Snap-open magnetic tape cartridge

Claim 2

A closable cartridge having a hollow base member with an opening and having first and second end walls, first and second sidewalls; a closable lid hinged to said first sidewall for opening and closing movements between a free side of said lid and said second sidewall, said lid having first and second lid ends, respectively, closable on said first and second end walls; the improvement including in combination: an inwardly facing cam surface on said second sidewall adjacent said opening and a mating outwardly facing cam surface on said free side; an outwardly extending latch on each lid end; each end wall having an inwardly opening catch means for respectively receiving and releasably holding said latches; and said second sidewall being inwardly deformable to cam said lid outwardly and said end walls releasing said latches by outward deformation when said lid is cammed outwardly such that the lid snaps outwardly.

Claim 3

The subject matter of claim 1 wherein said lid ends include an inwardly tapered end portion, said latches being respectively integral on said portions as outwardly extending scallops with an axis parallel to the longitudinal extent of said lid.

Claim 4

The subject matter of claim 2 further including a magnetic tape removably disposed in said base member and having one end fixedly secured to said free end such that as said lid is opened said tape is at least partially removed from said base member by said scallops effecting a snap-opening action in a coaction with said end walls.

Claim 5

The subject matter of claim 2 wherein said lid is a platelike plastic member having a depending flange at said sidewall to facilitate hinging therebetween, said base member being a unitary plastic open-sided receptacle with all walls being flexible transverse to their respective extents, said scallops extending outwardly to approximately the outermost end extent of said lid.

Claim 6

The subject matter of claim 4 further including means holding said first sidewall against deformation during opening of said cartridge by inward deformation of said second sidewall, thereby facilitating snap-opening thereof.

Claim 7

A snap-opening magnetic-tape container assembly, a rectangular tape receptacle having longitudinal and end walls and with one side open and said walls capable of limited flexing, a closable lid hingedly secured to one longitudinal wall of the receptacle for closing the opening and having a set of end walls for closing onto end walls of said receptacle, the improvement including in combination, outwardly extending latch means on each one of a first set of said end walls, each end wall in a second set of said end walls having latch-receiving means for receiving said latch means, respectively for releasably holding said lid closed against said receptacle, said latch and latch-receiving means having a locking engagement as said latch means enters said latch-receiving means to thereby securely close the lid, means interacting between said lid and another longitudinal wall opposite said hinged securing to simultaneously flex said one wall inwardly of said receptacle and urge said lid to snap open by forcing said latches out of said latch-receiving means, respectively.

Claim 8

A snap-opening magnetic-tape container assembly, a rectangular tape receptacle having longitudinal and end walls and with one side open and said walls capable of limited flexing, a closable lid hingedly secured to one longitudinal wall of the receptacle for closing the opening and having a set of end walls for closing onto end walls of said receptacle, the improvement including in combination, outwardly extending latch means on each one of a first set of said end walls, each end wall in a second set of said end walls having latch-receiving means for receiving said latch means, respectively for releasably holding said lid closed against said receptacle, said latch and latch-receiving means having a locking engagement as said latch means enters said latch-receiving means to thereby securely close the lid, means interacting between said lid and another longitudinal wall opposite said hinged securing to simultaneously flex said one wall inwardly of said receptacle and urge said lid to snap open by forcing said latches out of said latch-receiving means, respectively.

Claim 9

The assembly of claim 6 wherein said latches have a general arcuate shape for variable frictional locking engagement with the respective latch-receiving means.

Claim 10

The assembly of claim 6 further including means in operative relation to said one longitudinal wall for preventing said limited flexing such that stresses introduced by flexure of said another longitudinal wall to cam said lid outwardly are prevented from flexing said one longitudinal wall, such that said lid is not distorted to thereby facilitate snap opening.