JPH05459U - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] In a tape cassette, with a small number of parts, it is possible to prevent excessive feeding of the tape and loosening of the tape, and also to achieve miniaturization. [Structure] An ink tape supply spool 31 and an ink tape take-up spool 32 for winding an ink tape 30 fed from one side on the other side, and a pair of these spools 3.
A support shaft 33 provided approximately in the middle between 1 and 32;
The center portion 35 is rotatably supported with the support shaft 33 as a fulcrum, and both ends 36a and 36b are paired with the pair of spools 31 and 32.
And a leaf spring 34 that presses against each of the wound ink tapes 30.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 This invention relates to a tape cassette.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Generally, in a printer such as a word processor, a tape cassette equipped with a heat-sensitive ink tape is removably mounted, recording paper is superposed on the ink tape which is in sliding contact with the thermal print head, and the thermal print head prints in this state. When driven in response to information, desired information is printed on the recording paper. In such a tape cassette, a supply spool and a take-up spool are provided in the cassette case, and the ink tape sent out from the supply spool is slidably contacted with the thermal print head of the printer and then taken up by the take-up spool. It is like this. By the way, in such a tape cassette, if the ink tape is unwound from the supply spool excessively, the ink tape becomes loose, and wrinkles occur in the ink tape, causing printing failure or running failure of the ink tape. .. Therefore, in the conventional tape cassette, the tip of the leaf spring is pressed against the ink tape wound around the supply spool to prevent the ink tape that is unwound from the supply spool from being unwound, and to the take-up spool. The ink tape to be wound is slidably contacted with the guide pin, and the tip of the leaf spring presses the ink tape against the guide pin to prevent the ink tape from loosening.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the above-mentioned conventional tape cassette, since the leaf spring that prevents the ink tape from being excessively dispensed and the leaf spring that prevents the ink tape from loosening are provided, the number of parts is large, which hinders miniaturization. There is a problem of becoming. In particular, in tape cassettes for label printers that use information as labels by printing information on the surface of the adhesive tape, the print tape supply spool with the adhesive tape wound inside the cassette case, the ink tape supply spool, and the take-up reel. Since it is necessary to provide a spool, the provision of the above-mentioned leaf springs causes a problem that the entire tape cassette becomes larger. An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette which can prevent the tape from being unnecessarily taken out and the tape from being loosened with a small number of parts, and can be downsized.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 This invention proposes a pair of spools for winding the tape fed from one side on the other side, a support member provided approximately in the middle between the pair of spools, and a center portion rotatably supported with the support member as a fulcrum. It has a plate-shaped or rod-shaped spring member whose both ends are in pressure contact with the tape wound around a pair of spools.

[0005]

[Action]

 According to this invention, when the tape fed from one spool is wound on the other spool, it is wound on the other spool as the winding amount of the tape wound on the one spool decreases. Even if the tape winding amount increases, the spring member rotates around the supporting member as a fulcrum according to the principle of "lever" according to the increase or decrease of the winding amount of the tape wound on each spool. Therefore, both ends of the spring member can press the tape wound on both spools with a substantially constant spring force to prevent the tape from being unrolled and the tape from loosening.

[0006]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the main part of the printer. In this printing apparatus, a chassis 2 is provided inside a portable box-shaped apparatus body 1, a tape cassette 3 is detachably attached to the upper surface of the chassis 2, and the attached tape cassette 3 is attached to the apparatus body. 1 can be covered by a lid 4 which is openably and closably attached. Although not shown, the printing device can be connected to an external device such as an electronic notebook or word processor via a communication cable.

A winding shaft 6, a platen roller 7, and a thermal printing head 8 are provided at predetermined positions in the apparatus main body 1 so as to project above the chassis 2. The winding shaft 6 is rotatably provided on the apparatus body 1. The platen roller 7 is rotatably provided on a support plate 9 provided on the apparatus main body 1, and has a structure in which it is driven and rotated by a drive device (not shown). The thermal print head 8 is provided at a position on the apparatus main body 1 so that it can be brought into contact with and separated from the platen roller 7. The thermal print head 8 has a vertically long and slender plate shape, and a large number of heating elements (not shown) are arranged in the vertical direction at fine intervals. Further, a print tape discharge port 10 and a cutter 11 are provided at predetermined locations on the upper left wall of the apparatus main body 1. The cutter 11 is slidably arranged in the upper part of the left wall of the apparatus main body 1 so as to project and retract in the printing tape discharge port 10. An operation button 12 slidably housed in a button housing recess 13 formed on the left wall surface of the apparatus body 1 is attached to the cutter 11. Further, a cassette guide shaft 14 and a cassette pressing claw 15 are provided on the chassis 2 in the apparatus body 1.

FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the tape cassette 3 mounted on the chassis 2. In this tape cassette 3, the print-receiving tape storage portion 21 is provided in the cassette case 20 in the approximately right half, the ink tape storage portion 22 is provided in the lower right side, and the thermal tape is provided on the upper right side of the cassette case 20. A head insertion recess 23 into which the print head 8 is inserted is provided by cutting out, and a locking recess 24 is provided on the lower side of the cassette case 20. The print-receiving tape storage section 21 is provided with a print-receiving tape supply spool 26 around which the print-receiving tape 25 is wound. The print-receiving tape 25 has an adhesive and a peeling tape provided on the back surface of the base tape, and is guided by a guide pin 27 provided in the vicinity of the right side of the head insertion recess 23 to pass through the head insertion recess 23 and to the left side. The tape is discharged from the tape discharge port 28. The ink tape storage unit 22 is provided with an ink tape supply spool 31 around which the ink tape 30 is wound, and an ink tape take-up spool 32 around which the ink tape 30 unwound from the ink tape supply spool 31 is wound up. .. The ink tape 30 is a thermal transfer type in which a heat-melting type ink is applied to one surface of the base tape, is fed from the ink tape supply spool 31, and is overlapped with the print-receiving tape 25 by the guide pin 27 so that the head insertion recess is formed. After being paid out into the inside 23, it is wound around the ink tape winding spool 32. A support shaft 33 is provided upright in the ink tape storage portion 22 in the vicinity of an intermediate portion between the spools 31 and 32, and a plate spring 34 is provided on the support shaft 33 as follows. That is, the leaf spring 34 is formed in the shape of a strip plate, and with the central portion 35 thereof in contact with the support shaft 33, the tips 36a and 36b of the leaf spring 34 are attached to the ink tape 30 wound around the spools 31 and 32. It is press-contacted, so that it is rotatably supported with the support shaft 33 as a fulcrum.

Next, a case where the above-described tape cassette 3 is set in a printing device and printing is performed will be described.

First, when mounting the tape cassette 3 on the chassis 2 of the apparatus main body 1, the print-receiving tape supply spool 26 of the tape cassette 3 is fitted to the cassette guide shaft 14, and the ink tape take-up spool 32 is attached. With the winding shaft 6 engaged, the cassette pressing claw 15 is engaged with the engagement recess 32. As a result, the tape cassette 3 is mounted at a predetermined position on the chassis 2 with the thermal print head 8 inserted in the head insertion recess 23. In this state, the print-receiving tape 25 unwound from the print-receiving tape supply spool 26 passes from the print-receiving tape discharge port 10 to the apparatus main body 1 between the thermal print head 8 and the platen roller 7 and the tape discharge port 28. It is sent to the outside. Further, the ink tape 30 delivered from the ink tape supply spool 31 is taken up by the ink tape take-up spool 32 after passing between the platen roller 7 and the thermal print head 8. The print-receiving tape 25 and the ink tape 30 between the platen roller 7 and the thermal print head 8 are overlapped with each other in a state where the surface of the base tape of the print-receiving tape 25 and the ink of the ink tape 30 are in contact with each other. There is.

Next, when desired information is printed on the print-receiving tape 25, the ink tape take-up spool 32 is rotated to start winding the ink tape 30 fed from the ink tape supply spool 31, and the platen roller 7 is rotated to run the print-receiving tape 25 on the ink tape 30 and run between the platen roller 7 and the thermal print head 8, and the print-receiving tape 25 and the ink tape 30 are moved by the thermal print head 8. It is pressed against the platen roller 7, and in this state, printing information is given to the thermal printing head 8 to drive it. Then, the ink of the ink tape 30 is thermally transferred to the print-receiving tape 25 in accordance with the print information, whereby desired information is printed on the print-receiving tape 25. The print-receiving tape 25 thus printed is discharged to the outside from the print-receiving tape discharge opening 10 of the apparatus body 1 through the tape discharge opening 28 of the tape cassette 3, and at this time, predetermined portions are sequentially cut by the cutter 11. And sent as a label.

As described above, in the tape cassette 3, the ink tape 30 fed from the ink tape supply spool 31 is wound around the ink tape take-up spool 32 as the thermal print head 8 prints on the print-receiving tape 25. When taken, the winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the ink tape supply spool 31 decreases and the winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the ink tape winding spool 32 increases. That is, in the initial state where the winding is started, the winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the ink tape supply spool 31 is large as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the ink tape supply spool 31 is reduced, and the ink tape 30 wound around the ink tape take-up spool 32 is wound around. In the final state in which the winding amount is almost the same as the winding amount, as shown in FIG. 3C, the ink tape winding amount is larger than the winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the ink tape supply spool 31. The winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the take-up spool 32 is much larger. Thus, even if the winding amount of the ink tape 30 wound around the spools 31 and 32 is increased or decreased, the leaf spring 34 rotates about the support shaft 33 as a fulcrum according to the principle of "lever" according to the increase or decrease. Therefore, the both ends 36a, 36b of the leaf spring 34 are always pressed against the ink tape 30 wound around the spools 31, 32 with a substantially constant spring force. Therefore, according to the tape cassette 3, when the one leaf spring 34 is supported only by the support shaft 33, the ink tape 30 fed from the ink tape supply spool 31 is wound on the ink tape take-up spool 32. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink tape 30 from being excessively fed out, the ink tape 30 from loosening in the middle, and the ink tape 30 from being disturbed and wound.

Although the tape cassette 3 used in the label printer has been described in the above-described embodiment, it can be applied to an ink tape cassette that does not need to have the print-receiving tape 25, and the ink tape can be repeated. Not only can it be applied to multi-time ink tape cassettes that can be used as well, but it can also be applied to tape cassettes for cassette tape recorders.

[0014]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to rotate the center of the spring member with the support member as the fulcrum, with both ends of the spring member pressed against the tapes wound around the pair of spools. Since the structure is supported, the number of parts is small and the overall size of the tape cassette can be reduced, and when one tape spool is wound on the other spool, it is Even if the winding amount of the tape wound on the other spool increases as the winding amount of the wound tape decreases, the spring member winds each tape with a substantially constant spring force. The tape that is being rotated can be pressed against the tape, preventing excessive feeding of the tape and loosening of the tape.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a printing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the internal structure of the ink tape cassette.

3A is a diagram showing a state of a leaf spring in an initial state when winding an ink tape, FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a state of a leaf spring in an intermediate state in which winding is advanced, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of a leaf spring in a final winding state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Ink tape cassette 20 Cassette case 30 Ink tape 31 Ink tape supply spool 32 Ink tape take-up spool 33 Support shaft 34 Leaf spring 35 Center part of leaf spring 36a, 36b Tip of leaf spring

Claims (1)

Claims for utility model registration: 1. A pair of spools for winding the tape fed from one side on the other side, a support member provided near the middle of the pair of spools, and a central portion of the spool. A tape cassette comprising: a plate-shaped or rod-shaped spring member that is rotatably supported with a supporting member as a fulcrum, and has both ends pressed against the tape wound around the pair of spools.