GB2121272A

GB2121272A - Device for housing magnetic tape cassette magazines

Info

Publication number: GB2121272A
Application number: GB08232036A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenji Ekuan
Original assignee: Alfa and Associates Inc
Current assignee: Alfa and Associates Inc
Priority date: 1982-05-31
Filing date: 1982-11-10
Publication date: 1983-12-21
Also published as: JPS58208976A; DE3240438C2; NL8203948A; FR2527823A1; DE3240438A1; KR840002141A

Abstract

A device for housing tape cassette magazines and locking them in place comprises a case member 5 which is provided with a carrying handle 17 and from which the cassettes can readily be withdrawn and reinstalled. The cassette magazines have apertures 3 formed in the rear walls thereof which engage mating hooks 8 on the rear inner wall of the case member 5 to retain the magazines in place; the sides of the magazines being guided by guide members 10 provided on the inner surface of the case member. The carrying handle 17 is provided on a band 16 having locking portions 14, 15 opposed to locking portions provided in a recess 12 set into the case member. Claws 18 projecting from and formed integrally with the band 16 pass through apertures 9 in the case member and engage with inserting portions 4 of the hook- engaging apertures 3 so as to lock the magazines in place vertically and laterally. Arrangements for mounting the device in a vehicle, and for stacking a plurality of devices, are disclosed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for housing magnetic tape cassette magazines The present invention relates to a device for housing magnetic tape cassette magazines, and more particularly to such a structure including a case member, and a carrying handle grip and/or a mounting member adapted to be detachably engaged with the case member.

As known well in the art, 45-minute, 60-minute and 90-minute audio tape cassettes for the recording and reproduction of a recording are used mainly with household stereos. As miniaturized portable tape recorders have come into use in recent years, the use of these tape cassettes has increased greatly, both outdoors and with car stereos. Also, the places where such cassettes are used tend to vary.

The above-mentioned cassettes are placed on the market usually contained in compact cassette tape magazines of a hard resin. When recording or playing back something in, for example, a vehicle, a plurality of tapes are usually employed.

Accordingly, the tape cassettes are made so that they can be carried together in a magazine case into a vehicle, which contains a plurality of tape cassette magazines therein.

However, most of the conventional structures for indoor use for housing tape cassette magazines are not provided with handles for transporting them. Such magazine-housing structure, as they are used indoors, are not required to be capable of reliably locking cassette tape magazines therein. Further, such magazinehousing structures must be carried in one's arms, or in another inconvenient manner. While being carried in this manner, there is a susceptibility for the tape cassette magazines to fall out of the housing structure.

In conventional handle-carrying structures for housing tape cassette magazines, handles are usually provided on the covers thereof. This type of magazine-housing structure can be conveniently transported, but it is very troublesome to open and close the cover every time the cassette tape magazines are withdrawn and replaced. It is also very dangerous for the driver of a vehicle to handle such a magazinehousing structure while he is at the wheel.

Furthermore, in a magazine-housing structure having such a prior art cover, complicated parts are required, and the weight of the structure as a whole is increased. This causes an increase in the manufacturing cost.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above indicated technical problems of prior art structures for housing cassette tape magazines, and provide an improved case structure for housing tape cassette magazines, permitting each such magazine to be locked in the housing or case by a grip having a carrying handle so they will not be shaken loose from the housing member. The housing member is adapted to be detachably secured to a mounting plate provided in a vehicle. Further, each tape cassette magazine may be freed from the housing by removing the grip from such housing to thereby allow the magazines to be readily withdrawn from the case or housing.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for housing and retaining tape cassette magazines comprising: a case member, slide guide means formed on an inner surface of said case member for slidably guiding the sides of the magazines, hook engaging bores formed in a predetermined portion of the rear wall of each of said magazines, and hook means formed in a portion of the inner surface of a rear wall of said case member for engaging hook engaging bores provided in the near walls of the magazines to retain the magazines to the case members.

The invention further provides a structure for housing and retaining tape cassette magazines comprising: a case member; slide guide means formed on an inner surface of said case member for slidably guiding the sides of the magazines; hook engaging bores formed in a predetermined portion of the rear wall of each of said magazines, hook means formed in a portion of the inner surface of the rear wall of said case member so as, in use, to be in opposing relationship to hook engaging bores on the rear walls of magazines retained in the case, for engaging said bores to retain the magazines in the case member, said hook means being arranged in a pair of spaced apart rows, bores formed in opposing side walls of said case member, and a resilient grip member having hook means formed thereon for detachably engaging said side wall bores of the casing member to removably retain the grip member to the case member. Thus, the cassette tape magazines, the number of which is arbitrarily selected, may be set in the case member in such a manner that the magazines are locked at their respective hook-engaging apertures, which are provided in one side wall thereof, onto stationary hooks provided on an inner surface of a rear wall of the case member with the right and left sides of each of the magazines restricted by guides provided on an inner surface of the case member.

A grip having locking portions opposed to locking portions provided in a circumferential surface of the case member is then set on the case member.

Claws projecting from and formed integrally with a band portion of the grip pass through and engage with inserting portions of the hook-engaging apertures via corresponding apertures in the case member so as to be arranged parallel to the stationary hooks and in opposition to the hookengaging apertures, so that the cassette tape magazines are locked in the vertical and lateral directions. The product thus assembled can be carried by means of a handle portion, which is formed on the band portion of the grip. This magazine-housing structure permits the detachable attachment of the unit to a mount attached to a surface either in a vehicle or in a fixed location in such a manner that the cassette tape magazines can be withdrawn from and replaced in the case member.This magazinehousing structure is also provided with means which permits the cassette magazines to be disengaged from the case member when the grip is removed from the locking portions of the case member, and to be taken out from the case member when they are thereafter pushed through unlocking apertures provided in the portions of the case member which are between the guides.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: FIG 1 is a perspective view of part of a preferred embodiment of the grip of the invention; FIG 2 is a perspective view of the case member of the preferred embodiment; FIG 3 is a partially cutaway view in perspective of a cassette tape magazine; FIG 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the grip of Fig 1 with a slider fitted therein; FIG 5 is a perspective view of a mounting member of a further embodiment of the invention; FIG 6 is a persepective view of the case member of Fig 5 of the invention, in which cassette tape magazines are locked by means of the grip; FIG 7 is a persepctive view of another form of the mounting member;; FIG 8 is a perspective view of a case member of a further embodiment of the invention, in which cassette tape magazines are locked via a grip; FIG 9 is a perspective view of a form of the mounting member; FIG 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a case member of a further embodiment of the invention, in which cassette tape magazines are locked via the grip; FIG 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of the case member and mounting member of Figs 10 and 11 respectively, in an engaged state; FIG 12 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the case member; FIG 1 3a is a perspective view of a joint for use with the device of the invention; FIG 1 3b is a perspective. view of the joint for use with the device of the invention; and FIG 14 is a perspective view of a case member of yet a further embodiment of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in Figs 1-4, reference numeral 1 denotes a cassette tape magazine consisting of hard polyvinylchloride (PVC) and having at one side thereof an access opening 2, through which a cassette tape (not shown) is inserted into the magazine 1. The magazine 1 is provided at the other end thereof with a pair of hook-engaging aperture 3,3. Each aperture 3 has a hook inserting portion 4 at a lower portion thereof and a narrower upper part to retain a hook that has been inserted through part 4. Case member 5, which constitutes a basic element of the device, and a grip 6 form a case set 7 which will be described in detail later.

The case member 5, on an inner surface of the rear wall thereof, has stationary hooks 8,8 which are T-shaped in cross section and located so as to be opposite to the hook-engaging apertures 3,3 in a cassette tape magazines 1 inserted in the case member 5, and apertures 9 which are opposite the hook inserting portions 4 or the bores 3 in magazines 1. These hooks 8,8 and apertures 9 are arranged in parallel rows. The case member 5 is further provided on the bottom surface thereof with a predetermined number of slide guides 10,10.... which are adapted to confine the right and left sides of the cassette tape magazines 1 which engage the stationary hooks 8,8 via the hook-engaging apertures 3,3, and which are spaced from one another by a distance corresponding to the width of a cassette tape magazine 1.In addition, unlocking bores 11,11 for disengaging the cassette tape magazines 1 from the case member 5 in such a manner as will be described later are provided between the slide guides 10,10.

The case member 5 is provided in the outer surface of the rear and both side walls thereof with a recess 12, which constitutes a locking portion having a predetermined width, and at the ends of the recess 1 2 with locking recesses 13,13, which constitute locking portions formed in both side walls of the case member 5.

The grip 6 is also molded out of hard polyvinylchloride (PVC) and has a width such as to permit the grip 6 to be loosely fitted in the recess 12. The grip 6 consists of a resilient band portion 16, which constitutes a substantially C-shaped lock having at both ends thereof hooks 14,15 forming locking portions engageable with the locking apertures or recesses 13,13 in the case member 5, and a handle portion 17 formed on one side of and integrally with the band portion 16. The band portion 16 is provided on an inner surface thereof with projecting claws 18,18...

adapted to be inserted into the inserting portions 4 in the cassette tape magazines 1 through apertures 9 in the case member 5, the claws 18,18... being formed integrally with the band portion 16.

Where the band portion 16 and handle portion 17 intersect, i.e., in the vicinity of hook 14, a locking recess 19 extending from the handle portion 17 to the hook 14 is formed, as shown in Fig 4. A slider 21 having projections 20, by means of which the hook 14 is engaged loosely with and disengaged from the locking aperture or recess 13, is fitted in locking aperture or recess 1 9.

In order to carry the cassette tape magazines 1, which are usually used indoors and contain cassette tapes therein, to, for example, an outdoor location by using the magazine-housing structure formed as described above, each of the cassette tape magazines 1 is inserted slidingly between the slide guides 10,10 provided in the case member 5, so as to bring the magazine 1 into engagement via the hook-engaging apertures 3,3 therein with the corresponding stationary hooks 8,8 provided in the case member 5. The substantially semicircular outwardly-projecting hook 15 provided on the grip 6 is then brought into engagement with one of the locking recesses or aperture 1 3 provided in the case member 5, to set the grip 6 on the case member 5 along the recess 12 of the case.

Hook 14, provided on the grip 6, is inserted into the other locking recess or aperture 13 in the case member 5. The slider 21 is then moved slidably to bring the hook 14 into engagement with the locking recess or aperture 13 in the casing member 5 by means of the projections 20 provided on the slider 21.

Consequently, the claws 18,18 provided on the grip 6 are inserted through apertures 9 in the case member 5 extend into inserting portions 4 of the apertures 3 and prevent the magazines 1 from sliding lengthwise of the apertures 3 in the ,direction which would release them from the hooks 8. Thus even when the magazine-housing structure thus assembled is carried with the handle portion 1 7 of the grip 6 held by the user's hand, the magazines 1 are not shaken loose.

In order to withdraw a cassette tape together with its cassette tape magazine to use the same, the slider 21 is moved to remove the hook 14 from the locking recess or aperture 13; and then the hook 15 from the other locking recess or aperture 13. As a result, the claws 18 on the band portion 16 of the grip 6 are disengaged from the case member 5 and cassette tape magazine 1.

The magazine 1 to be withdrawn, which is held in the case member 5, is then pushed upwardly at the bottom surface thereof through the associated opening 11 so it can easily be withdrawn from the case member 5.

In the following description, various further embodiments of the invention, having features additional to those of the embodiment of Figs 1 to 4. These further embodiments of course, also have the features described above with reference to Figs 1 to 4.

In the embodiment shown in Figs 5 and 6, a grip 6' is provided with a pair of recesses or apertures 22,22 in both side sections of a band portion 16' thereof. A resilient suspension mounting member 24 consisting of a steel plate, which is provided with claws 23,23 corresponding to the recesses or apertures 22,22, is adapted to be attached to an inner surface of the body of a vehicle (not shown) via screws driven into mounting portions 25 thereof. By utilizing the springback of the claws 23,23, a case set, which is carried into the vehicle, can be rapidly fastened to and removed from a mounting portion of the vehicle.

In the embodiment shown in Figs 7 and 8, recesses or apertures 22',22' are provided in lieu of the recesses or aperture 22,22 of the embodiment shown in Figs 5 and 6, in the portions of both side surfaces of a case member 5' which are above the grip 6. In this embodiment, the case member 5' can be fastened to the mounting member 24 mentioned above, without attaching the grip 6 to the case member 5'.

In the embodiment shown in Figs 9, 10 and 11, long claws 23',23'... of a mounting member 24' are adapted to be inserted into and engaged with the apertures 22 in the grip 6' and apertures or recesses 26, which overlie the apertures 22, and which extend through a bottom surface of a recess 12' formed in the case member 5'.

In the embodiments shown in Figs 5-10, the mounting members 24,24' may be attached to the inner surface of the body of a vehicle by means of a double sided adhesive tape, magnets, etc.

In the embodiment shown in Figs 12, 1 3a, 1 3b and 14, connecting holes 27,27... are provided in the four corner portions of the upper and lower surfaces of a pair of case members 5, so that two or more case members can be joined together by means of joints 29,29, each of which is provided on the upper and lower surfaces thereof with projections 28,28..., which are spaced from each other by a distance equal to that between connecting holes 27,27... in the case members.

Accordingly, even when the number of the case members 5 is increased, they can be stacked one above the other.

The invention is not limited to the abovedescribed embodiments. For example, the above mentioned joints 29 may be provided on the lower surface of and formed integrally with the case member, and for the locking apertures or recesses 13 provided in the front end portions of both side walls of the case member, recesses may be substituted which do not go through the case walls. Various other modifications can also be employed.

According to the present invention described above, tape cassette magazines can be engaged with a case member, which is adapted to hold the magazines, basically by means of a grip having a handle portion and engageable with and disengageable from the case member.

Accordingly, a handle for carrying the magazinehousing structure along with means for locking the tape cassette magazines is provided by merely setting the grip on the case member. Moreover, the case member is so formed that it can be engaged with and disengaged from a mounting member adapted to be attached to a surface of the body of a vehicle. Therefore, if the mounting members are set in place at various locations, the magazine-housing structure can be fastened thereto very efficiently, and used very conveniently when it is carried to such locations.

Since stationary hooks are provided on the inner surface of a rear wall of the case member so as to be opposed to the hook-engaging bores provided in one side wall of each of cassette tape magazines, the magazines can be reliably attached to the case member.

In view of the stationary hooks provided on the inner surface of a rear wall of the case member so as to be opposed to the hook-engaging recesses or apertures in one side wall of each of the cassette tape magazines, and a grip, which consists of locking portions engageable with the locking portions provided on the circumferential surface of the case member, the cassette tape magazines housed in the case member can be locked therein instantly in a reliable manner, and the magazine-housing structure can be carried easily by means of the handle portion of the grip.

Owing to the stationary hooks provided on the inner surface of the rear wall of the case member so as to be opposed to the hook-engaging bores in one side wall of each of the cassette tape magazines and a resilient mounting member, which has claws engageable with and disengageable from recesses or apertures in both side walls of the case member, the case member can be fastened to any of the mounting members set up in advance in various places, and it can thus be attached to and detached from a mounting member easily in the desired place, where the magazine-housing structure is to be used.

The magazine-housing structure can be carried outdoors very conveniently, and has a ready mobility such that the magazine-housing structure can be fastened instantly to the inner surface of a body of a vehicle which has a handle portion, is left set on the case member.

The case set can be removed even when the grip is left attached to the mounting member, so that, if a plurality of case sets are employed, they may be interchangeably fastened to the mounting member with the same grip used throughout; it is thus unnecessary that each of a plurality of case sets be provided with a grip. This permits omitting a part of the magazine-housing structure. In order to carry this structure, the case set may be removed from the mounting member with the grip attached to the case. Thus, the structure for housing cassette magazines recording to the present invention can be used very conveniently.

In the situation where the locking portions provided in the circumferential surface of the case member consist of the above-mentioned locking apertures or recesses opposed to the locking portions and band portion of the grip during carrying, the weight of the magazine-housing structure as a whole applied to the locking bores via the handle portion of the grip is also supported by the recess in the case member. Accordingly, the force is not concentrated on the locking apertures or recesses so that the case member is less subject to breakage.

In the situation where the locking portions provided in the circumferential surface of the case member consist of apertures recesses formed at the front end sections of both side walls thereof, the strength of the case member is greater than that of a case member, the locking portions of which consist of apertures or recesses. This also allows the cost of manufacturing a mold for the case members to be minimized.

In the case where the locking portions of the grip consists of a cross-sectionally semicircular, laterally-projecting hook and a forwardlyprojecting hook, which are opposed to the locking portions provided in the circumferential surface of the case member, and a slider having projections and provided on the forwardly-projecting hook, the case set is less likely to break off while the magazine-housing structure is being carried as it is held by hand at the handle portion of the grip. This is so because the band portion of the grip has flexibility and the forwardly-projecting hook can be fastened to the case member reliably via the slider after the semicircular, laterally-projecting hook has been engaged with the same case member and while the laterally-projecting hook is left engaged therewith.

In the case where the mounting portions of the mounting member consist of washers for receiving screws, the mounting member can be attached to a wall reliably via screws. In the case where the mounting portions of the mounting member consist of double-sided adhesive tape, the mounting member can be attached to a wall easily without being damaged as in the case where screw holes are made in mounting portions.

In the case where the mounting portions of the mounting member consist of magnets, the mounting member can be attached to a magnetic material instantly and detached therefrom easily.

In the case where the mounting portions of the mounting member consist of suction cups, the mounting member can be attached effectively, especially to a surface of plastic or glass. In this case, the surface of the wall is not damaged at all, and the mounting member can be attached to and detached from the surface of the wall easily.

Since each of the stationary hooks has a Tshaped cross section, the cassette tape magazines can be locked forwardly in reliable manner, so that the magazines are not shaken loose while they are being carried.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that this is intended by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the terms of the following

Claims

claims. CLAIMS

1. A device for housing and retaining tape cassette magazines comprising: a case member, slide guide means formed on an inner surface of said case member for slidably guiding the sides of the magazines, hook engaging bores formed in a predetermined portion of ther rear wall of each of said magazines, and hook means formed in a portion of the inner surface of a rear wall of said case member for engaging hook engaging bores provided in the rear walls of the magazines to retain the magazines to the case members.

2. The device of Claim 1 and further including locking means formed in an outer surface of said case member, bores being formed in the rear wall of said case member and arranged in a line parallel to said hook means, and a grip having locking means for engaging and being retained by the locking means of said case member, said grip further comprising a resilient band portion having claw means formed thereon for engaging said bores formed in the rear wall of the case member to prevent magazines engaged on the hook means from sliding in a direction which would replace them from the hook means and a handle portion of said band portion for carrying the case member.

3. The device of Claim 2 wherein said locking means of said case member comprises locking bores and a locking recess which respectively engage the locking means and the band portion of the grip.

4. The device of Claim 3 wherein the locking means of the grip includes hook means for engaging the locking bores of the case member.

5. The device of Claim 4 wherein the locking portions of the grip further includes slider means for bringing one of the hooks into locking engagement with its respective associated locking bore.

6. A structure for housing and retaining tape cassette magazines comprising: a case member; slide guide means formed on an inner surface of said case member for slidably guiding the sides of the magazines; hook engaging bores formed in a predetermined portion of the rear wall of each of said magazines, hook means formed in a portion of the inner surface of the rear wall of said case member so as, in use, to be in opposing relationship to hook engaging bores on the rear walls of magazines retained in the case, for engaging said bores to retain the magazines in the case member, said hook means being arranged in a pair of spaced apart rows, bores formed in opposing side walls of said case member, and a resilient grip member having hook means formed thereon for detachably engaging said side wall bores of the casing member to removably retain the grip member to the case member.

7. The device of Claim 6 and further including bores formed in the surface of the rear wall of said case member, said case member rear wall bores being arranged in a line substantially parallel to the lines of said hook means, said grip member having a line of claws formed thereon parallel to and opposite the rear wall case member bores, said claws when the grip member is attached to the case member extending through the bores formed in the rear wall of the case member so as to engage in said bores in the rear walls of the magazines.

8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims further comprising a mounting member to which the case member is detachably securable.

9. A device according to Claim 8 wherein the mounting member is in the form of an elongate, "U" or "C", the outer limbs of which are substantially perpendicular to the central limb and are adapted to be releasably engageable with apertures or apertures in the opposed side walls of the case member and/or in corresponding parts of the grip.

10. A device according to Claim 9 and any one of Claims 2 to 7 wherein the grip is provided with a pair of apertures through which the outer limbs of the mounting member engage in said recesses.

11. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the case member is provided with a further wall perpendicular to its rear wall and against which, in use, installed magazines rest, the further wall having an aperture for each magazine position to enable a magazine installed in that position to be pushed in a direction to release it from the hook means.

12. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the case member is provided with means for releasably securing it to a like case member to form a stack.

13. A device according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with at least on tape magazine, the or each tape magazine having, in iear wall thereof at least hook receiving aperture engageable with the hook means of the case member.

14. A tape magazine in the form of a housing having an access aperture for the insertion therein of a tape cassette, the housing having an elongate side or rear wall having at least one aperture therein each aperture having a relatively wide portion at one end for receiving the head of a retaining element to be used to secure the magazine in a carrying case and a relatively narrower portion displaced lengthwise of said wall from the relatively wider portion for retaining said head once the housing is slid in a direction lengthwise of said wall.

15. A device for having and retaining tape cassette magazines constructed and arranged to substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, Figures 5 and 6, Figures 7 and 8, Figures 9 to 11 or Figures 12 to 14 of the accompanying drawings.