Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-27
2001-11-27
Ometz, David L. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
C360S099020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic equipment employing a storage medium, a recording medium recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a disk cartridge. Particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic equipment employing a storage medium having a lid body, a recording medium recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a disk cartridge.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, an electronic equipment shown in
FIG. 1
has been known as that using a disk cartridge housing a disk-like recording medium as a storage medium. The electronic equipment shown in
FIG. 1
is a disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus and has a substantially rectangular box-shaped casing
1
and a front panel
2
fitted to a front side of the casing
1
. This front panel
2
closes a front surface opening portion of the casing
1
.
The front panel
2
has a storage medium insertion portion
3
formed therethrough and formed of a slot-shaped rectangular opening portion. The disk cartridge is inserted into and ejected from the outside of the equipment through the storage medium insertion portion
3
. The storage medium insertion portion
3
of the front panel
2
can be opened and closed by a lid body
5
disposed on the inner side thereof.
The lid body
5
has a shutter portion
5
a
which can close the whole storage medium insertion portion
3
and a pair of left and right rotation shaft portions
5
b
projectingly provided at upper portions of both longitudinal-direction sides of the shutter portion
5
a.
Both of the rotation shaft portions
5
b
are rotatably engaged with shaft holes provided in the front panel
2
and are biased by coil springs (not shown) toward in the direction in which the storage medium insertion portion
3
.
The storage medium insertion portion
3
of the front panel
2
is usually closed by a lid body
5
by a spring force of a coil spring. When the lid body
5
is pushed backward by the disk cartridge
4
against the spring force of the coil spring and then rotated backward by about 90° with the rotation shaft portion
5
b
being employed as a rotation center, the storage medium insertion portion
3
is completely opened, thereby an insertion path of the disk cartridge
4
being established.
However, in the disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus as described above, the lid body
5
closing the storage medium insertion portion
3
serves as a shutter rotated inward in the casing
1
and is rotated inward by the disk cartridge
4
when the disk cartridge
4
is inserted, thereby a path where the disk cartridge
4
is loaded onto the equipment being established.
Accordingly, when the disk cartridge
4
is inserted and reaches a predetermined position in the electronic equipment, the lid body
5
is kept in a state such that it is lifted up, which permits a mechanism, parts and so on housed in the casing
1
to be exposed. Therefore, in this state, dust and so on may enter the casing
1
from the opened storage medium insertion portion
3
, which may cause problems. Although the inside of the storage medium insertion portion
3
is usually closed by the lid body
5
, the storage medium insertion portion
3
itself is always exposed, which lowers a degree of freedom in design and tends to unify an appearance of the equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of such aspects, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic equipment using a storage medium which resolves the above-mentioned problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium recording and/or reproducing apparatus which resolves the above-mentioned problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a disk cartridge which resolves the above-mentioned problems.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an electronic equipment using a storage medium includes a main body and a lid body. A main body has on its front surface side an opening portion used for insertion and/or ejection of a storage medium. A lid body is rotatably provided on the main body. The lid body opens and closes the opening portion. The lid body has an inclined portion used for rotating the lid body in a direction in which the storage medium opens the opening portion when the storage medium is inserted into the electronic equipment.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a recording medium recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes an apparatus body and a lid body. An apparatus body has an opening portion used for insertion and/or ejection of a recording medium. The apparatus body has a recording and/or reproducing unit for recording or reproducing a recording medium inserted through the opening portion. The lid body opens and closes the opening portion. The lid body is rotatably provided on the apparatus body. The lid body has on its side surface an inclined portion used for rotating the lid body in a direction in which the recording medium opens the opening portion when the storage medium is inserted into the apparatus body.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a disk cartridge includes a main body and a lid body. The main body is formed so as to have a shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The main body has an opening used for insertion and/or ejection of a disk cartridge by diagonally notching one of four corners thereof. The main body has on a lower end edge of the opening portion a first inclined surface portion inclined upward from a lower side of the opening portion thereof and also has at its side edge of the opening portion a first portion linearly extended upward from a lower side of the opening portion and an arc-shaped second portion formed continuously from the first portion. The lid body is rotatably provided on the main body. The lid body has a first surface portion forming a substantially same plane as an upper surface of the apparatus body when the opening portion is closed, and a second surface portion provided substantially perpendicular to the first surface portion and forming a substantially same surface as a side surface of the main body. The lid body has a second inclined surface which forms a substantial V-shaped concave portion together with the first inclined surface, which is provided at a portion, in contact with a lower end edge of the opening portion, of the second surface portion, and which is operated by the disk cartridge inserted into the apparatus to rotate the lid body in cooperation with the inclined surface in the direction in which the opening portion is opened.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a disk cartridge includes a main body and a lid body. The main body is formed so as to have a shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The main body has an opening used for insertion and/or ejection of a disk cartridge by diagonally notching one of four corners thereof and has a rotation restriction portion formed on a side edge of the opening portion thereof. The lid body is provided on the main body so that it can be moved and rotated by a disk cartridge to be inserted. The lid body having a first surface portion forming a substantially same plane as an upper surface of the apparatus body when the opening portion is closed, and a second surface portion provided substantially perpendicular to the first surface portion and forming a substantially same surface as a side surface of the main body. The second inclined surface has a concave portion having a substantially V-shaped cross section which is operated by a disk cartridge to be inserted into the apparatus and which serves to rotate the lid body in a direction in which the opening portion is opened.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4454599 (1984-06-01), Tsuchiya
patent: 5105317 (1992-04-01), Sugiy
Kanatani Masakazu
Kurita Kazuhito
Nakamura Tadami
Castro Angel
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ometz David L.
Sony Corporation
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