Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-23
2003-12-02
Heinz, A. J. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
C369S075110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06657941
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing device configured such that a cartridge is slidably inserted and set in an insertion port formed in a side surface of a cabinet.
BACKGROUND ART
An example of a recording/reproducing device using a cartridge is a portable minidisk player.
For the portable minidisk player (hereafter referred to as a “portable MD”), a conventional device will be described below with reference to drawings.
First, a first example of the conventional device is shown in FIG.
14
. That is, a cover cabinet
51
of the portable MD is supported on the side of a body cabinet
52
of the portable MD so as to be rotationally movable around a rotational-movement support point
53
from an open position shown by the solid line to a blocked position shown by the imaginary line, and the body cabinet
52
incorporates a disk rotation driving mechanism
54
and an optical pickup
55
(for both components, see FIG.
14
(
b
)). Additionally, the cover cabinet
51
has a holder
56
mounted thereon. Accordingly, when the cover cabinet
51
is placed in the open position, an MD cartridge
57
is then inserted into the holder
56
, and under these conditions, the cover cabinet
51
is blocked up, a disk incorporated in the cartridge
57
is connected to the disk rotation driving mechanism
54
, on the side of a body cabinet
52
is rotationally driven, and is then accessed by the optical pickup
55
.
In the portable MD of the first conventional example configured as described above, an operation of removing or inserting the cartridge
57
will be explained.
First, to remove the cartridge
57
, and to open the cover cabinet
51
an open operation button
58
is slid to disengage a lock claw
59
from the cover cabinet
51
and opposite side surfaces
51
a
and
51
b
of the cover cabinet
51
are gripped and lifted. Then, the cover cabinet
51
rotationally moves to cause the cartridge
57
to jump to the solid-line position in FIG.
14
(
a
), so that a user grips the cartridge by his or her fingers and pulls it out.
Further, to insert the cartridge
57
, the open operation button
58
is slid with the cover cabinet
51
placed at the blocked position shown by a virtual line, thereby disengaging the lock claw
59
from the cover cabinet
51
. The cover cabinet
51
is then gripped and lifted in such a way as to rotationally move around the rotational-movement support point
53
. The cartridge
57
is subsequently inserted into the holder
56
and the cover cabinet
51
is then closed.
Next, a second example of the conventional device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-223386 specification. This is configured as shown in FIG.
15
.
FIG.
15
(
a
) is a sectional view showing a loaded state where a cartridge has been completely inserted. FIG.
15
(
b
) is a view showing that a cartridge is being inserted or removed. In this example, an MD cartridge
63
is slidably inserted through an opening
62
formed in a side surface of a cabinet
61
and is removed when it is slidably discharged through the opening
62
by operating an eject operation dial (not illustrated).
That is, the cabinet
61
internally has a vertically moving cartridge holder
64
, and a disk rotation driving mechanism
66
, an optical pickup
67
, or the like provided on a chassis
65
. The cartridge holder
64
is configured so as to move upward and downward between a position in FIG.
15
(
b
) where the cartridge
63
can be inserted through the opening
62
and a loaded state where the cartridge
63
can be loaded on the disk rotation driving mechanism
66
for recordinq/reproduction. Reference numeral
68
denotes a cover provided over the opening
62
and which is opened and closed in connection with the operation of the eject operation dial.
The operation of removing or loading the cartridge in this configuration will be described. First, to remove the cartridge
63
from the state in FIG.
15
(
a
), the eject operation is performed to lift the cartridge holder
64
up to the position in FIG.
15
(
b
) and the cartridge
63
is then discharged from the position shown in FIG.
15
(
b
) based on an urging force (not shown) for discharging the cartridge.
The cartridge holder
64
must be lifted in order to release the cartridge
63
from the disk rotation driving mechanism
66
, in which the cartridge
63
has been fitted, thereby preventing the disk rotation driving mechanism
66
from hindering sliding of the cartridge
63
.
Further, to load the cartridge
63
, the cover
68
is opened, the cartridge
63
is inserted, and the cartridge holder
64
is lowered at the position where the cartridge
63
has been completely inserted, as shown in FIG.
15
(
b
). Then, the state in FIG.
15
(
a
) is obtained to completely load the cartridge
63
in the device.
In the above conventional example, first, in the first example shown in
FIG. 14
, the opening and closing of the cover cabinet
51
and the removal of the cartridge
57
require the operations of gripping and opening the side surfaces
51
a
and
51
b
of the cover cabinet
51
and of inserting the user's fingers to grip the cartridge. Thus, the device cannot be operated easily.
Additionally, the second example shown in
FIG. 15
allows the device to be operated more easily than the first example. However, while the cabinet in the first example has an overall thickness (the body
51
and the cover
52
) T (the dimension on the disk rotation driving mechanism
54
in the cabinet corresponds to the thickness of the MD cartridge
57
and holder
56
), the cabinet in the second example has an overall thickness larger than that in the first example by an amount corresponding to the dimension S over which the cartridge holder
64
moves upward and downward. Thinner portable MDs are thus expected to be developed.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording/reproducing device which can be easily operated because it is configured such that a cartridge is slidably inserted and set in an insertion port formed in a side surface of a cabinet and which can be configured so as to be thinner when the cartridge is not being loaded or removed for insertion or takeout, that is, when the cartridge is out of the device or has been completely loaded.
The recording/reproducing device according to the present invention is characterized in that a second cabinet covering an opening in a first cabinet is connected the first cabinet having a recording/reproducing means and the opening formed at its top in such a manner that at least a part of the second cabinet sinks within the range of the thickness of the first cabinet when the cartridge is not being loaded or removed for insertion or takeout, that is, when the cartridge is out of the device or has been completely loaded, and in that when the cartridge is moved in or out, the second cabinet moves in the thickness direction of the first cabinet, while an insert port in the cartridge is opened.
According to the present invention, the second cabinet partly sinks into the first cabinet to make the device thinner when the cartridge is not being loaded or removed for insertion or takeout, that is, when the cartridge is out of the device or has been completely loaded.
The recording/reproducing device according to a first characteristic of the present invention includes: a first cabinet having a recording/reproducing means for a recording medium housed in a cartridge; a second cabinet connected to the first cabinet so as to movable from a first position where the second cabinet is located closer to the first cabinet in a thickness direction thereof to a second position where the second cabinet is separated from the first cabinet, the second cabinet preferably having a holder integrally connected thereto; urging means for normally urging the second cabinet toward the first position where the second cabinet is located closer to the first cabinet, an opening means for moving the second cabinet in a direction in which the second cabinet moves from the fir
Kono Kazunori
Satoh Isao
Blouin Mark
Heinz A. J.
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
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