Disk cartridge

Details Disk cartridge Disk cartridge

2002-02-20

2004-09-07

Davis, David (Department: 2652)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

Storage medium structure

Adjuncts or adapters

C360S133000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06788645

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2001-48523, filed Aug. 11, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk cartridge for containing a disk, which is an information recording/reproducing medium, and more particularly, to a disk cartridge with an improved opening/closing structure so as to maintain an opening with a conventional width for a pick-up while reducing the overall size of the disk cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2
show a conventional disk cartridge
10
, which contains a disk D to be used in a recording/reproducing apparatus
100
, comprising a case having upper and lower portions
11
and
12
which provide an internal space for the disk D, and a shutter
13
which selectively opens and closes an opening
12
a
formed through the lower portion
12
of the case so as to allow a pick-up
130
of the recording/reproducing apparatus
100
to access the disk D. An opening lever
150
installed at a cover
101
of the recording/reproducing apparatus
100
is used to open and close the shutter
13
.
FIGS. 3A and 3B
show that as the disk cartridge
10
seated on a tray
140
(
FIG. 1
) moves into the recording/reproducing apparatus
100
(FIG.
1
), one end of the opening lever
150
pivots and opens the shutter
13
while the one end engages with an engagement portion
13
a.
A spring
151
restores the opening lever
150
to an original position when the cartridge
10
is ejected from the recording/reproducing apparatus
100
(FIG.
1
).
In recent times, the size of a disk is being gradually reduced while raising the recording density of the disk. In addition, an apparatus for recording/reproducing data on a disk is also getting smaller. Therefore, there is a need for a smaller disk cartridge for containing a disk. However, as shown in
FIG. 2
, a width Wb of the opening
12
a
for the pick-up
130
(
FIG. 1
) to have access to the disk D, and reserved spaces Wc for opening/closing operations of the shutter
13
are required to be included in determining an overall width Wa of the disk cartridge
10
. These parameters, in effect, predetermine the size of the disk cartridge
10
. Consequently, when a width of the shutter
13
and the width Wb of the opening
12
a
are nearly the same, the overall width Wa of the disk cartridge
10
must be at least 3 times the width Wb of the opening
12
a.
Reducing the width Wb of the opening
12
a
to reduce the size of the disk cartridge
10
is undesirable because the opening
12
a
must allow a turntable
110
(
FIG. 1
) and the pick-up
130
(
FIG. 1
) to have access to the disk D. That is, if a disk cartridge is not intended to be used only in a special recording/reproducing apparatus employing a very small pick-up, a width allowing the general-sized pick-up
130
(
FIG. 1
) and the turntable
110
(
FIG. 1
) to have access to the disk D must be maintained such that the disk cartridge is compatible with general recording/reproducing apparatuses.
Therefore, there is a need for a disk cartridge having a new structure capable of reducing the overall size of the disk cartridge without reducing the size of an opening for a pick-up.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved disk cartridge structure capable of effectively reducing the overall size of the disk cartridge while maintaining the size of an opening of the disk cartridge.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above and other objects of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge including a case which contains a disk and a shutter which opens/closes at least one opening formed in the case, wherein the shutter is configured to be folded around both surfaces of the case, and to be slidable on the both surfaces.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4807079 (1989-02-01), Takahashi
patent: 5-303866 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 11-238339 (1999-08-01), None
patent: 55-111282 (2000-01-01), None

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