Reel container

Claim 2

In a magnetic tape reel container of the type having parallel flat bottom and cover walls and circumferential side walls, with at least the bottom wall having a centered integral reel-supporting arbor portion projecting inwardly therefrom, and with said walls and arbor portion arranged to loosely retain said reel so as to permit relatively free rotation of said reel with respect to said container when said reel is contained therein, the combination comprising: a manually operable member centrally mounted for rotation in said cover and having cam follower means projecting radially therefrom; said bottom arbor portion having a central opening in the inwardly projecting end thereof for receiving said manually operable member, said opeing being shaped to provide axial passages for said cam follower means and being defined in part by at least one radially inwardly extending flange presenting a cam ramp for engaging said cam follower means and for causing said cover to be urged toward said bottom arbor portion upon rotation of said member toward a closed position; said cam ramp having at least one notch for engaging said cam follower means in the closed position; and resiliently deformable means between said cover and said bottom arbor portion for loading said cam follower means against said cam ramp independently of said reel during said rotation and for thereby causing said cam follower means to be retained in said notch in the closed position.

Claim 3

The combination in the container recited in claim 1, wherein: said manually operable member is a key member having at least one bit portion constituting said cam follower means; and said bottom arbor portion is warded to provide said central opening as a keyhole opening and said axial passages as ward passages for said bits.

Claim 4

The combination in the container recited in claim 2 and also including: two diametrically opposed bit portions projecting radially from said manually operable key member on the inward side thereof; the keyhole opening of said bottom arbor portion being shaped to provide axial ward passages for both of said bit portions and being defined in part by two diametrically opposed flanges extending radially inwardly and presenting two cam ramps for engaging said bit portions; and each of said cam ramps having at least one notch for engaging said bits in the closed position.

Claim 5

In a magnetic tape reel container of the type having parallel flat bottom and cover walls and circumferential side walls, with at least the bottom wall having a centered integral reel-supporting arbor portion projecting inwardly therefrom, and with said walls and arbor portion arranged to loosely retain said reel so as to permit relatively free rotation of said reel with respect to said container when said reel is contained therein, the combination comprising: a manually operable member centrally mounted for rotation in said cover and having cam follower means projecting radially therefrom; said bottom arbor portion having a central opening in the inwardly projecting end thereof for receiving said manually operable member, said opening being shaped to provide axial passages for said cam follower means and being defined in part by at least one radially inwardly extending flange presenting a cam ramp for engaging said cam follower means and for causng said cover to be urged toward said bottom arbor portion upon rotation of said member toward a closed position; said cam ramp having at least one notch for engaging said cam follower means in the closed position; and resiliently deformable means between said cover and said bottom arbor portion for loading said cam follower means against said cam ramp independently of said reel during said rotation and for thereby causing said cam follower means to be retained in said notch in the closed position; said manually operated member being a key member having at least one bit portion constituting said cam follower means; said bottom arbor portion being warded to provide said central opening as a keyhole opening and said axial passages as ward passages for said bits; said resiliently deformable means comprising a closed cell silicone foam rubber gasket ring mounted on said cover concentric with said manually operable key member; and said bottom arbor portion having a circular ridge mating with and compressively bearing against said rubber gasket ring in the closed position.

Claim 6

In a magnetic tape reel container of the type having parallel flat bottom and cover walls and circumferential side walls, with at least the bottom wall having a centered integral reel-supporting arbor portion projecting inwardly therefrom, and with said walls and arbor portion arranged to loosely retain said reel so as to permit relatively free rotation of said reel with respect to said container when said reel is contained therein, the combination comprising: a manually operable member centrally mounted for rotation in said cover and having cam follower means projecting radially therefrom; said bottom arbor portion having a central opening in the inwardly projecting end thereof for receiving said manually operable member, said opening being shaped to provide axial passages for said cam follower means and being defined in part by at least one radially inwardly extending flange presenting a cam ramp for engaging said cam follower means and for causng said cover to be urged toward said bottom arbor portion upon rotation of said member toward a closed position; said cam ramp having at least one notch for engaging said cam follower means in the closed position; and resiliently deformable means between said cover and said bottom arbor portion for loading said cam follower means against said cam ramp independently of said reel during said rotation and for thereby causing said cam follower means to be retained in said notch in the closed position; said manually operated member being a key member having at least one bit portion constituting said cam follower means; said bottom arbor portion being warded to provide said central opening as a keyhole opening and said axial passages as ward passages for said bits; said resiliently deformable means comprising a closed cell silicone foam rubber gasket ring mounted on said cover concentric with said manually operable key member; and said bottom arbor portion having a circular ridge mating with and compressively bearing against said rubber gasket ring in the closed position.

Claim 7

The combination in the container recited in claim 4, wherein: said bottom arbor portion extends inwardly substantially for half the axial dimension of said container, and said cover is provided with a corresponding cover arbor portion in which said rubber ring is set to mate with said circular ridge; said bottom arbor portion having a truncated downwardly convergingly tapering conical shaped recess within said circular ridge; said radially inwardly extending flanges of said bottom arbor portion being formed to extend from the conical interior wall of said recess to define said central keyhole opening and said axial ward passages for receiving said manually operable key member and said bits thereof; said cam ramps being formed on the sides of said flanges axially remote from said cover, and being sloped to urge said cover toward said bottom arbor portion upon rotation of said manually operable key member in a predetermined direction.

Claim 8

The combination in the container recited in claim 5, wherein said predetermined direction is clockwise. similarly

Claim 9

The combination in the container as recited in claim 5, wherein each cam ramp has two notches, smilarly angularly spaced in each ramp, a first of said notches intermediate the extremities of the ramp corresponding to a closed condition of said container, and a second of said notches corresponding to a locked condition of said container and being located at the limit of rotation of said manually operable key means away from the open position of axial alignment of said bits with said axial ward passages; and said ramps each being provided with a stop portion at said second notch, projecting axially away from said cover, for limiting the rotation of said bits in the locked position.

Claim 10

The combination in the container recited in claim 5, wherein said arbor portions are dimensioned to loosely impale said reel mounted therein, and with said bottom and cover loosely bracketing said reel, in the closed and locked conditions of said container, so as to permit unimpeded rotation of said reel upon said arbor portions.

Claim 11

The combination in the container recited in claim 8, wherein a pair of rings formed of low-friction material are mounted on said respective arbor portions adjacent the cover and bottom of said container to aid said rotation of said reel.

Claim 12

In a magnetic tape reel container of the type having parallel flat bottom and cover walls and circumferential side walls, with at least the bottom wall having a centered integral reel-supporting arbor portion projecting inwardly therefrom and with said walls and arbor portions arranged to loosely retain said reel so as to permit relatively free rotation of said reel with respect to said container when said reel is contained therein, the combination comprising: a manually operable member centrally mounted for rotation in said cover and having cam follower means projecting radially therefrom; said bottom arbor portion having a central opening in the inwardly projecting end thereof for receiving said manually operable member, said opening being shaped to provide axial passages for said cam follower means and being defined in part by at least one radially inwardly extending flange presenting a cam ramp for engaging said cam follower means and for causing said cover to be urged toward said bottom arbor portion upon rotation of said member toward a closed position; said ram ramp having at least one notch for engaging said cam follower means in the closed position; and resiliently deformable means between said cover and said bottom arbor portion for loading said cam follower means against said cam ramp independently of said reel during said rotation and for thereby causing said cam follower means to be retained in said notch in the closed position; said cover and bottom portions of said container being shaped for assembly in only one axial orientation with respect to one another, said orientation corresponding to axial alignment with said cam follower means with said passages in the open condition of said manually operable means said cover and bottom portions assembled.

Claim 13

In a magnetic tape reel container of the type having parallel flat bottom and cover walls and circumferential side walls, with at least the bottom wall having a centered integral reel-supporting arbor portion projecting inwardly therefrom and with said walls and arbor portions arranged to loosely retain said reel so as to permit relatively free rotation of said reel with respect to said container when said reel is contained therein, the combination comprising: a manually operable member centrally mounted for rotation in said cover and having cam follower means projecting radially therefrom; said bottom arbor portion having a central opening in the inwardly projecting end thereof for receiving said manually operable member, said opening being shaped to provide axial passages for said cam follower means and being defined in part by at least one radially inwardly extending flange presenting a cam ramp for engaging said cam follower means and for causing said cover to be urged toward said bottom arbor portion upon rotation of said member toward a closed position; said ram ramp having at least one notch for engaging said cam follower means in the closed position; and resiliently deformable means between said cover and said bottom arbor portion for loading said cam follower means against said cam ramp independently of said reel during said rotation and for thereby causing said cam follower means to be retained in said notch in the closed position; said cover and bottom portions of said container being shaped for assembly in only one axial orientation with respect to one another, said orientation corresponding to axial alignment with said cam follower means with said passages in the open condition of said manually operable means said cover and bottom portions assembled.