cassette

Abstract

To provide a cassette that can be downsized in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a vertical direction.SOLUTION: A cassette comprises a ribbon case 21 which comprises a first side wall 16a extending in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction, a second side wall 16b extending in a third direction crossing the second direction, and a recessed part wall 16c extending to one side in the second direction from the second side wall 16b and extending in a third direction at the one side in the second direction more than the second side wall 16b to define a recessed part 99, where at least portion of the recessed part 99 overlaps with a print tape roll 26, in the first direction. Therefore, a tape case 20 comprising the print tape roll 26 and the ribbon case 21 comprising the recessed part wall 16c are overlapped with each other in the first direction, that is a vertical direction, and the at least portion of the recessed part 99 is overlapped in the first direction with the print tape roll 26, which enables the cassette 10 to be downsized in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cassette that is detachably attached to a printing device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a cassette including a tape and an ink ribbon for printing on the tape has been known. For example, the ink ribbon cartridge described in Patent Document 1 includes a ribbon cartridge and a printing sheet cartridge. Inside the ribbon cartridge, an ink ribbon and a take-up shaft for taking up the ink ribbon are accommodated. Inside the printing sheet cartridge, a printing sheet is accommodated. A plurality of set claws are provided on the outer peripheral wall of the printing sheet cartridge. By engaging the plurality of set claws with the ribbon cartridge, the printing sheet cartridge is stacked above the ribbon cartridge and integrated with the ribbon cartridge. The ribbon cartridge is provided with a head opening into which the head of the printer is inserted. A sheet opening through which the printing sheet passes is provided at a position opposite to the head opening with respect to the roll of the printing sheet in the printing sheet cartridge. After the printing sheet is pulled out from the roll, it is taken out of the printing sheet cartridge through the sheet opening. Then, the printing sheet passes through the head opening through the periphery of the outer peripheral wall of the printing sheet cartridge. At the head opening, the printing sheet and the ink ribbon are overlapped with each other, and printing is performed by the head of the printer. The printed printing sheet is guided to a film gate for discharging the printing sheet by the set claws on the head opening side. The ink ribbon used for printing is taken up by the take-up shaft.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-mentioned ink ribbon cartridge achieves miniaturization in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction by positioning the ink ribbon and the print head opening at different locations in the direction in which the ribbon cartridge and the print sheet cartridge are aligned, i.e., in the vertical direction. In the case of a cassette, further miniaturization is required in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0005] The present invention was made against the above circumstances, and its objective is to provide a cassette that can be miniaturized in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the first invention is: (a) a printing tape spool on which a printing tape is wound, which is rotatable about a center of rotation extending in a first direction; (b) a first case having the printing tape spool; (c) a second case aligned with the first case in the first direction, which houses an ink ribbon roll on which an ink ribbon used for printing on the printing tape is wound; (d) the second case has (d1) a side wall located at one end in the second direction and extending in a third direction intersecting the second direction; (d2) a first recess extending in the second direction toward the inside of the second case from one end of the side wall and opening to the outside of the second case on the opposite side of the first case in the first direction; (d3) a second recess continuous with the first recess and extending in the third direction and opening to the outside of the second case on the opposite side of the first case in the first direction; (e) A cassette characterized in that at least a portion of the first recess or at least a portion of the second recess overlaps the printed tape spool in the first direction. It is located there.

[0007] The gist of the second invention is: In the first invention, at least a portion of the ink ribbon roll overlaps with the printing tape in the first direction. It is the matter.

[0008] The gist of the third invention is: In the first or second invention, the second case has an outlet for discharging the printed tape outside the second case, and an inlet for bringing the ink ribbon discharged from the outlet into the inside of the second case. It is the matter.

[0009] The gist of the fourth invention is: In the third invention, the second case further comprises a winding spool rotatably housed therein and capable of winding up the ink ribbon fed in from the entrance, wherein at least a portion of the winding spool overlaps with the printing tape in the first direction. It is the matter.

[0010] The gist of the fifth invention is: In any one of the first to fourth inventions, in the third direction, at least a portion of the printed tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction. It is the matter.

[0011] The gist of the sixth invention is: In the fifth invention, in the third direction, the rotation center of the printing tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction. It is the matter.

[0012] The gist of the seventh invention is: In any one of the first to sixth inventions, the second case has an outlet for discharging the printed tape outside the second case, and in the third direction, the rotation center of the printed tape spool is located between the outlet and the other end of the second recess in the third direction. It is the matter.

[0013] The gist of the eighth invention is: In any one of the first to seventh inventions, the first recess or the second recess overlaps with at least a portion of the first case in the first direction. It is the matter.

[0014] The gist of the ninth invention lies in (a) In any one of the first to eighth inventions, the invention further comprises: (a) a rotatable supply spool located in the second case on which the ink ribbon is wound; and (b) a take-up spool located in the second case and rotatable to take up the ink ribbon supplied from the supply spool, and (c) at least a portion of the supply spool and at least a portion of the take-up spool overlapping the printing tape in the first direction. the following.

[0015] The gist of the tenth invention lies in In any one of the first to ninth inventions, the second case further comprises a rotatable adhesive tape roll on which an adhesive tape to be bonded to the printed tape is wound, wherein at least a portion of the adhesive tape roll overlaps the printed tape spool in the first direction.

[0016] The gist of the eleventh invention lies in In the tenth invention, the laminating tape roll is configured such that the laminating tape is wound around a laminating tape spool, and at least a portion of the laminating tape spool overlaps with the printing tape spool in the first direction.

[0017] The gist of the twelfth invention lies in In the 11th invention, in the third direction, the rotation center of the bonding tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction.

[0018] The gist of the thirteenth invention lies in In any one of the first to twelfth inventions, the first recess opens in the second direction toward the outside of the second case at one end of the side wall.

[0019] The gist of the fourteenth invention lies in In any one of the first to thirteenth inventions, the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction, and the third direction is orthogonal to both the first and second directions.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the cassette of the first invention, A first case containing a printing tape roll around which a printing tape is wound, and a second case containing an ink ribbon roll around which an ink ribbon is wound, are stacked in a first direction, i.e., vertically, and at least a portion of the first recess and the second recess are stacked with the printing tape spool in the first direction, the cassette is miniaturized in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0021] According to the cassette of the second invention, At least a portion of the ink ribbon roll overlaps the printing tape in the first direction. As a result, the cassette is more efficient than when the ink ribbon roll and the printing tape do not overlap in the first direction. it is miniaturized in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0022] According to the cassette of the third invention, The second case has an outlet for discharging the printed tape to the outside of the second case, and an inlet for bringing the ink ribbon discharged from the outlet into the inside of the second case. Therefore, the printed tape can be discharged from the outlet provided in the second case, and the ink ribbon can be brought into the second case from the inlet.

[0023] According to the cassette of the fourth invention, in the third direction, The second case is equipped with a winding spool capable of winding up the ink ribbon that has been brought in from the entrance, and at least a portion of the winding spool overlaps with the printing tape in the first direction, so that the winding spool and the printing tape do not overlap in the first direction. compared with the case, This allows for miniaturization of the cassette.

[0024] According to the cassette of the fifth invention, In the third direction, at least a portion of the printed tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction, thus allowing the cassette to be made smaller.

[0025] According to the cassette of the sixth invention, the front In the third direction, the rotation center of the printed tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction, thus allowing the cassette to be made smaller.

[0026] According to the cassette of the seventh invention, The second case has an outlet for discharging the printed tape to the outside of the second case, and in the third direction, the rotation center of the printed tape spool is located between the outlet and the other end of the second recess in the third direction, so that the cassette can be made smaller.

[0027] According to the cassette of the 8th invention, Since the first recess or the second recess overlaps with at least a portion of the first case in the first direction, the cassette can be made smaller.

[0028] According to the cassette of the ninth invention, (a) In any one of the first to eighth inventions, the cassette further comprises: (a) a rotatable supply spool located in the second case on which the ink ribbon is wound; and (b) a take-up spool located in the second case and rotatable to take up the ink ribbon supplied from the supply spool, and (c) at least a portion of the supply spool and at least a portion of the take-up spool overlap the printing tape in the first direction, so that the cassette can be made smaller.

[0029] According to the cassette of the 10th invention, The cassette can be made smaller because it is located in the second case and further comprises a rotatable adhesive tape roll around which the adhesive tape to be bonded to the printed tape is wound, and at least a portion of the adhesive tape roll overlaps with the printed tape spool in the first direction.

[0030] According to the cassette of the 11th invention, The laminated tape roll is constructed by winding the laminated tape around a laminated tape spool, and at least a portion of the laminated tape spool overlaps with the printed tape spool in the first direction, thus enabling the cassette to be made smaller.

[0031] According to the cassette of the 12th invention, In the third direction, the rotation center of the bonded tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction, thus allowing the cassette to be made smaller.

[0032] According to the cassette of the 13th invention, The first recess opens in the second direction toward the outside of the second case at one end of the side wall, so that it is possible to reach the inside of the first recess through the opening.

[0033] According to the cassette of the 14th invention, Since the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction, and the third direction is orthogonal to both the first and second directions, miniaturization of the cassette is achieved in the direction orthogonal to the first direction. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0034] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the top side of a cassette of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the cassette. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration and internal structure of the cassette case, with the first case member, second case member, third case member, and fourth case member that make up the case separated. [Figure 4] This is a front view showing the top side of the first case member in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the lower side of the first case member in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a front view showing the upper side of the second case member together with the printed tape roll. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the cassette with the first case component removed. [Figure 8]Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII, illustrating the state in which the printed tape is stretched from inside the tape case to inside the ribbon case. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view showing the lower side of the second case member in Figure 1. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view showing the upper side of the third case member in Figure 1. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view showing the lower side of the third case member in Figure 1. [Figure 12] This is a perspective view showing the upper side of the fourth case member in Figure 1. [Figure 13] This is a bottom view showing the lower side of the fourth case member in Figure 1. [Figure 14] This diagram, using the lower surface of the third case member in Figure 1, shows the paths of the printed tape drawn from the printed tape roll and the laminated tape drawn from the laminated tape roll, as well as the path of the ink ribbon drawn from the ink ribbon. [Figure 15] This figure illustrates the laminate of printed tape and laminated tape dispensed from the cassette shown in Figure 1. [Figure 16] Figure 1 is a plan view of the cassette, showing the relative positions of the printing tape roll, laminated tape roll, ink ribbon, and take-up spool. [Figure 17] This is a cross-sectional view taken from line XVII-XVII in Figure 6. [Figure 18] This diagram illustrates the cassette mounting section of the printing device where the cassette shown in Figure 1 is installed. [Figure 19] This is a perspective view showing the top side of a non-laminate type cassette according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the cassette. [Figure 21] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the configuration and internal structure of the cassette case, with the first case member, second case member, third case member, and fourth case member that make up the case separated. [Figure 22] Figure 19 is a front view showing the top side of the first case member of the cassette. [Figure 23] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the first case member of the cassette. [Figure 24] Figure 19 is a front view showing the top side of the second case component of the cassette together with the printed tape roll. [Figure 25] Figure 19 is a perspective view of the cassette with the first case component removed. [Figure 26] Figure 24, section XXVI-XXVI, shows the cassette in Figure 19, with the printed tape being stretched from inside the tape case to inside the ribbon case. [Figure 27] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the second case member of the cassette. [Figure 28] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the third case member of the cassette. [Figure 29] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the third case member of the cassette. [Figure 30] Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the fourth case member of the cassette. [Figure 31] Figure 19 is a bottom view showing the lower side of the fourth case member of the cassette. [Figure 32] Figure 19 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the cassette, which is the cross-sectional view along line XXXII-XXXII in Figure 24. [Figure 33] This diagram, using the lower surface of the third case member shown in Figure 19, illustrates the paths of the printed tape pulled from the printed tape roll and the ink ribbon pulled from the ink ribbon, respectively. [Figure 34] Figure 19 illustrates the laminate of printed tape and laminated tape fed out of the cassette. [Figure 35] Figure 19 shows the relative positions of the printed tape roll, ink ribbon, take-up spool, and recess in the cassette. [Figure 36] This is a perspective view showing the top side of a cassette according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the cassette. [Figure 38]Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cassette in the embodiment, with the first case member, second case member, third case member, and fourth case member that constitute the case separated. [Figure 39] Figure 36 is a front view showing the top side of the first case member of the cassette. [Figure 40] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the first case member of the cassette. [Figure 41] Figure 36 is a front view showing the top side of the second case component of the cassette together with the printed tape roll. [Figure 42] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the second case member of the cassette. [Figure 43] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the third case member of the cassette. [Figure 44] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the third case member of the cassette. [Figure 45] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the fourth case member of the cassette. [Figure 46] Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the lower side of the fourth case member of the cassette. [Figure 47] This diagram, using the lower surface of the third case member shown in Figure 36, illustrates the paths of the printed tape pulled from the printed tape roll and the paths of the laminated tape pulled from the laminated tape roll, respectively. [Figure 48] This diagram illustrates the printed tape being ejected from the cassette in Figure 36. [Figure 49] Figure 36 shows the relative positions of the printed tape roll, the laminated tape roll, and the recess in the cassette. [Figure 50] This is a perspective view showing the top side of the cassette according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51] Figure 50 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the cassette. [Figure 52] Figure 50 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cassette in the embodiment, with the first case member, second case member, third case member, and fourth case member that constitute the case separated. [Figure 53] This diagram illustrates the printed tape being ejected from the cassette shown in Figure 50. [Figure 54] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a cassette according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. [Examples]

[0036] [Embodiment 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cassette 10, which is one embodiment of the present invention, from the front, i.e., from the top. In this description of the present invention, the top of Figure 1 is the front of the cassette 10, the bottom is the rear of the cassette 10, the right is the left of the cassette 10, the left is the right of the cassette 10, the upper left is the top of the cassette 10, and the lower right is the bottom of the cassette 10. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cassette 10 from the back, i.e., from the bottom. Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the internal structure of the cassette 10 by separating the first case member 12, the second case member 14, the third case member 16, and the fourth case member 18 of the cassette 10. The cassette 10 as a whole is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and is detachably mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102 shown in Figure 18, which will be described later. The cassette 10 comprises a first case, or tape case 20, composed of a first case member 12 and a second case member 14, and a second case, or ribbon case 21, composed of a third case member 16 and a fourth case member 18. The first to fourth case members 12 to 18 are stacked vertically as shown in Figure 1. The first case member 12, the second case member 14, the third case member 16, and the fourth case member 18 are fixed to each other in their stacked state by the engagement of multiple locking claws 27 and fixing claws 28 provided between their respective outer peripheral walls, and by positioning by positioning projections 29. In this embodiment, the upper surface of each case member 12 to 18 is referred to as the top surface or front surface, and the lower surface is referred to as the bottom surface or back surface.

[0037] The ribbon case 21 is located on one side of the tape case 20 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the ribbon case 21 is located on the lower side of the tape case 20, which is one side of the tape case 20 in the vertical direction. The tape case 20 rotatably houses a printing tape roll 26, around which a printing tape 22, which is the printing medium, is wound, in a first space S1 formed inside. The printing tape roll 26 is constructed by winding a strip-shaped printing tape 22 around a printing tape spool 24, which is a cylindrical core material. The printing tape 22 is wound such that its width direction is the vertical direction, which is the first direction. The radial direction of the printing tape roll 26 is the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the radial direction is an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The orthogonal direction can also be described as any direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The printing tape 22, the printing tape spool 24, and the printing tape roll 26 correspond to the printing medium, the printing medium spool, and the printing medium roll, respectively.

[0038] The ribbon case 21 rotatably houses the ink ribbon roll 72, the lamination tape roll 64, and the take-up spool 76 in a second space S2 formed inside. The ink ribbon roll 72 is constructed by winding a strip-shaped ink ribbon 68 onto the take-up spool 76 such that the width direction of the ink ribbon 68 is in the vertical direction. The ink ribbon 68 is used for printing onto the strip-shaped printing tape 22. The take-up spool 76 takes up the ink ribbon 68 pulled out from the ink ribbon roll 72. The lamination tape roll 64 consists of a strip-shaped lamination tape 60, which is laminated onto the printed printing tape 22, wound onto the lamination tape spool 62 such that the width direction of the lamination tape 60 is in the vertical direction.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2, a winding spool support hole 94 is provided on the lower surface of the fourth case member 18 of the cassette 10. A connecting hole 96 for the winding spool 76, described later, is exposed through the winding spool support hole 94. When the cassette 10 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102, the winding spool drive shaft 108 provided on the cassette mounting section 104 is inserted into the connecting hole 96. In addition, recesses 99 are formed on the sides of the third case member 16 and the fourth case member 18, i.e., a part of the outer peripheral wall 16w of the ribbon case 21 and a part of the outer peripheral wall of the second case member 14. When the cassette 10 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102, the print head 106, described later, provided on the cassette mounting section 104, is inserted into the recesses 99. As shown in Figure 2, the upper end of the recess 99 is defined on the lower surface of the second case member 14.

[0040] Figure 4 is a front view showing the top side of the first case member 12, and Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the first case member 12. Figure 6 is a front view showing the top side of the second case member 14 together with the printed tape roll. Note that in Figure 6, the printed tape 22 pulled out from the printed tape roll 26 is not shown. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the top side of the second case member 14. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of Figure 6, showing the state in which the printed tape 22 is stretched from inside the tape case 20 to inside the ribbon case 21. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the second case member 14, Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the top side of the third case member 16, and Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the third case member 16. Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the top side of the fourth case member 18, and Figure 13 is a bottom view showing the bottom side of the fourth case member 18.

[0041] A printing tape roll 26 is housed in the first space S1 between the first case member 12 and the second case member 14, so as to be rotatable around a first rotation centerline C1 that is parallel to the vertical direction. The first rotation centerline C1 is the rotation center of the printing tape roll 26 and also the rotation center of the printing tape spool 24. The first case member 12 and the second case member 14 are rectangular in shape, and the first rotation centerline C1 is located approximately to the right of the center in the second direction (left-right) and approximately near the center in the third direction (front-back) of the first case member 12 and the second case member 14. The printing tape 22 is constructed, for example as shown in Figure 15, by laminating a release tape 22c on the side of the tape to be printed 22a opposite to the printed surface via an adhesive 22b.

[0042] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the lower surface of the first case member 12 is provided with a cylindrical first support projection 30 and a first circumferential wall 34. The first support projection 30 is inserted into the cylindrical printing tape spool 24 and rotatably supports the printing tape roll 26. The first circumferential wall 34 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the printing tape roll 26. The first support projection 30 and the first circumferential wall 34 protrude downward from the lower surface of the first case member 12, having the same centerline as the first rotation centerline C1. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the upper surface of the second case member 14 is provided with a cylindrical second support projection 32 and a second circumferential wall 36. The second support projection 32 is inserted into the cylindrical printing tape spool 24 and rotatably supports the printing tape roll 26. The second circumferential wall 36 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the printing tape roll 26. The second support projection 32 and the second circumferential wall 36 are provided projecting upward from the upper surface of the second case member 14, having the same centerline as the first rotation centerline C1. The printing tape roll 26 is disposed between the first case member 12 and the second case member 14, with circular spacer films 38 having approximately the same outer diameter as the printing tape roll 26 interposed above and below the printing tape roll 26. The spacer films 38 are for the purpose of smoothly rotating the printing tape roll 26 and are made of, for example, a sheet of tetrafluoroethylene resin.

[0043] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the lower surface of the first case member 12 and the upper surface of the second member 14 case are formed by cutting out parts of the first circumferential wall 34 and the second circumferential wall 36 to pull the printed tape 22 from the printed tape roll 26 from a fixed position. As shown in Figure 7, the upper surface of the second case member 14 is formed with a guide wall 50 extending from the left end of the printed tape gate 42 to the left to guide the printed tape 22 pulled from the printed tape roll 26 in a fixed direction.

[0044] As shown in Figure 6, the guide wall 50 extending to the left from the left end of the printed tape gate 42 curves toward the long side 46b, i.e., backward, before reaching the short side 46a of the outer peripheral wall 46, and extends along the second circumferential wall 36, connecting to the long side 44b.

[0045] As shown in Figure 6, the bottom plate 14a of the second case member 14 has a through hole 52 that is roughly L-shaped in front view, extending in the front-rear and left-right directions along the guide wall 50 and the long side portion 46b of the outer peripheral wall 46. Multiple guide ribs 54 are formed on the bottom plate 14a between the portion of the second circumferential wall 36 facing the guide wall 50 and the long side portion 46b and the through hole 52. The multiple guide ribs 54 guide the printed tape 22, which is unwound from the printed tape roll 26 and fed through the printed tape gates 40 and 42, into the through hole 52.

[0046] Figure 7 shows the cassette 10 with the first case member 12 removed. As shown in Figure 7, the printed tape 22 unwound from the printed tape roll 26 is guided through the through hole 52 into the second space S2 between the third case member 16 and the fourth case member 18. The printed tape 22 is stretched between the tape case 20 and the ribbon case 21 through the through hole 52 formed in the bottom plate 14a that separates the first space S1 and the second space S2.

[0047] As shown in Figure 8, the printed tape 22 is stretched diagonally from inside the tape case 20 to inside the ribbon case 21 through the through hole 52. More specifically, as shown in Figure 14, which will be described later, the printed tape 22 is stretched to the recess 99 of the ribbon case 21. Figure 9 shows the bottom side of the second case member 14. As shown in Figure 9, the back surface of the bottom plate 14a of the second case member 14 has a through hole 52, and a guide wall 56 is erected vertically along the through hole 52. Figure 10 shows the top side of the third case member 16. The top plate 16e of the third case member 16 has a through hole 58, a tape roll support hole 66, an ink ribbon support hole 74, a winding spool support hole 78, and a roller support hole 82. The through hole 58 is formed at a position corresponding to the through hole 52 of the second case member 14 in order to pass the printed tape 22 pulled out from the printed tape roll 26 into the second space S2. In other words, a portion of the through-hole 52 and a portion of the through-hole 58 overlap each other in the vertical direction.

[0048] The bottom plate 14a of the second case member 14 and the top plate 16e of the third case member 16 separate the first space S1 inside the tape case 20 from the second space S2 inside the ribbon case 21.

[0049] The lamination tape roll support hole 66 accommodates one end of the lamination tape spool 62 around which the lamination tape 60 is wound, allowing the lamination tape roll 64 to rotate around a second rotation centerline C2 parallel to the first rotation centerline C1. The second rotation centerline C2 is the rotation center of both the lamination tape roll 64 and the lamination tape spool 62. As shown in Figure 15, the lamination tape 60 consists of a transparent film 60a with an adhesive 60b applied to one side that contacts the printed surface of the printing tape 22 to protect the printed surface. The ink ribbon support hole 74 accommodates one end of the supply spool 70 around which the ink ribbon 68 is wound, allowing the ink ribbon roll 72 to rotate around a third rotation centerline C3 parallel to the first rotation centerline C1. The third rotation centerline C3 is the rotation center of both the ink ribbon roll 72 and the supply spool 70. The winding spool support hole 78 accommodates one end of the winding spool 76, which winds the ink ribbon 68 unwound from the ink ribbon roll 72, and supports the winding spool 76 so that it can rotate around a fourth rotation centerline C4 parallel to the first rotation centerline C1. The fourth rotation centerline C4 is the rotation center of the winding spool 24. The roller support hole 82 accommodates one end of the roller 80, which presses the printing tape 22 and the adhesive tape 60 together with the roller of the printing device 102 in order to press the printed surface of the printing tape 22 and the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape 60 together, and supports the roller 80 so that it can rotate around a fifth rotation centerline C5 parallel to the first rotation centerline C1.

[0050] As shown in Figure 11, the lower surface of the third case member 16 is formed with a bonding tape roll holding wall 84, an ink ribbon roll holding wall 86, a cylindrical projection 88, and an arc-shaped wall 92. The bonding tape roll holding wall 84 and the arc-shaped wall 92 are formed in an arc shape around the bonding tape roll support hole 66 to define the position of the bonding tape roll 64. The ink ribbon roll holding wall 86 is formed in an arc shape around the winding spool support hole 78 to define the position of the ink ribbon roll of the ink ribbon 68 wound on the winding spool 76. The cylindrical projection 88 protrudes downward from around the ink ribbon support hole 74 and has circumferentially aligned irregularities formed on its tip surface. Furthermore, the lower surface of the third case member 16 is provided with a support projection 93 that rotatably supports the upper end of the anti-sticking roller 91, which prevents the adhesive tape 60 from sticking. Also, as shown in Figure 12, the upper surface of the fourth case member 18 is provided with a support projection 95 that connectably supports the lower end of the anti-sticking roller 91.

[0051] As shown in Figure 3, a clutch spring holder 90 housing a clutch spring is fitted to the other end of the supply spool 70 around which the ink ribbon 68 is wound, so that the clutch spring in the clutch spring holder 90 provides an appropriate amount of rotational resistance to the ink ribbon roll 72.

[0052] Figures 12 and 13 show the upper and lower surfaces of the fourth case member 18. A winding spool support hole 94 is formed through the fourth case member 18, into which the other end of the winding spool 76 is fitted and rotatably supported. The fourth case member 18 has a cylindrical support projection 97 into which the other end of the supply spool 70 is fitted and rotatably supported. A connecting hole 96 formed on the end face of the other end of the winding spool 76 is exposed on the lower surface of the fourth case member 18 through the winding spool support hole 94, as shown in Figure 2. When the cassette 10 is mounted on the printing device 102, the winding spool drive shaft 108 of the printing device 102, described later, is inserted into the connecting hole 96 and connected to the winding spool 76, and the winding spool 76 is rotationally driven by the drive shaft.

[0053] The fourth case member 18 is provided with a roller exposure hole 98 at a position corresponding to the roller support hole 82 formed in the third case member 16, which exposes the shaft end of the roller 80. The connecting portion 80a formed at the end of the roller 80 on the fourth case member 18 side is exposed to the lower surface of the fourth case member 18 through the roller exposure hole 98, as shown in Figure 2. When the cassette 10 is mounted on the printing device 102, the roller drive shaft 110 of the printing device 102, described later, is connected to the connecting portion 80a, and the roller 80 is rotated by the roller drive shaft 110.

[0054] As shown in Figures 2 and 11, the ribbon case 21, which is composed of a third case member 16 and a fourth case member 18, has a recess 99 formed therein for accommodating a head holding plate 114 that holds a print head 106 erected on the cassette mounting section 104 when the cassette 10 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 shown in Figure 18. As shown in Figure 11, a part of the outer peripheral wall 16w of the third case member 16 has a first side wall 16a extending in the front-to-back direction, which is a second direction perpendicular to the vertical direction corresponding to the stacking direction, a second side wall 16b extending from the front end of the first side wall 16a in the left-to-right direction, which is a third direction perpendicular to the vertical and front-to-back directions, and a U-shaped recess wall 16c surrounding the recess 99. The recessed wall 16c is composed of an inner wall 16h that faces the second side wall 16b in the front-rear direction and extends in the left-right direction, an inner wall 16i that extends rearward from the right end of the inner wall 16h, an inner wall 16j that extends leftward from the rear end of the inner wall 16i, and an inner wall 16k that extends forward from the left end of the inner wall 16j. The second side wall 16b and the recessed wall 16c define the recess 99 as extending rearward from the left end of the second side wall 16b and extending in the left-right direction behind the second side wall 16b. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the fourth case member 18 has a U-shaped notch 18a that corresponds to the recessed wall 16c. The recess 99 is formed by these recessed wall 16c and notch 18a. As shown in Figure 2, a part of the upper end of the recess 99 is defined by the lower surface of the second case member 14. In other words, the recess 99 overlaps the second case member 14 and the first case member 12 in the vertical direction.

[0055] Figure 14 shows the lower surface of the third case member 16 when the cassette 10 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102. As described above, the printing tape 22 is pulled out from the printing tape roll 26 and stretched diagonally from the first space S1 in the tape case 20 to the second space S2 in the ribbon case 21 via the through holes 52 and 58. Therefore, in Figure 14 showing the third case member 16, the printing tape 22 is drawn from the through hole 58 at the rear of the third case member 16. As shown in Figure 14, the printing tape 22 and the laminated tape 60 are pressed between the roller 80 and the pressure roller 118 of the printing device 102, and pulled out from the printing tape roll 26 and the laminated tape roll 64, respectively, by the drive of the roller 80. The ink ribbon 68 is pulled out from the ink ribbon roll 72 by the drive of the take-up spool 76 and wound onto the take-up spool 76. Figure 14 shows the transport paths of the printing tape 22, ink ribbon 68, and adhesive tape 60. The printing tape 22 is shown by a dashed line, the adhesive tape 60 by a dashed line, and the ink ribbon 68 by a single dashed line.

[0056] As shown in Figure 14, when the winding spool 76 and roller 80 are rotated, the printing tape 22 and ink ribbon 68 are discharged from the discharge port 130 in an overlapping state toward the printing location P. The discharge port 130 is defined by the left end of the second side wall 16b and the left end of the side wall 16h, and is a gap that penetrates in the left-right direction. At the printing location P between the print head 106 and the platen roller 116, the printing tape 22 is pressed against the print head 106 via the ink ribbon 68. In this state, multiple heating elements arranged on the surface of the print head 106 are selectively driven to generate localized heat, so that a portion of the ink 68a on one side of the ink ribbon 68 is transferred to the printing tape 22, and characters, symbols, etc. are printed on the printing tape 22. The used ink ribbon 68 that has passed through the printing location P is carried into the ribbon case 21 from the inlet 132 and wound onto the winding spool 76. The loading port 132 is located to the left of the discharge port 130 and is provided in the third case member 16. A transparent adhesive tape 60 is pressed and adhered to the printed surface of the printing tape 22 that has passed through the printing location P by the roller 80. In this way, the printed surface of the printing tape 22 is protected by the adhesive tape 60.

[0057] Figure 15 schematically shows the laminate of the printed tape 22 and the adhesive tape 60 fed from the cassette 10. The adhesive tape 60, which is made of a transparent film 60a with adhesive 60b applied to one side, is attached to the printed surface side of the printed tape 22a, i.e., the printed surface side. This protects the ink 68a transferred to the printed surface of the printed tape 22. Note that the sizes and dimensional ratios of each component 22a-22c, 60a, 60b, 68a of the laminate depicted in Figure 15 are not necessarily accurate.

[0058] Figure 16 shows the lower surface of the third case member 16. The laminated tape roll 64, ink ribbon roll 72, take-up spool 76, and roller 80 are housed in the second space S2 between the third case member 16 and the fourth case member 18, i.e., inside the ribbon case 21. As described above, the ribbon case 21 is positioned above the tape case 20. When the printed tape roll 26 and spacer film 38 housed inside the tape case 20 are projected vertically onto a projection surface that extends in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions within the second space S2, the projection positions of the printed tape roll 26 and spacer film 38 are shown by the dashed lines in Figure 16. Since the spacer film 38 has approximately the same diameter as the printed tape roll 26, only the dashed line representing the printed tape roll 26 is shown in Figure 16. As shown in Figure 16, the laminated tape roll 64, ink ribbon roll 72, and take-up spool 76 are positioned to overlap the printed tape roll 26 in the vertical direction. At least a portion of the laminated tape roll 64 and at least a portion of the laminated tape spool 62 overlap the printed tape roll 26 in the vertical direction. More specifically, a portion of the laminated tape roll 64 and a portion of the laminated tape spool 62 overlap the printed tape spool 24 and the printed tape 22 wound around the printed tape spool 24 in the vertical direction, respectively.

[0059] In Figure 16, the printing tape roll 26 and the spacer film 38, which have approximately the same diameter as it, overlap in the vertical direction with at least a portion of the laminated tape roll 64 having the laminated tape spool 62 and its second rotational centerline C2, at least a portion of the ink ribbon roll 72 and its third rotational centerline C3, at least a portion of the take-up spool 76 and its fourth rotational centerline C4, the recess 99 and at least a portion of the recess wall 16c. When the printing tape roll 26 and spacer film 38 are projected in the vertical direction, the laminated tape roll 64 and its second rotational centerline C2, the ink ribbon roll 72 and its third rotational centerline C3, the take-up spool 76 and its fourth rotational centerline C4, the recess 99 and the recess wall 16c are located within the projection plane. In addition, at least a portion of the recess 99 and the recess wall 16c overlap in the vertical direction with the printing tape spool 24. Furthermore, in the left-right direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of a portion of the printing tape roll 26 and the printing tape spool 24, is located between the right end 99a, which is one side end of the recess 99 in the left-right direction, and the left end 99b, which is the other side end. Also, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printing tape spool 24, is located between the discharge port 130 and the right end 99a of the recess 99 in the left-right direction. In addition, the laminated tape spool 62 is located between the right end 99a and the left end 99b of the recess 99 in the left-right direction. In particular, the second rotational centerline C2, which is also the rotational center of the laminated tape spool 62, is located between the right end 99a of the recess 99 and the discharge port 130 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, in Figure 16, in the front-rear and left-right directions, the distance from the center position M, which is the center of the cassette 10 in both the front-rear and left-right directions, to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 26 is set to be smaller than the distance from the center position M to the recess 99.

[0060] Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in Figure 6. In the vertical direction, the distance D between one (lower) end of the print tape roll 26 and the other (upper) end of the lamination tape roll 64 is smaller than the width W1 of the lamination tape 60. Since the print tape 22 and the lamination tape 60 have the same width, the distance D is smaller than the width of the print tape roll 26.

[0061] Figure 18 shows a cassette mounting section 104 provided in a part of the printing device 102 included in the printing system 122. The cassette mounting section 104 is provided with a rectangular positioning hole 112 for positioning the fitted cassette 10, and a winding spool drive shaft 108 and a roller drive shaft 110 erected on the lower surface of the positioning hole 112. The positioning hole 112 functions as a housing section that accommodates a part of the ribbon case 21, which is the lower case of the cassette 10. These winding spool drive shaft 108 and roller drive shaft 110 are rotationally driven in the same direction via a gear mechanism by a stepper motor (not shown). In addition, a head holding plate 114 to which a thermal print head 106 is fixed is erected on the lower surface of the positioning hole 112 of the cassette mounting section 104, and a platen holding member 120, to which a platen roller 116 and a pressure roller 118 are rotatably provided at the tip, is rotatably mounted around its base end. The head holding plate 114 is, for example, a metal plate made of aluminum, and also serves as a heat sink for the print head.

[0062] When the cassette 10 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102, the winding spool drive shaft 108 and the roller drive shaft 110, which are erected in the cassette mounting section 104, are connected to the winding spool 76 and the roller 80. Next, when the cover (not shown) of the printing device 102 is closed with the cassette 10 mounted in the cassette mounting section 104, the platen holding member 120 is rotated around its base end, causing the platen roller 116 and the pressure roller 118 to press against the print head 106 and the roller 80 of the cassette 10. The printing device 102 and the cassette 10 constitute the printing system 122.

[0063] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, (a) a rotatable printing tape roll 26 around which a printing tape 22, which is the printing medium, is wound; (b) an outer peripheral wall 16w located on one side (downward side) of the first direction, which is the width direction of the printing tape 22, with respect to the printing tape roll 26, the outer peripheral wall 16w comprising a first side wall 16a extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second side wall 16b extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction, and a recess wall 16c defining a recess 99 extending in the third direction on one side of the second direction from the second side wall 16b; and (c) at least a portion of the recess 99 overlaps the printing tape roll 26 in the first direction. As a result, the printed tape roll 26 and the recessed wall 16c below it are superimposed in the first direction, i.e., the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the recess 99 is superimposed with the printed tape roll 26 in the first direction, so the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0064] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the print tape roll 26 is formed by winding the print tape 22 around a rotatable print tape spool 24, and at least a portion of the recessed wall 16c overlaps with the print tape spool 24 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the recessed wall 16c does not overlap with the print tape spool 24 in the first direction.

[0065] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, at least a portion of the recess 99 overlaps with the printed tape spool 24 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the recess 99 does not overlap with the printed tape spool 24 in the first direction.

[0066] In the cassette 10 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the first rotational center line C1, which is the rotational center of the printing tape roll 26, is located between one end 16a and the other end 16b of the recess 99 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if it were not located between the one end and the other end of the recess 99 in the third direction.

[0067] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the printed tape roll 26 is formed by winding a printed tape 22 around a rotatable printed tape spool 24, and in the third direction, at least a portion of the printed tape spool 24 is located between one end 16a and the other end 16b of the recess 99 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the printed tape spool 24 were not located between one end 16a and the other end 16b of the recess 99 in the third direction.

[0068] In the cassette 10 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printed tape spool 24, is located between the discharge port 130 and one end of the recess 99 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if the first rotational centerline C1 of the printed tape spool 24 were not located between the discharge port 130 and one end of the recess 99 in the third direction.

[0069] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the cassette comprises a tape case (first case) 20 in which a printed tape roll 26 is housed, and a ribbon case (second case) 21 located on one side of the tape case 20 in the first direction and having an outer peripheral wall 16w. The ribbon case 21 has an outlet 130 defined by the second side wall 16b, located between one end 16a and the other end 16b of the recess 99 in the third direction, through which the printed tape 22 supplied from the printed tape roll 26 is discharged from the tape case 20 into the recess 99. In the third direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printed tape spool 26, is located between the outlet 130 and one end of the recess 99 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the first rotational centerline C1 of the print tape spool 26 is not located between the discharge port 130 and one end 16a of the recess 99 in the third direction.

[0070] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the recess 99 overlaps with at least a portion of the tape case (first case) 20 in a first direction. As a result, the cassette is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the recess 99 does not overlap with at least a portion of the tape case (first case) 20 in a first direction.

[0071] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the cassette 10 comprises a rotatable supply spool 70 located on one side in a first direction relative to the print tape roll 26, around which an ink ribbon 68 used for printing on the print tape 22 supplied from the print tape roll 26 is wound, and a take-up spool 76 located on one side in a first direction relative to the print tape roll 26, which is rotatable to take up the ink ribbon 68 supplied from the supply spool 70, wherein at least a portion of the supply spool 70 and at least a portion of the take-up spool 76 overlap with the print tape roll 26 in a first direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when at least a portion of the supply spool 70 and at least a portion of the take-up spool 76 do not overlap with the print tape roll 26 in a first direction.

[0072] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, a rotatable adhesive tape roll 64 is provided, which is located on one side in the first direction relative to the printed tape roll 26 and around which the adhesive tape 60 to be bonded to the printed tape 22 is wound, and at least a portion of the adhesive tape roll 64 overlaps with the printed tape roll 26 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the adhesive tape roll 64 does not overlap with the printed tape roll 26 in the first direction.

[0073] In the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the laminated tape roll 64 is constructed by winding laminated tape 60 around a laminated tape spool 62, and the laminated tape spool 62 overlaps with the printed tape roll 26 in a first direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the laminated tape spool 62 does not overlap with the printed tape roll 26 in a first direction.

[0074] In the cassette 10 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the second rotational centerline C2, which is the rotational center of the adhesive tape spool 62, is located between one end and the other end 16b of the recess 99 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if the second rotational centerline C2 of the adhesive tape spool 62 were not located between one end and the other end 16b of the recess 99 in the third direction.

[0075] In the cassette 10 of this embodiment, in the second and third directions, the distance from the center position M, which is the center of the cassette 10 in both the second and third directions, to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 26 is smaller than the distance from the center position M to the recess 99. As a result, the cassette 10 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the distance from the center position M of the cassette 10 to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 26 is greater than the distance from the center position M to the recess 99.

[0076] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, (a) a printed tape roll 26 around which a printed tape 22 is wound, (b) a spacer film 38 that abuts the printed tape roll 26 in a first direction, (c) a part of the outer peripheral wall 16w located on one side of the outer peripheral wall 16w in the first direction relative to the printed tape roll 26 and the spacer film 38, comprising a first side wall 16a extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second side wall 16b extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction, and a recess extending from the second side wall 16b to one side in the second direction, the recess wall 16c being U-shaped and defining a recess 99 extending in the third direction on one side of the second direction relative to the second side wall 16b (left side in Figure 16), and (d) at least a part of the recess 99 overlaps with the spacer film 38 in the first direction. As a result, at least a portion of the recess 99 overlaps with the spacer film 38 in the first direction, so that the cassette 10 can be miniaturized in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0077] [Embodiment 2] Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following description, parts common to multiple embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0078] Figure 19 is a perspective view from the front, i.e., top, of a non-laminate type cassette 210 that does not use a laminated tape roll 64, which is another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 20 is a perspective view of the cassette 210 from the back, i.e., bottom. The cassette 210 is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole and is detachably mounted on a printer that is configured similarly to Figure 18 except for slightly different dimensions and the absence of a roller drive shaft 110. Hereafter, the printer will be described using the printing device 102 shown in Figure 18. The cassette 210 of this embodiment is a non-laminate type that does not have a laminated tape roll 64 and rollers 80, and is therefore smaller than the laminate type cassette 10. The cassette 210, like the cassette 10, comprises a first case, i.e., a tape case 220, composed of a first case member 212 and a second case member 214, and a second case, i.e., a ribbon case 221, composed of a third case member 216 and a fourth case member 218. The first to fourth case members 212 to 218 are stacked vertically as shown in Figure 18. The first, second, third, and fourth case members 212, 214, 216, and 218 are fixed to each other while stacked, by the engagement of multiple locking claws 227 and fixing claws 228 provided between their respective outer peripheral walls, and by positioning by positioning projections 229. In this embodiment, the upper surface of each case member 212 to 218 is referred to as the top surface or front surface, and the lower surface is referred to as the bottom surface or back surface.

[0079] The ribbon case 221 is located on one side of the tape case 220 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the ribbon case 221 is located on the lower side of the tape case 220, which is one side of the tape case 220 in the vertical direction. The tape case 220 rotatably houses a printing tape roll 226, in which a printing tape 222, which is the printing medium, is wound in a first space S1 formed inside. The printing tape roll 226 is constructed by winding a strip-shaped printing tape 222 around a printing tape spool 224, which is a cylindrical core material. The printing tape 222 is wound such that its width direction is the vertical direction, which is the first direction. The radial direction of the printing tape roll 226 is the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the radial direction is an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The orthogonal direction can also be described as any direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The printing tape 222, the printing tape spool 224, and the printing tape roll 226 correspond to the printing medium, the printing medium spool, and the printing medium roll, respectively. The ribbon case 221 rotatably houses the ink ribbon roll 272 and the take-up spool 272 in a second space S2 formed inside. The ink ribbon roll 272 is constructed by winding a strip-shaped ink ribbon 268 onto the take-up spool 276 such that the width direction of the ink ribbon 268 is in the vertical direction. The ink ribbon 268 is used for printing onto the strip-shaped printing tape 222. The take-up spool 276 winds up the ink ribbon 268 that has been pulled out from the ink ribbon roll 272.

[0080] As shown in Figure 20, a winding spool support hole 294 is provided on the lower surface of the fourth case member 218 of the cassette 210. The connecting hole 296 of the winding spool 276, which will be described later, is exposed through the winding spool support hole 294. The winding spool drive shaft 108, provided in the cassette mounting section 104, is inserted into the connecting hole 296 when the cassette 210 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102. In addition, recesses 299 are formed on the sides of the third case member 216 and the fourth case member 218, that is, a part of the outer peripheral wall 216w of the ribbon case 221 and a part of the outer peripheral wall of the second case member 214. The print head 106, provided in the cassette mounting section 104, is inserted into the recesses 299 when the cassette 210 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102. As shown in Figure 20, the upper end of the recess 299 is defined by the lower surface of the second case member 214.

[0081] Figure 21 is a perspective view illustrating the internal configuration of the cassette 210 with the first case member 212, second case member 214, third case member 216, and fourth case member 218 separated. Figure 22 is a front view showing the top side of the first case member 212, and Figure 23 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the first case member 212. Figure 24 is a perspective view showing the top side of the second case member 214, Figure 25 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the second case member 214, and Figure 26 is a cross-sectional view taken from XXVI-XXVI in Figure 24, showing the state in which the printed tape 222 is stretched from inside the tape case 220 to inside the ribbon case 221. Figure 27 is a side view of the second case member 214. Figure 28 is a perspective view showing the top side of the third case member 216, and Figure 29 is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the third case member 216. Figure 30 is a perspective view showing the upper side of the fourth case member 218, and Figure 31 is a bottom view showing the lower side of the fourth case member 218.

[0082] A printing tape roll 226 is housed in a first space S1 between the first case member 212 and the second case member 214, so as to be rotatable around a first rotation centerline C1 that is parallel to the vertical direction. The first case member 212 and the second case member 214 are rectangular in shape, and the first rotation centerline C1 is located in the first case member 212 and the second case member 214, slightly to the right of the center in the second direction (left-right direction) and near the center in the third direction (front-back direction). The printing tape 222 is constructed, for example as shown in Figure 34, by laminating a release tape 222c on the side of the tape to be printed 222a opposite to the printed surface via an adhesive 222b.

[0083] As shown in Figures 21 and 23, the lower surface of the first case member 212 is provided with a cylindrical first support projection 230 and a first circumferential wall 234. The first support projection 230 is inserted into the cylindrical printing tape spool 224 and rotatably supports the printing tape roll 226. The first circumferential wall 234 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the printing tape roll 226. The first support projection 230 and the first circumferential wall 234 protrude downward from the lower surface of the first case member 212, having the same centerline as the first rotation centerline C1. As shown in Figures 24 and 25, the upper surface of the second case member 214 is provided with a cylindrical second support projection 232 and a second circumferential wall 236. The second support projection 232 is inserted into the cylindrical printing tape spool 224 and rotatably supports the printing tape roll 226. The second circumferential wall 236 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the printed tape roll 226. The second support projection 232 and the second circumferential wall 236 protrude upward from the upper surface of the second case member 214, having the same centerline as the first rotational centerline C1. The printed tape roll 226 is disposed between the first case member 212 and the second case member 214, with circular spacer films 238 having approximately the same outer diameter as the printed tape roll 226 interposed above and below the printed tape roll 226.

[0084] As shown in Figures 23 and 24, printed tape gates 40 and 42 are formed on the lower side of the first case member 212 and the upper side of the second case member 214 by cutting out parts of the first circumferential wall 234 and the second circumferential wall 236, respectively, in order to pull the printed tape 222 from the printed tape roll 226 from a fixed position. As shown in Figure 23, on the lower side of the first case member 212, a guide wall 248 is formed extending to the left from the printed tape gate 240 in order to guide the printed tape 222 pulled from the printed tape roll 226 in a fixed direction. As shown in Figure 24, on the upper side of the second case member 214, a guide wall 250 is formed extending to the left from the left end of the printed tape gate 242 in order to guide the printed tape 222 pulled from the printed tape roll 226 in a fixed direction.

[0085] As shown in Figure 24, the bottom plate 214a of the second case member 214 has a through hole 252 that is roughly L-shaped in front view, extending in the front-rear and left-right directions along the space between the second circumferential wall 236 and the short side portion 246a and the long side portion 46b of the outer peripheral wall 246. Multiple guide ribs 254 are formed between the portion of the second circumferential wall 236 facing the corners of the short side portion 246a and the long side portion 46b and the through hole 252. The multiple guide ribs 254 guide the printed tape 222, which is unwound from the printed tape roll 226 and fed through the printed tape gates 240 and 242, into the through hole 252. Figure 25 shows the cassette 210 with the first case member 212 removed. As shown in Figure 25, the printed tape 222 unwound from the printed tape roll 226 is guided through the through hole 252 into the second space S2 between the third case member 216 and the fourth case member 218. The printed tape 222 is stretched between the tape case 220 and the ribbon case 221 through a through hole 252 formed in the bottom plate 214a that separates the first space S1 and the second space S2.

[0086] As shown in Figure 26, the printed tape 222 is stretched diagonally from inside the tape case 220 to inside the ribbon case 221 through the through hole 252. More specifically, as shown in Figure 33, which will be described later, the printed tape 222 is stretched to the recess 299 of the ribbon case 221. Figure 27 shows the bottom side of the second case member 214. As shown in Figure 27, a through hole 252 is opened on the back surface of the bottom plate 214a of the second case member 214, and a guide wall 256 is erected vertically along the through hole 252. Figure 28 shows the top side of the third case member 216. The top plate 216e of the third case member 216 has a through hole 258, an ink ribbon support hole 274, and a winding spool support hole 278 formed therein. The through-hole 258 is formed at a position corresponding to the through-hole 252 of the second case member 214 in order to pass the printed tape 222, which has been pulled out from the printed tape roll 226, into the second space S2. In other words, a portion of the through-hole 252 and a portion of the through-hole 258 overlap each other in the vertical direction.

[0087] The bottom plate 214a of the second case member 214 and the top plate 216e of the third case member 216 separate the first space S1 inside the tape case 220 from the second space S2 inside the ribbon case 221.

[0088] The ink ribbon support hole 274 accommodates one end of the supply spool 270 around which the ink ribbon 268 is wound, supporting the ink ribbon roll 272 so that it can rotate around a third rotation centerline C3 parallel to the first rotation centerline C1. The winding spool support hole 278 accommodates one end of the winding spool 276, which winds the ink ribbon 268 unwound from the ink ribbon roll 272, supporting the winding spool 276 so that it can rotate around a fourth rotation centerline C4 parallel to the first rotation centerline C1.

[0089] As shown in Figure 29, an ink ribbon roll holding wall 286 and a cylindrical projection 288 are formed on the lower surface of the third case member 216. The ink ribbon roll holding wall 286 is formed in an arc shape centered on the winding spool support hole 278 around the winding spool support hole 278 in order to define the position of the ink ribbon roll of the ink ribbon 268 wound on the winding spool 276. The tip surface of the cylindrical projection 288 is formed with circumferential irregularities that protrude downward from around the ink ribbon support hole 274 and are arranged on the tip surface.

[0090] As shown in Figure 21, a clutch spring holder 290 housing a clutch spring is interposed between one end of the supply spool 270 around which the ink ribbon 268 is wound and the tip surface of the cylindrical projection 288, so that the supply spool 70 is subjected to appropriate rotational resistance by the clutch spring in the clutch spring holder 90 to the ink ribbon roll 72.

[0091] Figures 30 and 31 show the upper and lower surfaces of the fourth case member 218. A winding spool support hole 294 is formed through the fourth case member 218 on the fourth case member 18 side, into which the other end of the winding spool 76 is fitted and rotatably supported. The fourth case member 218 has a cylindrical support projection 297 into which the other end of the supply spool 270 is fitted and rotatably supported. A connecting hole 296 formed on the end face of the other end of the winding spool 276 is exposed on the lower surface of the fourth case member 218 through the winding spool support hole 294, as shown in Figure 21. When the cassette 210 is mounted on the printing device 102, the winding spool drive shaft 108 of the printing device 102 is inserted into the connecting hole 296 and connected to the winding spool 276, and the winding spool 276 is rotationally driven by the winding spool drive shaft 108.

[0092] Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXXII-XXXIII in Figure 24. A third space S3 of a predetermined volume is formed between the tape case 220 and the ribbon case 221, that is, between the bottom plate 214a of the second case member 214 and the top plate 216e of the third case member 216.

[0093] As shown in Figures 20 and 29, the ribbon case 221, which is composed of a third case member 216 and a fourth case member 218, has a recess 299 formed therein for accommodating a head holding plate 114 that holds a print head 106 erected on the cassette mounting section 104 when the cassette 210 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 shown in Figure 18. As shown in Figure 29, a part of the outer peripheral wall 216w of the third case member 216 has a first side wall 216a extending in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, a second side wall 216b extending in the left-to-right direction perpendicular to the vertical and front-to-back directions, and a U-shaped recess wall 216c arranged to surround the recess 299. The recessed wall 216c is composed of an inner wall 216h that faces the second side wall 216b in the front-rear direction and extends in the left-right direction, an inner wall 216i that extends rearward from the right end of the inner wall 16h, an inner wall 216j that extends leftward from the rear end of the inner wall 216i, and an inner wall 216k that extends forward from the left end of the inner wall 216j. The second side wall 216b and the recessed wall 216c define the recess 299 as extending rearward from the left end of the second side wall 216b and extending in the left-right direction behind the second side wall 216b. As shown in Figures 30 and 31, the fourth case member 218 has a U-shaped notch 218a that corresponds to the recessed wall 16c. The recess 299 is formed by these recessed wall 216c and notch 218a. As shown in Figure 21, a portion of the upper end of the recess 299 is defined by the lower surface of the second case member 214. In other words, the recess 299 overlaps with the second case member 214 and the first case member 212 in the vertical direction.

[0094] Figure 33 shows the lower surface of the third case member 216 when the cassette 10 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102. As described above, the printing tape 222 is pulled out from the printing tape roll 226 and stretched diagonally from the first space S1 in the tape case 20 to the second space S2 in the ribbon case 221 via through holes 252 and 258. Therefore, in Figure 33 showing the third case member 216, the printing tape 222 is drawn from the through hole 258 at the rear of the third case member 216. When the cassette 210 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 on which the take-up spool drive shaft 108 is erected, the take-up spool 276, which is rotationally driven by the take-up spool drive shaft 108, winds up the ink ribbon 268, and the printing tape 222, which is sandwiched together with the ink ribbon 268 between the print head 106 and the platen roller 116, is pulled out from the printing tape roll 226. In Figure 33, the path of the printing tape 222 and the path of the ink ribbon 268 drawn from the ink ribbon roll 272 by the drive of the take-up spool 276 are shown by dashed and dotted lines, respectively.

[0095] As shown in Figure 33, the printing tape 222 and ink ribbon 268 are discharged from the discharge port 300 toward the printing location P. The discharge port 300 is defined by the left end of the second side wall 216b and the left end of the side wall 216h, and is a gap that penetrates in the left-right direction. At the printing location P between the print head 106 and the platen roller 116, the printing tape 222 is pressed against the print head 106 via the ink ribbon 268. In this state, multiple heating elements arranged on the surface of the print head 106 are selectively driven to generate localized heat, so that a portion of the ink 68a on one side of the ink ribbon 68 is transferred to the printing tape 22, and characters, symbols, etc. are printed on the printing tape 22. The used ink ribbon 268 that has passed through the printing location P is carried into the ribbon case 221 from the loading port 302 and wound onto the winding spool 276. The loading port 302 is located to the left of the discharge port 300 and is provided in the third case member 216.

[0096] Figure 34 schematically shows the laminated structure of the printed tape 222 fed from the cassette 210. The printed tape 222 is a laminate of a tape to be printed 222a and a release tape 222c attached to the non-printed side of the tape to be printed 222a via an adhesive 222b. Ink 68a from the printed tape 222 is transferred to the printed surface of the tape to be printed 222a. Note that the size and dimensional ratios of each component of the laminate depicted in Figure 34 are not necessarily accurate.

[0097] Figure 35 shows the lower surface of the third case member 216. The ink ribbon roll 272 and the take-up spool 276 are housed in the second space S2 between the third case member 216 and the fourth case member 218, i.e., inside the ribbon case 221. As described above, the ribbon case 221 is positioned above the tape case 220. When the printed tape roll 226 and spacer film 238 housed inside the tape case 220 are projected vertically onto a projection surface that extends in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions within the second space S2, the projection positions of the printed tape roll 226 and spacer film 238 are shown by the dashed lines in Figure 35. Since the spacer film 238 has approximately the same diameter as the printed tape roll 226, only the dashed line representing the printed tape roll 226 is shown in Figure 35. As shown in Figure 35, the ink ribbon roll 272 and the take-up spool 276 are positioned to overlap the printed tape roll 226 in the vertical direction.

[0098] At least a portion of the supply spool 270, at least a portion of the ink ribbon 268 or ink ribbon roll 272, and at least a portion of the ink ribbon 268 that passes through the take-up spool 276 and printing location P and is about to be wound onto the take-up spool 276 overlap the printing tape roll 226 and spacer film 38 in the vertical direction. That is, at least a portion of the ink ribbon 268 or ink ribbon roll 272 in the process of being wound onto the take-up spool 276 or being wound from the input 302 to the take-up spool 76 is located within the vertical projection plane of the printing tape roll 226 and spacer film 238.

[0099] In Figure 35, the printing tape roll 226 and the spacer film 238, which have approximately the same diameter as it, overlap in the vertical direction with at least a portion of the ink ribbon roll 272 and its third rotational centerline C3, at least a portion of the winding spool 276 and its fourth rotational centerline C4, the recess 299, and at least a portion of the recess wall 216c. When the printing tape roll 226 and the spacer film 238 are projected in the vertical direction, at least a portion of the ink ribbon roll 272 and its third rotational centerline C3, at least a portion of the winding spool 276 and its fourth rotational centerline C4, the recess 299, and at least a portion of the recess wall 216c are located within the projection plane. In addition, at least a portion of the recess 299 and the recess wall 216c overlap in the vertical direction with the printing tape spool 224. Furthermore, in the left-right direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of a portion of the printing tape roll 226 and the printing tape spool 224, is located between the right end 299a, which is one side end of the recess 299 in the left-right direction, and the left end 299b, which is the other side end. Also, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printing tape spool 224, is located between the discharge port 300 and the right end 299a of the recess 299 in the left-right direction. Moreover, in Figure 35, in the front-rear and left-right directions, the distance from the center position M of the cassette 210, which is the center of the cassette 10 in both the front-rear and left-right directions, to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 226 is set to be smaller than the distance from the center position M to the recess 299.

[0100] According to the cassette 210 of this embodiment, (a) a rotatable printing tape roll 226 around which a printing tape 222, which is the printing medium, is wound; (b) an outer peripheral wall 16w located on one side of the printing tape roll 26 in the first direction which is the width direction of the printing tape 222, comprising a first side wall 216a extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second side wall 216b extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction, and an outer peripheral wall 215 forming a U-shaped recess wall 216c that extends in the third direction from the second side wall 216b on one side of the second direction to define a recess 299; and (c) at least a portion of the recess 299 overlaps the printing tape roll 226 in the first direction. As a result, the tape case 220 equipped with the printed tape roll 226 and the ribbon case 221 equipped with the recessed wall 216c are stacked in the first direction, i.e., the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the recess 299 is stacked with the printed tape roll 226 in the first direction, so the cassette 210 is made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0101] In the cassette 210 of this embodiment, the printed tape roll 224 is formed by winding printed tape 222 around a rotatable printed tape spool 224, and at least a portion of the recessed wall 216c overlaps with the printed tape spool 224 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when at least a portion of the recessed wall 216c does not overlap with the printed tape spool 226 in the first direction.

[0102] According to the cassette 210 of this embodiment, at least a portion of the recess 299 overlaps with the printed tape spool 224 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the recess 299 does not overlap with the printed tape spool 224 in the first direction.

[0103] In the cassette 210 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the first rotational center line C1, which is the rotational center of the printing tape roll 226, is located between one end and the other end of the recess 299 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if it were not located between the one end and the other end of the recess 299 in the third direction.

[0104] According to the cassette 210 of this embodiment, the print tape roll 226 is formed by winding a print tape 222 around a rotatable print tape spool 224, and in the third direction, at least a portion of the print tape spool 224 is located between one end and the other end of the recess 299 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 220 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the print tape spool 224 were not located between one end and the other end of the recess 299 in the third direction.

[0105] In the cassette 10 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printed tape spool 224, is located between the discharge port 300 and one end of the recess 299 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if the first rotational centerline C1 of the printed tape spool 224 were not located between the discharge port 300 and one end of the recess 299 in the third direction.

[0106] According to the cassette 10 of this embodiment, the cassette comprises a tape case (first case) 220 in which a printed tape roll 26 is housed, and a ribbon case (second case) 221 located on one side of the tape case 220 in the first direction and having an outer peripheral wall 215. The ribbon case 221 has an outlet 300 defined by a second side wall 216b, located between one end 216a and the other end 216b of the recess 299 in the third direction, through which the printed tape 222 supplied from the printed tape roll 226 is discharged from the tape case 220 into the recess 299. In the third direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printed tape spool 226, is located between the outlet 300 and the one end of the recess 299 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape spool 226 is not located between the discharge port 300 and one end 216a of the recess 299 in the third direction.

[0107] According to the cassette 210 of this embodiment, the recess 299 overlaps with at least a portion of the tape case (first case) 220 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the recess 299 does not overlap with at least a portion of the first case 210 in the first direction.

[0108] According to the cassette 210 of this embodiment, the cassette 210 comprises a rotatable supply spool 270 located on one side in the first direction relative to the print tape roll 226, around which an ink ribbon 268 used for printing on the print tape 222 supplied from the print tape roll 226 is wound, and a take-up spool 276 located on one side in the first direction relative to the print tape roll 226, which is rotatable to take up the ink ribbon 268 supplied from the supply spool 270, wherein at least a portion of the supply spool 270 and at least a portion of the take-up spool 276 overlap with the print tape roll 226 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when at least a portion of the supply spool 270 and at least a portion of the take-up spool 276 do not overlap with the print tape roll 26 in the first direction.

[0109] In the cassette 210 of this embodiment, in the second and third directions, the distance from the center position M, which is the center of the cassette 210 in both the second and third directions, to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 226 is smaller than the distance from the center position M to the recess 299. As a result, the cassette 210 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction compared to the case where the distance from the center position M of the cassette 10 to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 226 is greater than the distance from the center position M to the recess 299.

[0110] According to the cassette 210 of this embodiment, (a) a printed tape roll 226 around which a printed tape 222 is wound, (b) a spacer film 238 that abuts the printed tape roll 226 in a first direction, (c) a part of the outer peripheral wall 215 located on one side of the outer peripheral wall 215 in the first direction relative to the printed tape roll 226 and the spacer film 238, comprising a first side wall 216a extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second side wall 216b extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction, and a recess extending from the second side wall 216b to one side in the second direction, the recess wall 216c being U-shaped and defining a recess 299 extending in the third direction on one side of the second direction relative to the second side wall 216b (left side in Figure 16), and (d) at least a part of the recess 299 overlaps with the spacer film 238 in the first direction. As a result, at least a portion of the recess 299 overlaps with the spacer film 238 in the first direction, so that the cassette 210 can be miniaturized in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0111] [Embodiment 3] Figure 36 is a perspective view from the front, or top, of a thermal type cassette 410 in which the printed tape 422 itself changes color due to heat, which is another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 37 is a perspective view of the cassette 410 from the back, or bottom. The cassette 410 is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped overall, has slightly different dimensions, and does not have an ink ribbon roll 72 and a winding spool 76, but is detachably mounted on a cassette mounting section 104 configured in the same way as in Figure 18. In this case, the cassette mounting section 104 does not have a winding spool drive shaft 108, but a roller drive shaft 110 is provided protruding from it.

[0112] The cassette 410 of this embodiment includes a laminated tape roll 464 and a roller 480, but does not include a take-up spool or an ink ribbon roll. The printed tape 422a of the printed tape 422 provided in the cassette 410 is made of thermal paper that self-colors when heated. Like cassettes 10 and 210, the cassette 410 includes a first case, i.e., a tape case 420, composed of a first case member 412 and a second case member 414, and a second case, i.e., a ribbon case 421, composed of a third case member 416 and a fourth case member 418. The tape case 420 includes a printed tape roll 426 in a first space S1 formed inside. The ribbon case 421 is mounted so as to be located below the tape case 420 and includes a laminated tape roll 464 in a second space S2 formed inside. The first case member 412, the second case member 414, the third case member 416, and the fourth case member 418 are stacked on top of each other and fixed together by the engagement of multiple locking claws 427 and fixing claws 428 provided between their respective outer peripheral walls, and by positioning by positioning projections 429. In this embodiment, the upper surface of each case member 412 to 418 is referred to as the top surface or front surface, and the lower surface is referred to as the bottom surface or back surface.

[0113] The ribbon case 421 is located on one side of the tape case 420 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the ribbon case 421 is located on the lower side of the tape case 420, which is one side of the tape case 420 in the vertical direction. The tape case 240 rotatably houses a printed tape roll 426, in which a printed tape 422, which is the printing medium, is wound, in a first space S1 formed inside. The printed tape roll 426 is constructed by winding a strip-shaped printed tape 422 around a printed tape spool 424, which is a cylindrical core material. The printed tape 422 is wound such that the width direction of the printed tape 22 is the vertical direction, which is the first direction. The radial direction of the printed tape roll 426 is the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the radial direction is an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The orthogonal direction can also be described as any direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The printed tape 422, the printed tape spool 424, and the printed tape roll 426 correspond to the printing medium, the printing medium spool, and the printing medium roll, respectively.

[0114] The ribbon case 421 rotatably houses the adhesive tape roll 464 in a second space S2 formed inside it. The adhesive tape roll 464 consists of a strip of adhesive tape 460 that is to be bonded to the printed tape 422, wound around the adhesive tape spool 462 such that the width direction of the adhesive tape 460 is in the vertical direction.

[0115] As shown in Figure 37, the fourth case member 418 of the cassette 410 is provided with a roller exposure hole 498. The shaft end of the roller 480, described later, is exposed through the roller exposure hole 498. When the cassette 410 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102, the roller drive shaft 110 provided in the cassette mounting section 104 is inserted into the shaft end. In addition, recesses 499 are formed on the sides of the third case member 416 and the fourth case member 418, i.e., a part of the outer peripheral wall 416w of the ribbon case 421 and a part of the outer peripheral wall of the second case member 414. When the cassette 410 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104, the print head 106 provided in the cassette mounting section 104 is inserted into the recesses 499. As shown in Figure 37, the upper end of the recess 499 is defined by the lower surface of the second case member 14.

[0116] Figure 38 is a perspective view illustrating the internal configuration of the cassette 410 with the first case member 412, second case member 414, third case member 416, and fourth case member 418 separated. Figures 39 and 40 show the top and bottom sides of the first case member 412, which is configured similarly to the first case member 212 of the cassette 210 of Embodiment 2. Figures 41 and 42 show the top and bottom sides of the second case member 414, which is configured similarly to the first case member 212 of the cassette 210 of Embodiment 2. The top side of the first case member 412 is configured as shown in Figure 22, and the bottom side of the first case member 412 is configured as shown in Figure 23. Figures 43 and 44 show the top and bottom sides of the third case member 216. Figures 45 and 44 show the top and bottom sides of the fourth case member 418.

[0117] In the first space S1 between the first case member 412 and the second case member 414, a printed tape roll 426 is housed so as to be rotatable around a first rotation centerline C1 that is parallel to the vertical direction. The first case member 412 and the second case member 414 are rectangular in shape, and the first rotation centerline C1 is located approximately to the right of the center in the second direction (left-right direction) and approximately near the center in the third direction (front-back direction) of the first case member 412 and the second case member 414. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 47, the tape to be printed 422a is made of a heat-sensitive material that self-colors, for example, to black when heated, and a local color-developing region 422d is shown in a part of the tape to be printed 422a.

[0118] As shown in Figures 38 and 40, the lower surface of the first case member 412 is provided with a cylindrical first support projection 430 and a first circumferential wall 434. The first support projection 430 is inserted into the cylindrical printing tape spool 424 and rotatably supports the printing tape roll 426. The first circumferential wall 434 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the printing tape roll 426. The first support projection 430 and the first circumferential wall 434 protrude downward from the lower surface of the first case member 412, having the same centerline as the first rotation centerline C1. As shown in Figure 41, the upper surface of the second case member 414 is provided with a cylindrical second support projection 432 and a second circumferential wall 436. The second support projection 432 is inserted into the cylindrical printing tape spool 424 and rotatably supports the printing tape roll 426. The second circumferential wall 436 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the printed tape roll 426. The second support projection 432 and the second circumferential wall 436 protrude upward from the upper surface of the second case member 414, having the same centerline as the first rotational centerline C1. The printed tape roll 426 is disposed between the first case member 412 and the second case member 414, with circular spacer films 438 having approximately the same outer diameter as the printed tape roll 426 interposed above and below the printed tape roll 426.

[0119] As shown in Figure 41, the bottom plate 414a of the second case member 414 has a through hole 452 that is roughly L-shaped in front view, extending in the front-rear and left-right directions along the space between the second circumferential wall 436 and the short side portion 446a and long side portion 446b of the outer peripheral wall 446. Multiple guide ribs 454 are formed between the portion of the second circumferential wall 436 facing the corners of the short side portion 446a and long side portion 446b and the through hole 452. The multiple guide ribs 454 are unwound from the printing tape roll 426 and guide the printing tape 422 into the through hole 452. As a result, the printing tape 422 is stretched between the tape case 420 and the ribbon case 421 through the through hole 452 formed in the bottom plate 414a, which functions as a partition wall between the first space S1 and the second space S2.

[0120] In Figures 42 and 43, the bottom plate 414a of the second case member 414 and the top plate 416e of the third case member 416 separate the first space S1 inside the tape case 420 from the second space S2 inside the ribbon case 421.

[0121] As shown in Figure 44, a bonding roll holding wall 486 and a cylindrical projection 488 are formed on the lower surface of the third case member 416. The bonding roll holding wall 486 defines the position of the bonding tape roll 464. The cylindrical projection 488 holds the bonding tape spool 462 of the bonding tape roll 464, allowing it to be rotatably supported. The bonding roll holding wall 486 is formed in an arc shape concentric with the cylindrical projection 488 in order to hold the bonding tape spool 462.

[0122] Figures 45 and 45 show the upper and lower surfaces of the fourth case member 418. The fourth case member 418 has a tape spool support hole 494 that runs vertically through it. The tape spool support hole 494 supports the end of the tape spool 462 on the fourth case member 218 side by fitting it into it, allowing it to rotate. The fourth case member 418 also has a roller exposure hole 498 that runs vertically through it. The roller exposure hole 498 supports the end of the roller 480 on the fourth case member 218 side by fitting it into it, allowing it to rotate, and also exposes the shaft end of the roller 480 on the fourth case member 218 side, allowing connection between the roller 480 and the roller drive shaft 110.

[0123] As shown in Figure 37, the ribbon case 421, which is composed of a third case member 416 and a fourth case member 418, has a recess 499 formed therein for accommodating a head holding plate 114 that holds a print head 106 erected on the cassette mounting section 104 when the cassette 410 is mounted on the cassette mounting section 104 shown in Figure 18. As shown in Figure 44, a part of the outer peripheral wall 416w of the third case member 416 has a first side wall 416a extending in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, a second side wall 416b extending in the left-right direction perpendicular to the vertical and front-rear directions, and a U-shaped recess wall 416c arranged to surround the recess 499. The recessed wall 416c is composed of an inner wall 416h that faces the second side wall 416b in the front-rear direction and extends in the left-right direction, an inner wall 416i that extends rearward from the right end of the inner wall 416h, an inner wall 416j that extends leftward from the rear end of the inner wall 416i, and an inner wall 416k that extends forward from the left end of the inner wall 416j. The second side wall 416b and the recessed wall 416c define the recess 499 as extending rearward from the left end of the second side wall 416b and extending in the left-right direction behind the second side wall 416b. As shown in Figures 45 and 46, the fourth case member 418 has a U-shaped notch 418a that corresponds to the recessed wall 416c. The recess 499 is formed by these recessed wall 416c and notch 418a. As shown in Figure 37, a portion of the upper end of the recess 499 is defined by the lower surface of the second case member 414. In other words, the recess 299 overlaps with the second case member 414 and the first case member 412 in the vertical direction.

[0124] Figure 47 shows the lower surface of the third case member 416 when the cassette 10 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 of the printing device 102. The printing tape 422 is pulled out from the printing tape roll 426 and stretched diagonally from the first space S1 in the tape case 420 to the second space S2 in the ribbon case 421 via through holes 452 and 458. Therefore, in Figure 47 showing the third case member 416, the printing tape 422 is drawn from the through hole 458 at the rear of the third case member 416. When the cassette 410 is mounted in the cassette mounting section 104 on which the roller drive shaft 110 is erected, the roller 480, which is rotationally driven by the roller drive shaft 110, conveys the printing tape 422 and the bonding tape 460 while clamping them. As a result, the printing tape 422 is pulled out from the printing tape roll 426 between the print head 106 and the platen roller 116 and discharged from the discharge port 500. In Figure 47, the paths of the printed tape 422 and the bonding tape 460 are shown by dashed and dotted lines, respectively. In Figure 47, when a roller 480 (not shown) is rotated, the printed tape 422 is pulled out from the discharge port 500 toward the printing location P, and the bonding tape 460 is superimposed by the roller 480. The discharge port 500 is a gap that runs through in the left-right direction, defined by the left end of the second side wall 416b and the left end of the side wall 416h.

[0125] At the printing location P between the print head 106 and the platen roller 116, the printing tape 422 is pressed against the print head 106. In this state, multiple heating elements arranged on the surface of the print head 106 are selectively driven to generate localized heat, causing the printable tape 422a of the printing tape 422 to self-color, and characters, symbols, etc., are printed on the printing tape 422.

[0126] Figure 48 schematically shows the laminated structure of the printed tape 422 fed from the cassette 410. The printed tape 422 is a laminate of a tape to be printed 422a and a release tape 422c attached to the non-printed side of the tape to be printed 422a via an adhesive 422b. A local color development region 422d is formed on the tape to be printed 422a. The transparent film 460a of the bonding tape 460 is laminated to the tape to be printed 422a, which serves as the base material for the printed tape 422, via an adhesive 460b.

[0127] Figure 49 shows the lower surface of the third case member 416. The laminated tape roll 464 is housed in the second space S2 between the third case member 416 and the fourth case member 418, i.e., inside the ribbon case 421. As described above, the ribbon case 421 is positioned above the tape case 420. When the printed tape roll 426 and spacer film 438 housed inside the tape case 420 are projected vertically onto a projection plane that extends backward and horizontally within the second space S2, the projection positions of the printed tape roll 426 and spacer film 438 are shown by the dashed lines in Figure 49. Since the spacer film 438 has approximately the same diameter as the printed tape roll 426, only the dashed line representing the printed tape roll 426 is shown in Figure 49. As shown in Figure 49, the laminated tape roll 464 is positioned to overlap the printed tape roll 426 in the vertical direction.

[0128] At least a portion of the laminated tape roll 464 and the second rotation centerline C2 overlap the printed tape roll 426 and the spacer film 438 in the vertical direction. That is, at least a portion of the laminated tape roll 464 and the second rotation centerline C2 are located within the vertical projection plane of the printed tape roll 426 and the spacer film 438.

[0129] In Figure 49, the printed tape roll 426 and the spacer film 438, which have approximately the same diameter as it, overlap vertically with at least a portion of the laminated tape roll 464, the second rotational centerline C2, and at least a portion of the recess 499 and the recess wall 416c. When the printed tape roll 426 and the spacer film 438 are projected vertically, at least a portion of the laminated tape roll 464, the second rotational centerline C2, the recess 499, and at least a portion of the recess wall 416c are located within the projection plane. Furthermore, at least a portion of the recess 499 and the recess wall 416c overlap vertically with the printed tape spool 424. In the left-right direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printed tape roll 426 and the printed tape spool 424, is located between the right end 499a and the left end 499b, which are the left-right ends of the recess 499. Furthermore, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the print tape spool 426, is located between the discharge port 500 and the right end 499a of the recess 499 in the left-right direction. In addition, in Figure 49, the distance from the center position M of the cassette 410, which is the center in both the front-rear and left-right directions of the cassette 410, to the first rotational centerline C1 of the print tape roll 426 is set to be smaller than the distance from the center position M to the recess 499.

[0130] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment configured as described above, similar to Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, (a) a rotatable printing tape roll 426 around which a printing tape 422, which is the printing medium, is wound; (b) an outer peripheral wall 415 located on one side of the printing tape roll 426 in the first direction, which is the width direction of the printing tape 422, comprising a first side wall 416a extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second side wall 4216b extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction, and an outer peripheral wall 415 forming a U-shaped recessed wall 416c that extends in the third direction from the second side wall 4216b on one side of the second direction to define a recess 499; and (c) at least a portion of the recess 499 overlaps with the printing tape roll 426 in the first direction. As a result, the tape case 420 equipped with the printed tape roll 426 and the ribbon case 421 equipped with the recessed wall 416c are stacked in a first direction, i.e., vertically, and at least a portion of the recess 499 is stacked with the printed tape roll 426 in the first direction, so the cassette 410 is made smaller in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0131] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment, the printed tape roll 424 is formed by winding printed tape 422 around a rotatable printed tape spool 424, and at least a portion of the recessed wall 416c overlaps with the printed tape spool 424 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the recessed wall 416c does not overlap with the printed tape spool 426 in the first direction.

[0132] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment, at least a portion of the recess 499 overlaps with the printed tape spool 424 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the recess 499 does not overlap with the printed tape spool 424 in the first direction.

[0133] In the cassette 410 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the first rotational center line C1, which is the rotational center of the printing tape roll 426, is located between one end and the other end of the recess 499 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if it were not located between one end and the other end of the recess 249 in the third direction.

[0134] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment, the printed tape roll 426 is formed by winding a printed tape 422 around a rotatable printed tape spool 424, and in the third direction, at least a portion of the printed tape spool 424 is located between one end and the other end of the recess 499 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the printed tape spool 424 were not located between one end and the other end of the recess 499 in the third direction.

[0135] In the cassette 410 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the first rotational centerline C1, which is the rotational center of the printed tape spool 424, is located between the discharge port 500 and one end of the recess 499 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if the first rotational centerline C1 of the printed tape spool 424 were not located between the discharge port 500 and one end of the recess 99 in the third direction.

[0136] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment, the recess 299 overlaps with at least a portion of the tape case (first case) 420 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the recess 299 does not overlap with at least a portion of the first case 210 in the first direction.

[0137] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment, a rotatable adhesive tape roll 264 is provided, which is located on one side in the first direction relative to the printed tape roll 426 and around which an adhesive tape 460 to be bonded to the printed tape 422 is wound, and at least a portion of the adhesive tape roll 464 overlaps with the printed tape roll 426 in the first direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if at least a portion of the adhesive tape roll 464 does not overlap with the printed tape roll 426 in the first direction.

[0138] In the cassette 410 of this embodiment, the laminated tape roll 464 is constructed by winding the laminated tape 260 around the laminated tape spool 462, and the laminated tape spool 462 overlaps with the printed tape roll 426 in a first direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the laminated tape spool 462 does not overlap with the printed tape roll 426 in a first direction.

[0139] In the cassette 410 of this embodiment, in the third direction, the second rotational centerline C2, which is the rotational center of the bonded tape spool 462, is located between one end and the other end 416b of the recess 499 in the third direction. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than if the second rotational centerline C2 of the bonded tape spool 462 were not located between one end and the other end 416b of the recess 499 in the third direction.

[0140] In the cassette 410 of this embodiment, in the second and third directions, the distance from the center position M, which is the center of the cassette 410 in both the second and third directions, to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 426 is smaller than the distance from the center position M to the recess 499. As a result, the cassette 410 can be made smaller in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction than when the distance from the center position M of the cassette 410 to the first rotational centerline C1 of the printing tape roll 426 is greater than the distance from the center position M to the recess 499.

[0141] According to the cassette 410 of this embodiment, (a) a printed tape roll 426 around which a printed tape 422 is wound, (b) a spacer film 438 that abuts the printed tape roll 426 in a first direction, (c) a part of the outer peripheral wall 415 located on one side of the outer peripheral wall 415 in the first direction relative to the printed tape roll 426 and the spacer film 438, comprising a first side wall 416a extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a second side wall 416b extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction, and a recess extending from the second side wall 416b to one side in the second direction, the recess wall 416c being U-shaped to define a recess 499 extending in the third direction on one side of the second direction relative to the second side wall 416b (left side in Figure 49), and (d) at least a part of the recess 499 overlaps with the spacer film 438 in the first direction. As a result, at least a portion of the recess 499 overlaps with the spacer film 438 in the first direction, so that the cassette 410 can be miniaturized in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. [Embodiment 4]

[0142] Figures 50 and 51 are a top and bottom perspective view of a cassette 510 of another embodiment of the present invention. The cassette 510 of this embodiment comprises only a printable tape roll 526, as shown in Figure 52. The printable tape 522 of the printable tape roll 526 of this embodiment is constructed by laminating a release tape 522c to the side of the substrate tape 522a opposite to the printed surface via an adhesive 522b, similar to the printable tape 422 of Embodiment 3. Figure 53 shows the printed tape 522 after being fed out of the cassette 510. The printable tape 522 of this embodiment is constructed by laminating a substrate tape 522a made of a heat-sensitive material that self-colors, for example, to black, upon heating, similar to the printable tape 422 of Embodiment 3 shown in Figure 34, and a release tape 522c laminated to the adhesive surface of the substrate tape 522a via an adhesive 522b. A local colored region 522d formed by local heating is shown in a part of the substrate tape 522a.

[0143] As shown in Figure 52, the cassette 510 of this embodiment is constructed using the first case member 512, second case member 214, third case member 216, and fourth case member 518, which are configured in the same way as the first case member 212, second case member 214, third case member 216, and fourth case member 218 of the cassette 210 in Figure 21 of Embodiment 2. However, it differs from the cassette 210 in that it does not have an ink ribbon roll 272 in which the ink ribbon 268 is wound around a supply spool 270, and a take-up spool 276 for winding up the ink ribbon 268.

[0144] According to the cassette 510 of this embodiment, the third case member 516 of the cassette 510 has a first side wall 516a, a second side wall 516b, and a recessed wall 516c that forms the recess 299, similar to the first side wall 216a, second side wall 216b, and recessed wall 216c that forms the recess 299 of the third case member 216 of the cassette 210, so the same effects as the cassette 210 can be obtained.

[0145] It should be noted that the above-described examples are merely positional embodiments of the present invention, and various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from its spirit.

[0146] In the embodiments described above, cassettes 10, 210, 410, and 510 were constructed by stacking four case members vertically: first case members 12, 212, 412, and 512; second case members 14, 214, 414, and 514; third case members 16, 216, 416, and 516; and fourth case members 18, 218, 416, and 516. However, cassette 10 is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in Figure 54, cassettes 10, 210, 410, and 510 may be constructed by stacking three case members vertically: first case members 12, 212, 416, and 516; fifth case member 501; and fourth case members 18, 218, 418, and 518. The fifth case member 501 has through holes 502 that penetrate vertically, corresponding to the through holes 52, 58, etc., in the above embodiment, and also partitions the first space S1 and the second space S2. The upper surface of the fifth case member 501 is preferably configured to have the same shape as the upper surface of the second case members 14, 214, 414, 514, and the lower surface is preferably configured to have the same shape as the lower surface of the third case members 16, 216, 416, 516. In this modified example, the first case members 12, 212, 414, 514 and the fifth case member 501 constitute a first case having the first space S1 inside, and the fifth case member 501 and the fourth case members 18, 218 constitute a second case having the second space S2 inside.

[0147] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the recesses 99, 299, 499, and 599 were shown to be surrounded by U-shaped recess walls 16c, 216c, 416c, and 516c, but the shape is not limited to this. For example, the recesses may be circular.

[0148] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the printed tape roll, laminated tape roll, ink ribbon roll, and winding spool were provided with diameters horizontal to the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, but they do not necessarily have to be provided horizontally. For example, if the printed tape roll is not provided horizontally to the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, the first direction, which is the width direction of the printed tape, will be a different direction from the up-and-down direction in the above embodiment. In this case, the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, which is the width direction of the printed tape, and the third direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions will be different directions from the front-to-back and left-to-right directions in the above embodiment.

[0149] Furthermore, the arrangement of the printing tape roll, laminated tape roll, ink ribbon roll, and take-up spool is not limited to the positions shown in the above embodiment. For example, in the first embodiment, the laminated tape roll 64 may be positioned to the right of the take-up spool 76, or the take-up spool 76 may be positioned in front of the ink ribbon roll 72.

[0150] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the recess 99, the bonding tape roll 64, the supply spool 70, and the take-up spool 76 were all positioned to overlap the printed tape roll 26 in the vertical direction, but the configuration is not limited to this. At least the recess 99 needs to be positioned to overlap the printed tape roll 26 in the vertical direction. Similarly, in Embodiments 2 to 4, at least the recess needs to be positioned to overlap the printed tape roll in the vertical direction. Also, in Embodiments 1 to 4, the recess or the wall of the recess overlapped the printed tape spool in the vertical direction, but at least the recess or the wall of the recess needs to overlap the printed tape wound around the printed tape spool in the vertical direction.

[0151] Furthermore, while the printed tape rolls of embodiments 1 to 4 described above were constructed by winding the printed tape around a printed tape spool which is a cylindrical core material, the printed tape roll may also be constructed by winding the printed tape around the first support projection and the second support projection without winding it around a printed tape spool. Similarly, the adhesive tape 60 may be wound without being wound around an adhesive tape spool 62, and its outer circumference may be defined and positioned by the adhesive tape roll holding wall 84 and the arc-shaped wall 92. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0152] 10, 210, 410, 510: Cassette 12, 212, 412, 512: First case component 14, 214, 414, 514: Second case component 16, 216, 416, 516: Third case component 16a, 216a, 416a, 516a: 1st side wall (outer wall) 16b, 216b, 416b, 516b: Second side wall (outer wall) 16c, 216c, 416c, 516c: Recessed wall 16h, 216h, 416h, 516h: Inner wall 16i, 216i, 416i, 516i: Interior wall 16j, 216j, 416j, 516j: Inner wall 16k, 216k, 416k, 516k: Interior wall 18, 218, 418, 518: Fourth case component 20, 220, 420, 520: Tape cases (first case, top case) 21, 221, 421, 521: Ribbon case (second case, lower case) 22, 222, 422, 522: Printing tape (printing medium, first medium) 22a, 222a, 422a, 522a: Printed tape 22b, 222b, 422b, 522b: Adhesive 22c, 222c, 422c, 522c: Release tape 24, 224, 424: Printed tape spool 26, 226, 426, 526: Printed tape rolls 27, 227, 427: Locking claws 28, 228, 428: Fixed claw 29, 229, 429: Positioning protrusions 30, 230, 430: 1st support protrusion 32, 232, 432: 2nd support protrusion 34, 234, 434: First Circumferential Wall 36, 236, 436: Second Circumferential Wall 38, 238, 438: Spacer film 40, 240: Printed tape gate 42, 242: Printed Tape Gate 44, 244, 444: Outer wall of the first case member 44a, 244a, 444a: Short side 46, 246, 446: Outer wall of the second case member 46a, 246a, 446a: Short side 46b, 246b: Long side 48, 248, 448: Guide wall 50, 250, 450: Guide wall 52, 252, 452: Through holes 54, 254, 454: Guide ribs 56, 256, 456: Guide wall 58, 258, 458: Through holes 60, 260: Adhesive tape 60a, 260a: Transparent film 60b, 260b: Adhesive 62, 462: Adhesive tape spool 64, 464: Adhesive tape roll 66, 466: Support holes for adhesive tape rolls 68, 268: Ink ribbon 68a, 268a: Ink 70, 270: Supply spool 72, 272: Ink ribbon roll 74, 274: Ink ribbon support holes 76, 276: Winding spool 78, 278: Winding spool support hole 80, 280, 480: Laura 80a, 280a: Connection part 82, 482: Roller support holes 84, 484: Adhesive tape roll holding wall 86, 286: Ink ribbon roll holding wall 88, 288: Cylindrical projection 90, 290: Clutch spring holder 92, 292: Retaining member 94, 294: Winding spool support hole 96, 296: Connecting holes 98, 498: Roller exposed hole 99, 299, 499, 599: recessed 102:Printing device 104: Cassette slot 106: Printhead 108: Winding spool drive shaft 110: Roller drive shaft 112: Positioning hole 114: Head retaining plate 116: Platen Roller 118: Pressure roller 120: Platen holding member 122: Printing System 130, 300, 500: Outlet 132, 302: Loading entrance S1: 1st space S2:Second space C1: First rotation centerline C2: Second rotation centerline C3: Third rotational centerline C4: Fourth rotational centerline C5: Fifth rotational centerline

Claims

1. A printed tape spool on which a printed tape is wound is rotatable about a center of rotation extending in a first direction, A first case having the aforementioned printed tape spool, A second case aligned in the first direction with the first case, the second case housing an ink ribbon roll around which an ink ribbon used for printing on the printing tape is wound, Equipped with, The two cases mentioned above are: A side wall located at one end of the second direction and extending in a third direction intersecting the second direction, A first recess extends from one end of the side wall toward the inside of the second case in the second direction, and opens to the outside of the second case on the side opposite to the first case in the first direction, A second recess is continuous with the first recess and extends in the third direction, opening to the outside of the second case on the side opposite to the first case in the first direction, It has, A cassette characterized in that at least a portion of the first recess or at least a portion of the second recess overlaps the printed tape spool in the first direction.

2. The cassette according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a portion of the ink ribbon roll overlaps with the printing tape in the first direction.

3. The cassette according to either Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second case has an outlet for discharging the printed tape to the outside of the second case, and an inlet for carrying the ink ribbon discharged from the outlet into the inside of the second case.

4. The second case further comprises a winding spool that is rotatably housed therein and capable of winding up the ink ribbon that has been fed in through the entrance, The cassette according to claim 3, characterized in that at least a portion of the winding spool overlaps with the printed tape in the first direction.

5. The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, in the third direction, at least a portion of the printed tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction.

6. The cassette according to claim 5, characterized in that, in the third direction, the rotation center of the print tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction.

7. The second case has an outlet for discharging the printed tape to the outside of the second case, The cassette according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, in the third direction, the rotation center of the printed tape spool is located between the discharge port and the other end of the second recess in the third direction.

8. The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first recess or the second recess overlaps with at least a part of the first case in the first direction.

9. A rotatable supply spool located in the second case, on which the ink ribbon is wound, A winding spool located in the second case and rotatable to wind up the ink ribbon supplied from the supply spool, Furthermore, The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least a portion of the supply spool and at least a portion of the take-up spool overlap with the printed tape in the first direction.

10. The second case further comprises a rotatable adhesive tape roll on which an adhesive tape to be bonded to the printed tape is wound, The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that at least a portion of the laminated tape roll overlaps with the printed tape spool in the first direction.

11. The adhesive tape roll is configured such that the adhesive tape is wound around an adhesive tape spool, The cassette according to claim 10, characterized in that at least a portion of the laminated tape spool overlaps with the printed tape spool in the first direction.

12. The cassette according to claim 11, characterized in that, in the third direction, the rotation center of the bonded tape spool is located between one end of the first recess in the third direction and the other end of the second recess in the third direction.

13. The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the first recess opens in the second direction toward the outside of the second case at one end of the side wall.

14. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, The cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the third direction is orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction.

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