Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-01
2004-04-06
Letscher, George J. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06717767
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic tape device, and more particularly to a magnetic tape device in which the reference position of a tape cassette is restricted by pressing the tape cassette against seats.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 12
to
17
illustratively show main portions of a magnetic tape device of this kind. The magnetic tape device includes seats
21
,
22
, and
23
which are shown in
FIG. 16
or
17
, and which are defined in the same level, at plural places of a metal chassis
10
having lateral side plates
11
. Among the seats, the two illustrated seats
21
and
23
are formed by the upper end faces of raised pieces
13
and
14
which are formed by raising portions of the chassis
10
, respectively, and the other seat
22
is formed by the upper end face of a column
15
which is made of a synthetic resin, and which is attached to the chassis
10
. The two seats
21
and
22
, which are laterally aligned, are provided with guide pins
24
and
25
having tapered top end, respectively.
As shown in
FIG. 12
, a cassette table
30
is attached between the lateral side plates
11
of the chassis
10
. The cassette table
30
includes a support plate
31
which is configured by a laterally extending metal plate member, lateral side walls
32
which are fixed to lateral ends of the support plate
31
respectively, and cassette pressers
33
which are disposed integrally with upper end portions of the side walls
32
respectively. As shown in
FIGS. 14 and 15
, a spring plate
34
is attached to one of the cassette pressers
33
, and a stopper
37
is disposed on one of the side walls
32
. The other cassette presser
33
and the other side wall
32
are configured in the same manner as described above. As shown in
FIG. 12
, a projection
35
and a guide pin
36
are outwardly projected from each of the lateral side walls
32
. The projections
35
and the guide pins
36
are slidably fitted into cam grooves
16
and
17
which are symmetrically formed in the lateral side walls
32
, and which are indicated by the phantom lines in
FIG. 13
, respectively. A reciprocation path A
1
which longitudinally elongates, and a lift path A
2
which vertically elongates are formed by each of the cam grooves
16
into which the projections
35
are fitted. The cam grooves
17
into which the guide pins
36
are fitted are configured in the same manner.
As shown in
FIG. 12
, table driving levers
40
are placed inside the lateral side plates
11
, respectively. The swinging operations of the table driving levers
40
are synchronized with each other by a synchronization shaft
41
, and the table driving levers can be swung about the axis P which is indicated by the dashed line in FIG.
12
. As can be seen also from FIG.
13
showing one of the table driving levers
40
, the basal portion of the table driving lever
40
is attached to the lateral side plate
11
of the chassis
10
via a support shaft
42
. The axis of the support shaft
42
is brought into line with the above-mentioned axis P. A groove
43
into which the projection
35
is fitted is formed in the table driving lever
40
. A spring member
44
configured by a torsion coil spring which presses the projection
35
against a groove wall
43
a
of the groove
43
is attached to the table driving lever. The table driving lever
40
is swung in longitudinal and vertical directions about the axis P by a driving source which is not shown.
In the thus configured conventional magnetic tape device, the cassette table
30
is moved in a cassette traveling path which elongates between a cassette insertion position and a cassette delivery position which is below the cassette insertion position. As shown in
FIG. 13
, the cassette traveling path A is formed by the reciprocation path A
1
and the lift path A
2
.
When the cassette table
30
is located at the cassette insertion position, the projections
35
are located in the reciprocation paths A
1
as indicated by the solid line in
FIG. 13. A
box-like tape cassette
100
is inserted on the cassette table
30
which is waiting at the cassette insertion position. After the tape cassette
100
is inserted on the cassette table
30
, as shown in
FIG. 14
, the tape cassette
100
is placed on the support plate
31
and abuts against the stoppers
37
, and is elastically pressed against the support plate
31
by the spring force of the spring plate
34
. Therefore, the tape cassette
100
is positioned to a predetermined position of the cassette table
30
.
When the table driving levers
40
are backwardly swung from this state as indicated by the arrow R in
FIG. 13
, the projections
35
which are pressed against the groove walls
43
a
by the spring members
44
are backwardly moved in the reciprocation paths A
1
in accordance with the backward swinging of the table driving levers
40
. Thereafter, the table driving levers
40
are downwardly swung, so that the projections
35
which are pressed against the groove walls
43
a
by the spring members
44
enter the lift paths A
2
from the reciprocation paths A
1
and then go down in the lift paths A
2
. Therefore, the cassette table
30
is moved together with the projections
35
along the reciprocation paths A
1
and the lift paths A
2
. When the projections
35
are pressed down in the lift paths A
2
by such an operation of the table driving levers
40
, the cassette table
30
also is lowered together with the projections
35
. On the way of the lowering of the cassette table
30
, as shown in
FIG. 17
, positioning holes
110
formed in the tape cassette
100
placed on the support plate
31
are fitted onto the guide pins
24
and
25
respectively, and the tape cassette
100
sits on the seats
21
and
22
, and also on the seat
23
shown in FIG.
16
.
After the tape cassette
100
sits on the seats
21
,
22
, and
23
, the table driving levers
40
are slightly downwardly swung. By the swinging of the table driving levers
40
in this stage, the cassette table
30
is lowered in accordance with the pressing down operation of the projections
35
, and the cassette pressers
33
abut against the upper face of the tape cassette
100
as shown in FIG.
15
. After the cassette pressers
33
abut against the upper face of the tape cassette
100
in this way, the spring members
44
which are engaged with the projections
35
are deformed against their elasticity, whereby the table driving levers
40
are allowed to swing (the arrow R
1
) until the levers reach their limit positions. In a state where the table driving levers
40
are fully swung to the limit positions, the cassette pressers
33
downwardly press the tape cassette
100
against the seats
21
,
22
, and
23
(see
FIGS. 16 and 17
) by a force corresponding to the reaction force to the elastic deformation of the spring members
44
as indicated by the arrow d in FIG.
15
. In this way, the tape cassette
100
is positioned to a reference position for tape loading, recording and reproduction, and the like.
JP-A-10-162459 (prior art example 1) discloses a magnetic tape device which is configured in a substantially similar manner as the above-described conventional magnetic tape device. JP-A-2-58755 (prior art example 2) discloses a cassette loading device including a spring plate which is of the same kind as the spring plate
34
used in the above-described conventional magnetic tape device.
In the conventional magnetic tape device described above, the spring plate
34
for positioning the tape cassette
100
with respect to the cassette table
30
, and the spring members
44
for pressing the tape cassette
100
sitting on the seats
21
,
22
, and
23
against the seats
21
,
22
, and
23
to position the cassette to the reference position are required. Moreover, steps of attaching these components are necessary. Therefore, there arises a problem in that the numbers of parts and assembly steps are correspondingly increased, so that the production cost is raised.
The above mentio
Funai Electric Co. Ltd.
Letscher George J.
Rosenthal & Osha L.L.P.
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