Cassette storage casing

Details Cassette storage casing Cassette storage casing

1998-09-21

2001-09-11

Luong, Shian (Department: 3728)

Special receptacle or package

For holding a machine readable recording medium

For holding a tape cassette

C206S472000, C206S493000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06286676

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a cassette accommodating case suitable for accommodating an audio compact cassette and particularly to a cassette accommodating case into and from which a compact cassette can slidably be inserted and drawn in the longitudinal direction of the cassette accommodating case through a cassette insertion opening provided at one side portion of the case and which has a function of preventing a tape reel from being rotated, in a compact cassette accommodated state, by engaging a reel hub aperture of the cassette with a reel-rotation preventing member attached to a case bottom surface and a function of preventing the compact cassette brought in its accommodated state from being drawn from the case.
BACKGROUND ART
Some cassette accommodating cases into and from each of which a compact cassette can slidably be inserted and drawn in the longitudinal direction of the cassette accommodating case through a cassette insertion opening provided at one side portion of the case are disclosed in, for example, Japanese laid-open utility model publication No. 57-201675, Japanese laid-open utility model publication No. 58-148774, Japanese laid-open utility model publication No. 4-118388, and Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 4-311483.
Of the cassette accommodating cases according to the prior art, a cassette accommodating case disclosed in Japanese laid-open utility model publication No. 4-118388 will be described with reference to
FIGS. 20
to
23
.
FIG. 20
is a perspective view of the a cassette accommodating case with an upper surface plate thereof being partially cut away, showing an inside thereof.
FIG. 21
is a perspective view of a compact cassette.
FIG. 22
is a plan view of a cassette accommodating case with a cassette in its accommodated state being shown by a phantom line.
FIG. 23
is a side view of the cassette accommodating case in its cassette accommodating state, seen from its cassette insertion opening.
An arrangement of the compact cassette will be described with reference to FIG.
21
.
A compact cassette
30
has a pair of tape reels, not shown, rotatably housed in its cassette housing. Reel hub apertures
32
a,
32
b
correspond to a pair of opening portions
31
a
formed through upper and lower surfaces of a cassette housing
30
a
and a pair of opening portions
32
a
formed therethrough. The compact cassette
30
has a trapezoid projected portion
33
forming a mouth of the cassette at its one side portion and also has a guide projection (usually also referred to as an ear portion)
34
at both side surfaces on the projection portion
33
side of the cassette housing.
The cassette accommodating case is formed of a plastic molded product. The cassette accommodating case has a cassette insertion opening
35
at its one side surface and has, in other portions, a flat-box shape formed of a bottom surface plate
36
a,
an upper surface plate
36
b,
left and right side surface plates
36
c,
36
d
and a rear surface plate
36
e.
The compact cassette
30
is slidably inserted into and drawn from the cassette accommodating case through the cassette insertion opening
35
in the longitudinal direction. The bottom surface plate
36
a
and the upper surface plate
36
b
respectively have notch portions
35
a,
35
b
on the sides of the cassette insertion opening
35
. Therefore, when the compact cassette
30
accommodated in the cassette accommodating case is drawn therefrom, the compact cassette can be drawn by gripping cassette end portions exposed through the notch portions
35
a,
35
b
as shown in FIG.
22
.
The bottom surface plate
36
a
has two tab-shaped real stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
which can rise by their elastic forces and which are formed integrally therewith at positions corresponding to a substantially middle portion of the cassette insertion opening
35
at an interval in the depth direction. The reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
are faced in the direction perpendicularly to the depth direction. The interval between the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
corresponds to an interval between the reel hub apertures
32
a,
32
b
of the compact cassette
30
.
The bottom surface plate
36
a
has receiving guides
38
a,
38
b
projectingly formed at positions across the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
so as to be thick and extended in the depth direction. The upper surface plate
36
b
also has receiving guides
39
a,
39
b
projectingly formed so as to be thick and opposed to the receiving guides
38
a,
38
b,
respectively (see FIG.
23
).
Moreover, the bottom surface plate
36
a
and the upper surface plate
36
b
respectively have stopper pieces
40
a,
40
b
and
41
a,
41
b
in the vicinity of the cassette insertion opening
35
and at the outsides of the receiving guides
38
a,
38
b
and
39
a,
39
b
so as to be opposed to each other.
When the compact cassette
30
is inserted into the cassette accommodating case thus arranged through its cassette insertion opening
35
with its guide projection
33
being inserted first, the compact cassette elastically deforms and pushes down the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b.
However, when the cassette is inserted and reaches the deepest position of the cassette accommodating case, the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
respectively correspond to the reel hub apertures
32
a,
32
b
and hence rise again by their elastic forces. Then, the reel stopper pieces are respectively engaged with the reel hub apertures
32
a,
32
b
to thereby prevent the reels from being rotated.
In a state that the compact cassette
30
is accommodated in the cassette accommodating case, since the receiving guides
38
a,
38
b
and
39
a,
39
b
projectingly formed from the bottom surface plate
36
a
and the upper surface plate
36
b
hold upper and lower surfaces of the cassette
30
except the projection portion
33
, respectively, as shown in
FIG. 23
, the compact cassette
30
can stably be accommodated in the cassette accommodating case without being shaky.
Moreover, in the accommodated state of the compact cassette
30
, as shown in
FIG. 22
, since the side edge portions of the projection portions
33
are engaged with stopper pieces
40
a,
41
a,
the compact cassette
30
is prevented from being drawn from the cassette accommodating case.
The compact cassette
30
can be inserted into the above cassette accommodating case similarly as described above even in a state that it is inverted in the left and right directions. In this case, the side edge portions of the projection portions
33
of the compact cassette
30
are engaged with the other stopper pieces
40
b,
41
b,
thereby the compact cassette being prevented from being drawn from the cassette accommodating case.
When the compact cassette
30
is drawn from the cassette accommodating case, the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
are elastically deformed and pressed down to be disengaged from the reel hub apertures
32
a,
32
b.
After the cassette is drawn therefrom, the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
rise up again by their elastic forces.
Whenever the compact cassette
30
is inserted or drawn, the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
are elastically deformed in the vicinity of their base portions and then pressed down. If the reel stopper pieces
37
a,
37
b
are repeatedly and intensively bent and deformed, then fatigue in elasticity is caused in materials of the reel stopper pieces themselves and hence disables the reel stopper pieces to rise again. As a result, it becomes difficult for the reel stopper pieces to stop rotation of the reels thereafter.
If as a reel stopper of this kind there is employed a reel stopper member arranged such that, as shown in
FIG. 24
, two tab-shaped reel stopper pieces
43
,
43
molded out of PP (polypropylene) are planted integrally on a base plate
42
and the base plate
42
are fixed by caulking on a bottom surface of the cassette accommodating case through a plurality of caulking apertures
42
a,
it is required to set a width of each of the reel stopper pieces
43
,
43
substanti

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