JPH0532834B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape cassette, and particularly to a tape cassette with a lid that can be constructed easily and inexpensively and can be used on both sides A and B.

Conventional configurations and their problems In recent years, magnetic recording using tape cassettes has been trending toward higher performance and higher recording density, and to prevent dirt, dust, and fingerprints from getting on the tape, tape cassettes with lids have been developed. The need for this has increased.

Providing a lid on this tape cassette has already been implemented for video tape cassettes, but these tape cassettes are used only on one side, and because the lid occupies a large amount of space when the lid is opened, so-called dead space, it is not suitable for audio applications. could not be used as is. For acoustic applications, a device with a simpler structure and lower cost is desired.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a tape cassette with a lid that has an extremely simple structure and can be used on both sides A and B.

Structure of the Invention The present invention includes a cassette body having an opening on one side with an upper and lower ridge, a U-shaped lid that opens and closes the opening by rotating the opening in the vertical direction, and a U-shaped lid provided on the side surface of the U-shaped lid. One rotating support shaft on each left and right, and one fitting on each left and right having a substantially V-shaped guide wall surface tapering toward the rear and provided on the cassette body so as to be able to fit with the rotating support shaft. The device has a hole and a vertically symmetrical biasing means that is located in front of the pivot shaft and urges the pivot shaft toward the rear of the cassette body. In addition to opening and closing with a good click feeling, the energizing means is located at the front and does not take up much space, making it easy to provide a storage space for tape or a means for locking the lid, and can be used on both sides. This makes it possible to realize a tape cassette with a lid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a side view showing a closed state of a cassette with a lid according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the opened state. In Figures 1 and 2,
1 is the upper half of the cassette, 2 is the lower half of the cassette,
3 is an opening in the front of the cassette, 4 is a lid, 5 is a pivot shaft for the lid 4, and 6 is a fitting hole for the lid pivot shaft 5. It is formed with a substantially V-shaped guide wall surface that tapers toward the end. 7 is held by a leaf spring between the inner surface of the front wall of the lower cassette half 2 and a rib, and its free end always urges the pivot shaft 5 from the front toward the rear of the cassette body. FIG. 3 is a top view showing the inside of the cassette where reel-to-reel tape is stored. 8 and 9 are tape winding layer parts, and 10 is a tape.

The operation of the tape cassette with lid of this embodiment constructed as above will be explained. First, to open the lid 4 of the cassette in the closed state shown in FIG. 1, the front lower edge of the lid 4 is pushed upward. Since the lid 4 is urged backward by the spring 7, the lid 4 rotates as it rises while sliding on the upper ridge of the front surface of the cassette opening, and the leaf spring 7 is deformed to the maximum and rises by more than half. Then, using the stored spring force, it slides on the upper ridge of the front surface of the opening, quickly rotates clockwise, and fits tightly against the upper surface of the cassette.
To close it, move the cassette lid 4, which is in the state shown in Figure 2, forward along the top surface of the upper cassette half 1, and it will move in the opposite direction to the previous movement to close the opening and fit, as shown in Figure 1. The state will be as follows. Although the lid can be opened downward, when actually used in a device, the cassette itself is often turned over and attached to either side A or B, so it opens in one direction, for example upward, inside the device. In order to open the lid 4 vertically in this manner, the springs 7 are formed vertically symmetrically, thereby balancing the opening/closing forces in both the vertical directions and allowing the cassette to be used both inside and out. The rightmost position of the fitting hole 6 is the rotation support shaft 5
In order to regulate the opening and closing positions of the cassette, the front edge of the cassette is set equal to half of the total thickness of the cassette, and the position of the lid rotation support shaft 5 is set equal to half of the total thickness of the cassette from the inside of the lid. It always maintains a fixed position due to the action of the spring 7, and during the opening/closing operation, it moves along one side of the V-shaped guide wall depending on the opening direction of the lid 4.

In addition, since the fitting hole 6 is formed with a substantially V-shaped guide wall surface, the rotation support shaft 5
moves forward at the same time in the vertical direction, so the inner surface of the lid 4 and the upper and lower edges of the upper cassette half 1 and the lower cassette half 2 do not need to be processed, such as undercutting or chamfering. Moreover, the lid 4 can be opened and closed stably without lowering the strength of the lower cassette half 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing the main parts of the lid-attached tape cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a lid locking mechanism is configured to prevent the lid from being opened or closed by mistake, and shows the lid in the closed state. This shows that. FIG. 5 is a side view of the assembled state.

7 is a leaf spring, and 12 is a rib for holding the leaf spring 7, which is integrally formed with the lower half 2 of the cassette. 13
14 is a lid locking member, 14 is a pressing part for unlocking, 15 is a locking protrusion, 16 is a locking protrusion engagement hole provided behind the pivot shaft on the inner surface of both left and right sides of the lid, 17 is a cassette lower half left and right A rib 18 for holding the lid locking member 13 provided on the inner surface is a protrusion provided on the lid locking member 13.
7 to prevent movement in the front-back direction. Reference numeral 23 denotes a through hole provided in the lid locking member 13, which is used for optical detection of the end of the tape, etc. 24 is a reference hole/tape end detection light receiving member insertion hole, and 25 is a pin installed in the lower half 2 of the cassette for preloading and attaching the leaf spring 7. In addition, the 6th
The figure is a front view of the lid locking member 13, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the same.

The operation of the tape cassette with lid constructed as above will be explained below. The figure shows the lid 4 in the closed state, and it is necessary to release the lid lock before opening the lid 4 upward or downward. That is, the locking projection 1 is pressed by pressing the locking release pressing part 14.
5 and the engagement hole 16 may be released. The engaging member 13 is made of resin or the like, and returns to its original state when the pressure is released due to its own elasticity. Furthermore, when the lid 4 is in the open state, the engagement hole 16 and the locking protrusion 15 are in different positions, so even if the pressing force against the locking member 13 is removed, the lid 4 remains in the open position due to the force of the leaf spring 7. held by. When the lid 4 is brought to the closed position from this state, the locking protrusion 15 engages with the engagement hole 16 again.
The lid is locked and held. Therefore, the lid 4 will not be opened by mistake unless the lock release pressing part 14 is pressed.

When assembling, insert the leaf spring 7 into the lower half 2 of the cassette and generate a spring force in advance using the pin 25. By using a spring with a low spring constant, a relatively large force can be obtained, and it is possible to obtain a relatively large force during operation. This improves the feel of the lid 4 and makes it easier to assemble the lid 4. Similarly, the locking member 13 can be attached simply by inserting it into the groove formed by the rib 17 provided on the lower half 2 of the cassette. From this state, the tape cassette is completed by attaching the lid 4 and attaching the upper half 1 of the cassette.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the rear biasing means,
This shows a part made of an elastic body made of rubber or sponge-like material. In FIG. 8, 26 is an elastic body, and 27 is a rib implanted in the lower half 2 of the cassette for the purpose of holding and positioning the elastic body 26. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the elastic body 26, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the elastic body having a pipe-like shape. Various other shapes can be considered for the shape of the elastic body. According to this embodiment, it is sufficient to simply hold the elastic block 26 in a predetermined position and assemble the lid 4, which greatly improves work efficiency and reduces component costs.

Note that if the lid locking member 13 is made of a transparent material, there is no need to take the trouble to provide a hole 23 for transmitting light.
This is extremely preferable in terms of dust prevention.

Effects of the Invention The present invention includes a cassette body having an opening on one side with an upper and lower ridge, a U-shaped lid that opens and closes the opening by rotating the opening in the vertical direction, and a U-shaped lid provided on the side surface of the U-shaped lid. One rotating support shaft on each left and right, and one fitting on each left and right having a substantially V-shaped guide wall surface tapering toward the rear and provided on the cassette body so as to be able to fit with the rotating support shaft. Since it has a hole and biasing means located in front of the pivot shaft and formed vertically symmetrically for biasing the pivot shaft toward the rear of the cassette body, the space inside the cassette can be effectively utilized. By using it, you can store a large amount of tape without increasing the size of the cassette.
It is possible to realize a cassette with a lid that can be opened and closed with a crisp click feeling without imbalance in operating force due to the vertical movement direction of the lid.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a closed state of a cassette with a lid according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side view showing its open state, Fig. 3 is a top view showing the inside thereof, and Fig. 4 is a main body. A top view showing the main parts of the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a side view of the assembled state, FIG. 6 is a front view of the lid locking member,
Fig. 7 is a side view thereof, Fig. 8 is a top view showing the main parts of yet another embodiment, Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the elastic body, and Fig. 10 is another embodiment of the elastic body. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Upper cassette half, 2... Lower cassette half, 4... Lid, 5... Rotating shaft, 6... Fitting hole, 7... Leaf spring, 13... Lid locking member, 15...
...Latching protrusion, 26...Elastic body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cassette body 1 having an opening 3 on one side with an upper and lower ridge, a U-shaped lid 4 that opens and closes the opening 3 by rotating it in the vertical direction, and a U-shaped lid 4 that opens and closes the opening 3 by rotating the opening 3 vertically. One pivot shaft 5 on each side of the left and right pivot shafts 5 is provided on the side surface of the lid 4, and a roughly V-shaped shaft tapered toward the rear is provided on the cassette body 1 so as to be able to fit with the pivot shafts 5. One fitting hole 6 on each left and right having a guide wall surface, and a vertically symmetrically formed fitting hole 6 located in front of the rotation support shaft 5 and urging the rotation support shaft 5 toward the rear of the cassette body 1. A tape cassette with a lid, characterized in that it is comprised of a pressure means 7. 2. A tape cassette with a lid according to claim 1, wherein the urging means 7 is constituted by a leaf spring 7 held inside the front wall of the cassette. 3. A tape cassette with a lid according to claim 1, characterized in that the biasing means are formed of male bodies 26, 28 made of soft rubber or sponge-like material. 4. A lid locking member 13 located behind the pivot shaft 5 and held on both left and right inner walls of the cassette, a locking protrusion 15 provided on the lid locking member 13, and a lock release pressing portion 14. , Claim 1 is characterized in that it has a lid closed position locking means comprising a locking protrusion engaging hole 16 provided at the rear of the pivot shaft 5 of the lid 4 when the lid is closed. A tape cassette with a lid. 5. A tape cassette with a lid according to claim 4, characterized in that a hole 23 for light transmission is provided at an arbitrary position of the lid locking member 13. 6. A tape cassette with a lid according to claim 4, wherein the lid locking member 13 is made of a transparent material.