identification unit 831). One identification unit 800e corresponding to the arm detection switch 210e is provided across the common identification unit 831 and the extension unit 832 below the common identification unit 831.

  More specifically, in the upper row of the common identification portion 831, an identification portion 800 a configured by a pressing portion (convex portion) 802 is provided on the left side of the tape cassette 30, and a non-pressing portion (surface portion) 801 is provided on the right side thereof. The identification part 800c comprised by these is provided. In the lower row of the common identification unit 831, an identification unit 800 b constituted by a non-pressing part (surface part) 801 is provided on the left side of the tape cassette 30, and an identification part 800 d constituted by a non-pressing part (surface part) 801 on the right side thereof. Is provided. And the identification part 800e comprised by the press part (convex part) 802 is provided ranging over the extended part 832 which occupies the downward direction of the common identification part 831 and the common identification part 831. As described above, in the wide cassette 30, the arm identification unit 800 is configured with a larger area corresponding to the wide arm front surface 35, thereby increasing the types of tapes and the number of patterns that can be detected by the tape printer 1. Can do.

  On the other hand, in the arm identification unit 800 of the narrow cassette 30, the identification unit is provided only within the range of the predetermined height T1 (that is, the common identification unit 831). However, as described above, the height dimension of the narrow cassette 30 is equal to the predetermined height T1. Therefore, when the tape printer 1 is configured as a general-purpose machine that can share the narrow cassette 30 and the wide cassette 30, the pressing portion 802 is placed on the upper edge or the lower edge of the cassette case 31 of the narrow cassette 30. Is provided, the arm detection switch 210 (arm detection in FIG. 8) should be opposed to the identification unit (identification unit 800e in FIG. 14) provided across the common identification unit 831 and the expansion unit 832 of the wide cassette 30. The switch 210e) may be pressed.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, on the arm front surface 35 of the narrow cassette 30, the position corresponding to the identification unit provided across the common identification unit 831 and the extension unit 832 of the wide cassette 30 faces the identification unit. A non-pressing portion 801 is provided as an identification portion so that the arm detection switch 210 is not pressed. That is, the pressing portion 802 that is a convex portion is not formed at this position.

  For example, in the case of the narrow cassette 30 having a tape width of “12 mm” shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, four identification units respectively corresponding to the four arm detection switches 210 a to 210 d (see FIG. 8) facing the common identification unit 831. 800 a to 800 d are provided in two rows in the common identification unit 831. Here, each identification part 800a-800d is comprised by the press part (convex part) 802, the non-press part (surface part) 801, the press part (convex part) 802, and the press part (convex part) 802, respectively. On the other hand, corresponding to one arm detection switch 210e (see FIG. 8) that faces across the common identification portion 831 and the extension portion 832, the lower edge of the arm front surface 35 (here, the bottom row identification shown in FIG. 14). An identification portion 800e configured by a non-pressing portion (surface portion) 801 is provided at a position corresponding to the portion 800e.

  As described above, even when the narrow cassette 30 is used in the tape printer 1 having the arm detection switch 210 facing the expansion portion 832 of the wide cassette 30, the arm detection switch 210 facing the expansion portion 832 is erroneously set. The risk of being pressed is reduced. Even if the narrow cassette 30 and the wide cassette 30 are shared with the tape printer 1, it is possible to prevent a problem that the tape type is erroneously detected.

  In the example of the wide cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the lowermost row of identification parts (pressing part 802) is provided across the common identification part 831 and the extended part 832 below the common identification part 831. An identification part (pressing part 802) that does not extend over the part 831 and is completely included in the extended part 832 may be provided. In this case, when the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the lower end of the arm front surface 35 is above the height position corresponding to the identification portion. Therefore, in such a case, it is not necessary to provide the identification unit 800e in the narrow cassette 30. In addition, the identification unit may be provided only in the extension part 832 above the common identification part 831 of the wide cassette 30, or the identification part may be provided in both the upper and lower extension parts 832.

  As described above, the arm identification unit 800 forms a combination of the non-pressing unit 801 and the pressing unit 802 with a pattern according to the printing information of the tape cassette 30. However, in the arm identification part 800 of this embodiment, the pattern in which all the identification parts (identification parts 800a to 800e) are all non-pressing parts 801 (surface parts) is not adopted. That is, the arm identification unit 800 of the present embodiment is configured by a pattern in which at least one of all the identification units (identification units 800a to 800e) forms the pressing unit 802.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 13, and 18, the facing portion 820 is a surface portion located on the upper right side of the arm identifying portion 800. Specifically, the facing portion 820 spans the coupling portion between the upper case 31a and the lower case 31b, and is the identification portion located on the rightmost side of the arm identification portion 800 (the identification portion 800e in the lower row in FIGS. 13 and 18). Is a substantially rectangular surface portion that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 and the platen holder 12 is moved to the printing position, the projecting member 225 (see FIG. 8) provided on the platen holder 12 is opposed to the facing unit 820.

  In addition, in the arm front surface 35, a vertically long rectangular through hole 850 is provided on the left side of the arm identification portion 800 of the lower case 31b in front view. The through hole 850 is provided for releasing the mold when the cassette case 31 is molded, and has no specific function.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a support hole 64 (see FIG. 12) is provided on the downstream side of the head insertion portion 39 in the tape transport direction from the opening 34 a of the arm portion 34 to the tape discharge port 49. A tape drive roller 46 is pivotally supported inside the support hole 64 so as to be rotatable. When the laminate type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is mounted, the tape driving roller 46 cooperates with the opposing movable conveying roller 14 to move from the second tape spool 41 to the film tape 59. The double-sided adhesive tape 58 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 and is guided and adhered to the printing surface of the film tape 59.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of upper and lower regulating members 36 are provided on the upstream side of the tape driving roller 46. The base of the regulating member 36 regulates the printed film tape 59 in the vertical direction (tape width direction) and guides it toward the tape discharge port 49 on the downstream side of the thermal head 10. The adhesive tape 58 is properly bonded without causing a positional shift. In the vicinity of the regulating member 36, a guide wall 47 is provided for separating the used ink ribbon 60 conveyed via the head insertion portion 39 from the film tape 59 and guiding it toward the ribbon take-up spool 44. It is installed. Between the guide wall 47 and the ribbon take-up spool 44, a used ink ribbon 60 guided along the guide wall 47 and a double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around and supported by the first tape spool 40 are provided. A separation wall 48 is erected to prevent contact with each other.

  When the receptor-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted, the printing tape 57 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14. On the downstream side of the thermal head 10, the printed print tape 57 is guided toward the tape discharge port 49 while being regulated in the vertical direction (tape width direction) at the base portion of the regulating member 36. Further, the used ink ribbon 60 conveyed via the head insertion portion 39 is separated from the print tape 57 by the guide wall 47 and guided toward the ribbon take-up spool 44.

  When the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 6 is mounted, the thermal paper tape 55 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14. On the downstream side of the thermal head 10, the printed thermal paper tape 55 is guided toward the tape outlet 49 while being regulated in the vertical direction (tape width direction) at the base of the regulating member 36.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 11, a label sheet 700 is attached to the rear surface of the cassette case 31. The label sheet 700, which will be described later, is applied to the upper surface 30a, the side surface 30c (specifically, the rear surface), and the bottom surface 30b. A landing portion 68 is provided. Specifically, the label sticking portion 68 has a rectangular upper surface sticking portion 68a in plan view provided at the rear portion of the upper surface 30a and a rectangular rear face sticking in the rear view provided across the vertical direction of the side surface 30c. It has the part 68b and the substantially triangular back recessed part 68c provided in the rear part of the bottom face 30b by bottom view. The upper surface sticking portion 68a, the back surface sticking portion 68b, and the rear concave portion 68c are provided with the same width at a substantially central position in the left-right direction at the rear portion of the cassette case 31, and are continuous over the three surfaces of the upper surface 30a, the side surface 30c, and the bottom surface 30b. The formed area is formed.

  The rear concave portion 68c includes a first tape (for example, a double-sided adhesive tape 58) wound around the first tape spool 40 and a second tape wound around the second tape spool 41 at the rear portion of the cassette case 31. It is a level | step-difference part currently formed between (for example, film tape 59). In other words, the rear recess 68c is provided between two regions reserved for storing the first tape and the second tape in the cassette case 31, respectively. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the rear recess 68c is recessed in the bottom surface 30b in a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the rear support portion 8c shown in FIG. 2, and is flush with the lower surface of the corner portion 32a. It is in.

  In the rear recess 68c, a plurality of detection holes 600 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed with an opening width in which the switch terminal 322 (see FIG. 7) of the rear detection switch 310 can be inserted and removed. Each detection hole 600 is formed at a position where the plurality of rear detection switches 310 face each other when the tape cassette 30 is mounted in the cassette mounting portion 8. In the present embodiment, as described above, the five detection holes 600 are formed in the rear recess 68c in correspondence with the rear detection unit 300 including the five rear detection switches 310a to 310e. That is, four detection holes 600 are formed in a line along the rear end portion of the rear recess 68c, and the remaining one is left in front of the second detection hole 600 from the right (second from the left in FIG. 12). The detection holes 600 are formed side by side.

  Note that the rear recess 68c is configured to selectively press the rear detection switch 310, thereby allowing the tape printer 1 to detect the tape type and the rear receiving pin supported by the rear support pin 301. 910, which will be described later in detail.

  As described above, the common portion 32 is formed symmetrically in the vertical direction with respect to the center line in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31, and the height dimension T is the tape width of the tape cassette 30. Regardless of whether they are set to the same dimensions. Therefore, the distance from the center line in the vertical (height) direction of the cassette case 31 to the rear concave portion 68 c is constant regardless of the tape width of the tape cassette 30 as in the common portion 32.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 15 to FIG. 17 and FIG. 20 to FIG. 22, a label sheet 700 that is stuck to the label sticking portion 68 of the cassette case 31 and a sticking mode of the label sheet 700 in the tape cassette 30. explain.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 20, the label sheet 700 has a printed layer on the front surface on which characters and characters can be printed, and a release paper is pasted on the back surface through an adhesive layer, at least 90 degrees. It is the vinyl tape which has the flexibility which can hold | maintain the state bent by. In the label sheet 700, a first notation unit 701, a second notation unit 702, and a detection setting unit 703 are continuously provided in the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIGS. 15 and 20). The 1st notation part 701, the 2nd description part 702, and the detection setting part 703 have the shape and magnitude | size which substantially correspond with the upper surface sticking part 68a, the back surface sticking part 68b, and the back recessed part 68c, respectively.

  The label sheet 700 can be bent at a folding line B1 that divides the first notation unit 701 and the second notation unit 702 in the left-right direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 15 and 20), and is detected by the second notation unit 702. It is comprised so that it can bend | fold at the folding line B2 which partitions off the part 703 in the left-right direction. The folding lines B1 and B2 may be explicitly printed in advance so that the label sheet 700 can be easily bent along the folding lines B1 and B2. A notch or the like may be formed.

  And when an operator sticks the label sheet 700 to the label sticking part 68 (refer FIG. 11), a release paper is removed from the back surface of the label sheet 700, and the label sheet 700 is bent by folding lines B1 and B2. However, the 1st notation part 701, the 2nd description part 702, and the detection setting part 703 are bonded together by the adhesion layer so that it may correspond with the upper surface sticking part 68a, the back surface sticking part 68b, and the back recessed part 68c, respectively. When the label sheet 700 is attached to the label attaching part 68 in this way, as shown in FIGS. 16, 17, 21, and 22, the label sheet 700 is attached to the rear part of the cassette case 31 on three sides. It becomes.

  The first notation portion 701 and the second notation portion 702 are portions where the tape type of the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached is indicated. Specifically, the first notation 701 includes a tape color of the tape cassette 30 (here, synonymous with a tape color of the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, and the double-sided adhesive tape 58) and a normal image printing (so-called receptor). ) And mirror image printing (so-called laminating), and the tape width of the tape cassette 30 are described. In the second notation section 702, the tape width of the tape cassette 30 and the character color of the tape cassette 30 (here, the print color of the thermal paper tape 55 and the ink color of the ink ribbon 60) are written.

  The detection setting unit 703 includes a communication hole 703a or a blocking unit 703b (see FIGS. 15 and 20) according to the tape color and character color of the tape cassette 30 among the tape types of the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached. ) Is formed. Specifically, when the detection setting unit 703 is attached to the rear recess 68c, a plurality of detection holes 600 penetrating through the rear recess 68c are formed at positions facing each other. In the present embodiment, as described above, corresponding to the five detection holes 600 formed in the rear recess 68c, any one of the communication holes 703a and the blocking portions 703b is provided at five locations corresponding to the detection holes 600. It is formed.

  The communication hole 703a is a circular hole having an opening width slightly larger than that of the detection hole 600. Since the detection hole 600 facing the communication hole 703a when the label sheet 700 is attached is exposed through the communication hole 703a, the switch terminal 322 of the rear detection switch 310 can be inserted and removed. In other words, the rear detection switch 310 facing the detection hole 600 exposed by the communication hole 703a is turned off when the switch terminal 322 is inserted into the detection hole 600.

  Since the communication hole 703a is formed to have a larger opening width than the detection hole 600, even if a slight deviation occurs in the sticking position of the detection setting unit 703 with respect to the rear recess 68c, the detection facing the communication hole 703a is performed. The hole 600 is reliably exposed. Thereby, it is possible to allow a slight shift in the sticking position of the detection setting unit 703 and facilitate the sticking work of the label sheet 700.

  The blocking part 703b is a surface part in which the communication hole 703a is not formed. When the label sheet 700 is attached, the detection hole 600 that faces the blocking portion 703b is covered with the blocking portion 703b, so that the switch terminal 322 of the rear detection switch 310 cannot be inserted. In other words, the rear detection switch 310 facing the detection hole 600 covered by the blocking portion 703b comes into contact with the blocking portion 703b without being inserted into the detection hole 600 and is turned on.

  For example, the label sheet 700 shown in FIG. 15 is an example of what is attached to a wide cassette 30 having a tape width “36 mm”, a tape color “white”, a character color “black”, and a printing mode “mirror image printing (laminate)”. doing. Therefore, in the first notation portion 701, the tape width “36 mm”, the tape color “WHITE”, and the printing mode “LAMINATED” are indicated. The second notation 702 has a tape width “36 mm” and a character color “BLACK”. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, in the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached, the above-described tape type can be grasped by visually checking the notation portions 701 and 702.

  In addition, the detection setting unit 703 of the label sheet 700 shown in FIG. 15 corresponds to the tape color “white” and the character color “black” of the tape cassette 30 at all five positions corresponding to the five detection holes 600. A communication hole 703a is formed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, in the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached, all of the five detection holes 600 are exposed through the communication holes 703a so that the switch terminals 322 can be inserted and removed.

  On the other hand, a label sheet 700 shown in FIG. 20 is attached to a narrow cassette 30 having a tape width “12 mm”, a tape color “gray”, a character color “blue”, and a printing mode “normal image printing (receptor)”. Is illustrated. Therefore, the first notation section 701 has a tape width “12 mm”, a tape color “GRAY”, and a print mode “RECEPTOR”. The second notation 702 has a tape width “12 mm” and a character color “BLUE”. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, in the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached, the above tape types can be grasped by visually observing the notation portions 701 and 702.

  Further, in the detection setting unit 703 of the label sheet 700 shown in FIG. 20, among the five positions corresponding to the five detection holes 600 corresponding to the tape color “gray” and the character color “blue” of the tape cassette 30. Thus, the three detection holes 600 arranged in one row are the second and fourth from the right (second and fourth from the left in FIG. 20), and the three detection holes 600 are not arranged in one row. A communication hole 703a is formed. In addition, two closed portions 703 b corresponding to the remaining two detection holes 600 are provided. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, in the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is adhered, the three detection holes 600 are exposed through the communication holes 703a so that the switch terminals 322 can be inserted and removed, and the two detections are detected. Each of the holes 600 is covered with a blocking portion 703b so that the switch terminal 322 cannot be inserted and removed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 22, in a state where the label sheet 700 is stuck to the label sticking portion 68 (specifically, a state where the detection setting portion 703 is stuck to the rear recess 68 c), The plurality of detection holes 600 exposed by the communication holes 703a or covered by the blocking portions 703b constitute the rear identification unit 900. The rear identification unit 900 is a part that causes the tape printer 1 to detect the tape type by selectively pressing the rear detection switch 310 when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8.

  The rear identification unit 900 has a plurality of identification units configured by any one of the non-pressing unit 901 and the pressing unit 902 at positions corresponding to the respective rear detection switches 310. The plurality of identification portions constitute a combination of the non-pressing portion 901 and the pressing portion 902 with a pattern corresponding to information (color information) indicating the tape color and character color of the tape cassette 30 among the tape types of the tape cassette 30. To do. In the present embodiment, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the five rear detection switches 310 a to 310 e are configured by either the non-pressing portion 901 or the pressing portion 902 at positions facing each other. It has two identification parts 900a-900e.

  The non-pressing portion 901 is a switch hole through which the switch terminal 322 can be inserted and removed, and corresponds to the detection hole 600 exposed by the communication hole 703a of the label sheet 700. The rear detection switch 310 facing the non-pressing portion 901 is turned off when the switch terminal 322 is inserted into the non-pressing portion 901. The pressing portion 902 is a surface portion into which the switch terminal 322 cannot be inserted, and corresponds to the detection hole 600 covered with the closing portion 703 b of the label sheet 700. The rear detection switch 310 facing the pressing portion 902 is turned on when the switch terminal 322 contacts the closing portion 703b.

  Specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 17, in the rear identification unit 900 provided in the rear recess 68 c, all of the five identification units 900 a to 900 e corresponding to the five rear detection switches 310 a to 310 e are non-pressing portions. 901. In the example shown in FIG. 22, in the rear identification unit 900 provided in the rear recess 68 c, four identification units 900 a to 900 d corresponding to the four rear detection switches 310 a to 310 d are arranged at the rear end of the cassette case 31. Along the right side (the left side in FIG. 22), the non-pressing portion 901, the pressing portion 902, the non-pressing portion 901, and the pressing portion 902 are arranged in a line. Among the identification units 900a to 900d, an identification unit 900e configured by a non-pressing unit 901 is provided on the front side of the second identification unit 900b from the right side (left side in FIG. 22). As described above, the patterns of the identification units 900a to 900e provided in the rear identification unit 900 (that is, the non-pressing unit 901 and the pressing unit 902) simply by sticking the label sheet 700 to the label sticking unit 68 (see FIG. 11) ) Can be made variable.

  However, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11, in the state where the label sheet 700 is not attached to the tape cassette 30, the plurality of detection holes 600 constitute the rear identification portion 900 that forms the non-pressing portion 901. In other words, by attaching the rear identification unit 900 in which the identification units 900a to 900e are all non-pressing units 901 to the label adhering unit 68, the pattern of any identification unit 900a to 900e ( That is, it can be changed to a combination of the non-pressing portion 901 and the pressing portion 902.

  12, 17, and 22, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 on the front side of the rear identification portion 900 in the rear recess 68 c, the rear support portion of the tape printer 1 is used. A rear receiving portion 910 that contacts the rear support pin 301 provided at 8c is provided. In other words, the rear receiving portion 910 is a part of the bottom surface 30 b included in the rear concave portion 68 c that is supported from below by the rear support pin 301. In the present embodiment, the rear receiving portion 910 is located in front of the identification portion of the rear identification portion 900 in the rear concave portion 68c. The arrangement can be changed as appropriate. The support by the rear support pins 301 will be described in detail later.

  Below, with reference to FIGS. 2-6 and FIG. 12, the mounting | wearing aspect of the tape cassette 30 with respect to the tape printer 1 in this embodiment is demonstrated.

  With reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, support of the head receiving portions 39 a and 39 b by the head support portions 74 a and 74 b will be described. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the tape cassette 30 is fitted vertically from above so that the bottom surface 30b of the tape cassette 30 faces the bottom surface of the cavity 8a. The head holder 74, the ribbon take-up shaft 95, and the tape drive shaft 100 protrude toward the bottom surface (not shown) of the cavity 8a. Accordingly, the user inserts the tape cassette 30 while inserting the head insertion portion 39, the ribbon take-up spool 44, and the shaft holes of the tape drive roller 46 into these. As described above, the upstream support portion 74a and the downstream support portion 74b are provided at the right end portion and the left end portion of the head holder 74, respectively. Further, at positions corresponding to these of the tape cassette 30, specifically, at positions facing the right and left rear head insertion portions 39 of the head insertion portion 39, an upstream receiving portion 39 a and a downstream receiving portion 39 b Is provided.

  Therefore, when the user pushes the tape cassette 30 downward, the upstream receiving portion 39a of the tape cassette 30 comes into contact with the upstream support portion 74a provided in the head holder 74, and downwards of the upstream receiving portion 39a. Any further movements are restricted. Further, the downstream receiving portion 39b of the tape cassette 30 contacts the downstream support portion 74b provided in the head holder 74, and further movement of the downstream support portion 74b in the downward direction is restricted. The tape cassette 30 is maintained in a state where the head receiving portions 39a and 39b are supported from below by the head support portions 74a and 74b.

  As described above, according to the tape cassette 30 and the tape printer 1 of the present embodiment, the proximity to the thermal head 10 that performs printing on a tape (here, the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, and the film tape 59) that is a printing medium. Thus, the vertical positioning can be accurately performed. The vertical print center position of the thermal head 10 and the tape width direction center position of the film tape 59 can be maintained with high accuracy. In particular, the tape cassette 30 is supported at the insertion position of the thermal head 10, more specifically, at both the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the printing position in the transport direction of the tape as the printing medium. Therefore, the vertical positioning can be performed particularly accurately, and the vertical printing center position by the thermal head 10 and the central position in the tape width direction can be maintained particularly accurately.

  Further, the upstream side receiving part 39a and the downstream side receiving part 39b of the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment face the head insertion part 39 from directions orthogonal to each other. Since the head support portions 74a and 74b extending in directions orthogonal to each other are inserted and supported in the head receiving portions 39a and 39b, which are concave portions, the tape cassette 30 is not only in the vertical direction but also in the front and rear direction and the horizontal direction. Movement is also restricted. Thereby, the thermal head 10 and the head insertion part 39 can maintain an appropriate positional relationship.

  Next, the support of the tape cassette 30 by the rear support pins 301 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 and FIG. When the tape cassette 30 is fitted into the cassette mounting portion 8 by the user from above and pushed downward, as described above, the head receiving portions 39a and 39b of the tape cassette 30 come into contact with the head support portions 74a and 74b, and The rear receiving portion 910 in the rear recess 68 c of the tape cassette 30 contacts the upper surface of the rear support pin 301. Therefore, the rear support pin 301 restricts further downward movement of the rear receiving portion 910. The tape cassette 30 is maintained with the rear receiving portion 910 supported from below by the rear support pins 301. The positioning pins 102 and 103 provided on the cassette support portion 8b are inserted into the pin holes 62 and 63 provided on the peripheral edge portion of the tape cassette 30, and the tape cassette 30 is supported from below (FIGS. 24 and 24). 26).

  As described above, the tape cassette 30 according to the present embodiment has a tape (for example, the double-sided adhesive tape 58) wound around the first tape spool 40 and the second tape spool 41 in addition to the head receiving portions 39a and 39b described above. A rear receiving portion 910 is provided between the storage regions of the tape to be wound (for example, the film tape 59) and provided rearward of these tape rolls. In other words, support receiving portions are provided at least at two locations across these heavy tapes in the tape cassette 30. As a result, when the tape cassette 30 is installed as described above or after installation, even if the tape cassette 30 tends to tilt backward, which is heavy, it stands upward from the rear support portion 8c of the tape printer 1. The rear receiving portion 910 comes into contact with and is supported by the rear support pin 301 thus formed. Accordingly, the tape cassette 30 can be accurately positioned in the vertical direction even in the rear, and when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, a stable mounting state can be maintained.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, when the tape cassette 30 is fitted into the cassette mounting portion 8, the cassette hook 75 is locked to the locking portion 38. As a result, after the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the tape cassette 30 can be controlled to move upward, i.e., upward, and the tape can be transported and printed stably.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 and FIGS. 21 to 26, a mode in which the tape printer 1 in the present embodiment detects the tape type of the tape cassette 30 will be described. 23 and 24 show a mode in which the tape type of the wide cassette 30 having the tape width “36 mm” shown in FIGS. 13 to 17 is detected. FIGS. 25 and 26 show a mode in which the tape type of the narrow cassette 30 having the tape width “12 mm” shown in FIGS. 18 to 22 is detected.

  With reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, FIG. 23, and FIG. 25, the detection mode of the arm identification unit 800 by the arm detection unit 200 will be described. When the user mounts the tape cassette 30 at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8 and closes the cassette cover 6, the platen holder 12 moves from the standby position (FIG. 3) toward the printing position (FIGS. 4 to 6). To do. Then, the arm detection unit 200 and the protruding member 225 provided on the cassette facing surface 12b of the platen holder 12 move to positions facing the arm identification unit 800 and the facing unit 820 provided on the arm front surface 35 of the tape cassette 30, respectively. To do.

  If the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, the protruding member 225 faces the facing portion 820. On the other hand, the switch terminal 222 (see FIG. 9) of the arm detection switch 210 protruding from the cassette facing surface 12b is opposed to the identification portion (the non-pressing portion 801 or the pressing portion 802) provided at the corresponding position of the arm identification portion 800. And are selectively pressed. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the arm detection switch 210 that faces the non-pressing portion 801 that is a surface portion is turned off without being pressed because its tip is slightly separated from the arm front surface 35. The arm detection switch 210 facing the pressing portion 802 is pressed by the pressing portion 802 which is a convex portion protruding forward from the arm front surface 35 to be turned on.

  For example, in the arm identification unit 800 of the wide cassette 30 illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 17, four identification units 800 a to 800 d (a pressing unit 802, a non-pressing unit 801, a non-pressing unit 801, a non-pressing unit 801) A pressing portion 801) is provided, and one identifying portion 800e (pressing portion 802) is provided across the common identifying portion 831 and the extended portion 832 positioned below the common identifying portion 831. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23, of the five arm detection switches 210a to 210e, the two arm detection switches 210a and 210e facing the pressing portion 802 are turned on, and the two arms facing the non-pressing portion 801 The detection switches 210b, 210c, and 210d are turned off.

  Further, in the arm identification unit 800 of the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 18 to 22, four identification units 800 a to 800 d (pressing unit 802, non-pressing unit 801, pressing unit 802, pressing unit within the range of the common identification unit 831. Part 802) and an identification part 800e (non-pressing part 801) is provided below the common identification part 831. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, among the five arm detection switches 210a to 210e, the three arm detection switches 210a, 210c, and 210d facing the pressing portion 802 are turned on, and the two facing the non-pressing portion 801. The two arm detection switches 210b and 210e are turned off.

  In the tape printer 1, the printing information of the tape cassette 30 is specified based on the detection pattern of the arm detection unit 200 (here, the combination of ON / OFF of the five arm detection switches 210a to 210e). Will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the head support receiving portions 39a and 39b used for vertical positioning are positioned at the head insertion portion 39, that is, the arm identification portion 800 is It is provided at a position connected to the provided arm portion 34. Therefore, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape printer 1, the positional relationship between the arm detection unit 200 and the arm identification unit 800 is ensured with high accuracy, so that erroneous detection by the arm detection switch 210 can be prevented. .

  Further, in the wide cassette 30, an identification portion (identification portion 800e in FIG. 14) is also formed in a predetermined region (that is, the expansion portion 832) of the arm front surface 35 that is enlarged from the common identification portion 831 in the vertical direction of the tape cassette 30. The As described above, even when the extended portion 832 provided on the arm front surface 35 is effectively used to increase the types of tapes and detection patterns that can be detected by the tape printer 1, the detection accuracy can be ensured. In particular, the printing information specified based on the arm identification unit 800 is information necessary for performing proper printing in the tape printer 1, and also when increasing the number of detection patterns of the printing information. By adding an identification unit to the extension unit 832, it is possible to respond flexibly. On the other hand, the narrow cassette 30 is provided with a non-pressing portion 801 that functions as an escape portion for not pressing the arm detection switch 210 (the arm detection switch 210e in FIG. 8) facing the expansion portion 832 of the wide cassette 30. Misdetection of tape type is prevented. And by making the narrow cassette 30 and the wide cassette 30 shareable, the tape cassette 30 that can be used in the tape printer 1 can be increased.

  With reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, FIG. 24, and FIG. 26, the detection mode of the rear identification unit 900 by the rear detection unit 300 will be described. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting unit 8 by the user, the rear detection unit 300 provided in the rear support unit 8c of the tape printer 1 is provided in the rear recess 68c of the tape cassette 30. Opposite the rear identification unit 900. More specifically, the switch terminal 322 (see FIG. 7) of the rear detection switch 310 protruding from the rear support portion 8c is an identification portion (non-pressing portion 901 or pressing portion 902) provided at a corresponding position of the rear identification portion 900. ) And selectively pressed. That is, the rear detection switch 310 facing the non-pressing portion 901 is inserted into the non-pressing portion 901 (the detection hole 600 exposed by the communication hole 703a) and is turned off. The rear detection switch 310 corresponding to the pressing portion 902 is pressed by the pressing portion 902 (the detection hole 600 covered by the closing portion 703b) to be turned on.

  For example, in the rear identification unit 900 of the wide cassette 30 illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 17, the five identification units 900 a to 900 e are all configured by the non-pressing unit 901. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 24, all of the five rear detection switches 310a to 310e are turned off in opposition to the non-pressing portion 901, respectively.

  Further, in the rear identification unit 900 of the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 18 to 22, the five identification units 900 a to 900 e are respectively a non-pressing part 901, a pressing part 902, a non-pressing part 901, a pressing part 902, and a non-pressing part. 901. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 26, among the five rear detection switches 310a to 310e, the two rear detection switches 310b and 310d facing the pressing portion 902 are turned on, and the three rear detection switches 901 are facing the non-pressing portion 901. The detection switches 310a, 310c, and 310e are turned off.

  In the tape printer 1, the color information of the tape cassette 30 is specified based on the detection pattern in the rear detection unit 300 (here, the combination of ON / OFF of the five rear detection switches 310a to 310e). Will be described later.

  Thus, in the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment, the rear identification unit 900 is provided adjacent to the rear receiving unit 910 supported by the rear support pins 301. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the type of the tape cassette 30 by the rear detection unit 300 in a state where the vertical positioning of the tape cassette 30 is accurately performed.

  Next, main processing of the tape printer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 27 is executed based on a program stored in the ROM 402 by the CPU 401 when the tape printer 1 is powered on. More specifically, in the tape printer 1, the CPU 401 executes main processing every time printing is instructed from the keyboard 3 or the like. That is, the following main processing shows the flow of processing relating to one printing out of a plurality of printings executed by the tape printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 27, in the main process, system initialization of the tape printer 1 is first executed (step S1). For example, in the system initialization in step S1, the text memory in the RAM 404 is cleared, or the counter is initialized and returned to a default value.

  Next, the printing information of the tape cassette 30 is specified based on the detection pattern of the arm detection unit 200 (that is, the combination of ON / OFF of the plurality of arm detection switches 210) (step S3). The printing information is information that is essential for executing proper printing in the tape printer 1 as described above. In step S <b> 3, the print information corresponding to the combination of ON / OFF of the plurality of arm detection switches 210 is specified with reference to the first specification table 510 stored in the ROM 402.

  As shown in FIG. 28, in the first identification table 510, information for printing of the tape cassette 30 is defined according to the combination of the on / off states of the five arm detection switches 210a to 210e. The printing information of the present embodiment includes the printing width of the tape cassette 30 (here, 7 sizes from 3.5 mm to 36 mm), mirror image printing (laminate), and normal image printing (receptor). This indicates an illegal cassette mounting state (in this case, an error) in which the tape type is not properly specified. In the first specific table 510 shown in FIG. 28, the arm detection switches 210a to 210e correspond to the switches “S1” to “S5”, respectively, and each arm detection switch 210 is turned off (OFF) and turned on ( ON) corresponds to “0” and “1”, respectively.

  In the first specific table 510 shown in FIG. 28, a maximum of 32 pieces of print information are stored corresponding to a maximum of 32 detection patterns, which is the total number of combinations of the on / off states of the five arm detection switches 210a to 210e. It can be specified. Here, printing information corresponding to 25 detection patterns among the maximum 32 detection patterns is set, and therefore, “reserved” indicating a blank is set for the remaining 7 detection patterns. Then, arbitrary print information can be newly added to the detection pattern corresponding to “reserved”. Also, the printing information registered in the first specific table 510 is deleted, the correspondence between each detection pattern and the printing information is changed, or the content of the printing information corresponding to each detection pattern is changed. be able to.

  For example, when the wide cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 13 to 17 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting unit 8, as described above, the arm detection switches 210b, 210c, and 210d are turned off, and the arm detection switch 210a, 210e is turned on (see FIG. 23). That is, the switches “S1” to “S5” respectively corresponding to the arm detection switches 210a to 210e are specified as “1”, “0”, “0”, “0”, and “1”, respectively. Thereby, in step S3, the printing information “mirror image printing (laminate) with a tape width of 36 mm” is specified with reference to the first specifying table 510.

  Further, when the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 18 to 22 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, as described above, the arm detection switches 210b and 210e are turned off, and the arm detection switches 210a and 210c are turned off. 210d are turned on (see FIG. 25). That is, the switches “S1” to “S5” respectively corresponding to the arm detection switches 210a to 210e are specified as “1”, “0”, “1”, “1”, and “0”, respectively. Thereby, in step S3, the printing information “normal image printing (receptor) with a tape width of 12 mm” is specified with reference to the first specifying table 510.

  As described above, when the tape cassette 30 is properly mounted, the tape width and the printing mode of the tape cassette 30 are specified as the printing information in step S3. On the other hand, if the tape cassette 30 is not properly mounted, an error indicating that the tape cassette 30 is not properly mounted is specified in step S3. Below, the case where an error is specified as information for printing together with the mode in which tape cassette 30 is not inserted properly is illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 29, for example, when the tape cassette 30 is not pushed in downward, the arm detection switch 210 identifies that the tape cassette 30 will face if the tape cassette 30 is pushed in an appropriate position. It does not oppose the parts 800a to 800e. In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 14, the identification units 800 a to 800 e are arranged in a zigzag shape in front view in the arm identification unit 800, and there are no identification units 800 a to 800 e arranged in the vertical direction. . The pressing portion 802 is a convex portion having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 29, when the tape cassette 30 is shifted upward, the pressing portion 802 does not press the arm detection switch 210 that should not be opposed. Therefore, none of the switch terminals 222 are in contact with the arm front surface 35 (including the arm identification unit 800). That is, all the arm detection switches 210a to 210e are turned off. The switches “S1” to “S5” respectively corresponding to the arm detection switches 210a to 210e are specified as “0”, “0”, “0”, “0”, and “0”, respectively. Thereby, in step S3, the printing information “error” is specified with reference to the first specifying table 510.

  Here, as described above, the arm identifying unit 800 of the present embodiment is configured by a pattern in which at least one of all the identifying units (identifying units 800a to 800e) forms the pressing unit 802. In other words, as the arrangement pattern of the arm identification unit 800, a pattern in which all the identification units (identification units 800a to 800e) become the non-pressing portions 801 is not adopted. The reason why such a pattern is not adopted for the arm identification unit 800 is that the combination of ON / OFF of the arm detection switches 210a to 210e corresponding to the above pattern corresponds to the “error” described above. Thereby, in the tape printer 1 of the present embodiment, not only the tape type of the tape cassette 30 but also the mounting state of the tape cassette 30 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 8 can be detected.

  By the way, as described above, the arm portion 34 guides the film tape 59 pulled out from the second tape spool 41 and the ink ribbon 60 pulled out from the ribbon spool 42, and then superposes at the opening 34a to insert the head. It is a part discharged to the portion 39 (specifically, an opening 77 described later). Therefore, the positional relationship in the height direction between the thermal head 10 mounted on the head insertion portion 39 and the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 is determined by the arm portion 34. Therefore, if the tape cassette 30 is not correctly mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, an error occurs in the positional relationship with the thermal head 10, and printing is performed at a position shifted with respect to the width direction (height direction) of the film tape 59. There is a risk that this may occur (the same applies to the printing tape 57 and the thermal paper tape 55). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the arm identification unit 800 is provided on the side surface (that is, the arm front surface 35) of the arm unit 34 located in the vicinity of the head insertion unit 39 to which the thermal head 10 is mounted. As a result, whether or not the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8 with reference to the arm portion 34 (specifically, the arm front surface 35) where the positional relationship with the thermal head 10 is easily detected. The printing accuracy is improved by judging the above.

  Returning to the main processing (FIG. 27), it is determined whether or not the printing information specified in step S3 is “error” (step S5). If the printing information is “error” (step S5: YES), the display 5 indicates that printing is not ready to start (step S7). For example, in step S7, a text message such as “Tape cassette is not properly installed” is displayed on the display 5. After step S7 is executed, the process returns to step S3. Even if the tape cassette 30 is properly mounted in the cassette mounting portion 8, printing is started on the display 5 because the platen holder 12 is in the standby position (see FIG. 3) when the cassette cover 6 is opened. A message indicating that the state is not possible is displayed (step S7).

  If the printing information is not “error” (step S5: NO), it is determined whether or not the switch “S4” is in an on state (step S9). In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the arm detection switch 210d corresponding to the switch “S4” is in the ON state. When the switch “S4” is in the on state (step S9: YES), the second color table 522 is selected from the color tables included in the second specific table 520 stored in the ROM 402 (step S13). When the switch “S4” is in the OFF state (step S9: NO), the first color table 521 is selected from the color tables included in the second specific table 520 stored in the ROM 402 (step S11). Then, the color information of the tape cassette 30 is specified based on the detection pattern of the rear detection unit 300 (that is, the combination of ON / OFF of the plurality of rear detection switches 310) (step S15). The color information is information indicating the tape color and the character color of the tape cassette 30 as described above. In step S15, with reference to the color table selected in step S11 or step S13, color information corresponding to the on / off combination of the plurality of rear detection switches 310 is specified.

  As shown in FIG. 30, in the second identification table 520, the color information of the tape cassette 30 is defined according to the combination of ON / OFF of the five rear detection switches 310a to 310e. The color information of the present embodiment indicates the tape color (11 patterns) and the character color (4 patterns) of the tape cassette 30. In the second specific table 520 shown in FIG. 30, the rear detection switches 310a to 310e correspond to the switches “T1” to “T5”, and the rear detection switches 310 are turned off (OFF) and on ( ON) corresponds to “0” and “1”, respectively.

  The second specifying table 520 includes a plurality of items for specifying different color information (tape color and character color) corresponding to the detection pattern of the rear detection unit 300 (a combination of ON / OFF of the rear detection switches 310a to 310e). Including color table. In the present embodiment, a first color table 521 that specifies one color information and a second color table 522 that specifies other color information correspond to the on / off combinations of the rear detection switches 310a to 310e. included. In the present embodiment, the same color information is not set in the first color table 521 and the second color table 522, but the same color information may be set in the color tables 521 and 522.

  In each of the color tables 521 and 522 included in the second specific table 520 illustrated in FIG. 30, corresponding to a maximum of 32 detection patterns that are the total number of combinations of the on / off states of the five rear detection switches 310a to 310e, Up to 32 pieces of color information can be specified. Here, in the first color table 521, color information corresponding to 31 detection patterns is set out of a maximum of 32 detection patterns, and therefore a blank is set for the remaining one detection pattern. . In the second color table 522, color information corresponding to eight detection patterns out of a maximum of 32 detection patterns is set, and blanks are set for the remaining 24 detection patterns. Arbitrary color information can be newly added to the detection pattern corresponding to the blank. In addition, the color information registered in the color tables 521 and 522 can be deleted, the correspondence between each detection pattern and the color information can be changed, and the content of the color information corresponding to each detection pattern can be changed. .

  For example, when the wide cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 13 to 17 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, as described above, all of the rear detection switches 310a to 310e are turned off (see FIG. 24). . That is, the switches “T1” to “T5” corresponding to the rear detection switches 310a to 310e are specified as “0”, “0”, “0”, “0”, and “0”, respectively. When the wide cassette 30 is mounted, the switch “S4” is identified as “0” in the above-described step S3 (see FIG. 23), so the first color table 521 is selected from the second identification table 520. (Step S11). Thus, in step S15, the color information “tape color: white, character color: black” corresponding to the switches “T1” to “T5” is specified with reference to the first color table 521.

  Further, when the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 18 to 22 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, as described above, the rear detection switches 310a, 310c, and 310e are turned off, and the rear detection switch 310b. 310d are turned on (see FIG. 26). That is, the switches “T1” to “T5” corresponding to the rear detection switches 310a to 310e are specified as “0”, “1”, “0”, “1”, and “0”, respectively. When the narrow cassette 30 is mounted, the switch “S4” is specified as “1” in the above-described step S3 (see FIG. 25), so that the second color table 522 is changed from the second specification table 520 to the second color table 522. Selected (step S13). Thereby, in step S15, the color information “tape color: gray, character color: blue” corresponding to the switches “T1” to “T5” is specified with reference to the second color table 522.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the color table used for specifying the color information of the tape cassette 30 depends on the detection state of the specific arm detection switch 210 (here, the arm detection switch 210d is turned on / off). Selected. Therefore, the number of color information patterns that can be specified by the tape printer 1 can be increased without increasing the number of the rear detection switches 310 (that is, without increasing the area occupied by the rear detection unit 300). .

  Returning to the main process (FIG. 27), the printing information specified in step S3 and the color information specified in step S15 are displayed as text information on the display 5 (step S17). For example, if the above-described wide cassette 30 is properly installed, “36 mm laminate type tape cassette is installed. The tape color is white and the character color is black. Is displayed. When the above-mentioned narrow cassette 30 is properly installed, the display 5 in step S17 is “A 12 mm receptor type tape cassette is installed. The tape color is gray and the character color is blue. Is displayed.

  Next, it is determined whether or not there is an input from the keyboard 3 (step S19). When there is an input from the keyboard 3 (step S19: YES), the CPU 401 accepts characters and the like input from the keyboard 3 as print data, and stores the print data (document data) in the text memory of the RAM 404 (step S19). S21). If there is no input from the keyboard 3 (step S19: NO), the process returns to step S19 and waits for an input from the keyboard 3.

  For example, when a print start is instructed from the keyboard 3, the print data stored in the text memory is processed in accordance with the print information specified in step S3 (step S23). For example, in step S23, the print range and print size corresponding to the tape width specified in step S3, the print position corresponding to the print mode (mirror image print or normal image print) specified in step S3, and the like are reflected. Thus, the print data is processed. Based on the print data processed in step S23, a print process on a tape as a print medium is executed (step S25). After step S25 is executed, the main process (FIG. 27) ends.

  The above-described printing process (step S25) will be specifically described. When the laminate type tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is mounted, the tape drive roller 46 that is rotationally driven through the tape drive shaft 100. However, the film tape 59 is pulled out from the second tape spool 41 in cooperation with the movable conveyance roller 14. Further, the ribbon take-up spool 44 that is rotationally driven via the ribbon take-up shaft 95 pulls out the unused ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 in synchronization with the printing speed. The film tape 59 pulled out from the second tape spool 41 is transported along the transport path in the arm portion 34 while passing the outside of the ribbon spool 42. Further, the film tape 59 is supplied from the opening 34 a to the head insertion portion 39 in a state where the ink ribbon 60 is superposed on the surface thereof, and is transported between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15 of the tape printer 1. Then, characters, figures, symbols and the like are printed on the printing surface of the film tape 59 by the thermal head 10. Thereafter, the used ink ribbon 60 is peeled off from the printed film tape 59 by the guide wall 47 and taken up on the ribbon take-up spool 44. On the other hand, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14. The double-sided adhesive tape 58 is overlapped and stuck on the printing surface of the printed film tape 59 while being guided and wound between the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14. The printed film tape 59 with the double-sided adhesive tape 58 attached (that is, the printed tape 50) is further conveyed toward the tape discharge port 49 and cut by the cutting mechanism 17.

  When the receptor-type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted, the tape drive roller 46 that is rotationally driven via the tape drive shaft 100 cooperates with the movable transport roller 14 to form the first tape spool 40. Pull out the print tape 57. Further, the ribbon take-up spool 44 that is rotationally driven via the ribbon take-up shaft 95 pulls out the unused ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 in synchronization with the printing speed. The print tape 57 drawn out from the first tape spool 40 is folded leftward at the lower right portion of the cassette case 31 in a plan view, and is conveyed along the conveyance path in the arm portion 34. Further, the printing tape 57 is supplied from the opening 34 a to the head insertion portion 39 in a state where the ink ribbon 60 is superposed on the surface thereof, and is conveyed between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15 of the tape printing apparatus 1. Then, characters, figures, symbols, etc. are printed on the printing surface of the printing tape 57 by the thermal head 10. Thereafter, the used ink ribbon 60 is peeled off from the printed printing tape 57 by the guide wall 47 and taken up on the ribbon take-up spool 44. On the other hand, the printed printing tape 57 (that is, the printed tape 50) is further conveyed toward the tape discharge port 49 and is cut by the cutting mechanism 17.

  Further, when the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 6 is mounted, when printing is performed, the tape drive roller 46 that is rotationally driven via the tape drive shaft 100 is connected to the movable transport roller 14. The thermal paper tape 55 is pulled out from the first tape spool 40 by cooperation. The thermal paper tape 55 pulled out from the first tape spool 40 is folded leftward at the lower right portion of the cassette case 31 in a plan view and is conveyed along the conveyance path in the arm portion 34. Further, the thermal paper tape 55 is supplied from the opening 34 a of the arm portion 34 to the opening 77 and conveyed between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15. Then, characters, figures, symbols, etc. are printed on the printing surface of the thermal paper tape 55 by the thermal head 10. Thereafter, by the cooperation of the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14, the printed thermal paper tape 55 (that is, the printed tape 50) is further conveyed toward the tape discharge port 49 and is cut by the cutting mechanism 17. .

  When the thermal type printing is executed, the ribbon take-up spool 44 is also rotationally driven via the ribbon take-up shaft 95. However, a ribbon spool is not accommodated in the thermal type tape cassette 30. Therefore, the unused ink ribbon is not drawn out or the used ink ribbon is not taken up by the ribbon take-up spool 44. In other words, even when the thermal type tape cassette 30 is used in the tape printer 1 having the ribbon take-up shaft 95, the rotational drive of the ribbon take-up shaft 95 affects the printing operation on the thermal paper tape 55. Can be printed properly. In the tape cassette 30 described above, the ribbon take-up shaft 95 may be similarly idled in the support holes 67a and 67b without providing the ribbon take-up spool 44.

  By the way, in the above-described printing process (step S25), when the laminate-type tape cassette 30 is mounted, the mirror image printing in which the ink on the ink ribbon 60 is transferred to the film tape 59 so that characters and the like are displayed as a mirror image. Is done. On the other hand, when the receptor type tape cassette 30 is mounted, normal image printing is performed in which the ink on the ink ribbon 60 is transferred to the print tape 57 so as to display characters and the like as normal images. Even when the thermal type tape cassette 30 is mounted, thermal normal image printing is performed so that characters and the like are displayed on the thermal paper tape 55 as normal images. In the present embodiment, “laminate” as a printing mode means a tape cassette 30 on which mirror image printing is performed, and “receptor” as a printing mode means a tape cassette 30 on which normal image printing is performed. Therefore, the “receptor” as a printing mode includes not only the receptor type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 5 but also the thermal type tape cassette 30 shown in FIG.

  According to the main processing (FIG. 27), in the tape printer 1, the tape type of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 is determined by the detection pattern of the arm detection unit 200 and the detection pattern of the rear detection unit 300. Be recognized. In other words, the arm identification unit 800 provided on the side surface (specifically, the arm front surface 35) of the tape cassette 30 selectively presses the arm detection switches 210a to 210e of the arm detection unit 200, thereby printing the tape cassette 30. Information is identified. Further, the rear detection switches 310 a to 310 e of the rear detection unit 300 are selectively pressed by the rear identification unit 900 provided on the bottom surface 30 b (specifically, the rear recess 68 c) of the tape cassette 30. Color information is specified.

  As in the present embodiment, a plurality of different cassette identification units (arm identification unit 800 and rear identification unit 900) are provided on a plurality of surfaces of the tape cassette 30, respectively, while a plurality of cassette identification units are provided in the tape printer 1 from different directions. By providing a cassette detection device (arm detection unit 200, rear detection unit 300) for detecting each of the above, the following operation is achieved.

  That is, in the conventional tape printer, a specific area in which the cassette detection device in which a plurality of detection switches projecting from below toward the bottom surface of the tape cassette are combined in one place does not adversely affect the printing mechanism, the transport mechanism, etc. Is provided. And when there are many types of tapes and the number of patterns detected from the tape cassette, the number of detection switches included in the cassette detection device also increases. As a result, the specific area occupied by the cassette detection device in the cassette mounting portion becomes large, which may increase the design restrictions on the cassette detection device and increase the size of the tape printer.

  Further, in the conventional tape cassette, the case identification bottom where the cassette identification unit that combines the plurality of identification units corresponding to the plurality of detection switches in one place does not adversely affect the print tape storage unit or its transport path. It is provided in a specific area. When the number of types of tapes detected from the tape cassette and the number of patterns are large, as the number of detection switches increases as described above, the specific area occupied by the cassette identification unit on the bottom surface of the case becomes large. . For this reason, there is a possibility that restrictions on the design of the cassette identification unit become large, or that the tape cassette becomes large.

  On the other hand, in the tape printer 1 of the present embodiment, the cassette detection devices (arm detection unit 200, rear detection unit 300) are distributed in a plurality of directions, so that each cassette detection device is unitized and designed to be compact. be able to. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the cassette detection device can be improved, and the increase in size of the tape printer 1 can be suppressed even if the tape type and the number of patterns increase. Further, in the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment, the cassette identification units (arm identification unit 800, rear identification unit 900) are distributed on a plurality of surfaces of the cassette case 31, so that each cassette identification unit can be made smaller. . Therefore, the cassette identification unit can be configured freely and efficiently, and the increase in size of the tape cassette 30 can be suppressed even if the tape type or the number of patterns increases.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the plurality of cassette detection devices (arm detection unit 200, rear detection unit 300) are different from each other based on a plurality of opposing cassette identification units (arm identification unit 800, rear identification unit 900). The tape type element (printing information, color information) is detected. That is, since different tape types of elements can be detected for each cassette detection device, the tape printer 1 can selectively recognize only necessary elements of the tape types.

  The tape printer 1 of the present embodiment can execute an appropriate printing operation if the printing information of the tape cassette 30 can be recognized. Therefore, by providing only the arm detection unit 200 that detects the arm identification unit 800, it is possible to provide an inexpensive tape printer 1 that realizes cost reduction. On the other hand, by providing the arm detection unit 200 and the rear detection unit 300, as described above, it is possible to provide a high-performance tape printer 1 that can recognize not only printing information but also color information from the tape cassette 30. it can.

  By the way, in the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment, not only can the tape printer 1 detect the arm identification unit 800 to recognize the printing information of the tape cassette 30, but also the human can visually observe the arm identification unit 800 and view the tape cassette. 30 printing information can be recognized. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 18, FIG. 19, and FIG.

In the present embodiment, the tape printer 1 is configured to be able to detect elements of different tape types according to a predetermined regularity according to the detection pattern of the arm detection unit 200 (a combination of ON / OFF of the arm detection switch 210). ing. Tables 1 to 3 show tape type elements that can be detected by the arm detection switches 210a to 210e of the present embodiment.

  As shown in Table 1, according to the first specific table 510 shown in FIG. 28, the switch S1 (arm detection switch 210a), the switch S2 (arm detection switch 210b), and the switch S5 (arm detection switch 210e) are turned on / off. Thus, the tape width of the printing information is specified in step S3 of the main process described above. In other words, in the tape printer 1, the switches S1, S2, S5 are turned on / off regardless of whether the other switches S3, 4 and the rear detection unit 300 (rear detection switches 310a to 310e) are turned on / off. The tape width can be specified only by the off combination. Therefore, a person can recognize the tape width of the tape cassette 30 only by looking at the identification units 800a, 800b, and 800e corresponding to the switches S1, S2, and S5 in the arm identification unit 800.

  More specifically, the identification units 800a, 800b, and 800e indicating the tape width of the tape cassette 30 are arranged in the arm identification unit 800 in accordance with a predetermined regularity. That is, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 18, and 19, the arm identification unit 800 includes a plurality of identification units 800 a to 800 e arranged in three rows in the vertical direction. Specifically, the identification units 800a and 800c form an upper row, the identification units 800b and 800d form a middle row, and the identification unit 800e forms a lower row in order from the downstream side in the tape transport direction. Among these, the identification units 800a, 800b, and 800e are identification units provided on the most downstream side in the tape transport direction in the upper row, the middle row, and the lower row (in other words, the identification unit that is closest to the opening 77 in each row). ).

  The identification unit 800e is farthest from the opening 77 among all the identification units 800a to 800e, but as shown in Table 1, the switch S5 is turned on if the tape width is equal to or greater than a predetermined width (18 mm). Since it shows, the identification part 800e is comprised by the press part 802 which is a convex part. On the other hand, if the tape width is less than the predetermined width (18 mm), the switch S5 indicates OFF, and the identification unit 800e is configured by a non-pressing portion 801 that is a surface portion. Therefore, just by visually observing whether or not the convex portion is provided on the lower edge portion of the arm front surface 35, whether the identification portion 800e is the pressing portion 802 or the non-pressing portion 801 (that is, the switch S5 is turned on / off). It can be recognized by humans.

  In other words, a human can recognize whether or not the tape width is equal to or greater than a predetermined width (18 mm) based on the presence or absence of a convex portion in the identification portion 800e. In addition, if the approximate height position of each row in which the identification units 800a and 800b are arranged in the arm identification unit 800 is known in advance, a convex portion is formed at a position adjacent to the opening 77 of the arm front surface 35. It is possible to recognize whether each of the identification parts 800a and 800b is the pressing part 802 or the non-pressing part 801 (that is, whether the switches S1 and S2 are on or off).

  And, as shown in Table 1, regardless of whether the tape width is equal to or greater than the predetermined width and less than the predetermined width, the size relationship of the tape width is determined by the combination of the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 in the identification portions 800a and 800b The tape width can be specified within each range of a predetermined width or more or less than a predetermined value. That is, in the case of the pressing portion 802 in which the identification portions 800a and 800b are both convex (that is, the switches S1 and S2 are both turned on), the smallest tape width (here, 3. 5 mm). When both of the identification parts 800a and 800b are non-pressing parts 801 in which no convex part is formed (that is, both the switches S1 and S2 are off), the tape width is within a range of a predetermined width or more or less than a predetermined value. The identification portions 800a and 800b both have a larger tape width (here, 6 mm or 18 mm) than that of the pressing portion 802. When the identification portions 800a and 800b are the non-pressing portion 801 and the pressing portion 802 (that is, the switch S1 is off and the switch S2 is on), the identification portion is within each range where the tape width is equal to or larger than a predetermined width or less than a predetermined value. Both 800a and 800b show a larger tape width (here, 9 mm or 24 mm) than in the case of the non-pressing portion 801. When the identification parts 800a and 800b are the pressing part 802 and the non-pressing part 801 (that is, when the switch S1 is on and the switch S2 is off), the identification parts 800a and 800b are the non-pressing part 801 and the pressing part 802, respectively. The tape width that is larger than the case, that is, the largest tape width (in this case, 12 mm or 36 mm) within each range that is greater than or less than a predetermined width.

  In the first specific table 510 of this embodiment, when the tape width of the tape cassette 30 is 18 mm or more, an arrangement pattern in which the identification units 800a and 800b are both the pressing units 802 in the arm identification unit 800 is provided. Not. Therefore, it is also possible to set an arrangement pattern in which the identification parts 800a and 800b are both the pressing parts 802 in the first identification table 510 as a combination of the identification parts 800a and 800b indicating an arbitrary tape width of 18 mm or more. For example, an arrangement pattern in which the identification portions 800a and 800b are both the pressing portions 802 is set as an arrangement pattern indicating a tape width of an intermediate width between 12 mm width and 18 mm width (such as 15 mm width).

  In this way, by configuring the arm identification unit 800 based on a predetermined regularity, it is easy to determine whether the tape width is greater than or less than a predetermined width by a human viewing the identification unit 800e. Further, a more detailed tape width can be easily specified by visually checking the identification portions 800a and 800b.

  In the above example, the tape printing apparatus 1 that can share the wide cassette 30 and the narrow cassette 30 has been described. However, if the tape printing apparatus 1 is a dedicated machine in which only the narrow cassette 30 is used, The switch S5 (arm detection switch 210e) facing the expansion portion 832 of the wide cassette 30 is not necessary. Therefore, in the tape printer 1 that is a dedicated machine for the narrow cassette 30, the tape width may be specified by turning on and off the switches S1 and S2. In this case, it is only necessary for a human to identify the tape width of the narrow cassette 30 by visually observing two identification portions adjacent to the opening 77 (that is, the identification portions 800a and 800b). In other words, in order for a human to visually recognize the tape width of the tape cassette 30, it is only necessary that the arm identification unit 800 includes at least two identification units adjacent to the opening 77.

  As shown in Table 2, according to the first specific table 510 shown in FIG. 28, the printing of the printing information in step S3 of the main process described above is performed by turning on / off the switch S3 (arm detection switch 210c). An aspect is specified. In other words, in the tape printer 1, the switch S3 is turned on / off regardless of whether the other switches S1, S2, S4, S5 and the rear detection unit 300 (rear detection switches 310a to 310e) are on / off. The print mode can be specified only by whether it is off. Therefore, a person can recognize the printing mode of the tape cassette 30 only by visually observing the identification unit 800c corresponding to the switch S3 in the arm identification unit 800.

  More specifically, the identification unit 800c indicating the printing mode of the tape cassette 30 is arranged in the arm identification unit 800 according to a predetermined regularity. That is, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 18, and 19, an identification unit 800 c is provided on the most upstream side in the tape transport direction in the upper row in which the identification unit is arranged in the arm identification unit 800. The identification unit 800c is closest to the facing unit 820 among all the identification units 800a to 800e. Therefore, just by visually observing whether or not the convex portion is formed at a position adjacent to the facing portion 820, whether the identification portion 800c is the pressing portion 802 or the non-pressing portion 801 (that is, the switch S3 is turned on / off). It can be recognized by humans.

  As shown in Table 2, since the switch S3 is turned on if the printing mode is a receptor (normal image printing), the identification unit 800c includes a pressing unit 802 that is a convex portion. On the other hand, if the printing mode is laminate (mirror image printing), the switch S3 indicates OFF, and the identification unit 800c is configured by a non-pressing portion 801 that is a surface portion on which no convex portion is formed. For this reason, only by visually observing whether a convex portion is formed at a position adjacent to the facing portion 820 (that is, the identification portion 800c), the printing mode is either a laminate (mirror image printing) or a receptor (normal image printing). You can easily identify if it is. As described above, the “receptor (normal image printing)” as a printing mode is a printing type in which the ink ribbon ink is transferred to the tape that is the printing medium, and the color is developed with the thermal tape without using the ink ribbon. In addition to printing types, all printing types that do not perform lamination (mirror image printing) are included.

  As shown in Table 3, according to the first specific table 510 shown in FIG. 28, the color table is selected in step S3 of the main process described above depending on the combination of ON / OFF of the switch S4 (arm detection switch 210d). Identified. In other words, in the tape printer 1, the switch S4 is turned on / off regardless of whether the other switches S1 to S3, S5 and the rear detection unit 300 (rear detection switches 310a to 310e) are on or off. Only one of them is configured so that the selection of the color table can be specified. Therefore, only by visually observing the identification unit 800d corresponding to the switch S4 in the arm identification unit 800, a human can also recognize the selection of the color table.

  As shown in Table 3, since the switch S4 is turned off when the first color table 521 is selected, the identification unit 800d includes a non-pressing portion 801 that is a surface portion on which no convex portion is formed. On the other hand, if the second color table 522 is selected, the switch S4 is turned on, and therefore the identification unit 800d includes a pressing unit 802 that is a convex portion. In the main process of this embodiment (see FIG. 27), as described above, one of the first color table 521 and the second color table 522 is selected according to the on / off state of the switch S4 (steps S9 to S13). ).

  The selection of the color table specified by the switch S4 is information necessary for specifying the color information of the tape cassette 30 in the tape printer 1. Since this color information is not necessarily information necessary for proper printing in the tape printer 1, it is not necessary for a human to recognize the selection of the color table by viewing the identification unit 800d. On the other hand, by specifying the selection of the color table by turning on / off the arm detection switch 210d, the configuration of the rear detection unit 300 (rear detection switches 310a to 310e) is simplified as described above, and the color information that can be detected is detected. The number of patterns can be increased.

  As described above, according to the detection result of each arm detection switch 210, the tape printer 1 can specify the different elements of the tape type according to the predetermined regularity, thereby specifying the individual elements included in the tape type. The processing for doing so is simplified. In addition, in the conventional tape printer, since a random combination of ON / OFF of a plurality of detection switches is associated with each tape type, if a detection error occurs with one detection switch, all elements of the tape type are erroneously detected. There was a risk of being identified. In this respect, in the present embodiment, elements of the tape type specified according to the detection result of each arm detection switch 210 are set in advance. Therefore, when an erroneous detection occurs in some arm detection switches 210, elements corresponding to the arm detection switches 210 are erroneously specified, while elements corresponding to the remaining arm detection switches 210 are accurately specified. The For this reason, even when an erroneous detection of the arm detection switch 210 occurs, an error of the tape type specified by the tape printer 1 can be minimized.

  By the way, in this embodiment, an element of a different tape type is detected for each cassette detection device (arm detection unit 200, rear detection unit 300). As a result, among the tape type elements (printing information and color information), one element is the same even if other elements are different for each tape cassette 30. The cassette identifying portion shown is provided with a convex portion (arm identifying portion 800) or a combination of holes (rear identifying portion 900) having the same pattern. Further, in the arm identification unit 800, when part of the printing information is different due to the regularity described above, only the identification unit corresponding to the part differs in the presence or absence of the convex portion.

  For example, the tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 31 is mounted as a thermal type (see FIG. 6) in which a thermal paper tape 55 with a base color “orange” and a printing color “black” is accommodated, and the tape width is “12 mm. It is. As described above, since the normal type printing is performed in the thermal type tape cassette 30, the printing mode is the same as that of the receptor type tape cassette 30 (see FIG. 5). That is, the tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 31 is identical to the receptor-type narrow cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 18 to 22 in printing information (tape width “12 mm”, printing mode “receptor”. In the arm identification unit 800 shown, identification units 800a to 800c and 800e are respectively composed of a pressing unit 802, a non-pressing unit 801, a pressing unit 802, and a non-pressing unit 801. However, the tape shown in FIG. In the cassette 30, the identification unit 800 d includes a non-pressing unit 801 in order to select the first color table 521 when specifying color information in the tape printer 1.

  Thus, when the tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 31 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, the switches “S1” to “S5” respectively corresponding to the arm detection switches 210a to 210e are “1” and “ Identified as “0”, “1”, “0”, “0”. Thereby, in step S3 of the main process, the printing information “normal image printing (receptor) with a tape width of 12 mm” is identified with reference to the first identification table 510. Further, by visually observing the arm identification unit 800 shown in FIG. 31, as in the case of the arm identification unit 800 shown in FIG. 19, a human may recognize the printing information “normal image printing (receptor) with a tape width of 12 mm”. it can.

  A label sheet 700 shown in FIG. 32 exemplifies that attached to the tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. Therefore, in the first notation portion 701, the tape width “12 mm”, the tape color “ORANGE”, and the print mode “THERMAL” are indicated. The second notation 702 has a tape width “12 mm” and a character color “BLACK”. Therefore, in the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached, the above tape type can be grasped by visually checking the notation portions 701 and 702.

  Further, the detection setting unit 703 of the label sheet 700 shown in FIG. 32 is provided with two communication holes 703a and three blocking portions 703b in the same arrangement pattern as the detection setting unit 703 of the label sheet 700 shown in FIG. Yes. Therefore, in the tape cassette 30 to which the label sheet 700 is attached, as in FIG. 22, the three detection holes 600 are exposed through the communication holes 703a so that the switch terminals 322 can be inserted and removed, and the two detection holes The switch terminals 322 are covered with the blocking portions 703b so that the switch terminals 322 cannot be inserted and removed. Thus, when the tape cassette 30 shown in FIG. 31 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, the switches “T1” to “T5” corresponding to the rear detection switches 310a to 310e are “0” and “ 1 ”,“ 0 ”,“ 1 ”,“ 0 ”(see FIG. 26). However, since the switch “S4” corresponding to the arm detection switch 210d is specified as “0”, the color of the tape color “orange” and the character color “black” is referred to the first color table 521 in step S15. Information is identified.

  Here, the configuration is such that a person can recognize the printing information of the tape cassette 30 by visual observation of the arm identification unit 800, and the following effects are obtained.

  In the conventional tape cassette manufacturing method, the printing tape is generally stored in a cassette case having a height dimension (so-called case size) corresponding to the tape width. On the other hand, a method for manufacturing a tape cassette in which printing tapes having different tape widths are accommodated in cassette cases having the same height dimension (case size) has been proposed. As described above, according to the method for manufacturing a tape cassette having a common case size, the following effects can be expected.

  First, when transporting cassette cases with different case sizes corresponding to various tape widths from a parts manufacturing factory to an assembly factory, the cassette cases are transported using different transport containers for each case size. It was. On the other hand, by sharing the case size, it is possible to share the transport container used when the cassette case is transported from the parts manufacturing factory to the assembly factory, thereby reducing the transport cost of the cassette case.

  Second, if the case size is different for each tape width, it is necessary to use a different packing box for each case size when shipping the product from the assembly factory. In this respect, by sharing the case size, it is possible to share a packaging box for product shipment and the like, and the packaging form at the time of product shipment can be made common, thereby reducing costs.

  Thirdly, if an ink ribbon with the same width is used for a printing tape with a small tape width, the ink ribbon may be cut during the printing operation because the width of the ink ribbon itself (ribbon width) is narrow. is there. In that respect, by sharing the case size that can secure a ribbon width having a sufficient strength, the ink ribbon can be prevented from being cut during the printing operation even if the tape width of the printing tape is small.

  However, when printing tapes having different tape widths are stored in a cassette case of a common size at the time of manufacturing the tape cassette, there is a possibility that a printing tape having an incorrect tape width may be stored in the cassette case. For example, this is a case where an operator mistakenly stores a 6 mm or 9 mm printing tape in a cassette case that was supposed to store a 12 mm printing tape. This is because a cassette case with a common case size that can accommodate a 12 mm printing tape can accommodate a printing tape of less than 12 mm as long as the rib height is set so that at least a 12 mm printing tape can be accommodated. .

  Also, as described above, the tape cassette printing mode is a so-called receptor type that prints directly on the printing tape as a normal image, and after the mirror image is printed on the transparent tape, a double-sided adhesive tape is applied to the printing surface. There are laminate types. If the case size is made common, the appearance of the cassette case will be the same, and the cassette case may be assembled in an incorrect printing mode. For example, this is a case where an operator mistakenly assembles a receptor type in a cassette case scheduled to be assembled in a laminate type.

  According to the tape cassette 30 of the present embodiment, the printing information of the tape cassette 30 can be recognized only by a person visually observing the arm identification unit 800. That is, the tape width to be stored in the cassette case 31 and the printing mode to be assembled to the cassette case 31 can be grasped. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the tape cassette 30, the operator can work while confirming the contents to be mounted on the cassette case 31, so that manufacturing errors of the tape cassette 30 can be reduced.

  In addition, even when the tape cassette 30 is shipped, the product inspection of the tape cassette 30 can be performed by visually checking the arm identification unit 800 to determine whether or not the contents mounted on the cassette case 31 are correct. . Specifically, it is inspected whether the printing tape exposed from the opening 77 of the manufactured tape cassette 30 matches the printing information (that is, the tape width and printing mode) that can be read from the arm identification unit 800. can do.

  In particular, the arm identification unit 800 of the present embodiment is provided on the arm front surface 35 adjacent to the opening 77 where the printing tape or the like is exposed. Moreover, the arm front surface 35 is a portion where the print tape exposed from the opening 77 can be viewed from the same direction (specifically, in front of the tape cassette 30). That is, since the arm identification unit 800 and the printing tape etc. are configured to be visible from the same direction at adjacent positions, the printing tape etc. can be inspected while checking the arm identification unit 800, and the product of the tape cassette 30 The workability of inspection can be improved.

  Further, since the arm identification unit 800 has a simple structure that is a combination of the presence or absence of a convex portion that presses the switch terminal 222 (that is, a combination of the pressing portion 802 and the non-pressing portion 801), It is easy to keep. For this reason, it is not necessary to print the contents mounted on each cassette case 31 or attach a label indicating the mounted contents at the time of manufacturing the cassette case 31, and the manufacturing error of the tape cassette 30 is eliminated. It can be suppressed at a low cost.

  Furthermore, in the manufacturing process of the tape cassette 30, a label sheet 700 corresponding to the mounting contents of the cassette case 31 is attached to the label attaching unit 68. At this time, the operator confirms the printing information (tape width and printing mode) of the arm identification unit 800, and then labels the label sheet 700 in which the contents matching the printing information are written in the writing units 701 and 702. Since it can stick to the sticking part 68, the sticking error of the label sheet 700 can be prevented. Moreover, when the label sheet 700 is attached to the label attaching unit 68, the non-pressing part 901 and the pressing part 902 corresponding to the color information (tape color and character color) mounted on the cassette case 31 by the detection setting part 703. The rear identification unit 900 (identification units 900a to 900e) is configured by the combination of Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem that the color information on which the cassette case 31 is mounted and the detection pattern based on the rear identification unit 900 do not match.

  In the present embodiment, the arrangement pattern of the non-pressing part 901 and the pressing part 902 in the rear identification part 900 (identification parts 900a to 900e) is variable by attaching the label sheet 700. Therefore, when the cassette case 31 is manufactured, the same number of detection holes 600 as the plurality of rear detection switches 310 may be uniformly formed in the rear recess 68 c at positions facing the respective rear detection switches 310. As a result, the cassette case 31 can be further shared, and the manufacturing cost of the tape cassette 30 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, the tape cassette 30 which comprised the general purpose cassette to the laminate type is used with the tape printer 1 which is a general purpose machine. Accordingly, one tape printer 1 can be used for various types of tape cassettes 30 such as a thermal type, a receptor type, and a laminate type, and it is not necessary to use a different tape printer 1 for each unit. In addition, the tape cassette 30 is usually formed by combining a plurality of dies and then pouring resin into the tape cassette 30. If the tape cassette 30 corresponds to the same tape width, the tape cassette 30 includes a portion for forming the arm identification portion 800. Since a common mold can be used except for the mold, the cost is greatly reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the thermal paper tape 55, the printing tape 57, the double-sided adhesive tape 58, and the film tape 59 correspond to the “tape” of the present invention. The arm identification unit 800 corresponds to the “index unit” and “cassette identification unit” of the present invention. The non-pressing portion 801 corresponds to the “second surface portion” of the present invention. The pressing portion 802 corresponds to the “first surface portion” of the present invention. The opening 34a of the arm portion 34 corresponds to the “tape discharge portion” and “discharge port” of the present invention. The regulating member 36 corresponds to the “tape guide part” of the present invention. The opening 77 corresponds to the “exposed portion of the tape” of the present invention. The thermal paper tape 55 wound around the first tape spool 40, the print tape 57 wound around the first tape spool 40, the double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around the first tape spool 40, and the second tape spool 41 The rotated film tape 59 corresponds to the “tape roll” of the present invention. The arm detection switch 210 corresponds to the “detection switch” of the present invention. The identification units 800a and 800b correspond to the “first region”, the identification unit 800c corresponds to the “second region”, and the identification unit 800e corresponds to the “third region”.

  Note that the tape cassette 30 and the tape printer 1 of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The shape, size, number, and arrangement pattern of the non-pressing portions 801 and 901 and the pressing portions 802 and 902 in the arm identifying unit 800 and the rear identifying unit 900 are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. It is. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing portion 802 (convex portion) of the arm identification unit 800 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped protrusion, but in a range in which the switch terminal 222 of the arm detection switch 210 facing can be pressed to be in an on state. Deformation is possible. For example, hemispherical protrusions may be used. In addition, the pressing portion 902 of the rear identification unit 900 is a through hole having a circular shape in plan view, but may have other different shapes. For example, a through hole having a square shape in plan view may be used.

  In addition, pressing portions (convex portions) constituting a plurality of adjacent identifying portions in the arm identifying portion 800 may be connected to form a continuous convex portion 804. For example, in the narrow cassette 30 shown in FIG. 33, a T-shaped continuous convex portion 804 in front view is formed so as to connect the pressing portions 802 constituting the identification portions 800a, 800c, and 800d shown in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape printer 8 Cassette mounting part 10 Thermal head 12 Platen holder 23 Tape feed motor 30 Tape cassette 31 Cassette case 32 Common part 33 Extension part 34 Arm part 34a Opening 35 Arm front surface 36 Restriction member 39 Head insertion part 40 First tape spool 41 Second tape spool 42 Ribbon spool 44 Ribbon take-up spool 46 Tape drive roller 50 Printed tape 58 Double-sided adhesive tape 59 Film tape 60 Ink ribbon 74 Head holder 77 Opening 90 Separation wall 95 Ribbon take-up shaft 100 Tape drive shaft 200 Arm detection unit 210 Arm detection switch 401 CPU
402 ROM
404 RAM
510 First identification table 520 Second identification table 521 First color table 522 Second color table 800 Arm identification section 801 Non-pressing section 802 Pressing section 831 Common identification section 832 Expansion section

Claims (15)

A tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printing device having a cassette mounting portion,
A cassette case having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces;
A tape, which is a printing medium, stored in the cassette case;
A tape discharge section for discharging the tape guided in the cassette case by the cassette case along a predetermined transport path extending at least partially in parallel with the front surface;
The tape is provided on the downstream side of the transport path as viewed from the tape discharge portion, and forms an exposed portion of the tape that exposes the entire width direction of the tape in the direction facing the front surface between the tape discharge portion and the tape discharge portion. A tape guide portion for guiding the tape discharged from the tape discharge portion;
When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, adjacent to the exposed portion of the tape, and provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion, facing the front surface An indicator portion facing a plurality of detection switches protruding
The width direction of the tape stored in the cassette case is substantially parallel to the vertical direction in which the upper surface and the bottom surface are opposed to each other,
The indicator portion is arranged based on a prescribed pattern corresponding to at least the tape width of the tape, and the first surface portion presses the detection switch when the tape cassette is attached to the cassette attachment portion. And a second surface portion that does not press the detection switch,
The second surface portion is in the direction substantially perpendicular to the front surface and is on the side of the portion extending in parallel with the front surface of the transport path from the first surface portion , and extends in parallel with the front surface. A tape cassette located on the front side of a part of the tape cassette. A tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printing device having a cassette mounting portion,
A cassette case having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces;
A tape, which is a printing medium, stored in the cassette case;
A tape discharge section for discharging the tape guided in the cassette case by the cassette case along a predetermined transport path extending at least partially in parallel with the front surface;
An exposed portion of the tape that is provided on the downstream side of the transport path as viewed from the tape discharge portion and exposes one surface of the tape in a direction facing the front surface is formed between the tape discharge portion and the tape. A tape guide portion for guiding the tape discharged from the discharge portion;
When the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, adjacent to the exposed portion of the tape, and provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion, facing the front surface An indicator portion facing a plurality of detection switches protruding
The width direction of the tape stored in the cassette case is substantially parallel to the vertical direction in which the upper surface and the bottom surface are opposed to each other,
The indicator section is arranged based on at least a prescribed pattern corresponding to the printing mode on the tape, and the first surface section presses the detection switch when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting section. And a second surface portion that does not press the detection switch,
The second surface portion is in the direction substantially perpendicular to the front surface and is on the side of the portion extending in parallel with the front surface of the transport path from the first surface portion , and extends in parallel with the front surface. A tape cassette located on the front side of a part of the tape cassette. The cassette case is
A tape roll around which the tape is wound is housed rotatably in the cassette case,
The tape cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tape fed from the tape roll is guided along the transport path. A tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printer equipped with a print head in the cassette mounting portion,
A cassette case having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces;
A tape, which is a printing medium, stored in the cassette case;
A space into which the print head is inserted when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion; and a head insertion portion that extends vertically through the cassette case and extends along the front surface;
An discharge port that opens toward the head insertion portion; and an arm portion that guides the tape while running and discharges the tape from the discharge port toward the head insertion portion;
In the arm portion is provided on a side wall constituting a part of the front surface, and when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion, A cassette identification unit facing a plurality of detection switches protruding toward the front,
The cassette identification unit is arranged based on a prescribed pattern corresponding to at least a tape width of the tape stored in the cassette case, and when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting unit, A combination of the identification units in which any one of the first surface part that presses the detection switch and the second surface part that does not press the detection switch is selectively provided to face each of the plurality of detection switches. Because
The second surface portion is located closer to the head insertion portion than the first surface portion in the direction substantially orthogonal to the front surface , and closer to the front surface than the tape guided to travel in the arm portion. ,
The width direction of the tape stored in the cassette case is substantially parallel to the vertical direction in which the upper surface and the bottom surface are opposed to each other,
The cassette identification portion and the discharge port are provided adjacent to each other, and the entire width direction of one surface of the tape discharged from the discharge port toward the head insertion portion, and the identification in the cassette identification portion. A combination of parts is exposed in a direction facing at least the front surface of the cassette case. A tape cassette that is detachable from a tape printer equipped with a print head in the cassette mounting portion,
A cassette case having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a pair of side surfaces;
A tape, which is a printing medium, stored in the cassette case;
A space into which the print head is inserted when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion; and a head insertion portion that extends vertically through the cassette case and extends along the front surface;
An discharge port that opens toward the head insertion portion; and an arm portion that guides the tape while running and discharges the tape from the discharge port toward the head insertion portion;
In the arm portion is provided on a side wall constituting a part of the front surface, and when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting portion, provided on a platen holder disposed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion, A cassette identification unit facing a plurality of detection switches protruding toward the front,
The cassette identification unit is arranged based on a prescribed pattern corresponding to a printing mode on the tape stored in the cassette case, and when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette mounting unit, A combination of the identification units in which any one of the first surface part that presses the detection switch and the second surface part that does not press the detection switch is selectively provided to face each of the plurality of detection switches. Because
The second surface portion is located closer to the head insertion portion than the first surface portion in the direction substantially orthogonal to the front surface , and closer to the front surface than the tape guided to travel in the arm portion. ,
The width direction of the tape stored in the cassette case is substantially parallel to the vertical direction in which the upper surface and the bottom surface are opposed to each other,
The cassette identification unit and the discharge port are provided adjacent to each other, and one surface of the tape discharged from the discharge port toward the head insertion unit, and a combination of the identification unit in the cassette identification unit The tape cassette is exposed in a direction facing at least the front surface of the cassette case. The cassette case stores a tape roll around which the tape is wound, in a rotatable manner within the cassette case,
6. The tape cassette according to claim 4, wherein the arm portion guides the tape fed from the tape roll. The cassette identification unit includes a first region indicating a first element and a second element different from the first element among a plurality of elements indicating the type of the tape stored in the cassette case. Two regions,
The tape cassette according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the first area is provided closer to the discharge port than the second area.   The tape cassette according to claim 7, wherein the first area indicates the tape width as the first element.   The tape cassette according to claim 8, wherein the second region indicates the type of the tape other than the tape width as the second element.   10. The tape cassette according to claim 9, wherein the second area indicates whether a printing mode on the tape is a normal image or a mirror image as a type of the tape other than the tape width.   The said 1st area | region is comprised by the combination of the said identification part common if the said tape width is the same irrespective of the kind of said tapes other than the said tape width. Tape cassette.   The tape cassette according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the first region includes at least two of the identification portions and indicates the tape width by a combination of the two identification portions.   In the indicator portion, when the first surface portion is in a position to press the detection switch located on the most upstream side in the transport direction, the indicator portion indicates that the tape width is equal to or larger than a predetermined width. The tape cassette according to claim 1 or 4.   The tape cassette according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined width is 18 mm.   The tape cassette according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the tape width is any one of 18 mm, 24 mm, and 36 mm.

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