Cassette accomodation case

Details Cassette accomodation case Cassette accomodation case

1999-07-07

2001-12-11

Foster, Jim (Department: 3728)

Special receptacle or package

For holding a machine readable recording medium

For holding a tape cassette

Reexamination Certificate

active

06328162

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cassette (storage) case which is suitable for inserting and accommodating a tape cassette such as an audio compact cassette or the like, and in particular, to a slide type cassette accommodation case which can insert and take out a cassette in a manner of sliding the cassette in a transverse direction from an insertion opening formed on one side of the cassette accommodation case.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in a cassette accommodation case for inserting and accommodating an audio compact cassette, a slide type cassette accommodation case has been practically used which slidably inserts and takes out a cassette in a manner of sliding the cassette in a transverse direction from an insertion opening formed on one side of the cassette accommodation case.
FIG. 1
to
FIG. 4
each show a structure of a conventional slide type cassette accommodation case.
The cassette accommodation case is constructed in a manner of combining a lower half
1
and an upper half
2
. The lower half
1
is a plastic molding product which is molded of e.g., a HIPS (high impact polystyrene) material; on the other hand, the upper half
2
is a plastic molding product which is molded of e.g., a GPPS (general purpose polystyrene) material.
The lower half
1
and the upper half
2
are individually formed with half-cut like cassette insertion openings
3
a
and
3
b
at their one side, and a cassette (audio compact cassette)
4
shown in
FIG. 9
is slidably inserted in and taken out of the insertion opening in a transverse direction.
The cassette
4
rotatably houses therein a pair of reel hubs
5
for winding up a magnetic tape, and an inner periphery of the reel hub
5
corresponds to each of a pair of hub driving shaft insertion holes
6
formed on a cassette housing body.
Also, one side of the cassette
4
is formed with a trapezoidal bulged portion
7
which constitutes a mouth portion where the magnetic tape is exposed, at both upper and lower sides of the cassette housing body.
The cassette
4
is inserted into the cassette accommodation case so that there is almost no gap. To this end, in an interior of the cassette accommodation case, on inner surfaces of the lower half
1
and the upper half
2
are formed with recess grooves
8
a
and
8
b
for receiving the bulged portion
7
of the cassette
4
in a transverse direction, that is, a cassette inserting direction, respectively.
The inner surface of the lower half
1
is fixed and attached with a rotation stopper member
9
for inhibiting an unnecessary rotation of the reel hub
5
of the cassette
4
.
The rotation stopper member
9
is molded of a PP (polypropylene) resin, and is composed of a base plate
10
having a plurality of caulking holes
10
a
, and a pair of rotation stopper pieces
11
which stand up integrally from the base plate
10
and are elastically deformable. A distance between these rotation stopper pieces
11
corresponds to a distance between the hub driving shaft insertion holes
6
of the cassette
4
.
Moreover, the rotation stopper piece
11
is formed with a notch
12
which reaches an upper surface of the base plate
10
, at the center thereof, and thereby, the rotation stopper piece
11
is composed of two pieces
11
a
and
11
b
. The base plate
10
is formed with a U-shaped notch groove
13
around the rotation stopper piece
11
.
The inner surface of the lower half
1
, on which the rotation stopper member
9
is fixed, is formed a thin wall portion
1
b
for weight reduction in a state of leaving the recess groove
8
a
, the insertion opening
3
a
and a U-shaped thick wall portion
1
a
along a side wall
1
d
. The thin wall portion
1
b
is formed with a rib
16
having a shape surrounding a periphery of the base plate
10
of the rotation stopper member
9
, and then, the base plate
10
is positioned by the rib
16
.
The rib
16
is formed lower than the thick wall portion
1
a
, and a caulking pin
17
corresponding to the fastening hole
10
a
of the base plate
10
is projected from the thin wall portion
1
b
surrounded by the rib
16
. Then, in a state that the fastening pin
17
is engaged with the fastening hole
10
a
of the base plate
10
, the tip end portion of the fastening pin
17
is subjected to caulking by ultrasonic welding or the like, and thus, the rotation stopper member
9
is fixed on the thin wall portion
1
b
surrounded by the rib
16
.
Further, the thin wall portion
1
b
surrounded by the rib
16
is formed with a receiving recess portion
14
corresponding to the notch groove
13
of the base plate
10
, and a depth of the recess portion
14
is 0.4 mm, for example.
An inner surface of the lower half
1
is provided with a slip-off preventive member
18
for preventing the cassette
4
from slipping off from the cassette accommodation case in a state that the cassette
4
is housed therein.
The slip-off preventive member
18
is projectingly formed integrally with the lower half
1
, and has an engaging protrusion
19
at its tip end portion. When the cassette
4
is housed in the cassette accommodation case, the engaging protrusion
19
of this slip-off preventive member
18
is engaged with a hole
4
c
formed in an erroneous erase preventive detection pawl
4
b
provided at a rear face portion
4
a
of the cassette
4
, as shown in
FIG. 3
, and thereby, the cassette
4
is prevented from slipping off from the cassette accommodation case.
On the other hand, like the lower half
1
, an inner surface of the upper half
2
is formed with a thin wall portion
2
b
for weight reduction in a state of leaving the recess groove
8
b
, the insertion opening
3
b
and a U-shaped thick wall portion
2
a
along a side wall
2
d
. The thin wall portion
2
b
is formed with a long window-like opening portion
20
in a depth direction at the substantially central portion of the upper half
2
. In the case of taking out the cassette
4
housed in the cassette accommodation case, a user pushes out the cassette
4
by his finger through the opening portion
20
.
Further, the thin wall portion
2
b
is formed with a rib
21
along a peripheral edge of the opening portion
20
, and thereby, it is possible to improve a strength of the upper half
2
and hence to prevent its flexion. Also, the rib
21
is formed lower than the thick wall portion
2
a.
Moreover, in order to readily assemble the lower half
1
and the upper half
2
, the lower half
1
and the upper half
2
are both provided with positioning means.
The positioning means is as follows. As shown in
FIGS. 1 & 2
, on the lower half
1
side, positioning protrusions
15
a
and
15
b
are projected at both right and left sides on an inner side of a depth wall
1
c
; on the other hand, on the upper half
2
side, a positioning protrusion
15
c
is projected at the substantially central portion on an inner side of a depth wall
2
c
. In this case, the positioning protrusions
15
a
and
15
b
are formed higher than the depth wall
1
c
, side walls
1
d
and
1
e
of the lower half
1
. Likewise, the positioning protrusions
15
c
is formed higher than the depth wall
2
c
, side walls
2
d
and
2
e
of the upper half
2
. These positioning protrusions are formed with an inclined plane for positioning at their tip ends.
In the case of assembling the cassette accommodation case, the lower half
1
and the upper half
2
are combined with the use of the aforesaid positioning protrusions
15
a
,
15
b
and
15
c
, and then, their joint surface is fixed by ultrasonic welding or the like so that these upper and lower halves
1
and
2
are integrally combined.
When the cassette
4
is inserted into the cassette accommodation case constructed as described above, the bulged portion
7
of the cassette
4
is guided by the recess grooves
8
a and
8
b
formed in the lower half
1
and the upper half
2
, while upper and lower faces other than the bulged portion
7
of the cassette
4
are guided by the thick wall portions
1
a
and
2
a
of

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