CN1324608C - cassette recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

A recording disk cartridge is composed of a disk holder capable of holding a recording disk and a cartridge body. The disk holder supports the disk with a plurality of disk supporting portions protruding from the body and the arm portion. In the recording disk holder, there is a handle portion for easy gripping by hand, and its thickness is the same as that of the cartridge body. The handle portion is provided with a coupling portion for engaging with a coupling claw provided in the notch portion of the cartridge body, thereby preventing the cartridge body from being deformed outward when the recording disk holder is inserted. The cassette recording disk can improve the operability of the cassette recording disk with exchangeable recording disk and miniaturize the cassette recording disk.

Description

cassette recorder

technical field

The present invention relates to a disc cartridge for accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium, and more particularly to a disc cartridge capable of exchanging recording media using a disc holder for supporting the disc-shaped recording medium.

Background technique

A disc-shaped recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a disc) is widely used for recording various information, and a disc cartridge in which a recording disc is housed is also being developed. A disc cartridge accommodates a rotatable disc inside, and is inserted into a recording and reading device for use. Cassette discs are divided into disc interchangeable discs and non-exchangeable discs.

Originally, there is an exchangeable disc cartridge, such as JP-A-11-86487. This disc cartridge consists of a case for accommodating the disc and a cover for opening and closing the disc outlet of the case. An elastically deformable recording disc support member is provided in the cover body in a plane parallel to the recording disc surface, and the recording disc is supported by the member. When the cover body is mounted in the case, the recording disc support member is elastically deformed so that the recording disc is in a state where rotation is possible. Insertion of the recording disc into and removal of the recording disc from the case is performed by the operator grasping the lid.

According to the prior art, when the cover supporting the recording disk is taken out from the case, the recording disk is easily touched when the cover is held by hand, which may cause fingerprints to stick to the recording disk. When the recording disk is contaminated, the reliability of reading the recording is reduced.

In addition, because the supporting part of the recording disc is always in a state of elastic deformation when the cover is installed in the box, the stress of the supporting part of the recording disc will be relaxed when the cover is installed in the box for a long time, so that the ability of the supporting part of the recording disc to support the recording disc will be reduced. decline. If the capacity of the disc support member to support the disc is reduced, the disc may fall when the cover is taken out of the case. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to make the recording disk support member from a material with little stress relaxation such as phosphor bronze. As a result, the disk support member and the cover body, which are integrally formed of plastic or the like, cannot be integrally formed, which raises the price of the disk holder.

Contents of the invention

The present invention considers the above problems, and its main purpose is to provide good operability when taking out or inserting the disc-supporting member from the case, and to reduce the possibility of fingers touching the disc.

The recording disk cartridge of the present invention is provided with a recording disk holder capable of supporting a disk-shaped recording medium and a case, and the case has a storage portion capable of accommodating the recording disk holder and the recording medium and surrounds the storage space. The upper, lower and side surfaces of the part, and the recording disc holder can be inserted into the storage part and recorded from the storage part together with the disc-shaped recording medium through the opening part provided in a part of the side face. The disc holder comes out, and it is characterized in that: a handle portion is provided in the recording disc holder for holding the recording disc holder, the handle portion is thicker than other parts of the recording disc holder, the upper surface and The lower side has a trapezoidal shape, and on the upper and lower sides of the case, the handle portion is exposed when the disc holder is housed in the case and has an inclination corresponding to the trapezoidal shape of the handle portion. an inclined notch portion, one of the handle portion of the disc holder and the notch portion of the case has a plurality of protrusions, and the other of the handle portion and the notch portion has a When the recording disc holder is inserted into the case, through the locking of the protrusions and the recesses, the case is prevented from being moved by the handle part of the recording disc holder. and deformed outward.

The best embodiment is that at least one of the handle portion of the recording disc holder and the notch portion of the case prevents the case from moving in a direction perpendicular to the top or bottom of the handle portion. parts.

In a preferred embodiment, the handle portion of the disc holder has a recess for receiving at least one protrusion formed in the notch portion of the case.

In a preferred embodiment, the notch portion of the case has a recess for receiving at least one protrusion formed in the handle portion of the disc holder.

In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the upper surface of the handle portion of the disc holder is different from the shape of the lower surface of the handle portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the handle portion of the disc holder and the upper surface of the case have the same plane, and the lower surface of the handle portion and the lower surface of the case have the same plane.

The best embodiment is that the difference between the shape of the upper surface of the handle portion and the shape of the lower surface of the handle portion can be visually recognized.

In a preferred embodiment, the disc holder has a body that blocks the opening of the case when the disc holder is inserted into the case, and two corners extending from the body, the A handle portion is provided within the body of the disc holder.

In a preferred embodiment the handle portion is thicker than the rest of the disc holder. In a preferred embodiment, the upper surface and the lower surface of the handle part have a shape that eases the interference between the handle part and the notch part of the case when the disc holder is inserted into the case.

A preferred embodiment is that said grip portion of said recording disc holder has faces opposite to upper and lower portions of said recording medium, respectively.

The disc holder has a locking portion that secures the disc holder within the case when the opening portion of the case is in the closed position.

A preferred embodiment is that the locking portion includes a stop portion provided in the side wall of the case and a lock portion on the side of the recording disc holder, when the recording disc holder is inserted into the case, The disc holder is located in a position where the opening portion of the case is closed, and the lock portion of the disc holder is locked with the stop portion of the case.

The most preferred embodiment is that the stop portion of the case has an insertion stop wall for restricting the movement of the lock portion so that the disc holder is not inserted too far into the case, and a stop wall for holding the disc holder. The device will not escape from the box and limit the action of the lock to escape from the stop wall.

A preferred embodiment is that the lock portion is provided on at least one finger-shaped elastic member extending from the side of the recording disc holder and bent in a plane substantially parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the recording disc holder. On the side, the disc holder can be moved by deforming the elastic member and moving the lock member to a position not restricted by the ejection stop wall of the case.

A preferred embodiment is to provide a protrusion in a part of the side of the case that collides with a part of the lock member when the disc holder is inserted into the case upside down.

In a preferred embodiment, the arm portion of the disk holder is provided with a disk support portion that restricts the movement of the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface and the lower surface of the recording medium.

The most preferable embodiment is that the recording disc support part is formed at the end of the arm part of the recording disc holder at a position closest to the end part, and an introduction piece for guiding the recording medium is provided at the same time. ; the introduction piece restricts the recording medium from moving in a direction perpendicular to the top and bottom of the recording medium, so that the recording medium can be easily loaded into the recording disc holder.

The best embodiment is that there is an identification part on the handle part to distinguish the upper side and the lower side of the disc holder.

In a preferred embodiment, the identification part has a shape that can be recognized by touching with a finger.

Another recording disc cartridge according to the present invention has a recording disc holder capable of supporting a disc-shaped recording medium, a storage portion capable of housing the recording disc holder and the recording medium, and an upper surface and a lower surface surrounding the storage portion. and a side surface, and the disc holder can be inserted into the storage portion and removed from the storage portion through an opening provided in a part of the side surface. The case has an upper case part and a lower case part, and in one of the upper and lower cases, a first protrusion for stopping the insertion movement of the recording disc holder is provided, and in the upper case and the lower case On the other side, a second protrusion is provided to stop the ejection movement of the disc holder. The disc holder has at least one finger-shaped elastic member extending from the side of the disc holder and bent in a plane substantially parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the disc holder and all the housings. A locking part locked between the first protruding part and the second protruding part. The lock portion is provided on the side of the elastic member, and by deforming the elastic member, the lock portion moves to a position not restricted by the second protruding portion of the case, so that the record can be moved. disc holder.

The best embodiment is that the lock has an asymmetrical shape with respect to an imaginary plane between the upper and lower sides of the disc holder inserted into the case from the wrong direction At this time, a part of the lock part will collide with the second protrusion of the case, thereby stopping the insertion of the recording disc holder.

Another disc cartridge of the present invention is a disc cartridge comprising a disc holder capable of holding a disc-shaped recording medium and a case having an opening capable of accommodating the disc holder and the recording medium. The disc holder has at least one finger-shaped elastic member extending from the side of the disc holder, bent in a plane substantially parallel to the upper and lower sides of the disc holder, and the case has and all The elastic member is locked to fix the disc holder, and there is a part that makes it difficult for people's fingers to touch the elastic member and to release the fixation of the disc holder, and the disc holder accommodates When inside the case, a portion of the disc holder closes the opening of the case.

The best embodiment is that the box is provided with an upper part that is actually rectangular, a lower part parallel to the upper part and a side part connecting the upper part and the lower part, and the In the opening, at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the case is provided with a notch through which human fingers can contact the elastic member of the disc holder.

The best embodiment is that the notch of the case exposes the end of the elastic member, and the end of the elastic member can be pressed to deform the elastic member until the fixing of the case to the recording disc holder is released.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the case has a shape that makes it difficult for human fingers to touch the elastic member.

The best embodiment is that no notch is formed in the area of the lower or upper portion of the box corresponding to the notch formed in the upper or lower portion of the box, the corresponding area covering the elastic member .

The best embodiment is that the elastic member has a handle at the end that is thicker than other parts in the transverse direction, and there is a flat part on the top or bottom of the handle that is parallel to the top or bottom of the recording disc holder and from the flat part. A protruding piece that partially protrudes vertically toward one side of the notch portion of the case.

The upper part or the lower part of the box completely covers the upper side and the lower side of the handle of the elastic component, and has a part corresponding to the shape of the handle.

A preferred embodiment is that said resilient member is integrally formed with said recording disc holder.

A preferred embodiment is that said box and said elastic member respectively have an asymmetrical shape with respect to an imaginary plane between the upper and lower sides of said box.

A preferred embodiment is a handle portion provided in said disc holder for gripping said disc holder, formed above and below said case when said disc holder is housed in said case When the recording disc holder is inserted into the case, the handle part and the notch of the case are locked to prevent the recording disc The handle portion of the holder deforms the case outward.

At least one of the handle portion of the disc holder and the notch portion of the case has a member that prevents the case from moving in a direction perpendicular to the top or bottom of the handle portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the handle portion of the disc holder has a recess for receiving at least one protrusion formed in the notch portion of the case.

In a preferred embodiment, the notch portion of the case has a recess for receiving at least one protrusion formed in the handle portion of the disc holder.

In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the upper surface of the handle portion of the disc holder is different from the shape of the lower surface of the handle portion.

The best embodiment is that the upper surface of the handle portion of the recording disc holder and the upper surface of the case have the same horizontal plane, and the lower surface of the handle portion of the recording disc holder and the Said underside of the box has the same horizontal plane.

The best embodiment is that the difference between the upper shape of the handle portion and the lower shape of the handle portion can be visually distinguished.

A preferred embodiment is that the disc holder has a body that blocks the opening of the case when the disc holder is inserted into the case, and two arms extending from the body, so that The handle portion is provided within the body of the disc holder.

In a preferred embodiment the handle portion is thicker than the rest of the disc holder. In a preferred embodiment, the upper surface and the lower surface of the handle portion have a shape that eases the interference between the handle portion and the notch portion of the case when the disc holder is inserted into the case.

A preferred embodiment is that said grip portion of said recording disc holder has corresponding faces to upper and lower portions of said recording medium, respectively.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rough outline of a disc cartridge 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the disc cartridge 100 in a state where the disc holder 30 is partially inserted therein.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the structure of the disc cartridge 100 .

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the lower case 10b of the disc cartridge 100. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the structure of the inner side of the lower case 10b of the disc cartridge 100. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of the structure of the inner side of the case 10a on the disc cartridge 100. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the disc holder 30 of the disc cartridge 100 .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the recording disc 1 is housed in the recording disc holder 30 .

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state where the recording disc 1 is being loaded into the recording disc holder 30 .

FIG. 10 shows a top view of the recording disc holder 30 .

FIG. 11 shows a plan view of the underside of the recording disc holder 30 .

FIG. 12 shows a partial sectional view of the joint 37 formed in the recording disc holder 30.

FIG. 13 shows a partial sectional view of the engagement claw 19 formed in the case body 10. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where the engaging portion 37 of the disc holder 30 is engaged with the engaging claw 19 of the case body 10 .

FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a state where the coupling portion 37 of the disc holder 30 is locked with the coupling claw 19 of the case body 10 .

FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the disc cartridge 100 in a state where the disc holder 30 is partially inserted.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the disc cartridge 100 in a state where the disc holder 30 is partially inserted and locked.

FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the disc cartridge 100 in a state where the disc holder 30 is inserted from the wrong direction.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of a disc cartridge 200 according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 shows an exploded perspective view of the structure of the disc cartridge 200 .

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a rough shape of the lower case 10b of the disc cartridge 200. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 shows a plan view of the inner side structure of the lower case 10b of the disc cartridge 200. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the structure of the inner side of the case 10a on the disc cartridge 200. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 24 shows a perspective view of the disc holder 30 of the disc cartridge 200 .

FIG. 25 shows a perspective view of the elastic member 40 of the disc holder 30 of the disc cartridge 200 .

FIG. 26 shows a perspective view of a modified example of the disc holder 30 .

Fig. 27 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a disc cartridge 250 according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 shows a corner perspective view of the cartridge 10a on the disc cartridge 250. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 29 shows a corner perspective view of the lower case 10b of the disc cartridge 250. As shown in FIG.

Symbols: 1-recording disc; 2-shield; 10-box body; 10a-upper box; 10b-lower box; 11-main wall of the box; 12-side wall of the box; 14-opening (recording disc take-out port) ;15-insert part; 16-stop part; 16a-exit stop wall; 16b-insert stop wall; 21-recording disk removal identification hole; 30-recording disk holder; 31-body part of recording disk holder; 32-corner of recording disk holder; 33-circumferential wall of recording disk holder; 34-recording disk support part ; 34a-the first recording disc support portion; 34b-the second recording disc support portion; Identification mark; 40-elastic part; 41-lock portion; 41a-ejection restriction wall; 41b-insertion restriction wall; 42-introduction piece of recording disk holder; 52-slot; 100, 200, 250-cassette recording disk; 120-the notch; 138-the handle of the elastic part; 139-the protruding piece of the handle.

Example

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3 .

The recording disc cartridge 100 of the present embodiment is shown in the figure, is held by the case body 10 that can hold the recording disc 1 and the recording disc that can support the recording disc when the recording disc 1 is taken out and loaded from the take-out port of the main body 10. device 30. The movable shutter 2 is installed in the box body 10, and opens and closes the openings (insertion portions 15) provided on the upper side and the lower side of the box body 10, respectively. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the recording disc holder 30 is fully inserted into the case body 10 in the state where the recording disc 1 is loaded, and FIG.

This kind of recording disc cartridge 100 is inserted into the device for reading and recording not shown in the figure. As described later, after the shutter 2 moves, the recording head not shown in the figure can read the recording disc contained in the recording disc cartridge 100. 1 Perform information recording, reading or deleting actions.

The recording disk 1 is, as shown in FIG. 3 , a disk-shaped recording medium having a hole in the center, and has a recording layer (not shown) for storing information. The recording disc 1 using the recording disc cartridge 100 may be of any type, either a phase-change optical disc or a magnetic disc.

The recording disc 1 can be inserted into the case body 10 as it is. However, after the recording disc 1 is preferably loaded into the recording disc holder 30 shown in the middle figure of Figure 3, the recording disc holder 30 and the recording disc 1 in the state of supporting the recording disc 1 are inserted into the box body 10 together. . The method of loading the recording disc 1 into the recording disc holder 30 will be described later with reference to FIG. 9 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the disc holder 30 is inserted into and ejected from the disc accommodating portion through the outlet of the case body 10 (an opening that is wide in the lateral direction and low in height). Inside the disc holder 30 is provided a grip portion 35 whose shape and size make it easy for human fingers (eg, thumb and forefinger) to grasp. By gripping the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30 in this way, the disc 1 can be inserted into the case body 10 without touching fingers.

As shown in FIG. 3, the case body 10 is composed of an upper case 10a and a lower case 10b. Both the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b have an insertion portion 15 having a shape that exposes a part of the top or bottom of the recording disc and the center hole. By moving the shutter 2, the insertion portion 15 can be opened and closed. The shutter 2 is mounted on the box body 10 across and the end of the box body 10, and can move along its end.

Specifically, the side of the box body 10 that is provided with the shutter 2 is called the front end, and its opposite side is called the rear end. In this way, in the end of the box body 10, the two sides located between the front end and the rear end are called side ends respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, a notch 18 is provided in each rear end portion of the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b. The shape and position of the notch 18 are designed so that the handle 35 of the disc holder 30 can be exposed when the disc holder 30 is put into the case body 10 . In this way, even when the disc holder 30 is loaded into the case body 10, the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30 can be grasped by hand, as shown in FIG. 1 . Therefore, the action of inserting the disc holder 30 into the case body 10 or taking out the disc holder 30 from the case body 10 can be performed easily by grasping the handle portion 35 by hand.

With regard to the disc cartridge 100 of this embodiment, even if the disc holder 30 is forcibly inserted into the case body 10, the outside deformation will not be caused by overlapping of the notch 18 of the case body 10 and the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30. Because at least one of the handle portion 35 of the recording disc holder 30 and the notch portion 18 of the box body 10 has a structure that prevents the box body 10 from moving in a direction perpendicular to the top or bottom of the handle portion 35 to prevent the deformation of the box body 10 . This structure will be described in detail later. If there is no structure to prevent the deformation of the case, when the recording disc holder 30 is inserted into the case body 10 by force, because the recording disc holder 30 is inserted into the case body 10 too deeply, the surface of the notch 18 of the case body 10 and the recording disc holder Steps will be formed between the surfaces of the handle portion 35 of 30.

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the structure of the box body 10 will be described.

The upper case 10a and the lower case 10b have similar shapes and sizes, and they are combined to form the case body 10 by means of ultrasonic welding or the like. Here, the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b can be made of resin such as polycarbonate, which is molded, for example.

Below box 10b as shown in Figures 4 and 5, there is the sheet-shaped main wall 11 (thickness is about 0.8mm) opposite with recording disk 1 below, and extends to the direction perpendicular to main wall 11 from the side end of main wall 11 The side wall 12 (thickness is about 1.0mm). A curved rib is formed in a part of the main wall 11, which is opposed to a part of the outer peripheral end surface of the inserted recording disc 1. As shown in FIG. In the vicinity of both ends of the rib there is an engaging wall 17 that receives the end of the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 inserted. The coupling wall 17 is locked with the end of the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 to fix the position of the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 .

In the middle of the rear end portion of the lower case 10b, there is a notch portion 18 for receiving the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30. As shown in FIG. In the notch portion 18 there is a protruding engagement claw 19 which engages with the engagement portion 37 formed in the handle portion 35 .

On the side wall 12, as clearly shown in FIG. 5, there is a stop portion 16 extending toward the storage portion 13 and having a stop wall 16b. When the disc holder 30 is inserted into the case body 10, the insertion stop wall 16b engages with the insertion restricting wall 41b of the lock portion 41 of the disc holder 30 as shown in FIG. The operation of the insertion restricting wall 41b will be described in detail later.

The insertion portion 15 of the lower box 10b is composed of a relatively large notch formed at the front end portion of the main wall 11 of the lower box 10b as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and continues from the central portion of the lower box 10b to the front end of the lower box 10b part. A recording head for recording, reading, and erasing information on the recording disc 1 is inserted into the cartridge main body 10 through the insertion portion 15 . A disk motor that drives the disk 1 to rotate is also inserted into the inside of the case body 10 through the insertion portion 15 . The insertion portion 15 is generally covered with a shutter 2 to prevent entry of dust and the like.

Next, the structure of the upper case 10a will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. The upper case 10a and the lower case 10b have the same structure. When the upper box 10a and the lower box 10b are combined to form the box body 10, the side walls 12 and the ribs of the upper box 10a are respectively fixed on the side walls 12 and the ribs of the lower box 10b, and the two main walls 11 are opposite with a predetermined distance. The main wall 11, the side walls 12, and the ribs constitute a storage portion 13 in which the recording disk 1 is rotatably stored.

An opening (portion) 14 through which the disc holder 30 enters and exits is formed at the rear end of the case main body 10 and communicates with the storage portion 13 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the removal port 14 is plugged with the disc holder 30 fully inserted. That is, the disc holder 30 also functions as a cover member that covers the removal port of the case body 10 . In a state where the outlet is completely covered, the case body 10 exposes the end of the elastic member 40 of the disc holder 30 . Accordingly, notch portions 120 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are formed at both corners of the respective rear end portions of the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b.

Also formed on the side wall 12 of the upper case 10a is a stop portion 16 that engages with the lock portion 41 (FIG. 7) of the disc holder 30. As shown in FIG. However, in this embodiment, the shapes of the stoppers 16 of the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b are different. That is, the stop portion 16 on the side of the upper case 10a has a drop-off stop wall 16a, and the stop portion 16 on the side of the lower case 10b has an insertion stop wall 16b. The functions of the drop-out stop wall 16a and the insertion stop wall 16b will be described later.

There are positioning holes 20 in the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b for loading the disc cartridge 100 into the drive device and aligning the disc cartridge 100 . The positioning hole 20 fits with a positioning pin (not shown) in the drive unit to position the recording disc cartridge 100 .

Disc removal identification holes 21 in which the disc removal identifier 43 of the disc holder 30 is embedded are also designed in the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b. The function of the disc removal identification hole 21 will be described later.

Next, referring to FIGS. 7 to 11, the structure of the recording disc holder 30 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the disc holder 30 has a main body 31 and an arm 32 extending from the main body 31 . The body portion 31 and the arm portion 32 are integrally formed of a resin material such as plastic. From the body portion 31 to the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 there is a peripheral wall 33 having a curved shape corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the disc 1 . As shown in FIG. 8, the peripheral wall 33 can surround the outer peripheral end portion of the loaded recording disk 1. As shown in FIG.

Inside the disc holder 30 are a plurality of disc holders 34 . The disk support portion 34 is composed of a first disk support portion 34a extending from the center of the body portion 31 toward the arm portion 32, and a second disk support portion 34b extending from the arm portion 32 and protruding perpendicular to the peripheral wall 33. These disk support portions 34 are designed to support the top or bottom of the loaded disk 1 , and are formed on both sides of the disk 1 to sandwich the top and bottom of the disk 1 . However, since the interval (distance measured in the thickness direction) T1 between the upper protruding portion and the lower protruding portion of the recording disc support portion 34 is set larger than the thickness T0 of the recording disc 1, the recording disc support portion 34 does not simultaneously Press both sides of recording disc 1. When the thickness T0 of the recording disk 1 is 1.2 mm, the distance T1 is set to 3.1 mm, for example. There is a gap between the recording disc 1 loaded in this way and the recording disc holder 34 , and the recording disc 1 can rotate even in the state loaded in the recording disc holder 30 . Also, the recording disc 1 is loaded into the recording disc holder 30 as shown in FIG. The upper protruding portion of the support portion 34 does not come into contact with the upper surface of the recording disk 1 .

Next, a method of loading the recording disc 1 into the recording disc holder 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 .

First, to load the recording disc 1 into the disc holder 30 , the recording disc 1 is brought into contact with the end of the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 . Then, the recording disc 1 is inserted between the second recording disc holder 34 b and the introduction piece 42 . The lead-in piece 42 is adjacent to the second recording disc support part 34b provided at the end of the arm part 32, in the opposite side of the surface sandwiching the second recording disc support part 34b and the recording disc 1, and extends from the peripheral wall 33 to the recording disc. 1 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the peripheral wall 33 .

When the recording disc 1 continues to be pressed into the main body portion 31 of the recording disc holder 30 , the arm portion 32 is temporarily elastically deformed outward to receive the recording disc 1 . At this time, the introduction piece 42 and the second disc support portion 34 b guide the disc 1 and have a function of making the disc 1 easily inserted into the disc holder 30 . In the state where the recording disc 1 is loaded into the recording disc holder 30, the arm portion 32 returns to its original shape, and the recording disc 1 is restricted from being pulled out from above as shown in FIG. 9 .

When the recording disc 1 is removed from the recording disc holder 30, the operation is reversed to that when the recording disc 1 is loaded. That is, when the recording disk 1 is pulled out, the outer peripheral end of the recording disk 1 presses the arm portion 32 outward, and the distance between the ends of the arm portion 32 can be enlarged beyond the diameter of the recording disk 1 .

Next, the structure of the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 12, the handle portion 35 has an upper side portion and a lower side portion extending laterally from the rear end of the disc holder so as to form a C-shaped curved section. When the disk 1 is loaded into the disk holder 30, a part of the outer circumference of the disk 1 is located between the upper side and the lower side of the handle portion 35, so the handle portion 35 functions as the first disk support portion 34a.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , in the handle portion 35 , an inclination 36 in a shape tapering towards the center of the loaded recording disc 1 is designed. In addition, in the notch portion 18 of the case body 10, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there is an inclination corresponding to the inclination of the handle portion 35. In this way, when the recording disc holder 30 is inserted into the case body 10, unnecessary interference will not occur between the handle portion 35 and the notch portion 18, and a smooth combination can be realized. That is, when starting to combine, at first the end of the handle portion 35 narrowed due to the inclination 36 enters the widened portion of the notch portion 18 of the box body 10, so there is a large space between the two.

The handle portion 35 of this embodiment has a coupling portion 37 that is locked with the coupling claw 19 of the case body 10 at the end of the first disc support portion 34a. These engagement claws 19 and the engagement portion 37 constitute a portion that prevents the main wall 11 of the box body 10 from turning outward and being deformed.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the handle portion 35 of this embodiment has different shapes and sizes on the upper and lower sides of the recording disc 1. As shown in FIG. The upper part of the handle portion 35, for example, has a trapezoidal shape with an upper base of 20 mm, a lower base of 22 mm, and a height of 8 mm. 8mm trapezoidal shape. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the notch portions 18 of the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b have shapes corresponding to the upper and lower side portions of the handle portion 35, respectively. In this way, if the disc holder 30 is inserted into the box body 10 upside down from the state shown in Figure 2, the end of the handle portion 35 will collide with the end face of the entrance side of the notch 18 of the box body 10, causing the recording The disk holder 30 cannot be inserted into the case body 10 . Therefore, the upper and lower sides of the handle portion 35 have different shapes so that the handle portion 35 itself of this embodiment has a function of [wrong insertion prevention].

In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to make the combination of the handle portion 35 and the notch portion 18 not good, it can be clearly found visually, the size of the upper side portion and the lower side portion of the handle portion 35 are obviously different. That is, the lateral dimension of the upper portion of the handle portion 35 is designed to be greater than the lateral dimension of the lower portion by 5 mm or more. In this way, a person holding the disc holder 30 can easily insert the disc holder 30 so that the orientation of the case body 10 corresponds to one another. The surface of the handle portion 35 of the present embodiment forms an identification method that can be discerned by hand. That is, the surface of the handle portion 35 has a concave portion 38, and the center of the concave portion 38 has a convex identification mark 39 that can be recognized by touching with a hand. In this way, the A and B sides of the disc cartridge 100 can be distinguished only by touching the identification mark 39 with the fingertip. Although the identification mark of this embodiment has a convex shape, the shape of the identification mark can be distinguished as long as it can be distinguished by touching it with a finger. For example, a concave shape is also acceptable.

Next, referring to FIGS. 10 to 15 , a special configuration (method of preventing deformation) designed for combining the handle portion 35 and the box body 10 will be described.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , there are two recessed portions (joint portions 37 ) on the front end side of the handle portion 35 . The two coupling parts 37 respectively receive the two coupling claws 19 protruding from the notch 18 as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 .

As shown in FIG. 12 , the coupling portion 37 is formed by being recessed laterally toward the rear end side of the handle portion 35 . On the other hand, the engagement claws 19 of the case body 10 protrude laterally from the notch of the case body 10 as shown in FIG. 13 . FIG. 14 shows a state where the disc holder 30 is fully inserted into the case body 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14 , the engaging claw 19 has a shape and a size when engaging with the engaging portion 37 . FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the engaging claw 19 and the engaging portion 37 in a locked state.

The upper surface of the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30, that is, the first disc support portion 34a, and the upper surface of the case body 10 shown in FIG. 14 are substantially on the same plane. Likewise, the lower surface of the first disc support portion 34a and the lower surface of the case body 10 are substantially the same plane. That is, the thickness of the handle portion 35 (the first disk holder 34a) is substantially the same as that of the case body 10, and there is no large step between the upper surface of the first disk holder 34a and the upper surface of the case body 10. Also, similarly, there is no large step between the lower surface of the first disc support portion 34a and the lower surface of the case body 10 .

Because of this structure, even if the disc holder 30 is forcibly inserted into the case body 10, the notch 18 of the case body 10 and the handle portion 35 of the disc holder 30 can be effectively prevented from overlapping and being deformed outside. In this way, the recording disc holder 30 can be prevented from being inserted into the case body 10 too deeply, and a large step is formed between the surface of the notch 18 of the case body 10 and the surface of the handle portion 35 of the recording disc holder 30 .

Although the coupling claw 19 is designed in the case body 10 and the coupling portion 37 is designed in the recording disc holder 30 in this embodiment, the opposite structure may also be adopted. That is, it is also possible to design an engaging portion in the case body 10 and an engaging claw in the disc holder 30 . It is also possible to design a joint part and a joint claw in the box body 10 , and design a corresponding joint claw and joint part in the recording disc holder 30 .

Next, referring to FIG. 7, the locking of the disc holder will be described.

On both sides of the main body portion 31 of the disc holder 30, a pair of elastic members 40 are provided. Because a pair of elastic components 40 is a mirror image relationship, so for simplicity, the structure of one elastic component 40 is described here.

The elastic member 40 is designed such that it extends from the side of the disc holder 30 toward the rear end side, and is bendable in substantially parallel planes above and below the disc holder 30 . There is a gap between the elastic member 40 and the recording disc holder 30 in which the elastic member 40 can flexibly move laterally. When the ends of a pair of elastic members 40 are grasped with one hand and force is applied laterally, the distance between the ends of the elastic members 40 and the disk holder 30 is reduced so that the elastic members 40 bend. If the force applied on the elastic member 40 by hand is removed, the elastic member 40 returns to its original position due to the elastic force.

On the outer surface of the elastic member 40, there is a convex lock portion 41 fitted with the stop portion 16 of the case body 10. The lock portion 41 has an insertion restricting wall 41 b for restricting the movement of the disc holder 30 inserted into the case body 10 and an extraction restricting wall 41 a for restricting the movement of the disc holder 30 from the case body 10 .

The insertion restriction wall 41b is provided at a position where it engages with the insertion stop wall 16b of the stop portion 16 of the lower case 10b, and restricts the insertion of the recording disc holder 30. As shown in FIG. The ejection restricting wall 41a is provided at a position where it engages with the ejection stop wall 16a of the stopper 16 of the upper case 10a, and restricts ejection of the disc holder 30. As shown in FIG.

When the elastic member 40 is deformed, the position of the lock portion 41 approaches the disc holder 30, and the lock portion 41 moves to a position not restricted by the protruding portion of the ejection stop wall 16a.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the recording disc holder 30 is inserted into the case body 10, the inclined surface of the lock portion 41 presses the case body before the insertion restricting wall 41b of the lock portion 41 is combined with the insertion wall 16b of the stop portion 16 of the lower case 10b. 10 (the end portion 12a of the side wall 12), the elastic member 40 is deformed. When the inclined surface of the lock portion 41 passes over the protruding portion of the box body 10, the elastic member 40 returns to its original position due to elasticity. In this way, the protruding portion of the escape restriction wall 41a of the lock portion 41 is coupled to the stopper portion 16 of the upper case 10a. Fig. 17 shows the bonded state. Since the lock portion 41 of the disc holder 30 is sandwiched between the ejection stop wall 16a and the insertion stop wall 16b in this state, the position of the disc holder 30 is firmly fixed. That is, the escape restriction wall 41a of the lock portion 41 and the escape stop wall 16a of the box body 10 are in a substantially contact state, and the insertion restriction wall 41b of the lock portion 41 and the insertion stop wall 16b of the case body 10 are also in a substantially contact state. Thus, the forward and backward movement of the lock portion 41 is prevented by the withdrawal stop wall 16a and the insertion stop wall 16b of the case body.

When one pair of elastic members 40 is pressed inward with one hand, the locked state between the stop wall 16 and the lock portion 41 of the box body 10 can be released. The interval between a pair of elastic parts 40, that is, the lateral length of the rear end of the box body 10 is about 50-130 mm, preferably about 90 mm, and one pair of elastic parts 40 can be grasped and bent with one hand. When the elastic member 40 is bent laterally to narrow the distance between the end of the elastic member 40 and the recording disc holder 30, because the escape restriction wall 41a of the lock portion 41 moves to a position where it does not collide with the escape stop wall 16a of the case body 10, The recording disc holder 30 can then be taken out.

FIG. 18 shows a state where the disc holder 30 is inserted into the case body 10 upside down. When the disc holder 30 is inserted in a direction different from the prescribed direction, the insertion restricting wall 41b of the lock portion 41 collides with the end 12a of the side wall 12 of the case body 10a, so that the insertion cannot be performed.

When the insertion restricting wall 41b of the lock portion 41 collides with the end portion 12a of the case body 10, the handle portion 35 also collides with the notch portion 18, so that the insertion cannot be performed. In this embodiment, the position of the insertion restriction wall 41b is adjusted so that when the insertion restriction wall 41b of the lock portion 41 collides with the end portion 12a of the side wall 12 of the box body 10, the handle portion 35 also collides with the notch portion 18. In this way, erroneous insertion of the recording disc holder 30 is more surely prevented.

Next, a method of assembling the disc cartridge will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 9 , the recording disk 1 is inserted between the introduction piece 42 and the second recording disk support portion 34 b adjacent to the introduction piece 42 . When the recording disc 1 is pushed in again, the recording disc 1 enters into the arm portion 32 while being guided by the introduction piece 42 and the second recording disc support portion 34b. At this time, the outer peripheral end surface of the recording disc 1 is elastically deformed outward by the arm portion 32 , and the recording disc 1 is housed in the recording disc support portion 34 . After the elastic deformation of the distance between the ends of the two arm portions 32 expands to the size of the diameter of the recording disk 1, the distance between them returns to the original state when the recording disk 1 is housed. In this state, the arm portion 32 is not elastically deformed, and the recording disk 1 is supported by the supporting portion 34 and does not fall out of the recording disk holder 30 although there is a gap between the outer peripheral end surface of the recording disk 1 and the peripheral wall.

Then, after the lower case 10b is aligned with the position of the upper disc holder 30, the disc holder 30 is put into the lower case 10b. At this time, the engaging claws 19 of the lower case 10b and the engaging portion 37 of the recording disc holder 30 are not locked yet. The engaging claws 19 of the lower case 10b are pressed downward by the engaging portion 37 of the recording disc holder 30, and the main wall 11 at the notch of the lower case 10b is in a state of bending downward.

Then, the lower case 10b is aligned with the position of the upper case 10a, and the lower case 10b and the upper case 10a are assembled. In this state, the engaging claws 19 of the upper case 10a and the engaging portion 37 of the disc holder 30 are not locked yet. The coupling claws 19 of the upper case 10a are pressed upward by the coupling portion 37 of the recording disc holder 30, and the main wall 11 at the notch of the upper case 10a is in an upwardly bent state.

Then, the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b are welded by ultrasonic welding or the like. At this time, the bending of the main wall 11 of the case body 10 is eliminated due to the crimping of the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b. The details are as follows.

That is, initially, the corner portion 37a of the coupling portion 37 as shown in FIG. 12 and the slope 19a of the coupling claw 19 as shown in FIG. 13 are in a coupled state. Then, when the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b are pressed together, the inclined surface 19a is forced to pass through the corner 37a, and the engaging claw 19 and the engaging portion 37 are locked together. Fig. 14 shows the state where this bonding is completed. In this state, since the engaging claw 19 is clamped by the engaging portion 37 from the outside, the case body 10 cannot be deformed outward.

After the case body 10 has been assembled in this way, the shutter 2 is assembled from the front end side of the case body 10 so that it can move freely, and the assembly of the disc cartridge 100 is completed. The recording disc 1 is stored in a freely rotatable state in the recording disc cartridge 100 .

When the disc cartridge is inserted into the drive unit and the disc cartridge 100 is inserted into the corresponding drive, the shutter 2 is moved to open the insertion portion 15 . When the disc cartridge 100 is loaded into the predetermined position of the drive, the central hole of the disc 1 in the disc cartridge 100 is fitted into the disc motor (not shown). When the recording head is inserted into the opened insertion portion 15, information can be recorded, read and erased on the exposed surface of the recording disk.

Next, removal of the disc holder 30 accommodated in the disc cartridge 100 will be described.

First, the user forcibly bends the disc removal identifier 43 as shown in FIG. 7 . As mentioned above, in the assembled disc cartridge 100, the disc removal identifier 43 of the inner disc holder 30 is in the state of being embedded in the disc removal identification hole 21 of the cartridge body. To bend the disc removal identifier 43 in this state, it is only necessary to press down the firm and thin pin in the disc removal identification hole 21, and the identifier 43 can be bent by the pin. After the identifier 43 is bent, the recording disc holder 30 can be released from the case body 10 .

Then, a pair of elastic members 40 provided on both sides of the disc holder 30 are deformed inward by hand. Thus, the lock between the lock portion 41 formed in the elastic member 40 and the stop portion 16 of the case body 10 is released, and the recording disc holder 30 can be detached from the case body 10 .

After the recording disc holder 30 is pulled out a little, grasp the handle portion 35 with your hands and pull it forward, so that the recording disc holder 30 can be completely disengaged from the box body 10 . At this time, the disc 1 is pulled out from the case body 10 together with the disc holder 30 because it is pressed by the peripheral wall 35 of the disc holder 30 .

After the recording disc holder 30 is completely pulled out from the case body 10, the recording disc 1 will not fall from the recording disc holder 30 because the recording disc support portion 34 supports one of the upper and lower sides of the recording disc 1 . In addition, since the handle portion 35 is thicker than the main body 31 of the disc holder 30, when the handle portion 35 is grasped with fingers, the possibility of the recording disc 1 being touched by fingers becomes very small.

Next, the operation of reinserting the disc holder 30 taken out of the case body 10 into the case body 10 will be described.

First, the end of the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 is inserted into the removal port 14 . Then, when the disc holder 30 is pressed into the case body 10, the side of the escape restricting wall 41a of the lock portion 41 and the end portion 12a of the side wall 12 of the upper case 10a are joined. During coupling, the elastic member 40 passes through the end portion 12a while being elastically deformed inward. Finally, the recording disc holder 30 is pressed into the case body 50 up to a position where the insertion restricting wall 41 b of the lock portion 41 and the insertion stop wall 16 b of the stop portion 16 join. At this time, the elastic deformation of the elastic member 40 is eliminated, and the removal restricting wall 41 a of the lock part 41 and the removal stop wall 16 a of the stop part 16 are joined. At about the same time, the engaging claws 19 and the engaging portion 37 are also locked to prevent deformation of the box body such as turning upwards, while the recording disc holder 30 is also in a state of being fixed in the box body 10 .

Next, an operation of inserting the disc holder 30 into the case body 10 from a direction opposite to the prescribed direction will be described. First, the end of the arm portion 32 of the disc holder 30 is inserted into the removal port 14 . When the disc holder 30 is pressed into the case body 10, the end of the handle portion 35 collides with the end surface on the entrance side of the notch portion 18 of the case body 10, so it cannot be reinserted. At about the same time, the insertion restricting wall 41b of the lock portion 41 collides with the end portion 12a of the side wall 12 of the case body 10, surely restricting the insertion. In this way, the user can clearly visually know that the assembly of the handle portion 35 and the notch portion 18 is incorrect. Therefore, the disc holder 30 can only be inserted into the case body 10 from one direction.

As mentioned above, the handle portion 35 is designed on the disk holder 30 of the present invention, so that the disk holder 30 is easy to hold by hand, and the operability of the disk holder 30 in and out of the case body 10 is also improved. Since the handle portion 35 is thicker than the body portion 31 of the disc holder 30, it is difficult for the fingertip to touch the disc 1 when grasping the disc holder 30. In addition, the handle portion 35 is designed at the center of the disc holder 30 to increase the rigidity of the disc holder 30 . In this way, the size of the central portion of the main body portion 31 can be reduced, making a great contribution to miniaturization of the recording disc cartridge.

In this embodiment, the surface of the disk 1 is supported by the first disk support portion 34 a extending from the center of the main body portion 31 of the disk holder 30 and the second disk support portion 34 b extending from the arm portion 32 . Thus, when the recording disc 1 is loaded, there is a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the recording disc 1 and the peripheral wall of the recording disc holder 30 . That is, the arm portion 32 is free from stress parallel to the surface of the recording disk after the recording disk is loaded. Therefore, when the disc holder 30 is completely inserted into the case body 10 when the disc 1 is loaded, the disc 1 can rotate in the case body 10 even if the arm portion 32 does not expand outward. In this way, the recording disc holder 30 supports the recording disc 1 but does not utilize the elastic deformation of the arm portion 32, and the problem of weakening of the ability of the arm portion 32 to support the recording disc 1 due to stress relaxation of the arm portion 32 does not occur. Even if the recording disk holder 30 stays in the box body 10 for a long time and takes out the recording disk holder 30 from the box body 10, the recording disk 1 will not fall from the recording disk holder 30, and the recording disk holder 30 is improved. reliability. And since there is no need to consider the stress relaxation of the arm portion 32, the arm portion 32 and the recording disc holder 30 can be integrally produced by plastic molding.

Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, refer to FIGS. 19 and 20 . The disc cartridge 200 of this embodiment has a structure at the end of the elastic member 40 to prevent it from being pushed in by mistake, which is different from the disc cartridge 100 described above. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, besides, the disc cartridge 200 and the disc cartridge 100 have many common parts, and only the different parts will be described in detail here.

Refer to Figures 21 to 23. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the disc cartridge 200 has notches 120 at two corners of the rear end portion of the lower case 10b in the same manner as the lower case 10b of the disc cartridge 100. However, there is no notch 120 at the two corners corresponding to the rear end of the upper case 10b as shown in FIG. 23 . As a result, the lower case 10b partially exposes the end of the elastic member 40 of the disc holder 30 in the loaded state as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, because the upper case 10a completely covers the upper surface of the elastic member 40, even if the outer surface of the elastic member 40 is touched by hand, the elastic member 40 will not bend due to misoperation due to the blocking of the upper case 10a. In this way, the possibility of unlocking due to erroneous operation is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 24, the upper surface of the elastic member 40 facing the upper case 10a is flat. In this way, when the disc holder 30 is loaded into the case body 10, the gap between the upper surface of the elastic member 40 and the lower surface of the upper case 10a is designed to be small. In addition, the bottom surface of the end portion (handle 138 ) of the elastic member 40 has a flat portion and a protruding piece 139 protruding downward from the flat portion.

FIG. 25 is a structural perspective view of the elastic member 40 . The disc holder 30 shown in FIG. 25 is a state in which the disc holder 30 shown in FIG. 24 is turned upside down. As shown in FIG. 25 , the protruding piece 139 is only about 1.0 mm higher than the outer surface of the handle 138 , which enlarges the contact area between the handle portion 138 and the fingers.

Fig. 19 shows that the recording disc holder 30 is packed into the case body 10, and when the upper case 10a completely covers the top of the elastic member 40, since the corners of the upper case 10a are partly blocked, there is no need to worry about fingers accidentally deforming the elastic member 40. However, when the recording disc holder 30 is taken out from the case body 10 by pressing the elastic member 40 intentionally, because the notch 120 is designed in the lower case 10b, the elastic member 40 can be bent by pressing the elastic member 40 with fingers to release the lock. At this time, the protruding piece 139 makes it easy for fingers to press the elastic member 40 . The height of the protruding piece 139 is set so that the end of the protruding piece 19 is substantially flush with the surface of the lower case 10b. It is not desirable that the end of the protruding piece 139 protrudes too far from the surface of the lower case 10b, because that would make it difficult for the reader to insert the recording device into the cartridge 200.

The position and size of the protruding piece 139 are expected to be designed in such a way that when the elastic component 40 is bent to unlock, if the elastic component 40 is bent too much, the protruding piece 139 will collide with the side of the notch 120 of the lower box 10b. In the disc holder 30, as described above, a gap is formed for possible bending movement of the elastic member 40. The width of the gap is preferably as small as 1.5 to 2.0 mm in the embodiment. In this way, bending of the elastic member 40 is restricted by the sides of the main body portion 31 of the disc holder 30 . However, if there is any reason to set the width of the gap relatively large, excessive bending of the elastic member 40 can also be stopped due to the collision between the protruding piece 139 and the case body 10 . In this way, the protruding piece 139 designed on the handle 138 of the elastic member 40 can receive various effects.

In addition, in order to prevent easy contact between the elastic member 40 and people's fingers, making it difficult to unlock other forms of the recording disc holder 30, a notch 120 may be formed in the upper case 10a, and a protruding piece 139 may be formed on the upper case 10a side. . Also, the two protruding pieces 139 do not necessarily protrude in the same direction, and may protrude from different sides of the disc holder 30 as shown in FIG. 26 . In this case, the notch 120 is formed on one end side of the upper case 10a, and the notch 120 is formed on the opposite end side of the lower case 10b.

In this embodiment, when the two corners of the rear end of the box body 10 are grasped with one hand, the structure that the fingers are difficult to press the elastic member 40 is adopted, so that the recording disc holder 30 and the box body 10 will not be released due to misoperation. between locks. It is also possible to prevent that in order to take out the disc cartridge 200 from the drive unit, when grasping the 2 corners of the rear end portion of the case body 10 with hands to take out the disc cartridge 200, only the disc holder 30 is taken out, and the case body 10 remains in the drive device, and the recording disc 1 is accidentally exposed. In addition, it is also possible to prevent the disc holder 30 from being accidentally pulled out from the case body 10 to expose the recording disc 1 when the case body 10 is carried and transported.

Next, referring to Figs. 27 to 29, a modified example of the disc cartridge 200 will be described.

A disc cartridge 250 shown in FIG. 27 is a modified example of the disc cartridge 200 . It is different from the disc cartridge 200 in shape around the rear end corner of the upper case 10a. Fig. 28 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear end corner of the upper case 10a, and Fig. 29 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear end corner of the lower case 10b. As shown in these figures, the upper case 10a of the disc cartridge 250 has a portion 50 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the upper surface of the handle 138 of the elastic member 40. As shown in FIG. The handle 138 of the elastic member 40 is wider than other parts of the elastic member 40, and the outer surface of the handle 138 forms a curved surface, which is easy to control with fingers.

The upper case 10a completely covers the top of the handle 138 of the elastic member 40, and has a portion 50 corresponding to the shape above, so that the side of the case body 10 where the recording disc holder 30 is packed forms a shape in the direction of thickness. Extended slot 52 . Groove 52, as shown in Figure 29, has utilized the concave portion that the notch portion 120 that forms on the corner of lower case 10b produces on the side of lower case 10b, and also designed small notch portion on the side of upper case 10a, like this just in box body 10 The sides of the rim form a recess having the function of a groove 52 . Since the groove 52 is formed relatively close to the rear end of the case body 10, it plays an important role when the recording and reading device is inserted into the case body 10 as described below.

That is, when the box body 10 is inserted into the recording and reading device from the front end of the box body 10, the automatic loading mechanism of the reading and recording device will grasp the recess 54 near the front end of the box body 10 for automatic loading. However, if the rear end of the box body 10 is inserted into the recording and reading device by mistake, the automatic loading mechanism of the reading and recording device detects the groove 52 near the rear end of the box body 10, and makes the box The insertion of the main body 10 is stopped.

In this embodiment, the notch 120 of the lower case 10b and the small notch designed in the upper case 10a are used to form a portion with a groove function instead of the groove 52 intentionally formed in the case 10 to prevent mis-insertion.

Also, coupling pawls 19 are designed in the case bodies 10 of the disc cartridges 200 and 250, and coupling portions 37 are designed in the corresponding disc holders 30, which are not shown in the figure for simplicity. A disc cartridge having all of the features of disc cartridges 100, 200 and 250 is preferred.

As described above, the disc cartridge of the present invention has a handle at the center of the disc holder, which improves the operability of the disc holder from the box body, and at the same time, the surface of the disc is seldom touched by fingers. touch. Also, because the handle portion improves the rigidity of the disc holder body, the size of the center portion of the disc holder body can be reduced, and the case body can be miniaturized.

Also, since the handle portion and the case body are locked securely, the disc holder is excessively inserted into the case body so that the case body and the handle portion do not overlap.

Another disc cartridge of the present invention can prevent the disc holder from being inserted into the case by mistake upside down.

Another disc cartridge of the present invention has a structure in which it is difficult for fingers to press the elastic member when grasping the two corners of the rear end of the case with one hand, so that the lock between the disc holder and the case will not be released by misoperation. This prevents the disc holder from being accidentally pulled out of the case and exposing the disc.

In addition, when the disc holder of the present invention is housed in the case, the arms of the disc holder are not elastically deformed, so even if the disc holder is housed in the case for a long period of time, there is no stress relaxation in the arms. In this way, the arm portion and the disc holder body can be integrally formed using plastic or other materials, thereby reducing the price of the disc holder.

Claims (12)

1. cassette record disk, possess indicator retainer and the box that to support disc recording medium, described box has the incorporating section that can take in described indicator retainer and described recording medium and top, the following and side that surrounds described incorporating section is arranged, and can with described disc recording medium described indicator retainer be inserted described incorporating section by the peristome that in the part of described side, is provided with and from described incorporating section the indicator retainer is deviate from, it is characterized in that:

In described indicator retainer, be provided with handle portion in order to hold described indicator retainer, described handle portion is thicker than other parts of described indicator retainer, has trapezoidal shape below reaching above, on described box and below have and when described indicator retainer is in the state that is contained in the box, described handle portion exposed and have notch part with the corresponding inclination of inclination of the trapezoidal shape of described handle portion, side in the described handle portion of described indicator retainer and the described notch part of described box has a plurality of teats, the opposing party in described handle portion and the described notch part has a plurality of recesses sealed with described teat, when described indicator retainer inserts in the described box, sealed by described teat and recess suppresses the distortion laterally by the described handle portion of described indicator retainer of described box.

2. cassette record disk according to claim 1 is characterized in that, the following shape of the upper shape of the described handle portion of described indicator retainer and described handle portion is different.

3. cassette record disk according to claim 2, it is characterized in that, above the described handle portion of described indicator retainer described and above described box described same plane is arranged, below described handle portion described and below described box described same plane is arranged.

4. cassette record disk according to claim 2 is characterized in that, the difference of the described top shape of described handle portion and the described following shape of described handle portion can be from identification visually.

5. cassette record disk according to claim 1, it is characterized in that, described indicator retainer has the body of the described peristome that clogs described box when described indicator retainer inserts described box and 2 bights of extending from described body, and described handle portion is located in the described body of described indicator retainer.

6. cassette record disk according to claim 1 is characterized in that, the described handle portion of described indicator retainer has relative with the top and lower part of described recording medium respectively face.

7. cassette record disk according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described indicator retainer has when the described peristome of described box is in the closed position the sticking department that described indicator retainer is fixed in the described box.

8. cassette record disk according to claim 7, it is characterized in that, described sticking department comprises the portion that stops that is located in the described cassette sidewall and in the lock section of described indicator retainer side, when described indicator retainer inserts described box, when described indicator retainer was positioned at the position that the described peristome of described box closes, the described portion that stops of the described lock section of described indicator retainer and described box was sealed.

9. cassette record disk according to claim 5 is characterized in that, the described arm of described indicator retainer be provided with the described recording medium of restriction to the indicator support sector that moves with following vertical direction above the described recording medium.

10. cassette record disk according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the end of the described arm of described indicator retainer, the described indicator support sector that forms in the position nearest from described end is provided with the importing tablet of the described recording medium of guiding simultaneously; Described importing tablet limit described recording medium to move with following vertical direction above the described recording medium, make the described recording medium described indicator retainer of packing into easily.

11. cassette record disk according to claim 1 is characterized in that, on described handle portion, have any different above the described indicator retainer and below the identification part.

12. cassette record disk according to claim 11 is characterized in that, described identification part has with the then identifiable shape of finger touch.

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