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US 6,212,038 B1Granted
Shutter mechanism for disk cartridge
AssigneesDai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Pioneer Video Corporation, Pioneer Electric Corporation
InventorHiroshi Kishida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A slide mechanism for a shutter, installed on a cartridge case of a disk cartridge, which is slidable in both right and left directions relative to the cartridge case from a neutral position at which a head access opening is closed by the shutter, and which is constituted by a smaller number of components and easy to assemble. The case has a groove which forms between a pair of counterparts forming the case itself; the shutter is biased toward a neutral position at which the shutter closes the head access opening; and the shutter has a projecting part which slidably engages the groove. The shutter is divided by a connecting portion of the upper wall side shutter plate and the lower wall side shutter plate, and the shutter is fixed together after the shutter plates are assembled to the cartridge case.
Claims17
A method for assembling a disk cartridge which includes:
- a cartridge case which has an upper half-shell with an upper wall and a lower half-shell with a lower wall in which the cartridge case has a head access opening;
- a disk-shaped recording medium which is rotatably housed inside the cartridge case;
- a shutter which is slidable relative to the cartridge case in a sliding direction from right to left relative thereto with a neutral position therebetween corresponding to a position at which the shutter closes the head access opening;
- guide means which is defined by a part of the cartridge case in the sliding direction;
- a first slider which is fixed to the shutter and which is guided by the guide means;
- and
- biasing means which exerts a biasing force upon the first slider so as to return the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved to one of the right and left from the neutral position,
- wherein the biasing means comprises:
- a pair of second sliders which are guided by the guide means, wherein one of the second sliders is arranged on one of a pair of sides of the first slider, and wherein the other of the second sliders is arranged on the other thereof of the first slider;
- spring means which attracts the pair of second sliders to each other;
- and
- a stopper, provided on the cartridge case, which has a pair of ends, wherein one of the ends is able to abut an inner surface of one of the second sliders, and wherein the other of the ends is able to abut an inner surface of the other of the second sliders from inside, and
- wherein the guide means comprises a first guide groove which a part of the upper wall and a part of the lower wall cooperate to form therebetween, and
- wherein the first slider comprises a projecting part which is slidable inside the first guide groove, and
- wherein the second slider slidably engages the first guide groove, and
- wherein the shutter comprises an upper shutter plate and a lower shutter plate, in which the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are divided at a location where the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are connected to each other,
- the method comprising the steps of:
- mounting one of the upper shutter plate of the shutter and the lower shutter plate thereof on the lower half-shell generally in a direction of thickness of the lower half-shell so that the projecting part of the first slider which is fixed to the shutter engages the first guide groove;
- mounting the pair of second sliders on the lower half-shell generally in the direction of thickness of the lower half-shell so that the pair of second sliders engage the first guide groove, and then connecting the pair of second sliders by the spring means;
- connecting the upper half-shell to the lower half-shell;
- and
- connecting the one of the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate to the other thereof.
19 more elements
A method for assembling a disk cartridge which includes:
- a cartridge case which has an upper half-shell with an upper wall and a lower half-shell with a lower wall in which the cartridge case has a head access opening;
- a disk-shaped recording medium which is rotatably housed inside the cartridge case;
- a shutter which is slidable relative to the cartridge case in a sliding direction from right to left relative thereto with a neutral position therebetween corresponding to a position at which the shutter closes the head access opening;
- guide means which is defined by a part of the cartridge case in the sliding direction;
- a first slider which is fixed to the shutter and which is guided by the guide means;
- and
- biasing means which exerts a biasing force upon the first slider so as to return the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved to one of the right and left from the neutral position,
- wherein the guide means comprises a guide groove which a part of the upper wall and a part of the lower wall cooperate to form therebetween,
- wherein the first slider comprises a projecting part which is slidable inside the guide groove, and
- wherein the shutter comprises an upper shutter plate and a lower shutter plate, in which the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are divided at a location where the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate are connected to each other,
- the method comprising the steps of:
- mounting one of the upper shutter plate of the shutter and the lower shutter plate thereof on the lower half-shell generally in a direction of thickness of the lower half-shell so that the projecting part of the first slider which is fixed to the shutter engages the guide groove;
- connecting the upper half-shell to the lower half-shell;
- and
- connecting the one of the upper shutter plate and the lower shutter plate to the other thereof.
12 more elements
A method for assembling a disk cartridge which includes:
- a cartridge case which has an upper half-shell with an upper wall and a lower half-shell with a lower wall in which the cartridge case has a head access opening;
- a disk-shaped recording medium which is rotatably housed inside the cartridge case;
- a shutter which is slidable relative to the cartridge case in a sliding direction from right to left relative thereto with a neutral position therebetween corresponding to a position at which the shutter closes the head access opening;
- guide means which is defined by a part of the cartridge case in the sliding direction;
- a first slider which is guided by the guide means;
- and
- biasing means which exerts a biasing force upon the first slider so as to return the shutter to the neutral position when the shutter is moved to one of the right and left from the neutral position,
- wherein the biasing means further comprises:
- a pair of second sliders which are guided by the guide means, wherein one of the second sliders is arranged on one of a pair of sides of the first slider, and wherein the other of the second sliders is arranged on the other thereof of the first slider;
- spring means which attracts the pair of second sliders to each other;
- and
- a stopper, provided on the cartridge case, which has a pair of ends, wherein one of the ends is able to abut an inner surface of one of the second sliders, and wherein the other of the ends is able to abut an inner surface of the other of the second sliders from inside,
- wherein the guide means comprises a guide rail which is integrated with an inner surface of one of the upper wall and the lower wall in the sliding direction,
- wherein the first slider slidably engages the guide rail, and
- wherein the second slider slidably engages the guide rail,
- the method comprising the steps of:
- mounting the first slider on the guide rail generally in a direction of thickness of the one of the upper wall and the lower wall;
- mounting the pair of second sliders on the guide rail, and then connecting the pair of second sliders by the spring means;
- connecting the upper half-shell and the lower half-shell to each other;
- and
- fixing the shutter to the first slider.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.