Disc cartridge adaptor

Details Disc cartridge adaptor Disc cartridge adaptor

2001-03-06

2003-07-01

Korzuch, William (Department: 2813)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

Storage medium structure

Adjuncts or adapters

Reexamination Certificate

active

06587430

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disc cartridge adaptor that enables a small-size disc-shaped information storage medium (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “disc”) to be mounted in a disc drive intended for a disc larger than the small-size disc.
With rapid progress of computer technology, discs have been widely used for recording/reproducing various types of information. Discs comprise an information storage layer and a substrate supporting the information storage layer, and have a variety of standards defining the storage density, the size, the recording/reproduction method, and the like of the discs. For example, a disc having a diameter of 80 mm and a disc having a diameter of 120 mm are available. Since a disc is inserted into a recording/reproduction unit (disc drive or player) for recording, reproduction, and erasing of information, a variety of disc drives are available to comply with the variety of standards of discs.
Various types of disc cartridges also have been developed for housing a disc in a case to protect the record surface of the disc from contamination.
In the above situation, it will be convenient for users if discs having different sizes can be mounted in the same disc drive and used, by inserting the disc into a disc cartridge. To attain this, the following idea, for example, has been examined. That is, a small-size disc taken out from a small-size disc cartridge is housed in a cartridge adaptor having the same size and contour as those of a larger-size disc cartridge, and the disc-housing cartridge adaptor is mounted in a disc drive intended for a large-size disc cartridge for recording, reproduction, and erasing of information.
Hereinafter, a non-disclosed disc cartridge and disc cartridge adaptor prototyped by the present inventions before completion of the present invention will be described with reference to
FIGS. 11
to
13
.
FIGS. 11 and 12
illustrate a disc
1
having a diameter of 80 mm, a disc holder
75
for holding the disc
1
, and a disc cartridge
70
into which the disc holder
75
holding the disc
1
is inserted. In
FIG. 12
, the upper half of a cartridge case
71
has been removed. The disc
1
is inserted into the disc cartridge
70
in the state of being held by the disc holder
75
and housed rotatably in a housing portion
72
. A predetermined gap is secured between the housing portion
72
and the disc
1
. The gap is designed so that free rotation of the disc
1
is ensured and that the disc
1
can be reliably placed on a motor and the like when the disc cartridge
70
is mounted in a disc drive.
The cartridge case
71
has an exposing portion
73
, which is opened/closed with a shutter
74
slidable along the front end portion of the cartridge case
71
.
The disc holder
75
is insertable into and removable from the cartridge case
71
, and includes a holder body
76
and disc supports
77
extending from the holder body
76
. Stop portions
78
are formed on both ends of the holder body
76
for retaining the disc holder
75
in the cartridge case
71
. The stop portions
78
are elastically deformed by application of a force, and the retention of the disc holder
75
in the cartridge case
71
can be released by this elastic deformation.
The holder body
76
has a grip
81
in the center that is thicker than the other portion of the holder body
76
. The grip
81
is designed so that the user can grasp the grip
81
when taking out the disc holder
75
from the cartridge case
71
and from a case body
91
of a disc cartridge adaptor
90
to be described later.
The disc supports
77
are shaped to surround part of the circumference of the disc
1
with the predetermined gap described above therebetween. Disc hold pieces
79
protrude from the disc supports
77
for holding the disc
1
. Specifically, the disc hold pieces
79
protrude from the top and bottom surfaces of the disc supports
77
inward in a lateral direction, so that the disc
1
is prevented from slipping off from the disc holder
75
when the disc holder
75
is taken out from the cartridge case
71
.
Next, the disc cartridge adaptor
90
will be described with reference to FIG.
13
. The disc cartridge adaptor
90
, which was designed by the present inventors, is intended to house the disc
1
and the disc holder
75
taken out from the disc cartridge
70
in the case body
91
. The cartridge adaptor
90
has the same size and contour as those of a large-size disc cartridge for a 120 mm disc and thus can be mounted in a disc drive intended for the large-size disc cartridge.
An opening
92
is formed at the rear end face of the case body
91
for removably accepting the disc
1
and the disc holder
75
. An exposing portion
93
extends from the center to the front end of the case body
91
in a disc radial direction, to allow an optical head and a disc motor not shown to enter the case body
91
.
The case body
91
also has a guide wall
97
functioning as a guide for insertion of the disc holder
75
. A shutter
94
for closing the exposing portion
93
is slidable along the front end portion of the case body
91
and is urged with an elastic member
95
in a direction in which the exposing portion
93
is closed.
An open/close lid
96
is pivotably attached to the case body
91
. The open/close lid
96
closes the opening
92
after the disc holder
75
has been inserted into the case body
91
and also serves to place the disc holder
75
at a predetermined position in the case body
91
.
The operation is as follows. The disc holder
75
is removed from the cartridge case
71
by grasping the stop portions
78
with fingers to apply a force inward and thus elastically deform the stop portions
78
. During this removal, the disc
1
is also taken out from the cartridge case
71
. The removed disc holder
75
holding the disc
1
is then inserted into the disc cartridge adaptor
90
through the opening
92
. The disc holder
75
proceeds inside the case body
91
while being guided by the guide wall
97
. The open/close lid
96
is then moved to close the opening
92
. By this closing, the disc holder
75
is positioned inside the case body
91
. Simultaneously, the disc
1
is also positioned.
When the resultant disc cartridge adaptor
90
is inserted into a disc drive intended for a large-size disc cartridge, the shutter
94
slides in association with the insertion movement, opening the exposing portion
93
. A head enters the disc cartridge adaptor
90
through the exposing portion
93
, to allow recording, reproduction, erasing of various type of information.
In the above construction, the disc supports
77
are elastically deformable. Therefore, the disc
1
is easily removed by elastically deforming the disc supports
77
. With the disc supports
77
having small stiffness, however, the disc
1
may accidentally slip off from the disc holder
75
.
In order to increase the stiffness of the disc supports
77
to prevent easy removal of the disc
1
, the thickness of the disc supports
77
in the direction parallel to the principal surface of the disc
1
may be increased. However, increase in this thickness inevitably increases the size of the disc cartridge
70
, and thus fails to realize a practical disc cartridge.
Moreover, if the stiffness of the disc supports
77
is increased, it becomes difficult for the disc
1
to pass between the disc hold pieces
79
to be placed inside the disc supports
77
when the disc
1
is incorporated in the disc supports
77
.
In view of the above, the disc supports
77
must be provided with elasticity large enough for the disc
1
to be removed. This causes the possibility that the user may remove the disc
1
from the disc holder
75
after the disc holder
75
is removed from the disc cartridge
70
. There also arises the possibility that the user may insert the disc
1
into the disc cartridge adaptor
90
directly without being held by the disc holder
75
and close the open/close lid
96
with the disc
1
alone housed inside. In this case, although the movement of the disc

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