Disc cartridge with a shutter

Claim 2

A disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge main body (4) includes a pair of positioning holes (31, 32) on the upstream and downstream sides of the aperture (8) in the sliding direction of the shutter to engage with positioning pins.

Claim 3

A disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge main body is made up of a pair of halves (2, 3), one (3) of which in formed with the aperture (8), and wherein the shutter is constituted by an opening/closure section (14) to open/close the aperture (8), a frictional contacting section (15) frictionally to contact with the major surface of the half (2) other than the half (3) provided with the aperture (8), and a connecting section (13) interconnecting the opening/closure section (14) and the frictional contacting section (15) and formed with an engaging section (18) engaging with the shutter locking member (24).

Claim 4

A disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge main body (4) is constituted by a pair of interconnected halves (2, 3), an aperture (8, 51) is formed in each of the halves and the shutter (52) is constituted by a pair of opening/closure sections (14, 15) opening or closing each of the apertures (8, 51) and a connecting portion interconnecting the sections (14, 15) and provided with an engaging section (13) engaged by the shutter locking member (24).

Claim 5

A disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disc cartridge comprises biasing means (23) normally to bias the shutter in the direction of closing the aperture (8), the shutter locking member (24) is provided at an upstream side corner of the cartridge main body along the sliding direction of the shutter and wherein the biasing means is provided at a downstream side corner of the cartridge main body.

Claim 6

A disc cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising mistaken recording inhibiting means (58) provided at a corner of a major surface on a side (41) parallel to the front side (11) of the cartridge main body (4) provided with the shutter opening/closure member inserting groove (16).

Claim 7

A disc cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the mistaken recording inhibiting means comprises a mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) movable with respect to the optical recording medium (5) between a first portion indicating a signal recordable position and a second position indicating a signal unrecordable position, the inhibiting member (58) being provided on one of a pair of sides (10, 41) constituting a corner of a major surface of lateral sides parallel to the front side of the cartridge main body provided with the shutter opening/closure member inserting opening (16).

Claim 8

A shutter for a disc cartridge, the shutter (21) being slidably mounted on a cartridge main body (4) of the disc cartridge, the cartridge main body rotatably accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium (5) and having an aperture (8) on one major surface thereof partially to expose the disc-shaped recording medium (5) to outside, the shutter (12) comprising an opening/closure section (14) to open and close the aperture (8); a frictional contacting section (15) frictionally to contact a major surface of the cartridge main body (4) other than the half (3) provided with the aperture (8); a connecting section (13) inter-connecting the opening/closure section (14) and the frictional contacting section (15); and the opening/closure section (14), the frictional contacting section (15) and the connecting section (13) being formed as one piece.

Claim 9

A shutter for a disc cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the frictional contacting section (15) is of a shorter length than the opening/closure section (14).

Claim 10

A shutter for a disc cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the connecting section (13) includes an engaging section (18) engaged by a shutter locking member (24) to locking the shutter (12) at a position closing the aperture (8) of the cartridge main body (4).

Claim 11

A disc cartridge comprising a cartridge main body (4) accommodating a disc-shaped optical recording medium (5) therein and having an aperture (8) radially to expose at least a portion of the optical recording medium (5) to outside; a shutter (12) slidably mounted on the cartridge main body (4) to open and close the aperture (8); a resilient flexible shutter locking member (24) to maintain the shutter (12) in a position closing the aperture (8); a shutter opening/closure member introducing groove (16) having an opening end (16 a ) on a side (9) of the cartridge main body normal to a sliding direction of the shutter, the groove (16) being formed on a front side (11) of the cartridge main body extending parallel to the sliding direction of the shutter to expose a portion at the free side of the shutter locking member (14); and mistaken recording inhibiting means (58) provided at a corner on a major surface of the cartridge main body on a side (41) parallel to the front side (11) of the cartridge main body (4) provided with the shutter opening/closure member inserting groove (16).

Claim 12

A disc cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the mistaken recording inhibiting means comprises a mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) movable with respect to the optical recording medium (5) between a first position indicating a signal recordable position and a second position indicating a signal unrecordable position, the inhibiting member (58) being provided on one of a pair of sides (10, 41) constituting a corner of a major surface of lateral sides parallel to the front side (11) of the cartridge main body provided with the shutter opening/closure member inserting opening (16).

Claim 13

A disc cartridge comprising a cartridge main body accommodating a disc-shaped optical recording medium (5) about 64 mm in diameter therein so as to be rotated from outside and having an aperture (8) radially to expose at least a portion of the optical recording medium (5) to outside; a shutter (12) slidably mounted on the cartridge main body (4) to open and close the aperture (8); a resilient flexible shutter locking member (24) to maintain the shutter in a position closing the aperture; and a shutter opening/closure member introducing groove (16) having an opening end (16 a ) on a side (9) of the cartridge main body normal to a sliding direction of the shutter, the groove (16) being formed on a front side (11) of the cartridge main body extending parallel to the sliding direction of the shutter to expose a portion at the free side of the shutter locking member (24).

Claim 14

A disc cartridge according to claim 13, further comprising a pair of positioning holes (31, 32) to engage with positioning pins on upstream and downstream sides of the aperture (8) with respect to the sliding direction of the shutter (12) and provided in the cartridge main body (4).

Claim 15

A disc cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the positioning holes (31, 32) are provided so as to be closer to one major surface of the cartridge main body towards the front side (11) formed with the shutter opening/closing member introducing groove (16) than the centre of the disc-shaped recording medium (5) accommodated in the cartridge main body (4).

Claim 16

A disc cartridge comprising a cartridge main body accommodating a disc-shaped optical recording medium (5) therein and having an aperture (8) radially to expose at least a portion of the optical recording medium (5) to outside; a shutter (12) slidably mounted on the cartridge main body (4) to open and close the aperture (8); a resilient flexible shutter locking member (24) to maintain the shutter (12) in a position closing the aperture (8); a shutter opening/closure member introducing groove (16) having an opening end (16 a ) on a side (9) of the cartridge main body normal to a sliding direction of the shutter, the groove being formed on a front side (11) of the cartridge main body extending parallel to the sliding direction of the shutter to expose a portion at the free side of the shutter locking member (24); and a mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) formed integrally of an operating lug (62) exposed at least partially to outside via an operating window (42) provided in a side (41) of the cartridge main body, a main body (61) provided on at least one major surface of the cartridge main body to open or close a detecting hole (60) indicating recordability or non-recordability of information signals on the recording medium, and a controlling section to control the movement of the main body (61) between the first position of opening the detecting hole (60) and the second position of closing the detecting hole (60) by the main body (61), the mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) being mounted on the cartridge main body (4) for movement in a direction normal to the direction of thickness of the recording medium (5).

Claim 17

A disc cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the operating window (42) is formed in a side (41) of the cartridge body facing the front side (11) of the cartridge main body.

Claim 18

A disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) is mounted in the cartridge main body (4) for movement in a direction normal to the thickness of the optical recording medium and in a direction along the side (41) facing the front side (11) of the cartridge main body.

Claim 19

A disc cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the controlling section of the mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) comprises a pair of arms (63, 64) facing each other in a direction parallel to the direction of opening or closing of the detecting hole by the main body and engaging sections (65 a , 65 b ) formed on the arms (63, 64) and engaging with mating engaging sections (66 a , 66 b ) formed on the inner sides of the cartridge main body, the operating window (42) being formed in the side (41) parallel to the direction of opening or closing the detecting hole (60) by the main body.

Claim 20

A disc cartridge comprising a cartridge main body accommodating a disc-shaped optical recording medium (5) therein and having an aperture (8) radially to expose at least a portion of the optical recording medium (5) to outside; a shutter (12) slidably mounted on the cartridge main body (4) to open and close the aperture (8); a resilient flexible shutter locking member (24) to maintain the shutter (12) in a position closing the aperture (8); a shutter opening/closure member introducing groove (16) having an opening end (16a) on a side (9) of the cartridge main body normal to a sliding direction of the shutter, the groove being formed on a front side (11) of the cartridge main body extending parallel to the sliding direction of the shutter to expose a portion at the free side of the shutter locking member (24); discriminating means (33, 34) provided in a major surface of the cartridge main body to discriminate types or sorts of the optical recording medium (5); and mistaken recording inhibiting/detecting means (58) provided in the major surface of the cartridge main body to indicate recordability or non-recordability of information signals on the optical recording medium (5).

Claim 21

A disc cartridge according to claim 20, wherein a mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) is formed integrally of an operating lug exposed at least partially to outside via an operating window (42) provided in a side (41) facing the front side (11) of the cartridge main body parallel to the sliding direction of the shutter, a main body (61) provided at least at one major surface of the cartridge main body and to open or close a detecting hole (60) indicating recordability or non-recordability of information signals on the recording medium (5), and a controlling section to control the movement of the main body (61) between a first position of opening the detecting hole (60) and a second position of closing the detecting hole (60) by the main body (61), the mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) being mounted on the cartridge main body (4) for movement in a direction normal to the direction of thickness of the recording medium (5).

Claim 22

A disc cartridge according to claim 20, wherein a mistaken recording inhibiting member (58) is provided in a hole (160) formed in at least one major surface of the cartridge main body via a connecting portion (162) rupturable from the cartridge main body.