JPH0419884A - Tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve durability by providing a fixed part to be fixed to the main body part of a case, lock arm part equipped with a lock pawl and coil spring arranged between the fixed part and the lock arm part, in a lock member. CONSTITUTION:A lock member 10 is equipped with an arm part 11, front leg part 14 constituting a lock pawl 12 and a release end 13 while being linked to this arm part 11, rear leg part 16 constituting a lock pawl 15 to be locked to the main body part of the case, and fixed part 17 to be fixed to the main body part of the case perpendicular dropping down from the arm part 11. Coil springs 18a and 18b are arranged between the front leg part 14 and the fixed part 17 and between the rear leg part 16 and the fixed part 17, and the base end parts of these coil springs are fitted to the fixed part 17. Thus, although the lock member 10 repeatedly receives deforming operations while opening / closing the front lid, the posture of the front leg part 14 is reinforced by the coil springs 18a and 18b and even when the lock member 10 is composed of plastic, the durability is improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention operates in the thickness direction of the case body to lock the front cover of a tape cassette used in a recording and/or playback device, particularly an 8mm video tape cassette or an HDTV tape cassette. The present invention relates to a tape cassette equipped with a locking member.

[Background of the invention]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it is well known that tape cassettes have been used in recording and/or reproducing apparatuses (hereinafter simply referred to as recording and reproducing apparatuses) such as video tape recorders. To give an overview of such a tape cassette, - For boat fishing, a supply reel and a take-up reel are disposed within a case body formed by combining an upper half and a lower half made of plastic; A magnetic tape is stretched over a predetermined path between the supply reel and the take-up reel, and a front cover is provided to protect the female magnetic tape located outside the case body. . It is also well known that a locking means is provided to maintain the front lid in a closed state. For example, as proposed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-12455, a rotating lid that covers the front surface of a tape cassette to protect the tape stretched over the front surface of the tape cassette, two side walls separated from each other, and the side wall and an extension of one of the side walls and an inner surface of the side plate of the rotary lid, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape stretched over the front surface of the tape cassette, so as to be separated from each other. a groove formed in the tape cassette; a notch provided in the lower front surface of the rotating lid corresponding to the groove position to allow the lock release member to enter the groove from the front surface of the tape cassette; and a cutout in the side wall. The tape cassette is pivotably supported and rotates within the groove in the thickness direction of the tape cassette, and has an engaging end with the rotating lid and a release end facing the front surface of the tape cassette via the notch. hand,
Normally, the lock releasing member, which passes through the notch and the groove and enters from the front surface of the tape cassette, engages with the rotating lid at the engaging end to prevent its rotation, and the unlocking member enters from the front side of the tape cassette, and the releasing end a lid lock that rotates when brought into contact with the lid, releases engagement with the rotary lid, and allows the lid lock to rotate; and a biasing spring that biases the lid lock to engage with the rotary lid. A tape cassette has been proposed. By the way, in this tape cassette, the lid lock and the biasing spring that biases the lid lock to engage with the rotary lid are made up of separate members, so there are many parts, it takes time and effort to manage the parts, and it is also time consuming. It is also troublesome to assemble.

[Disclosure of the invention]

A first object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette that has a small number of parts, is easy to manage, and is easy to assemble. A second object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette in which the front lid locking means is less likely to be damaged and is highly durable. The object of the present invention is to provide a case body, a rotary opening/closing front cover attached to the case body, and a front cover that is fixed to the case body and moves in the thickness direction of the case body. A tape cassette is provided with a locking member for locking the front lid closed, the locking member comprising a fixing part fixed to the case main body, a lock arm part having a locking claw, and a locking member for locking the front cover. This is achieved by a tape cassette characterized by comprising a coil spring disposed between the lock arm section and the lock arm section.

【Example】

1 to 3 show one embodiment of the tape cassette according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the locking member of the front lid, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the case main body portion in which the locking member is disposed. The case main body part 1 constituting the tape cassette A is composed of a rectangular upper half 1a and a lower half 1b made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene, ABS, or PS, and these upper half 1a and lower half 1b are They are fitted into each other and secured with set screws to form an integrated housing. A pair of tape reels, namely a supply reel 2a and a take-up reel 2b, are rotatably housed in the case body 1, and a magnetic tape (hereinafter simply referred to as tape) 3 is attached to the supply reel 2a and take-up reel 2a. 2b. Both tape reels 2a and 2b are placed on the bottom plate of the lower half 1b, and their lower ends are positioned by being provided on the bottom plate or fitting into a single fitting hole. 4 is a presser spring for the pair of tape reels 2a and 2b. As shown in FIG. 1, a front opening 5 is provided on the front surface of the case main body 1, spanning approximately the entire width of the tape.
The bottom plate of the lower half 1b has a bottom opening that is continuous with the front opening 5 (the tape loading member of the recording/reproducing device J enters into the pocket formed by the front opening 5 and the bottom opening and loads the tape 3 into the tape cassette). A) is provided. A front wall is integrally formed on the bottom plate of the lower half 1b along the edge of the bottom opening, and this front wall allows the inside of the case main body l to be spaced between the bottom opening side and both tape reels 2a and 2b. It is divided by. A pair of tape guides 6 are installed at both left and right ends of the front wall.
a, 6b are integrally formed on the bottom plate of the lower half 1b, and the tape 3 is attached to both tape guides 6a, 6b.
You will be guided through the entrance gates, and the gates will be passed along the front entrance. The front frontage 5 is covered by a front lid 7 formed in a substantially U-shape. That is, this front lid 7 is attached to the case main body 1.
polypropylene, which has a front plate 7a that closes the front surface of the front plate 7a, a connecting piece 7b extending rearward from both left and right ends of the front plate 7a, and a rotating shaft 7c protruding from the inner surface of the reconnecting piece 7b in an opposing manner; It is a molded product made of synthetic resin such as ABSSPS, and the left and right connecting pieces 7b are fitted into the front end recesses 8a, 8b of the left and right side walls of the case main body l, and the rotation shaft 7c is connected to the recesses 8a, 8b. They are respectively fitted and pivotally supported in rotation holes provided in 8b. The front lid 7 is rotatable around this rotation axis 7C between a posture in which the front surface of the case body l is closed and an upwardly opened posture.
It is rotated and biased to the normally closed position by a snap finger means such as a torsion spring 9 (not shown) attached to the body. It should be noted that any mechanism may be used as the closing biasing mechanism of the front M7. At the location where the pocket exists, a dust cover is pivotally connected to the inside of the front lid 7 via a shaft, and this dust cover protects the inner side including the lower side of the tape 3 when the tape cassette A is not in use. And seal the top of the pocket's Sekiguchi,
Dust is prevented from entering from the upper and lower opening surfaces of the pocket and adhering to the tape 3. This dust cover has left and right sides facing the pocket (these sides are attached to the tape guides 6a and 6).
connected to the cam groove provided in
As the front M7 is opened, the dust cover also moves upward together with the front lid 7 without interfering with the tape 3 at all. That is, dust cover mounting pieces are integrally hung from the upper end side of the front plate 7a at locations near both left and right ends of the front plate 7a of the front lid 7, and dust cover mounting pieces are attached to both left and right ends of the upper and lower intermediate portions of the dust cover. The protruding shaft is pivotably supported. Pin-shaped cam followers are protruded from the left and right sides near the lower end of the dust cover, and these cam followers are engaged and connected to the cam grooves, respectively. 10 is a locking member, and as shown in FIG. 2, this locking member 10 includes an arm portion 11, a front leg portion 14 connected to the arm portion 11, and having a lock claw 12 and a release end 13; A rear leg portion 16 is connected to the arm portion 11 and includes a locking claw 15 that locks to the case body (the arm portion 11, the front leg portion 14 and the rear leg portion 16 that are connected to the arm portion 11) (formed, for example, in a substantially U-shape) and a fixing part 17 that is fixed to the case body hanging from the arm part 11. Note that this locking member 1O is constructed by molding means using a suitable elastic plastic material. 18a and 18b are between the front leg portion 14 and the fixed portion 17;
and a coil spring disposed between the rear leg portion 16 and the fixing portion 17. In addition, these coil springs 1
The proximal ends of the coil springs 18a and 18b are attached to the fixed part 17, and the tips of the coil springs 18a and 18b are in contact with the front leg 14 and the rear leg 16 (front leg 1
4 and the rear leg portion 16 (to the extent that it is in slight elastic contact with the rear leg portion 16). Also, in order to prevent the tips of the coil springs 18a, 18b from coming off the front legs 14 and rear legs 16, the recesses into which the tips of the coil springs 18a, 18b are fitted are located in the front legs 14 and rear legs 16. 16 is advantageous. In the tape cassette A configured as described above, the front lid 7 is closed when not in use, and covers and protects the outer front surface of the tape 3.
When loaded into the recording and reproducing device, the front lid 7 opens and a tape loading member (not shown) on the recording and reproducing device side is inserted into the tape loading member (not shown) that is formed in the left and right center of the front edge of the case body 1. Z) rushes in and pulls Qi 13 to the front of the tape cassette. That is, when the tape cassette A is loaded into the recording/playback device, the lock release member (not shown) on the side of the recording/playback device enters and resists the projecting force of the front leg portion 14 of the opening/socket member 10. When the lock release member reaches the release end 13 of the lock member 10
is displaced in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
is removed from the locked part of the front cover 7, and the front cover 7 is placed in a state where it can be opened.The front cover 7 is opened as shown in FIG. It opens by rotating clockwise, and a tape loading member (not shown) on the recording/reproducing device side enters a pocket formed in the left and right center of the front edge of the case body 1. Tape 3 is now pulled out to the front of the tape cassette. In the tape cassette A having the above structure, the fixing part 17 hanging from the arm part 11 of the locking member 10 is dropped into the rectangular recesses 20a and 20b formed in the standing walls 19a and 19b of the lower half 1b. The assembly work of the locking mechanism of the front cover 7 is completed by simply combining the upper halves 1a, and the workability is extremely high.As can be understood from the mounting structure of this locking member, the locking member 10 is It does not rotate like the locking member of the previous tape cassettes. Although the lock member 10 is repeatedly deformed as the front lid 7 is opened and closed, the posture of the front leg portion 14 is reinforced by coil springs 18a and 18b, and the lock member 10 is made of plastic. Even if the tape cassette is used, it is very durable and is not easily damaged, which increases the durability of the tape cassette. Further, the locking member 10 is easily obtained and its manufacturing cost is not high. Furthermore, the locking member lO has a fixed part 17 and a lower case lO.
The front part of the locking member 10 is regulated by the recesses 20a and 20b of b, and by the locking pawl 15 and the locked part 21 of the case body part l (lower case lb). Even if the leg portion 14 is bent or deformed, it is firmly held and does not waver, and the reliability of the locking operation of the locking member IO is high.

【effect】

The tape cassette according to the present invention includes a case body, a rotatable front lid attached to the case body, and a rotatable front lid that is fixed to the case body and moves in the thickness direction of the case body. A tape cassette is provided with a locking member for locking the front lid closed, the locking member including a fixing part fixed to the case body, a locking arm part having a locking claw, and a locking member for locking the front lid. Since it is equipped with a coil spring disposed between the fixing part and the lock arm part, the work efficiency of assembling the locking mechanism of the front cover is extremely high, and the lock arm part is repeatedly operated as the front cover is opened and closed. Even though the tape cassette is made of plastic material, which is more susceptible to plastic deformation than metal materials, it is highly durable and less likely to cause injury. Moreover, the locking member is easily obtained, the manufacturing cost is low, and the reliability of the locking operation of the locking member is high.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show one embodiment of the tape cassette according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the locking member of the front lid, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the case main body portion in which the locking member is disposed. A...Tape cassette, l...Case body, 1a
... Upper half, lb... Lower half, 2a... Supply side reel, 2b... Take-up side reel, 3... Magnetic tape, 4... Presser spring, 5... Front opening , 6a, 6b
...Tape guide, 7...Front cover, 7a...Front plate, 7b...Connecting piece, 7c...Rotating shaft, 8a, 8b.
... recessed part, 10... lock member, 11... arm part,
12...Lock claw, 13...Release end, 14...Front leg portion, 15...Latching claw, 16...Rear leg portion, 17
... Fixed part, 18a, 18b... Coil spring, 19a, 19b - standing wall, 20a, 20b... Recessed part, 21... Locked part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A case body, a rotary opening/closing front lid attached to the case body, and a front lid closing lock that is fixed to the case body and operates in the thickness direction of the case body. The tape cassette is equipped with a locking member for performing the above-mentioned operation, and the locking member includes a fixing part fixed to the case main body, a lock arm part having a locking claw, and a locking part that is connected to the fixing part and the lock arm part. A tape cassette characterized by comprising a coil spring disposed between the tape cassettes.