tape cassette

Abstract

To provide a tape cassette capable of further certainly peeling an ink ribbon while ensuring a peeling distance.SOLUTION: After printing, an ink ribbon 9 is separated from a printing tape 8 by a tip end part 581 of a guiding wall 58. A tip end part 531 is located behind a virtual line V3 connecting a nip part N2 and a contacting part T1. The printing tape 8 is kept in a state contacting with the ink ribbon 9 while being carried from the nip part N2 to the contacting part T1, so that a peeling distance is ensured. The printing tape 8 is pressed in front of a virtual line V2 connecting the contacting part T1 and the nip part N1 by the tip end part 531 of a partition wall 53. Therefore, force with which the printing tape 8 presses the ink ribbon 9 against the tip end part 531 is eased at the contacting part T1, thereby smoothly peeling the ink ribbon 9 from the printing tape 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tape cassette for containing a printing medium. [Background technology]

[0002] The tape cassette described in Patent Document 1 sandwiches a film tape and an ink ribbon between a platen roller and a thermal head, and prints characters and the like on the film tape by thermal transfer. The film tape is transported toward the tape outlet by the cooperation of a tape feed roller and a movable transport roller. A guide wall is provided between the platen roller and the movable transport roller to guide the ink ribbon to the ribbon take-up spool. The guide wall presses its end against the ink ribbon, peeling it off from the film tape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-11399 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The ribbon take-up spool rotates to pull and wind up the ink ribbon, causing the ink ribbon that abuts against the end of the guide wall to be peeled off from the film tape. However, if the frictional force generated by the film tape pressing the ink ribbon against the end of the guide wall is greater than the force with which the ribbon take-up spool pulls the ink ribbon, the film tape may continue to be fed without the ink ribbon being sufficiently peeled off from the film tape, potentially causing a jam near the end of the guide wall. If the force with which the ribbon take-up spool pulls the ink ribbon is increased, the ink ribbon may be peeled off from the film tape before the characters, etc. transferred from the ink ribbon are fixed to the film tape, potentially making it impossible to ensure the peeling distance necessary for the transferred characters, etc. to be fixed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tape cassette that can more reliably peel off the ink ribbon while ensuring a sufficient peeling distance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cassette case having a bottom wall and a side wall intersecting the bottom wall on one side in a first direction, a tape roll stored in the cassette case and around which a print tape as a print medium is wound, a ribbon roll stored in the cassette case and around which an ink ribbon used for printing on the print tape is wound, a ribbon take-up spool stored in the cassette case and around which the ink ribbon is wound, and a ribbon take-up spool having an opening in a part of the side wall and formed in a recessed shape recessed on the other side in the first direction and penetrating the cassette case in a vertical direction. a through recess, a first wall portion that is a part of the side wall, and a second wall portion that faces the first wall portion and extends upward from the bottom wall, the through recess having an edge portion on one side in a second direction that intersects with the first direction and the up-down direction, extending to the other side in the second direction, and an arm portion having an outlet at an end on the one side in the second direction for discharging the printing tape and the ink ribbon that are transported between the first wall portion and the second wall portion; a roller that is exposed on one side in the first direction, and that guides the printing tape, which is discharged from the discharge port and abuts against the exposed portion of the outer circumferential surface, toward one side in the second direction relative to the cassette case; and a roller that is provided with a first tip that protrudes toward one side in the first direction at a position between the discharge port of the arm portion and the roller in a transport path of the printing tape, and is located on a first imaginary line that connects a connecting portion of the second wall portion and the through recess and the exposed portion of the outer circumferential surface of the roller, or on one side in the first direction of the first imaginary line, and is discharged from the discharge port along the transport path. A tape cassette is provided which is characterized by comprising: a first protrusion which guides the ink ribbon at the first tip from the transport path to a winding path which branches off from the ink ribbon at the first tip and leads to the ribbon winding spool; and a second protrusion which has a second tip which protrudes toward one side in the first direction at a position between the first protrusion and the roller in the second direction, is located on one side in the first direction of a second imaginary line which connects the exposed portion of the outer surface of the roller and the position of the first tip of the first protrusion, and guides the printing tape discharged from the discharge port to the roller via the second tip.

[0007] The tape cassette is configured so that the first tip of the first protrusion is positioned on or to one side of a first imaginary line along which the print tape and ink ribbon can be transported during printing, and the first protrusion presses the print tape and ink ribbon to one side in the first direction. This allows the tape cassette to reliably peel the ink ribbon from the print tape using the first tip. The second tip of the second protrusion is then positioned downstream of the first tip and to one side of the second imaginary line in the first direction, and presses the print tape to one side in the first direction. This slightly separates the print tape from the ink ribbon, weakening the force with which the print tape presses the ink ribbon against the first tip. This reduces the frictional force generated between the ink ribbon and the first tip when the print tape presses the ink ribbon against the first protrusion. Therefore, after characters or the like are transferred from the ink ribbon to the print tape, the print tape and the ink ribbon can reach the first protrusion without being forcibly peeled off. Therefore, the tape cassette ensures a sufficient peeling distance while more reliably peeling the ink ribbon.

[0008] The tape cassette of this aspect may be detachably mounted to a tape printing device equipped with a head holder having a print head, the through recess being a portion into which the head holder is inserted when the tape cassette is mounted to the tape printing device, and the second tip of the second protrusion may be located on the other side of a third imaginary line connecting the position of the print head when the head holder is inserted into the through recess to the position of the first tip of the first protrusion. By defining the position of the second tip of the second protrusion, located on one side of the second imaginary line in the first direction, to the other side of the third imaginary line in the first direction, the tape cassette prevents the second protrusion from significantly pressing the print tape toward one side in the first direction. This prevents the print tape from moving too far away from the ink ribbon upstream of the first protrusion in the transport path, allowing the tape cassette to ensure an appropriate peeling distance and more reliably peel the ink ribbon.

[0009] In this aspect, the second protrusion may be rib-shaped, extending upward from the bottom wall and forming the winding path between itself and the first protrusion, and the second tip may be a roller member having an axis in the vertical direction. The second protrusion forms the winding path together with the first protrusion, and thus can guide the ink ribbon to the ribbon take-up spool. Because the second protrusion is rib-shaped, it can be formed integrally with the bottom wall. Furthermore, because the second tip is a roller member, frictional force during feeding of the printing tape is reduced. Therefore, the tape cassette can smoothly feed the printing tape, ensuring a sufficient peeling distance and more reliably peeling the ink ribbon.

[0010] The second protrusion in this aspect may be a biasing member that is biased toward one side in the first direction and presses the print tape. Because the second protrusion is a biasing member, the biasing force maintains the position of the print tape at a predetermined position on the transport path. Furthermore, when the tensile force applied to the print tape increases, the second protrusion's elasticity allows for temporary positional deviation of the print tape, thereby reducing frictional forces during transport of the print tape. Therefore, the tape cassette can smoothly transport the print tape, ensuring a sufficient peeling distance and more reliably peeling the ink ribbon.

[0011] The tape cassette of this aspect is detachably mountable to a tape printing device equipped with a head holder having a print head, and the through recess is a portion into which the head holder is inserted when the tape cassette is mounted in the tape printing device. A third tip end protruding toward the other side of the first direction may be provided in the feed path of the print tape at a position between the position of the print head when the head holder is inserted into the through recess and the first tip end of the first protrusion. The third protrusion abuts against the print tape fed between the discharge opening and the second tip end of the second protrusion, restricting movement of the print tape toward one side in the first direction. The ink ribbon is peeled off from the print tape at the position of the first protrusion. Meanwhile, the print tape is pressed by the second protrusion so as to move away from the ink ribbon toward one side in the first direction. Therefore, the third tip end of the third protrusion prevents the print tape from moving too far away from the ink ribbon toward one side in the first direction. The third tip end is located closer to the discharge opening than the first tip end of the first protrusion, i.e., upstream of the feed path. This allows the tape cassette to more reliably peel off the ink ribbon while ensuring the peeling distance required for characters transferred from the ink ribbon to be fixed to the printing tape by using the distance from the position of the print head to the third tip on the transport path.

[0012] In this aspect, the third protrusion may be a rib extending upward from the bottom wall, and the third tip may be a roller member having an axis in the vertical direction. Because the third protrusion is rib-shaped, it can be formed integrally with the bottom wall. Furthermore, because the third tip is a roller member, frictional force during feeding of the print tape is reduced. Therefore, the tape cassette can smoothly feed the print tape, ensuring a sufficient peeling distance and more reliably peeling the ink ribbon.

[0013] The third protrusion in this aspect may be a biasing member that is biased toward the other side in the first direction and presses the print tape. Because the third protrusion is a biasing member, the biasing force maintains the position of the print tape at a predetermined position on the transport path. Furthermore, when the tensile force applied to the print tape increases, the elasticity of the third protrusion allows for temporary positional deviation of the print tape, thereby reducing frictional force during transport of the print tape. Therefore, the tape cassette can smoothly transport the print tape, ensuring a sufficient peeling distance and more reliably peeling the ink ribbon.

[0014] In this aspect, the first protrusion may be a rib extending upward from the bottom wall, and the first tip may be a roller member having an axis in the vertical direction. Because the first protrusion is rib-shaped, it can be formed integrally with the bottom wall. Furthermore, because the first tip is a roller member, frictional force during transport of the ink ribbon sandwiched between the printing tape and the first tip of the first protrusion is reduced. Therefore, the tape cassette can smoothly peel the ink ribbon from the printing tape while ensuring a peeling distance.

[0015] The first protrusion of this aspect may be a biasing member that is biased toward one side in the first direction and presses the ink ribbon and the printing tape. Because the first protrusion is a biasing member, the biasing force maintains the positions of the printing tape and ink ribbon in predetermined positions on the transport path. Furthermore, when the tensile force applied to the ink ribbon increases, the ink ribbon can be peeled off from the printing tape while allowing for temporary positional deviation due to its elasticity. Therefore, the first protrusion can reduce the frictional force during transport of the ink ribbon sandwiched between the printing tape and the first tip of the first protrusion. Therefore, the tape cassette can smoothly peel the ink ribbon off the printing tape while ensuring the peeling distance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tape printing device 1 with the cassette cover 5 open. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tape cassette 30 and the mounting portion 6. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of the mounting portion 6 with the tape cassette 30 mounted therein and the platen holder 12 in the standby position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upper case 311 and a lower case 312 of the cassette case 31. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a circle W1 indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view of the mounting section 6 with the tape cassette 30 mounted therein and the platen holder 12 in the printing position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a circle W2 indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 10 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a restriction guide portion 61. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a roller unit 50. [Figure 10] 10 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a restriction guide portion 61. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are used to explain technical features that the present invention can employ, and the configurations, controls, etc. of the devices described are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0018] 1 will be referred to as the front, rear, right, left, top, and bottom sides of the tape printing device 1. The lower right, upper left, upper right, lower left, top, and bottom sides of FIG. 2 will be referred to as the front, rear, right, left, top, and bottom sides of the tape cassette 30.

[0019] The tape cassette 30 of this embodiment can be attached to the tape printing device 1. The tape printing device 1 is a general-purpose printing device that can use various types of tape cassettes, including thermal, laminate, and receptor types. A thermal type tape cassette is provided with heat-sensitive paper tape. A laminate type tape cassette is provided with double-sided adhesive tape, film tape, and an ink ribbon. The tape cassette 30 is a receptor type, and is provided with a printing tape 8 and an ink ribbon 9. The tape printing device 1 prints by transferring the ink in the ink ribbon 9 to the printing tape 8 by heating.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the tape printing device 1 has a box-shaped main body cover 2. An input unit 3 is provided on the front top surface of the main body cover 2. The tape printing device 1 accepts operations such as input of various information and turning the power on and off via the input unit 3. A display unit 4 is provided behind the input unit 3. The display unit 4 is capable of displaying various input information. A cassette cover 5 is attached to the main body cover 2 behind the display unit 4. The cassette cover 5 opens and closes from above an attachment unit 6 into which a tape cassette 30 can be detached. The user opens and closes the cassette cover 5 when replacing the tape cassette 30. An ejection opening 7 is provided on the left side of the main body cover 2. The printed printing tape 8 is ejected from the tape printing device 1 through the ejection opening 7.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the mounting portion 6 is shaped to correspond to the tape cassette 30 and is recessed downward from the top surface of the main body cover 2. The tape cassette 30 is removably mounted in the mounting portion 6. A head holder 19 is provided at the front of the mounting portion 6. The head holder 19 is plate-shaped and extends vertically and horizontally. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted in the mounting portion 6, the head holder 19 is inserted into the head insertion portion 39 of the tape cassette 30. A thermal head 10 is provided at the front of the head holder 19. The thermal head 10 has multiple heating elements 11. The multiple heating elements 11 are arranged in a vertical line. When the tape cassette 30 is mounted in the mounting portion 6, the thermal head 10 uses the multiple heating elements 11 to heat the ink ribbon 9 exposed from an arm opening 341 (described below).

[0022] A transport motor 95 is disposed outside the mounting unit 6 (upper right side in Figure 2). The transport motor 95 is a stepping motor. The transport motor 95 drives and rotates the tape drive shaft 17 and ribbon take-up shaft 18 via multiple connected gears. The tape drive shaft 17 is erected facing upward at a position on the front left of the mounting unit 6 and is rotatable. The tape drive shaft 17 is a shaft that can be attached to and detached from a feed roller 56, which will be described later. The rotation of the tape drive shaft 17 feeds the printing tape 8. The ribbon take-up shaft 18 is erected facing upward at approximately the center of the mounting unit 6 and is rotatable. The ribbon take-up shaft 18 is a shaft that can be attached to and detached from a ribbon take-up spool 22, which will be described later.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, a cutting mechanism 16 is provided to the left of the tape drive shaft 17. The cutting mechanism 16 cuts the print tape 8 by driving a cutting motor (not shown). A platen holder 12 is provided in front of the head holder 19. The platen holder 12 is arm-shaped and is supported by a support shaft 121 so that it can swing around an axis in the vertical direction. The support shaft 121 is provided at the right end of the platen holder 12.

[0024] A platen roller 15 and a transport roller 14 are both rotatably supported at the tip end of the platen holder 12. As the platen holder 12 swings, the platen roller 15 can move toward and away from the thermal head 10. The transport roller 14 is provided on the left side of the platen roller 15, and can move toward and away from the feed roller 56 as the platen holder 12 swings.

[0025] In this embodiment, when the cassette cover 5 is opened, the platen holder 12 moves toward the standby position (the position shown in FIG. 3), and when the cassette cover 5 is closed, the platen holder 12 moves toward the printing position (the position shown in FIG. 6). At the standby position, the platen holder 12 moves away from the mounting portion 6. This allows the user to attach or detach the tape cassette 30 to or from the mounting portion 6. At the printing position, the platen holder 12 moves toward the mounting portion 6. This means that when the tape cassette 30 is attached to the mounting portion 6, the platen roller 15 presses the printing tape 8 and ink ribbon 9 against the thermal head 10, and the transport roller 14 presses the printing tape 8 against the feed roller 56.

[0026] The platen roller 15 is rotated together with the tape drive shaft 17 by a transport motor 95. To prevent the printing tape 8 from slackening due to transport, the platen roller 15 is connected to the transport motor 95 via multiple gears (not shown) so that the rotation speed of the platen roller 15 is lower than the rotation speed of the tape drive shaft 17 (feed roller 56).

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the tape cassette 30 has a cassette case 31. The cassette case 31 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and is formed by combining an upper case 311 and a lower case 312. The upper case 311 is a box-like body that is open downward and includes an upper wall 305 that forms the top surface of the cassette case 31. The lower case 312 is a box-like body that is open upward and includes a bottom wall 306 that forms the bottom surface of the cassette case 31. The upper case 311 is fixed to the top of the lower case 312.

[0028] A support cylinder 65 is provided at the left rear of the cassette case 31 to rotatably support the tape spool 21 that is attached inside the cassette case 31. The support cylinder 65 protrudes upward in a cylindrical shape from the bottom wall 306 of the lower case 312. The printing tape 8 is wound around the tape spool 21. The supply source of the printing tape 8 formed by winding the printing tape 8 around the tape spool 21 is called the tape roll 40.

[0029] A ribbon boss 67 is provided on the right front portion of the cassette case 31 to rotatably support the ribbon spool 23 that is attached inside the cassette case 31. The ribbon boss 67 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 306 of the lower case 312. The ink ribbon 9 is wound around the ribbon spool 23. The supply source of the ink ribbon 9 formed by winding the ink ribbon 9 around the ribbon spool 23 is called a ribbon roll 41.

[0030] A support hole 66 is provided in approximately the center of the cassette case 31, between the ribbon boss 67 and the support cylinder 65, for rotatably supporting the ribbon take-up spool 22 mounted inside the cassette case 31. The support hole 66 passes through the cassette case 31 in the vertical direction. The ribbon take-up shaft 18 is inserted into the ribbon take-up spool 22. The ribbon take-up spool 22 rotates in conjunction with the rotational drive of the ribbon take-up shaft 18, and pulls out and takes up the ink ribbon 9 from the ribbon roll 41.

[0031] A support hole 68 for rotatably supporting the feed roller 56 is provided in the front left corner of the cassette case 31. The support hole 68 includes an opening 68A provided in the top wall 305 and an opening 68B provided in the bottom wall 306. The openings 68A and 68B are through-holes provided at corresponding positions in the vertical direction of the cassette case 31. The feed roller 56 is cylindrical and extends in the vertical direction. The support hole 68 supports the upper and lower ends of the feed roller 56. The front end portion of the outer circumferential surface of the feed roller 56 is exposed forward from the cassette case 31. When the tape cassette 30 is attached to the attachment portion 6, the tape drive shaft 17 is inserted inside the feed roller 56. The feed roller 56 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the tape drive shaft 17 and ejects the printing tape 8 from the cassette case 31 in cooperation with the transport roller 14.

[0032] A roller shaft 69 that rotatably supports a path roller 69A, which is a cylindrical rotating body, is provided at the front right corner of the cassette case 31. The roller shaft 69 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 306 of the lower case 312. The path along which the printing tape 8 is pulled out from the tape roll 40 inside the cassette case 31 and discharged to the outside of the cassette case 31 via a discharge guide portion 49, which will be described later, is called the conveyance path. The path roller 69A defines the conveyance path of the printing tape 8 and comes into contact with the printing tape 8 from its left side.

[0033] A semicircular recess 84 that is recessed rearward and has a generally semicircular shape in a plan view is provided on the front wall 307 of the cassette case 31. The semicircular recess 84 is formed across the top and bottom of the cassette case 31. The semicircular recess 84 is a relief portion that prevents interference with the support shaft 121 of the platen holder 12 when the tape cassette 30 is attached to the attachment portion 6.

[0034] An arm portion 34 is provided on the front surface of the cassette case 31. The arm portion 34 extends from the front right portion of the cassette case 31 to the front left. Of the front wall 307 of the cassette case 31, the portion extending to the left from the semicircular recess 84 is the arm front wall 35. The arm front wall 35 is configured by combining an upper arm front wall 35A provided on the upper case 311 and a lower arm front wall 35B provided on the lower case 312.

[0035] The arm rear wall 37, which is the rear wall of the arm portion 34, is configured by combining an upper arm rear wall 37A provided in the upper case 311 and a lower arm rear wall 37B provided in the lower case 312. An arm opening 341 is provided between the left end of the arm front wall 35 and the left end of the arm rear wall 37. The arm opening 341 is formed in the shape of a slit extending in the vertical direction.

[0036] Between the lower arm front wall 35B and the lower arm rear wall 37B of the lower case 312, a regulating wall 33 is provided, which is a wall portion extending upward from the bottom wall 306. Within the cassette case 31, the path along which the ink ribbon 9 passes from when it is pulled out from the ribbon roll 41 until it is taken up onto the ribbon take-up spool 22 is called the take-up path. Both the feeding path for the printing tape 8 and the take-up path for the ink ribbon 9 pass through the arm section 34 and head toward the arm opening 341. Within the arm section 34, the regulating wall 33 defines the feeding path for the printing tape 8 between itself and the arm front wall 35, and defines the take-up path for the ink ribbon 9 between itself and the arm rear wall 37.

[0037] The peripheral wall extending rearward from the right end of the arm rear wall 37 and extending parallel to the arm rear wall 37 is the head peripheral wall 36. The head peripheral wall 36 is configured by combining an upper head peripheral wall 36A provided on the upper case 311 and a lower head peripheral wall 36B provided on the lower case 312.

[0038] The head insertion portion 39 is a space portion that is defined by the arm rear wall 37 and the head peripheral wall 36 and has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. The head insertion portion 39 passes through the tape cassette 30 in the vertical direction and is recessed rearward relative to the arm rear wall 37. The front wall 307 of the cassette case 31 has an opening 77 on the left side of the arm opening 341 of the arm portion 34. The head insertion portion 39 is also connected to the outside via the opening 77 on the front side of the tape cassette 30. The head holder 19 is inserted into the head insertion portion 39 when the tape cassette 30 is attached to the attachment portion 6.

[0039] A restricting guide portion 61 is provided on the left side of the head insertion portion 39. The restricting guide portion 61 is located between the arm opening 341 and the feed roller 56 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the restricting guide portion 61 has restricting members 361 and 362, a guide wall 58, and a separation wall 53. The restricting member 361 is a plate-like body extending downward from the top wall 305. The restricting member 362 is a plate-like body extending upward from the bottom wall 306 toward the restricting member 361. The restricting members 361 and 362 face each other in the vertical direction and are located in front of the guide wall 58. The restricting members 361 and 362 are located on the transport path of the printing tape 8 and guide the printing tape 8 to the discharge guide portion 49 of the cassette case 31 while restricting the forward movement of the printing tape 8 being discharged from the arm opening 341 of the arm portion 34.

[0040] The guide wall 58 is a wall portion of the lower head peripheral wall 36B that extends in the front-to-rear direction on the left side of the head insertion portion 39. The guide wall 58 is formed like a rib that protrudes upward from the bottom wall 306 of the lower case 312. A front tip 581 of the guide wall 58 has a semicircular cross section in the horizontal direction and protrudes forward in a plan view. The tip 581 defines the winding path of the ink ribbon 9 discharged from the arm opening 341 so that it runs rearward along the guide wall 58. The tip 581 also peels the ink ribbon 9 from the printing tape 8 during printing. The winding path is defined by a rear tip 582 on the rear side of the guide wall 58 so that it runs from rear to right. The ink ribbon 9 that passes the tip 582 travels through a winding path that passes behind the head peripheral wall 36 and is then wound onto the ribbon take-up spool 22.

[0041] Here, when the platen holder 12 is in the printing position, the gap between the feed roller 56 and the transport roller 14 is defined as a nip portion N1. Furthermore, the connection portion between the arm rear wall 37 of the arm portion 34 and the head peripheral wall 36 of the head insertion portion 39 is defined as a connection portion C1 (see FIG. 3). In plan view, an imaginary line connecting the nip portion N1 and the connection portion C1 is defined as an imaginary line V1. In this case, the tip portion 581 of the guide wall 58 is located forward of the imaginary line V1. Note that the tip portion 581 may be configured such that the forwardmost portion of the portions that come into contact with the ink ribbon 9 is located forward of the imaginary line V1.

[0042] The separating wall 53 stands on the left side of the guide wall 58. The separating wall 53 is provided between the guide wall 58 and the feed roller 56 in the left-right direction, and is formed in the shape of a rib that protrudes upward from the bottom wall 306 of the lower case 312. In plan view, the separating wall 53 has a shape that describes a gentle arc in the front-to-rear direction of the cassette case 31 along part of the outer circumferential surface of the feed roller 56. The left surface of the separating wall 53 is formed in a sawtooth shape in plan view.

[0043] The lower tip 531 of the separating wall 53 has a semicircular cross section in the horizontal direction and protrudes downward and left in plan view. The tip 531 is positioned to contact the print tape 8 as it passes through the regulating guide section 61 and is transported to the discharge guide section 49 when the platen holder 12 is in the printing position, thereby defining the transport path of the print tape 8. Here, the forward-most portion of the tip 581 of the guide wall 58 that contacts the ink ribbon 9 is defined as contact section T1. In plan view, the imaginary line connecting the nip N1 and contact section T1 is defined as imaginary line V2. In this case, the tip 531 of the separating wall 53 is positioned forward of imaginary line V2. Note that the tip 531 may be configured such that contact section T2 (see FIG. 7), which is the forward-most portion of the portion that contacts the print tape 8 when the platen holder 12 is in the printing position, is positioned forward of imaginary line V2.

[0044] In addition, an imaginary line connecting the connection portion C1 and the contact portion T1 in a plan view is defined as an imaginary line V3. In this case, the tip portion 581 of the guide wall 58 is located rearward of the imaginary line V3. Note that the tip portion 531 may be configured such that the contact portion T2 is located rearward of the imaginary line V3 (see FIG. 7).

[0045] An ejection guide section 49 is provided at the front left corner of the cassette case 31. The ejection guide section 49 is located on the front left side of the feed roller 56 and is formed in the shape of a slit extending in the vertical direction. The printed printing tape 8 that has been peeled off from the ink ribbon 9 passes inside the ejection guide section 49 as it is transported via the feed roller 56. The ejection guide section 49 guides the printing tape 8 to the outside of the cassette case 31.

[0046] The feeding and printing operations of the printing tape 8 will now be described. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, when the tape cassette 30 is loaded into the loading section 6 and the cassette cover 5 is closed, the platen holder 12 moves from the standby position to the printing position. The feed roller 14 presses the printing tape 8 against the feed roller 56 at the nip N1. The platen roller 15 enters the open section 77, pushing the printing tape 8 and ink ribbon 9 toward the rear of the thermal head 10 and pressing them against the nip N2 between the feed roller 56 and the heating element 11. The feed roller 56 rotates as the tape drive shaft 17 is driven, and in cooperation with the feed roller 14, pulls the printing tape 8 from the tape roll 40. The printing tape 8 is fed to the arm section 34 via the path roller 69A. Meanwhile, the ribbon take-up spool 22 rotates as the ribbon take-up shaft 18 is driven, pulling the ink ribbon 9 from the ribbon roll 41. The ink ribbon 9 is fed toward the arm section 34.

[0047] Within the arm section 34, the printing tape 8 is guided along a transport path that passes between the arm front wall 35 and the regulating wall 33, and is discharged from the arm opening 341 to the open section 77. The ink ribbon 9 is guided along a winding path that passes between the arm rear wall 37 and the regulating wall 33, and is superimposed on the printing tape 8 and is discharged from the arm opening 341 to the open section 77.

[0048] In the open section 77, one side of the printing tape 8 discharged from the arm opening 341 is exposed forward, and the other side faces the thermal head 10 via the ink ribbon 9. The heating element 11 of the thermal head 10 transfers the ink of the ink ribbon 9 to the printing tape 8 at the nip portion N2 with the platen roller 15, thereby performing printing.

[0049] After printing, the ink ribbon 9 is separated from the printing tape 8 by the leading edge 581 of the guide wall 58. Here, the leading edge 531 of the separating wall 53 is located behind the imaginary line V3 connecting the nip portion N2 and the contact portion T1. Therefore, the printing tape 8 is maintained in contact with the ink ribbon 9 while being transported from the nip portion N2 to the contact portion T1. Therefore, a peeling distance is secured between the nip portion N2 and the contact portion T1 to prevent ink peeling, which would occur if the ink ribbon 9 were peeled off from the printing tape 8 before the ink transferred to the printing tape 8 is fixed.

[0050] Furthermore, the printing tape 8 is pressed forward by the leading end 531 of the separating wall 53 beyond the imaginary line V2 connecting the contact portion T1 and the nip portion N1. This reduces the force with which the printing tape 8 presses the ink ribbon 9 against the leading end 531 at the contact portion T1. The ink ribbon 9 is therefore smoothly peeled off from the printing tape 8 at the leading end 531, and is taken up onto the ribbon take-up spool 22 via a take-up path that passes to the left of the guide wall 58 and behind the head peripheral wall 36.

[0051] The printed printing tape 8 passes through the tip end 531 of the separating wall 53, passes through the nip portion N1 between the feed roller 56 and the transport roller 14, and is transported toward the discharge guide portion 49. The printed printing tape 8 is discharged from the discharge guide portion 49 to the outside, cut by the cutting mechanism 16, and discharged to the outside of the tape printing device 1.

[0052] As described above, by locating the leading edge 581 of the guide wall 58 on or forward of the imaginary line V1 along which the printing tape 8 and ink ribbon 9 can be transported during printing, and by configuring the guide wall 58 to press the printing tape 8 and ink ribbon 9 forward in the front-to-back direction, the tape cassette 30 reliably peels the ink ribbon 9 from the printing tape 8 using the leading edge 581. Furthermore, by locating the leading edge 531 of the separating wall 53 downstream of the position of the leading edge 581 and forward of the imaginary line V2 in the front-to-back direction, and by configuring the separating wall 53 to press the printing tape 8 forward in the front-to-back direction, the printing tape 8 is slightly separated from the ink ribbon 9, and the force with which the printing tape 8 presses the ink ribbon 9 against the leading edge 581 is weakened. In this way, the tape cassette 30 can weaken the frictional force generated between the ink ribbon 9 and the leading edge 581 when the printing tape 8 presses the ink ribbon 9 against the guide wall 58. Therefore, after characters and the like are transferred from the ink ribbon 9 to the printing tape 8, the printing tape 8 and the ink ribbon 9 can reach the guide wall 58 without being forcibly peeled off. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 can more reliably peel off the ink ribbon 9 while ensuring the peeling distance.

[0053] By positioning the tip 531 of the separating wall 53, which is located forward of the imaginary line V2 in the front-to-rear direction, rearward of the imaginary line V3 in the front-to-rear direction, the tape cassette 30 prevents the separating wall 53 from pressing the printing tape 8 too far forward in the front-to-rear direction. This prevents the printing tape 8 from moving too far away from the ink ribbon 9 upstream of the guide wall 58 in the transport path, so the tape cassette 30 ensures an appropriate peeling distance and can more reliably peel the ink ribbon 9.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the front-to-rear direction corresponds to the "first direction" of the present invention. The front wall 307 corresponds to the "side wall" of the present invention. The opening 77 corresponds to the "open portion" of the present invention. The head insertion portion 39 corresponds to the "through recess" of the present invention. The arm front wall 35 corresponds to the "first wall" of the present invention. The arm rear wall 37 corresponds to the "second wall" of the present invention. The left-to-right direction corresponds to the "second direction" of the present invention. The arm opening 341 corresponds to the "discharge port" of the present invention. The feed roller 56 corresponds to the "roller" of the present invention. The tip 581 corresponds to the "first tip" of the present invention. The guide wall 58 corresponds to the "first protrusion" of the present invention. The tip 531 corresponds to the "second tip" of the present invention. The separation wall 53 corresponds to the "second protrusion" of the present invention.

[0055] The present invention allows for various modifications to the above-described embodiment. While the tip 581 of the guide wall 58 is described as being located forward of the imaginary line V1, it may also be located on the imaginary line V1. In this case, the contact point T1 should be located on the imaginary line V1. Furthermore, while the imaginary line V1 is described as a virtual line connecting the nip N1 and the contact point T1, it may also be a virtual line connecting the nip N1 between the feed roller 56 and the transport roller 14 and the nip N2 between the thermal head 10 and the platen roller 15.

[0056] For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , roller units 50 may be provided at tip end 581 of guide wall 58 and tip end 531 of separation wall 53. As shown in FIG. 9 , roller unit 50 includes roller member 502 having shaft 501 extending in the vertical direction. First support plate 503 is a plate extending in the vertical direction, and both ends are bent to form shaft holes 503A into which shaft 501 can be inserted. First support plate 503 rotatably supports shaft 501 of roller member 502 in shaft hole 503A. Second support plate 504 is a plate extending in the vertical direction, and is disposed outside first support plate 503. Both ends of second support plate 504 are bent to form grooves 504A into which shaft 501 can be inserted. Second support plate 504 movably holds shaft 501 of roller member 502 in groove 504A from outside first support plate 503. A spring 505 is disposed between the first support plate 503 and the second support plate 504. The spring 505 biases the roller member 502, supported by the first support plate 503, in a direction away from the second support plate 504. The roller unit 50 configured in this manner is provided at the tip ends 581, 531 of the guide wall 58 and the separating wall 53, with the contact portions T1, T2 respectively positioned on the side of the roller member 502 biased by the spring 505. This enables the tape cassette 30 to reduce the pressing force applied to the ink ribbon 9 by the printing tape 8 when peeling the ink ribbon 9 from the printing tape 8 after printing. The roller unit 50 may be provided at only one of the tip end 581 of the guide wall 58 or the tip end 531 of the separating wall 53, or at both. Furthermore, the roller unit 50 may be configured to omit the configuration of the second support plate 504 and the spring 505, and simply have the roller members 502 disposed at the tip ends 581, 531 of the guide wall 58 and the separation wall 53. Alternatively, the roller members 502 may be made non-rotatable, and a configuration for simply biasing a cylindrical member by the spring 505 may be disposed at the contact portions T1, T2.

[0057] In the modified example described above, the separating wall 53 forms a winding path together with the guide wall 58, so that the ink ribbon 9 can be guided to the ribbon take-up spool 22. And because the separating wall 53 is ribbed, it can be formed integrally with the bottom wall 306. Furthermore, because the tip end 531 is a roller member 502, frictional force during transport of the printing tape 8 is reduced. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 can smoothly transport the printing tape 8, so that the peeling distance can be secured and the ink ribbon 9 can be peeled more reliably.

[0058] Because the guide wall 58 is ribbed, it can be formed integrally with the bottom wall 306. Furthermore, because the tip 581 is a roller member 502, frictional force during transport of the ink ribbon 9 sandwiched between the printing tape 8 and the tip 581 of the guide wall 58 is reduced. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 can smoothly peel the ink ribbon 9 from the printing tape 8 while ensuring the peeling distance.

[0059] Furthermore, the roller unit 50 has a spring 505, which uses its biasing force to maintain the position of the print tape 8 at a predetermined position on the transport path. Furthermore, when the tensile force on the print tape 8 becomes large, the elasticity allows for temporary displacement of the print tape 8, so the guide wall 58 can reduce the frictional force exerted on the ink ribbon 9 sandwiched between the print tape 8 and the leading end 581 of the guide wall 58 during transport. Similarly, the separating wall 53 can reduce the frictional force exerted on the print tape 8 during transport. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 can smoothly transport the print tape 8, ensuring a sufficient peeling distance and more reliably peeling the ink ribbon 9. The spring 505 corresponds to the "biasing member" in this modification.

[0060] 10 , the regulating and guiding section 61 may have a presser wall 59 provided between the nip portion N2 of the thermal head 10 and the contact portion T1 of the tip portion 581 of the guide wall 58 in the feed direction of the printing tape 8. The presser wall 59 extends in the front-to-rear direction and is formed as a rib that protrudes upward from the bottom wall 306 of the lower case 312. In this case, the rear tip portion 591 of the presser wall 59 is located behind the imaginary line V3 connecting the connection portion C1 and the contact portion T1. With this configuration, the printing tape 8 is maintained in contact with the ink ribbon 9 while being fed from the nip portion N2 to the contact portion T3 where the tip portion 591 of the presser wall 59 comes into contact with the printing tape 8, thereby ensuring the peeling distance.

[0061] In this case, the tip 532 (contact point T4) of the separating wall 53 should preferably be located forward of the imaginary line V3. With this configuration, the printing tape 8 gradually moves away from the ink ribbon 9 while being transported from contact point T3 to contact point T4, thereby reducing the force with which the printing tape 8 presses the ink ribbon 9 against the tip 531 at contact point T1. This allows the ink ribbon 9 to be smoothly peeled off from the printing tape 8 at the tip 531. Similarly to the above, a roller unit 50 may be provided at the tip 591 of the pressing wall 59, or a roller unit 50 may be provided that does not include the second support plate 504 and spring 505. Alternatively, the roller member 502 may be made non-rotatable, and a configuration that simply biases a cylindrical member using the spring 505 may be provided at the contact points T1 and T2.

[0062] In the modified example described above, the ink ribbon 9 is peeled off from the printing tape 8 at the position of the guide wall 58. Meanwhile, the printing tape 8 is pressed by the separating wall 53 so as to move away from the ink ribbon 9 forward in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the pressing wall 59 uses its tip 591 to prevent the printing tape 8 from moving too far forward in the front-to-rear direction from the ink ribbon 9. The tip 591 is located closer to the arm opening 341 than the tip 581 of the guide wall 58, i.e., upstream of the transport path. This allows the tape cassette 30 to more reliably peel off the ink ribbon 9 while ensuring the peeling distance required for characters and the like transferred from the ink ribbon 9 to be fixed to the printing tape 8 by using the distance from the position of the print head to the tip 591 on the transport path.

[0063] Furthermore, because the pressing wall 59 is ribbed, it can be formed integrally with the bottom wall 306. Furthermore, because the roller unit 50 is provided at the tip end 591, frictional force during feeding of the printing tape 8 is reduced. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 can smoothly feed the printing tape 8, and the ink ribbon 9 can be peeled more reliably while ensuring the peeling distance.

[0064] Furthermore, the roller unit 50 has a spring 505, which uses its biasing force to maintain the position of the print tape 8 at a predetermined position on the transport path. When the tensile force on the print tape 8 becomes large, the elasticity allows for temporary displacement of the print tape 8, and the pressure wall 59 can reduce frictional forces during transport of the print tape 8. Therefore, the tape cassette 30 can smoothly transport the print tape 8, ensuring a sufficient peeling distance and more reliably peeling the ink ribbon 9. The pressure wall 59 corresponds to the "third protrusion" in this modified example. The tip 591 corresponds to the "third tip" in this modified example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Tape printing device 8 Printing Tape 9 Ink ribbon 10 Thermal head 19 Head holder 22 Ribbon take-up spool 31 Cassette Case 34 Arm section 35 Arm front wall 37 Rear wall of arm 39 Head insertion part 40 tape rolls 41 ribbon roll 53 Isolation Wall 56 Feed roller 58 Guide Wall 59 Retaining wall 77 Open area 306 Bottom wall 307 Front wall 341 Arm opening 501 axes 502 Roller parts 505 Spring 531,581,591 Tip C1 connection N1, N2 nip T1,T2,T3,T4 contact part V1, V2, V3 virtual lines

Claims

1. a cassette case having a bottom wall and a side wall intersecting the bottom wall on one side in a first direction; a tape roll housed in the cassette case and around which a printing tape serving as a printing medium is wound; a ribbon roll stored in the cassette case and on which an ink ribbon used for printing on the printing tape is wound; a ribbon take-up spool that is housed in the cassette case and that takes up the ink ribbon; a through-hole recess that has an open portion in a part of the side wall and is recessed toward the other side in the first direction, and that penetrates the cassette case in the up-down direction; an arm portion having a first wall portion that is a part of the side wall, and a second wall portion that faces the first wall portion and extends upward from the bottom wall, the arm portion extending from an edge portion on one side of the open portion of the through recess in a second direction that intersects with the first direction and the up-down direction to the other side of the second direction, and having an outlet at an end on the one side in the second direction for discharging the printing tape and the ink ribbon that are transported between the first wall portion and the second wall portion; a roller that is provided inside the cassette case on one side in the second direction relative to the arm portion, the roller having a part of its outer circumferential surface exposed on the one side in the first direction of the cassette case, and that guides the printing tape, which is discharged from the discharge opening and abuts on the exposed part of the outer circumferential surface, toward the one side in the second direction relative to the cassette case; a first protrusion having a first tip end protruding toward one side in the first direction at a position on the transport path of the print tape between the discharge port of the arm portion and the roller, the first protrusion being located on a first imaginary line connecting a connection portion between the second wall portion and the through recess and an exposed portion of the outer circumferential surface of the roller, or on one side of the first imaginary line in the first direction, the first protrusion guiding the ink ribbon discharged from the discharge port along the transport path to a take-up path that branches off from the transport path at the first tip end and heads toward the ribbon take-up spool; a second protrusion having a second tip end portion that protrudes toward one side in the first direction at a position between the first protrusion and the roller in the second direction, the second protrusion being located on the one side in the first direction of a second imaginary line that connects the exposed portion of the outer circumferential surface of the roller and the position of the first tip end of the first protrusion, and that guides the printing tape discharged from the discharge port to the roller via the second tip end portion; It is equipped with and, the cassette case is detachably attached to a tape printing device having a head holder with a print head; the through recess is a portion into which the head holder is inserted when the cassette case is attached to the tape printing device, the second tip of the second protrusion is located on the other side in the first direction of a third imaginary line that connects the position of the print head when the head holder is inserted into the through-recess and the position of the first tip of the first protrusion. A tape cassette characterized by:

2. the second protrusion is a rib-like portion that extends upward from the bottom wall and forms the winding path between itself and the first protrusion, The second tip portion is a roller member having a shaft in the vertical direction.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1,

3. The second protrusion is a biasing member that is biased to one side in the first direction and presses the printing tape.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1,

4. In the transport path of the printing tape, a third tip is provided protruding toward the other side of the first direction at a position between the position of the print head when the head holder is inserted into the through-hole recess and the first tip of the first protrusion, and the third protrusion abuts against the printing tape transported between the discharge outlet and the second tip of the second protrusion, and regulates the movement of the printing tape toward one side of the first direction.

2. The tape cassette according to claim 1,

5. the third protrusion is a rib extending upward from the bottom wall, The third tip portion is a roller member having a shaft in the vertical direction.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 4,

6. The third protrusion is a biasing member that is biased toward the other side in the first direction and presses the printing tape.

5. The tape cassette according to claim 4,

7. the first protrusion is a rib extending upward from the bottom wall, The first tip portion is a roller member having a shaft in the vertical direction.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein:

8. The first protrusion is a biasing member that is biased toward one side in the first direction and presses the ink ribbon and the printing tape.

7. The tape cassette according to claim 1, wherein:

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