Storage device for recording media, particularly compact disks, magnetic tape cassettes and the like

Claim 1

Storage device for recording media contained in recording medium housings, said storage device comprising a storage device housing having a front panel provided with at least one storage device housing opening through which a recording medium housing containing a recording medium is insertable into and removable from said storage device housing, a slider member provided in said storage device housing for each of said storage device housing openings, wherein each of said slider members is provided with means for receiving, holding and carrying one of said recording medium housings, each of said slider members is spring-loaded so as to be urged from a storage position in said housing to an unloading position in said housing and each of said slider members is contained completely within said storage device housing in said unloading position; locking means associated with each of said slider members for holding and securing said slider member associated therewith in said storage position when said slider member is holding one of said recording medium housings; and unlocking means associated with each of said locking means for releasing said locking means when said slider member associated with said locking means is in said storage position so that said slider member can move from said storage position to said unloading position contained within said storage device housing; wherein each of said locking means includes a resilient blade attached to said storage device housing and having a free end and an upwardly protruding latching element at said free end, said resilient blade being positioned so that said latching element is engageable with one of said recording medium housings, when said recording medium housing is held on said slider member associated with said locking means and said slider member is in said storage position; and each of said unlocking means comprises a release element extending from said slider member associated with said locking means toward said storage device housing opening and positioned, so that said release element holds said resilient blade away from said recording medium housing at least over a portion of a motion path of said slider member between said storage position and said unloading position so that said latching element is not engaged with said recording medium housing; a resilient wire having one end connected to said latching element and another end connected to said storage device housing; and a push button mounted slidably in said storage device housing and having an inclined surface engageable laterally against said resilient wire when said push button is pushed so as to hold said latching element out of engagement with said recording medium housing when said slider member holding said recording medium housing is in said storage position, so that said slider member holding said recording medium housing can move from said storage position to said unloading position.