JPH07246759A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the release paper of a label tape easy to peel by applying processing to the release paper by a simple mechanism. CONSTITUTION:A self-adhesive tape spool 28 having a double-side self-adhesive tape 26 wound therearound is received in a cassette case consisting of an upper lid case 12 and a lower lid case 14 and the double-side self-adhesive tape 26 is guided and fed to the outside of a tape cassette 10 by a guide member 92 and a tape drive roller. A rotary blade is provided so as to draw a circle on the peripheral surface of the tape drive roller to apply a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the double-side self-adhesive tape 26 to release paper accompanied by the feed of the tape 26. By slightly bending the tape T having the release paper provided with the slit so that the printing surface thereof becomes inside, a part of the release paper is easily peeled from the self-adhesive surface of the tape and the peeled part is pulled to perfectly peel the release paper. By this constitution, the tape becomes easy to handle.

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 tape printer capable of printing characters and the like on a tape-shaped non-print medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a tape can be made by printing a text or an image on a wound tape-shaped medium and cutting the printed tape-shaped medium to an appropriate length. Printing devices have been proposed. In the label thus created, an adhesive layer to which a release paper is attached is provided on the back side of the printing surface of the label,
By peeling off the release paper, the label can be attached freely by the adhesive layer. Therefore, it is used for various purposes such as indexes, and is suitable for identifying and recognizing articles.

To peel off the release paper of the created label,
First, insert a thin object such as a nail between the release paper and the adhesive surface, peel off part of the release paper from the adhesive surface, and then pull the part that has been peeled off with your finger to completely remove it from the adhesive surface. The method of peeling the paper is generally used. However, since the adhesive surface and the release paper are formed very thin, it is extremely difficult to insert a nail or the like between the release paper and the adhesive surface, and it is not easy to remove the release paper.

As a method for facilitating the peeling of the release paper of the label, a slit along the length direction is previously formed only on the release paper of the tape-shaped medium, and the tape-shaped medium is wound into a small size and stored in a tape cassette. It is known how to put it. In the label created by this tape-shaped medium, when the user bends the label into a mountain fold in the vicinity of the slit part with the release paper side facing up, the release paper naturally floats at the slit part,
The release paper can be easily peeled off by picking the part with your finger and pulling.

As another method for facilitating the peeling of the release paper, a device for cutting only the tape leaving the release paper or a device for cutting only the release paper is used for the prepared label only the tape or the release paper only. The one that cuts off is also well known. By doing so, it was possible to facilitate peeling of the release paper by bending from the cutting position as in the previous method.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned method of cutting the release paper of the tape-shaped medium in advance before storing the tape cassette requires a special machine and process for manufacturing the tape. However, the labor and cost for manufacturing the tape cassette increases.

Further, in the method of cutting the release paper on the printed label by using another device, the cost required for the other device is large, and it takes time to pass the label through another device again. And problems such as difficulty in storing another device occur, which is not practical.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the release paper of the tape body is processed by making a cut in the tape cassette and discharged, and the release paper is made by a simple mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tape cassette which can be easily peeled off from a release paper of a tape body by processing the tape cassette.

[0009]

In order to achieve this object, the tape cassette of the present invention is detachably attached to a tape printing apparatus for printing characters and symbols while conveying a tape-shaped printing medium. Further, a cassette case, a tape body composed of a tape substrate coated with an adhesive on one surface and a release paper attached to the adhesive layer, and the tape body is wound around, A tape spool that is rotatably disposed in the cassette case, a guide member that guides the tape body to the outside of the cassette case, and a release paper for the tape body in the middle of the tape body conveyance path by the guide member. And a cutting mechanism that is provided on the side and cuts the release paper.

Furthermore, a transport roller for contacting the release paper side of the tape body and transporting the tape body is provided on the delivery side of the tape body in the cassette case, and the cutting mechanism comprises the transport roller. It may be a rotary blade provided on the peripheral surface of the entire circumference thereof.

The cutting mechanism is a fixed blade which is provided so as to abut against the release paper side of the tape body and which cuts the release paper of the tape body passing along with the conveyance of the tape body. Good.

[0012]

In the tape cassette of the present invention having the above construction, the tape spool in which the tape body is wound is housed in the cassette case, and the tape body is guided and conveyed to the outside of the cassette case by the guide member. . Also,
The cutting mechanism is provided on the release paper side of the tape body in the middle of the tape member conveyance path by the guide member, and cuts the release paper as the tape body is conveyed.

In the case of a tape body having a notch formed in the release paper, the user slightly bends the print surface of the tape inside so that a part of the release paper easily peels off from the adhesive surface and pulls a part thereof. The tape can be peeled off completely, making it easy to handle.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of a tape cassette 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the tape cassette 10 is composed of an upper lid case 12 and a lower lid case 14 (in this figure, most of the upper lid case 12 is removed). The lower lid case 14 has a cylindrical shaft 98, 99 and a shaft 23.
Is provided. A tape spool 20 around which a transparent film tape 18 is wound is rotatably supported on a cylinder shaft 99, and a ribbon spool 24 around which an ink ribbon 22 is wound around the shaft 23 with its ink surface inside is rotatable. The double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 26 with the release paper 26a is rotatably supported on the cylindrical shaft 98 with the release paper 26a side facing outward. In addition, the ribbon spool 24 is provided between the spools 20, 24, 28.
A ribbon take-up spool 30 for taking up the ink ribbon 22 pulled out from is fitted into bottomed holes (not shown) provided in the upper lid case 12 and the lower lid case 14, and is rotatably supported. In addition, the upper lid case 12 and the lower lid case 1
4 corresponds to the cassette case of the present invention, the double-sided adhesive tape 26 corresponds to the tape body of the present invention, and the adhesive tape spool 28 corresponds to the tape spool of the present invention.

Further, in the vicinity of the tape outlet 32 opened at the lower left of the cassette case body 10 shown in FIG.
The tape drive roller 34 that sends out the bonding tape T of the film tape 18 and the double-sided adhesive tape 26 from the tape outlet 32 in cooperation with a tape feed roller 62 provided in the tape printing device 40 described below is also rotatably arranged. It is set up.

Then, the double-sided adhesive tape 26 is pulled out from the adhesive tape spool 28 and is guided to the tape outlet 32 while being guided by the rib 92 and the tape drive roller 34. The rib 92 and the tape drive roller 34 correspond to the guide member of the present invention, and the tape drive roller 34 corresponds to the transport roller of the present invention.

On the other hand, the schematic construction of the tape printer 40 to which this tape cassette is attached and used is as shown in FIG. 2, and in FIG. 2, the tape printer 40 is provided with a character input for inputting characters and the like. A key 42, a print key 44, a keyboard 46 provided with various function keys, a liquid crystal display 48 for displaying characters input from the keyboard 46, and a cassette storage unit 50 for storing the tape cassette 10 are provided. The cassette storage section 50
Is opened and closed by a storage cover 52 that is rotatably supported at the rear of the tape printing device 40, and the tape cassette 10 can be replaced in the open state.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic structure of the cassette storage section 50.

In the cassette storage portion 50, the ribbon take-up spool 30 of the tape cassette 10 is engaged, and the ribbon take-up spool 30 is rotated by rotational driving of a pulse motor (not shown) to wind the ink ribbon 22. A tape drive shaft 56 that engages the take-up ribbon winding shaft 54 and the tape drive roller 34, and drives the tape drive roller 34 to rotate via a motor and a gear transmission mechanism (not shown).
Are set up respectively.

A thermal head 58 and a platen roller 60 are arranged upright in the cassette housing section 50 so as to face each other, and further, the tape feed roller which feeds out the bonding tape T in cooperation with the tape drive roller 34. Roller 6
2 are provided. The platen roller 60 and the tape feed roller 62 are supported by a roller holder 80, and can be switched between a printing position and a release position by a manual switching mechanism (not shown). At the printing position, the tape feed roller 62 urges the tape drive roller 34 by sandwiching the film tape 18 and the double-sided adhesive tape 26, and the platen roller 6
0 presses the ink ribbon 22 and the film tape 18 against the thermal head 58. Since the switching mechanism has been described in detail in the specification and drawings attached to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-92650, the description thereof is omitted here.

The above-mentioned thermal head 58 has a large number of heating elements and should print a virtual image such as characters on the film tape 18 through the ink ribbon 22.

On the other hand, a tape cutter 64 for cutting the bonded tape T sent out from the tape outlet 32 of the tape cassette 10 is also in the cassette housing portion 50.
It is provided on the inner side.

The tape cutter 64 has scissors fixed blades 66.
And the scissors movable blade 68. The scissors fixed blade 66 is located closer to the edge of the tape outlet 32 of the tape cassette 10 mounted in the cassette storage section 50.
8 is located farther from the tape outlet 32.

Although the drive mechanism of the tape cutter 64 will not be described in detail, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the scissors movable blade 68 via the pinion and the gear mechanism, and the scissors movable blade 68 uses the pivot shaft as a fulcrum. The opening / closing operation is performed, and the bonding tape T is cut by the opening / closing operation in cooperation with the scissors fixed blade 66.

The structure of the tape drive roller 34 provided inside the tape cassette is shown in FIG. 4 (a). The rotary blade 100 provided along the peripheral surface of the tape drive roller 34 is located at the center of the tape width, and the blade edge has a structure protruding from the peripheral surface by the thickness of the release paper 26a of the double-sided adhesive tape 26. . The rotary blade 100 corresponds to the cutting mechanism of the present invention.

As described above, the film tape 18 and the double-sided adhesive tape 26 are bonded to each other to form the tape T between the tape driving roller 34 and the tape feeding roller 62. The double-sided adhesive tape 26 is on the tape drive roller 34 side, and the release paper 26 a of the double-sided adhesive tape 26 is in contact with the tape drive roller 34.

When the tape drive shaft 56 rotatably drives the tape drive roller 34 via a motor and a gear transmission mechanism (not shown), the double-sided adhesive tape 26 causes the two roller 3 to move.
It is sandwiched between 4, 62 and transported. At this time, since the double-sided adhesive tape 26 is pressed against the tape drive roller 34 by the tape feed roller 62, the rotary blade 100 is pressed against the release paper side of the double-sided adhesive tape 26 while rotating. At this time, the rotary blade 100 cuts the release paper 26a. In this case, it is preferable that the blade edge of the rotary blade 100 penetrates to the extent that it reaches the adhesive layer on the release paper side.

As a result, the double-sided adhesive tape 26 being conveyed
The tape T is affixed to the film tape 18 while the release paper 26a is cut in the longitudinal direction by the rotary blade 100. The tape T is the tape cutter 64
And cut it to a suitable length. In this way, the label tape in which the release paper 26a is cut is created.

In the label tape having a cut in the release paper 26a, a part of the release paper 26a is easily peeled off from the adhesive surface by bending the release paper 26a side outward, and a part of the release paper 26a is pulled. Release paper 26
a can be completely peeled off. Further, since a means for cutting the release paper 26a of the tape is installed in the tape cassette, a special machine and process for cutting the release paper 26a are not required for manufacturing. In addition, the operation of cutting the release paper 26a by another device after the label tape is produced is not necessary. This can reduce the cost of a separate device for cutting the release paper 26a. As described above, the time and cost required for the method for facilitating the peeling of the release paper 26a can be reduced.

The above embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the rotary blade 100 provided on the tape drive roller 34
Is not limited to a circular shape, and may have a spiral shape as shown in FIG.

Further, the tape drive roller 34 and the rotary blade 1
The configuration of 00 is the rotary blade 1 on the peripheral surface of the tape drive roller 34.
00 may be formed so as to project, so that the rotary blade 100 having a hole for the diameter thereof may be inserted into one roller 34, or as shown in FIG.
The rotary blade 100 may be sandwiched between the tape drive rollers 34 divided into two members 34a and 34b.

Next, a modified example having the same effect as that of the above-mentioned embodiment is shown in FIG. The tape cassette 101 has an upper lid case 102 and a lower lid case 103 corresponding to the cassette case as shown in the figure. A cylindrical shaft 104 is provided on the lower lid case 103, and a heat-sensitive tape spool 106, around which the heat-sensitive tape 105 is wound with the coloring surface inside and the release paper 105a outside, is rotatably supported.
The heat-sensitive tape 105 has a three-layer structure including a tape substrate having a coloring surface, an adhesive layer coated with an adhesive, and a release paper 105a. The heat-sensitive tape 105 corresponds to the tape body of the present invention, and the heat-sensitive tape spool 106 corresponds to the tape spool of the present invention. The heat-sensitive tape 105 is fed from the heat-sensitive tape spool 106, guided by ribs 109, 110, 111 and 112 corresponding to guide members, and pulled out to the tape outlet 107.

Further, the cassette case 103 in FIG.
A tape outlet 107 is opened at the lower left of the tape drive roller 107, and the tape drive roller 10 is provided near the tape outlet 107.
8 is also rotatably arranged. The tape drive roller 108 feeds the heat sensitive tape 105 from the tape outlet 107 in cooperation with the tape feed roller 62 provided in the tape printer 40. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the tape drive roller 108 has a structure without the rotary blade 100 as in the above embodiment.

The lower lid case 103 has ribs 109.
A blade 110 having a blade tip is provided at a position separated from the surface of the heat sensitive tape 105 by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the tape base of the heat sensitive tape 105 so as to correspond to the central portion of the width of the heat sensitive tape 105. The blade 110 is a flat plate-shaped fixed blade, and
It is fixed so that the extending direction of the blade edge of 0 and the tape feeding direction are parallel to each other. The blade 110 corresponds to the cutting mechanism of the present invention. The thermal tape 105 is guided between the rib 109 and the blade 110 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. At this time, it is preferable that the cutting edge of the blade 110 penetrates to the extent of reaching the adhesive layer of the heat sensitive tape 105.

When the tape drive shaft 56 rotationally drives the tape drive roller 108 via a motor and a gear transmission mechanism (not shown), the tape T is delivered from the tape outlet 107 and moves between the rib 109 and the blade 110. Only the release paper 105a of the heat sensitive tape 105 is cut by the blade 110 in the longitudinal direction. The tape T is the tape cutter 64
Thus, the label tape is cut into an appropriate length and the release paper 105a is cut.

The label tape in which the release paper 105a is cut has a release paper 10 as shown in the first embodiment.
The release paper 105 is formed by bending the 5a side outward.
A part of a is easily peeled off from the adhesive surface, and the release paper 105
The release paper 105a can be completely peeled off by pulling a part of a. Further, since a means for cutting the peeling paper 105a of the tape is installed in the tape cassette, a special machine and process for cutting the peeling paper 105a are not required for manufacturing. Further, the operation of cutting the release paper 105a by another device after the label tape is made is unnecessary. This can reduce the cost of a separate device for cutting the release paper 105a. As described above, the time and cost required for the method for facilitating the peeling of the release paper 105a can be reduced.

In the latter embodiment, the blade 110 is a fixed blade having a flat plate shape, but the blade 110 is a pin-shaped blade for cutting the release paper 105a of the heat-sensitive tape 105 in a scribing manner. Good.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, in the tape cassette of the present invention, the release paper is cut in the tape cassette to produce the label. A label tape with cuts on the release paper can be easily peeled off from the adhesive surface by folding it with the release paper side facing outward, and by pulling a part of the release paper, the release paper can be completely removed. Can be peeled off. Further, since a means for cutting the release paper of the tape is installed in the tape cassette, a special machine and process for cutting the release paper are not required for manufacturing. Further, the operation of cutting the release paper with another device after making the label tape is not necessary. This can reduce the cost of a separate device for cutting the release paper. That is, it is possible to reduce the cost, time, and labor required for the process of making the release paper easy to peel off.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a tape cassette according to the present invention with most of an upper lid case removed.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a tape printer in which a tape cassette is mounted and used.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cassette housing portion of the tape printing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a release paper cutting unit of the tape cassette. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the tape drive roller used in the modified example.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a modified example of the tape cassette with most of the upper lid case removed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of the release paper cutting means of the tape cassette.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of release paper cutting means of the tape cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Tape Cassette 12 Upper Lid Case 14 Lower Lid Case 26 Double-sided Adhesive Tape 26a Release Paper 28 Adhesive Tape Spool 34 Tape Drive Roller 64 Tape Cutter 100 Rotary Blade 101 Tape Cassette 102 Lower Lid Case 103 Upper Lid Case 105 Thermal Tape 105a Release Paper 106 Thermal Tape Spool 109 Rib 110 Blade

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A tape cassette detachably mounted on a tape printing device for printing characters, symbols, etc. while transporting a tape-shaped printing medium, wherein a cassette case and a tape coated with an adhesive are formed on one surface. A tape body composed of a substrate and a release paper adhered to the adhesive layer; a tape spool wound around the tape body and rotatably disposed in the cassette case; A guide member that guides the outside of the cassette case, and a cutting mechanism that is provided on the release paper side of the tape body in the middle of the tape member conveyance path by the guide member and that cuts the release paper are provided. A tape cassette characterized by that. 2. A transport roller, which is in contact with the release paper side of the tape body and transports the tape body, is provided on the delivery side of the tape body in the cassette case, and the cutting mechanism has a peripheral surface of the transport roller. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the tape cassette is a rotary blade provided on the entire surface of the tape. 3. The cutting mechanism is a fixed blade which is provided so as to contact the release paper side of the tape body, and cuts the release paper of the tape body passing along with the conveyance of the tape body. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein: