DE8700224U1 - Container for magnetic tape cassettes - Google Patents

Description

AGFA-GEVAERT 5090 Leverkusen 1 STOCK COMPANY Patent Department Std-kal-d Container for magnetic tape cassettes

The innovation concerns a stackable collection container for magnetic tape cassettes. Such containers are used, for example, as a means of transport for magnetic tape cassettes or cassette housing parts between assembly stations in the production of cassettes.

Such a container is known, for example, from EP 0 015 398, which describes a tray that is open on both ends and whose sides can be elastically pushed outwards when the magnetic tape cassettes are inserted. This container is likely to be too unstable for the intended purpose when used for a long time and also has the disadvantage that the cassettes rest on the floor with their entire narrow side, so that the risk of scratches cannot be ruled out; protection from dust is in no way guaranteed.

Another container is known from DD 212 347 and

is characterized by the fact that two identical box-shaped container halves are turned by 180° and put together, whereby the closure is achieved by means of tongues and recesses and whereby grooves and bulges are provided on the base and top to ensure stackability. This container is too bulky to be used as a means of transport and is difficult to open and close. The same applies to the risk of scratches as stated above.

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The task was therefore to find a stackable collection container for magnetic tape cassettes that is stable and easily stackable, in which the cassettes can be inserted and removed in the correct position without difficulty and in which there is no risk of the cassettes becoming scratched or dusty.

According to the innovation, the problem was solved with a container with the features listed in the characterizing part of claim 1. Further details of the innovation can be found in the subclaims, the description and the drawings.

The innovation is then described in more detail using the drawings, which show

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the container according to the invention
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Figure la shows a device for removing the magnetic tape cassettes from the container according to Figure 1

Figure 2 is a side view of the container according to the invention according to Figure 1 in the stacked state

Figure 3 is a plan view of the innovative container according to Figure 1.

The container is, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, made up of two half-shells (1, 2), which are designed as mirror images both with respect to a horizontal center section and with respect to vertical center sections.

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sxnd and which are connected to one another in a torsion-resistant manner by an intermediate floor (5). The side walls (3, 3' and 4, 4') enclose the interior space (12) intended for accommodating the magnetic tape cassettes with preferably smooth inner walls, while the outer walls can have ribs. In a preferred embodiment, several rows a, b, c, for example three rows (Figures 1-3) of magnetic tape cassettes placed next to one another can be provided parallel to one another, with intermediate walls (8) being provided as a separation for the rows. The two half-shells (1, 2) are separated from one another by the intermediate floor (5), which represents both the floor area for the magnetic tape cassettes stored above and the cover area for the magnetic tape cassettes stored below. The intermediate floor contains ribs (9, 9') on both sides, on which the magnetic tape cassettes stand with their underside. The cassettes are conveniently placed in contact with one another at the profiles that protrude laterally at the level of the functional openings in order to enable compact and stable stacking. The cassettes are supported laterally by the ribs on the short narrow sides in the lower part of the cassette, which rest against the side walls or the intermediate walls of the container. As the inner walls, as can be seen from Figure 2, become narrower on both sides starting from the intermediate floor, i.e. run diagonally, the cassettes are fixed laterally and downwards only by linear contact, so that largely scratch-free storage and safe transport are guaranteed.

In order to ensure the stackability of the new container, the top and bottom sides of the side walls have grooves (6) and ridges (7) which are shaped in such a way that

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that the beads fit into the grooves. Each of the side walls has half a groove and half a bead. The mirror-symmetrical arrangement of the container requires that, when the corners of the container are opposite one another, there are either beads on both sides or grooves on both sides. Furthermore, the mirror-symmetrical arrangement means that _if there is a groove on the top of a side wall, then the complementary bead is arranged on the bottom and vice versa. As a result of this construction, the container can be rotated by 180° on both a vertical and a horizontal axis and can always be stacked. In a preferred embodiment, the height of the container is such that the cassettes contained therein, when stacked, only rest on the base webs of an intermediate base, but not on the cover surface of the next intermediate base above, as can be seen from Figure 2.

In order to be able to easily grip and transport the stacking container, the top and bottom sides of the container have strips running around the outside in which the bulges and grooves are formed and which thus serve as stacking and gripping strips as well as dust protection. Furthermore, on the front sides, the bulges or grooves are interrupted by recesses (10, 10', 10") at the points where the openings of the winding hubs of the magnetic tape cassettes lined up in the container are located. A device (Figure la) with the handle (13) can reach through the recesses or openings with the help of the forks (14, 14') in order to be able to easily remove a row of magnetic tape cassettes from the container.

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The container is preferably made of plastic, for example polypropylene, polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride, and can be manufactured using a deep-drawing or injection molding process. Each half-shell with its corresponding base can be manufactured separately; the two bases are then glued or welded together, whereby a rectangular recess or elevation (15, 15') can be provided on the right and left of each base to ensure a precise fit and torsional rigidity, and whereby a recess is fitted into an elevation when the two bases are joined together.

The top layer of magnetic tape cassettes can be covered dust-tight with a lid, which can be transparent and has the dimensions of a half-shell (1) or (2), when several containers are stacked on top of each other. The dimensions of the containers can be determined according to the desired transport conditions. For example, if you want to stack the containers on a Euro pallet, which has a length of 80 cm and a width of 120 cm, you can lay out each container, as shown in Figure 1, so that it has three rows and that around 30 compact cassettes can fit in each row. In this way, six containers per layer can be accommodated on the Euro pallet.

Since the correct position of the magnetic tape cassettes is also important when assembling them, the front sides of the containers can be marked with color, symbols or other distinguishing features so that the magnetic tape cassettes are always placed in the correct position when the containers are stacked .

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Due to its simple structure, universal stackability as well as the easy handling when removing and inserting the magnetic tape cassettes, the problem-free transport and the robustness of the design, the new container is particularly suitable for the purpose mentioned at the beginning, namely as a means of transport between assembly stations in the production of magnetic tape cassettes.

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Claims (5)

<· ■ flll· ·* ■ ·* it» ·· -7- Protection claims: 1. Stackable collecting container for magnetic tape cassettes, in which fillers and beads are attached to the bottom and top surfaces, characterized in that the container consists of two half-shells (1, 2) which are mirror images with respect to horizontal and vertical central sections and have side walls (3, 3' and 4, 4') and an intermediate floor (5) which delimits the two half-shells and which simultaneously serves as a base surface for a row of magnetic tape cassettes arranged above it and a top surface for a row of magnetic tape cassettes arranged below it, the total height of a collecting container being slightly greater than the height of a cassette and the top and bottom sides of the side walls each being provided half with grooves (o) and with complementary beads (7) which serve as stacking surfaces. 2. Collecting container according to claim 1, characterized in that one or more rows (a, b, c) of magnetic tape Cassettes can be accommodated which are separated from each other by intermediate walls (8) which, starting from the intermediate floor on both sides, become wedge-shaped and narrower towards the open end.
25 3. Collecting container according to claim 1 to 2, characterized in that the intermediate floor (5) has two ribs (9, 9') on its top and bottom in each row. 30· 4. Collecting container according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that on the upper and lower sides of the end faces (3, 3') at the points where the openings A-G 5202 &igr;» ·&Mgr;< · &psgr; · *9 mm ·■· . . &igr; *"JJ5 &igr;« t Ii &igr;»· *>· * -8th- recesses (10, 10', 10") are provided in the slots of the winding hubs of the magnetic tape cassettes lying on the front sides. 5. Collection container according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper and lower sides of the side walls (3, 3* and 4, 4') have circumferential protruding edges which serve as handles and stacking strips. A-G 5202