Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Storage medium structure – Adjuncts or adapters
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-27
2003-04-01
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Storage medium structure
Adjuncts or adapters
Reexamination Certificate
active
06542459
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cartridge for accommodating a recording medium taking a disk-like shape and a member for cleaning, etc. and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to an improvement of a shutter provided in the cartridge and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A recording medium cartridge such as a mini disk cartridge (MD) accommodating a recording medium has a rectangular storage case in which a recording medium having a disk-like shape or the like is encased. The storage case is formed with an opening for inserting a head when in recording/reproducing processes, and a shutter for provided for opening and closing this opening.
FIGS. 5A and 5B
show an example of a prior art MD cartridge-oriented shutter.
FIG. 5A
is a top view of the shutter, wherein an upper plate
102
a
and a lower plate
102
b
of the shutter
102
are disposed so that the storage case of the mini disk cartridge is sandwiched in between the upper and lower plates
102
a
,
102
b
in a vertical direction on the drawing.
FIG. 5B
is a sectional view thereof. As illustrated in
FIG. 5B
, a top plate
103
for connecting the upper and lower plates
102
a
,
102
b
is formed with a rectangular opening
100
through which to insert a shutter opening/closing member of the apparatus in order to drive the shutter
102
open and shut. A side end surface
101
of the opening
100
is normally formed by a punch-out work and therefore has a cut surface.
Stainless steel has hitherto been used for composing the above-described shutter, however, it can be considered that, for example, an aluminum material is used as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.6-346178. What is proposed in this publication is that a resinous layer is provided on the surface of an aluminum alloy in order to enhance a strength, an anti-corrosion and a sliding property etc.
The aluminum material has, if used, an advantage of being capable of reducing both a weight and a cost of the cartridge on the other hand, and has, because of its hardness being small, the following problem. This problem is explained referring to
FIG. 6. A
shutter opening/closing member
105
moves in a direction b as indicated by the solid line in
FIG. 6
in order to drive the shutter
102
so as to open and close the shutter
102
, and, with an approach to an opening
100
of a shutter
102
, rotates in a direction a, and its tip portion
105
a
enters the opening
100
as indicated by the broken line in FIG.
6
. At this time, the tip
105
a
of the shutter opening/closing member,
105
impinges upon a side end surface
101
to cause a frictional force. The aluminum material is lower in terms of the hardness than the stainless steel, and, the side end surface
101
being formed as a cut surface by a punch-out work, the side end surface
101
might be chipped by the shutter opening/closing member
105
sliding on the tip
105
a.
The quantity of the chip of the side end surface
101
becomes larger with more repetitions of the opening/closing operations of the shutter
102
. Metal powders caused by the chips are hard to be discharged from the cartridge and an apparatus as well, which might induce inconveniences (such as a sound skip and a drop-out attributed to a damage to the disk) when in recording/ reproducing processes. Consequently, there might also arise a possibility of exerting an adverse influence.
Even in the case of using the aluminum alloy provided with the resinous layer as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.6-346178, the opening
100
is formed after providing the resinous layer, and hence the inner side peripheral end surface of the opening is chipped as it used to be because of no resinous layer provided thereon.
Further, as indicated by the solid line in
FIG. 6
, the shutter opening/closing member
105
is driven for driving the shutter
102
so as to open and close the shutter
102
, and moves in an arrow direction b toward the opening
100
while contacting a surface
103
a
of a top plate
103
of the shutter
102
in an area D indicted by the broken line in FIG.
5
A. With this movement, the tip
105
a
of the shutter opening/closing member
105
causes a frictional force against the surface
103
a
of the top plate
103
in the area D, and further impinges upon the side end surface
101
of the opening
100
enough to cause the frictional force. The shutter opening/closing member
105
reciprocates in the direction b in FIG.
6
and in a reverse direction b′ thereto, and, with the aluminum material being less in its hardness than the stainless steel with the shutter opening/closing member
105
repeatedly sliding on the surface
103
a,
the surface
103
a
of the top plate
103
might be chipped in the area D. A quantity of the chip of the surface
103
and the like becomes larger with a greater number of repetitions of the opening/closing operation of the shutter
102
, and there might be a possibility in which the metal powders caused by the chips thereof induce the drop-out or the like when in the recording/reproducing processes as in the case described above.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.8-3061155 discloses that a shutter composed of an aluminum alloy is coated with a layer for preventing a polyethylene film from being adhered to the shutter. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.5-41055 discloses that the surface of the stainless steel shutter is provided with a protective resinous layer for preventing a damage and adhesions of a fingerprint and an oil film.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-306155 in which the layer is coated for preventing the adhesion of the materials accommodated therein to the cartridge, however, neither deals with the problem of the chip nor discloses any measures against the chip caused by the sliding of the shutter opening/closing member of the apparatus. Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-41055, in which the protective resinous layer for preventing a damage to the shutter is provided, is intended to cope with a friction of the shutter which occurs by accident when cases are stacked, but does not disclose any measure against the chip enough to the problem of the chip due to the slide of the shutter opening/closing member of the apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a cartridge and a manufacturing method thereof that are capable of preventing a chip in a hole of a shutter into which a shutter opening/closing member of an apparatus enters even when the shutter is composed of a light metal material having low hardness such as aluminum and the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cartridge capable of reducing a chip on a shutter surface which is caused by repetitive sliding actions between the shutter and the shutter opening/closing member of the apparatus even when the shutter of composed of the light metal material having the low hardness such as aluminum or the like.
To accomplish the above objects, according to one aspect of the invention, a cartridge for accommodating a tape-like member or a disk-like member, is provided with a case, an opening formed in the case, a shutter for opening and closing the opening, and a hole, formed in a surface of the shutter, with which an external drive member engages to drive the shutter, wherein the inner side peripheral surface of the hole, with which at least the drive member comes in contact when opening and closing the opening, is formed of a continuous surface continuous from the shutter surface.
According to the cartridge described above, when the drive member, for driving the shutter of the external apparatus and the like engages with the hole of the shutter, the inner side peripheral surface of the hole upon which the drive member impinges is the continuous surface continuous from the shutter surface but is not a cut surface as in the prior art, and hence t
Ikebe Masaru
Miyazaki Yukio
Suzuki Kouichi
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
TDK Corporation
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