Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding an optical disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2001-10-02
Foster, Jim (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding an optical disc
C206S308300, C360S133000, C369S291100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case for containing disk type recording medium, in particular, an optical disk, an optical magnetic disk or the like which is employed in an information recording apparatus such as a data filing apparatus and an image filing apparatus, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the disk type recording medium such as the magnetic disk, optical disk, or optical magnetic disk is loaded into an information recording apparatus, such as a player for playing back information recorded in the disk or a recorder for writing information on the disk, the disk type recording medium has been conventionally loaded manually or loaded together with an exclusive case.
In case where the disk type recording medium is manually loaded into the information recording apparatus, a surface of the disk type recording medium is likely to be damaged with dusts, scratches, fingerprints, etc. These dusts, scratches or fingerprints will sometimes deteriorate reliability of the disk type recording medium in the event of recording and reproducing the information, particularly in recording the information, and as a result, a desired information may not be recorded. In case of recording information especially in the disk type recording medium having a high recording density such as a digital versatile disk (hereinafter referred to as DVD), there has been a fear that a desired information may not be accurately recorded.
Under such situation, in order to prevent adhesion of dusts and the like on a surface of the disk type recording medium, there have been employed such cartridges 
201
, 
301
 as shown in 
FIGS. 5 and 6
 which enable the disk type recording medium to be loaded into the information recording apparatus as they are encased in the cartridge.
A conventional cartridge 
201
 illustrated in 
FIG. 5
 comprises a cartridge body 
203
 of a synthetic resin or the like which contains the disk type recording medium such as a compact disk (hereinafter referred to as CD) or DVD, and a lid body 
204
 of a synthetic resin or the like. The cartridge body 
203
 is formed in a shape of a box which can contain the disk type recording medium and includes a cavity 
207
 for taking in and out the disk type recording medium, and an opening 
205
 into which a recording and reproducing head and a rotary table of the information recording apparatus are adapted to be inserted.
A shutter 
206
 for opening and closing the opening 
205
 is slidably attached to the cartridge body 
203
. The shutter 
206
 is formed of a leaf metal or the like, and biased by a spring (not shown) in a direction of closing the opening 
205
.
The lid body 
204
 is formed in a shape of a plate having such a size that it can cover the cavity 
207
. One end of the lid body 
204
 is rotatably fixed to one end of the cartridge body 
203
, while the other end of the lid body 
204
 is provided with a locking piece 
209
 which can be locked with the other end of the cartridge body 
203
. In this manner the lid body 
204
 is fixed to the cartridge body 
203
 so that the cavity 
207
 can be opened and closed.
At the center of the lid body 
204
, is attached a clamp 
210
 provided with magnetic plates 
211
. The clamp 
210
 is inserted from outside into a circular opening 
212
 which is formed at the center of the lid body 
204
. Around the circular opening 
212
 is formed a flange 
208
 for preventing the clamp 
210
 from dropping into the lid body 
204
, that is, into the cartridge body 
203
.
The clamp 
210
 is inserted into the opening 
212
 from the outside of the lid body 
204
, and then, fixed to the lid body 
204
 by fitting a retaining plate 
213
 for covering the opening 
212
 to an outer face of the lid body 
204
.
The clamp 
210
 thus interposed between the flange 
208
 and the retaining plate 
213
 is fitted to the lid body 
204
 with a backlash so that it may minutely move in a direction of departing from the disk type recording medium contained in the cartridge body 
203
 and along a surface of the disk type recording medium.
When the cartridge 
201
 of the structure as described above and illustrated in 
FIG. 5
 is loaded into the information recording apparatus with the disk type recording medium contained therein, the shutter 
206
 slidingly moves against a tension of the spring to open the opening 
205
. Then, the rotary table of the information recording apparatus enters into the cartridge body 
203
 through the opening 
205
.
On this occasion, a magnet fixed on the rotary table attracts the magnetic plates 
211
 of the clamp 
210
, and the disk type recording medium is centered and mounted on the rotary table. In a state where the disk type recording medium is centered and mounted, the clamp 
210
 is held at such a position that it may neither contact with the flange 
208
 nor the retaining plate 
213
. As the rotary table rotates, the disk type recording medium and the clamp 
210
 will rotate with the rotation of the rotary table to perform recording and reproduction of the desired information.
The cartridge 
301
 of the second conventional example illustrated in 
FIG. 6
 comprises a cartridge body 
303
 of a synthetic resin or the like which contains the disk type recording medium such as the CD or DVD, and a lid body 
304
 of a synthetic resin or the like. The body 
303
 is formed in a shape of a box which can contain the disk type recording medium and includes a cavity 
307
 for taking in and out the disk type recording medium, and an opening 
305
 into which a recording and playback head and the rotary table of the information recording apparatus are adapted to be inserted. Further, the lid body 
303
 is provided with locking holes 
303
b 
which serve as locking retainers, at its peripheral wall 
303
a 
positioned at one end thereof.
The lid body 
304
 is formed in a shape of a plate having such a size that it can cover the cavity 
307
. One end of the lid body 
304
 is provided with locking projections 
306
a 
which are adapted to engage with the locking holes 
303
b
, while the other end of the lid body 
304
 is provided with a locking piece 
306
b 
which can be locked with a peripheral wall 
303
c 
facing with the peripheral wall 
303
a 
of the body 
303
. In this manner the lid body 
304
 is fixed to the cartridge body 
303
 by an engagement of the locking projections 
306
a 
with the locking holes 
303
b 
and an engagement of the locking piece 
306
b 
with the peripheral wall 
303
c
, so that the cavity 
307
 can be opened and closed.
At the center of the lid body 
304
, is attached a clamp 
310
 provided with magnetic plates 
311
. The clamp 
310
 is inserted from outside into a circular opening 
312
 which is formed at the center of the lid body 
304
. Around the circular opening 
312
 is formed a flange 
308
 for preventing the clamp 
310
 from dropping into the lid body 
304
, that is, into the cartridge body 
303
.
The clamp 
310
 is inserted into the opening 
312
 from the outside of the lid body 
304
, and then, fixed to the lid body 
304
 by fitting a retaining plate 
313
 for covering the opening 
312
 to an outer face of the lid body 
304
.
The clamp 
310
 thus interposed between the flange 
308
 and the retaining plate 
313
 is fitted to the lid body 
304
 with a backlash so that it may minutely move in a direction of departing from the disk type recording medium contained in the cartridge body 
303
 and along a surface of the disk type recording medium.
When the cartridge 
301
 is carried or stored with the disk type recording medium contained therein, the cartridge 
301
 is encased in a protective case 
314
 in order to prevent dusts from entering through the opening 
305
 and adhering to the surface of the disk type recording medium.
The protective case 
314
 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like, and consists of a flat bottom wall 
315
, a pair of side walls 
316
, 
316
 provided in an upright form from opposite edges of the bottom wall 
315
, and a rear wall 
317
 provided in an upright form from a rear edge of the bottom w
Kondo Toshiyasu
Kurosawa Masashi
Foster Jim
Pioneer Corporation
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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