Recording medium drive device, electronic equipment having the recording medium drive device, and recording medium cartridge

A disk cartridge drive apparatus, comprising:

• a holder configured to receive and hold a disk cartridge having a disk, a case configured to accommodate the disk, and including an arc-shaped surface formed at an insertion direction side of the holder, and side surfaces continuing both ends of the arc-shaped surface and respectively formed as direct lines at the insertion direction, a light transparent aperture formed contiguous with one side surface of the side surfaces and configured to input a laser beam, an insertion groove formed between the arc-shaped surface and a portion at an ejection direction side of the light transparent aperture in the one side surface, and a function expansion groove formed between the arc-shaped surface and a continuous portion of the arc-shaped surface and another side surface;
• a shutter opening piece provided at a position opposed to the side surface of the disk cartridge;
• and
• a recording/reproducing means for executing a recording a data to, and/or, a reproducing a data from the disk accommodated in the disk cartridge held in the holder,
• wherein when the disk cartridge is inserted into the holder, if the shutter opening piece is inserted into the insertion groove, the shutter opening piece is moved to a portion of the ejection direction side of the insertion groove, and if the shutter opening piece is inserted into the function expansion groove, the shutter opening piece is contacted with an aperture edge of the function expansion groove formed at the continuous portion to thereby prevent the insertion of the disk cartridge into the holder.

A recording medium drive device which can be loaded with a recording medium cartridge rotatably accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium therein, wherein

• said recording medium cartridge has, in planar shape, a semi-circular portion and a substantially rectangular portion contiguous with the semi-circular portion,
• said semi-circular portion has a first arc surface following along the planar shape of said disk-shaped recording medium and accommodates substantially half of said recording medium,
• said substantially rectangular portion has parallel sides contiguous with ends of said semi-circular portion and a second arc surface connecting the two ends of the sides and having a larger curvature than said first arc surface,
• a function expansion groove is provided at said arc surface of said semi-circular portion in the vicinity of at least one side of said substantially rectangular portion,
• an opening for recording information from the recording medium drive device onto said recording medium or reading information recorded on said recording medium is provided in said semi-circular portion or said substantially rectangular portion,
• said recording medium drive device comprises:
• a chassis;
• a holder which is provided so that it can be opened or closed using one end of the chassis as a pivot and enables insertion or ejection of said recording medium cartridge with respect to said chassis when in the open state;
• recording/reading means for recording information onto said recording medium or for reading information from said recording medium via said opening of said recording medium cartridge when said recording medium cartridge is inserted into said holder;
• and
• a projection engaging with said function expansion groove provided at said arc surface of said recording medium cartridge to prevent erroneous insertion of said recording medium cartridge when said recording medium cartridge is inserted into said holder in a backward direction.

An electronic apparatus provided with a recording medium drive device which can be loaded with a recording medium cartridge rotatably accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium therein, wherein said electronic apparatus comprising:

• a main body;
• and
• an outer housing configured to be freely opened or closed with respect to said main body, wherein
• said recording medium drive device is accommodated in a recess of said main body,
• said disk-shaped recording medium includes
• a chassis,
• a holder configured to be opened or closed using one end of the chassis as a pivot and to enable insertion or ejection of said recording medium cartridge when it is opened with respect to said chassis, and
• recording/reading means for recording information onto said recording medium or for reading information from said recording medium via said opening of said recording medium cartridge when said recording medium cartridge is inserted into said holder,
• wherein said holder of said disk-shaped recording medium accommodated in said recess is configured to be opened with respect to said chassis in response to the opening/closing of said outer housing and to enable insertion of said recording medium cartridge into said holder or ejection of the recording medium cartridge from said holder,
• said recording medium cartridge includes, in planar shape, a semi-circular portion and an substantially rectangular portion contiguous with the semi-circular portion, said semi-circular portion has a first arc surface following along the planar shape of said disk-shaped recording medium and accommodates substantially half of said recording medium, said substantially rectangular portion has parallel sides contiguous with ends of said semi-circular portion and a second arc surface connecting the two ends of the sides and having a larger curvature than said arc surface, a function expansion groove is provided in the vicinity of at least one said side of said substantially rectangular portion of said arc surface of said semi-circular portion,
• an opening for recording information from the recording medium drive device onto said recording medium or reading information recorded on said recording medium is provided in said semi-circular portion or said substantially rectangular portion, and
• provision is further made of a projection engaged with said function expansion groove provided in said arc surface of said recording medium cartridge and suppressing erroneous insertion of said recording medium cartridge when said recording medium cartridge is inserted into said holder upside down.

A recording medium cartridges, comprising:

• a flat case in which a disk-shaped recording medium is rotatably accommodated and is used mounted on a holder of a recording medium drive device provided with the holder having a shutter opening piece (32d), wherein
• a surface on an insertion direction side of said case to said holder of said recording medium drive device is formed as a substantially arc surface of an arc state having a center angle of substantially 180°,
• two surfaces contiguous with two ends of said arc surface are formed as straight sides,
• said arc surface of said case is formed with a function expansion groove for expanding a function as a recording medium cartridge,
• said case is formed with an opening for establishing a signal path for recording information onto said disk-shaped recording medium or reading information recorded on said recording medium at a position nearer one side,
• an opening edge of an eject direction side of the function expansion groove opposite to said insertion direction is located at a connecting portion of an other side located opposite to the one side and the arc surface, and
• when said recording medium cartridge is inserted into said holder of said recording medium drive device in an erroneous direction, the opening edge of said function expansion groove of said case contacts the shutter opening piece of the recording medium drive device to prevent erroneous insertion into the holder.

A recording medium cartridge rotatably accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium and used loaded in a recording medium drive device, said recording medium cartridge comprising:

• in its planar shape, a semi-circular portion and a substantially rectangular portion contiguous with the semi-circular portion, wherein
• said semi-circular portion has a first arc surface following along the planar shape of said disk-shaped recording medium and accommodates substantially half of said recording medium,
• said substantially rectangular portion has parallel sides contiguous with ends of said semi-circular portion and a second arc surface connecting the two ends of said sides and having a larger curvature than said first arc surface,
• a function expansion groove is provided in the arc surface of said semi-circular portion in the vicinity of at least one side of said substantially rectangular portion,
• an opening for recording information from said recording medium drive device onto said recording medium or reading information recorded on said recording medium is provided in said semi-circular portion or said substantially rectangular portion, and
• when said recording medium cartridge is inserted into said holder in an upside-down direction, a projection provided on said holder is engaged with said function expansion groove provided in said arc surface of said recording medium cartridge to prevent the erroneous insertion of said recording medium cartridge.