US5325257A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Disk cartridge
Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1993-09-03
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Granted: 1994-06-28
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Expires: 2013-09-03
Abstract
Abstract A disk cartridge comprises a case with an upper and a lower shell halves united together to accommodate a disk of 3.5 inches therein, a guide portion, a shutter, and a slider slid in the guide portion of the case for supporting the shutter. The shutter is moved by a drive pin to open and close a head and spindle holes. The slider enables the shutter to move smoothly along the guide portion and prevents the shutter from being disconnected from the guide portion when the case is dropped.
Inventors
- 👤 Noboru Akiyama
- 👤 Katsumi Kameda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 10:04
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B23/00; G11B23/02; G11B23/03; G11B23/0301; G11B23/0302; G11B23/0303; G11B23/0307; G11B23/0308; G11B23/0313; G11B23/0316
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
304 words
A disk cartridge having a case for accommodating a disk therein, a shutter provided slidably on the case in a bent manner for opening and closing a head hole for receiving a reading/writing head and a spindle hole for receiving a spindle for rotating the disk, and a spring member for urging the shutter in its closing direction, which comprises a slider which is provided slidably in a guide portion of the case and onto which the shutter is fixed, the slider comprising a shutter support portion for supporting the shutter thereon, and an extended portion extended from the shutter support portion in a longitudinal direction of the slider, first and second engaging projection bodies formed on opposite ends of the slider, said first and second engaging projection bodies being respectively engaged with the guide portion of the case, the first and second engaging projection bodies being suspended respectively from the shutter support portion and the extended portion, the first engaging projection body including a pair of projections on its opposite sides, which are engaged with a pair of guide grooves formed in the guide portion of the case, the second engaging projection body including a sliding guide piece with a pair of wings formed on a distal end of the extended portion and sliding on a guide surface of the case and a guide foot suspended from the distal end of the extended portion via an arm, the guide foot being engaged with guide rails formed in the guide portion of the case, the first engaging projection body and the guide foot being extended respectively outwardly from the shutter support portion and the extended portion in the longitudinal direction of the slider, the first engaging projection body being provided with a first spring receiving portion for receiving one arm of the spring member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
304 words
A disk cartridge having a case for accommodating a disk therein, a shutter provided slidably on the case in a bent manner for opening and closing a head hole for receiving a reading/writing head and a spindle hole for receiving a spindle for rotating the disk, and a spring member for urging the shutter in its closing direction, which comprises a slider which is provided slidably in a guide portion of the case and onto which the shutter is fixed, the slider comprising a shutter support portion for supporting the shutter thereon, and an extended portion extended from the shutter support portion in a longitudinal direction of the slider, first and second engaging projection bodies formed on opposite ends of the slider, said first and second engaging projection bodies being respectively engaged with the guide portion of the case, the first and second engaging projection bodies being suspended respectively from the shutter support portion and the extended portion, the first engaging projection body including a pair of projections on its opposite sides, which are engaged with a pair of guide grooves formed in the guide portion of the case, the second engaging projection body including a sliding guide piece with a pair of wings formed on a distal end of the extended portion and sliding on a guide surface of the case and a guide foot suspended from the distal end of the extended portion via an arm, the guide foot being engaged with guide rails formed in the guide portion of the case, the first engaging projection body and the guide foot being extended respectively outwardly from the shutter support portion and the extended portion in the longitudinal direction of the slider, the first engaging projection body being provided with a first spring receiving portion for receiving one arm of the spring member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the slider is fixed to a base portion of the shutter by at least one connecting member, the base portion being provided with a bowl-like recess to accommodate a head of the connecting member, the shutter support portion being also provided with a bowl-like recess for receiving the recess of the base portion.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the slider is provided, at its shutter support portion, with at least one projection for engaging with a recessed hole formed on a base portion of the shutter, the projection being caulked in the recessed hole.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
63 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the shutter comprises a base portion fixed onto the slider and a pair of closing plates extended from opposite sides of the base portion to close the head and spindle holes of the case, at least one of the closing plates being guided, at its distal end, by a retaining plate attached onto the case.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the shutter comprises a base portion fixed onto the slider and a pair of closing plates extended from opposite sides of the base portion to close the head and spindle holes of the case, both said closing plates being urged inwardly to each other to prevent disconnection of the shutter from the case.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
103 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a stopping wall is provided on a front or back side of the case supported by a plurality of support pins in a player to define a shallow recess for receiving the shutter, width between side end periphery of the case and the stopping wall being determined sufficiently large so that a face of the case with such a width can receive stably the support pins, a front corner of the stopping wall being recessed to form a recessed portion with which a part of the shutter engages when the shutter takes its opening position.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein another arm of the spring member is received in a second spring receiving portion formed at an end portion of the case, each of the first and second spring receiving portions being provided with an engaging projection for holding each said arm of the spring member.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the second spring receiving portion is provided with a guide plate for guiding said another arm of the spring member thereinto.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the case has, at positions near periphery of the case, a plurality of flat support places which contact a plurality of support pins in the player.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
70 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein thickness of the extended portion of the slider is determined equal to or less than that of a recessed portion of a connecting portion provided between a left and a right guide portions of the case, length of the extended portion being determined equal to or more than that of the recessed portion thereof to permit the reading/writing head to pass thereby.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
55 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein each of the engaging projection bodies is provided with a dividing groove to permit each engaging projection body to shrink in its widthwise direction thereby to enable the slider to be pushed into the guide portion of the case when the slider is assembled in the case.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the slider has an engaging portion which is provided with a dividing groove for receiving swingably said one arm of the spring member.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a drive pin for opening the shutter is engaged with the distal end of the extended portion, four corner portions of the sliding guide piece, slidingly engaged with the guide portion being chamfered, respectively.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
48 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is provided with a dropping recess into which a drive pin is dropped when the shutter takes its opening position, the dropping recess being provided with at least one chamfered corner of walls defining the dropping recess.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
83 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said guide foot of the second engaging projection body has an upper surface which is located under a bottom wall of a dropping recess into which a drive pin for opening the shutter is dropped when the shutter takes its opening position, and a lower surface of the guide foot is cut away to prevent its contact with a surrounding wall formed in the case for holding periphery of the disk accommodated in the case.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 15, wherein the width of the one arm is sufficiently large for reliable engagement of the drive pin and the one arm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
43 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 15 wherein corners of the dropping recess for receiving the drive pin are chamfered in response to chamfered corner portions of the sliding guide piece formed at a distal end of the extended portion of the slider.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
65 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the first spring receiving portion of the first engaging projection body is provided with a dividing groove for receiving the one arm of the spring member therein, and at least one of two projections is cut away to prevent the one arm of the spring member from abutting against the projection when the one arm is swung.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 18, wherein a distal end of each said projection of the first engaging projection body is chamfered at an inlet of the dividing groove.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
48 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 18, wherein the first engaging projection body is provided with an opening for receiving a bent end of the one arm of the spring member and an engaging projection for preventing the one arm from coming out of the spring receiving portion.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
51 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the case has a pair of wrong operation prevention walls for prevention of wrong operation by a drive pin for moving the shutter, the wrong operation prevention walls forming a part of the guide portion for guiding the slider together with the shutter.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 21, wherein a notch is provided at one end of each of the wrong operation prevention walls, the walls being sufficiently higher than the drive pin.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
36 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 21, wherein one of the walls is lower than the other wall, the slider being extended laterally over the one wall so as to be slide on the one wall.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is a twist coil spring which comprises a coil portion, and two arms extended from the coil portion in the shape of a fan, the two arms being bent inwardly to each other at its approximately center portion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
93 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the case is so formed that an upper and a lower shell halves are united, at a plurality of fastening portions, with each other, each of the fastening portions having two boss portions formed on the upper and lower shell halves, respectively, so as to be engaged with each other, and being provided at a separated position from a support place which a support pin provided in a player contacts to support the case in the player when the case is loaded in the player.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
94 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the case is so formed that an upper and a lower shell halves are united with each other, the case being provided with a writing protection mechanism for preventing new information from being recorded on old information on a recording surface of the disk, the writing protection mechanism having two passing holes formed on the upper and lower shell halves, respectively, for permitting a sensing means to pass therethrough, a closing piece being movably accommodated in the two passing holes to open and close the holes.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
88 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the case is so formed that an upper and a lower shell halves are united with each other, the case being provided with a writing protection mechanism for preventing new information from being recorded on old information on a recording surface of the disk, the writing protection mechanism having two passing holes formed on the upper and lower shell halves, respectively, for permitting a sensing means to pass therethrough, a closing piece being fixedly accommodated in the two passing holes.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
235 words
A disk cartridge having a case for accommodating a disk therein, a shutter provided slidably on the case in a bent manner for opening and closing a head hole for receiving a reading/writing head and a spindle hole for receiving a spindle for rotating the disk, and a spring member for urging the shutter in its closing direction, which comprises a slider which is provided slidably in a guide portion of the case end onto which the shutter is fixed, the slider comprising a shutter support portion for supporting the shutter thereon, and an extended portion extended from the shutter support portion in a longitudinal direction of the slider, an engaging projection body extended outwardly from the extended portion in the longitudinal direction of the slider in order to engage with the guide portion of the case, said engaging projection body having a sliding guide piece with a pair of wings sliding on a guide surface of the case and a guide foot suspended form a distal end of the extended portion via an arm, the guide foot being engaged with guide rails formed in the guide portion of the case, and a spring receiving portion formed on an extended portion of a base portion of the shutter, projected outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the slider from one end of the shutter support portion of the slider for receiving one arm of the spring.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
235 words
A disk cartridge having a case for accommodating a disk therein, a shutter provided slidably on the case in a bent manner for opening and closing a head hole for receiving a reading/writing head and a spindle hole for receiving a spindle for rotating the disk, and a spring member for urging the shutter in its closing direction, which comprises a slider which is provided slidably in a guide portion of the case end onto which the shutter is fixed, the slider comprising a shutter support portion for supporting the shutter thereon, and an extended portion extended from the shutter support portion in a longitudinal direction of the slider, an engaging projection body extended outwardly from the extended portion in the longitudinal direction of the slider in order to engage with the guide portion of the case, said engaging projection body having a sliding guide piece with a pair of wings sliding on a guide surface of the case and a guide foot suspended form a distal end of the extended portion via an arm, the guide foot being engaged with guide rails formed in the guide portion of the case, and a spring receiving portion formed on an extended portion of a base portion of the shutter, projected outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the slider from one end of the shutter support portion of the slider for receiving one arm of the spring.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
45 words
A disk cartridge according to claim 28, wherein both side faces of the extended portion of the base portion of the shutter have a sliding engagement means which is engaged with two side grooves formed on outer surfaces of the guide portion of the case.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-06-27 | 1997-12-27 | 1998-06-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-06-27 | 2001-12-27 | 2002-06-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-06-27 | 2005-12-27 | 2006-06-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |