Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding an optical disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-16
2001-08-14
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding an optical disc
C206S081000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273248
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to computer memory discs, and in particular to an floppy disk sized adapter device that allows removable coin sized disks to record information within conventional personal computer disk drivers.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
Conventional computer disk drivers on IBM compatible personal computers (PCs) such as those from Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Texas Instruments and even Apple generally use a standard 3½ inch floppy diskette cartridges. It has become a wide practice for persons to manually pass these floppy diskettes around when updating and submitting papers to other parties. Typically, the only way of protecting a single 3½ inch floppy diskette cartridges is to use the paper type sleeve they come in. However, there are problems with being able to manually transport individual diskette cartridges. The paper sleeves are usually paper-thin, easily wear and become torn after a short use. Additionally, the size of these floppy diskette cartridges makes them difficult to attach to hardcopy paper versions with traditional fastening means such as paper clips. The large size of these catridges can cause the cartridge to become separated from the attached paper and become lost. Furthermore, the bulky 3½ inch rigid square shape of the cartridge requires a storage space of at least those dimensions. The large plastic carrying cases which hold multiple disks are too cumbersome to be used for holding just a single disk. Most 3½ inch floppy diskettes that pass around offices utilize less than 20 to 30% of their storage space resulting in substantial wasted space. Furthermore most 3½ inch diskettes are not passed around in protective paper type sleeves, and as a result the magnetic disk in the diskette cartridges can become demagnetized and even damaged form normal wear and tear.
Cartridge and disk adapters have been proposed over the past several years, but fail to overcome all the problems described above. U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,802 to Suzuki et al. describes a disk adapter for a disk cartridge that uses a spacer-component to fill in the space about smaller sized disks. However, Suzuki '802 requires using a separate plastic disk adapter piece as the spacer-component that detaches from the cartridge housing and thus can become easily damaged, and lost. Furthermore, both this plastic adapter piece and the disk must each be inserted and snapped into place within the housing between uses which would tend to wear out the plastic adapter over time and thus not allow it to be readily reusable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,354 to Iwata et al. describes a disk cartridge having a hinged side opening for allowing only a full size magnetic disk to be inserted therein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,674 to Yamashita et al. describes a disc case that is limited to only holding full-sized removable magnetic disks. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,331,627 to Childers et al.; 5,677,898 to Hasegawa et al. and 5,715,233 to Yoshida et al. each describes cartridge adapter devices where one or more smaller cartridges (each housing a disk) can be inserted into a larger cartridge so that the smaller cartridge can work in computers that take the larger cartridges.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The first objective of the present invention is to provide a 3½ inch floppy disk cartridge useful for computers with a removable and reusable 1 inch coin-sized magnetic disk.
The second object of this invention is to provide a portable computer useable coin shaped magnetic disc that can be handheld and easily stored.
The third object of this invention is to provide a storage holder for a coin sized magnetic storage media that can easily clip onto papers allowing the storage media to be easily tansportable.
A preferred embodiment of the adapter cartridge includes a cartridge in the shape of a floppy diskette, a drive plate rotatably attached within the cartridge, a coin shaped magnetic disk connected to the cartridge, and a drive system for allowing the disk to rotate simultaneously with the drive plate. In operation, the cartridge being inserted into a computer disk drive allows the magetic disk to record and play back data. The magnetic disk can be removed for separate transport and storage from the cartridge. The cartridge can have exterior dimensions of approximately 3.55 inches wide, approximately 3.70 inches long and approximately 0.13 inches thick. The magnetic disk can have a diameter of approximately 1 inch. A spindle in the cartridge allows the magnetic disk to be removably attached to the cartridge so that that the magnetic disk is side by side to the drive plate.
A first version of the drive system can have a belt connecting the rotating drive plate to the magnetic disk so that the drive plate and the magnetic disk simultaneously rotates in the same direction. The drive plate and the coin disk spin axis are joined by a flexible bell. A small pulley is attached to the drive plate and concentrically aligned with the drive plate spin axis. A second pulley mates with the coin disk and is concentrically aligned with the coin disk spin axis. A small belt wraps about the two pulleys. When the drive plate turns, it spins the drive plate pulley which moves the belt which turns the coin disk pulley which spins the coin disk. Equal drive plate pulley and coin disk pulley diameters assure the coin disk spins at the normal angular velocity of the drive.
A second version of the drive system can have a plate wheel supporting the magnetic disk and having rough side edges which abut against rough side edges on the drive plate, so that rotating the drive plate in one direction simultaneously by friction rotates the plate wheel in an opposite direction. A drive plate friction disk is attached to the drive plate and concentrically aligned with the drive plate spin axis. A coin disk friction plate mates with the coin disk and is concentrically aligned with the coin disk spin axis. The two friction disks contact each other at a tangent point with some force between the two friction disks at this pressure point. The friction disks will be made of a material, such as hard rubber, which offer significant frictional force at the pressure point. This assures that the coin disk spins true when the drive plate spins and prevents slippage between the coin disk and the drive plate as they both turn.
A third version of the drive system has a gear wheel for supporting the magnetic disk, the plate wheel having side teeth which mateably interconnect to side teeth on the drive plate, so that rotating the drive plate in one direction simultaneously rotates the gear wheel in an opposite direction. Here a coin disk gear is driven by a drive plate gear. The drive plate gear is attached to the normal drive plate and is concentrically aligned with the drive plate spin axis. The coin disk gear mates to the coin disk and is concentrically aligned with the drive plate spin axis. The coin disk gear mates to the coin disk and concentrically aligned with the coin disk spin axis. Both gears mesh together at a tangent point and when the drive turns the drive plate, the gears turn the coin disk. Equal gear diameters and equal numbers of teeth on both gears assure that the coin disks angular velocity is equal to the normal drive velocity.
A novel attachment device sized slightly larger than the coin disk can be used for attaching the coin disk to a single sheet of paper, a stack of paper, cardboard and even a clipboard. The attachment device has a compartment for snapably receiving side edges of the coin disk therein, and a clip for attaching the device to the edge of the sheet.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1555714 (1925-09-01), Kahn
patent: 1713760 (1929-05-01), Kuester
patent: 3526884 (1970-09-01), Buslik et al.
patent: 4948022 (1990-08-01), VanDyke
patent: 4971195 (1990-11-01), Mitsuyama
patent: 5150354 (1992-09-01), Iwata
patent: 5208802 (19
Batarseh Issa
Qu Zhihua
Richie Samuel
Bui Luan K.
Law Offices of Brian S. Steinberger
Steinberger Brian S.
Unversity of Central Florida
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