JP2001110163A - Magnetic tape cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute excellent conveyance without a front lid receiving pushing and opening force by preventing the rear end step part of an inclined upper cassette from catching on the front lid of a lower cassette when conveying in an automatic cassette conveying device. SOLUTION: In a magnetic tape cassette 1 loaded on the automatic cassette conveying device 10 which houses a plurality of magnetic tape cassettes 1 and conveys them in order by a conveying mechanism, the front lid 5 which opens and closes a tape drawing opening is provided in the front surface part of a casing 2, and a slider 6 movable in the front and rear direction is provided in the lower surface side. The step part 42 of the rear end part of a recessed part 41 in the bottom surface of the casing 2 on which the slider 6 is slid is formed into an inclined surface or a curved surface.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a magnetic tape cassette suitable for being used in a cassette automatic conveying apparatus which accommodates a plurality of magnetic tape cassettes and sequentially conveys them by a conveying mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a magnetic tape cassette used in various recording / reproducing apparatuses, a hub in which a magnetic tape is wound on the left and right sides of a case is accommodated. An opening for drawing out a tape is formed on the front of the case. In some cases, a front lid that opens and closes an opening is swingably installed at the front of the case, and a slider that can move in the front-rear direction is provided on the lower surface of the case.

On the other hand, there is provided a cassette automatic transfer device for accommodating a plurality of magnetic tape cassettes inside or outside the recording / reproducing device and sequentially transferring the magnetic tape cassettes by a transfer mechanism. It is conceivable to provide them so that they can be supplied.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cassette automatic transfer device 10 is provided such that the magnetic tape cassette 1 is inserted into an upper portion of a frame 11 formed in a box shape as a whole and is sent out from a lower portion. Have been. In the case shown, seven magnetic tape cassettes 1 can be accommodated as a whole,
Two magnetic tape cassettes 1 can be placed on the upper guide member 12 formed in a rail shape on the side wall, and three magnetic tape cassettes 1 can be stored in the back storage section 13 in a stacked state. In addition, two magnetic tape cassettes 1 can be stored in the lower transport unit 14. Upper guide member 1
The magnetic tape cassette 1 inserted on the upper part 2 is moved to the inner storage part 13 by the next pressing of the magnetic tape cassette 1 and falls by its own weight, and is sequentially stacked. The lowermost magnetic tape cassette 1 of the section 13 is conveyed from the back to the near side in the direction of the arrow. The lower conveying section 14 is moved forward and sent out. In the lower transport path 14, the magnetic tape cassette 1 to be sent out is moved so that the rear part of the case 2 opposite to the front cover 5 is pushed forward with the front side in the transport direction. Further, on the upper wall 16 of the upper surface of the lower conveying section 14, there are provided a roller for positioning and stopping the magnetic tape cassette 1 to be sent out and a pressing engagement member 15 made of a leaf spring. The details of the transport mechanism and the opening of the frame body 11 in which the transport mechanism appears and disappear are omitted.

The basic structure of the magnetic tape cassette 1 is the same as that shown in FIG. 1, which will be described later, and the same structures are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0006]

However, when the magnetic tape cassettes 1 are loaded into the cassette automatic transporting apparatus 10 and transported sequentially, the lowermost storage section 13 of the back storage section 13 is moved in accordance with the transporting movement. When the magnetic tape cassette 1 is transported to the lower transport path 14 and the upper magnetic tape cassette 1 moves to the lowermost level, the step at the rear end of the lower surface of the magnetic tape cassette 1 moving downward moves to the lower transport path 14. The magnetic tape cassette 1 may be caught on the front cover 5 of the conveyed magnetic tape cassette 1 and hinder a stable transfer operation. In addition, the front cover 5 may be deformed to be pushed open by an excessive force and may be damaged. Have the problem of causing

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a front lid 5 for opening and closing an opening for pulling out a tape is swingably installed on the front surface of the case 2 of the magnetic tape cassette 1, and on the lower surface side of the case 2. A slider 6 movable in the front-rear direction is provided. The slider 6 slides on a concave portion 41 formed on the bottom surface of the case 2, and a step portion 42 is formed at a rear end of the concave portion 41. . Then, the cassette automatic transfer device 1
As the lower magnetic tape cassette 1 is conveyed in the horizontal direction from the state where the lower magnetic tape cassette 1 is stacked in the rear storage unit 13 at 0, the upper magnetic tape cassette 1 State, the rear end step 4
2 may be caught on the upper rear end of the front lid 5 of the lower magnetic tape cassette 1, and the front lid 5 may be pushed forward by the conveying force, and may be subjected to a pushing and opening force. Particularly, a gap 7 is provided between the front end of the upper surface of the case 2 and the upper rear end of the front lid 5.
(See FIG. 1), and the step 4
2 is hooked.

In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and the cassette is automatically transported so that the rear end of the inclined magnetic tape cassette does not catch on the front lid of the lower magnetic tape cassette. It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic tape cassette in which the front lid is not subjected to a pushing-open force when being transported in the apparatus.

[0009]

A magnetic tape cassette according to the present invention, which has solved the above-mentioned problems, is a magnetic tape cassette which is loaded in a cassette automatic carrying device which accommodates a plurality of magnetic tape cassettes and sequentially carries them by a carrying mechanism. A front cover for opening and closing an opening for pulling out a tape is provided on the front surface of the case so as to be swingable, and a slider movable in the front-rear direction is provided on a lower surface side of the case, and the slider is provided on a bottom surface of the case. Has a recess in which the rear end of the recess slides, and the step at the rear end of the recess is formed as a slope or a curved surface.

[0010]

According to the magnetic tape cassette of the present invention as described above, the step at the rear end of the concave portion on the bottom surface of the case in which the slider slides is formed by a slope or a curved surface, so that the upper magnetic tape is formed. Even when the cassette is inclined, the rear end of the cassette can be prevented from being caught on the front cover of the lower magnetic tape cassette, and deformation can be prevented without receiving a force that pushes and opens the front cover during transport. Good conveyance can be performed, and the magnetic tape cassette is not damaged.

As described above, at the time of transfer by the automatic cassette transfer device, there is a problem that the rear end step of the upper cassette is caught by the front lid of the lower cassette in an oblique state when the weight falls in the back storage section. Thus, a magnetic tape cassette suitable for use in an automatic cassette transfer apparatus was obtained.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an upper surface side of a magnetic tape cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower surface side of the cassette, and FIG. 3 omits an internal structure along line XX of FIG. FIG. Note that the front-back direction in this description corresponds to the loading direction A of the magnetic tape cassette 1.

The magnetic tape cassette 1 has a flat box-shaped case 2 in which an upper case 3 (upper half) and a lower case 4 (lower half) are connected to each other. It has a front lid 5 attached and a slider 6 slidably mounted on the lower surface side.

Although not shown, a magnetic tape is wound around the hubs on both sides and accommodated in the case 2, and a front portion and a front bottom portion of the case 2 are removed, and a tape for the recording / reproducing apparatus is removed. An opening for loading is formed. The front cover 5 for opening and closing the tape pull-out opening on the front surface of the case 2 is unlocked and opened and closed in response to the slider 6 moving backward with the loading of the recording / reproducing apparatus.

The slider 6 slidably installed on the lower surface of the lower case 4 includes a bottom wall 61 and a side wall 6.
2 and is mounted so as to slide in a concave portion 41 formed on the bottom surface and the side surface of the lower case 4. The slider 6 opens and closes the opening at the front of the bottom surface of the lower case 4 as the slider 6 advances and retreats along the loading direction A. In the slider 6, drive shaft insertion holes 63 are opened on both sides, and coincide with drive shaft insertion holes (not shown) opened in the lower case 4 when the slider 6 moves to the retracted position. Further, a lock mechanism 64 for locking the slider 6 between the open position and the closed position is installed, and the lock mechanism 64 is released with the loading of the recording / reproducing apparatus, and the slider 6 is moved rearward to open the bottom opening. Open and lock the open position in the retracted position.
A tape loading device is inserted into the opened front opening, the tape is pulled out forward, and the front cover 5 is opened to enable recording and reproduction.

In the magnetic tape cassette 1 as described above, the front lid 5 has a lid portion 51 for covering the front portion of the case 2 and side walls 52 extending at both ends thereof in the front-rear direction and connected to each other. The pivot portions 53 of the side walls 52 are rotatably supported on the side surface of the upper case 3. A gap 7 is formed between the upper rear end of the lid 51 and the upper end of the upper case 3.

On the other hand, at the rear end of the concave portion 41 on which the slider 6 slides on the bottom surface of the lower case 4, there is provided a step portion 42 having substantially the same height as the lower end position of the lid portion 51 of the front lid 5. The step 42 is formed by a slope that is obliquely connected to the bottom surface of the recess 41. This step 42
Is provided at a position that does not contact the rear end of the slider 6 that has moved to the open position.

The step portion 42 may be formed as a curved surface. The slope or curved surface of the step portion 42 may be formed over the entire bottom surface of the lower case 4 as shown in FIG. May be targeted.

An automatic cassette transfer device 1 as shown in FIG.
A concave portion 31 is formed in which the roller of the pressing / engaging member 15 for positioning at 0 engages.

According to the present embodiment, the rear end step 42 of the concave portion 41 on which the slider 6 on the bottom surface of the lower case 4 slides is formed with a slope or a curved surface.
The stepped portion 42 that is oblique on the gap 7 is hardly caught by the slope or the curved surface, and the stepped portion 42 smoothly moves from the upper surface of the upper case 3 to the upper surface of the front lid 5, and Even in the state in which the front tape storage unit 13 is slanted in the rear storage unit 13, the front lid 5 of the lower magnetic tape cassette 1 to be conveyed does not receive a force that pushes and opens it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a magnetic tape cassette according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower surface side of the magnetic tape cassette of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line XX of FIG. 2 with the internal structure omitted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the automatic cassette transfer device.

FIG. 5 is an essential part front view showing a state of transporting a conventional magnetic tape cassette in the automatic cassette transporter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Magnetic tape cassette 2 Case 3 Upper case 4 Lower case 5 Front lid 6 Slider 7 Gap 10 Cassette automatic conveyance device 13 Back storage part 14 Lower conveyance part 41 Depression 42 Step part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A magnetic tape cassette to be loaded into an automatic cassette transporter which accommodates a plurality of magnetic tape cassettes and sequentially transports them by a transport mechanism, wherein a front cover for opening and closing an opening for pulling out a tape is provided on a front surface of the case. A slider is provided so as to be swingable, and is movable on the lower surface side of the case in a front-rear direction. The lower surface of the case has a concave portion on which the slider slides, and a step at the rear end of the concave portion. A magnetic tape cassette, wherein the portion is formed with a slope or a curved surface.