JPS60113382A - Tape cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify a mechanism and assembly to obtain a tape cartridge providing a front cover, which covers sufficiently the inside of a tape and does not protrude forward or upward of a case, and a rear cover, which does not abut and interfere the tape and does not protrude forward or backward of the tape by fitting pivotally the front cover so that the upper end shakes freely and enabling to open the front cover to front of the case upward and the rear cover to rear of the case upward. CONSTITUTION:Upper ends at right and left corners of a front cover 5 are fitted pivotally on a horizontal side wall at right and left sides of a case 1 through a pivotal shaft 8. On the upper end internal side of the front cover 5, an interlocker 9 on which a sector gear 9a is engraved is formed into a protruding shape in one body and an interlocker 10, which has a sector gear 10a touching and interlocked with the gear 9a, is formed on the upper end of a rear cover 7 opposed to the interlocker. When a cartridge is mounted on a deck, an opening operation member opens and operates the front cover 5 until the cover becomes the horizontal attitude front upward around a pivotal shaft 6. Interlocking this operation, the interlockers 9 and 10 shaked rear upward around the pivotal shaft 8 through interlocking of the interlockers 9 and 10, and the rear cover 7 totally opens horizontally in the backward attitude along the lower face of a case upper wall 1c upward of a pocket 4.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a front lid that covers the outside of the tape led out to the front surface of a main body case, and a tape loading pocket recessed in the front surface of the main body case. The present invention relates to a tape cartridge comprising a back cover that also covers the inside of the tape cartridge.

The purpose of the back cover is to prevent dust from entering from the bottom of the opening of the pocket and adhering to the tape.

[Background technology]

In this type of tape cartridge, the problem is how to open and close the front cover and the back cover, and furthermore, how to link the opening and closing of the front cover and the back cover.

The mechanism is the simplest in that the back cover is integrally formed inside the front cover. However, when the front cover is opened forward and upward, care must be taken to ensure that the back cover, which is integrated with it, does not interfere with the light contact with the tape.For this reason, the shorter the vertical width of the back cover, the better the dustproof effect. become inadequate. Another disadvantage is that when the front cover is opened, the back cover protrudes significantly toward the front and top of the case.

Therefore, the front cover and back cover are molded separately and attached separately.

In other words, the back cover is provided with cam followers at its left and right ends, and the cam followers are guided into cam grooves formed on the left and right sides of the pocket, and then the front cover and back cover are separately interlocked and connected. A case has been proposed in which when the case is opened, the back cover opens toward the rear of the case without interfering with the tape. According to this, it is possible to prevent the back cover from coming into contact with the tape and from protruding upward from the case, and there is no functional problem. but.

The biggest drawback is that it is extremely troublesome to assemble the back cover and the front cover simultaneously, especially when downsizing the tape cartridge. Additionally, it is necessary to form cam grooves in the main body case with high precision, which is disadvantageous in terms of case molding and ensuring case strength.Furthermore, it is difficult to ensure smooth sliding movement of the cam follower in the cam groove. However, there was still room for improvement in this respect.

[Purpose of the invention]

This invention was proposed in order to eliminate such conventional problems, and first, it simplifies the mechanism and assembly, and second, it makes it possible to cover the inner side of the tape with the back cover as necessary and sufficient. Thirdly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tape cartridge equipped with a front cover and a back cover in which the back cover does not come into contact with the tape and does not protrude forward or upward from the case.

[Summary of the invention]

One aspect of the present invention is to achieve the above object.

The front cover is basically pivoted to the main body case in the same way as in the conventional case. However, the upper end of the front cover is pivotally attached at the location where the tape loading pocket is located. And the front cover faces upward towards the front of the case.

The back cover opens upwards at the rear of the case, away from the tape. Furthermore, in the most preferred specific implementation, the front cover and the back cover are each pivoted separately, and when assembling the front cover and the back cover, the interlocking elements connected to each other are sometimes brought into contact with each other. The back cover is also opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the front cover. Next, the details will be explained based on the drawings.

(Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a tape cartridge according to the present invention, and specifically, a tape cartridge for a single-sided digital audio tape recorder is illustrated.

The main case 1 of this is a plastic upper and lower case la.
1b are connected with screws etc. in a lid-like manner, and the hubs 3, to which the tape 2 is wrapped on the left and right sides of the inside, can be inserted over the left and right drive shaft insertion holes (not shown) opened in the bottom wall of the lower case 1b. The tape 2 is led out from one hub 3 to the front of the case and wound around the other hub 3.

A tape loading pocket 4 is formed in the front center of the main body case 1 so as to extend toward the inside of the case, and when the tape is loaded onto a deck, the tape loading pin of the deck is inserted into the pocket 4 from below the case. Reach in and pull tape 2 out to the front of the case.

The main body case 1 has a front lid 5 that covers and protects the outer front surface of the tape 2. The upper end of the left and right ends of the front cover 5 is pivotally attached to the left and right side walls of the main body case 1 via a pivot 6, and the front cover 5 rotates around the pivot 6 between a vertical position in which the front of the case is closed across the left and right sides and a position in which it is opened horizontally upward. For example, a spring member (not shown) wound around one of the pivot shafts 6 is used to swing the pivot shaft 6 into the closed position at all times.

Furthermore, a back cover 7 is provided within the pocket 4 to cover the inside of the tape 2. The upper ends of the left and right ends of the back cover 7 are pivotally attached to the left and right side walls of the pocket 4 via a pivot 8, and the back cover 7 swings around the pivot 6 between a vertical position in which the inside of the tape 2 is closed and a horizontal position in which it opens rearward and upward. It is free. A lower wall 7a is integrally connected to the front from the lower end of the back cover 7.

When not in use, the lower wall 7a also closes the lower side of the tape 2, as shown in FIG. 2, to enhance the dustproof effect. Back cover 7
In this case, there is no particular need for spring means for swinging and biasing this into the closed position.

An interlocking element 9 having a fan-shaped gear 9a having a constant width on the left and right sides is integrally formed on a part of the inner surface of the upper end of the front lid 5, preferably at the center of the left and right sides, and is opposed to the interlocking element 9. Similarly, an interlocking element 10 having a fan-shaped gear 10a having a constant width on the left and right sides that contacts and meshes with the gear 9a is integrally formed and protrudes from a part of the upper end of the back cover 7. These interlocking elements 9 and 10 that engage and contact each other are the front cover 5 and the back cover 7.
It may be formed over the entire length of the upper end portion in the left and right direction.

In such a case, when the tape cartridge is loaded on the deck, the opening operation member on the deck side operates to open the front cover 5 forward and upward around the pivot 6 until it assumes a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3. The back cover 7 is the interlocking elements 9 and 10.
The back cover 7 finally swings rearward and upward around the pivot 8 through the engagement of the pocket 4, and the back cover 7 opens horizontally parallel to the lower surface of the case top wall IC above the pocket 4, as shown in FIG. Open your posture. In this way, the front cover 5 opens forward and the back cover 7 opens in the direction away from the tape 2, so that the back cover 7 also comes into contact with the tape 2 and protrudes significantly forward or upward of the main body case 1. There's nothing to do. With these lids 5 and 7 completely open, the tape 2 is pulled out to the front of the case without any hindrance. Note that when the front cover 5 swings to the closed position, the back cover 7 also returns to the closed position via the interlocking elements 9 and 10 at the same time.

[Another example]

Although the illustrated example is as described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. The front cover 5 and the back cover 7 are connected to the aforementioned gear 9a.
It is preferable to link the gears 9 and 10 with the gears 9 and 10a, but the operation is reliable and preferable, but the creation of these gears can be omitted and
- The 10 opposing surfaces may be in direct surface contact with each other. In this case, it is more preferable that the contact surfaces are jagged surfaces that frictionally engage with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the interlocking element 9 extending rearward from the upper end of the front cover 5 may be in contact with the upper side of the interlocking element 10 extending forward from the upper end of the back cover 7. The front cover 5 and the back cover 7 may be interlocked and connected via separate interlocking elements.

Further, FIGS. 6 and 7 show a further different embodiment of the present invention, in which a pivot piece 11 is integrally provided protruding from the upper end of the inner surface of the front lid 5, and the pivot piece 11, the upper end of the back cover 7 is rotatably connected via a pivot 8, and using the two opening operation members of the deck example, place the front N5 upward and forward of the case, and place the back cover 7 in the case 4. In order to avoid interference with the IC on the upper wall of the case, the case can be opened rearward and upward separately. In this case, the left and right center portions of the upper end of the back cover 7 may be pivotally connected to one pivot piece 11, or the upper end of the back cover 7 may be connected to the left and right pivot pieces 11, 11 projecting from side to side. The left and right ends may be pivotally connected. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the back cover 7 only needs to be opened within a range to avoid interference with the tape loading pin of the deck example that enters the pocket 4, and it is not necessary to open it to the full horizontal position.

Alternatively, the front cover 5 may have a configuration in which connecting pieces extending rearward from the left and right ends of the front cover 5 are fitted onto the outer surfaces of the front end portions of the left and right side walls of the main body case I to be pivotally connected.

Changes can be made as necessary, such as having one or both of the pivots 6 and 8 of the front cover 5 and back cover 7 rotate in a fixed position, instead of moving in a long hole so that the fulcrum can move. Can be changed. In these cases, it is naturally expected that the pivot 6 of the front cover 5 may be located below the pivot 8 of the back cover 7. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to existing video tape cartridges.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the front cover 5 and the back cover 7 are separately pivoted, the front cover 5 is operated to open toward the front side of the case, and the back cover 7 is operated to open the pocket 4. The case is designed to open toward the rear inside the case.

The structure is simple and easy to assemble, and above all, the front cover 5 and the back cover 7 can be reliably opened in opposite directions in the front and back direction of the tape 2, so the back cover 7 can be opened at least toward the inside of the tape 2. Even if the back cover 7 is formed to have a wide vertical width so as to completely cover the tape 2, the back cover 7 will not touch and interfere with the tape 2 and cause damage, and will not protrude forward or upward of the case.

It has the advantage of reliable operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line nn in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal side view of the front cover and back cover in a state where they are in the middle of opening, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal side view of the front cover and back cover in a state where they are fully opened. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the main parts of another embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention. 6 and 7 show yet another embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional side view of the main parts with the front cover and back cover closed, FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the main parts with the front cover and back cover completely open. ■・・・Body case. 2...Tape. 4...Pocket for tape loading. 5... Front lid. 6. Pivot of the front lid. 7...Back cover. 8... Pivot of the back cover. 9/10... Interlocking child. Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A tape loading pocket 4 is recessed in the front of the main case I that houses the tape 2, and the front lid 5 that covers the front side of the tape 2 led out to the front of the case and the location where the pocket 4 is located. In a tape cartridge equipped with a back cover 7 that covers the inside of the tape 2, the front cover 5 rotates around a pivot 6 between a closed position that covers the outside of the tape 2 with respect to the main case 1 and a position that opens forward and upward. The back cover 7 is pivotally attached to the main body case 1 or the front cover 5 between a closed position in which it covers the inside of the tape 2 and a position in which it opens rearward and upward, and the upper end thereof swings around a pivot 8. A tape cartridge characterized by being freely pivoted. (2) Interlockers 9 and 10 are integrally provided on a part of the front cover 5 and the upper end of the back cover 7, respectively, so as to contact each other. 2. The tape cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the back cover 7 is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the front cover via the interlocking elements 9 and 10.