Advancing material of indeterminate length – Threading device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2001-12-04
Mansen, Michael R. (Department: 3653)
Advancing material of indeterminate length
Threading device
C226S194000, C242S354000, C360S095000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325264
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to video cassette recorders (VCRs), and more particularly to a mechanism for drawing out the tape from a video cassette and pressing the tape against the outer peripheral surface of the capstan.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With reference to
FIG. 9
, VCRs have mounted on a chassis
1
a VCR cylinder
11
incorporating a rotary magnetic head (not shown), and a pair of reel supports
12
,
13
for drivingly rotating the two reels of a tape cassette
9
. The chassis
1
is further formed at opposite sides of the VCR cylinder
11
with a pair of guide slots
14
,
15
having slidably engaged therein a pair leading guides
16
,
17
for winding a magnetic tape
91
in the tape cassette
9
around the outer peripheral surface of the VCR cylinder
11
. A tape drawing-out lever
10
carrying a pin
10
a
for drawing out the magnetic tape
91
from the tape cassette
9
is supported at the right side of the VCR cylinder
11
so as to be pivotally movable between a tape drawing-out start position and a tape drawing-out completed position.
An unillustrated drive control mechanism drivingly advances the leading guides
16
,
17
and pivotally moves the tape drawing-out lever
10
from the start position indicated in solid lines to the completed position indicated in chain lines, whereby the magnetic tape
91
is positioned along a predetermined tape transport path extending around a capstan
18
.
A pinch roller mechanism (not shown) is thereafter operated, driving a pinch roller
19
toward the capstan
18
, whereby the magnetic tape is nipped between the capstan
18
and the pinch roller
19
. In this state, the tape is driven longitudinally thereof by the rotation of the capstan
18
.
FIG. 10
shows a conventional tape drawing-out mechanism. Disposed on the rear side of a chassis is a drive control plate
4
reciprocatingly drivable by a motor (not shown). A tape drawing-out lever
2
is supported at its base end on a first pivot
20
projecting from the chassis. A drive lever
3
is supported at its base end on a second pivot
30
on the chassis. The lever
2
has a free end carrying a tape drawing-out pin
21
projecting therefrom and a driven gear portion
22
formed at its base end. On the other hand, the drive lever
3
as a drive gear portion
31
formed at a free end thereof and always meshing with the driven gear portion
22
of the drawing-out lever
2
, and a cam follower
32
projecting downward from an intermediate portion thereof, extending through the chassis and engaged in a cam groove
41
in the drive control plate
4
.
The drive control plate
4
rotates counterclockwise in the tape drawing-out mechanism, thereby causing the cam groove
41
of the plate
4
to drive the cam follower
32
of the drive lever
3
and rotating the drive lever
3
clockwise. With this rotation, the drive gear portion
31
of the drive lever
3
drivingly rotates the driven gear portion
22
of the tape drawing-out lever
2
clockwise to turn the lever
2
from a tape drawing-out start position to the tape drawing-out completed position shown. Consequently the magnetic tape is drawn out from the tape cassette and caused to extend along a predetermined path.
With the tape drawn out as shown in
FIG. 10
, the tension on the magnetic tape exerts a force F acting on the drawing-out pin
21
to rotate the drawing-out lever
2
counterclockwise. This force F is received by the meshing engagement of the driven gear portion
22
of the lever
2
with the drive gear portion
31
of the drive lever
3
.
However, the driven gear portion
22
, which is formed at the base end of the drawing-out lever
2
, fails to effectively receive the force to result in the likelihood that the tape drawing-out pin
21
will move when the tape tension increases temporarily, for example, during fast forward transport of the tape. If the pin
21
moves, a problem such as loosening of the tape will arise.
The conventional VCR further has the problem of being composed of an increased number of parts because the drive member (drive control plate
4
) for driving the tape drawing-out lever
2
and the drive member for driving the pinch roller mechanism are separate members.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a video cassette recorder which is free of the likelihood of the tape drawing-out pin moving even in the event of great tension acting on the tape as drawn out and which is nevertheless reduced in the number of parts.
The present invention provides a video cassette recorder which comprises a tape drawing-out mechanism having a tape drawing-out lever
54
for drawing out a tape from a video cassette and positioning the tape along a predetermined tape transport path extending around a capstan
18
, and a pinch roller mechanism
8
having a pinch roller
19
for pressing the tape against an outer peripheral surface of the capstan
18
.
The video cassette recorder of the invention further comprises a drive member
6
drivingly rotatable by a motor, and a slide member
7
reciprocatingly drivable by the rotation of the drive member
6
, the slide member
7
being provided with a pushing portion for pushing a side face
55
of the tape drawing-out lever
54
in sliding contact therewith with a movement of the slide member
7
in one direction to rotate the lever
54
toward a tape drawing-out direction, the slide member
7
and the pinch roller mechanism
8
having engaged portions provided with a cam mechanism for driving the pinch roller
19
toward the capstan
18
with the movement of the slide member
7
.
With the video cassette recorder of the present invention, the tape drawing-out lever
54
is drivingly rotated by an advance of the slide member
7
. In this process, the pushing portion of the slide member
7
first comes into sliding contact with a base end portion of the side face
55
of the lever
54
and thereafter pushes the lever
54
in sliding contact with the side face
55
thereof with the advance of the slide member
7
to rotate the lever
54
. When the drawing-out lever
54
is rotated to a tape drawing-out completed position, the pushing portion of the slide member
7
retains the lever
54
bearing thereon at a portion of the lever side face
55
which portion is away from the lever base end and toward a lever free end. Accordingly, there is no likelihood that the lever
54
will rotate in a direction opposite to the tape drawing-out direction even if great tension acts on the tape.
The pinch roller
19
is driven toward the capstan
18
by a movement of the slide member
7
in the above-mentioned one direction subsequent to the movement thereof in this direction, whereby the tape is held between the capstan
18
and the pinch roller
19
.
Stated more specifically, the tape drawing-out lever
54
is biased by a spring in a direction opposite to the tape drawing-out direction. When the slide member
7
is retracted, therefore, the lever
54
is reversely rotated by the action of the spring to return to a tape drawing-out start position. The cam mechanism drives the pinch roller mechanism
8
axially of the capstan
18
to reciprocatingly move the pinch roller
19
between a standby position away from the capstan
18
and a position opposed to the capstan
18
.
In the recorder described specifically, the movement of the slide member
7
rotates the lever
54
to a tape drawing-out position, drawing out the tape from the tape cassette. The operation of the cam mechanism thereafter moves the pinch roller mechanism
8
from the standby position to the opposed position for the capstan
18
and the pinch roller
19
to hold the tape therebetween.
Further stated specifically, cam means is provided between the pinch roller mechanism
8
and the drive member
6
, and the cam means is engaged when the pinch roller
19
is brought to the position opposed to the capstan
18
. The cam means as engaged presses the pinch roller
19
in the opposed position against the capstan
18
with the rotation of the drive mem
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Mansen Michael R.
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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