JPH06119742A - Tape cassette and recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure a lock with a light load, to reduce the space, to unnecessitate the insertion hole of a lock releasing member and to prevent the intrusion of dust by freely rotatably arranging a locking member in a mouse part and engaging a locking claw freely movable in the forward and backward directions with a locked tooth. CONSTITUTION:When a tape cassette 1 is loaded on the cassette loading part of a recording/reproducing device and descended, a reel lock releasing member 38 is inserted in a mouse part 6 and an inclined edge 40 is abutted on the part to be actioned 32 of a reel locking member 25. Then the rear surface of the part to be actined 32 is displaced forward, the locking claw 27 of the locking member 25 is rotated forward, off from the locking tooth 12 of a tape reel 8 and the locking is released. Also, when the cassette 1 ascends, the rear surface of the part to be actioned 32 of the locking member 25 moves along the releasing member 38, the locking claw 27 is made to rotate backward by means of the rotating force of a tortion spring 33 and engages with the locked tooth 12 of the reel 8 so as to lock the reel 8. Consequently, the space is reduced, locking is ensured and a dustproof is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel tape cassette and recording / reproducing device. Specifically, it is not necessary to provide a hole into which the reel lock releasing member for releasing the lock of the tape reel is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette case, and therefore, the dust-proof property is excellent and stable operation is performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel tape cassette and a recording / reproducing device which do not require a separate reel lock releasing member according to the tape cassette used in a so-called compatible recording / reproducing device using large and small tape cassettes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a tape cassette, that is, a tape cassette in which a recording medium tape, for example, a tape reel around which a magnetic tape is wound, is rotatably accommodated in a cassette case, the recording medium is inadvertently left unused. It is necessary to lock the tape reel to prevent the tape from being unwound.

For example, an 8 mm video tape recorder (V
In the case of the 8 mm tape cassette used for TR), a lock member that moves in the front-rear direction is provided in the cassette case, and the lock member is elastically biased in the direction of locking the tape reel. When it is mounted on the VTR, the reel lock releasing member provided on the VTR is inserted into the cassette case through the insertion hole formed on the bottom wall of the cassette case, and the reel lock releasing member attaches the lock member thereto. It is designed to move in the unlocking direction against the energizing elastic force.

[0004]

In the conventional tape cassette described above, an insertion hole for inserting the reel lock releasing member on the recording / reproducing apparatus side is formed in the bottom wall of the cassette case. There is a problem that dust will enter the cassette case through the insertion hole,
In addition, there is a problem that the appearance of such a hole impairs the appearance.

Further, the lock member in the above-mentioned conventional tape cassette slides in the cassette case in the front-rear direction, and the lock member is moved in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. Since it is moved by the reel lock releasing member, there is a problem that the load is heavy and the operation is not stable in some cases.

Therefore, there is a VHS type tape cassette provided with a lock member which is rotatable in the left and right directions. According to this, although it can be operated with a light load, it has a large area in the plane direction. However, there is still a problem that the miniaturization is obstructed and a problem that an insertion hole for inserting the reel lock releasing member is necessary is not solved.

Further, since the lock member is arranged at the rear end of the cassette case, the position of the reel lock releasing member will be different if the size of the tape cassette to be used is different. However, there is a problem that the reel lock releasing member must be provided.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the tape cassette of the present invention has tape outlets formed at the left and right ends of the front surface of the cassette case, and is opened forward and downward between the tape outlets. A part of the recording medium tape wound around the tape reel rotatably housed in the cassette case is drawn out of the cassette case from the tape outlet and positioned along the front surface of the mouse part. In the tape cassette, the reel lock member is arranged at a portion of the front wall of the cassette case corresponding to the mouse portion so that the lock claw can be moved in the substantially front-rear direction, and the outer peripheral edge of the flange of the tape reel. Locked teeth that engage with the lock claws of the reel lock member are formed in the portion.

Further, in the tape cassette of the present invention,
The reel lock member is arranged so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction.

Further, in the tape cassette of the present invention,
A shutter that is slidable in the front-rear direction is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette case, and the lower surface of the mouth part is closed by the shutter when the shutter is in the closed position at the front end of the movement range.

Furthermore, the reel lock member of the tape cassette of the present invention is formed with a release member contact portion for contacting the reel lock release member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus to move the reel lock member to the unlock position. A portion of the release member contact portion different from the portion with which the reel lock release member abuts urges the reel lock member with a moving force in the direction in which the lock claw engages with the locked tooth of the tape reel. This is the contact portion of the biasing means.

In the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, the reel lock releasing member is inserted into the mouse portion of the tape cassette mounted in the cassette mounting portion to move the reel lock member to the lock releasing position, whereby the reel lock is released. The lock claw of the member is disengaged from the locked tooth of the tape reel so that the tape reel is unlocked.

[0013]

Therefore, in the tape cassette of the present invention, the bottom wall of the cassette case is not formed with a hole for permitting the entry of dust, so that it is excellent in dustproofness and is exposed to the outside. Since the hole is not visible, it looks good.

Further, by providing a shutter that closes the lower surface of the mouth portion when not in use, the dustproof property can be further enhanced.

Further, by making the reel lock member rotatable, it is possible to perform a reliable operation with a light load, and by also rotating it in the front-rear direction, space is saved, which contributes to downsizing. .

Furthermore, since the reel lock releasing member is inserted into the mouse portion, it is possible to use a common reel lock releasing member even if the tape cassettes have different sizes.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the tape cassette and recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

In the figure, 1 is a tape cassette, and 2 is its cassette case.

The cassette case 2 is made of synthetic resin,
When viewed from above, it is in the shape of a horizontally long rectangular thin box having a vertical width, and the upper and lower cassette halves 3 and 4 are joined together in a butting shape.

On the front surface of the cassette case 2, tape outlets 5, 5 are formed at both left and right ends thereof, and the tape outlet 5 is further formed.
The portion between and 5 is a mouth portion 6 that is open at least in the front and the bottom. The mouse portion 6 has a tape pull-out member for pulling out the magnetic tape from the cassette case 2 and loading the tape through a predetermined tape path when the tape cassette 1 is mounted on a recording / reproducing apparatus, for example, a video tape recorder. This is the part that will be inserted.

Tape reels 8 around which a magnetic tape 7 is wound are rotatably housed in the cassette case 2, and a part of the magnetic tape 7 goes out of the cassette case 2 through the tape outlets 5 and 5. It is led out and positioned along the front surface of the mouse portion 6 when not in use.

The tape reel 8 is provided with a cylindrical reel hub 9 whose upper end is closed, and disk-shaped flanges 10 and 11 projecting laterally from the upper and lower ends of the reel hub 9, and the reel hub 9 has a lower portion. A reel base engagement hole 9a is formed on the end face.

Locked teeth 12, 12, ... Are formed around the entire periphery of the lower flange 11.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a bottom wall 1 of the cassette case 2.
4 are reel base insertion holes formed side by side on the left and right, and reel base engagement holes 9a, 9a of the tape reels 8, 8 are exposed to the outside through the reel base insertion holes 13, 13.

A front lid 15 is rotatably supported on the front end of the cassette case 2 in the vertical direction. The front lid 16 covers the front surface of the cassette case 2 and protrudes rearward from both left and right edges of the front part 16. The side surface portions 17 and 17 are rotatably supported by the side surface of the front end portion of the cassette case 2. The front lid 15 is configured to move between a closed position in which the front surface portion 16 covers the front surface of the cassette case 2 and an open position in which the front surface portion 16 moves upward to open the front surface of the cassette case 2. The turning force toward the closed position is urged by the elastic means (not shown).

Of the front wall of the lower half 4 which defines the lower half of the cassette case 2, the portion 18 which defines the inner surface of the mouse portion 6 (hereinafter referred to as "mouse portion inner wall"). Notches 19, 19 are formed at both left and right ends of the bottom half wall 4, and a notch 20, which opens at the front end, that is, the mouth portion 6, is provided at a position corresponding to the notches 19, 19 on the bottom wall 14 of the lower half 4. 20 are formed.

Further, extending portions 20a, 20a which are further incised are formed on the sides of the notches 20, 20 which are close to each other, and the extending portions 20a, 20a are the tape reels 8,
It is formed by biting into a place corresponding to the 8 arrangement portion.

Support holes 22 are provided at positions deeper in the front walls of the upper half 3 which limit the left and right side surfaces of the mouth portion 6 (hereinafter referred to as "mouth portion side walls").
22 is formed.

Reference numerals 23 and 23 denote spring hooking projections projectingly provided on the outer surface of the side wall 21, 21 of the mouth portion, that is, the side surface facing the mouth portion 6.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a portion of the front wall of the upper half 3 that limits the back surface of the mouse portion 6 (hereinafter referred to as "mouse portion back wall").

Reference numerals 25 and 25 'are reel lock members.
Since these reel lock members 25, 25 'have a symmetrical shape, one of them 25 will be described in detail, and the other one 25' is the same as the reference numeral attached to each part of the one 25. The reference numeral is attached with “′” and its detailed description is omitted.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a plate-shaped main portion which is long in the vertical direction along the left-right direction, and a wedge-shaped lock claw 27 when viewed from above protrudes rearward from the left end of the lower end of the main portion. It is set up.

Further, a side surface portion 28 which projects forward is formed from the right end edge of the main portion 26, and the rear edge is further formed at the rear edge.
An upper surface portion 29 is formed, which is connected to the upper edge of 6 and the right edge of which is connected to the upper edge of the side surface portion 28, and the supported piece 30 projects upward from the left edge of the upper surface portion 29.

Reference numeral 31 is a supported pin projecting from the left side surface of the supported piece 30, and 32 is an actuated portion projecting leftward from the front end of the side portion 28 near the lower end.

The reel lock member 25 has its supported pin 31 on the side wall 21 of the left mouse portion of the upper half 3.
The reel lock member 25 is rotatably supported by the support hole 22 formed in the cassette case 2.
It is rotatably supported in the front-back direction.

33 is a scissor-shaped torsion spring,
A mouse part in which the coil part 33a is externally supported by the spring hooking protrusion 23 formed in the upper half 3 and one arm 33b limits the side surface of the mouse part 6 in the front wall of the lower half 4. It is locked to the rear surface of the spring hook portion 35 formed on the outer surface of the front end portion of the side wall 34, and the other arm 33c is elastically contacted with the front surface of the operated portion 32 of the reel lock member 25, whereby the reel lock member 25 is attached. The rotational force in the direction in which the lock claw 27 moves forward is urged.

However, the locking claw 27 is generated by the turning power.
Are elastically contacted with the outer peripheral edge of the tape reel 8 and engage with one of the locked teeth 12, 12, ... Formed there to lock the tape reel 8. The other reel lock member 25 'locks the other tape reel 8 in the same manner.

A shutter 36 is supported on the bottom surface of the cassette case 2 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The shutter 36 has holes 37, 37 which are aligned in the left-right direction. When the shutter 36 is at the front end in the moving direction, that is, in the closed position, the facing holes 37, 37 are formed in the reel base insertion hole 1 of the cassette case 2.
3, 13 and the reel stand insertion holes 13, 13
And the front end portion closes the lower surface opening of the mouth portion 6.

Further, when the shutter 36 is at the rear end in the moving direction, that is, in the open position, the facing holes 37, 37 of the shutter 36 are the reel stand insertion holes 13 of the cassette case 2,
13 and the reel base engaging holes 9 of the tape reels 8 and 8
a and 9a are exposed to the outside. In addition, the shutter 36
The front end of the mouse is retracted to a position where the lower surface opening of the mouse portion 6 is opened.

38 and 38 are chassis 39 of the recording / reproducing apparatus.
Is a reel lock releasing member standing upright, has a plate shape that is long in the vertical direction and extends in the width direction along the front-rear direction, and its upper end edge 40 is a slanting edge that is lowered forward.

When the tape cassette 1 is lowered toward the cassette mounting portion of the recording / reproducing apparatus, the reel lock releasing members 38, 38 are relatively inserted into the mouse portion 6 of the tape cassette 1. Then, first, the upper ends of the inclined edges 40, 40 come into contact with the rear surfaces of the actuated portions 32, 32 'of the reel lock members 25, 25' (see FIG. 12).

From there, when the tape cassette 1 further descends toward the cassette mounting portion, the rear surfaces of the actuated portions 32, 32 'of the reel lock members 25, 25' become the reel lock releasing members 38, 38. The reel lock member 2 receives the displacement force to the front while approaching the inclined edges 40, 40.
5, 25 ′ are rotated so that the lock claws 27, 27 ′ move forward, and finally the lock claws 27, 27 ′ disengage from the locked teeth 12, 12 of the tape reels 8, 8, and further, The rear surfaces of the actuated portions 32 and 32 'come into engagement with the front edges of the reel lock releasing members 38 and 38, whereby the locked state of the tape reels 8 and 8 is maintained (FIG. 13). reference).

When the tape cassette 1 is lifted up from the cassette mounting portion, contrary to the above, the rear surfaces of the actuated portions 32, 32 'of the reel lock members 25, 25' are reel lock releasing members 38, 38. Front edge, inclined edge 40, 40
And the torsion spring 33,
Due to the turning force biased by 33, the reel lock members 25, 25 ′ rotate in the direction in which the lock claws 27, 27 ′ move rearward, and the actuated portions 32, 32 ′ rotate the reel lock release member 38. When it reaches the position where it comes into contact with the upper ends of the inclined edges 40, 40 of the
7, 27 'are the locked teeth 12, 1 of the tape reels 8, 8.
Engage with 2 to lock the tape reels 8,8.

The cuts 20 and 20 formed at the front end of the bottom wall 14 of the cassette case 2 are reel lock members 2.
The bottom wall 14 conforms to the shape of the lower end portions of the reels 5 and 25 'and is provided so that the bottom wall 14 does not hinder the rotational movement of the reel lock members 25 and 25'.

[0045]

As is apparent from the above description, the tape cassette of the present invention is a mouse in which tape outlets are formed at the left and right ends of the front surface of the cassette case, and the tape outlets are opened forward and downward. Part of the recording medium tape wound around a tape reel rotatably housed in the cassette case is led out of the cassette case through the tape outlet and is positioned along the front surface of the mouth part. In the tape cassette, a reel lock member is arranged on a portion of the front wall of the cassette case corresponding to the mouse portion so that the lock claws thereof are movable in the approximately front-rear direction,
Locked teeth that engage with the lock claws of the reel lock member are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the flange of the tape reel.

Further, the reel lock member in the tape cassette of the present invention is characterized in that it is arranged so as to be rotatable substantially in the front-rear direction.

Further, in the tape cassette of the present invention, a shutter which is slidable in the front-rear direction is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette case, and the shutter is in the closed position at the front end of its movement range, and the shutter is used to lower the bottom surface of the mouse portion. Is blocked.

Furthermore, the reel lock member of the tape cassette of the present invention is formed with a release member contact portion for contacting the reel lock release member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus to move the reel lock member to the lock release position. A portion of the release member contact portion different from the portion with which the reel lock release member abuts urges the reel lock member with a moving force in the direction in which the lock claw engages with the locked tooth of the tape reel. It is characterized in that it is a contact portion of the biasing means.

The recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention is a recording / reproducing apparatus using the above-mentioned tape cassette, in which the reel lock releasing member is inserted into the mouse portion of the tape cassette mounted in the cassette mounting portion. Is moved to the lock release position, whereby the lock claw of the reel lock member is disengaged from the locked tooth of the tape reel, and the lock of the tape reel is released.

Therefore, in the tape cassette of the present invention, the bottom wall of the cassette case is not formed with a hole for permitting the entry of dust, so that it is excellent in dustproofness and is exposed to the outside. Since the hole is not visible, it looks good.

Further, by providing a shutter that closes the lower surface of the mouth portion when not in use, the dustproof property can be further enhanced.

Further, by making the reel lock member rotatable, a reliable operation can be performed with a light load, and also by rotating it in the front-rear direction, space can be saved, which contributes to downsizing. .

Furthermore, since the reel lock releasing member is inserted into the mouse portion, it is possible to use a common reel lock releasing member even if the tape cassettes have different sizes.

It should be noted that the shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited thereby. It should not be construed in a conventional way.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a tape cassette of the present invention with a front lid and a shutter in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a front lid and a shutter are in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the front lid and the shutter in a closed position.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the front lid and the shutter in an open position.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a reel lock member.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the upper half of the cassette case.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the lower half of the cassette case.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the main parts of the recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which a tape cassette is mounted on the recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an essential part showing a state immediately before the lock with respect to the tape reel is released.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the lock on the tape reel is released.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Tape Cassette 2 Cassette Case 5 Tape Exit 6 Mouse Part 7 Recording Medium Tape 8 Tape Reel 11 Flange 12 Locked Tooth 25, 25 'Reel Lock Member 27, 27' Lock Claw 32, 32 'Release Member Abutting Part 33 Energizing Means 36 Shutter 38 Reel lock release member

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A tape reel rotatably housed in a cassette case, wherein tape outlets are formed at both left and right ends of a front surface of a cassette case, and mouth portions open forward and downward are formed between the tape outlets. A tape cassette in which a part of the recording medium tape wound around is drawn out of the cassette case from the tape outlet and is located along the front surface of the mouse part, and corresponds to the mouse part of the front wall of the cassette case. The reel lock member is arranged at the portion where the lock claw is movable in the front-rear direction, and the locked tooth to be engaged with the lock claw of the reel lock member is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the flange of the tape reel. A tape cassette characterized by that. 2. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the reel lock member is arranged so as to be rotatable in a substantially front-back direction. 3. A bottom surface of the cassette case is provided with a shutter that is slidable in the front-rear direction, and the lower surface of the mouth part is closed by the shutter in a closed position at the front end of its movement range. Claim 1 characterized by
Alternatively, the tape cassette according to claim 2. 4. The reel lock member is formed with a release member contact portion for contacting a reel lock release member provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus to move the reel lock member to a lock release position. The portion of the portion different from the portion with which the reel lock releasing member is abutted is the abutting portion of the biasing means for biasing the moving force in the direction in which the locking claw of the reel lock member engages with the locked tooth of the tape reel. The tape cassette according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: 5. A reel lock releasing member is inserted into a mouse portion of a tape cassette mounted in a cassette mounting portion to move the reel lock member to a lock releasing position,
The lock claw of the reel lock member is disengaged from the locked tooth of the tape reel by this, and the lock of the tape reel is released.
Alternatively, a recording / reproducing apparatus using the tape cassette according to claim 4.