JPH0457586B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a tape storage cassette that stores two tapes having substantially the same width to be joined and cut.

[Prior Art] Devices for printing characters on the non-adhesive surface of adhesive tapes have been known. This type of device can produce a printing tape suitable for attaching characters such as names to desired objects, but because the printing surface is exposed, there is a problem that the printed characters may be erased or blurred.
Therefore, as a device for creating a printing tape in which the printing surface is not exposed, the applicant of the present application, in accordance with Japanese Patent Application No. 62-294471 etc., performs reverse printing on a transparent film tape, and the printing surface has a width approximately the same as that of the film tape. A printing device configured to attach double-sided tape was proposed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the device proposed in this proposal, the film tape on which printing is done and the double-sided tape to be affixed to the printing surface are each attached to the device separately, so these tapes Attachment to equipment/
It was a pain to remove. To solve this problem, each tape can be stored integrally in a cassette and installed in the printing device, but simply storing each tape in the cassette does not allow the tape to be installed in the printing device. It cannot be done efficiently.

In other words, after printing on the film tape, the above tapes are aligned and joined outside the cassette, so simply storing both tapes in the cassette and leaving their tips protruding outside will not allow the cassette to be installed in the printing device. Each time the tape is attached, the tips of both tapes must be aligned and guided to the joint, making the installation process cumbersome.

Therefore, the present invention provides two
The purpose of this invention is to provide a tape storage cassette suitable for loading each tape into an apparatus for joining and cutting book tapes.

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object, is a tape conveying device that is detachably attached to a tape conveying device having a cutter, and is provided upstream of the conveyance path than the cutter. A tape storage cassette that stores two tapes of approximately the same width that are aligned and joined in the width direction by a joining mechanism, wherein the tapes are placed near the drawer openings of the tapes by the tape joining mechanism of the joining mechanism. The gist of the tape storage cassette is a tape storage cassette characterized by being provided with a guide member for guiding the tape to its position.

[Function] In the tape storage cassette of the present invention configured as described above, the two tapes stored in the cassette are joined together by the guide member provided near the tape outlet. is guided to the tape joining position of the joining mechanism. Therefore, when removing the tape storage cassette from a tape transport device equipped with a cutter, it can be removed while holding the tape pulled out to the outside at its joining position, and when it is loaded into the device, the tape can be removed without joining. There is no need to guide you to the location. In addition, in the device to which the tape storage cassette is installed, the two tapes joined by the joining mechanism are cut by the cutter, so even if the tape storage cassette is removed from the device, the distance from the tape joining position to the cutter is The tapes are held in a joined state, and there is no need to align both tapes each time they are installed.

[Embodiment] A tape storage cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, which is an exploded perspective view of the tape storage cassette 1 of this embodiment, a film tape spool 5 around which a transparent film tape 3 is wound, and a thermal transfer ribbon 7 are wound with the ink side facing inside. A rotated ribbon supply spool 9, a ribbon take-up spool 11 that winds up the thermal transfer ribbon 7 pulled out from the ribbon supply spool 9, a double-sided tape that has approximately the same width as the film tape 3 and has a release paper affixed to only one side. 13 is a double-sided tape spool 15 wound with the release paper on the outside, and this double-sided tape 1
Aligning roller 1 for aligning 3 and film tape 3
7 is housed in the cassette case 19, and the opening thereof is closed with the lid 21, so that the lid 21 and the supporting parts S1 to S5 formed at the bottom of the cassette case 19 facing the lid 21, respectively, can be opened. The above-mentioned parts are rotatably fixed through them.

The tape storage cassette 1 is detachably attached to a printing device that prints desired characters in reverse, prints reversely on the film tape 3 using the thermal transfer ribbon 7, and attaches double-sided tape 13 to the printed surface. , used to create printed tape with characters printed on it.

For this reason, the tape storage cassette 1 is equipped with a thermal head 23 shown in FIG. 2 fixed to the printing device side.
A recess 25 for storing the thermal head 2 is formed on the outer and inner peripheries of the recess 25.
Guide plate 27 to secure space for storing 3.
and 29 are erected. Note that FIG. 2 shows the state in which the tape storage cassette 1 is attached to the printing device, and the following explanation will be centered on this FIG.

In other words, the film tape 3 and the thermal transfer ribbon 7
are guided by the guide pin 31 to the recess 25 while facing each other via the ink surface of the thermal transfer ribbon 7, so that the guided film tape 3
The travel path of the film tape 3 and the thermal transfer ribbon 7 is regulated by the guide plates 27 and 29 so that the thermal transfer ribbon 7 does not block the space necessary for accommodating the thermal head 23.
A guide plate 29 is provided upright on the inner periphery of the recess 25.
, the film tape 3 guided to the recess 25 is shown.
and a leaf spring 3 that urges the thermal transfer ribbon 7 outward.
3 is provided, whereby the thermal head 23
This ensures that there is enough space for storage.

Therefore, when the tape storage cassette 1 is installed in a printing device, the thermal head 23 is placed on the back side of the thermal transfer ribbon 7, and it is provided on the printing device side and does not move toward or away from the thermal head 23. By pressing the film tape 3 and the thermal transfer ribbon 7 against the thermal head 23 using the flexible platen roller 35, desired inverted characters can be printed on the film tape 3.

Next, the thermal transfer ribbon 7 that has passed through the recess 25 is wound onto the ribbon take-up spool 11 via the end 29a of the guide plate 29, and the film tape 3 is guided to the outside of the cassette via the alignment roller 17. When the alignment roller 17 and the ribbon take-up spool 11 are attached to the printing device, they are fitted into a tape feeder 37 and a ribbon take-up body 39 on the printing device side, which are rotated in opposite directions by a drive motor and a force transmission mechanism (not shown). , are rotated in the directions of arrows A and B through these parts.

For this reason, thermal transfer ribbon and film tape 3
Due to this rotational drive, the thermal transfer ribbon 7 and the film tape 3 are moved from each spool due to the inertia caused by this rotational drive. If the thermal transfer ribbon 7 and the film tape 3 are pulled out excessively and become loose in the recess 25, it becomes impossible to perform reverse printing on the film tape 3 well. Therefore, in the tape storage cassette 1, the leaf spring 4 which presses and biases the thermal transfer ribbon 7 and the film tape 3 from the outside at the guide pin 31 position.
0 is provided, thereby giving back tension to the thermal transfer ribbon 7 and the film tape 3, thereby preventing the thermal transfer ribbon 7 and the film tape 3 from loosening at the recess 25. A separator film 41 is also provided to shield these parts so that the ink of the thermal transfer ribbon 7 does not adhere to the film tape 3 during the traveling route. . film tape 3 and thermal transfer ribbon 7
is provided with mutually independent back tension by the separator film 41 and the leaf spring 40,
Even if one of the film tape 3 or the thermal transfer ribbon 7 is pulled out for some reason, the running of the other is not affected.

Next, the alignment roller 17 simply moves the film tape 3
It not only aligns the film tape 3 with the double-sided tape 13, but also works with a feed roller 42, which is provided on the printing device side and can move toward and away from the alignment roller 17, to align the film tape 3.
The adhesive side of the double-sided tape 13 is pressure-bonded to the printed surface of the tape to join both tapes together.As shown in FIG. and 17b are formed perpendicular to the roller surface.

The feed roller 42 is supported by a support body 43 rotatably fixed to the printing device side around a shaft 43a, and after the tape storage cassette 1 is installed in the printing device, it is pressed by a biasing member (not shown). Support body 43
By biasing the alignment roller 17 in the direction of arrow C,
Film tape 3 and double-sided tape 1 on the roller surface of
Press 3 to join these tapes.

Note that a platen roller 35 is also supported on the support body 43, and the platen roller 35 is connected to the feed roller 4.
2, the film tape 3 and the thermal transfer ribbon 13 are pressed against the thermal head 23 by urging the support 43 in the direction of arrow C. The platen roller 35 and the feed roller 42 are designed so as not to damage the film tape 3 during pressing and to obtain a predetermined resistance and friction force.
It is made of an elastic material such as rubber.

Next, a guide plate 45 is formed on the path from the recess 25 of the film tape 3 to the alignment roller 17 to guide the film tape 3 to the joining position E with the double-sided tape 13 on the alignment roller 17.
At both ends, that is, on the lid 21 and the cassette case 19 shown in FIG. 1, regulating portions 47a and 47b are formed to regulate movement of the film tape 3 in the width direction.

On the other hand, a guide roller 49 made of silicone resin is provided on the path of the double-sided tape 13 to the alignment roller 17 to prevent the double-sided tape 13 from adhering to other members such as the thermal transfer ribbon 7 in the cassette. , the double-sided tape 13 that passed through that path
is guided by the roller surface of the alignment roller 17 to the bonding position E with the film tape 3.

The bonded body (i.e., printing tape) of the film tape 3 and the double-sided tape 13 bonded by the cooperation of the alignment roller 17 and the feed roller 42 in this way is
The tape is guided to the outside of the cassette via a tape holder 50 provided at the drawer opening, and the tape running path outside the cassette case 19 is cut by a tape cutting device 51 attached to the printing device. A receiving part 55 is formed to receive the blade 53, and after the printing tape is created, the printing tape can be cut by operating the tape cutting device 51 and pressing the cutting blade 53 against the receiving part 55. The tape cutting device 51 includes a cutting blade support 57 that is rotatably fixed to the printing device side and has a cutting blade 53 attached to its tip, and a cutting blade support 57 for rotating the cutting blade support 57 in the direction of arrow F. The printing tape can be cut by manually moving the rotating arm 59 in the direction of arrow G.

In this way, the tape storage cassette of this embodiment includes the aligning roller 17 for aligning and joining the film tape 3 and the double-sided tape 13, and the cutting blade 53 for cutting the printing tape created by joining.
When the printing tape is attached to a printing device to create a printing tape, the alignment roller 17 and the receiving portion 55, and the feed roller 42 and tape cutting device provided on the tape device side are provided. 51, the film tape 3 and the double-sided tape 13 are joined and cut. Also, cassette case 19
Inside, the film tape 3 is moved to the joining position E by the guide pin 31, the guide plate 27, and the guide plate 45.
the double-sided tape 13 is guided to the guide roller 4.
9 and the roller surface of the joining roller 17 to the joining position E, and the joined printing tape is guided via the tape presser 50 to the receiving part 55 which is the tape cutting position.

For this reason, when removing the tape storage cassette from the printing device, for example when removing the tape storage cassette from the printing device and installing another tape storage cassette with a thermal transfer ribbon of a different color in order to create printing tapes of different colors, it is necessary to remove the tape storage cassette from the printing device. In such a case, by removing the platen roller 35 and the feed roller 42 from the tape storage cassette 1, the film tape 3 and double-sided tape 13 can be removed while being guided to the joining position E, and when reinstalling, Each tape can be attached to the printing device as it is without manually guiding it to the joining position E. Further, since the tapes remain joined from the joining position E to the cutting position, the work of aligning and joining both tapes at the time of installation becomes unnecessary, and the work of installing the tapes into the printing device becomes simple. Furthermore, inside the cassette case 19, the film tape 3 is attached to the guide pin 31.
Since the tape storage cassette 1 is pressed and biased by the leaf spring 40 at the position, the joint between the film tape 3 and the double-sided tape 13 does not come out when the tape storage cassette 1 is removed from the printing device, and the tape When the storage cassette 1 is stored alone, each tape can be kept removed from the printing device.

In the above embodiment, the tape storage cassette is equipped with the alignment roller 17 and the receiving part 55 for the cutting blade 53, but even if these parts are located on the printing device side, the present invention can be applied to the tape storage cassette. It can be easily attached to and detached from the printing device.
Therefore, as a second embodiment of the present invention, a tape storage cassette used when the alignment roller 17 and the receiving part 55 of the cutting blade 53 of the above embodiment are attached to the printing device will be explained based on FIG. explain. In FIG. 3, the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are indicated by the same numerals with a `' added thereto, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printing device to which the tape storage cassette 1' of this embodiment is installed has an alignment roller 1
7' and a receiving part 55' for a cutting blade 53' are provided so that the film tape 3' and double-sided tape 13' pulled out from the tape storage cassette 1' are aligned, crimped, and cut on the printing device side. .

Therefore, in the tape storage cassette 1' of this embodiment, a travel path for the film tape 3' is formed between the recess 25' and the outer wall 61 of the cassette case 19', between the recess 25' and the outlet for the film tape 3'. Guide plates 63 and 65 are provided to guide the film tape 3' to the joining position E' with the double-sided tape 13' on the alignment roller 17'.

The travel path of the double-sided tape 13' is determined by a guide pin 67 formed on the release paper side of the double-sided tape 13'.
It is formed by the outer wall of the cassette case 19' and two guide rollers 69a and 69b made of silicone resin or the like provided on the adhesive side of the double-sided tape 13'. By guiding the double-sided tape 13', the double-sided tape 13' can be guided to the joining position E' with the film tape 3' on the alignment roller 17'.

As a result, the tape storage cassette 1' of this embodiment
Also, it becomes possible to remove the film tape 3' and the double-sided tape 13' from the printing device while being guided to the joining position E', thereby simplifying the installation work at the time of reinstallation.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, the tape storage cassette of the present invention is equipped with a guide member that guides the two tapes stored in the cassette to their joining position, so that each tape can be The thermal transfer ribbon can be removed from the apparatus while being guided to the bonding position, making it easier to attach the ribbon to the apparatus again. Furthermore, since the tapes remain joined downstream of the joining position, there is no need to readjust the alignment of both tapes at the time of installation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the tape storage cassette of the embodiment, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing how the tape storage cassette is attached to the printing device, and Fig. 3 is the tape storage cassette of the second embodiment attached to the printing device. It is an explanatory view showing an attached state. 3...Film tape, 13...Double-sided tape, 17
...Alignment roller, 42...Feed roller, 27, 45,
63, 65... Guide plate, 31, 67... Guide pin, 51... Tape cutting device, 53... Cutting blade, 55
...Receiving part, E...Joining position.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Tape tapes of approximately the same width that are removably attached to a tape conveying device having a cutter and are aligned and joined in the width direction by a joining mechanism provided upstream of the conveyance path than the cutter. A tape storage cassette that stores two tapes, characterized in that a guide member is provided near the drawer openings for both tapes to guide the tapes to the tape joining position of the joining mechanism. Cassette.