JPH08235825A - Recording medium housing case - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To inform the user of suitable use or storage environmental temp. of a recording medium housed in a recording medium housing case such as a disk cartridge, etc. CONSTITUTION: A thermosensitive display part 14 composed of a thermosensitive medium seal 42 is disposed on the surface of a required part of a cartridge 13 of the disk cartridge 11. This thermosensitive display part 11 is changed in response to the environmental temp. in using the disk cartridge 11 and in its storage environment, so that suitability or unsuitability of use can visually be recognized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording medium housing case such as a disk cartridge housing an optical disk.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Optical discs, such as compact discs (CDs) and video discs, which are irradiated with a laser and are reproduced from the reflected light thereof, are widely used. Further, in recent years, a small diameter (2.5 inch size) disc of a rewritable magneto-optical recording system housed in a thin cartridge,
So-called mini discs (MD) are becoming popular.

This small-diameter disc (MD) is mainly used for music, and there are a disc dedicated to reproduction in which music software is recorded in advance and a disc capable of recording and reproduction.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Disc cartridge (MD) accommodating a small-diameter disc constructed in this way
Is often used in various operating environments, that is, in various conditions with different temperatures and humidity, and even if the quality is strictly controlled at the time of shipment, there is a risk that it will become unusable due to careless use. is there. This is because the cartridge and the disk are basically formed of a plastic material such as polycarbonate (PC), and basically have deformation (warpage, etc.) due to heat and dimensional shrinkage, so the operating environment and temperature characteristics are important. Has become a requirement.

For example, when considering in-vehicle use, such as outdoor use, in particular, in the summer, the temperature inside the vehicle rises significantly even during temporary parking. It may reach 90 ° C.

[0006] If the disc cartridge is left in such an environment, the cartridge may be deformed, the disc substrate may be deformed, or the warp may be caused, which seriously hinders recording / reproducing with a precise laser beam. There is a risk that

The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium storage case that enables recording / reproduction of a recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk in a suitable state, that is, in an appropriate temperature environment.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a recording medium storage case according to the present invention comprises a case body in which a recording medium is stored, and a heat sensitive display portion which changes depending on the heat sensitive temperature. It is a thing.

[0009]

The heat-sensitive display section formed on the case body in which the recording medium is housed changes depending on the temperature in the environment, and a suitable temperature environment can be visually recognized by the change in the heat-sensitive display section. Recording and playback are possible.

[0010]

EXAMPLES To explain examples of the present invention, first,
With reference to FIG. 10, as a recording medium housing case to which the present invention is applied, a disk cartridge in which a recordable / reproducible magneto-optical disk as a recording medium is housed in a cartridge as a case body will be described. That is, the disk cartridge 11 serving as a recording medium storage case includes a magneto-optical disk 1 serving as a recording medium formed in a disc shape.
2 and a cartridge 13 as a case body that rotatably accommodates the magneto-optical disk 12.

Of these, the magneto-optical disk 12 has a magnetic recording layer formed in the data recording area, and information signals such as music software are recorded or reproduced on this magnetic recording layer by magneto-optical means. Be seen. In this magneto-optical disk 12, one main surface portion serves as a signal recording surface, and a disk-shaped chucking hub 1 made of a metal material is provided in the center of the disk.
4 is fixed.

On the other hand, the cartridge 13 has a substantially box-like shape having a sufficient space for accommodating the magneto-optical disk 12, and comprises a pair of upper and lower halves 15 and 16, which are a pair of upper and lower halves. It is constructed by abutting and uniting. A fitting guide groove 18 of an opening member into which a shutter opening member on the device side is fitted is inserted into one side surface portion 17 of the cartridge 13 in the insertion direction into the magneto-optical disk device.
Is provided. A circular opening 19 facing the chucking hub 14 of the magneto-optical disk 12 is formed in substantially the center of the lower half 16, and a signal recording surface of the magneto-optical disk 12 is formed between the circular opening 19 and one side surface 17. A rectangular first opening 20 that exposes a part is formed, and one side surface portion 1 near the front surface portion 21 and the rear surface portion 22 in the insertion direction.
Positioning pin engaging holes 23 and 24 for horizontally positioning the disc cartridge 11 are formed near the position 7,
Cartridge hold pin insertion holes 26 and 27 are formed in both side surface portions 17 and 25 near the front surface portion 21. Further, a disc is extended from a corner portion between the other side surface portion 25 and the rear surface portion 22 to the rear surface portion 22. A type detection and erroneous erasure prevention unit 28 is provided, and an erroneous erasure prevention claw 28a is provided.

The upper half 15 is located in the vicinity of the one side surface portion 17 and corresponds to the first opening 20 on the lower half 16 side, and a part of the other main surface portion of the magneto-optical disk 12 is placed outside the cartridge. A rectangular second opening 29 to be exposed is provided.

A shutter member 30 for opening and closing both openings 29, 20 is slidably attached to the cartridge 13 composed of the upper and lower halves 15, 16.

The shutter member 30 includes a first shutter plate portion 31 for closing the first opening portion 20 of the lower half 16 and a second shutter plate portion 32 for closing the second opening portion 29 of the upper half 15. , A sliding guide which is formed in a substantially U-shape by the connecting plate portion 33 corresponding to the one side surface portion 17, and is fitted and engaged with the fitting guide groove 18 of the one side surface portion 17 at both ends of the connecting plate portion 33. Part 3
4 and 35 are extended, and the sliding guide portion 34 in the closing direction.
An engaging portion 34a that is formed to be long and that engages with the shutter lock member 36 mounted in the fitting guide groove 18 of the one side surface portion 17 in the closed state is formed.

The shutter member 30 is a cartridge 13
By engaging the engagement portion 34a of the slide guide portion 34 with the shutter lock member 36 with the first and second openings 20 and 29 closed, unnecessary opening is prevented.

In this way, the disc cartridge 11 is inserted and loaded into the magneto-optical disc device with the shutter member 30 closing both openings 29, 20 of the cartridge 13. When the disc cartridge 11 is inserted, the shutter opening member provided in the insertion loading section on the apparatus side is engaged with the fitting guide groove 18 of the one side surface portion 17, and the shutter is opened along the shutter opening member. The lock member 36 is pressed to unlock the shutter member 30, and the shutter member 30 is engaged with and locked by the shutter opening member at the end edge of the slide guide portion 34 so that only the cartridge 13 slides forward. That is, the shutter member 30
Is slid rearward relative to the cartridge 13, and the first and second openings 20 and 29 are opened.

In this state, the circular opening 1 of the lower half 16
9, the magneto-optical disk 12 in which the turntable of the spindle motor of the apparatus side is inserted into the cartridge 13 and housed therein is chucked via the chucking hub 14 and a part of the signal recording surface thereof is the first opening 20. To the objective lens of the optical pickup device, and the magnetic field applying head from the second opening 29 to the other main surface of the magneto-optical disk 12.

In the read-only disc cartridge, since the optical disc to be housed is not exposed to the magnetic field applying head, no opening is formed in the upper half of the cartridge and the shutter member is also opened on the lower half side in the above-mentioned construction. It is formed by a shutter plate part corresponding to the lower half side so as to close the part and a connecting plate part corresponding to one side face part formed with a fitting guide groove, and only a part of the signal recording surface part of the magneto-optical disk is formed. It is exposed to the outside of the cartridge to face the objective lens of the optical pickup device.

[First Embodiment] The present invention is applied to a disk cartridge constructed as described above, and a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The disc cartridge 11 according to the first embodiment has an upper half 15 which constitutes the cartridge 13.
The heat sensitive display portion 41 is provided on the surface of the.

That is, the disk cartridge 11 is a surface near the opening of the upper half 15 of the cartridge 13, that is, a surface opposite to the surface on which the shutter member 30 slides in the opening direction. , Disk cartridge 1
The heat-sensitive display unit 41 is provided by sticking a heat-sensitive medium seal 42 having a temperature display function on the part surface 15a on the insertion direction side of the first device.

The heat-sensitive medium seal 42 is a seal that changes the color of the disc cartridge at 45 ° C. or above, which adversely affects the disc cartridge, and is constructed as shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the heat sensitive medium seal 42 which constitutes the heat sensitive display portion 41.
2 forms a heat sensitive medium layer 44 on the surface side of a base material 43 such as a resin film which changes in color tone by changing its molecular orientation or molecular bond in response to temperature, and an adhesive layer on the back surface of the base material 43. Four
5 is formed. The heat-sensitive medium seal 42 configured as described above is cut into a desired size and attached to the surface of the part surface 15a of the upper half 15 of the cartridge 13 to form the heat-sensitive display portion 41.

The heat-sensitive medium layer 4 of this heat-sensitive medium seal 42
No. 4 is configured to change color at a constant temperature. However, due to changes in light transmittance (exposure of base material color due to transparency), printing such as numbers on the base material in advance so that the temperature display can be discriminated. It may be applied beforehand, and color change display such as red, blue and yellow is also possible.

Further, as an example of concrete display of the heat-sensitive medium seal 42, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, numeral display (A), character display (B), pictorial display (C), etc. In addition, two or more types of displays may be combined by combining these, and it is also possible to combine with a color change.

The heat-sensitive medium seal 4 having the above structure
The disk cartridge 11 of the first embodiment to which No. 2 is attached
Has a function of visually recognizing the storage environment temperature, and when the disk cartridge 11 is stored in a bad environment, for example, under a high temperature of 45 ° C. or higher, the heat-sensitive display section 41 displays an indication that the use is not suitable. The display 41 is discolored and expressed,
This makes it possible to visually check the unsuitable state and prevent the possibility of causing a recording / reproducing error.

Then, the disk cartridge 11
Is displayed even if the heat-sensitive display 41 indicates that the use is inappropriate.
By storing in a room temperature environment, the unsuitable display returns to the normal display, i.e., the color before discoloration, the background color, and after visually recognizing the state where this display has returned to the original display, it is in a normal suitable state when used. Can be used.

[Second Embodiment] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment. In the disk cartridge 11 of this embodiment, a thermosensitive display portion 41 is provided at a position one step lower than the surface of the upper half 15 of the cartridge 13. It is a thing.

That is, the above-mentioned first portion of the surface of the upper half 15 is
Similar to the embodiment, the part surface 15a on the insertion direction side with respect to the opening is formed.
The heat sensitive medium seal 42 is provided with a recess 46 which is recessed from the surface, and the heat sensitive medium seal 42 is stuck in the recess 46 to provide the heat sensitive display portion 41.

The concave portion 46 is formed so that the concave amount is slightly larger than the thickness of the heat-sensitive medium seal 42, and the concave portion 4 is formed.
The surface of the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 attached inside 6 is positioned lower than the surface of the part surface 15a of the upper half 15.

Also in the disk cartridge 11 of this example having the above-mentioned structure, when the disk cartridge 11 is stored under a high temperature as in the case of the above-described first embodiment, the heat-sensitive display section 41 indicates that it is not suitable for use, that is, the heat-sensitive medium. The body seal 42 is discolored to represent an unsuitable state, which can be visually recognized, and the risk of a recording / reproducing error occurring can be prevented in advance.

In the case of this example, the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 is attached to the inside of the recess 43 and the surface thereof is positioned lower than the surface of the part surface 15a of the upper half 15, so that another disk cartridge can be obtained. Further, it does not directly rub against other articles and members such as the storage case or the cassette holder in the apparatus, and damage, peeling and the like are prevented.

[Third Embodiment] FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment. In the disk cartridge 11 of this embodiment, a recess 47 is formed on the surface of the upper half 15 of the cartridge 13, and the recess 47 is formed in the recess 47. Attach the heat sensitive medium sticker 42,
The heat-sensitive display section 41 is provided by coating a transparent coating 48 on this.

That is, the part surface 1 on the insertion direction side of the upper half 15
5a, a concave portion 47 which is recessed from the surface is formed.
7 inside the heat sensitive medium seal 42, the surface is the upper half 15
It is attached so that it is located at a lower position with a required distance from the surface of the part surface 15a, and the UV curable resin that forms the transparent coating film 44 in the recess 43 is heat-sensitive so that it is almost flush with the surface of the part surface 15a. The heat sensitive display section 41 is formed by coating and filling the surface of the medium seal 42 and covering the heat sensitive medium seal 42.

Also in the disk cartridge 11 of this example having the above-mentioned structure, when the disk cartridge 11 is stored under a high temperature as in the first and second embodiments, the heat-sensitive display section 41 indicates that it is not suitable for use. That is, the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 is discolored to represent an unsuitable state for use, and this can be visually recognized to prevent a recording / reproduction error from occurring.

In this example, the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 is attached to the inside of the recess 47, and the surface thereof is located lower than the surface of the part surface 15a of the upper half 15.
Since the heat sensitive medium seal 42 is covered by filling the inside with an ultraviolet curable resin that forms the transparent coating 48, peeling, damage, etc. due to alteration of the adhesive of the seal 42 is prevented and it is sufficiently durable for long-term use.

[Modification] In addition, the disk cartridge 1
1, the disposition position of the heat-sensitive display portion 41 on the cartridge 13 of
That is, the attachment position of the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 is not limited to the position in each of the above-described embodiments, and the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 may be in the label area 15b of the upper half 15 of the cartridge 13 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, a rear surface portion 22 opposite to the front surface portion 21 in the insertion direction of the cartridge 13 into the apparatus may be used. In this case, in the case shown in FIG. 8, the label sheet 51 attached to the label area 15b of the upper half 15 of the cartridge 13 is formed by cutting the window 51a having the size of the heat-sensitive medium seal 42. In the case shown in FIG. 9, since the label area 22a to which the back label sheet 52 of the back portion 22 of the cartridge 13 is attached is small, a small heat sensitive medium seal 42 is attached.

In each of the above embodiments, the thermosensitive display section 4 is used.
1 is formed by the heat-sensitive medium seal 42, it is changed to the heat-sensitive medium seal 42 and heat-sensitive medium paint (thermo paint) is applied to a required portion surface of the cartridge 13 of the disk cartridge 11 by printing or the like. You may.

Further, the heat sensitive display portion 41 is formed integrally with the cartridge 13 of the disk cartridge 11 by the shape memory resin so as to be deformed into two or more kinds due to the temperature difference, which is suitable for use of the disk cartridge 11. The unsuitability can be confirmed visually and by touch.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the shape and size of the heat-sensitive display section can be changed according to the formation surface section of the cartridge, and as the heat-sensitive medium body, a chemical change or a state change occurs at a constant temperature,
Various substances can be used as long as they are substances that change color.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a recordable / reproducible disk cartridge containing a magneto-optical disk, the present invention is applicable to various reproduction-only disk cartridges, tape cassettes, floppy disk cartridges and the like. It is applicable to a recording medium storage case.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to inform the user of a suitable temperature environment in the use and storage environment of the recording medium, and to make an error in recording and / or reproduction by careless use. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of the above-mentioned problem, and it is possible to confirm the change in the environmental temperature of the recording medium, and to reduce the cause of the complaint due to the temperature increase.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a disk cartridge as a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an example of a heat-sensitive medium seal that constitutes the heat-sensitive display unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a display example of the heat-sensitive medium seal shown in FIG.
A is a numeral display, B is a character display, and C is a pictorial display.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a disk cartridge as a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a disk cartridge as a third embodiment of the present invention.

7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the disc cartridge shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a disk cartridge as a modified example of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a disk cartridge as another modification of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a disk cartridge used for explaining the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Disk Cartridge 12 Magneto-optical Disk 13 Cartridge 15 Upper Half 15a Insert Surface Side Part 29 Opening 41 Thermal Display 42 Thermal Media Seal

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium storage case, characterized in that a heat sensitive display portion that changes depending on the environmental temperature is provided on a required surface of a case body in which the recording medium is stored. 2. The recording medium storage case according to claim 1, wherein the heat-sensitive display unit is composed of a heat-sensitive medium body that changes color at a constant temperature. 3. The recording medium storage case according to claim 1, wherein the thermosensitive display unit is configured to display a temperature according to a change in light transmittance of the thermosensitive layer. 4. The recording medium storage case according to claim 1, wherein the thermosensitive display unit is integrally provided on the case body with a shape memory resin that deforms at a constant temperature.