Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2002-01-29
Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Tape record
C360S085000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06342988
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a VCR (video cassette recorder), which includes a tape loading mechanism which draws tape from a tape cassette and forms a tape path.
2. Description of Related Art
In a general VCR which is one example of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, after a tape cassette has been mounted, magnetic tape is drawn from the tape cassette by tape guide members and is wrapped around a rotary cylinder.
FIGS. 1 and 2
show the manner in which magnetic tape
201
is drawn from a tape cassette
200
by tape guide members
4
. As shown in
FIG. 1
, if the tape cassette
200
is mounted, the tape guide members
4
are positioned in an opening portion
200
a
of the tape cassette
200
.
Then, in a tape loading operation, the respective tape guide members
4
are guided along slots
8
formed in guide members
3
, and tape drawing posts
5
and
6
of each of the tape guide members
4
draw the magnetic tape
201
from the tape cassette
200
. Then, as shown in
FIG. 2
, when the respective tape guide members
4
reach the terminal ends of the slots
8
, the magnetic tape
201
is wrapped around a rotary cylinder
101
so that a predetermined tape path is formed.
Each of the tape guide members
4
which travel along the respective slots
8
in the tape loading operation in the above-described manner has the construction and arrangement shown in
FIG. 3
by way of example.
FIG. 3
is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view showing one of the tape guide members
4
and the corresponding one of the slots
8
formed between guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b
as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the slot
8
. The tape drawing posts
5
and
6
are disposed on the top of the tape guide member
4
, and an engagement pin
10
is secured to the bottom of the tape guide member
4
. This engagement pin
10
is guided by the guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b
so that the tape guide member
4
can travel along the slot
8
.
A flange portion
9
which is enlarged in width is formed at the bottom end of the engagement pin
10
. This flange portion
9
prevents the tape guide member
4
from coming off the slot
8
in the upward direction. To this end, the flange portion
9
is formed to have a width W′ larger than a width W of the slot
8
.
Projections
4
a
are formed on the bottom of the tape guide member
4
. While the tape guide member
4
is traveling, the projections
4
a
slide in contact with the corresponding guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b.
To reduce resistance to the projections
4
a
which are sliding on the corresponding guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b
, a distance t′ from a top end face
9
c
of the flange portion
9
to the projections
4
a
is set larger than a thickness t of the guide member
3
. A clearance s between the top end face
9
c
of the flange portion
9
and the guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b
is set equal on the opposite sides of the slot
8
.
In the field of such recording and/or reproducing apparatus such as a VCR, it has recently been desired to make the entire size of the apparatus smaller and smaller for more improved portability. In such a situation, it has been necessary to provide an arrangement which enables the tape guide member
4
to travel not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction.
FIG. 4
is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view showing the tape guide member
4
which is arranged to travel in the direction of an arrow A over the guide member
3
having a shape which extends in the horizontal direction up to an intermediate portion and bends downwardly at the intermediate portion. If the guide member
3
has a bent portion
11
which bends in the vertical direction in the manner shown in
FIG. 4
, the thickness t of each of the guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b
substantially increases at the bent portion
11
. To allow the tape guide member
4
to easily pass through the bent portion
11
, it is necessary to set a distance t″ from the top end face
9
c
of the flange portion
9
to the projections
4
a
to a value greater than the distance t′ shown in FIG.
3
.
However, if the distance t″ from the top end face
9
c
of the flange portion
9
to the projections
4
a
is set greater to allow the tape guide member
4
to easily pass through the bent portion
11
, there is the disadvantage that the play between the tape guide member
4
and the guide member portions
3
a
and
3
b
increases in portions other than the bent portion
11
.
In addition, there has been a risk that, owing to this play, the tape guide member
4
and the tape drawing posts
5
and
6
incline more than necessary and scratch the tape. There has also been a risk that if such inclination occurs while the tape guide member
4
is passing the vicinity of the rotary cylinder
101
, the tape drawing posts
5
and
6
come into contact with and scratch the rotary cylinder
101
.
The aforesaid arrangement which makes it possible to reduce the entire size of the apparatus, i.e., the arrangement which enables the tape guide member
4
to travel not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction, also has a number of problems connected with a positioning member for the tape guide member
4
, as will be described below.
FIGS.
5
(
a
) and
5
(
b
) show different examples of an abutment portion for the positioning member. The end faces of the abutment portion for the tape guide member
4
are formed by faces approximately perpendicular to a surface (for example, the top surface as viewed in FIG.
5
(
a
)) of a main chassis
102
, as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
), or by faces approximately perpendicular to a surface (for example, the top surface as viewed in FIG.
5
(
b
)) of the positioning member
2
, as shown in FIG.
5
(
b
).
However, if the positioning member
2
has the construction shown in FIG.
5
(
a
), moment occurs due to couples such as those shown by arrows A in FIG.
5
(
a
) in a positioning pin
21
which is brought into abutment with an abutment portion
2
a
(refer to
FIG. 1
) having an approximately V-shaped notch. This moment works in the direction opposite to the direction of moment which originally works on the tape guide member
4
for positioning the tape guide member
4
at a predetermined position. Therefore, such moment has the problem of remarkably impairing the positioning stability of the tape guide member
4
.
In these days, in many cases, to reduce manufacturing costs, positioning members have been formed by molding (with a plastic material) integrally with a rotary drum base. However, to constitute the positioning member
2
as shown in FIG.
5
(
b
), in its manufacturing process, it is necessary to provide a mold with a predetermined slide mechanism for the purpose of removing the positioning member
2
from the mold, so that a mold having an extremely complicated structure is needed and the manufacturing costs increase. Further, in this case, since a multiplicity of products (the positioning member
2
) are difficult to handle at a time, there is the problem that molding costs increase.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording and/or reproducing apparatus including a tape loading mechanism which is capable of reducing resistance to the sliding motion of a tape guide member which is traveling, and also of ensuring the clearance between a tape guide member and the guide member, even if a guide member is bent in a direction in which the clearance between the guide member and a tape guide member decreases.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable positioning mechanism which can position a tape guide member stably and accurately, and whose manufacturing costs can be reduced because of its simple construction which makes it unnecessary to provide a mold with a slide mechanism during the manufacture of the positioning mechanism,
Matsuoka Hidetoshi
Tomitaka Akira
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Miller Brian E.
Robin Blecker & Daley
LandOfFree
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