Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record medium – In container
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-23
2001-05-22
Cao, Allen T. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record medium
In container
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236541
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc cartridge having spinnably encased therein a disc-shaped recording medium such as an optical disc, magneto-optical disc or the like (will be referred to as “disc” hereinunder) to which information signal such as audio signal, video signal or the like can be written or from which recorded information signal can be read.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1
shows a conventional disc cartridge by way of example. The disc cartridge is generally indicated with a reference
101
. It has encased therein a disc
105
to which information signal such as an audio, video signal, etc. can be written or from which recorded information signal can be read. As shown, the disc cartridge
101
has a cartridge body
104
formed from a combination of an upper half
102
and a lower half
103
. The disc
105
is housed spinnably in a disc compartment formed inside the cartridge body
104
. When the disc cartridge
101
is set in a recording/reproducing apparatus (will be referred to as “disc drive” hereinunder), the disc
105
is connected to a disc table of a disc spinning drive and driven to spin.
The cartridge body
104
has read/write openings
106
formed therein. At least portions thereof extending from the lead-in to lead-out of an information recording area of the disc
105
housed spinnably in the disc compartment, are exposed through the read/write openings
106
. There is provided on the cartridge body
104
a shutter member
107
which is movable between two positions, open and closed. When the disc cartridge
101
is not used, the shutter member
107
is in the closed position to prevent dust or the like from coming into the cartridge body
104
through the read/write openings
106
and adhering to the surface of the disc
105
in the cartridge
101
. When the disc cartridge
101
is used for read or write with respect to the disc
105
, the shutter member
107
is moved to the open position. The cartridge body
104
has formed on one side face
104
a
thereof (will be referred to as “front face” hereinunder) a guide recess
104
b
in which a shutter opening member
109
a
of the disc drive is engaged as will be described later.
The shutter member
107
is formed from a thin metallic material such as a stainless steel by punching, bending or cutting. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the shutter member
107
consists of shutter portions
107
a
and
107
b
parallel to each other and corresponding to the read/write openings
106
, respectively, formed in the upper and lower halves
102
and
103
, and a joint portion
107
c.
Thus the shutter member
107
has a generally C-shaped section. The shutter member
107
has a sliding guide portion
107
d
formed integrally at one end of the joint portion
107
c
and which is to guide the shutter member
107
sliding along the front face
104
a
of the cartridge body
104
.
The joint portion
107
c
has formed therein an engagement hole
107
e
in which a shutter closing member
109
b
of the disc drive is engaged. The sliding guide portion
107
d
has an engagement lug
107
f
formed at the free end thereof. The engagement lug
107
f
is bent from the upper edge of the sliding guide portion
107
d
to be parallel to the shutter portion
107
a.
A shutter locking member
108
provided on the cartridge body
104
as will be described later is engaged on the engagement lug
107
f.
The shutter member
107
constructed as mentioned above is assembled from the front face
104
a
of the cartridge body
104
for the shutter portions
107
a
and
107
b
to extend over the read/write openings
106
.
As indicated with dashed lines in
FIG. 1
, the cartridge body
104
has the shutter locking member
108
disposed at one corner
101
a
of a front face
103
a
of the lower half
103
forming the front face
104
a.
The shutter locking member
108
is made of a synthetic resin. While the shutter portions
107
a
and
107
b
are closing the read/write openings
106
, respectively, the shutter locking member
108
locks the shutter member
107
at the closed position against an inadvertent movement to open the read/write openings
106
.
The shutter locking member
108
consists of a fixed portion
108
a
formed at the base of the member
108
and which is to be fixed to the lower half
103
, a locking arm portion
108
b
formed integrally with the fixed portion
108
a
to project and have a generally U-shaped form, and an engagement concavity
108
c
formed at the free end of the locking arm portion
108
b.
The locking arm portion
108
b
is elastically deflectable. The shutter locking member
108
is installed to the lower half
103
for the engagement concavity
108
c
of the locking arm portion
108
b
to be opposite to the front face
104
a
of the cartridge body
104
. When the engagement lug
107
f
of the shutter member
107
is engaged in the engagement concavity
108
c
of the locking arm portion
108
b
with the shutter portions
107
a
and
107
b
closing the read/write openings
106
, the shutter locking member
108
locks the shutter member
107
.
In the conventional disc cartridge
101
, when the engagement lug
107
f
of the shutter member
107
is engaged in the engagement concavity
108
c
of the locking arm portion
108
b
with the shutter portions
107
a
and
107
b
closing the read/write openings
106
, the shutter locking member
108
locks the shutter member
107
as mentioned just above. Even if the disc cartridge
101
is applied with a shock by dropping or otherwise careless handling, the read/write openings
106
can be surely closed by the shutter member
107
.
The engagement lug
107
f
of the shutter member
107
is formed by bending horizontally from the upper end of the sliding guide portion
107
d
towards the cartridge body
104
. Thus, if the shutter member
107
is applied with a shock, the engagement lug
107
f
will possibly be bent inwardly as shown in
FIG. 3
as the case may be. In this case, in the disc cartridge
101
, the engagement lug
107
f
is disengaged from the engagement concavity
108
c
of the shutter locking member
108
so that the shutter member
107
will easily be moved, with the result that the read/write openings
106
will be opened. Dust or the like coming into the cartridge body
104
through the read/write openings
106
thus opened will adhere to the exposed surfaces of the disc
105
which will also be scratched or otherwise damaged.
On the other hand, it has been proposed to provide a disc cartridge
101
having the shutter member
107
molded from aluminum or synthetic resin in order to reduce the manufacturing costs or reduce the weight of the disc cartridge
101
. In this case, however, since the shutter member
107
made of such a material is somewhat lower in mechanical strength than the stainless steel-made shutter member
107
, the engagement lug
107
f
is deformable or breakable more easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a disc cartridge in which even if it is applied with a shock by dropping or otherwise careless handing, the engagement lug can be prevented from being deformed and thus the shutter member can positively keep closing the read/write openings.
The above object can be attained by providing a disc cartridge comprising according to the present invention:
a cartridge body having spinnably encased therein a disc-shaped recording medium and having also formed therein read/write openings through which portions of main surfaces of the disc-shaped recording medium are exposed;
a shutter member coupled movably to the cartridge body and having:
shutter portions to cover the read/write openings;
a joint portion formed integrally with the shutter portions perpendicularly to the latter to be opposite to one lateral face of the cartridge body and having formed therein an engagement hole in which a shutter driving member of a recording/reproducing apparatus; and
a sliding guide portion f
Cao Allen T.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Sony Corporation
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