Cartridge locking mechanism and tray locking mechanism for cartridge drive apparatus
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorTakeshi Suzuki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cartridge tray is supported to be movable relative to a frame and capable of receiving a cartridge inserted thereinto. The cartridge tray comprises a cartridge locking lever for locking the cartridge to the cartridge tray, and a lever guard for enabling the cartridge locking lever to act to lock the cartridge to the cartridge tray when the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge tray. With the provision of the lever guard, the cartridge locking lever is prevented from transitioning to a locking state even if the tray locking lever is unlocked while no cartridge is accommodated in the cartridge tray.
Claims20
A cartridge tray supported to be movable relative to a frame, and capable of receiving a cartridge inserted thereinto, said cartridge tray comprising:
- a cartridge locking mechanism locking said cartridge to said cartridge tray;
- and
- a cartridge lock actuating mechanism that prevents said cartridge locking mechanism from acting when said cartridge is not inserted into said cartridge tray, and enables said cartridge locking mechanism to act to lock said cartridge to said cartridge tray when said cartridge is inserted into said cartridge tray, said cartridge lock actuating mechanism comprising:
- a protrusion capable of projecting into an interior of said cartridge tray;
- an urging member urging said protrusion to project into the interior of said cartridge tray;
- and
- a tab integrated with said protrusion, said tab preventing said cartridge locking mechanism from acting to lock said cartridge to said cartridge tray when said protrusion remains projecting into the interior of said cartridge tray,
- wherein, when said tab does not prevent said cartridge locking mechanism from rotating due to said protrusion being pushed out from the interior of said cartridge tray to an exterior of said cartridge tray by said cartridge when said cartridge is inserted into said cartridge tray, said cartridge locking mechanism acts to lock said cartridge to said cartridge tray, and
- wherein a plane, which is parallel to a rotation direction of said cartridge lock actuating mechanism, is perpendicular to a plane which is parallel to a rotation direction of said cartridge locking mechanism.
A cartridge tray supported to be movable relative to a frame, and capable of receiving a cartridge inserted thereinto, said cartridge tray comprising:
- a cartridge locking means for locking said cartridge to said cartridge tray;
- and
- a cartridge lock actuating means for preventing said cartridge locking means from acting when said cartridge is not inserted into said cartridge tray, and for enabling said cartridge locking means to act to lock said cartridge to said cartridge tray when said cartridge is inserted into said cartridge tray, said cartridge lock actuating means comprising:
- a protrusion capable of projecting into an interior of said cartridge tray;
- urging means urging said protrusion to project into the interior of said cartridge tray;
- and
- an engaging means preventing said cartridge locking means from acting to lock said cartridge to said cartridge tray when said protrusion remains projecting into the interior of said cartridge tray,
- wherein, when said engaging means does not prevent said cartridge locking means from rotating due to said protrusion being pushed out from the interior of said cartridge tray to an exterior of said cartridge tray by said cartridge when said cartridge is inserted into said cartridge tray, said cartridge locking means acts to lock said cartridge to said cartridge tray, and
- wherein a plane, which is parallel to a rotation direction of said cartridge lock actuating means, is perpendicular to a plane which is parallel to a rotation direction of said cartridge locking means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.