Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-07
2001-09-04
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
C369S075210
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285643
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk cartridge and a disk driving device using the disk cartridge, and more particularly, to a disk cartridge, etc. for holding the disk cartridge stably on a cartridge compartment without impairing the external appearance of the disk cartridge and without increasing the size of the cartridge compartment more than needed, by providing a cartridge engaging recess or projection in or on at least one surface which constitutes a cutout recess formed in a cartridge housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disk driving device, such as a cartridge compartment loading type disk driving device, is known in prior art, in which a disk cartridge loaded in a cartridge compartment is drawn into the device.
In this type of disk driving device, it becomes necessary to hold a disk cartridge on a cartridge compartment in order to prevent upward and downward movement of the disk cartridge when vertically mounting the disk cartridge.
In the prior art disk cartridge, it has been proposed to provide a recess (a slot) in the rear part of the disk cartridge in order to hold the disk cartridge on the cartridge compartment by using the recess.
FIG. 9
shows a disk cartridge
10
of this type.
The disk cartridge
10
is comprised of a cartridge housing
11
, a photo-magnetic disk
12
rotatably housed in a disk housing chamber formed within the cartridge housing
11
, and a slide shutter
14
for opening and closing a head access window
13
formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge housing
11
. The head access window
13
in the upper surface is for the insertion and removal of a magnetic application head, and the head access window
13
in the lower surface is for the insertion and removal of an optical head and a turntable.
On the slide shutter
14
a slide guide member
15
is fixed, extending in the direction in which the shutter is closed, and between the slide guide member
15
and the cartridge housing
11
is disposed an unillustrated torsion coil spring for pressing the slide shutter
14
in the direction in which the shutter is closed. When the disk cartridge
10
loaded in the cartridge compartment is drawn into the body of the disk driving device as described later, the slide guide member
15
is pushed towards opening the shutter, thereby moving the slide shutter
14
to open the head access window
13
.
In the side surfaces
16
and
17
, on the rear face
18
side, of the cartridge housing
11
, in a jukebox for example, cutout recesses
16
a
and
17
a
called gripper slots are provided for the purpose of facilitating the replacement of the disk cartridge
10
. And in two places in both ends of the rear face
18
of the cartridge housing
11
are provided recesses
18
a
and
18
b
for cartridge engagement.
FIG. 10
shows a cartridge compartment
20
of a disk driving device in which the aforementioned disk cartridge
10
is loaded. The cartridge compartment
20
has a cartridge loading section
24
enclosed with rear plates
21
a
and
21
b
, a side surface plate
22
a
, a side surface plate
22
b
, and front plates
23
a
and
23
b
. The cartridge loading section
24
is provided with an opening
25
of specific width extending from the central part to the rear side. When the disk cartridge
10
is loaded in the cartridge loading section
24
, the head access window
13
in the lower surface of the disk cartridge
10
faces the opening
25
.
On the front plates
23
a
and
23
b
enclosing the cartridge loading section
24
, cartridge holding claws
26
a
and
26
b
are provided, projecting towards the interior of the cartridge loading section
24
. When the disk cartridge
10
is loaded in the cartridge loading section
24
, the cartridge holding claws
26
a
and
26
b
are inserted in the recesses
18
a
and
18
b
provided in the rear face
18
of the cartridge housing
11
.
At the center of the rear side of the cartridge loading section
24
the rear plates
21
a
and
21
b
are not provided, but a cartridge pushing mechanism
27
is provided in that part. The cartridge pushing mechanism
27
is composed of a U-shaped pushing member
28
and compression coil springs
30
a
and
30
b
mounted in the spring holders
29
a
and
29
b
provided on the front face side of the cartridge compartment
20
. In this case, the two legs
28
a
and
28
b
of the pushing member
28
are inserted into the spring holders
29
a
and
29
b
through the openings
31
a
and
31
b
formed in one end side of the spring holders
29
a
and
29
b
, thus being held in contact with one end of the compression coil springs
30
a
and
30
b.
The loading of the disk cartridge
10
to the cartridge loading section
24
of the aforesaid cartridge compartment
20
is carried out with the pushing member
28
moved to the rear side of the cartridge loading section
24
, that is, with the compression coil springs
30
a
and
30
b
compressed.
FIG. 11
shows the disk cartridge
10
as-loaded in the cartridge loading section
24
. In this case, when the cartridge holding claws
26
a
and
26
b
provided on the front plates
23
a
and
23
b
of the cartridge compartment
20
are inserted in the recesses
18
a
and
18
b
formed in the rear face
18
of the cartridge housing
11
, the front face of the cartridge housing
11
is pressed against the front face side of the cartridge loading section
24
by the pushing member
28
with a force of the compression coil springs
30
a
and
30
b
, thereby holding the disk cartridge
10
with stability in the cartridge loading section
24
of the cartridge compartment
20
.
At the center of the front face side of the cartridge loading section
24
the front plates
23
a
and
23
b
are not provided. In this position there is provided a cutout recess
32
. The cutout recess
32
is provided to facilitate the removal by a user of the disk cartridge
10
loaded in the cartridge loading section
24
. The removal of the disk cartridge
10
is done by reversing the procedure of loading.
In the disk cartridge
10
in which the recesses
18
a
and
18
b
are provided in the rear face
18
of the cartridge housing
11
of the disk cartridge
10
as previously stated to thereby hold the disk cartridge
10
stably in the cartridge loading section
24
of the cartridge compartment
20
by using the recesses
18
a
and
18
b
, the cartridge holding claws
26
a
and
26
b
are protrusively provided towards the interior of the cartridge loading section
24
on the front plates
23
a
and
23
b
of the cartridge compartment
20
. Therefore, to load the disk cartridge
10
on the cartridge compartment
20
of the disk driving device, first the user mounts the cartridge
10
on the cartridge loading section
24
while manually pushing the cartridge
10
in towards the rear against the spring force of the coil springs
30
a
and
30
b
. Subsequently, as the user takes his hand off the cartridge
10
while loading it on the cartridge loading section
24
, the cartridge
10
is pressed towards the front by the spring force of the coil springs
30
b
and
30
a
, thus being moved towards the front. Therefore the cartridge holding claws
26
a
and
26
b
come into engagement with the recesses
18
a
and
18
b
provided in the rear face
18
of the cartridge housing
11
, thereby mounting the cartridge
10
on the cartridge compartment
20
.
It is, therefore, necessary to design the longitudinal length of the cartridge loading section
24
of the cartridge compartment
20
longer than the longitudinal length of the disk cartridge
10
by the amount of stroke through which the cartridge is moved by the spring force of the coil springs
30
b
and
30
a
. Thus the length of the cartridge compartment
20
will be increased in the longitudinal direction, with the result that the disk driving device body will become larger by that.
By the way, it is desirable that the disk driving device be built smaller because the device is mounted in other equipment such as a computer. However, in the photo-magnetic
Klimowicz William
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Sony Corporation
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