EP0090573A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tape cassette
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1983-03-21
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-03-21
Abstract
Abstract DDisclosed is a tape cassette having a front cover urged in the direction for covering, by pivoting, a tape stretched along the front surface of a cassette case, and a cover-locking piece adapted to pivot within a plane thicknesswise of the tape cassette while being urged in the direction for holding the pivoting of the front cover when it is not in use. The tape cassette is further provided with an optical path aperture formed in a side surface portion thereof in order to form an optical path through the tape stretched inside the tape cassette when it is in use. The tape cassette is improved in its assembling efficiency while preventing disengagement of urging springs thereof in assembly. Moreover, it is possible to obtain satisfactory functions of the front cover and the cover-locking piece while preventing foreign matter such as dust from entering the inside of the tape cassette by covering the optical path aperture when the tape cassette is not in use. Furthermore, the tape cassette can be made microminiature by permitting the required widthwise dimension thereof to be extremely small.
Inventors
- 👤 Satoshi Kikuya
- 👤 Seiko Minamide
- 👤 Narito Shibaike
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 05:05
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J1/00; H01J1/02; H01J1/13; H01J1/15; G; G11; G11B; G11B23/00; G11B23/02; G11B23/04; G11B23/08; G11B23/087; G11B23/08707; G11B23/08735
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
241 words
A tape cassette comprising: a cassette case constituted by upper and lower halves; a front cover pivotally supported at case side plate portions in the front part of said cassette case and adapted to be able to selectively take either of a first pivoting position at which said front cover covers a tape stretched along an opening formed in the front surface of said cassette case and a second pivoting position at which the tape is open; a first urging means for urging said front cover toward said first pivoting position; an optical path aperture opened in said case side plate portion facing a side plate portion of said front cover with a predetermined space interposed therebetween; a cover-locking piece pivotally supported by said cassette case in said space between said case side plate portion and said side plate portion of said front cover and adapted to pivot within a plane thicknesswise of said cassette case thereby to engage an engaging projection formed on said front cover for holding the pivoting of said front cover at said first pivoting position; and a second urging means for urging said cover-locking piece in the direction for engagement with said engaging projection formed on said front cover, wherein a shielding member for covering said optical path aperture is formed on at least either said front cover or said cover-locking piece at the position where said engaging projection and said cover-locking piece engage each other.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
241 words
A tape cassette comprising: a cassette case constituted by upper and lower halves; a front cover pivotally supported at case side plate portions in the front part of said cassette case and adapted to be able to selectively take either of a first pivoting position at which said front cover covers a tape stretched along an opening formed in the front surface of said cassette case and a second pivoting position at which the tape is open; a first urging means for urging said front cover toward said first pivoting position; an optical path aperture opened in said case side plate portion facing a side plate portion of said front cover with a predetermined space interposed therebetween; a cover-locking piece pivotally supported by said cassette case in said space between said case side plate portion and said side plate portion of said front cover and adapted to pivot within a plane thicknesswise of said cassette case thereby to engage an engaging projection formed on said front cover for holding the pivoting of said front cover at said first pivoting position; and a second urging means for urging said cover-locking piece in the direction for engagement with said engaging projection formed on said front cover, wherein a shielding member for covering said optical path aperture is formed on at least either said front cover or said cover-locking piece at the position where said engaging projection and said cover-locking piece engage each other.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of said engaging projection of said front cover constitutes the shielding member for covering said optical path aperture, whereby said optical path aperture is covered by at least the part of said engaging projeciton.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
59 words
A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member for covering said optical path aperture is formed by a part of said engaging projection of said front cover and a part of said cover-locking piece, whereby said optical path aperture is covered by both the part of said engaging projection and the part of said cover-locking piece.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of said cover-locking piece constitutes the shielding member for covering said optical path aperture, whereby said optical path aperture is covered by at least the part of said cover-locking piece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
89 words
A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein said first urging means and said second urging means are constituted by a single torsion coil spring having its coiled portion fitted on a pivot portion of said front cover and one end thereof engaged with said front cover while the other end thereof engaged with said cover-locking piece thereby to urge said front cover in the direction for covering said tape as well as to urge said cover-locking piece in the direction for holding the pivoting of said front cover.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
82 words
A tape cassette according to claim 5, wherein under the state where said front cover is separate form said cassette case, both ends of said torsion coil spring are retained by respective portions of said front cover, while under the state where said front cover is mounted on said cassette case, one end of said torsion coil spring maintains the engagement with said front cover but the other end is disengaged from said front cover and then engaged with said cover-locking piece.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
127 words
A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein under the state where said front cover is separate from said cassette case, said first urging means is fitted on the pivot portion of said front cover and both ends thereof are retained by a first projection and a second projection formed on said side plate portion of said front cover facing said case side plate portion, while under the state where said front cover is mounted on said cassette case, one end of said first urging means maintains the engagement with said second projection but the other end is disengaged from said first projection and then engaged with said cassette case directly or through said cover-locking piece thereby to urge said front cover toward said first pivoting position.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
A tape cassette according to claim 7, wherein said first projection is constituted by an engaging projection which engages said cover-locking piece and holds the pivoting of said front cover at said first pivoting position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
94 words
A tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein said cover-locking piece is able to be temporarily pivotally supported by either of said upper and lower halves at least before said upper and lower halves are assembled togehter, and said second urging means for said cover-locking piece is disposed on the other one of said upper and lower halves, whereby when said upper and lower halves are assembled together, one end of said second urging means engages one end of said cover-locking piece thereby to apply an urging force to said cover-locking piece to pivot.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
A tape cassette according to claim 9, wherein the one of said upper and lower halves on which said second urging means is disposed has a recess capable of receiving a part of said second urging means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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