WO2013039139A1

WO2013039139A1 - Tape cassette and printed label-making system

Info

Publication number: WO2013039139A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/073436
Authority: WO
Inventors: 山口　晃志郎
Original assignee: ブラザー工業株式会社
Priority date: 2011-09-13
Filing date: 2012-09-13
Publication date: 2013-03-21
Also published as: JP2013059918A; JP5776898B2

Abstract

[Problem] To detect the fact that a tape cassette is floating when a normal detection result cannot be obtained upon detecting part of the tape cassette to be detected from a printed label-making device side when the tape cassette is mounted on a cassette holder in a slightly floating state. [Solution] This tape cassette (30) has a substantially box-shaped cassette case (31), a film tape spool (41), and a tape discharge port (49), which is disposed on a specific cassette surface (31Ba) and externally discharges a film tape (59) that has been transported, and said tape cassette (30) can be mounted on a cassette mounting part (8) of a printed label-making device (1) by inserting the tape cassette (30) from a cassette bottom surface (31A) side. A cassette detection part (80), which is capable of applying attribute information representing the tape attributes of the film tape (59) on the printed label-making device (1) side, is disposed within a range of a predetermined distance H from the bottom end of the specific cassette surface (31Ba).

Description

Tape cassette and printing label production system

The present invention relates to a tape cassette used by being mounted on a print label producing apparatus, and a print label producing system using the same.

There is known a print label producing apparatus for producing a print label by performing desired printing on a print-receiving tape supplied from a mounted tape cassette (for example, see Patent Document 1). When the tape cassette (ribbon cassette) is mounted on the cassette holder (back side of the main body) of the print label producing device (recording device), the tape to be printed (printing) wound around the printing tape spool inside the tape cassette housing Tape) is fed out and conveyed inside the housing, and is discharged from the discharge port provided in the housing to the outside of the housing. A print label is created by printing a desired print on the print-receiving tape thus discharged by a printing means (thermal head) of the print label producing device at an appropriate timing.

In addition, a detected portion indicating the tape attribute of the tape to be printed is provided on the cassette bottom surface of the casing of the tape cassette. When the detection means (detection switch) provided in the cassette holder of the print label producing apparatus performs a detection operation on the detected part, attribute information representing the tape attribute is acquired by the print label producing apparatus. Thereby, on the print label producing apparatus side, it is possible to reliably execute printing in an appropriate mode corresponding to the attributes of the tape to be printed of each tape cassette.

JP-A-4-133756

When mounting the tape cassette on the cassette holder, the tape cassette is inserted into the cassette holder from the bottom side and mounted. At that time, due to the carelessness of the operator, the cassette may not be sufficiently inserted until the cassette bottom surface comes into contact with the bottom surface of the cassette holder, and may be in a slightly floating state. In the above prior art, since the detected part is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette of the casing, and the detection means of the cassette holder facing this is configured to detect upward, even in the above floating state May not be detected, and printing may occur as it is. In that case, the printing position with respect to the print-receiving tape may be shifted in rare cases, and there may be a problem in running of the print-receiving tape.

The object of the present invention is to detect the detected part of the tape cassette from the print label producing apparatus side when the tape cassette is mounted in the cassette holder in a slightly floating state, and when a normal detection result cannot be obtained. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette capable of detecting that the tape cassette is floating, and a print label producing system using the tape cassette.

In order to achieve the above object, the first invention of the present application has a substantially box-shaped housing having a cassette upper surface and a cassette bottom surface at the vertical end, and a cassette side surface at the horizontal end perpendicular to the vertical direction. Body, a print-receiving tape roll which is provided inside the casing and has a rotation axis along the vertical direction, and is wound so that the print-receiving tape can be fed out, and a specific cassette surface among the side surfaces of the cassette And a discharge port for discharging the print-receiving tape fed out from the print-receiving tape roll and conveyed while the tape surface direction is along the vertical direction to the outside of the housing, and the print-receiving tape A tape cassette that can be inserted into a cassette holder of a print label producing apparatus that produces a print label using the cassette from the bottom side of the cassette and that can be mounted. A detected portion capable of giving attribute information representing a tape attribute of the print-receiving tape to the print label producing apparatus within a predetermined distance range from a lower end portion in the up-down direction of the surface, the discharge port And provided on the same specific cassette surface.

The tape cassette according to the first invention of the present application includes a casing, a print-receiving tape roll, and a discharge port. When this tape cassette is attached to the cassette holder of the print label producing apparatus, the print-receiving tape is fed out from the print-receiving tape roll inside the case and conveyed inside the case, and is provided on a specific cassette surface of the case. The discharged outlet is discharged to the outside of the housing. The print label producing apparatus performs desired printing on the print-receiving tape thus discharged at an appropriate timing, whereby a print label is produced.

Here, in recent years, there are a wide variety of uses of print labels and user needs, and there are many cases where a variety of tape attributes (width, type, etc.) of the print-receiving tape provided in the tape cassette are prepared. In the first invention of the present application, a detected portion representing the tape attribute of the tape to be printed is provided, and the print label producing apparatus performs a detection operation on the detected portion, whereby the attribute information representing the tape attribute is printed. Obtained by the label producing device. Thereby, on the print label producing apparatus side, it is possible to reliably execute printing in an appropriate mode corresponding to the attributes of the tape to be printed of each tape cassette.

Here, the housing of the tape cassette has a side surface including the specific cassette surface, an upper surface, and a bottom surface, and is inserted into the cassette holder from the bottom surface side along the vertical direction of the housing when mounted. To be installed. At that time, due to carelessness of the operator, the cassette bottom surface may not be sufficiently inserted until it comes into contact with a predetermined surface of the cassette holder, and may be in a slightly floating state. In such a case, the detected part is provided on the cassette bottom surface of the casing (or the bottom plate provided horizontally protruding from the side surface), and detection is performed in the vertical direction from the cassette holder side facing this. Even in the above-described floating state, the detection switch of the detection device is turned on due to the weight of the tape cassette, and the floating state may not be detected. On the other hand, in the first invention of the present application, detection is performed from the cassette holder side of the print label producing apparatus facing this by providing the detected portion on the cassette side surface (specific cassette surface) of the casing as described above. Is called. As a result, when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette holder in a slightly floating state as described above, a proper detection result cannot be obtained when detecting the detected portion of the tape cassette from the print label producing apparatus side. Sometimes it can be detected that the tape cassette is floating. In particular, in the first invention of the present application, the detected portion is provided within a predetermined distance range (predetermined) from the lower end with reference to the lower end on the bottom side of the specific cassette surface. As a result, whether the tape cassette has a wide printable tape and the casing has a large vertical dimension, or the tape cassette has a narrow printable tape and the casing has a small vertical dimension, The distance from the lower end of the cassette surface to the detected part is equal to each other. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the printed label producing apparatus side and the detected portion is always constant regardless of the above-described vertical dimension variations of the tape cassette, so that highly accurate detection can be reliably performed, The state where the tape cassette is lifted can be reliably detected.

For example, in the configuration in which the detected portion is provided on the bottom plate, the size of the detected portion is normally limited because the area of the bottom plate is relatively small due to the restriction of the opening area of the cassette holder in the print label producing apparatus. And the amount of attribute information that can be represented is limited. In other words, it may not be possible to handle many types of tape cassettes. In contrast, in the first invention of the present application, since the detected portion is provided on the cassette side surface (specific cassette surface) of the housing as described above, the size of the detected portion can be relatively large and expressed. Since the amount of attribute information that can be made can be increased, the above-described adverse effects can be solved.

Further, normally, when the tape cassette is removed from the cassette holder, a small amount of print-receiving tape is inserted from the outlet of the tape cassette, either before the start of use (new state) or after the start of use. It is in a state exposed to the outside of the housing. And in this-application 1st invention, the to-be-detected part is provided in the said specific cassette surface same as the side surface in which a discharge port is provided among housing | casings. Therefore, the operator can visually visually recognize the print-receiving tape exposed from the discharge port and the detected portion at the same time. Thereby, the content of the attribute information represented by the detected portion and the actual attribute of the tape to be printed can be easily confirmed by visual observation, and a sense of security can be obtained twice. It is also possible to confirm the consistency between the content of the attribute information represented by the detected portion and the actual attribute of the tape to be printed. That is, the operator can confirm whether or not there is a mismatch between the housing (having the detected portion) and the print-receiving tape stored therein when the tape cassette is manufactured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the specific cassette surface includes a finger hook portion that protrudes in the horizontal direction from the upper end portion in the up-down direction and is used to put a finger on when being handled by an operator. It is characterized by.

In the specific cassette surface of the casing, the finger hooking portion is provided at the upper end portion, while the detected portion is provided in a predetermined distance range on the end portion side close to the bottom surface. Due to the difference in position, the operator does not touch the detection means provided in the print label producing apparatus when the operator attaches or detaches the tape cassette to or from the cassette holder using the finger hooking portion. It is possible to prevent the detection means from becoming dirty or damaged, or causing a malfunction. Further, when the operator attaches or detaches the tape cassette, the finger does not touch the detected portion, and similarly, the detected portion can be prevented from being stained or damaged.

In a third aspect based on the second aspect, the detected portion is provided on one side in the horizontal direction with respect to the finger hooking portion on the specific cassette surface, and the discharge port is formed on the specific cassette. It is provided in the other side of the said horizontal direction rather than the said finger hook part in a surface, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

As a result, the positional relationship between the finger rest and the detected part is not only different in the vertical direction as described above, but also greatly separated in the horizontal direction. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the detection means provided in the print label producing apparatus from being contaminated, damaged, or malfunctioning. Further, when the operator attaches or detaches the tape cassette, the finger does not touch the detected portion, and similarly, the detected portion can be prevented from being stained or damaged.

In order to achieve the above object, a fourth invention is a print label producing system having a print label producing device for producing a print label using a print-receiving tape, and a tape cassette for supplying the print-receiving tape, The tape cassette is provided with a cassette upper surface and a cassette bottom surface at the upper and lower ends, respectively, and with a cassette side surface at the horizontal end perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a substantially box-shaped housing; A print-receiving tape roll provided with a rotation axis along the vertical direction and wound so that the print-receiving tape can be fed out; and provided on one specific cassette surface among the cassette side surfaces, A discharge port for discharging the tape to be printed, which is fed out from the tape roll and conveyed while the tape surface direction is along the vertical direction, to the outside of the housing; A detected portion that is provided within a predetermined distance range from the lower end in the up-down direction of the cassette surface, and that is capable of giving attribute information representing a tape attribute of the print-receiving tape to the print label producing device side, The printed label producing apparatus includes a holder bottom surface facing the cassette bottom surface of the casing of the tape cassette, and a specific holder surface facing the specific cassette surface. Recessed cassette side surfaces, each of which has a concave-shaped cassette holder that can receive and mount the inserted tape cassette along the vertical direction from the cassette bottom surface side, and the tape cassette mounted on the cassette holder Transport means for transporting the print-receiving tape supplied from the discharge port of the casing, and the transported by the transport means Printing means for performing desired printing on a printing tape, and detection in the horizontal direction with respect to the detected portion of the specific cassette surface provided on the specific holder surface of the cassette holder and opposed to the specific holder surface And detecting means for acquiring the attribute information of the detected part by performing an operation.

The tape cassette provided in the print label producing system according to the fourth invention of the present application includes a casing, a print-receiving tape roll, and a discharge port. When this tape cassette is mounted on the cassette holder of the print label producing apparatus, the print drive tape of the print medium is fed out from the print tape roll inside the case by transmitting the conveyance driving force of the conveyance means, and the inside of the case is It is conveyed and discharged to the outside of the casing through the discharge port provided on a specific cassette surface of the casing. A print label is created by the printing means of the print label producing apparatus performing desired printing on the print-receiving tape thus discharged at an appropriate timing.

Here, in recent years, there are a wide variety of uses of print labels and user needs, and there are many cases where a variety of tape attributes (width, type, etc.) of the print-receiving tape provided in the tape cassette are prepared. In the fourth invention of the present application, each tape cassette is provided with a detected portion that represents the tape attribute of the tape to be printed, and the detection means of the print label producing apparatus performs a detecting operation on the detected portion, whereby the tape Attribute information representing the attribute is acquired by the print label producing apparatus. Thereby, on the print label producing apparatus side, it is possible to reliably execute printing in an appropriate mode corresponding to the attributes of the tape to be printed of each tape cassette.

Here, the housing of the tape cassette has a side surface including the specific cassette surface, an upper surface, and a bottom surface, and is inserted into the cassette holder from the bottom surface side along the vertical direction of the housing when mounted. To be installed. At that time, due to carelessness of the operator, the cassette bottom surface may not be sufficiently inserted until it comes into contact with a predetermined surface of the cassette holder, and may be in a slightly floating state. In such a case, the detected portion is provided on the cassette bottom surface of the casing (or the bottom plate provided to protrude horizontally from the side surface), and the detection means on the bottom surface side of the cassette holder side facing this is detected in the vertical direction. In the configuration in which the detection is performed, there is a possibility that the detection cannot be performed accurately due to the floating state. On the other hand, in the fourth invention of the present application, as described above, the detected portion is provided on the cassette side surface (specific cassette surface) of the casing and the holder side surface (specific holder surface) on the cassette holder side facing this is detected. Detection is performed in the horizontal direction from the means. As a result, when the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette holder in a slightly floating state as described above, a proper detection result cannot be obtained when detecting the detected portion of the tape cassette from the print label producing apparatus side. Sometimes it can be detected that the tape cassette is floating. In particular, in the fourth invention of the present application, the detected portion is provided within a predetermined distance range (predetermined) from the lower end portion with reference to the lower end portion on the bottom surface side of the specific cassette surface. As a result, whether the tape cassette has a wide printable tape and the casing has a large vertical dimension, or the tape cassette has a narrow printable tape and the casing has a small vertical dimension, The distance from the lower end of the cassette surface to the detected part is equal to each other. Accordingly, the relative positional relationship between the detection means of the print label producing apparatus and the detected portion is always constant regardless of the above-described vertical dimension variations of the tape cassette, so that highly accurate detection can be reliably performed. .

For example, in the configuration in which the detected portion is provided on the bottom plate, the size of the detected portion is normally limited because the area of the bottom plate is relatively small due to the restriction of the opening area of the cassette holder in the print label producing apparatus. And the amount of attribute information that can be represented is limited. In other words, it may not be possible to handle many types of tape cassettes. On the other hand, in the fourth invention of the present application, since the detected portion is provided on the cassette side surface (specific cassette surface) of the casing as described above, the size of the detected portion can be relatively large and expressed. Since the amount of attribute information that can be made can be increased, the above-described adverse effects can be solved.

Further, normally, when the tape cassette is removed from the cassette holder, a small amount of print-receiving tape is inserted from the outlet of the tape cassette, either before the start of use (new state) or after the start of use. It is in a state exposed to the outside of the housing. And in this-application 4th invention, the to-be-detected part is provided in the said specific cassette surface same as the side surface in which a discharge port is provided among housing | casings. Therefore, the operator can visually visually recognize the print-receiving tape exposed from the discharge port and the detected portion at the same time. Thereby, the content of the attribute information represented by the detected portion and the actual attribute of the tape to be printed can be easily confirmed by visual observation, and a sense of security can be obtained twice. It is also possible to confirm the consistency between the content of the attribute information represented by the detected portion and the actual attribute of the tape to be printed. That is, the operator can confirm whether or not there is a mismatch between the housing (having the detected portion) and the print-receiving tape stored therein when the tape cassette is manufactured.

According to a fifth invention, in the fourth invention, the tape cassette is provided so as to protrude in the horizontal direction from the upper end in the vertical direction of the specific cassette surface, and is a finger for putting a finger on when handling by an operator. The cassette holder of the printed label producing apparatus has a storage recess that is provided on an upper portion of the specific holder surface and stores the protrusion while allowing the protruding shape of the finger hook. .

In the specific cassette surface of the casing, the finger hooking portion is provided at the upper end portion, while the detected portion is provided in a predetermined distance range on the end portion side close to the bottom surface. Due to the difference in position, when the operator attaches or detaches the tape cassette to or from the cassette holder using the finger hook, the detection means is not touched by the finger on the detection means side of the print label producing apparatus. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of dirt, damage and functional failure.

According to the present invention, even if the tape cassette is mounted on the cassette holder in a slightly floating state, it is possible to accurately detect the detected portion from the print label producing apparatus side. Further, when the operator attaches / detaches the tape cassette, the finger does not touch the detected portion, and the detected portion can be prevented from being stained or damaged.

1 is a perspective view of a print label producing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the printed label production apparatus in the state where the cassette cover is opened. It is a perspective view showing the cassette mounting part to which the tape cassette of 1st Embodiment of this invention and the said tape cassette are mounted | worn. It is a top view of the cassette mounting part with which the tape cassette was mounted | worn. It is the side view seen from the left side showing an example of a cassette case in case a tape width is comparatively large, and the conceptual diagram which looked at the state with which the cassette mounting part was mounted | worn from the front side. It is the side view seen from the left side showing an example of a cassette case in case tape width is comparatively small, and the conceptual diagram which looked at the state with which the cassette mounting part was mounted | worn from the front side. It is the elements on larger scale of the holder side surface of the cassette mounting part in which the some detection switch was provided. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. It is a table which shows an example of the tape attribute information which can be recognized by the combination pattern of ON / OFF of a detection switch. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical constitution of a printed label production apparatus. It is a perspective view of the tape printer in the state which opened the cassette cover in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating a tape cassette and a cassette mounting part. It is the elements on larger scale of the cassette holding piece in which the some detection switch was provided. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow in the VV line of FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing for demonstrating the state by which the tape cassette and the cassette holding piece were opposingly arranged. It is side surface sectional drawing for demonstrating the state by which the tape cassette and the cassette holding piece were opposingly arranged. It is side surface sectional drawing for demonstrating the state by which the tape cassette and the cassette holding piece were opposingly arranged.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower left side of FIG. 1 is the front side, the upper right side of FIG. 1 is the rear side, the lower right side of FIG. 1 is the right side, and the upper left side of FIG. (See arrow display).

<Schematic configuration of printing label production device>
First, a schematic configuration of the print label producing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the print label producing apparatus 1 includes a main body cover 2 having a rectangular shape in plan view. On the front side of the main body cover 2, a keyboard 3 including character keys such as characters, symbols, and numbers, various function keys, and the like is disposed. On the rear side of the keyboard 3, a liquid crystal display 5 capable of displaying input characters and symbols is provided. On the rear side of the liquid crystal display 5, for example, a lid-like cassette cover 6 that is opened and closed when the tape cassette 30 is replaced is provided. Inside the main body cover 2 corresponding to the cassette cover 6, there is provided a concave cassette mounting portion 8 (cassette holder) to which the tape cassette 30 can be detachably mounted. The cassette mounting unit 8 is provided with a transport mechanism that pulls out the tape from the tape cassette 30 and transports it, a printing mechanism that prints characters and the like on the surface of the tape, and the like. In addition, the said tape cassette 30 and the printed label production apparatus 1 comprise the printed label production system of each claim.

A discharge slit 9 for discharging the printed tape to the outside is provided behind the left side surface of the main body cover 2. A discharge window 11 is formed on the left side surface of the cassette cover 6 to expose the discharge slit 9 to the outside with the cassette cover 6 closed. Near the center of the front surface of the cassette cover 6, a hook-like locking lock 4 that protrudes downward from the lower surface thereof is provided. The main body cover 2 is provided with a lock hole 7 at a position corresponding to the lock 4. When the cassette cover 6 is closed, the lock 4 is fitted into the lock hole 7 and locked. The natural opening of the cassette cover 6 is prevented.

<Internal structure>
Next, the internal structure of the main body cover 2 will be described focusing on the cassette mounting portion 8. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a head holder 74 mounted with a thermal head 10 (printing means, see FIG. 4) having a heating element (not shown) is fixed on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 8. Yes. A tape feed motor 23 that is, for example, a stepping motor is disposed outside the cassette mounting portion 8 (upper right side in FIG. 3). A drive gear (not shown) is fixed to the lower end of the drive shaft of the tape feed motor 23. The drive gear rotates a ribbon take-up shaft 95 that rotates the ribbon take-up spool 44 and a tape drive roller 46 provided in the tape cassette 30 via a predetermined gear mechanism (not shown). The tape drive shaft 100 is operatively connected to the tape drive shaft 100.

When the tape feeding motor 23 is rotationally driven in a state where the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the ribbon take-up shaft 95 is rotationally driven via the drive gear or the like. The ribbon take-up shaft 95 rotates the ribbon take-up spool 44 in which the ribbon take-up shaft 95 is inserted. Further, the rotation of the drive gear is transmitted to the tape drive shaft 100 (conveying means). Thereby, the tape drive roller 46 of the tape cassette 30 in which the tape drive shaft 100 is inserted is rotationally driven.

Also, the cassette mounting portion 8 is provided with two positioning pins 103 (one of the positioning pins 103 is not shown). Each positioning pin 103 is provided at a position corresponding to each of two pin holes (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8. Each positioning pin 103 positions the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 at an appropriate position in the cassette mounting unit 8.

The arm-shaped platen holder 12 is pivotally supported on the front side of the head holder 74 so as to be swingable about the shaft support portion 12a. At the front end side of the platen holder 12, a platen roller 15 provided so as to be able to contact and separate relative to the thermal head 10 and a tape drive roller 46 into which the tape drive shaft 100 is inserted is provided so as to be able to contact and separate. Both of the movable transport rollers 14 are rotatably supported.

The platen holder 12 is connected to a release lever (not shown) that moves in the left-right direction in conjunction with opening and closing of the cassette cover 6. When the cassette cover 6 is opened, the release lever moves in the right direction, and the platen holder 12 moves toward the standby position. At the standby position, the platen holder 12 moves in a direction away from the cassette mounting portion 8, and the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8. The platen holder 12 is always elastically biased to the standby position by a winding spring (not shown).

On the other hand, when the cassette cover 6 is closed, the release lever moves leftward and the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position. At the printing position, the platen holder 12 moves in the direction approaching the cassette mounting portion 8. If the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the platen roller 15 presses the thermal head 10 via the film tape 59 (printed tape) and the ink ribbon 60, and the movable transport roller 14. Presses the tape driving roller 46 via the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59. Thereby, at the printing position, it is possible to perform desired printing using the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8.

Between the tape discharge port 49 (described later) of the tape cassette 30 and the discharge slit 9, there is provided a conveyance path through which the printed tape 50 in which the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the printed film tape 59 are bonded is conveyed. ing. This transport path is provided with a cutting mechanism (not shown) that cuts the printed tape 50 at a predetermined position to form a print label. The cutting mechanism includes a fixed blade and a movable blade that is supported to be movable in the front-rear direction so as to face the fixed blade. The movable blade is moved in the front-rear direction by a cutter motor 24 (see FIG. 10 described later).

<Schematic structure of tape cassette>
Here, the structure of the tape cassette 30 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tape cassette 30 of this embodiment includes a cassette upper surface 31 C and a cassette bottom surface 31 A at the vertical end, and a cassette side surface 31 B at the horizontal end perpendicular to the vertical direction. It has a cassette case 31 (housing) having a substantially box shape. Of the cassette side surface 31B, a specific cassette surface 31Ba has a tape discharge port 49 for discharging the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 conveyed so that the tape surface direction is along the vertical direction to the outside of the cassette case 31. Is provided. Further, on the specific cassette surface 31Ba provided with the tape discharge port 49, the tape attribute information indicating the tape attributes (tape width and tape type) of the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 is displayed on the print label producing apparatus 1. A cassette detector 80 (detected part) that can be applied to the side is provided (details will be described later).

Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, from the upper end in the vertical direction of the cassette side surface 31B (including the specific cassette surface 31Ba), for example, a rectangular protrusion for hooking a finger during handling by the operator A finger rest 300 is provided to protrude in the horizontal direction. That is, the finger hooks 300 are provided on the left and right sides of the tape cassette 30, respectively. At this time, the cassette detection unit 80 is provided on one side (rear side) in the horizontal direction with respect to the finger hooking portion 300 on the specific cassette surface 31Ba, and the tape discharge port 49 is a finger hooking portion on the specific cassette surface 31Ba. It is provided on the other side (front side) in the horizontal direction from 300.

At this time, corresponding to the finger hooking portion 300, the finger hooking portion 300 is provided on the upper portion of the holder side surface 8B of the cassette mounting portion 8 (including the specific holder surface 8Ba facing the specific cassette surface 31Ba). A storage recess 301 (including a stepped shape) is provided for storage while allowing the protruding shape of the storage space. The storage recesses 301 are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the cassette mounting portion 8 corresponding to the arrangement of the finger rests 300.

Further, on the left side of the rear portion in the cassette case 31, an adhesive tape spool 40 in which the release paper of the double-sided adhesive tape 58 is wound outward is disposed rotatably through a support hole 65. A film tape spool 41 (printed tape roll) that winds and supports the film tape 59 is rotatably disposed on the right side of the rear portion in the cassette case 31 through a support hole 66. At this time, the film tape spool 41 is rotatable around a rotation axis k (see FIG. 4) along the vertical direction. A ribbon spool 42 around which the ink ribbon 60 is wound is rotatably arranged on the right side of the front portion in the cassette case 31. Between the adhesive tape spool 40 and the ribbon spool 42 in the cassette case 31, a ribbon take-up spool 44 that pulls out the ink ribbon 60 from the ribbon spool 42 and winds up the ink ribbon 60 used for printing characters or the like. However, it is rotatably arranged through the support hole 67. A clutch spring (not shown) is attached to the lower portion of the ribbon take-up spool 44 to prevent the ink ribbon 60 taken up by the reverse of the ribbon take-up spool 44 from loosening. .

On the right side of the front surface of the tape cassette 30, there is provided an arm portion 34 that extends slightly forward of the tape cassette 30 and is folded at a right angle toward the center. In the arm portion 34, a film tape 59 drawn from the film tape spool 41 and an ink ribbon 60 drawn from the ribbon spool 42 are guided together. A gap surrounded by the inner surface of the arm portion 34 and the front surface of the tape cassette 30 is a head mounting portion 39 for fitting the thermal head 10 of the print label producing apparatus 1. Further, an opening 34 a is provided at the tip of the arm portion 34 to supply the head mounting portion 39 with the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 being polymerized.

In addition, a support hole is provided on the downstream side of the head mounting portion 39 in the transport direction of the film tape 59 and the ink ribbon 60 from the opening 34a of the arm portion 34 to the tape discharge port 49, and the tape is placed inside the support hole. A drive roller 46 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable. The tape driving roller 46 pulls out the film tape 59 from the film tape spool 41 and also pulls out the double-sided adhesive tape 58 from the adhesive tape spool 40 in cooperation with the movable transporting roller 14 facing to the printing surface of the film tape 59. Guide and bond. A pair of upper and lower restricting members 36 are provided on the upstream side of the tape drive roller 46. The regulating member 36 regulates the film tape 59 on which characters are printed on the downstream side of the thermal head 10 in the width direction and guides the film tape 59 toward the tape discharge port 49, and between the film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58. Adhering properly without causing misalignment. In the vicinity of the regulating member 36, a guide wall 38 is provided for separating the used ink ribbon 60 conveyed via the head mounting portion 39 from the film tape 59 and guiding it toward the ribbon take-up spool 44. It is installed. Between the guide wall 38 and the ribbon take-up spool 44, a used ink ribbon 60 guided along the guide wall 38 and a double-sided adhesive tape 58 wound around and supported by the adhesive tape spool 40 are mutually connected. A separation wall 48 is erected to prevent contact.

As described above, the cassette case 31 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with rounded corners in plan view as a whole. However, when the tape width of the printed tape 50 increases (for example, 18 mm, 24 mm, 36 mm, etc.), the height (width) of the cassette case 31 also increases accordingly. An example of the cassette case 31 when the tape width of the printed tape 50 is relatively large is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and the cassette case 31 when the tape width of the printed tape 50 is relatively small is shown. Examples are shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

<Detection switch>
On the other hand, the cassette mounting portion 8 of the print label producing apparatus 1 has a holder bottom surface 8A facing the cassette bottom surface 31A substantially corresponding to the planar shape of the cassette case 31, and the outer peripheral surface shape of the cassette case 31 substantially corresponding to the above. And the holder side surface 8B facing the cassette side surface 31B. The holder bottom surface 8A supports from below the tape cassette 30 that is inserted and mounted in the cassette mounting portion 8 from the cassette bottom surface 31A side. Of the holder side surface 8B, the specific holder surface 8Ba on the side where the discharge slit 9 is located has

detection switches

20a, 20b, and 20c (detection) that protrude substantially horizontally from the lower position toward the cassette mounting portion 8. Means).

Each of the detection switches 20a to 20c is connected to a cassette case 31 (enclosure) of the tape cassette 30 existing in the cassette mounting portion 8 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting / demounting direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) of the tape cassette 30 with respect to the cassette mounting portion 8. Projecting to face the specific cassette surface 31Ba of the body). Each of the detection switches 20a to 20c performs a detection operation in the horizontal direction with respect to the cassette detection unit 80 provided on the specific cassette surface 31Ba (details will be described later), thereby representing the cassette detection unit 80. The tape attribute information is acquired. Each of the detection switches 20a to 20c has a predetermined height position (a height H described later) from the cassette bottom surface 31A in a state where the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an appropriate position of the cassette mounting portion 8, in other words, from the holder bottom surface 8A. It is provided so as to be within the range.

Next, the detailed structure of each of the detection switches 20a to 20c will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example,

detection switches

20a, 20b, and 20c are provided on a specific holder surface 8Ba so as to form a vertex of a triangle, and constitute a detection switch 20 as a whole (in addition to three, four or more detection switches). May be provided, or only two may be provided). Each of the detection switches 20a to 20c includes a substantially cylindrical main body portion 22 installed inside the left side of the specific holder surface 8Ba, and a rod-like switch terminal that can advance and retreat in the axial direction from one end side (right end side) of the main body portion 22. 21. The other end side (left end side) of the main body portion 22 of each detection switch 20a to 20c is attached to the switch support plate 13 and is installed inside a specific holder surface 8Ba.

Also, one end side (right end side) of each main body portion 22 allows the switch terminal 21 to advance and retract through a plurality of through holes 12c formed in a specific holder surface 8Ba. Each switch terminal 21 is always held in a state of being extended from the main body 22 by a spring member (not shown) provided in the main body 22. That is, when the switch terminal 21 is not pressed, the switch terminal 21 is extended from the main body portion 22 (off state), and when pressed, the switch terminal 21 is retracted into the main body portion 22 (on state). When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8, the detection switches 20a to 20c are opposed to a specific cassette surface 31Ba of the cassette case 31 of the tape cassette 30, and the detection switches 20a to 20c are described later. Is turned on.

<Cassette detector>
Next, the detailed structure of the cassette detector 80 will be described together with the relationship with the detection switches 20a to 20c with reference to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 3, FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 (a), and FIG. 6 (a), the cassette detector 80 is provided at each of three locations corresponding to the detection switches 20a to 20c in this example on the specific cassette surface 31Ba. The non-pressing part 81 or the normal pressing part 82 is formed. The non-pressing portion 81 is a switch hole through which the switch terminal 21 can be inserted and removed, and the normal pressing portion 82 is a surface portion (mekura surface) where the switch terminal 21 cannot be inserted and removed. In the example of the tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, two

non-pressing portions

81a and 81b and one normal pressing portion 82 are provided at three locations corresponding to the detection switches 20a to 20c. An example is given.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the

non-pressing portions

81a and 81b and the normal pressing portion 82 constituting the cassette detecting portion 80 are set at a predetermined height from the cassette bottom surface 31A among the specific cassette surface 31Ba. It is provided within a distance range to the H position.

And the cassette detection part 80 is provided with each detection part (

non-pressing part

81a, 81b or the normal pressing part 82) by the pattern according to the kind of tape cassette 30. FIG. However, in the cassette detection unit 80 of the present embodiment, a pattern in which the corresponding positions of the detection switches 20a to 20c are all

non-pressing parts

81a and 81b, or the corresponding positions of the detection switches 20a to 20c are all normally pressed. The pattern that becomes the portion 82 is not adopted. That is, the cassette detection unit 80 of the present embodiment is configured by a pattern having at least one of the

non-pressing parts

81a and 81b and the normal pressing part 82.

The example of the tape cassette 30 shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 has two

non-pressing portions

81a and 81b and one normal pressing portion 82 as described above. In this example, two

detection switches

20a and 20b correspond to the non-pressing portion 81a and the non-pressing portion 81b, respectively, and one detection switch 20c corresponds to one normal pressing portion 82. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape mounting portion 8, the

detection switches

20a, 20a, and 20c are moved to the non-pressing portion 81a of the cassette detection portion 80 as shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and 6 (b). The non-pressing portion 81b and the normal pressing portion 82 are opposed to each other.

At this time, the detection switch that faces the non-pressing portion 81 (in this example, the detection switches 20a and 20b that face the

non-pressing portions

81a and 81b, respectively) has the switch terminal 21 inserted into the

non-pressing portions

81a and 81b. Maintained off. On the other hand, the detection switch (detection switch 20c in this example) facing the normal pressing portion 82 is turned on when the switch terminal 21 is pressed by the normal pressing portion 82. Based on the detection result (on / off combination pattern) including the off state and the on state, the print label producing apparatus 1 can recognize the tape attribute information related to the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8. it can.

FIG. 9 shows an example of tape attribute information recognized as described above. In this example, when the switch 20a is on, the switch 20b is on, and the switch 20c is off, it is identified that the tape width between the double-sided adhesive tape 58 and the film tape 59 in the tape cassette 30 is 24 mm. Can do. Similarly, when the switch 20a is in the on state, the switch 20b is in the off state, and the switch 20c is in the on state, it is identified that the tape width in the tape cassette 30 is 18 mm, the switch 20a is in the on state, and the switch 20b is in the off state. When the switch 20c is off, the tape width in the tape cassette 30 is identified as 12 mm. When the switch 20a is off, the switch 20b is on, and the switch 20c is on, the tape width in the tape cassette 30 is When the switch 20a is off, the switch 20b is off, and the switch 20c is on, it is identified that the tape width in the tape cassette 30 is 6 mm, and the switch 20a is off. When 20b is on and switch 20c is off, the Tape width tape cassette 30 can identify that it is 4 mm. When all of the

switches

20a, 20b, and 20c are in the on state and in the off state, it can be identified that the tape cassette 30 is not normally mounted (is in a floating state).

<Electrical configuration of label making device>
Next, the electrical configuration of the printed label producing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the print label producing apparatus 1 includes a control circuit unit 70 formed on a control board. The control circuit unit 70 includes a CPU 71 that controls each device, a CG-ROM 72 connected to the CPU 71 via a data bus 69, a ROM 74, a RAM 75, an input / output interface 77, and the like.

In the CG-ROM 72, for each of a large number of characters for printing characters such as alphabet letters and symbols, printing dot pattern data is classified for each typeface (Gothic typeface, Mincho typeface, etc.) For each typeface, six types (for example, dot sizes of 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, and 96) of print character sizes are stored in association with code data.

The ROM 74 stores a display drive control program for controlling the liquid crystal drive circuit (LCDC) 25 in correspondence with character code data such as characters and numbers input from the keyboard 3, the thermal head 10, and the tape feed motor 23. A print drive control program for driving, a pulse number determination program for determining the number of applied pulses corresponding to the amount of energy to form each print dot, and the cutter motor 24 is driven to cut the printed tape 50 at a predetermined cutting position. A cutting drive control program to be performed, various programs necessary for controlling the other printed label producing apparatus 1, and the like are stored. That is, the CPU 71 performs various calculations based on these various programs.

The RAM 75 is provided with a text memory, a print buffer, a counter, a total print dot number counter, a parameter storage area, and the like. Document data input from the keyboard 3 is stored in the text memory. In the print buffer, dot patterns for printing such as a plurality of characters and symbols, the number of applied pulses, which is the amount of energy for forming each dot, and the like are stored as dot pattern data. That is, the thermal head 10 performs dot printing according to the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer. The counter stores a count value of the number of print dots for one line printed by the thermal head 10. In the total print dot number counter, the total print dot number from the start time when printing by the thermal head 10 is stored. Various calculation data are stored in the parameter storage area.

The input / output interface 77 has the detection switches 20a to 20c, the keyboard 3, and the liquid crystal driving circuit (LCDC) having a video RAM (not shown) for outputting display data to the liquid crystal display (LCD) 5. ) 25, a drive circuit 26 for driving the tape feed motor 23, a drive circuit 27 for driving the thermal head 10, a drive circuit 28 for driving the cutter motor 24, and the like. It is connected.

<Operation of label production device>
When a character or the like is input using the keyboard 3 in the printed label producing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, the text (document data) is stored in the text memory. Based on various programs, a dot pattern corresponding to characters or the like input with the keyboard 3 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 5. Then, the thermal head 10 is driven via the drive circuit 27 to print the dot pattern data stored in the print buffer. The tape feed motor 23 performs tape feed control in synchronization with the printing operation by the thermal head 10. At this time, in the thermal head 10, each heating element provided on the heating element (not shown) is selectively driven to generate heat corresponding to the printing dots for one line by the drive circuit 27. As a result, characters or the like input with the keyboard 3 are printed on the printing surface of the film tape 59. Then, the printed film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 are bonded together by the tape driving roller 46 and the movable conveying roller 14 to form the printed tape 50. The printed tape 50 is transported to the cutting position of the cutting mechanism, and is cut when the movable blade and the fixed blade cooperate with each other to generate a printed label.

In the present embodiment, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the tape mounting portion 8 and the print label is created as described above, the attributes of the film tape 59 and the double-sided adhesive tape 58 are added to the cassette case 31 of the tape cassette 30 in the present embodiment. Is provided with a cassette detection unit 80 representing the tape attribute information. Then, when the detection switches 20a to 20c of the print label producing apparatus 1 detect the cassette detection unit 80, the tape attribute information is acquired by the print label producing apparatus 1. Thereby, on the print label producing apparatus 1 side, it is possible to reliably execute printing in an appropriate mode corresponding to the attribute of the film tape 59 of each tape cassette 30.

At this time, in the above mounting, the cassette case 31 of the tape cassette 30 is inserted and mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 from the cassette bottom surface 31A side. At that time, due to carelessness of the operator or the like, there is a possibility that the cassette bottom 31A is not sufficiently inserted until the cassette bottom 31A hits the holder bottom 8A of the cassette mounting portion 8, and is slightly floated. In such a case, a cassette detection unit 80 is provided on the cassette bottom 31A of the cassette case 31 (or a bottom plate provided so as to protrude horizontally from the cassette side 31B), and the cassette mounting unit 8 facing the cassette detection unit 8 is vertically moved. In the configuration in which detection is performed, even in the above-described floating state, any of the detection switches 20a to 20c may be turned on due to the weight of the tape cassette 30, and the floating state may not be detected. In the present embodiment, as described above, the cassette detection unit 80 is provided on the specific cassette surface 31Ba of the cassette case 31, and from the detection switches 20a to 20c provided on the specific holder surface 8Ba of the cassette mounting unit 8 facing the cassette detection unit 80. Detection is performed in the horizontal direction. As a result, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 in a slightly floating state as described above, a proper detection result is obtained when the cassette detection unit 80 is detected from the print label producing apparatus 1 side. If not, the tape cassette 30 is in a floating state (see FIG. 9), so that the operator can recognize it.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the cassette detection unit 80 is set within a distance range of a predetermined height H from the lower end with reference to the lower end on the cassette bottom 31A side of the specific cassette surface 31Ba. Provided. Thus, even if the tape cassette 30 is provided with the film tape 59 having a relatively wide tape width as shown in FIG. 5 and the cassette case 31 has a large vertical dimension, the film having a relatively narrow tape width as shown in FIG. Even in the case of the tape cassette 30 having the tape 59 and having a small vertical dimension of the cassette case 31, the distance from the lower end portion to the cassette detecting portion 80 on the specific cassette surface 31Ba is equal to each other. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the detection switches 20a to 20c on the print label producing apparatus 1 side and the cassette detection unit 80 is always constant regardless of the above-described variations in the vertical dimension of the tape cassette 30, so that highly accurate detection is possible. Can be performed reliably.

For example, in the configuration in which the cassette detection unit 80 is provided on the bottom plate, the area of the bottom plate is usually relatively small due to the restriction of the opening area of the cassette mounting unit 8 in the print label producing apparatus 1. The size is limited to a small size, and the amount of the tape attribute information that can be expressed is limited. In other words, it may not be possible to handle various types of tape cassettes 30. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the cassette detection unit 80 is provided on the specific cassette surface 31Ba of the side surface 31B of the cassette case 31 as described above, the size of the cassette detection unit 80 can be made relatively large. Since the amount of tape attribute information that can be increased can also be increased, the above-mentioned adverse effects can be eliminated.

In addition, the tape cassette 30 is normally removed from the cassette outlet 8 from the tape outlet 49 of the tape cassette 30 before starting use (new state) or after starting use. Some film tape 59 is exposed to the outside of the tape cassette 30. In the present embodiment, the cassette detection unit 80 is provided on the specific cassette surface 31Ba of the tape cassette 30 that is the same as the side surface on which the tape discharge port 49 is provided. Therefore, the operator can visually recognize the film tape 59 exposed from the tape discharge port 49 and the cassette detection unit 80 at the same time. Thereby, the content of the tape attribute information represented by the cassette detection unit 80 and the actual attribute of the film tape 59 can be easily confirmed by visual observation, and a double sense of security can be obtained. It is also possible to confirm the consistency between the content of the tape attribute information represented by the cassette detection unit 80 and the attribute of the actual film tape 59. That is, when the tape cassette 30 is manufactured, the operator may check whether there is a mismatch between the tape cassette 30 (having the cassette detection unit 80) and the film tape 59 stored therein. it can.

In this embodiment, in particular, the finger hooking portion 300 is provided on the cassette side surface 31B of the cassette case 31. At that time, on a specific cassette surface 31Ba, the finger hooking portion 300 is provided at the upper end portion, while the cassette detecting portion 80 is provided within a predetermined distance range of the height H on the end portion side close to the cassette bottom surface 31A. Due to such a difference in position, when the operator puts his / her finger into the storage recess 301 and attaches / detaches the tape cassette 30 to / from the cassette mounting portion 8 using the finger hooking portion 300, the print label producing device 1 is provided. In addition, a finger does not touch the cassette detection unit 80 side, and it is possible to prevent the cassette detection unit 80 from becoming dirty, damaged, or malfunctioning. In particular, the cassette detection unit 80 is located on the rear side of the finger rest unit 300. As a result, the positional relationship between the finger hooking unit 300 and the cassette detection unit 80 is not only different in the vertical direction as described above, but also greatly separated in the horizontal direction. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the cassette detection unit 80 provided in the print label producing apparatus 1 from being contaminated, damaged, or malfunctioned. Further, when the operator attaches / detaches the tape cassette 30, his / her finger does not touch the cassette detection unit 80, and the cassette detection unit 80 can be prevented from being soiled or damaged as described above.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description will be omitted or simplified.

In the present embodiment, as a feature thereof, a cassette holding piece 200 is provided on the left side portion of the cassette mounting portion 8. The cassette holding piece 200 is provided with the detection switches 20a to 20c described above. The cassette holding piece 200 corresponds to a specific holder surface described in each claim in the present embodiment. In the tape printer 1, the attribute information regarding the tape cassette 30 mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 is recognized according to the detection results of the detection switches 20a to 20c, as in the first embodiment.

11 to 14, the cassette holding piece 200 is a plate-like member erected on the left side of the cassette mounting portion 8. Specifically, the cassette holding piece 200 includes a substantially rectangular main body 201 whose longitudinal direction is the standing direction (vertical direction in FIG. 13). The upper end edge of the main body 201 is a locking claw 205 that is inclined in the upper right direction (the upper right direction in FIG. 14) at the bent portion 206. The locking claw portion 205 is provided at a height position where it can come into contact with the upper edge of a specific cassette surface 31Ba of the cassette case 31 described later when the tape cassette 30 is properly mounted.

The cassette holding piece 200 is provided with three detection switches 20a to 20c that protrude in the horizontal direction toward the cassette mounting portion 8. In other words, each of the detection switches 20a to 20c is erected vertically from the cassette facing surface 202, and the front surface of the tape cassette 30 existing in the cassette mounting portion 8 (more specifically, a specific cassette surface 31Ba described later). It protrudes so as to face. Specifically, the main body 22 of each detection switch 20 is installed on the surface opposite to the cassette facing surface 202. Then, on one end side of each main body portion 22, the switch terminal 21 communicates with the cassette facing surface 202 side through a plurality of through holes 203 that penetrate the main body portion 201 in the thickness direction (left-right direction in FIG. 14). Installed.

In the present embodiment, the three detection switches 20a to 20c are disposed at two different height positions alternately at substantially equal intervals on the cassette facing surface 202 of the cassette holding piece 200 (see FIG. 13).

The lower end side of the cassette holding piece 200 is inserted into the holder bottom surface 8A of the cassette mounting portion 8. Inside the holder bottom surface 8 A, the cassette holding piece 200 is pivotally supported by a thin shaft-like shaft portion 208 that penetrates and fixes the main body portion 201 in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 13). One end of an elastic spring 210 that can be expanded and contracted is connected to the lower end edge of the cassette holding piece 200. The other end of the elastic spring 210 is connected to a base 209 fixed inside the holder bottom surface 8A.

Therefore, the cassette holding piece 200 is always rotated counterclockwise about the shaft portion 208 by the urging force of the elastic spring 210 and held at the release position shown in FIG. In the release position shown in FIG. 15, the cassette holding piece 200 moves in a direction away from the cassette mounting portion 8 and is held in an inclined state in the upper left direction from the holder bottom surface 8 A of the cassette mounting portion 8. Thereby, the tape cassette 30 can be attached to and detached from the cassette mounting portion 8 without being interfered by the cassette holding piece 200.

On the other hand, when the elastic spring 210 expands due to external stress, the cassette holding piece 200 rotates clockwise around the shaft portion 208 and moves to the locking position shown in FIG. In the locking position shown in FIG. 14, the cassette holding piece 200 moves in the direction approaching the cassette mounting portion 8, and is in a state of standing substantially vertically from the holder bottom surface 8 A of the cassette mounting portion 8.

Incidentally, a holding claw pressing portion 250 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape protruding downward is provided on the lower surface of the cassette cover 6 (see FIG. 16 and the like). Specifically, the holding claw pressing portion 250 is provided at a position where the lower end portion of the holding claw pressing portion 250 contacts the upper surface of the locking claw portion 205 of the cassette holding piece 200 when the cassette cover 6 is closed. . In addition, an inclined surface 250a is formed on the lower end side of the holding claw pressing portion 250 so that its thickness gradually decreases downward.

Note that the tape cassette 30 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the tape cassette 30 according to the first embodiment, and a cassette detection unit 80 similar to the above is provided on a specific cassette surface 31Ba of the cassette case 31. It has been.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, the relationship between the cassette detector 80 and the detection switches 20a to 20c will be described. First, when the cassette cover 6 is closed with the tape cassette 30 mounted, the lower end portion (in detail, the holding claw pressing portion 250 is formed on the upper surface of the locking claw portion 205 of the cassette holding piece 200 held in the open position. The inclined surface 250a) is pressed. At this time, a stress that rotates the cassette holding piece 200 in the clockwise direction is generated by the action of the locking claw portion 205 sliding along the inclined surface 250a.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the tape cassette 30 is properly mounted (that is, the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 and the cassette case 31 is disposed at an appropriate position on the cassette mounting portion 8. When the holding claw pressing portion 250 is pressed, the cassette holding piece 200 is rotated in the clockwise direction and moved toward the locking position.

Further, when the cassette holding piece 200 is moved to the locking position, the detection switches 20a to 20c face each detection part (the non-pressing part 81 or the normal pressing part 82) of the cassette detection part 80 in the specific cassette surface 31Ba. Thus, an off state or an on state is set. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 16, the detection switch 20a is inserted into the non-pressing portion 81a and turned off, and the detection switch 20b is pushed by the normal pressing portion 82a and turned on. Although not shown, the detection switch 20c is inserted into the non-pressing portion 81b and is turned off. As a result, in the tape printer 1, information about the tape cassette 30 is acquired based on the detection result that the detection switches 20b and 20e are turned on.

When the cassette holding piece 200 moves to the locking position, as described above, the locking lock 4 of the cassette cover 6 is fitted and locked in the lock hole 7 to prevent the cassette cover 6 from being naturally opened. . Further, the platen holder 12 moves to the printing position, and the tape printer 1 is ready for printing.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, when the tape cassette 30 is not mounted on the cassette mounting portion 8 or when the tape cassette 30 is mounted at an incorrect position (that is, the cassette case 31 is placed in the cassette mounting portion 8. The tape cassette 30 is not properly mounted. In this state, when the cassette holding piece 200 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the pressing of the holding claw pressing portion 250, the switch terminal 21 is not in contact with the specific cassette surface 31Ba for all the detection switches 20a to 20c. Is done. As a result, the attribute information regarding the tape cassette 30 is acquired based on the detection result.

In this state, since the holding claw pressing portion 250 cannot be moved downward, the cassette cover 6 cannot be closed to a position where the locking lock 4 is fitted into the lock hole 7. If the cassette cover 6 cannot be closed, the platen holder 12 cannot be moved to the printing position, so the tape printer 1 is not ready for printing. In other words, the tape printer 1 cannot physically start printing unless the tape cassette 30 is properly mounted.

By the way, the cassette detection unit 80 is configured such that, in the cassette case 31, the head of the both sides of the short side that is different from the side of the long side (that is, the front side) provided with the head mounting unit 39 facing the thermal head 10. It is provided on a specific cassette surface 31Ba closer to the mounting portion 39. The plurality of detection switches 20 are provided on a cassette holding piece 200 that can contact and separate from a specific cassette surface 31Ba. Therefore, whether or not the tape cassette 30 is properly mounted is determined while effectively using the specific cassette surface 31Ba having a sufficient installation space with reference to a portion relatively close to the thermal head 10 that has a large influence on the print quality. It can be detected.

Also in the second embodiment described above, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

That is, in the second embodiment, as described above, the cassette detection unit 80 is provided on the specific cassette surface 31Ba of the cassette case 31, and the detection switch 20 provided on the cassette holding piece 200 of the cassette mounting unit 8 facing this. Detection is performed in the horizontal direction. As a result, when the tape cassette 30 is mounted on the cassette mounting unit 8 in a slightly floating state as described above, a proper detection result is obtained when the cassette detection unit 80 is detected from the print label producing apparatus 1 side. If not, the tape cassette 30 is in a floating state (see FIG. 9), so that the operator can recognize it.

In the above description, the detection switch 20 that performs mechanical detection is used as detection means for detecting a tape attribute. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, an appropriate optical detection portion (or magnetic detection portion) provided on a specific cassette surface 31Ba of the cassette side surface 31B of the tape cassette 30 is appropriately provided on a specific holder surface of the tape mounting portion 8. Detection may be performed in the horizontal direction by optical detection means (or magnetic detection means). In these cases, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

In addition, in the above, the arrow shown in the figure of FIG. 10 shows an example of the signal flow, and does not limit the signal flow direction.

In addition to those already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

Other than that, although not exemplified one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

1 Print label production device 8 Cassette mounting part (cassette holder)
8Ba Specific holder surface 10 Thermal head (printing means)
15 Platen roller (conveying means)
20 Detection switch (detection means)
30 Tape cassette 31 Cassette case (housing)
31A Cassette bottom surface 31B Cassette side surface 31Ba Specific cassette surface 41 Film tape spool (printed tape roll)
49 Tape outlet (discharge outlet)
80 Cassette detection part (detected part)
200 Cassette holding piece (specific holder surface)
300 Finger rest 301 Storage recess

Claims

A substantially box-shaped housing (31) having a cassette top surface (31C) and a cassette bottom surface (31A) at the vertical end, and a cassette side surface (31B) at the horizontal end perpendicular to the vertical direction; ,
A print-receiving tape roll (41) provided inside the casing (31), provided with a rotation axis (k) along the vertical direction, and wound around the print-receiving tape (59) so as to be able to be fed out;
The print-receiving tape (59) provided on a specific cassette surface (31Ba) of the cassette side surfaces (31B) and fed out from the print-receiving tape roll (41) and transported while the tape surface direction is along the vertical direction. ) To the outside of the housing (31),
Have
A tape cassette (30) which is inserted from the cassette bottom surface (31A) side to the cassette holder (8) of the print label producing device (1) for producing a print label using the print-receiving tape (59). There,
Within the specified cassette surface (31Ba), attribute information indicating the tape attribute of the print-receiving tape (59) is within a predetermined distance (H) range from the lower end in the vertical direction. (1) A tape cassette (30) characterized in that a detected portion (80) that can be applied to the side is provided on the specific cassette surface (31Ba) that is the same as the discharge port (49).
Tape cassette (30) according to claim 1,
A tape having a finger hooking portion (300) provided so as to protrude in the horizontal direction from an upper end portion in the vertical direction of the specific cassette surface (31Ba) and for placing a finger when handled by an operator. Cassette (30).
Tape cassette (30) according to claim 2,
The detected portion (80) is provided on one side in the horizontal direction with respect to the finger hook portion (300) on the specific cassette surface (31Ba),
The tape cassette (30), wherein the discharge port (49) is provided on the other side in the horizontal direction with respect to the finger hook (300) on the specific cassette surface (31Ba).
A print label producing device (1) for producing a print label using a print-receiving tape (59);
A tape cassette (30) for supplying a print-receiving tape (59);
A printing label production system comprising:
The tape cassette (30)
A substantially box-shaped housing (31) having a cassette top surface (31C) and a cassette bottom surface (31A) at the vertical end, and a cassette side surface (31B) at the horizontal end perpendicular to the vertical direction; ,
A print-receiving tape roll (41) provided inside the casing (31), provided with a rotation axis (k) along the vertical direction, and wound around the print-receiving tape (59) so as to be able to be fed out;
The print-receiving tape provided on one specific cassette surface (31Ba) of the cassette side surfaces (31B) and fed from the print-receiving tape roll (41) and transported while the tape surface direction is along the vertical direction. A discharge port (49) for discharging (59) to the outside of the housing (31);
Attribute information representing a tape attribute of the print-receiving tape (59) provided within a predetermined distance (H) within a predetermined distance from the lower end in the vertical direction of the specific cassette surface (31Ba) is printed label. A detected part (80) that can be applied to the creating device (1) side;
Have
The printed label producing apparatus (1)
The holder bottom surface (8A) facing the cassette bottom surface (31A) of the casing (31) of the tape cassette (30) and the specific holder surface (8Ba; 200) facing the specific cassette surface (31Ba). ) Including holder side surfaces (8B) respectively facing the cassette side surfaces (31B), and the tape cassette (30) to be inserted can be received and installed along the vertical direction from the cassette bottom surface (31A) side. A concave cassette holder (8);
Conveying means (100) for conveying the print-receiving tape (59) supplied from the discharge port (49) of the casing (31) of the tape cassette (30) mounted on the cassette holder (8); ,
Printing means (10) for performing desired printing on the print-receiving tape (59) conveyed by the conveying means (100);
The detected portion (80) of the specific cassette surface (31Ba) provided on the specific holder surface (8Ba; 200) of the cassette holder (8) and facing the specific holder surface (8Ba; 200). Detecting means (20a-c) for acquiring the attribute information of the detected part (80) by performing a detection operation in the horizontal direction,
A printed label producing system comprising:
In the printed label production system according to claim 4,
The tape cassette (30)
Of the specific cassette surface (31Ba), it is provided to protrude in the horizontal direction from the upper end portion in the vertical direction, and has a finger rest portion (300) for placing a finger during handling by an operator,
The cassette holder (8) of the print label producing device (1) is
A print label producing system, comprising an accommodation recess (301) provided on an upper part of the specific holder surface (8Ba; 200) and accommodating the protruding shape of the finger hook (300).