Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record medium – In container
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-12-04
Letscher, George J. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record medium
In container
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327117
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a disc cartridge holding a disc-shaped recording medium, such as a magnetic disc. More particularly, it relates to a disc cartridge in which recording/reproducing apertures provided in a main cartridge body portion holding a disc-shaped recording medium can be increased in size.
BACKGROUND ART
Up to now, a disc cartridge holding a disc-shaped recording medium such as a magnetic disc or a magneto-optical disc, has been in extensive use. This sort of the disc cartridge includes a main cartridge body portion combined from an upper cartridge half and a lower cartridge half. The disc-shaped recording medium is rotatably housed in a disc housing section provided in the interior of the main cartridge body portion.
In the upper and lower surfaces of the main cartridge body portion accommodating the disc-shaped recording medium are formed facing recording and/or reproducing apertures for partially exposing the signal recording area of the disc-shaped recording medium housed in the disc housing section across the inner and outer rims of the disc to outside and for permitting intrusion of recording/reproducing means provided on the recording/reproducing apparatus. The recording/reproducing apertures are opened and closed by a shutter member provided for movement on the main cartridge body portion.
The lower cartridge half constituting the lower surface of the main cartridge body portion is provided with a center opening at a mid portion of the disc housing section for permitting intrusion of a turntable on the recording/reproducing apparatus therein. This center opening causes a center hub provided at the center of the disc-shaped recording medium housed within the main cartridge body portion to be exposed to the lower surface side of the main cartridge body portion. The disc-shaped recording medium housed in the main cartridge body portion has its center hub clamped by the turntable intruded via the center opening in the main cartridge body portion so that the disc-shaped recording medium is rotated in unison with the turntable.
If the disc cartridge, configured as described above, is loaded on the recording/reproducing apparatus, the shutter member is moved to open the recording/reproducing apertures via which the recording/reproducing means of the recording/reproducing apparatus is intruded into the interior of the main cartridge body portion. The recording/reproducing means is moved across the inner and outer rims of the signal recording area of the disc-shaped recording medium in order to scan the signal recording area of the disc-shaped recording medium for recording/reproducing information signals.
Meanwhile, with recent tendency to multi-media, the information signals handled, such as video or audio data, are diversified and increased in volume. Moreover, the recording capacity of the disc cartridge is increasing. For recording the information signals of a large volume, there has been proposed a disc cartridge having information signals recorded thereon to higher recording density.
On the other hand, it is also proposed to use an outer rim portion of the disc-shaped recording medium as a signal recording area, not used thus far to this end, with a view to increasing the recording capacity of the information signals even although the disc-shaped recording medium of the same size as the conventional disc-shaped recording medium is held in the main cartridge body portion of the same size and shape as the conventional main cartridge body portion.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disc cartridge whereby the signal recording area is enlarged to close to the outer rim area of the disc-shaped recording medium to realize a higher recording capacity of the disc-shaped recording medium.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disc cartridge in which information signals can be reliably recorded and/or reproduced despite the fact that the signal recording area has been expanded to the outer rim area of the disc-shaped recording medium.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a disc cartridge in which the recording/reproducing apertures provided in the main cartridge body portion are extended to the outer rim of the disc-shaped recording medium to enlarge the signal recording area to the outer rim area of the disc-shaped recording medium to increase the recording capacity of the disc-shaped recording medium.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a disc cartridge in which the recording/reproducing apertures increased in size can be reliably opened or closed by a shutter member movably mounted on the main cartridge body portion to realize positive protection of the disc-shaped recording medium housed in the main cartridge body portion.
For accomplishing the above objects, the present invention provides a disc cartridge having a shutter member having shutter portions for opening/closing the recording/reproducing apertures and supporting portions provided on both sides of the direction of movement of the shutter portions and supported for movement by the main cartridge body portion, and movement guide portions provided on both sides along the width-wise direction of the recording/reproducing apertures which is parallel to the movement direction of the shutter member. The supporting portions engage with the movement guide portion for movement. Each recording/reproducing aperture has one opening end facing the outer rim of the disc-shaped recording medium located between the movement guide portion and a lateral side of the main cartridge body portion.
With the present disc cartridge, the opening ends of the recording/reproducing apertures reaching the outer rim of the disc-shaped recording medium, disposed towards a lateral side of the main cartridge body portion, are extended as far as the outer rim of the disc-shaped recording medium. In keeping with the increased size of the apertures, the signal recording area of the disc-shaped recording medium is enlarged as far as its outer rim to realize an increased recording capacity of the disc-shaped recording medium.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4851947 (1989-07-01), Kato
patent: 295025 (1988-12-01), None
patent: 0 348 216 A2 (1989-12-01), None
patent: 0 348 937 A2 (1990-01-01), None
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patent: 0 736 870 A2 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 64-70980 (1989-03-01), None
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Letscher George J.
Ryan Matthew K.
Sony Corporation
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