Joints and connections – Member ends joined by inserted section
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-15
2002-04-02
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Joints and connections
Member ends joined by inserted section
C403S393000, C403S293000, C403S298000, C024S038000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364567
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of connecting respective end portions of two component carrier tapes to each other and to a connecting member and a connecting tool which are used in carrying out the connecting method.
2. Related Art Statement
There is known a component carrier tape which has a plurality of component accommodating pockets at a first pitch along a first straight line, and has a plurality of tape-feed holes at a second pitch along a second straight line parallel to the first straight line. Each of the component accommodating pockets accommodates an electric component (“EC”) therein. This carrier tape is fed at a feeding pitch equal to the first pitch, so that the ECs are supplied one by one from the accommodating pockets. The carrier tape which is wound around a tape reel or is stored in a tape storing member is drawn, starting with its initial portion, and is fed forward by a tape feeding device. When the carrier tape is consumed to its terminal end portion, an operator connects the terminal end portion of the consumed carrier tape to an initial end portion of a new carrier tape, so that the ECs are successively supplied from the new tape following the prior tape.
Conventionally, one or more adhesive tapes and/or a tape connecting chip have or has been used to connect two carrier tapes. In a first case where each of two carrier tapes is a paper-based tape which includes (A) a component accommodating tape consisting of (a
1
) a card-based main tape having a number of through-holes formed through the thickness thereof, and (a
2
) a bottom tape adhered to a back surface of the main tape, and (B) a top tape which is adhered to a top surface of the main tape to close respective upper openings of the through-holes, usually, the respective component accommodating tapes of the two carrier tapes are connected to each other with an adhesive tape, and respective top tapes of the two carrier tapes are connected to each other with another adhesive tape. Meanwhile, in a second case where each of two carrier tapes is an embossed-type tape which includes (A) a component accommodating tape which is provided by a synthetic-resin-based tape having a number of embossed portions in a lengthwise direction thereof, and (B) a top tape which is adhered to a top surface of the component accommodating tape to close respective upper openings of the embossed portions, usually, the respective accommodating tapes of the two carrier tapes are connected to each other with a metal chip as a tape connecting chip, and respective top tapes of the two carrier tapes are connected to each other with an adhesive tape. The metal chip is provided by an elongate metal plate having a plurality of tape-feed holes at a pitch equal to the pitch of the tape-feed holes of each carrier tape. The metal chip has a plurality of connecting holes each of which is formed by burring at a location between a corresponding pair of adjacent tape-feed holes and has a burr resulting from the burring. The operator connects the two accommodating tapes by pressing the chip against those tapes and thereby causing the burrs of the chip to bite into the tapes.
In the above-described first case, however, the two paper-based tapes may not be connected to each other with a sufficiently great connecting strength, or the respective end portions of the two tapes may be connected to each other such that one of the tape-feed holes of the connected end portions has an irregular pitch different from the regular pitch of each tape. That is, the two tapes cannot be connected to each other with a sufficiently high reliability. Meanwhile, in the above-described second case, the two embossed-type tapes can be connected to each other with a somewhat higher reliability. However, in a third case where two paper-based tapes are connected to each other using a metal chip, those two tapes cannot be connected to each other with a satisfactory reliability. Thus, the third case is not practical. The metal chip is needed to include a thin main portion which is elastically deformable with a carrier tape. Accordingly, it is difficult to form burrs each of which projects from the thin main portion so as to have a sufficient length or height. On the other hand, in the case where a metal chip having short burrs is caused to bite into the two paper-based tapes, the two tapes cannot be connected to each other with a sufficiently great strength.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide the art of connecting two tapes to each other with a satisfactory reliability irrespective of what sort of tapes they are.
The present invention provide a tape connecting method, a tape connecting member, and a tape connecting tool which have one or more of technical features which are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (18). Any technical feature which includes another technical feature shall do so by referring, at the beginning, to the parenthesized sequential number given to that technical feature. Thus, two or more of the following technical features may be combined, if appropriate. Each technical feature may be accompanied by a supplemental explanation, as needed.
(1) According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of connecting respective one end portions of a first carrier tape and a second carrier tape, to each other, each of the first and second carrier tapes having a plurality of component accommodating pockets at a first pitch along a first straight line, and having a plurality of tape-feed holes at a second pitch along a second straight line parallel to the first straight line, each of the component accommodating pockets accommodating an electric component therein, the method comprising the steps of: aligning a tape connecting member which includes (a) a flat main portion having a plurality of tape-feed holes at a third pitch equal to the second pitch, and (b) a plurality of caulking projections projecting from the flat main portion in a direction perpendicular thereto, with the respective one end portions of the first and second carrier tapes, such that at least one first hole of the tape-feed holes of the tape connecting member is aligned with at least one of the tape-feed holes of the first carrier tape and at least one second hole of the tape-feed holes of the tape connecting member is aligned with at least one of the tape-feed holes of the second carrier tape, causing at least one first projection of the caulking projections of the tape connecting member to penetrate through a thickness of the first carrier tape, and at least one second projection of the caulking projections to penetrate through a thickness of the second carrier tape, so that the flat main portion of the tape connecting member contacts one of opposite surfaces of the first carrier tape and one of opposite surfaces of the second carrier tape, and caulking respective portions of the first and second projections that penetrate out of the respective other surfaces of the first and second carrier tapes, so that the respective one end portions of the first and second carrier tapes are connected to each other. In the present method, the caulking projections of the tape connecting member penetrate through the two carrier tapes, so that the main portion of the connecting member contacts respective one surfaces of the two carrier tapes, and respective portions of the caulking projections that penetrate out of the respective other surfaces of the two tapes are caulked. Thus, the respective end portions of the two carrier tapes are connected to each other. Not only two embossed-type carrier tapes but also two paper-based carrier tapes can be connected to each other with a sufficiently high reliability. Each of the caulking projections can have so great a length or height that each caulking projection can penetrate though the thickness of each tape and a portion of the each projection that penetrates out of the other
Asai Koichi
Hyodo Yoshifusa
Ooe Kunio
Fuji Machine Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Garcia Ernest
Oliff & Berride PLC
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