Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval – Particular cabinet structure for optical media – Capable of only accepting protected insertable single...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-07
2004-12-07
Chen, Tianjie (Department: 2652)
Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval
Particular cabinet structure for optical media
Capable of only accepting protected insertable single...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06829773
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to signal recording or reproduction devices for disks enclosed in cartridges.
BACKGROUND ART
FIGS. 11A
,
11
B and
11
C are side elevations of a conventional signal recording or reproduction device for disks. A holder
2
is pivotally supported at one end thereof by a chassis
1
provided with a turntable
73
. A cartridge
6
having the disk enclosed therein is inserted into the holder
2
. A lock slide
4
to be pushed by the cartridge
6
is provided on the holder
2
and movable in cartridge inserting and unloading directions. As will be described later, the lock slide
4
holds the cartridge
6
as inserted in the holder
2
, and is biased in the cartridge unloading direction by a tension spring
8
in engagement with the slide
4
and the holder
2
. In the following description, the cartridge inserting direction will be referred to as “front,” and the unloading direction as “rear.”
The lock slide
4
is provided at its front end with an engaging hook
40
which is downwardly deflectable for deformation. Positioned in front of the engaging hook
40
is a lug
23
projecting from the holder
2
. When the lock slide
4
is moved forward against the tension spring
8
by the insertion of the cartridge into the holder
2
, the engaging hook
40
deflects once and thereafter comes into engagement with the lug
23
as seen in FIG.
11
B. When the holder
2
is pivotally moved down, the turntable
73
on the chassis
1
faces the bottom surface of the holder
2
, and the device is made ready to record or reproduce signals.
Provided on the chassis
1
is release means
10
which will be described later. When the holder
2
is raised from a lowered position as seen in
FIG. 1C
, the release means
10
disengages the hook
40
from engagement with the lug
23
. The lockslide
4
is moved rearward by the tension spring
8
and returned to the position shown in FIG.
11
A.
FIG. 12
is a perspective view of the release means
10
and a primary portion of the holder
2
. The engaging hook
40
of the lock slide
4
has a push plate
41
projecting laterally from the hood base end. The release means
10
is formed by bending a metal plate. A support wall
12
upstanding from the chassis
1
has a release piece
11
projecting inward and slanting downward.
FIG. 13
is a view of the release means
10
of
FIG. 12
as it is seen from the direction of arrow A. With the downward pivotal movement of the holder
2
, the push plate
41
of the lock slide
4
pushes the release piece
11
downward as shown in FIG.
13
. An allowance for the engagement of the push plate
41
with the release piece
11
is indicated at L. Since the engaging hook
40
shown in
FIG. 12
is restrained from deforming by upward deflection by contact with the lower surface of the lug
23
, the release piece
11
is temporarily deflected counterclockwise as indicated in a chain line in
FIG. 13
, permitting the passage of the push plate
41
. Upon the push plate
41
moving past the release piece
11
, the release piece restores
11
itself elastically.
When the holder
2
is raised from the lowered position, the upper surface of the push plate
41
comes into contact with the lower end of the release piece
11
. The release piece
11
pushes the push plate
41
down, releasing the engaging hook
40
from the lug
23
as shown in FIG.
1
C.
However, the device described has the following problem.
It is commercially desired that devices of this type be compact and shortened also in lateral width. Accordingly, the release piece
11
needs to be shortened also in lateral width M (see FIG.
13
). Since the width M is small, however, it is likely that the release piece
11
will not restore itself elastically owing to plastic deformation if the amount of deflective deformation of the release piece
11
is great. To compact the device while eliminating this likelihood, the amount of deflective deformation of the release piece
11
is diminished by reducing the allowance L for the engagement of the push plate
41
with the release piece
11
.
Because of the reduced allowance L, nevertheless, the engaging hook
40
will not be released from the lug
23
with stability if the position where the release means
10
is mounted differs from device to device. Thus, there is the likelihood that the engaging hook
40
will not be released from the lug
23
accurately.
An object of the present invention is to render the engaging piece releasable from the lug with good stability when the holder is raised even if the release piece has a small lateral width.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Release means is mounted on a chassis
1
for disengaging a lock slide
4
from a holder
2
when the holder
1
is pivotally moved upward from a lowered position. The release means has a release piece
11
slanting with respect to the plane of pivotal movement of the holder
2
and attached at a base end thereof to the chassis
1
, the release piece
11
being deformable by deflecting outward and extending from its base end toward a cartridge inserting-unloading direction.
The release piece
11
is movable between a deflected position to which the release piece is elastically deformed outward by being pushed by the lock slide
4
when the holder
2
is lowered to permit passage of the lock slide
4
and a standby position in which the release piece
11
restores itself elastically and disengages the lock slide
4
from the holder
2
by coming into contact with the lock slide
4
when the holder
2
is pivotally moved upward from the lowered position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4949205 (1990-08-01), Tezuka
patent: 5625612 (1997-04-01), Tozune et al.
patent: 6344945 (2002-02-01), Ariyoshi
patent: 6388835 (2002-05-01), Ariyoshi
patent: 2000-113549 (2000-04-01), None
patent: 2000-251369 (2000-09-01), None
patent: 2000-339811 (2000-12-01), None
Kojima; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/926,159; filed Sep. 14, 2001.
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Chen Tianjie
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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