Tape cassettes

Abstract: A tape cassette accommodating a magnetic tape therein, including a cassette body, an outer lid pivotably mounted to the cassette body, a first inner lid provided between the outer lid and the cassette body and adapted to be pivoted by pivotal movement of the outer lid, a second inner lid relatively movably mounted to the first inner lid, and a driving device for moving the second inner lid relative to the first inner lid in response to the pivotal movement of the outer lid.

Description: The present invention relates to tape cassettes such as video cassettes having a double lid structure formed by an outer lid and an inner lid. Figs. 1A and 1B show a known video cassette in the related art. This video cassette has a cassette body 1 accommodating a magnetic tape 2. The cassette body 1 has a front opening 3 defining a path of the magnetic tape 2 drawn from the cassette body 1. The front opening 3 is adapted to be opened and closed by an outer lid 4 of a single lid structure. A pair of right and left side plates 4a of the outer lid 4 are pivotably mounted through a pair of right and left pivot pins 5 to a pair of right and left outside walls la of the cassette body 1, respectively. Thus, the outer lid 4 is vertically pivotable about the pivot pins 5 in the opposite directions of arrows a and a', thereby opening and closing the front opening 3. The magnetic tape 2 is adapted to be drawn from the front opening 3 as shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 1B. In this video cassette, the front opening 3 can be sufficiently opened with a small rotational angle of the outer lid 4. That is, as shown in Fig. 1B, a large opening amount H 2 of the front opening 3 can be ensured with a small opening amount H 1 of the outer lid 4. However, no inner lid is provided in the video cassette, so that the magnetic tape 2 in the front opening 3 is not completely enclosed. Accordingly, dust or the like entered from a bottom opening 6 of the cassette body 1 is apt to be attached to the magnetic tape 2, thus reducing a dustproof effect. Figs. 2A and 2B show another video cassette improved in the dustproof effect as known from U.S. Patent No. 4,449,677. In this video cassette, an inner lid 7 is pivotably connected through a pair of right and left pivot pins 8 to the inside surface of an outer lid 4. A pair of right and left guide pins 9 are formed at the right and left ends of the inner lid 7 on the back side thereof, respectively, and a pair of right and left guide grooves 10 are formed on the opposed inside surfaces of a pair of right and left inside walls 1b of a cassette body 1, so as to guide the right and left guide pins 9, respectively. The outer lid 4 is adapted to be pivoted about a pair of right and left pivot pins 5 in the opposite directions of arrows a and a', and the guide pins 9 of the inner lid 7 are adapted to be guided by the guide grooves 10 to move the inner lid 7 together with the outer lid 4 in the directions of the arrows a and a', thereby opening and closing a front opening 3 of the cassette body 1. As mentioned above, the video cassette shown in Figs. 2A and 2B has a double lid structure formed by the outer lid 4 and the inner lid 7 to cover a magnetic tape 2 in the front opening 3 from both the outside and the inside thereof in the closed condition of the outer lid 4. That is, the magnetic tape 2 in the front opening 3 can be completely enclosed in the closed condition of the outer lid 4, thus improving the dustproof effect. However, a large rotational angle of the outer lid 4 is required to raise the inner lid 7 to a sufficiently high level. That is, if an opening amount H 2 of the front opening 3 is made equal to that in the video cassette shown in Figs. 1A and 1B, an opening amount H 1 of the outer lid 4 will become considerably larger than that in the video cassette shown in Figs. 1A and 1B. A space to be occupied by the video cassette in a VTR is limited by the opening amount H 1 of the outer lid 4. Accordingly, the increase in the opening amount H1 causes an increase in the occupied space to hinder a reduction in size of the VTR. US-A-4,449,677 discloses a cassette generally as described above with reference to Figures 2A and 2B, and corresponding to the precharacterising portions of claim 1. EP-A-0452149 discloses a similar device, with a single inner lid pivotally mounted on the outer lid, and with means for reducing the extent of pivotal movement of the outer lid required for access to the magnetic tape. The present invention provides a tape cassette accommodating a magnetic tape therein, comprising: a cassette body; an outer lid pivotably mounted on said cassette body over an opening in said body providing access to said magnetic tape; a first inner lid provided between said outer lid and said cassette body and arranged to be pivoted by pivotal movement of said outer lid; a second inner lid movably mounted on said first inner lid; and driving means for moving said second inner lid relative to said first inner lid in response to said pivotal movement of said outer lid; characterised in that said second inner lid is slidably mounted on said first inner lid, and said driving means is arranged such that, on opening of said outer lid, the second inner lid is slidably raised relative to the first inner lid to reduce the extent of pivotal movement of said outer lid required for access to said magnetic tape. In raising the first inner lid together with the outer lid, the second inner lid can be slidingly raised to substantially the same level as that of the first inner lid. Accordingly, the first and second inner lids can be raised to a sufficiently high level with a small rotational angle of the outer lid. That is, a sufficiently large opening amount of the cassette body can be ensured with a small opening amount of the outer lid. Accordingly, a space to be occupied by the tape cassette in a recording and reproducing apparatus such as a VTR can be reduced to thereby make the recording and reproducing apparatus compact. The outer lid and the first and second inner lids forming a double lid structure can improve a dustproof effect for the magnetic tape, so that the magnetic tape can be protected from dust. Preferably, a first rack is provided on the cassette body; a second rack is provided on the second inner lid; and a pinion meshing with both the first and second racks is rotatably mounted on the first inner lid. In this case, as the pinion is rotated, the second inner lid can be slidably raised to substantially the same level as that of the first inner lid. Accordingly, the first and second inner lids can be raised to a sufficiently high level with a small rotational angle of the outer lid. That is, a sufficiently large opening amount of the cassette body can be ensured with a small opening amount of the outer lid. Accordingly, a space to be occupied by the tape cassette in a recording and reproducing apparatus such as a VTR can be reduced to thereby make the recording and reproducing apparatus compact. The outer lid and the first and second inner lids forming a double lid structure can improve a dustproof effect for the magnetic tape, so that the magnetic tape can be protected from dust. Preferably, a rack is provided on the cassette body; a drive pinion meshing with the rack is rotatably mounted on the first inner lid; and a driven pinion meshing with the drive pinion is fixed to the second inner lid. In this case, the drive pinion is rotationally driven by the rack, and the driven pinion is simultaneously rotationally driven by the drive pinion to thereby pivot the second inner lid relative to the first inner lid. Accordingly, the second inner lid can be smoothly pivoted and slid relative to the first inner lid in synchronism with the pivotal movement of the outer lid, thus effecting a smooth operation of the first and second inner lids. Preferably, in opening the outer lid, the second inner lid is pivoted in such a direction as to move away from the magnetic tape. In this case, the second inner lid can be smoothly pivoted relative to the first inner lid so as not to contact the magnetic tape. Thus, there is no possibility of the magnetic tape being damaged by the second inner lid, thereby improving reliability. It will be seen that embodiments of the invention provide a tape cassette which can ensure a large opening amount of the inner lid with a small opening amount of the outer lid. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1A is a perspective view of a tape cassette in the related art; Fig. 1B is a vertical sectional view of a front portion of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 1A; Fig. 2A is a perspective view of another tape cassette in the related art; Fig. 2B is a vertical sectional view of a front portion of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 2A: Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view in top plan of a tape cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4A is a vertical sectional view of a front portion of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 3 as taken along the line A-A in Fig. 6, illustrating an open condition of an outer lid; Fig. 4B is a view similar to Fig. 4A, illustrating a closed condition of the outer lid; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an essential part of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view in top plan of an essential part of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 7A is a cross section taken along the line B-B in Fig. 6, illustrating the open condition of the outer lid; Fig. 7B is a view similar to Fig. 7A, illustrating the closed condition of the outer lid; Fig. 8A is a cross section taken along the line C-C in Fig. 6, illustrating the open condition of the outer lid; Fig. 8B is a view similar to Fig. 8A, illustrating the closed condition of the outer lid; Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view in top plan of a tape cassette which is not part of the invention; Fig. 10A is a vertical sectional view of a front portion of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 9 as taken along the line D-D in Fig. 11, illustrating an open condition of an outer lid; Fig. 10B is a view similar to Fig. 10A, illustrating a closed condition of the outer lid; Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional view in top plan of an essential part of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of an essential part of the tape cassette shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 13A is a cross section taken along the line E-E in Fig. 11, illustrating the open condition of the outer lid; and Fig. 13B is a view similar to Fig. 13A, illustrating the closed condition of the outer lid. There will now be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs. 3 to 8B, in which the same parts as those shown in Figs. 2A and 2B are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed explanation thereof will be omitted herein. Referring to Fig. 3, reference numeral 1 generally designates a cassette body of a video cassette for use with a VTR. A pair of right and left reels 12 and 13 are rotatably accommodated in the cassette body 1. A magnetic tape 2 is wound around the right and left reels 12 and 13, and is guided by a pair of right and left tape guides 14 and a pair of right and left tape guides 15. A part of the magnetic tape 2 is stretched in a front opening 3 of the cassette body 1 between the right and left tape guides 14, and is allowed to transversely travel in the front opening 3. A bottom opening 6 of the cassette body 1 is defined continuously to the front opening 3, and a pair of right and left inside walls 1b are formed integrally with the cassette body 1 at the right and left ends of the bottom opening 6, respectively. Referring to Figs. 4A and 4B each showing a cross section taken along the line A-A in Fig. 6, reference numeral 4 denotes an outer lid configured in an L-shaped cross section by a normally vertical front plate 4b and a normally horizontal upper plate 4c formed integrally with each other. As shown in Fig. 3, a pair of right and left side plates 4a are formed integrally with the outer lid 4 at the right and left ends thereof, respectively, perpendicularly to the front plate 4b and the upper plate 4c. A pair of right and left coaxial pivot pins 5 are formed integrally with the right and left side plates 4a, respectively, so as to horizontally project from the inside surfaces of the side plates 4a. The right and left pivot pins 5 are rotatably supported to a pair of right and left outside walls 1a of the cassette body 1, respectively. Accordingly, the outer lid 4 is pivotably supported through the right and left pivot pins 5 to the cassette body 1 so that the right and left side plates 4a of the outer lid 4 are normally disposed outside the right and left outside walls la of the cassette body 1, respectively. More specifically, the outer lid 4 is pivotable about the common axis of the pivot pins 5 in an upward direction as depicted by an arrow a and a downward direction as depicted by an arrow a' between a closed position where the outer lid 4 is closed to cover the front and upper sides of the magnetic tape 2 in the front opening 3 as shown in Fig. 4B and an open position where the outer lid 4 is opened to uncover the front side of the magnetic tape 2 in the front opening 3 as shown in Fig. 4A. As shown in Figs. 3, 4A and 4B, an upper inner lid 16 and a lower inner lid 17 are provided on the back side of the magnetic tape 2 stretched in the front opening 3 so as to extend between the right and left inside walls 1b of the cassette body 1 in substantially parallel relationship to the front plate 4b of the outer lid 4. As shown in Figs. 4A, 4B and 5, a pair of right and left coaxial pivot pins 18 are formed integrally with the upper inner lid 16 at the right and left ends thereof, respectively, that is, at the longitudinal opposite ends thereof so as to horizontally project from the right and left ends of the upper inner lid 16 at an upper end portion thereof. A pair of right and left lugs 19 are formed integrally with the outer lid 4 at the inside corner between the front plate 4b and the upper plate 4c. The right and left pivot pins 18 are rotatably supported to the right and left lugs 19, respectively. Accordingly, the upper inner lid 16 is pivotably supported to the outer lid 4 so as to be pivotable about the common axis of the pivot pins 18 in the opposite directions as depicted by arrows b and b'. As shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, the upper inner lid 16 and the lower inner lid 17 are arcuately curved in parallel to each other along the height of the front plate 4b so as to be convex backward of the front plate 4b (i.e., rightward as viewed in Figs. 4A and 4B). The lower inner lid 17 is in slidable contact with the back surface of the upper inner lid 16 (i.e., the right surface as viewed in Figs. 4A and 4B). As shown in Fig. 5, a pair of right and left slide guides 20 are formed integrally with the lower inner lid 17 so as to project forward from the front surface of the lower inner lid 17 (i.e., the left surface as viewed in Figs. 4A and 4B). A pair of right and left slide guide grooves 21 are formed through the upper inner lid 16 so as to extend vertically from the upper end of the upper inner lid 16 toward the lower end thereof. The right and left slide guides 20 of the lower inner lid 17 are loosely engaged with the right and left slide guide grooves 21, respectively, so that the lower inner lid 17 can slide relative to the upper inner lid 16 in contact relationship with each other in an upward direction as depicted by an arrow c and a downward direction as depicted by an arrow c'. As shown in Fig. 5, a pair of right and left lugs 22 are formed integrally with the upper inner lid 16 so as to project backward from the back surface of the upper inner lid 16 at the right and left ends thereof, respectively. A pair of right and left coaxial guide pins 23 are formed integrally with the right and left lugs 22, respectively, so as to project horizontally from the outside surfaces of the lugs 22. As shown in Figs. 4A, 4B and 6, a pair of right and left guide grooves 24 are formed on the opposed inside surfaces of the right and left inside walls 1b of the cassette body 1, respectively, so as to extend arcuately in the vertical direction. The right and left guide pins 23 of the upper inner lid 16 are loosely engaged with the right and left guide grooves 24 of the cassette body 1, respectively. The guide grooves 24 are arcuately curved so as to be convex backward of the magnetic tape 2 stretched in the front opening 3. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a pair of right and left coaxial support shafts 25 are formed integrally with the right and left lugs 22, respectively, so as to project horizontally from the inside surfaces of the lugs 22 in coaxial relationship with the guide pins 23. A pair of right and left pinions 26 are rotatably mounted on the outer circumferences of the right and left support shafts 25, respectively. As shown in Figs. 4A, 4B and 6, a pair of right and left first racks 27 are formed on a pair of right and left inside walls of the cassette body 1 perpendicular to the right and left inside walls 1b so as to arcuately extend along the right and left guide grooves 24 in parallel relationship thereto, respectively. As shown in Fig. 5, a pair of right and left second racks 28 are formed on the back surface of the lower inner lid 17 at the right and left end portions thereof, respectively, so as to arcuately extend over the width of the lower inner lid 17. As shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, the left pinion 26 is in mesh with both the left first rack 27 and the left second rack 28 so as to be radially interposed therebetween. Similarly, the right pinion 26 is in mesh with both the right first rack 27 and the right second rack 28 so as to be radially interposed therebetween. As shown in Fig. 5, a pair of right and left shoulders 29 are formed on the back surface of the lower inner lid 17 along the inside edges of the right and left second racks 28, respectively. The left pinion 26 is axially interposed between the left shoulder 29 and the left lug 22 so as not to escape from the left support shaft 25. Similarly, the right pinion 26 is axially interposed between the right shoulder 29 and the right lug 22 so as not to escape from the right support shaft 25. The operation of the preferred embodiment having the above-mentioned construction will now be described with reference to Figs. 4A to 8B, in which Figs. 7A and 7B show a cross section taken along the line B-B in Fig. 6, and Figs. 8A and 8B show a cross section taken along the line C-C in Fig. 6. In the condition shown in Figs. 4B, 7B and 8B, the outer lid 4 is in the closed position to close the front opening 3 so that the front and upper sides of the magnetic tape 2 are covered with the front plate 4b and the upper plate 4c of the outer lid 4, respectively, and the front plate 4b and the upper plate 4c are in the vertical and horizontal positions, respectively. In this condition, the lower inner lid 17 depends downward from the upper inner lid 16 so that a lower edge 17a of the lower inner lid 17 abuts against a lower edge 4d of the front plate 4b of the outer lid 4. Thus, the front and back sides and the upper and lower sides of the magnetic tape 2 stretched in the front opening 3 are fully covered with the front plate 4b and the upper plate 4c of the outer lid 4, the upper inner lid 16 and the lower inner lid 17. Accordingly, the dustproof effect for the magnetic tape 2 can be improved to protect the magnetic tape 2 from dust. When the outer lid 4 is pivoted about the common axis of the right and left pivot pins 25 in the direction of the arrow a from the closed position shown in Figs. 4B, 7B and 8B to the open position shown in Figs. 4A, 7A and 8A, the upper inner lid 16 is raised together with the outer lid 4 through the right and left pivot pins 18 in the direction of the arrow a as being pivoted about the common axis of the pivot pins 18. Just after starting of the above raising operation of the upper inner lid 16 in the direction of the arrow a, the right and left guide pins 23 of the upper inner lid 16 are guided by the right and left arcuate guide grooves 24 of the cassette body 1 to thereby pivot the upper inner lid 16 about the common axis of the pivot pins 18 in the direction of the arrow b. Accordingly, the upper inner lid 16 is moved away from the magnetic tape 2 in the backward direction (i.e., in the rightward direction as viewed in Figs. 4A and 4B), so that the upper inner lid 16 can be smoothly raised without interfering with the magnetic tape 2. Thereafter, prior to ending of the raising operation of the upper inner lid 16 in the direction of the arrow a, the upper inner lid 16 is pivoted about the common axis of the pivot pins 18 in the direction of the arrow b', and is raised in substantially parallel relationship to the front plate 4b of the outer lid 4. Accordingly, the upper inner lid 18 can be raised to a level sufficiently higher than that of the upper end of the magnetic tape 2. During the raising operation of the upper inner lid 16 together with the outer lid 4 in the direction of the arrow a, the right and left pinions 26 are raised by the right and left support shafts 25 of the upper inner lid 16 along the right and left guide grooves 24 in a direction as depicted by an arrow d. During the raising operation of the right and left pinions 26 in the direction of the arrow d, the right and left pinions 26 are rotationally driven by the right and left first racks 27 of the cassette body 1. That is, the right and left pinions 26 are rotated about the right and left support shafts 25 in a direction as depicted by an arrow e. As a result, the right and left second racks 28 of the lower inner lid 17 are driven by the right and left pinions 26 in the direction of the arrow c, so that the lower inner lid 17 is slid on the back surface of the upper inner lid 16 in the direction of the arrow c as being guided by the right and left slide guides 20 and the right and left slide guide grooves 21. Thus, the lower inner lid 17 is raised in the direction of the arrow c to substantially the same level as that of the upper inner lid 16, thereby fully uncovering the front and back sides and the upper and lower sides of the magnetic tape 2. On the other hand, when the outer lid 4 is lowered from the open position shown in Figs. 4A, 7A and 8A to the closed position shown in Figs. 4B, 7B and 8B in the direction of the arrow a', the operation is carried out in a manner reverse to that described above. That is, the pinions 26 are lowered in a direction as depicted by an arrow d' as being guided by the support shafts 25 and the guide grooves 24, and are simultaneously rotated about the support shafts 25 in a direction as depicted by an arrow e'. Accordingly, the lower inner lid 17 is slid downward on the back surface of the upper inner lid 16 in the direction of the arrow c'. As mentioned above, in raising the upper inner lid 16 together with the outer lid 4 in the direction of the arrow a to the open position, the lower inner lid 17 can be slidingly raised to substantially the same level as that of the upper inner lid 16. That is, the upper inner lid 16 and the lower inner lid 17 can be raised to a sufficiently high level by pivoting the outer lid 4 at a relatively small angle. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 4A, a sufficient opening amount H 2 of the front opening 3 can be ensured with a raising mount H 1 of the outer lid 4 reduced. While a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above preferred embodiment, but various modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention which is defined in the appended claims. For example, the pinions 26 may be replaced by a pair of friction rollers such as rubber rollers; the first racks 27 may be replaced by a pair of friction drive surfaces formed by attaching rubber plates to the inside walls of the cassette body 1, for example; and the second racks 28 may be replaced by a pair of friction driven surfaces formed by attaching rubber plates to the lower inner lid 17, for example. In this case, when the upper inner lid 16 is raised or lowered in the direction of the arrow a or a', the friction rollers are rotationally driven by the friction drive surfaces, and the friction driven surfaces are simultaneously driven by the friction rollers, thereby sliding the lower inner lid 17 on the back surface of the upper inner lid 16 in the direction of the arrow c or c'. Further, the present invention is not limited to a video cassette for use with a VTR, but it may be applied to various tape cassettes for use with various recording and reproducing apparatus. There will now be described another tape cassette (not encompassed by claim 1) with reference to Figs. 9 to 13B, in which the same parts as those shown in Figs. 2A and 2B are denoted by the same reference numerals plus 100, and the detailed explanation thereof will be omitted herein. This tape cassette is not part of the invention. Referring to Fig. 9, reference numeral 101 generally designates a cassette body of a video cassette for use with a VTR. A pair of right and left reels 112 and 113 are rotatably accommodated in the cassette body 101. A magnetic tape 102 is wound around the right and left reels 112 and 113, and is guided by a pair of right and left tape guides 114 and a pair of right and left tape guides 115. A part of the magnetic tape 102 is stretched in a front opening 103 of the cassette body 101 between the right and left tape guides 114, and is allowed to transversely travel in the front opening 103. A bottom opening 106 of the cassette body 101 is defined continuously to the front opening 103, and a pair of right and left inside walls 101b are formed integrally with the cassette body 101 at the right and left ends of the bottom opening 106, respectively. Referring to Figs. 10A and 10B each showing a cross section taken along the line D-D in Fig. 11, reference numeral 104 denotes an outer lid configured in an L-shaped cross section by a normally vertical front plate 104b and a normally horizontal upper plate 104c formed integrally with each other. As shown in Fig. 9, a pair of right and left side plates 104a are formed integrally with the outer lid 104 at the right and left ends thereof, respectively, perpendicularly to the front plate 104b and the upper plate 104c. A pair of right and left coaxial pivot pins 105 are formed integrally with the right and left side plates 104a, respectively, so as to horizontally project from the inside surfaces of the side plates 104a. The right and left pivot pins 105 are rotatably supported to a pair of right and left outside walls la of the cassette body 101, respectively. Accordingly, the outer lid 104 is pivotably supported through the right and left pivot pins 105 to the cassette body 101 so that the right and left side plates 104a of the outer lid 104 are normally disposed outside the right and left outside walls 101a of the cassette body 101, respectively. More specifically, the outer lid 104 is pivotable about the common axis of the pivot pins 105 in an upward direction as depicted by an arrow f and a downward direction as depicted by an arrow f' between a closed position where the outer lid 104 is closed to cover the front and upper sides of the magnetic tape 102 in the front opening 103 as shown in Fig. 10B and an open position where the outer lid 104 is opened to uncover the front side of the magnetic tape 102 in the front opening 103 as shown in Fig. 10A. As shown in Figs. 9, 10A and 10B, an upper inner lid 116 and a lower inner lid 117 are provided on the back side of the magnetic tape 102 stretched in the front opening 103 so as to extend between the right and left inside walls 101b of the cassette body 101 in substantially parallel relationship to the front plate 104b of the outer lid 104. The upper inner lid 117 is formed integrally with the upper plate 104b of the outer lid 104 so as to project from the lower surface of the upper plate 104b in perpendicular relationship thereto. The lower inner lid 117 is operatively connected to a lower end portion of the upper inner lid 116. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a pair of right and left lugs 118 are formed integrally with the upper inner lid 116 at the right and left ends (i.e., the longitudinal opposite ends) of the lower end portion thereof, respectively, so as to project from the back surface of the upper inner lid 116 (i.e., the right surface as viewed in Figs. 10A and 10B). Further, a pair of right and left recesses 119 are formed at the right and left ends of the lower end portion of the upper inner lid 116 in adjacent relationship to the right and left lugs 118, respectively. A pair of right and left coaxial support shafts 121 project horizontally from the opposed inside surfaces of the right and left lugs 118 at the upper portions thereof, respectively. A pair of right and left drive pinions 120 are disposed in the right and left recesses 119 and are rotatably supported to the right and left support shafts 121, respectively. A pair of right and left coaxial pivot pins 122 project horizontally from the opposed inside surfaces of the right and left lugs 118 at the lower portions thereof, respectively. A pair of right and left driven pinions 123 are disposed in the right and left recesses 119 and are rotatably supported to the right and left pivot pins 122, respectively. The right and left driven pinions 123 are in mesh with the right and left drive pinions 120, respectively. The right and left driven pinions 123 are connected integrally with the lower inner lid 117 at the right and left ends of the upper end portion thereof. Accordingly, the lower inner lid 117 is pivotable together with the rotation of the driven pinions 123 about the pivot pins 122. As shown in Figs. 10A, 10B and 11, a pair of right and left racks 124 are arcuately formed on a pair of right and left inside walls of the cassette body 101 perpendicular to the right and left inside walls 101b so as to form an arc about the common axis of the pivot pins 105. The right and left drive pinions 120 are in mesh with the right and left racks 124, respectively. Further, as shown in Fig. 12, a pair of right and left recesses 125 are formed at the right and left ends of the lower inner lid 117 at the upper portion thereof, so as to prevent interference of the lower inner lid 117 with the lugs 118 and the drive pinions 120 during pivotal movement of the lower inner lid 117. Further, an upper lid 126 is pivotably mounted through a pair of right and left pivot pins 127 having a common axis to the upper plate 104c of the outer lid 104 at the central portion thereof. The operation of this tape cassette having the above-mentioned construction will now be described with reference to Figs. 10A to 13B, in which the Figs. 13A and 13B show a cross section taken along the line E-E in Fig. 11. In the condition shown in Figs. 10B and 13B, the outer lid 104 is in the closed position to close the front opening 103 so that the front and upper sides of the magnetic tape 102 are covered with the front plate 104b and the upper plate 104c of the outer lid 104, respectively, and the front plate 104b and the upper plate 104c are in the vertical and horizontal positions, respectively. In this condition, the lower inner lid 117 depends downward from the upper inner lid 116 so that a lower edge 117a of the lower inner lid 117 abuts against a lower edge 104d of the front plate 104b of the outer lid 104. Thus, the front and back sides and the upper and lower sides of the magnetic tape 102 stretched in the front opening 103 are fully covered with the front plate 104b and the upper plate 104c of the outer lid 104, the upper inner lid 116 and the lower inner lid 117. Further, the upper lid 126 is horizontally disposed at its rear end portion on the right and left inside walls 101b of the cassette body 101. Accordingly, the dustproof effect for the magnetic tape 102 can be improved to protect the magnetic tape 102 from dust. When the outer lid 104 is pivoted about the common axis of the right and left pivot pins 125 in the direction of the arrow f from the closed position shown in Figs. 10B and 13B to the open position shown in Figs. 10A and 13A, the upper inner lid 116 is raised together with the outer lid 104 in the direction of the arrow f. Accordingly, the right and left drive pinions 120 are raised together with the upper inner lid 116 through the right and left support shafts 121 in the direction of the arrow f. During the raising operation of the right and left drive pinions 120 in the direction of the arrow f, the right and left drive pinions 120 are rotationally driven by the right and left racks 124, respectively. That is, the right and left drive pinions 120 are rotated about the right and left support shafts 121 in a direction as depicted by an arrow h, respectively. As a result, the right and left driven pinions 123 are rotationally driven by the right and left drive pinions 120 in a direction as depicted by an arrow g, respectively. That is, the right and left driven pinions 123 are rotated about the right and left pivot pins 122 in the direction of the arrow g, respectively. Since the right and left driven pinions 123 are integral with the lower inner lid 117, the lower inner lid 117 is pivoted together with the driven pinions 123 about the pivot pins 122 in the direction of the arrow g so as to move away from the magnetic tape 102. Thus, the lower inner lid 117 is pivotally raised in the direction of the arrow g to substantially the same level as that of the upper inner lid 116. Since the direction of pivotal movement of the lower inner lid 117 shown by the arrow g is a direction such that the lower inner lid 117 is moved away from the magnetic tape 102, there is no possibility of the magnetic tape 102 being damaged by the lower inner lid 117 during the pivotal movement thereof. During the raising operation of the outer lid 104, the upper lid 126 is pivoted about the common axis of the pivot pins 127 in a direction as depicted by an arrow i, and is slid on an upper surface 101c of the cassette body 101. Thus, the front and back sides and the upper and lower sides of the magnetic tape 102 are fully uncovered. On the other hand, when the outer lid 104 is lowered from the open position shown in Figs. 10A and 13A to the closed position shown in Figs. 10B and 13B in the direction of the arrow f', the operation is carried out in a manner reverse to that described above. That is, the pinions 120 are lowered in the direction of the arrow f', and are simultaneously rotated about the support shafts 121 in a direction as depicted by an arrow h'. Accordingly, the lower inner lid 117 is pivoted together with the driven pinions 123 about the pivot pins 122 in a direction as depicted by an arrow g', so that the lower inner lid 117 is pivotally lowered from the upper inner lid 116. As mentioned above, in raising the upper inner lid 116 together with the outer lid 104 in the direction of the arrow f to the open position, the lower inner lid 117 can be pivotally raised to substantially the same level as that of the upper inner lid 116. That is, the upper inner lid 116 and the lower inner lid 117 can be raised to a sufficiently high level by pivoting the outer lid 104 at a relatively small angle. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 10A, a sufficient opening amount H2 of the front opening 103 can be ensured with a raising mount H1 of the outer lid 104 reduced.

Claims: A tape cassette accommodating a magnetic tape (2) therein, comprising: a cassette body (1); an outer lid (4) pivotably mounted on said cassette body (1) over an opening (3) in said body (1) providing access to said magnetic tape (2); a first inner lid (16) provided between said outer lid (4) and said cassette body (1) and arranged to be pivoted by pivotal movement of said outer lid (4); a second inner lid (17) movably mounted on said first inner lid (16); and driving means (24 - 28) for moving said second inner lid (17) relative to said first inner lid (16) in response to said pivotal movement of said outer lid (4); characterised in that said second inner lid (17) is slidably mounted on said first inner lid (16), and said driving means (24 - 28) is arranged such that, on opening of said outer lid (4), the second inner lid (17) is slidably raised relative to the first inner lid (16) to reduce the extent of pivotal movement of said outer lid (4) required for access to said magnetic tape (2). A cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driving means comprises a first rack (27) provided on said cassette body (1), a second rack (28) provided on said second inner lid (17), and a pinion (26) interposed between said first rack (27) and said second rack (28). A cassette as claimed in claim 2, wherein a said first rack (27), second rack (28) and a said pinion (26) are located at each of two longitudinal opposite ends of said first and second inner lids (16, 17). A cassette as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said first inner lid (16) is pivotably connected to said outer lid (4), the cassette including a guide pin (23) provided on said first inner lid (16), and a guide groove (24) formed on said cassette body for guiding said guide pin (23). A cassette as claimed in claim 4, wherein a said guide pin (23) and a said guide groove (24) are located at each of two longitudinal opposite ends of said first inner lid (16). A cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driving means comprises a first friction surface provided on said cassette body (1), a second friction surface provided on said second inner lid (17), and a friction roller interposed between said first friction surface and said second friction surface. A cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driving means comprises a rack (124) provided on said cassette body (101), a first pinion (120) rotatably mounted on said first inner lid (116) and meshing with said rack (124), and a second pinion (123) fixed to said second inner lid (117) and meshing with said first pinion (120). A cassette as claimed in claim 7, wherein a said first pinion (120) and a said second pinion (123) are located at each of two longitudinal opposite ends of said first and second inner lid (116, 117). A cassette as claimed in any one of claims 1, 7 or 8, wherein said second inner lid (117) is pivoted in a direction to move away from said outer lid (104) in response to said pivotal movement of said outer lid (104) from a closed position to an open position thereof. A cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driving means comprises a friction surface provided on said cassette body (101), a first friction roller rotatably mounted on said first inner lid (116) and contacting said friction surface, and a second friction roller fixed to said second inner lid (117) and contacting said first friction roller. A cassette as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the driving means (24 - 28, 120 - 124) is arranged such that, on opening of said outer lid (4, 104), the second inner lid (17, 117) is raised to substantially the same level as that of the first inner lid (16, 116).

Inventors: HASHIMOTO KEISUKE, HASHIMOTO, KEISUKE, HASHIMOTO, KEISUKE, PATENTS DIV. SONY CORPORATION
Applicants: SONY CORP, SONY CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G11B23
IPC codes: G11B23