JPH04337583A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to expose a magnetic tape extended with a single installed member when the tape is loaded into a recording and reproducing device and to attain simple structure in low cost by adopting specific structure and configuration. CONSTITUTION:By loading the cassette tape 1 into a cassette holder and moving it to a position where pins 8 and 9 are engaged with notched parts 65 and 66 formed on a slider 6, a lock member 7 whose cam 7b abutts on the pins 8 and 9 shifts against the energizing force of a elastic member and releases a restrain part 7c engaging with a restraining hole 61a in the side wall 61 of the slider 6. Thereafter when the tape cassette moves further, the slider 6 slides backward against the energizing force of a spring, and rotates a front cover 5 then moves it slidingly, and exposes the nonmagnetic surface of the magnetic tape 2. In such a manner, the slider is unlocked and the front cover and the slider are relased by a projection formed on a cassette holder, and the structure is simplified.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cassette used in a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus such as a video tape recorder which records and reproduces data by winding a magnetic tape at a predetermined angle around a cylinder containing a magnetic head.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A tape cassette used in a conventional rotary head type recording/reproducing device has an opening into which a tape pull-out member for pulling out a magnetic tape is inserted, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-320693. Tape cassettes with this configuration were common. The configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12.

As shown in the figure, a tape cassette 31 used in a recording/reproducing apparatus houses a supply reel 33 and a take-up reel 34 on which a magnetic tape 32 is wound.
An opening 35 is formed into which a tape pull-out member for pulling out and winding the magnetic tape from the magnetic tape cassette 31 is inserted. The magnetic tape 32 is covered with a front cover 36 and a rear cover 37 so that it cannot be easily touched. When attached to a recording/reproducing apparatus, the lid release member 38 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 12 to the position shown in FIG. 13 by a lid release pin 39 provided upright on a cassette holder (not shown). And the front lid 36
The portion that engages with the lid stopper 36a formed in the lid stopper 36a is released. Next, the front cover 36 and the rear cover 37 are rotated upward by a lid release pin 40 attached to the cassette holder to expose the magnetic tape 32, and a tape drawer member moves the magnetic tape onto a drum equipped with a rotating head. be drawn out.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In such a conventional tape cassette 31, the lid release member 39 and the lid release pin 40 are held in place until the front lid 36 and the rear lid 37 are fully rotated to reach the recording/playback state. It was necessary to use two types of members, and the mechanism was complicated and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette in which a magnetic tape stretched on the front surface can be exposed through a protrusion formed on a cassette holder when the tape cassette is installed in a recording/reproducing apparatus.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve this object, the tape cassette of the present invention consists of an upper half and a lower half, houses supply and take-up reels wound with magnetic tape, a cassette body that extends over an opening; a slider that covers the top and bottom surfaces of the cassette body opening and has a locking part and a V-shaped recess that is open to the front and slides on the cassette body; a front cover that covers the magnetic tape on the front surface, has a notch formed in the front surface of the V-shaped recess of the slider, is pivoted on the cassette body and rotated and slid by the slider; and a front cover that is loosely fitted on the cassette body. , a locking means having a locking protrusion and a cam portion formed on a line of movement of the slider passing approximately through the center of the V-shaped recess of the slider, the locking means being biased in a direction to engage with the locking portion of the slider; It consists of

[0007]

[Operation] According to the above-described structure, the protrusion formed on the loading device included in the recording and reproducing apparatus passes through the notch formed in the front cover from the front of the cassette main body and the V of the slider.
The slider enters the letter-shaped recess and comes into contact with a cam formed on the locking means to displace the locking means, thereby unlocking the slider. After that, when the protrusion formed on the loading device enters further, the slider that came into contact with the V-shaped recess moves rearward, and the front cover also rotates and slides in conjunction with it, moving rearward and mounting it on the front. The stretched magnetic tape is exposed.

[0008]

Embodiments Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In this embodiment, the slider is locked on one side.

As shown in the figure, a supply reel 3 and a take-up reel 4 on which a magnetic tape 2 is wound are housed in a tape cassette 1 consisting of an upper half 1a and a lower half 1b, and the magnetic tape 2 is formed on the tape cassette 1. fixed post 1c,
1d and surrounds the opening 11.

Front cover 5, fixing post 1 of tape cassette 1
c and 1d to cover the stretched magnetic tape 2 on the front side, and engage the shafts 101 and 102 formed on the sides of the tape cassette 1 with the first long holes 52 and 55 formed in the ribs 51 and 54 at both ends. Further, second elongated holes 53 and 56 formed in the ribs 51 and 54 at both ends engage shafts 62 and 64 formed in side walls 61 and 63 of the slider 6, respectively. Furthermore, a pair of notches 57 and 5 are provided at the lower end of the front lid 5.
8 is formed.

The slider 6 is pushed toward the front cover 5 by a spring (not shown) and is located in the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1, covering the opening 11 with the top and bottom surfaces, and covering the front cover with the front cover. The magnetic tape 2 whose front surface is covered with the front cover 5 is sealed by being pressed against the magnetic tape 5. Further, V-shaped recesses 65 and 66 are formed on the bottom surface behind the notches 57 and 58 formed in the front lid 5, and furthermore, both ends of the bottom surface are formed with the tape cassette 1.
The side walls 61 and 63 are raised to the sides of the upper half 1a and the lower half 1b, and are slidably mounted on the upper half 1a and the lower half 1b.

The locking member 7 is biased clockwise by an elastic member (not shown) about a shaft 7a between the lower half 1b and the slider 6, and the locking portion 7b of the locking member 7 is pressed clockwise by an elastic member (not shown) between the lower half 1b and the slider 6. It engages with a locking hole 61a formed in the side wall 61 to lock the slider 6. Further, the locking member 7 has a cam 7c formed approximately at the center locus of the V-shaped recesses 65 and 66 of the slider 6 when sliding.

The operation of the above configuration will now be described. Insert tape cassette 1 into the cassette holder (
(not shown), and the pins 8 and 9 forming the tape cassette 1 into the cassette holder come into contact with the V-shaped recesses 65 and 66 formed in the slider 6, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. move to position. Thereafter, the locking member 7 moves against the clockwise rotation biasing force of the elastic member due to the pins 8 and 9 coming into contact with the cam 7c thereof, and engages with the locking hole 61a of the side wall 61 of the slider 6. The state shown in FIG. 7 is obtained by releasing the locking portion 7b. After that, when the tape cassette 1 moves further, the pins 8 and 9 formed on the cassette holder move relatively backward, and while coming into contact with the cam 7c formed on the locking member 7, the slider 6 is moved by the spring. Slide backwards against the force.

The mutual movement of the front cover 5 and the slider 6 due to this rearward sliding of the slider 6 will be explained. The pins 8 and 9 move relative to each other due to the insertion operation of the tape cassette 1, and the slider 6 moves in the direction of the arrow A in FIG.
and 64 are moved horizontally to press the walls of second elongated holes 53 and 56 formed in ribs 51 and 54 of front lid 5. As a result, the front lid 5 has a shaft 101 formed on both sides of the tape cassette 1, which is engaged with the first long holes 52 and 55 formed in the ribs 51 and 54 at both ends thereof.
It rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 using 102 as a fulcrum, and eventually rotates approximately 90 degrees to expose the magnetic tape 2, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

Thereafter, the tape cassette 1 is further moved, and the pins 8 and 9 are moved relative to each other, causing the slider 6 to slide. Rib 51 of front lid 5 at 64
The front lid 5 is locked by the recesses 53a and 56a of the second elongated holes 53 and 56 formed in the ribs 51 and 54, and presses the front lid 5.
2 and 55 are shafts 101 on both sides of the tape cassette 1,
102 and is guided, and moves integrally with the slider 6 in the direction of the supply reel 3 and take-up reel 4, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

In the state shown in FIG. 5, the top and bottom surfaces of the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1 are open. Even when the front cover 5 is rotated approximately 90 degrees above the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1, there is still a sufficient gap for inserting the tape pull-out member. Further, the tape cassette 1 is held in the state shown in FIG. 5 by a locking member provided on the cassette holder against the reaction force of the spring.

When the tape cassette 1 is installed in the operating position of the recording/reproducing apparatus in this state, the tape pull-out member inserted into the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1 pulls out the magnetic tape 2 from the supply reel 3 or the take-up reel 4 and rotates the rotating head. The magnetic tape 2 can be moved to a position near the mounted drum and wound around the drum equipped with a rotating head, and the drum equipped with the rotating head is rotated to rotate the supply reel 3 and take-up reel 4 to run the magnetic tape. By making the magnetic tape 2
It becomes possible to record or play back.

Next, when ejecting the magnetic tape from the recording/reproducing apparatus, the magnetic tape 2 wound around the drum equipped with a rotary head is wound onto the supply reel 3 or take-up reel 4 as the tape pull-out member moves, and the tape cassette 1 is unloaded. The tape pull-out member moves to the opening 11, and then the tape pull-out member is pulled out of the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1 due to the rise of the cassette holder, etc., and the tape cassette 1 moves to a closing operation.

The closing operation is performed by releasing the tape cassette from the locking member of the cassette holder in an operation subsequent to the lifting movement of the cassette holder. As mentioned above, the slider 6 is biased forward through the spring between it and the tape cassette 1, and since the slider 6 is in contact with the pins 8 and 9 of the cassette holder, the tape cassette 1 is relatively be moved backwards. On the contrary, slider 6
slides toward the front of the tape cassette 1 due to the reaction force of the spring.

The slider 6 presses the front lid 5 against the second elongated holes 53 and 56 formed in the ribs 51 and 54 of the front lid 5 using shafts 62 and 64 formed on the side walls 61 and 63 of the slider 6, Ribs 51 and 54 of the front lid 5 are attached to shafts 101 and 102 formed on both sides of the tape cassette 1.
The shafts 101 and 102 formed on both sides of the tape cassette 1 engage and are guided by the first elongated holes 52 and 55 formed in the front lid 5, and move forward together with the slider 6. It comes into contact with one end of second long holes 53 and 56 formed in holes 51 and 52, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

Further, as the slider 6 slides in the front direction of the tape cassette 1, the shafts 62 and 64 formed on the side walls 61 and 63 of the slider 6 move toward the first shafts formed on the ribs 51 and 54 of the front cover 5. The front cover 5 has a shaft 101 formed on both sides of the tape cassette 1 which is engaged with second long holes 53 and 56 formed in the ribs 51 and 54 of the front cover 5. 102 as a fulcrum, the magnetic tape 2 is hermetically sealed between the slider 6 and the front cover 5, and the top and bottom surfaces of the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1 are covered with the slider 6, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

Thereafter, by taking out the tape cassette 1 from the cassette holder, the pins 8 and 9 are separated from the cam 7c of the locking member 7, and the locking portion 7b of the locking member 7 is moved by the biasing force of the elastic member. Side wall 6 of slider 6
By engaging with the notch 61a of 1, the slider 6
to lock.

[0023] In the embodiment, the tape cassette 1
Although we have explained how the front cover 5, slider 6, etc. operate when the It will be done.

Further, in the embodiment, the locking member 7 is provided only on one side, but it is also possible to provide a tape cassette in which the slider 6 is more securely locked by providing the locking member 7 on both sides if necessary.

As described above, according to the tape cassette of the embodiment of the present invention, the locking means of the slider 6 of the tape cassette 1 can be released by a member provided in the cassette holder of the recording/reproducing apparatus, and the locking means of the slider 6 can be released. By sliding backward, the front cover 5 that covers the magnetic surface of the magnetic tape 2 is rotated upward, and by further moving backward, the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1, which occupies a small space and into which the tape pull-out member is inserted, is opened. The upper space can be increased.

Furthermore, since the slider 6 is pressed and slid by the engagement between the pair of pins and the V-shaped recess, the movement of the slider is smooth, and the position after sliding is also accurately controlled within the cassette holder together with the tape cassette by the pair of pins. can be positioned.

Furthermore, in the present invention, a pair of notches 57 and 58 formed at the lower end of the front cover 5 and a V-shaped notch formed behind the notches 57 and 58 formed in the front cover 5 on the bottom surface of the slider 6 are provided. The recesses 65 and 66 are located outside the opening 11 of the tape cassette 1, and the tape cassette 1 is located inside the opening formed by the notches 57 and 58 of the front cover 5 and the V-shaped recesses 65 and 66 of the slider 6. Because of the lower half 1b, the internal space of the tape cassette 1 in which the magnetic tape 2 is wound is kept sealed.

[0028]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the slider can be unlocked simply by inserting the tape cassette into the cassette holder of the recording/reproducing device.
It can also be moved rearward to expose the magnetic tape stretched across the front. This unlocking and opening of the front cover and slider can be done using protrusions formed on the loading device such as a pin provided on the cassette holder, which reduces the number of required parts and reduces costs. can be tied to

Furthermore, in the past, the lid was opened by pushing down on the tape cassette, and the lid opening/closing trajectory covered the cylinder, making it impossible to bring the cylinder and tape cassette close together; however, in the present invention, the tape cassette holder Since the lid is already open when the cylinder is inserted into the cylinder, the magnetic tape stretched on the front can be brought as close as possible to the cylinder. In addition, since the magnetic tape is sealed between the front cover and the slider, it is possible to protect the magnetic tape.When recording and playback are possible, the slider is slid backwards and the front cover is closed to the opening into which the tape drawer member is inserted. Since it takes up space in the upper part and can be rotated fully open, the space occupied outside the cassette body can be reduced even when recording and playback is possible, and when the cassette tape is fully closed, it is extremely unlikely that the magnetic tape will be caught between the front cover and the slider. Can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1: An enlarged perspective view of the main parts of a tape cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the bottom side.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a tape cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 3] A side view of the main parts of the tape cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention when the front lid is fully closed.

[Fig. 4] A side view of the main part of the tape cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention when the front cover is in opening/closing operation.

[Fig. 5] A side view of the main parts of the tape cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention when the front lid is fully open.

FIG. 6 (a) Front view (partially broken) of the embodiment of the present invention when the slider is locked. (b) Bottom view of the embodiment of the present invention when the slider is locked.

FIG. 7 (a) Front view (partially cut away) of the embodiment of the present invention when the slider lock is released; (b) Bottom view of the embodiment of the present invention when the slider lock is released;

FIG. 8 (a) Front view of the embodiment of the present invention when the slider is fully open; (b) Bottom view of the embodiment of the present invention when the slider is fully open;

[Figure 9
] Perspective view of a conventional tape cassette

[Fig. 10] Side sectional view of the main part of a conventional tape cassette when the lid is released

[Figure 11] Side view of main parts of a conventional tape cassette

[Figure 12
] Side view of the main parts of a conventional tape cassette when the lid is released

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Tape cassette 2 Magnetic tape 5 Front lid 6 Slider 7 Lock member

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cassette body consisting of an upper half and a lower half, containing supply and take-up reels wound with magnetic tape, the magnetic tape being stretched over an opening, and a top of the opening of the cassette body. a slider that slides on the cassette body and has a locking part and a V-shaped recess that is open to the front; a front cover that is pivotally supported by the cassette body and rotated and slid by the slider; A tape cassette comprising a locking means having a cam portion formed on a line of movement of a slider and biased in a direction to engage with a locking portion of the slider.