JPH09277678A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic equipment capable of simply and reliably ascertaining a content display, etc., while a cartridge is being mounted in a pocket of an equipment main body with respect to the cartridge to be mounted and demounted by an ink-jet mechanism. SOLUTION: Electronic equipment 1, wherein a cartridge 6 containing a tape-like member T which is accessed by an equipment main body 2 is detachably mounted in a pocket 7 of the equipment main body 2 having ahingeddoor type openable lid 8, is provided with an ink-jet mechanism by which the cartridge 6 mounted in the pocket 7 is raised from the pocket 7 in association with the opening operation of the openable lid 8 from an opening intermediate position to a fully opened position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to, for example,
The present invention relates to an electronic device that is detachably mounted in a pocket formed in a device body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of electronic equipment, for example, a tape deck in which a tape cassette is mounted, a video deck in which a video cassette is mounted, and the like are known.
The tape deck is equipped with an eject mechanism for tape cassettes. The eject mechanism attaches the tape cassette to the lid of the pocket, then closes the lid to attach the tape cassette to the pocket, and the eject button. By pressing, the tape cassette mounted in the pocket is released from the pocket when the lid is opened. Similarly, the eject mechanism of the VCR is designed to push the video cassette into the pocket by pushing the lid open, receive the video cassette, insert it into the pocket, and press the eject button to push the lid. Open and open the video cassette installed in the pocket from the pocket.

[0003]

In such conventional electronic equipment, in order to confirm the contents of the cassette mounted in the pocket, in many cases, the eject button is pressed to remove the cassette from the pocket. For this reason,
After the confirmation, it is necessary to perform the mounting operation again, which makes the confirmation operation of the cassette complicated, and there is a problem that the time from the confirmation operation to the tape running becomes long. However, when a window is formed in the lid like a tape deck, the cassette can be confirmed from this window. However, although the window has a narrow field of view and is used to confirm the tape running due to the problem of light reflection, it is rarely used to confirm the label of the cassette.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device which can easily and surely confirm the content display and the like of a cartridge which is attached and detached by an eject mechanism while being mounted in a pocket.

[0005]

An electronic device according to claim 1 is
In an electronic device in which a cartridge containing a tape-shaped member accessed by the device body is detachably mounted in a pocket of the device body that has a hinged door type opening / closing lid, the opening operation of the opening / closing lid from the mid-open position to the fully open position It is characterized in that it is equipped with an eject mechanism for lifting the cartridge mounted in the pocket from the pocket.

According to this structure, the eject mechanism lifts the cartridge in association with the opening operation of the opening / closing lid from the opening middle position to the completely opening position, so that the opening / closing lid is opened from the completely closed position to the opening middle position. In the state, the cartridge remains attached to the pocket. Further, from this state, if the opening / closing lid is simply closed, the device body returns to the original access standby state, while if it is opened, the cartridge floats and is ready to be taken out. That is, with the cartridge mounted in the pocket, the opening / closing lid can be opened to the halfway open position, and the cartridge can be visually recognized in this state. On the other hand, this also allows the user to clearly distinguish between opening the opening / closing lid for visual recognition of the cartridge and opening for opening the cartridge.

In the electronic device according to the first aspect of the present invention, a spring member that causes the opening / closing lid to jump up from the completely closed position to the midway opening position, and the opening / closing lid is locked at the completely closed position against the spring member. Release operation means to release
It is preferable to further provide.

According to this structure, the opening operation means allows
The opening / closing lid can be easily opened from the completely closed position to the halfway opened position, and the cartridge can be visually recognized more easily and quickly.

In the electronic device according to the first or second aspect, the eject mechanism includes a base plate configured to be vertically movable to receive the cartridge from below, a biasing means for biasing the base plate in a rising direction, and the base plate at a lower end position. It is preferable to have plate locking means for locking and unlocking the base plate in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening / closing lid.

According to this structure, the base plate is locked by lowering the base plate to the lower end position, that is, by pushing the cartridge aligned with the pocket into the pocket. Entrusted. Therefore, it is possible to give the user a sense of security that the cartridge is securely attached. Also, the structure of the eject mechanism can be simplified. Similarly, since the opening operation of the opening / closing lid for taking out the cartridge is entrusted to the user, the user can feel secure. Moreover, when the cartridge is taken out of the pocket, the base plate is raised, and even if the opening / closing lid is closed in this state, the base plate maintains the standby state for receiving the next cartridge.

According to another aspect of the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the pocket is configured to receive a thick cartridge and a thin cartridge, and the base plate extends upward from the plate body for receiving the thick cartridge. And a protrusion that receives the thin cartridge.

According to this structure, both the thick cartridge and the thin cartridge can be raised to a position where they can be easily taken out, with the lifting stroke of the base plate being constant. Further, the center position in the thickness direction of the thick cartridge and the thin cartridge can be set to a substantially constant height position with respect to the device main body to be accessed.

In the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the opening / closing lid is rotatably and detachably attached to the main body of the device at a hinge portion thereof, and the cartridge floats from the pocket. It is preferable to further include a blockage preventing means for blocking the closing operation of the opening / closing lid.

According to this structure, the user notices that it is necessary to select whether to take out the cartridge from the pocket or completely mount it in the pocket because the opening / closing lid cannot be closed. Further, even if the user tries not to notice this and closes the opening / closing lid, the opening / closing lid is detached from the device body. Therefore, it is possible to fail-safely prevent damage to the opening / closing lid and damage to the cartridge caused by accidentally closing the opening / closing lid.

According to another aspect of the electronic device of the present invention, the blocking member has a blocking member facing the blocking position of the opening / closing lid in conjunction with the floating of the cartridge from the pocket, and the blocking member floats. It is preferred that the blocking condition be maintained upon receipt of the cartridge.

According to this structure, when the cartridge is removed from the pocket, the blocking means cannot maintain the blocking state, so that the opening / closing lid can be closed without any trouble. That is, when the eject mechanism is in a state in which the cartridge can be received, the opening / closing lid can be closed so as not to hinder the transition of the device to the unused state.

In the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, it is preferable that the device main body includes a printing device for performing printing as an access, and the tape-shaped member is a printing target of the printing device.

According to this structure, it is possible to print on various tape-shaped members using the cartridge.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A case where an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a tape printer will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This tape printer has a function of performing desired printing (printing) on the tape by key input and cutting the printed portion of the tape, and the cut printing piece of the tape is attached to a document file or the like. Used as a label. That is, the tape printer creates a label on which characters are printed from a plain tape. In this case, the plain tape and the ink ribbon, which are consumable items, are housed in the cartridge and supplied to the apparatus main body through the cartridge.

As shown in FIG. 1, this tape printer 1
Is a pocket for mounting the key input part 4 on the front part, the display 5 on the right rear part, and the cartridge 6 on the left rear part. 7 are provided and configured. The pocket 7 is provided with an opening / closing lid 8 with a window.
Is attached to the apparatus main body 2 so as to be openable and closable via a hinge portion described later. Further, an eject mechanism (see FIG. 4) 9 described later is incorporated inside the pocket 7,
The eject mechanism 9 receives the cartridge 6 and raises the received cartridge 6 to a position where it can be easily taken out.

When a label is produced by the tape printing apparatus 1, first, the open button 10 located at the corner of the opening / closing lid 8 is pushed to flip up the opening / closing lid 8 and then the opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened manually. (See Figure 13). Next, pocket 7
Set the cartridge 6 from the upper side, and push in the cartridge 6 to completely mount it. After mounting the cartridge 6, the opening / closing lid 8 is closed and the tape printer 1 is placed in the print standby state. Next, while watching the display 5, the key input unit 4 is operated to make a desired input. Display 5
When the desired input is confirmed with, the key input unit 4 is further operated to instruct the printing operation.

When the printing operation is instructed, the cartridge 6
The tape T and the ink ribbon R (see FIG. 2) simultaneously start running, and printing by thermal transfer is performed. As the printing progresses, the ink ribbon R is wound up in the cartridge 6, but the printed tape T is sent out from the tape discharge slit 11 formed on the side surface of the apparatus case 3. When printing is completed, the tape T and the ink ribbon R stop running after the margins have been fed. Then, the auto-cutting mechanism of the device body 2 works,
A cutter (not shown) housed in the tape discharge slit 11 is operated to cut the tape T. Further, when the cartridge 6 is taken out, the opening button 10 is pushed to flip up the opening / closing lid 8 and then the opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened manually. Then, the eject mechanism 9 works in conjunction with this opening operation, and the cartridge 6 is pushed up to the set state (see FIG. 14).

As shown in FIG. 2, the cartridge 6 has a case 21 composed of an upper case 21a and a lower case 21b. Inside the case 21, a tape reel 22 around which a tape T is wound and an ink ribbon R are formed. A ribbon take-up reel 23 around which the ink is wound and a ribbon take-up reel 24 around which the used ink ribbon R is taken up are rotatably housed. In the case 21, a print head 5 to be described later is provided.
A platen roller 25 that faces 3 is housed rotatably. When the platen roller 25 and the ribbon take-up reel 24 rotate in synchronism with each other, the tape T and the ink ribbon R run at the same time and are superposed at the position of the platen roller 25, and printing is performed. After printing, the ink ribbon R is taken up by the ribbon take-up reel 24, and the tape T is sent out from the tape discharge port 26 connected to the tape discharge slit 11.

In addition, the tip of the tape T is attached to the tape discharge port 26 in the cartridge 6 when the cartridge 6 is transported and stored.
A mechanism for preventing the ink ribbon R from being drawn inside and a mechanism for preventing the ink ribbon R from being loosened are incorporated. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the mechanism for preventing the tape T from being pulled in includes a coil spring 28 disposed above the cylindrical shaft portion 27 of the tape reel 22 and an upper surface of the cylindrical shaft portion 27. Crown gear-like engagement part 2
9 has a structure in which the wire rod portion 28a, which is formed by bending the lower end of the coil spring 28 in the radial direction and extending, engages with the engaging portion 29 in a biased state. In addition, this wire rod portion 28
The engagement state between a and the engagement portion 29 is a click-like state, and the tape T can be pulled out from the case 21 by strongly pulling the tip of the tape T.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mechanism for preventing the loosening of the ink ribbon R engages the claw pieces 30, 30 at the lower end of the ribbon take-up reel 23 and the lower end of the ribbon take-up reel 24, respectively. It will stop. Lower case 21
The lower ends of both reels 23, 24 are flush with the pair of round holes 31, 31 formed in the lower surface of b, and a plurality of cutout grooves 32 are formed in the circumferential direction at each lower end. (See FIG. 8). In addition, each round hole 31 is formed in the lower case 21b.
Two slits are formed substantially parallel to each other in a region continuous with, and a claw piece 30 that engages with the notch groove 32 is formed in a portion sandwiched by the slits. In this way, the rotation of the tape reel 22 is regulated, and the rotation of the ink ribbon R is prevented to prevent the tape T and the ink ribbon R from loosening. The rotation restriction and the rotation prevention are released, and the tape T and the ink ribbon R are ready to run (details will be described later).

By the way, the tape (= ink ribbon R) T
A plurality of types having different widths are prepared, and correspondingly, a plurality of types of cartridges having different thicknesses are prepared. Specifically, for example, the tape T is 6 m
m, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, 24 mm and 36
There are 6 types of mm width, cartridge 6 is 6 mm, 9 m
m, for 12 mm, for 18 mm, for 24 mm and for 36 mm
There are three types. Of these, 6mm, 9mm, 12m
The tape T of m, 18 mm, and 24 mm width is used in the conventional machine of the tape printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and the tape T of 36 mm width can be used in the tape printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. It is a thing. Note that reference numeral 33 in FIG. 2 is a sticker that describes the width of the tape T, and is attached to the surface of the upper case 21a.

As described above, in the tape printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, three types of cartridges 6 of the thin type cartridge, the medium type cartridge and the thick type cartridge can be used. In this case, since the thick type cartridge has almost twice the thickness of the thin type cartridge, the three types of cartridges 6 having different thicknesses can be easily attached to and detached from the pocket 7 and are suitable for the six types of tapes T having different widths. The tape printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has various structural devices such as the eject mechanism 9 so that various types of printing can be performed and compatibility with the thin / medium-sized cartridges already on the market can be maintained. Has been done. Hereinafter, the description will be focused on the portion that has been devised, but since the structural devise extends to the cartridge 6, the devised portion of the cartridge 6 will be described first.

FIG. 3 shows a thin cartridge (FIG. 3A).
6a is a bottom view of a thick cartridge (FIG. 6 (b)) 6b. Since the structure of the bottom surface of the thin cartridge 6a and the structure of the bottom surface of the medium-sized cartridge are substantially the same (only the thickness is different), the description of the medium-sized cartridge is omitted. As shown in the figure, a rectangular through opening 34 for escaping the print head 53 is formed in the case 21 of each cartridge 6a, 6b, and a roller drive shaft for rotating the platen roller 25 is provided above the through opening 34. (See Figure 4)
An engagement hole 35 with which 54 is engaged is formed. Further, at a position corresponding to the tape reel 22, a regulation releasing protrusion for releasing the rotation regulation of the coil spring 28 described above (see FIG. 4).
An insertion hole 36 into which 56 is inserted is formed.

Further, the pair of round holes 31 and 31 are formed at positions corresponding to the ribbon take-up reel 23 and the ribbon take-up reel 24, and the ribbon take-up reel of the pair of round holes 31 and 31 is formed. A reel drive shaft (see FIG. 4) 55 that engages with and rotates the ribbon take-up reel 24 is inserted into the round hole 31 corresponding to 24. Also,
The pair of claw pieces 30 and 30 facing the pair of round holes 31 are formed on the thin cartridge (FIG. 6A) 6a, and the thick cartridge 6B is formed on the thick cartridge 6B. The claw piece 37 is formed only on the round hole 31 side corresponding to the ribbon take-up reel 24. In this case, the claw pieces 30, 37
The positions of are the thin cartridge 6a and the thick cartridge 6
The first locking release protrusion (FIG. 8A) is different from FIG. 8B and unlocks the locking of the claw piece 30 of the thin cartridge 6a.
57) and a second unlocking protrusion (see FIG. 8B) 58 for unlocking the claw piece 37 of the thick cartridge 6b.
Are also arranged at different positions (details will be described later).

On the other hand, the lower case 2 of the thick cartridge 6b
Steps 38 are formed at several points on the peripheral edge of 1b. The step portion 38 escapes a support projection 52 formed on a base plate (see FIG. 5) 51 of the eject mechanism 9 described later. That is, in the thick cartridge 6b, the entire bottom surface except the step portion 38 is the base plate 51.
The seat portion 39b for seating on the thin cartridge 6a
Then, the portion corresponding to the step portion 38 is the base plate 5
The seating portion 39a is seated on No. 1 (details will be described later).
Further, an inclined portion 40 in which the bottom surface of the lower case 21b is inclined toward the step portion 38 is formed in the lower left step portion 38 of FIG. 3B. This inclined portion 40 is a pocket 7
The thick cartridge 6b attached to the first lock release protrusion 5
It constitutes a pressing portion when the 7 is pushed down (details will be described later).

It should be noted that the cartridges 6a and 6b are provided in the pockets 7 in the vicinity of the claw piece 37 and at two diagonal positions thereof.
A pair of positioning holes 41, 41 for positioning inside
Each cartridge 6 on which the claw piece 37 is located
Detection holes for detecting the mounting of the cartridges 6a, 6b in the pockets 7 and the type of the tape T (the number and the position depending on the tape width are different) at the corners of the a, 6b.
42 is formed.

When the cartridge 6 thus constructed is mounted in the pocket 7 of the apparatus body, various access members face the cartridge 6 from the apparatus body 2 side. FIG. 4 shows the bottom portion of the pocket 7 in a state where the base plate 51 of the eject mechanism 9 is at the lower end position. As shown in the figure, the base plate 51 of the eject mechanism 9 is provided with the above-mentioned support protrusions 52 at three locations (see FIG. 17). In addition, the print head 53 and the roller drive shaft 5 are arranged so that the cutout portion of the base plate 51 faces the pocket 7.
4, a reel drive shaft 55, a restriction release protrusion 56, a first lock release protrusion 57, and a second lock release protrusion 58 are provided. In this case, only the print head 53 is covered with the head cover 59 through which the through opening 34 of the cartridge 6 is inserted. Further, a pair of positioning projections 60, 60 corresponding to the positioning hole 41 and three pushers of a detection switch 61 corresponding to the detection hole 42 are provided. Reference numerals 62 and 62 in the drawing are a pair of engaging claw pieces that engage with both side portions of the cartridge 6 mounted in the pocket 7 and hold the cartridge 6 immovably.

Here, the relationship between the cartridge 6 itself and the components of the cartridge 6 and the access parts on the apparatus main body 2 side will be compared between the case where the thin cartridge 6a is mounted and the case where the thick cartridge 6b is mounted. While explaining.

FIG. 5A shows the case where the thin cartridge 6a is mounted in the pocket 7, and FIG.
The case where the thick type cartridge 6b is mounted is schematically shown. As described above, in the thick cartridge 6b,
The entire bottom surface except the step portion 38 serves as a seat portion 39b for seating on the base plate 51, and in the thin cartridge 6a, the portion corresponding to the step portion 38 serves as the seat portion 39a for seating on the base plate 51. On the other hand, on the base plate 51, three support protrusions 52, 52, 52 are formed by cutting and raising the peripheral portion of the base plate 51 upward at three places so as to support three points.
Are formed. That is, the three support protrusions 52, 5
2, 52 constitute a first supporting portion for supporting the thin cartridge 6a, and the flat surface of the base plate 51 constitutes a second supporting portion for supporting the thick cartridge 6b.

Therefore, when the thin cartridge 6a is mounted in the pocket 7, the thin cartridge 6a is supported by the three support protrusions 52 in a state of floating from the flat surface of the base plate 51 (see FIG. 9A). On the other hand, when the thick cartridge 6 b is mounted in the pocket 7, the thick cartridge 6 b has three support protrusions 52 at the step portion 38.
And is supported by the flat surface of the base plate 51 (see FIG. 7B). As described above, when the thin cartridge 6a and the thick cartridge 6b are mounted, the thin cartridge 6a is supported at the shallow position of the pocket 7, and the thick cartridge 6b is supported at the deep position of the pocket 7, so that the thin cartridge 6a is It is never worn deep in the pocket.

Therefore, it is possible to raise (float) the various kinds of cartridges 6 to a position where they can be easily taken out without changing the elevating stoke of the ejecting mechanism 9 depending on the thickness of the cartridge 6. Also, a thin cartridge 6a
Since it does not require any special processing, it is possible to use the products already on the market. In this embodiment, the thin cartridge 6a is supported by the three support protrusions 52, but the thin cartridge 6a is placed at a shallow position of the pocket 7 and the thick cartridge 6a.
The number of supporting structures and supporting members is arbitrary as long as b can be supported at a deep position. Further, this structure can be applied to a structure without the eject mechanism 9.

On the other hand, as shown in the figure, in the thick cartridge 6b, the tape (and the ink ribbon R: 36 mm) T
However, the thin cartridge 6a has a tape (and an ink ribbon R: 6 mm), which is accommodated in its full thickness.
The T is housed in a position closer to the upper side. For this reason,
The center position in the width direction of both tapes T is approximately the middle position of the depth with respect to the pocket 7. This state will be described with reference to FIG.
The relationship between the print head 53 and the platen roller 25 will be described. The print head 53 is provided with array-shaped heating elements 64 in the vertical direction, and is swingably supported by a weak spring 65 so as to hold the neutral position at an intermediate position in the vertical direction. Therefore, the heating element 64 can be uniformly pressed against the platen roller 25 side.

For example, as shown in FIG.
If the position of (mm) T is biased downward, when the print head 53 is pressed against this, the print head 53 tilts, and a gap is created between the lower end of the tape (6 mm) T and the heating element 64, The print result is unclear. Accordingly, the widthwise centers of the various tapes T are set to be approximately at the intermediate position in the depth with respect to the pocket 7, that is, the intermediate position in the vertical direction of the print head 53, so that the tapes T having different widths are used. However, the printing does not become unclear.

Next, the relationship between the platen roller (rotating member) 25 of the cartridge 6 and the roller drive shaft 54 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the same drawing, the platen roller 2 is attached to the cartridge 6 so as to face the engagement hole 35.
The shaft member 67 of No. 5 is arranged, and the shaft member 67 is formed with a thick shaft hole 68 at the lower end portion and a thin shaft hole 69 which is continuous with this and extends upward. On the other hand, the roller drive shaft 54
A drive shaft main body 70 that is engaged with the large shaft hole 68 at the upper portion and is connected to a drive source at the lower portion; and a center pin 71 that rotatably supports the drive shaft main body 70 so as to be axially movable.
With the coil spring 72 that biases the drive shaft body 70 upward,
It is configured.

The drive shaft main body 70 is composed of an engagement portion 73 which engages with the thick shaft hole 68 in a spline manner, and a gear portion 75 which meshes with the output shaft 74 on the drive source side. The center pin 71 is a pin body 7 that is inserted into the thin shaft hole 69.
6 and a support portion 77 that supports the pin body 76. The lower portion of the drive shaft main body 70 including the gear portion 75 is provided so as to cover the support portion 77 of the center pin 71, and the lower inner peripheral surface of the drive shaft main body 70 and the center pin 71.
The coil spring 72 is mounted in a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 77 and the support portion 77.

FIG. 4A shows the case where the thin cartridge 6a is mounted in the pocket 7, and FIG. 6B shows the case where the thick cartridge 6b is mounted in the pocket 7. As shown in the figure, when the thin cartridge 6a is mounted, the thin cartridge 6a is in the pocket 7 as described above.
Supported in a shallow position. For this reason, the drive shaft main body 70 biased by the coil spring 72 sinks slightly and maintains the engagement state with the platen roller 25. When the thick cartridge 6b is mounted, the thick cartridge 6b is supported at the deep position of the pocket 7 as described above. Therefore, the drive shaft main body 70 biased by the coil spring 72 largely sinks and maintains the engagement state with the platen roller 25. That is, the roller drive shaft 54 properly engages with both the thin and thick cartridges 6a and 6b to rotate them.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the claw pieces 30 and 37 of the cartridge 6 and the first locking release protrusion 57 on the apparatus main body 2 side.
The relationship with the second locking release protrusion 58 will be described. As shown in the figure, the first unlocking protrusion 57 includes a pair of protrusions 80, 80, a connecting portion 81 for connecting the pair of protrusions 80, 80, and a connecting portion 81 for connecting the pair of protrusions 80, 80.
And a torsion coil spring 82 that urges it to stand upright. The connecting portion 81 is rotatably supported on the apparatus main body 2 side, and the pair of projecting portions 80, 80 are the pair of claw pieces 3 of the thin cartridge 6 a mounted in the pocket 7.
It is arranged so as to correspond to 0 and 30. On the other hand, the second
The unlocking protrusion 58 is fixedly provided near the reel drive shaft 55. In this case, the second locking release protrusion 58 is
It is arranged at a position lower than the lower surface of the thin cartridge 6a mounted in the pocket 7.

When the thin cartridge 6a is mounted in the pocket 7 as shown in FIG.
The pair of protrusions 80, 80 of the first locking release protrusion 57 are engaged with the pair of claw pieces 30, 30 of a, and the respective claw pieces 30 are bent to form the cutout groove 32 of the ribbon take-up reel 23. Also, the locked state with the notch groove 32 of the ribbon take-up reel 24 is released. As a result, the ribbon take-up reel 23 and the ribbon take-up reel 24 are in a rotatable state. Further, in this case, the thin cartridge 6a is supported at a shallow position of the pocket 7, and the bottom surface of the thin cartridge 6a is located above the second locking release protrusion 58, and does not interfere with this.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the thick cartridge 6b is mounted in the pocket 7, the second locking release projection 58 engages with the pawl piece 37 of the thick cartridge 6b, and the pawl piece 37 is bent and the ribbon take-up reel 2
The engagement state with the notch groove 32 of 4 is released. In addition, the inclined portion (see FIG. 3B) of the thick cartridge 6b 4
0 is the pair of protrusions 80, 80 of the first locking release protrusion 57.
, And pushes it against the torsion coil spring 82. As a result, the first locking release protrusion 57 escapes from the thick cartridge 6b, and mounting of the thick cartridge 6b is allowed.

As described above, even when the thin cartridge 6a is mounted, the second locking release projection 58 has escaped from this,
Further, when the thick cartridge 6b is mounted, the first locking release protrusion 57 is pushed down, so that the first locking release protrusion 57 is locked to the thin cartridge 6a and the second locking release protrusion 58 is locked to the thick cartridge 6b. It can be locked without any trouble.

Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the relationship between the tape reel 22 of the cartridge 6 and the restriction releasing projection 56 on the apparatus main body 2 side will be described. As shown in the figure, the regulation release protrusion 56 is provided upright on the apparatus main body 2, and
Extends upward so as to penetrate the central portion of the. The tip end portion of the restriction releasing projection 56 is formed into a bifurcated shape, and the base end surface of the bifurcated portion serves as a first pressing portion 84 with which the coil spring 28 of the thin cartridge 6a abuts, and the tip end surface of the bifurcated portion is a thick cartridge. The second pressing portion 85 is in contact with the coil spring 28 of 6b. Specifically, the wire rod portion 28a of the coil spring 28 disposed on the cylindrical shaft portion 27 of the tape reel 22 extends vertically in the thin cartridge 6a and extends horizontally in the thick cartridge 6b. . Correspondingly, the restriction release protrusion 56 is
The pressing portion 84 is provided so as to extend in the vertical direction.

When the thin cartridge 6a is mounted in the pocket 7 as shown in FIG.
The wire rod portion 28a of the coil spring 28 of a comes in contact with the first pressing portion 84 and floats up, and the engagement state with the engagement portion 29 is released. As a result, the tape reel 22 becomes rotatable. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the thick cartridge 6b is mounted in the pocket 7, the wire rod portion 28a of the coil spring 28 of the thick cartridge 6b abuts on the second pressing portion 85 and floats up. The engagement state with the portion 29 is released.

Thus, when the thin cartridge 6a is mounted, the wire rod portion 28a contacts the first pressing portion 84 while avoiding the second pressing portion 85, and when the thick cartridge 6b is mounted, the wire rod portion 28a moves to the first position. It contacts the second pressing portion 85 without reaching the first pressing portion 84. Therefore, the engagement of the coil spring 28 with the engagement portion 29 can be released appropriately and reliably even if the thin or thick cartridge 6a or 6b is mounted in the pocket 7.

Next, the opening / closing lid 8 and the structure around the opening / closing lid 8 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the opening / closing lid 8 has a window 92 in the center of the lid main body 91, and the left portion is formed in a “V” shape so as to match the portion of the tape discharge slit 11 of the apparatus main body 2. ing. A pair of left and right hinge pieces 93, 93 forming a hinge portion are formed in the rear portion of the back surface of the opening / closing lid 8, and a circular engagement hole 94 is formed in each hinge piece 93. Both hinge pieces 93, 93
Is a pair of left and right slits 9 formed in the rear part of the apparatus body 2.
5, 5, and 95, which are rotatably engaged with engaging protrusions (not shown) protruding into the slits 95. Each of the engaging protrusions is formed in a hemispherical shape and engages with the engaging hole 94 from the outer side in the width direction of the opening / closing lid 8. That is, the pair of hinge pieces 93, 93 and the pair of engaging projections form the hinge portion of the opening / closing lid 8.

Further, each hinge piece 93 has a spring property, and each engaging hole 94 thereof is configured to be detachable from each engaging protrusion. For this reason, when an unreasonable force is applied to the opening / closing lid 8, the opening / closing lid 8 is detached from the apparatus main body 2. That is, in this embodiment, if the opening / closing lid 8 is forcibly closed in a state where the cartridge 6 is not completely mounted in the pocket 7, the blocking member 96 interferes and the hinge piece 93 comes off from the apparatus main body 2. ing.

This structure will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 10, a rectangular blocking prevention member 96 is provided at the center of the rear end portion of the eject mechanism 9, and correspondingly, the opening / closing member 96 is opened and closed. A receiving member 97 is provided at the center of the rear end of the back surface of the lid 8. The blockage prevention member 96 is rotatably attached to the base plate 51 of the eject mechanism 9 at the base and is biased in the upright direction by a spring (not shown). Therefore, the obstruction prevention member 96 is attached to the base plate 5
It is mounted so as to move up and down together with 1 and to be able to move forward against the spring. That is, as shown in the figure, when the opening / closing lid 8 is closed in a state where the cartridge 6 is not set in the pocket 7 (however, the base plate 51 is at the rising end position), the closing prevention member 96 is pushed by the receiving member 97. It is in a state of moving forward. However, with the cartridge 6 set in the pocket 7 (see FIG. 14), the opening / closing lid 8
When closed, the blocking prevention member 96 is held in an upright state by the cartridge 6, and the opening / closing lid 8 falls off from the apparatus main body 2 by the reaction force from the blocking prevention member 96.

As will be described later, when the base plate 51 is at the rising end position, the cartridge 6 set in the pocket 7 is not completely mounted in the pocket 7 but is in a temporarily mounted state. Therefore, by providing the blocking member 96 for blocking the opening / closing lid 8, the user can be made aware that the cartridge 6 is in the temporarily mounted state. Moreover, even if the opening / closing lid 8 is closed without noticing this, the opening / closing lid 8 is simply removed, so that the opening / closing lid 8 or the cartridge 6 can be effectively prevented from being damaged. Further, since the blocking function of the blocking member 96 does not work when the cartridge 6 is not set, the opening / closing lid 8 can be closed and the apparatus main body 2 can be easily put in the standby state. You can

By the way, the left hinge piece 93 of the left and right hinge pieces 93, 93 is extended downward. The extended portion 98 engages with the eject mechanism 9, unlocks the eject mechanism 9, and cooperates with a spring (not shown) of the eject mechanism 9 to open the open / close lid 8 in a half-opened state ( Hold it in the open position). That is, when the open button 10 is pressed against the open / close lid 8 in the closed state, the open / close lid 8 is flipped up by the spring of the eject mechanism 9 to be in a half-open state. Further, the opening / closing lid 8 in the half-opened state
When is manually opened toward the full opening, the eject mechanism 9 is unlocked, the base plate 51 of the eject mechanism 9 moves from the lower end position to the upper end position, and the eject operation is performed (details will be described later). ).

On the other hand, a hook piece 99 is provided laterally on the front portion of the back surface of the opening / closing lid 8, and the hook piece 99 is engaged with and disengaged from the opening operation mechanism 100 on the apparatus main body 2 side. . As shown in FIG. 12, the release operation mechanism 100 includes the release button 10, the locking member 101 operated by the release button 10, and a spring (not shown) that urges the locking member 101 in the locking direction. It is configured. Locking member 10
1 is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 2 at an intermediate position, and a hook receiving piece portion 102 to which the hook piece 99 is hooked is formed in the upper middle portion. A contact piece 103 with which the release button 10 abuts is formed at one end of the locking member 101, and a pressing piece 104 with which the open / close lid 8 is pressed is formed at the other end.

When the opening / closing lid 8 is closed, the hook piece 99 rotates the locking member 101 against the spring and the hook receiving piece portion 1
It is hung on 02. On the other hand, when the open button 10 is pressed against the closed lid 8, the locking member 101 is rotated against the spring, the hook piece 99 is disengaged from the hook receiving piece 102, and the pressing piece 104 is opened and closed. Press the lid 8,
As described above, the opening / closing lid 8 is flipped up by the spring of the eject mechanism 9. Reference numeral 105 in the drawing is an operator for pressing the print head 53 against the platen roller 25 side via a link (not shown). The print head 53 is rotated to the mounting standby position so that the cartridge 6 can be mounted when the opening / closing lid 8 is open, but when the opening / closing lid 8 is closed, printing is performed by the operator 105. The head 53 turns to the platen roller 25 side to be in a printable state.

Next, the opening operation of the opening / closing lid 8 will be described together with the ejecting operation of the cartridge 6 with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, from the state where the opening / closing lid 8 is completely closed, first, the opening button 10 is pressed to open the opening / closing lid 8 in a half-open state, and then the opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened by hand. In this state, the base plate 51 of the eject mechanism 9 is at the rising end position (see FIG. 13). next,
The desired cartridge 6 is set in the pocket 7 so as to be placed on the base plate 51. In this state, the lower half of the cartridge 6 is in the pocket 7 and is in a floating state (see FIG. 14).

Next, the cartridge 6 is pushed downward to be pushed deeply into the pocket 7. When the cartridge 6 is pushed to a predetermined depth, the base plate 51 is locked and the cartridge 6 is properly mounted in the pocket 7 (see FIG. 15). Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the opening / closing lid 8 is closed. When the opening / closing lid 8 is closed,
The print head 53 is the platen roller 25 of the cartridge 6.
It is pressed to the side and the print standby state is set.

After that, characters and the like are input by key operation and the printing operation is further performed. At this point (before the printing operation), it may be desired to check the seal 33 of the cartridge 6 mounted in the pocket 7. . That is, it may be desired to confirm the width of the tape T mounted on the cartridge 6. In such a case, the open button 10 is pushed again to open the open / close lid 8 in the half-opened state (see FIG. 16). In this way, the upper surface of the cartridge 6 is opened and the seal 33 is checked.

By this confirmation, if it is not necessary to replace the cartridge 6, the open / close lid 8 in the half-opened state is manually again.
To block. Further, if the cartridge 6 needs to be replaced, the half-opened opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened by hand.
When the opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened, the lock of the base plate 51 is released in conjunction with this, the base plate 51 moves from the lower end position to the upper end position, and the cartridge 6
Are levitated (state of FIG. 14). After replacing the cartridge 6, the cartridge 6 is replaced by the same procedure as above.
And the opening / closing lid 8 is closed.

On the other hand, when printing is completed and the cartridge 6 is to be taken out, the opening button 10 is first pushed to bring the opening / closing lid 8 into a half-opened state (state in FIG. 16). Next, the opening / closing lid 8 is completely opened by hand, and the cartridge 6 is levitated in the same manner as described above (state of FIG. 14). And the cartridge 6
After removing, the opening / closing lid 8 is completely closed (state of FIG. 1).

As described above, in this embodiment, the opening / closing lid 8 can be opened to the half-opened state with the cartridge 6 mounted in the printable position. Therefore, the seal 33 and the like can be confirmed while the cartridge 6 is still mounted in the pocket 7. Also, from this half open state,
The opening / closing lid 8 can be closed to quickly return to the print standby state, and the opening / closing lid 8 can be opened to quickly replace the cartridge 6. Therefore, the check of the seal 33 is not complicated, and the shift to the printing operation can be performed quickly. In particular, the confirmation of the seal 33 is often performed after the characters have been input and before the printing operation. In such a case, it is difficult to cause a trouble such as accidentally pressing a key,
In addition, the time from confirmation to printing start can be shortened.

Next, the eject mechanism 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 17, 18 and 19. As shown in these drawings, the eject mechanism 9 includes a fixed plate 110 fixed to the apparatus main body 2, a base plate 51 disposed above the fixed plate 110, and a base plate 51.
It is provided with a pair of X links 111, 111 for supporting up and down. Each X-link 111 has a base plate 5
The base plate 51 is arranged on the front side and the rear side of the unit 1 and moves the base plate 51 in parallel in the vertical direction.

Each X-link 111 is composed of two links 112, 112 which are rotatably connected to each other at an intermediate position, and one end of each of the two links 112, 112 is provided with a pin 113, 113. Are rotatably and horizontally slidably attached to the fixed plate 110 and the base plate 51, respectively. Further, the other ends of the two links 112, 112 are rotatably attached to the fixed plate 110 and the base plate 51 via the pins 113, 113, respectively.
A torsion coil spring 114 is wound around 13. The torsion coil spring 114 urges the X link 111 in a direction to close the leg, that is, in a direction to raise the base plate 51.

On the other hand, in the rising portion of the base plate 51 to which the X-link 111 is attached, a pair of square holes 11 are formed.
5, 115 are formed, and the lock claw 116 is engaged with and disengageable from the square hole 115. Lock claw 116
Is connected to a front end portion of an operation link (not shown) arranged below the fixed plate 110, and a rear end portion of the operation link has an operation lever 11 with which a hinge piece 93 of the opening / closing lid 8 faces.
7. The actuating lever 117 is rotatably attached to the fixed plate 110, and is biased in both rotational directions by a spring (not shown) in a neutral position with a posture of obliquely rearward facing.

When the opening / closing lid 8 is closed, the front curved portion 93a of the hinge piece 93 is in contact with the upper side of the operating lever 117, and the opening / closing lid 8 is lightly biased in the opening direction. Further, when the opening / closing lid 8 is in the half-opened state, the operating lever 117 is in the neutral position, and holds the opening / closing lid 8 lightly in the half-opened state. When the opening / closing lid 8 is rotated in the opening direction from this state, the curved portion 93a of the hinge piece 93 separates from the operating lever 117, and instead, the extending portion 98 which is the tip end portion of the hinge piece 93 causes the operating lever 117 to move. It goes around to the lower side and rotates the actuating lever 117 in the standing direction (front) against the spring. When the actuating lever 117 rotates forward, the lock claw 116 is disengaged from the square hole 115 via the actuating link, and the base plate 51 is released from the locked state.
It rises due to the torsion coil spring 114.

Further, when the operating lever 117 pivots to the front, the extending portion 98 of the hinge piece 93 causes the operating lever 11 to move.
7, the operating lever 117 is returned to the neutral position, and the opening / closing lid 8 is in a free state and completely opened. The lower end position of the base plate 51 is set at the lock claw 11
6 is a position where it engages with the square hole 115, and the rising end position is
This is the position where the slide-side pin 113 of the X-link 111 contacts the slide end position. Further, reference numeral 118 in the figure
Is a saw blade piece formed on the base plate 51, and this saw blade piece 118 meshes with a braking gear (not shown) to brake the ascent of the base plate 51. That is, the base plate 51 slowly rises after unlocking (see FIG. 21).

Next, the operation of the eject mechanism 9 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. 20 shows a state corresponding to FIG. 14 described above, and the X link 111 is in the closed leg state. When the cartridge 6 is pressed from this state, the X-link 111 is opened, and when the base plate 6 reaches the lower end position, the lock claw 116 engages with the square hole 115 and the base plate 51 is locked. , The cartridge 6 is completely installed (see FIGS. 21 and 15). On the other hand, when the opening / closing lid 8 in the half-opened state is rotated (opened) in the opening direction, the lock claw 116 is opened.
When it is disengaged from 15 (unlocked), the X link 111 raises the base plate 51 to the rising end position while changing to the closed leg state (see FIG. 20).

As described above, since the eject mechanism 9 is operated by using the operation of rotating the opening / closing lid 8 in the half-opened state in the opening direction as a trigger, the eject mechanism 9 is operated.
Can be operated without any discomfort. Further, by pushing the cartridge 6 into the pocket 7, the eject mechanism 9
Is returned to the descending end position, the eject mechanism 9 itself can be simply configured without requiring power. Moreover, the user can confirm the proper mounting of the cartridge 6 by the pushing operation of the cartridge 6.

Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to various kinds of electronic equipment equipped with a tape cartridge and an eject mechanism for attaching and detaching the tape cartridge.

[0070]

As described above, according to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the opening / closing lid can be opened halfway without operating the eject mechanism, so that the contents can be easily displayed while the cartridge is mounted in the pocket. And it can be surely confirmed. Further, since the eject mechanism is operated when the opening / closing lid is completely opened from the half-opened state, the cartridge can be attached / detached without any discomfort.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a tape printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of a tape cartridge for a tape printer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the thin cartridge (a) and the thick cartridge (b) as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view around the pocket with the opening / closing lid removed.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which the thin cartridge (a) and the thick cartridge (b) are mounted in a pocket.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view schematically showing the positional relationship between the tape (a) of the thin cartridge and the tape (b) of the thick cartridge and the print head.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the platen roller (a) of the thin cartridge and the platen roller (b) of the thick cartridge and the roller drive shaft.

FIG. 8 is a structural diagram showing the relationship between the take-up / unwind reel (a) of the thin cartridge, the take-up / unwind reel (b) of the thick cartridge, and the locking release protrusion.

FIG. 9 is a structural diagram showing a relationship between a tape reel (a) of a thin cartridge and a tape reel (b) of a thick cartridge, and a restriction releasing protrusion.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view around the opening / closing lid showing the relationship between the opening / closing lid and the apparatus main body.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the opening / closing lid viewed from the back surface side.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a relationship between an opening / closing lid and an opening operation mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the tape printer with the opening / closing lid completely opened.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the tape printer with the cartridge set.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the tape printer with the cartridge completely attached.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the tape printer with the opening / closing lid half-opened.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view around the eject mechanism showing the relationship between the eject mechanism and the opening / closing lid.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the main part of the eject mechanism as seen from the front.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the main part of the eject mechanism as viewed from the rear.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a lifted eject mechanism and a cartridge.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a lowered eject mechanism and a cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Tape Printing Device 2 Device Main Body 6 Cartridge 7 Pocket 8 Open / Close Lid 9 Ejection Mechanism 10 Release Button 51 Base Plate 52 Supporting Protrusion 93 Hinge Piece 96 Blocking Blocking Member 99 Hook Piece 100 Opening Operation Mechanism 111 X-Link 114 Torsion Coil Spring 115 Square Hole 116 Lock claw 117 Actuating lever T Tape

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kenji Watanabe 2-10-18 Higashikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside King Gym Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshinobu Kameda 2- 10-18 Higashikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo In the King Jim Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomoyuki Niimura 2-10-18 Higashi Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Stock Company In the King Gym Co., Ltd. (72) Chieko Aida 2-10-18 Higashi Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Stock Inside the formula company King Gym

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An electronic device in which a cartridge containing a tape-shaped member accessed by the device body is detachably mounted in a pocket of the device body having a hinged door type opening / closing lid, and the cartridge is completely opened from a midway position of the opening / closing lid. An electronic device comprising: an ejecting mechanism that floats the cartridge mounted in the pocket from the pocket in association with the opening operation to the opening position. 2. A spring member that causes the opening / closing lid to jump up from a completely closed position to a midway opening position, and the opening / closing lid is locked at the completely closed position against the spring member, and the locking is released. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising opening operation means for opening. 3. The eject mechanism includes a base plate configured to be movable up and down to receive the cartridge from below, an urging unit for urging the base plate in an ascending direction, and the base plate being locked at a descending end position.
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a plate locking unit that unlocks the base plate in association with the opening operation of the opening / closing lid. 4. The pocket is configured to receive a thick cartridge and a thin cartridge, and the base plate extends upward from the plate body that receives the thick cartridge. The electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising: a protrusion that receives the thin cartridge. 5. The opening / closing lid is rotatably and detachably attached to the apparatus body at a hinge portion thereof, and the cartridge is floated from the pocket,
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a blocking prevention unit that blocks a closing operation of the opening / closing lid. 6. The blocking member has a blocking member which faces a blocking position for blocking the blocking operation in association with the floating of the cartridge from the pocket, and the blocking member receives the floating cartridge. 6. The blocking state is maintained as
An electronic device according to claim 1. 7. The device body according to claim 1, wherein the device body includes a printing device that performs printing as an access, and the tape-shaped member is a print target of the printing device. Electronic device described.