JPS6316817B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a tape cartridge having a front cover for protecting the tape on the front of the main body case, and an object thereof is to enable smooth and reliable release of the closing lock of the front cover. Main focus.

The video tape cartridge shown in the drawing has a front cover 10 for protecting the tape on the front of the main case 1, and when not in use, the front cover 10 is locked in a closed position and the tape can be taken out to the front of the case. Cover and protect the outside of 2. A gap 20 is formed between the left and right side walls 15 of the main body case 1 and the left and right side pieces 12 of the front cover 10 opposing thereto. When the tape cartridge is loaded into the magnetic recording device, the lock release member 27 on the magnetic recording device side is relatively introduced into the gap 20 from the front of the main body case 1 and comes into contact with the locking means. This abutting action releases the front lid 10 from the closed lid lock state.

The problem here is the gap 20. This gap 20 is formed at a narrow place between the side wall 15 of the main body case 1 and the side piece 12 of the front cover 10, and is so narrow that it is difficult for the lock release member 27 to enter. In particular, if the tape cartridge is loaded with even a slight lateral deviation toward the magnetic recording device, the lock release member 27 may not smoothly enter the gap 20, which tends to occur. Such situations occur more frequently as the width of the gap 20 becomes narrower as tape cartridges become smaller.

The present invention has focused on this fact, and aims to improve the form of the gap 20 into which the lock release member 27 is inserted, and to facilitate the introduction of the lock release member 27 and ensure the reliability of the lock release operation.

The details will be explained below based on the videotape cartridge shown in the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, 1 is a main body case. The main body case 1 is made by screwing together upper and lower plastic cases 1a and 1b with their lids mating.
Tape reel 3 on which tape 2 is wound inside left and right,
It has 3. Tape reels 3 and 3 are main body case 1
The left and right drive shaft insertion holes 5, 5 are transparently provided in the bottom wall 4 of the
The center of rotation is biased downward by a plate spring 7 fixed to the inner surface of the upper wall 6 of the main body case 1, and when the main body case 1 is loaded into the magnetic recording device, the drive shaft on the magnetic recording device side is fitted into the hub hole 8 of each tape reel 3 through each insertion hole 5, 5. There are tape guide members 9 on the front left and right inside the main body case 1,
9, and when not in use, the tape 2 led out to the front of the case is wound between both guide members 9, 9.

A tape protective front cover 10 for closing the front of the main body case 1 is pivotally attached to the main body case 1 so that it can be opened and closed.

The front lid 10 includes a front plate 11 that closes the front surface of the main body case 1 between the left and right sides, and side pieces 12, 12 extending rearward from both left and right ends of the front plate 11.
It is a plastic molded product having pivot shafts 13, 13 protruding from the inner surfaces of both side pieces 12, 12 in an opposed manner. 16, 16, and the pivots 13, 13 are fitted and pivoted in the pivot holes on the side walls of the case, and the front surface of the main body case 1 is placed around the pivots 13 in a closed position and an upwardly opened position. It is rotatable and is biased to the closed position by a torsion spring 17 attached to a pivot shaft 13 on the left side in the figure.

When the tape cartridge is not in use, the front lid 10 is closed and covers and protects the outer front surface of the tape 2. When the tape cartridge is loaded into the magnetic recording device, the front lid 10 opens and the front of the main body case 1 is closed. A tape loading pin on the magnetic recording device side enters a pocket 19 formed in a concave manner to pull out the tape 2 to the front of the case.

A notch 29 is formed in the front plate 11 of the front lid 10 at the lower end near the left end. On the other hand, a gap 20 is formed between the recessed outer surface part 16 at the front end of the left side wall 15 of the main body case 1 and the left side piece 12 of the front cover 10 so as to face the notch part 29, and the inner part of this gap 20 is A means for locking the front cover 10 in the closed position when the tape cartridge is not in use is assembled on the side.

4 and 5 illustrate this closing locking means, in which the gap 20 is formed to be wide at the front end side and narrow at the inner rear side, and in the illustrated example, the gap 20 is formed with a concave outer surface 1.
6 is inclined toward the inside of the case as it goes forward in a plan view, and the gap 20 is formed in a shape that gradually widens forward and is narrower on the inner back side. A locking tool 21 for locking the front lid 10 in the closed position is incorporated in this gap 20.

The illustrated locking tool 21 has a horizontal pivot 22 protruding from its front and rear center portions.
2 is press-fitted into a bearing hole 23 provided in the recessed outer surface portion 16 in a manner that prevents it from coming off, and the distal end engaging portion 24 of the locking tool 21 swings up and down using the pivot shaft 22 as a fulcrum. On the inside of the front plate 11 of the front lid 10, there is an L-shaped engaged portion 26 at a position facing the gap 20 near the left end.
is provided to protrude downward, and one end of the spring 17 comes into contact with the rear end side of the locking tool 21, causing the locking tool 21 to be engaged by its distal end engaging portion 24 with the engaged portion 26 from below. It is pressed and biased to do so. and,
A pressed part 30 extends downward from the rear end of the locking tool 21, and the pressed part 30 is disposed at the innermost side of the narrow gap 20.

In such a case, the tip engaging portion 24 of the locking tool 21 always engages the engaged portion 26 of the front lid 10 which is in the closed position when the tape cartridge is not in use, and the front lid 10 opens upward around the pivot 13. prevent rotation. A lock release member 2 on the magnetic recording device side that also serves to prevent erroneous loading only when the tape cartridge is pushed into the magnetic recording device in the correct position and loaded.
7 is relatively guided from the front, enters the gap 20 through the notch 29 of the front plate 11, and presses the pressed portion 30 of the locking tool 21. Now locking tool 2
1 is pushed downward against the spring 17 and detached from the engaged portion 26, and the front lid 10
The closed lid lock state is released.

Note that when the tape cartridge is pushed into the magnetic recording device in the wrong orientation, such as front and back or upside down, the lock release member 27 does not fit into the notch 29, so the lock release member 27 does not fit into the tape cartridge. This prevents incorrect loading of the tape cartridge by contacting and interfering with other parts of the cartridge.

Furthermore, the inner surface 16a of the recessed outer surface portion 16 at the front end of the left side wall 15 is inclined toward the inside of the case as it goes forward in plan view, and tape slack may occur inside the left tape guide member 9. When the tape 2 comes into contact with the inner surface 16a, the tape 2 is actively drawn inward to the case, and the tape 2
prevents it from coming loose toward the front of the case.

As explained above, in the tape cartridge of the present invention, the side wall 15 of the main body case 1 into which the locking tool 21 of the front cover 10 is assembled and the side piece 1 of the front cover 10 are attached.
The gap 20 between the two is formed so that the front end side is wide and the inner back side is narrow. Therefore, even if the tape cartridge is loaded with a misalignment in the horizontal direction with respect to the magnetic recording device, the lock release member 27 on the magnetic recording device side can be inserted into the gap 20 through the notch 29 of the front cover 10. The lock release member 27 enters smoothly from the wide front end without bumping into the gap 20, and once it enters the gap 20, it is guided to the narrow inner narrow part of the gap 20, so that the lock release member 27 enters the gap 20 smoothly. The locking tool 21 located at the front lid 10 can surely come into contact with the pressed part 30 without any displacement, and the unlocking operation of the locking means of the front cover 10 can be made trouble-free and reliable.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the tape cartridge according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overall appearance;
Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway longitudinal side view, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the internal structure, Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the front cover closing locking means, and Fig. 5 is the - line in Fig. 4. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Main body case, 2... Tape, 3... Tape reel, 10... Front lid, 11... Front plate of front lid, 12... Side piece of front lid, 15... Side wall of main body case, 16 ... Concave outer surface of the front end of the side wall of the main body case, 17 ... Spring, 20 ... Gap, 21 ... Locking tool, 22 ... Pivot of locking tool, 24 ... Engaging part of locking tool, 26 ... Engaged portion of front lid, 27...
... Lock release member, 29 ... Notch in front lid, 30
...The pressed part of the locking tool.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Front lid 1 that closes the front of this to the main case 1
The front lid 10 has a notch 29 at the lower front end thereof, and the side wall 15 of the main body case 1
and the side piece 12 of the front lid 10 facing this,
It has a gap 20 facing the notch 29, and this gap 2
0, a locking tool 21 for locking the front lid 10 in the closed position is incorporated, and the gap 20 is wide on the front end side and narrow on the inner back side where the pressed part 30 of the locking tool 21 is located. A tape cartridge featuring: