Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure
Utility Patent
1999-04-26
2001-01-02
Cao, Allen T. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Utility Patent
active
06169719
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a car-mounted disc/tape player, which comprises a disc player for playing back data recorded on a disc having a diameter of, for instance, 12 centimeters and a tape player for playing back data recorded on a tape in a compact tape cassette, the disc and tape players being assembled in a substantially rectangular cabinet which can be accommodated in a predetermined mounting space in a car.
The mounting space is generally prescribed by DIN Standard(Deutsche Industrie Norm) No. 75 500 to be 180 millimeters in width, 52 millimeters in height and 170 millimeters in depth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As the car-mounted disc/tape player comprising disc player for playing back data recorded on a disc having a diameter of, for instance, 12 centimeters and a tape player for playing back data recorded on a tape in a compact tape cassette, a large size one called double DIN Standard is well known in the art, which has a height of 105 millimeters, i.e., double the height prescribed by the above DIN Standard, which is also called as “single” DIN standard in comparison with the above “double” DIN Standard.
However, the disc player includes a pick-up for playing back data recorded on the disc and a disc drive motor for rotating the disc, while the tape player includes a tape drive motor for playing back data recorded on the tape in the tape cassette. Therefore, size reduction such as to conform to the above single DIN Standard (hereinafter referred simply as “DIN Standard”) is not obtainable by merely displaying the disc and tape players one above another or in a planar fashion.
This is so because in the case of disposing the two players one above another, the height size can not be made less than the sum of the height sizes of the individual players. Also, in the case of disposing the two players in a planar fashion, the planar dimensions can not be made less than the sums of the planar dimensions of the individual players.
Japanese Patent No. 2833253 discloses such a prior art car-mounted disc/tape player. This player has the above problems.
The invention was made in order to solve the above problem, and it concerns a car-mounted disc/tape player, in which a disc player including a pick-up and a disc drive motor is assembled with a tape player in a substantially rectangular cabinet, which can be accommodated in a predetermined accommodation space in a car and has a disc insertion slot and a cassette insertion slot provided in its front operating board.
The tape drive motor has a greater axial dimension than the disc drive motor. The disc is inserted with its recording surface down through the disc insertion slot into the disc player. The compact tape cassette is inserted with the tape surface directed to the right, viewing toward the front operating board, through the cassette insertion slot into the tape player.
It is an object of the invention to reduce such a car-mounted disc/tape player both in the planar dimensions and the height such as to be conformed to the DIN Standard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One feature of the invention resides in a car-mounted disc/tape player, which comprises a disc player including a pick-up and a disc drive motor and a tape player including a tape drive motor having a greater axial dimension than the disc drive motor, the two players being assembled in a substantially rectangular cabinet, which can be accommodated in a predetermined accommodation space in a car and has a disc insertion slot for inserting a disc with the recording surface thereof down into the disc player and a front operating board having a cassette insertion slot for inserting a compact tape cassette with the tape surface thereof directed to the right, viewing toward the operating board, into the tape player, wherein the disc insertion slot and the tape insertion slot are disposed one above another with the center of the disc insertion slot in the width thereof located on the left side of the center of the cassette insertion slot in the width thereof, viewing toward the operating board, and the disc insertion slot at an upper position, the disc drive motor is disposed ahead of the tape drive motor and with the bottom surface at a position beneath the top surface of the tape drive motor, and the line connecting the disc insertion slot width center and the disc drive motor center coincides with the direction of the disc insertion.
With the disc insertion slot and the tape insertion slot disposed such that they are transversely shifted from one another in the above way, the bottom surface of the disc drive motor can be located beneath the top surface of the tape drive motor, thus permitting the overall player height to be made less than the sum of the height sizes of the disc and tape players.
Also, since the compact tape cassette accommodation space can be disposed beneath the disc accommodation space, the overall planer dimensions can be made less than the sum of the planar dimensions of the two players.
Furthermore, by setting the disc drive motor top surface and the tape drive motor top surface to be at the same level, the overall player height can be reduced by an extent corresponding to the height dimension of the disc drive motor.
Still further, by setting the cassette insertion slot to be at a position between the height positions of the top and bottom surfaces of the tape drive motor, the height size of the cassette accommodation space can be accommodated by the height size of the tape drive motor, thus permitting the overall player height by an extent corresponding to the height size of the cassette accommodation space.
Yet further, by disposing a disc loading mechanism in a space, which is defined in the cabinet above the tape player and on the right side of the disc player, and disposing circuit components in a rear space in the cabinet, the cabinet space can be effectively utilized, and it is thus possible to promote the overall player size reduction.
Moreover, according to the invention a pick-up movement zone for the pick-up is set in a left corner portion, viewing toward the operating board, which zone is defined between the disc drive motor and the left side front corner of the cabinet and close to the disc insertion slot. Also, a drive portion including a motor for driving the pick-up is disposed in this zone. Thus, the effective utilization of the cabinet space can be further promoted to further promote the size reduction.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5859828 (1999-01-01), Ishibashi
patent: 2833253 (1998-02-01), None
Nishimura Shozo
Yamanaka Takashi
Cao Allen T.
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Tenashin Denki Co., Ltd.
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