Tape splicing apparatus

A splicing apparatus for splicing information recording tapes to each other is disclosed which comprises a stationary member having a plate into which an information recording tape guide groove is formed, a movable member movably provided to the stationary member, an information recording tape guide member for guiding the recording tapes when the information recording tapes are fed along the information recording tape guide groove; an adhesive tape cutter for cutting an adhesive tape in a predetermined length, and springs for urging the information recording tape guide member upwardly to a predetermined position. The adhesive tape cutter has a pair of spaced blades parallel to the information recording tape guide groove, and is provided on the movable member. A pair of slits into which the spaced blades of the first cutter may be inserted are formed between the information recording tape guide member and a bottom portion of the information tape guide groove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a splicer for compiling information 
recording tapes, and more particularly to a technique for cutting adhesive 
tapes used with a splicer for compiling digital audio tapes (DATs) for 
broadcasting use. 
A conventional splicer for compiling information recording tapes is used in 
such a manner that information recording tapes such as magnetic audio 
tapes are laid within grooved guide rails, and cut by cutting blades under 
pressure, and then the two information recording tapes to be spliced to 
each other are provided with a thin adhesive tape. Thereafter, the end 
portion of the adhesive tape is cut so that an end portion of the adhesive 
tape is aligned with that of the information recording tapes. 
However, according to the conventional tape splicer, it is difficult to 
exactly cut the information recording tapes because the tape is extremely 
thin and tends to have a warpage, a curvature and elongation. 
Also, in the typical conventional splicer, in order to prevent the adhesive 
tape cutting blades from being damaged, holes are formed in a grooved 
guide rail at positions corresponding to the cutting blades. Therefore, 
when the end portion of the adhesive tape is cut under pressure, the 
cutting portions would be bent or curved. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In order to overcome the above-noted defects, according to the present 
invention, there is provided a splicing apparatus for splicing information 
recording tapes to each other, comprising: a stationary member having a 
plate into which an information recording tape guide groove is formed; a 
movable member movably provided to the stationary member; information 
recording tape guide means for guiding the information recording tapes 
when the information recording tapes are fed along the information 
recording tape guide groove; a first cutter means for cutting an adhesive 
tape in a predetermined length; and spring means for urging the 
information recording tape guide means upwardly to a predetermined 
position. The first cutter means has a pair of spaced blades parallel to 
the information recording tape guide groove, and is provided on the 
movable member. A pair of slits into which the spaced blades of the first 
cutter may be inserted are formed between the information recording tape 
guide means and a bottom portion of the information tape guide groove. 
Also, according to another aspect of the invention, the movable member is 
provided with a pressure member for depressing the adhesive tape against 
the information recording tapes to be spliced. The pressure member may be 
provided with an elastic member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention will now be described with reference to the 
accompanying drawings. 
In the embodiments, the same reference numerals are used to designate like 
members or components that have the same functions, and hence, duplicating 
explanations therefor will be omitted. 
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a splicer for compiling DATs 
to which the present invention is applied. 
In FIG. 1, there are shown the splicer having a handle 1, an adhesive tape 
cutter holder cast 2, and an information recording tape/adhesive tape 
pressure plate 3. It is preferable that the tape pressure plate 3 be 
provided with an elastic pressing member made of elastic materials such as 
felts, rubber or the like. The elastic material has a sufficient 
elasticity and a property that a static electricity is not liable to be 
generated. The splicer further includes a base spindle cast 4, an adhesive 
tape roller 5, an adhesive tape roller holder 6, a base cast 7, an 
information recording tape cutter 8, an information recording tape cutter 
support rubber 9 and an adhesive tape holder 10. The adhesive tape holder 
10 is mounted on the adhesive tape holder cast 2. A tape cutter set screw 
11 is used for setting an adhesive tape cutter blade 13 mounted on an 
adhesive tape cutter setting plate 12. 
Reference character 5A shows an adhesive tape roller attachment/detachment 
member for setting or resetting the adhesive tape roll 5. The adhesive 
tape roll attachment/detachment member 5A is biased by spring means 
normally in a direction to hold the roller 5. In order to set the adhesive 
tape roll, the adhesive tape roll attachment and/or detachment member 5A 
is manually lifted upwardly against the spring force of the spring means 
to set the tape roll 5 in place. Also, in order to reset the tape roll, 
the adhesive tape roll attachment/detachment member 5A is manually lifted 
upwardly against the spring force to remove the adhesive tape roll. In 
FIG. 1, there are further shown an information recording tape pressure arm 
14, an arm rubber 15, a main plate 16, an information tape guide member 
17, an information recording tape guide groove 18, a pressure arm stop 19 
and a center mark 20. 
The information tape guide member 17 is disposed at positions corresponding 
to the tape cutter blades 13 as best shown in FIG. 6. A width of a bottom 
18A of an information recording tape splicing portion of the information 
recording tape guide groove 18 is somewhat smaller than that of the other 
portion of the guide groove 18 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The width of the 
splicing portion of the guide groove 18 is at, for example, 5 mm and the 
width of the other portion of the guide groove 18 is at, for example 6.3 
mm. Slits (each having a width of 0.7 mm) into which end portions of the 
adhesive tape cutter blades 13 may be inserted are formed between side 
portions of the information tape guide member 17 and the side portions of 
the bottom 18A of the splicing portion. As shown in FIG. 6, the 
information recording tape guide member 17 is pressed toward the adhesive 
tape cutter blades 13 by elastic means 22 such as coil springs, leaf 
springs, a rubber member or the like. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, 
the elastic means is adjusted by bolts 23 and nuts 24 so that upper ends 
of the information recording tape guide member 17 are somewhat lower than 
the top surfaces of the groove 18 but higher than the bottom surfaces of 
the groove 18. 
Each edge of the adhesive tape cutter blades 13 is slanted at an angle of 
about 10.degree. with respect to a horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 5. 
Also, the edge is wedge-shaped in cross-section as best shown in FIG. 6. 
As best shown in FIG. 6, the pair of blades 13 are arranged in a staggered 
manner. An elongated slot 13A is formed in an upper edge portion of each 
adhesive tape cutter blade 13 so that a space between the adhesive tape 
cutter blades may be suitably adjusted by the spacer 25. The blades 13 are 
mounted on the adhesive tape cutter setting plate 12 through spacer 25. 
The space between the adhesive tape cutter blades 13 is set at a 
predetermined width, i.e., 6.3 mm by the spacers 25 having screw insertion 
holes. 
Each of the cutter blades is made of materials such as a stainless steel, a 
hard carbide alloy, a ceramic or the like. It is preferable to use ceramic 
blades in order to prevent a static electric charge in the blades. The 
components forming the guide groove 18 are also made of stainless steel, a 
hard carbide alloy or a ceramic. 
According to the present invention, it is preferable that a stop mechanism 
is provided between the base spindle cast 4 and the base cast 7 for fixing 
these components together for carrying the splicer. The stop mechanism 
includes a movable stop rod 31 fixed by a butterfly screw 30 for fixing 
the base spindle cast 4 and the base cast 7 together. 
The operation of the tape splicer in accordance with the foregoing 
embodiment will now be described. 
The information recording tape is set along the information tape guide 
groove 18, and the set information recording tape is cut at a 
predetermined position by the information tape cutter 8. End portions of 
two information recording tapes to be spliced are located in the vicinity 
of the center mark 20 within the information recording tape guide groove 
18. Then, the information recording tape pressure arm 14 is set on the 
tape. 
Subsequently, the information recording tape pressure arm 14 is slid so as 
to adjust the splicing position. The adhesive tape is paid out from the 
adhesive tape roller 5 and is adhered to the surfaces of the portion, to 
be spliced, of the information recording tape at the information tape 
guide member 17. The adhesive tape is pressed by the operator's fingers to 
ensure the adhesion. Then, the handle 1 is angularly lowered to cut the 
adhesive tape so that both ends of the adhesive tape are in alignment with 
the width of the information recording tape. Subsequently, the spliced 
portion of the tapes is, if necessary, pressed by the operator's fingers 
and the tapes are picked up from the information tape guide groove 18 to 
complete the splicing operation. 
When the handle 1 is angularly lowered to cut the information recording 
tapes so that both ends of the adhesive tape are in alignment with the 
width of the information recording tapes, the edges of the adhesive tape 
cutter blades 13 are inserted into slits 21, and the information recording 
tape guide member 17 is lowered against the spring force of the spring 22 
by the adhesive tape cutter blades 13. At this time, the adhesive tape is 
cut under pressure by the adhesive tape cutter blades 13 under the 
condition that the adhesive tape be supported between the information tape 
guide member 17 and the bottom 18A of the information tape guide groove 
18. Therefore, the adhesive tape may be cut with high accuracy without 
damaging edges of the adhesive tape cutter blades 13. 
In the case where the tape pressure member 3 has the elastic member 3A, the 
upper surface of the adhesive tape may be pressed more uniformly than the 
case of the pressure member having no elastic member. 
It is apparent that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing 
embodiment but various modifications are possible without departing from 
the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 
As described above, according to the present invention, a width of the 
bottom of the recording tape splicing portion of the recording tape guide 
groove is smaller than that of the other part of the recording tape guide 
groove whereby slits into which the blades of the adhesive tape cutter may 
be inserted are formed between side walls of the guide member and the side 
faces of the bottom of the guide groove. The guide member is biased toward 
the adhesive tape cutter side. Thus, when the handle is angularly lowered, 
the edges of the adhesive tape cutter are inserted into the 
above-described slits, and the recording tape guide is depressed against 
the spring means by the adhesive tape cutter. Under the condition that the 
adhesive tape is supported between the tape guide member and the recording 
tape guide groove, the adhesive tape is cut under pressure by the adhesive 
tape cutter blades. Therefore, the adhesive tape may be prevented from 
being damaged, and the tape may be cut with high accuracy. 
Also, in the case where the elastic member is attached to a depressing 
portion of the pressure plate, the pressure plate will not need a high 
machining work.