Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-11
2004-08-24
Hong, John C. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S464000, C029S428000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06779242
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge, which has a sliding door for opening or closing the opening in order to extract a magnetic tape, and to a method for assembling the magnetic tape cartridge. It particularly relates to a magnetic tape cartridge, in which the lower half section and the upper half section can be mated easily in the assembly of the magnetic tape cartridge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, in magnetic tape cartridges used as external storage medium for data backup of computers and the likes, a single reel wound with a magnetic tape is housed in a flat square like cartridge case, which is composed of the lower half section and the upper half section. When a magnetic tape cartridge is used, the tape loading mechanism of a record playback unit extracts the magnetic tape from the cartridge case and winds it around the reel placed in the record playback unit, thereby running the magnetic tape. It explains why an opening, which is for extracting the leading end of tape, is provided on the side of the cartridge case that houses a single reel of this type. This opening is normally closed to protect against the dust, and opened by the tape loading mechanism of a record playback unit only when either recording or playback is performed by the record playback unit.
Of the magnetic tape cartridges mentioned above, the magnetic tape cartridge represented by LTO (Linear Tape Open) standard is so arranged that the sliding door, which slides along inside the side wall of the cartridge case, opens or closes the opening. The sliding door is capable of sliding smoothly fitted in the guide channels, which are provided on both inner surfaces of the upper half section and the lower half section of the cartridge along their side walls. And a spring member imposes the force on the sliding door in the closing direction to close the opening except for the occasion when the magnetic tape cartridge is in use.
The assembly of the magnetic tape cartridge with a sliding door is performed in the following manner. The respective parts such as a reel and a claw for the protection of inadvertent erasing are set on the prescribed position of the lower half section, the spring member and the sliding door are inserted into the guide channel of the lower half section, and then the lower half section and the upper half section are mated. When the spring member is inserted into the guide channel, it is mounted compressed on the sliding door so as to impose the force on the sliding door in the closing direction.
However, before the lower half section and the upper half section are mated, the sliding door
102
is liable to lift from the guide channel
103
of the lower half section
105
by the force of the spring member
101
as shown in
FIG. 29
, since the spring member and the sliding door, which are inserted in the guide channel, are not restricted upward. Therefore, when the lower half section
105
and the upper half section are mated without any measures, there has been a problem that the sliding door
102
is not able to be inserted properly into the guide channel
103
of the lower half section or another guide channel of the upper half section (not shown).
Also before the lower half section and the upper half section are mated, the sliding door
102
inserted in the guide channel
103
is liable to fall in the opposite of the side wall
104
, namely inside the cartridge case as shown with the arrow in
FIG. 30
, since the guide channel
103
of the lower half section
105
is carved shallow as shown in the figure. Therefore, there has been a problem, the same as described above, that the sliding door
102
is not able to be properly inserted into the guide channel
103
of the lower half section
105
or another guide channel of the upper half section (not shown).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention to address the above issues is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge, in which the mating of the lower half section and the upper half section can be easily performed and is applicable to automated assembly, when the magnetic tape cartridge having a sliding door is assembled.
The first aspect of the present invention to address the above issues is to provide a magnetic tape cartridge, comprising: an opening, which is positioned on a side of a cartridge case lying across a lower half section and an upper half section of the cartridge case, for extracting a magnetic tape; and a sliding door for opening or closing the opening, which is inserted in a closed position with force imposed by a spring member into lower and upper guides, which are placed in the lower half section and the upper half section of the cartridge case respectively, wherein the sliding door and the lower guide of the lower half section are equipped with an engagement device, which is capable of restricting the vertical displacement of the sliding door and guiding the sliding door in its moving direction freely.
As the magnetic tape cartridge is arranged so that the vertical displacement of the sliding door is restricted by the engagement device, which is provided in the lower guide of the lower half section. This way the engagement device prevents the sliding door inserted in the lower guide from lifting, when the magnetic tape cartridge is assembled. It follows that the sliding door can be inserted properly into the lower guide of the lower half section, when the magnetic tape cartridge is assembled. Therefore, when the lower half section and the upper half section are mated, the mistakes associated with mating can be prevented, since the mating of the lower half section and the upper half section is improved by inserting the sliding door into the lower and upper guide channels of the lower half section and the upper half section properly. The guide according to the appended claims includes all that guides the slide movement of the sliding door, not only the lower and upper guide channels carved on the lower half section and the upper half section but also the discontinuous projections and ribs provided for the half section, the side wall and the base of the half section.
The second aspect of the present invention provides a magnetic tape cartridge, comprising: an opening, which is positioned on a side of a cartridge case lying across a lower half section and an upper half section of the cartridge case, for extracting a magnetic tape; and a sliding door for opening or closing the opening, which is inserted in a closed position with force imposed by a spring member into lower and upper guides, which are placed in the lower half section and the upper half section of the cartridge case respectively, wherein a restriction device, which restrains the sliding door from falling in the direction normal to the plane of the sliding door, is provided along the lower guide of the lower half section.
Thus, when the magnetic tape cartridge is assembled, the sliding door can be mounted properly to the lower guide of the lower half section, since the sliding door inserted in the lower guide of the lower half section can be prevented from falling in the direction normal to its plane in contact with the restriction device provided along the lower guide. Therefore, if the lower half section and the upper half section are mated, the mistakes of mating can be prevented, since the sliding door can be inserted into the lower and upper guide channels of the lower half section and the upper half section properly to result in an easy mating. The guide referred to here includes all that guides the slide movement of the sliding door, not only the lower and upper guide channels carved on the lower half section and the upper half section but also the discontinuous projections and ribs provided on the half section, the side wall and the base of the half section.
The third aspect of the present invention provides a method for assembling a magnetic tape cartridge, which comprises an opening, which is positioned on a side of a cartridge case lying across a lower half section and a
Hatano Yasushi
Ishihara Yusuke
Kitamura Kouta
Shiga Hideaki
Tsuyuki Seiji
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Hong John C.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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