Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval – Particular cabinet structure for optical media – Capable of only accepting protected insertable single...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-25
2004-12-07
Ometz, David L. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval
Particular cabinet structure for optical media
Capable of only accepting protected insertable single...
C720S631000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06829774
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for accommodating a cartridge having enclosed therein a disk serving as a recording medium and, more particularly, to a disk recording or playback device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cartridges having enclosed therein a disk serving as a recording medium are well-known.
FIG. 4A
is a plan view of a cartridge
6
previously proposed by the present applicant, and
FIG. 4B
is a side elevation of the same.
The proposed cartridge is designed for use in recording or playback devices of the superresolution type. A disk
60
is rotatably held within the cartridge
6
which is made from a synthetic resin, with a shutter
63
slidably provided on the upper wall of the cartridge
6
for alternatively exposing or closing the disk
60
. The cartridge
6
has a positioning cutout
61
, erroneous insertion preventing cavity
64
and fitting cavity
65
which are opened on the bottom side.
The shutter
63
is biased in a closing direction by a torsion spring
67
provided inside the cartridge
6
. As shown in
FIG. 4B
, the torsion spring
67
is inserted into the cartridge
6
through an opening
66
formed in a side wall of the cartridge
6
. The shutter
63
is usually closed to prevent dust from entering the cartridge and adhering to the disk
60
.
FIG. 3
is a side elevation showing a disk recording or playback device for accommodating the cartridge
6
. A holder
3
to be loaded with the cartridge
6
is supported at a base end thereof by pivots
32
on one end of a chassis
1
having a turntable
7
and a pickup
70
mounted thereon. The direction of insertion of the cartridge
6
is matched with the sliding direction of the shutter
63
. The cartridge
6
is inserted into the holder
3
as it is raised, with its opening
66
facing toward the right.
Projecting inward from opposite side walls of the holder
3
are support plates
30
,
30
for supporting the bottom of the cartridge
6
. The holder
3
is provided inside thereof with a mechanism (not shown) for opening the shutter
63
. A beam is projected from the pickup
70
onto the disk
60
as exposed by opening the shutter
63
. In the following description, the direction in which the cartridge
6
is inserted into the holder
3
will be referred to as the “front,” and the direction in which it is discharged therefrom as the “rear.”
The chassis
1
is provided at its front and rear ends with a first fitting pin
5
and a second fitting pin
5
a
fittable into the positioning cutout
61
in the cartridge
6
and the fitting cavity
65
thereof, respectively. Each of the fitting pins
5
,
5
a
comprises a solid cylindrical prop
50
for supporting the lower wall of the cartridge
6
and a conical guide
51
projecting from the top of the prop
50
.
The positioning cutout
61
and the erroneous insertion preventing cavity
61
extend forward or rearward, and the cutout
61
has a width S slightly smaller than the diameter of lower end of the guide
51
(see FIG.
4
A). The positioning cutout
61
is partly opened on the front side as indicated at
62
.
When the cartridge
6
is inserted into the holder
3
, the positioning cutout
61
fits around the guide
51
of the first fitting pin
5
, whereby the cartridge
6
is prevented from producing backlash laterally of the holder. When the holder
3
is pivotally moved down, the cartridge
6
is placed on the top of the props
50
. The disk
60
is placed on the turntable
7
for recording or reproduction of signals.
FIG. 5
is a plan view in section of the holder
3
as lowered, with the pivots
32
,
32
for the holder
3
directed laterally. For the sake of convenience of description, the top wall of the holder
3
is not shown.
FIG. 6
is a front view of the holder
3
as seen from the direction B in FIG.
5
. The support plate
30
at right has a raised end to serve as a projection
31
for preventing misinsertion. The support plate
30
at left has an aperture
33
formed in a rear end portion thereof for the second fitting pin
5
a
to extend therethrough.
When the cartridge
6
is inserted into the holder
3
, the misinsertion preventing projection
31
fits into the erroneous insertion preventing cavity
64
. Should the cartridge
6
be inserted as turned upside down, the projection
31
fails to fit into the cavity
64
, so that the cartridge
6
can not be inserted into the holder
3
. This indicates to the user that the cartridge
6
is erroneously inserted upside down.
However, the conventional signal recording or reproduction device has the following problem.
A minicartridge
8
which is smaller than the cartridge
6
proposed by the present applicant in front-to-rear length has recently been proposed by other manufacturers. The minicartridge
8
has enclosed therein a disk which differs in recording or playback specifications from the disk
60
in the cartridge
6
proposed by the present applicant. As indicated in a chain line in
FIG. 7
, the minicartridge
8
has a rearwardly recessed portion
81
formed in its front end and extending from the midportion thereof toward the right end. Furthermore, the minicartridge
8
has a positioning cavity
68
formed in a front end portion thereof for restraining the cartridge from backlashing laterally. The cavity
68
has an opening in the lower wall of the cartridge and a closed front end.
The disk within the minicartridge
8
is different from the disk
60
in the cartridge
6
in recording or playback specifications and should therefore not be inserted into the holder
3
. However, if the minicartridge
8
is inserted into the holder
3
of the conventional device in error, the minicartridge
8
is accommodated in the holder
3
, without the likelihood of the recessed portion
81
reaching the misinsertion preventing projection
31
. Thus, the minicartridge
8
is undesirably inserted into the holder
3
despite the provision of the projection
31
.
In view of the above problem, the present applicant has conceived the idea of preventing the minicartridge
8
from being inserted in error by the first fitting pin
5
for determining the position of the cartridge
6
on the chassis
1
. Because the recessed portion
81
of the minicartridge
8
is recessed rearward, the minicartridge
8
fails to come into contact with the misinsertion preventing projection
31
positioned at the right end of the holder
3
, whereas the minicartridge
8
comes into contact with the first fitting pin
5
on the chassis
1
at the left end of the holder
3
. For this reason, an attempt is made to prevent the minicartridge
8
from being inserted into the holder
3
in error by the first fitting pin
5
.
An object of the present invention is to prevent cartridges other than the regular cartridge from being inserted into the holder in error by simple means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A fitting pin
5
provided on a chassis
1
is fittable into a positioning cutout
61
formed in a front end portion of a cartridge
6
and opened as at
62
on a front side thereof. The fitting pin
5
has a top end positioned below the path L of movement of the upper end of the opening
62
when the cartridge
6
is inserted into a holder
3
and positioned above the point X of intersection of the fitting pin
5
with the path M of movement of the lower surface of the cartridge
6
.
Another fitting pin
5
comprises a prop
50
for supporting the lower surface of the cartridge
6
, a guide
51
formed on a top of the prop
50
and tapered upward with a decreasing diameter and a misinsertion precluding portion
52
extending upward from a top of the guide
51
and generally orthogonal to the plane of the chassis
1
.
The misinsertion precluding portion
52
is positioned on the path M of movement of the lower surface of the cartridge
6
when the cartridge
6
is inserted into the holder
3
. The portion
52
has a top end positioned below the path L of movement of an upper end of the opening
62
of the positioning cutout
61
when the cartridge
6
is inserted into
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Ometz David L.
LandOfFree
Cartridge storage device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Cartridge storage device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cartridge storage device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3315982