GB2274939A

GB2274939A - Disk cartridge with gripping recesses

Info

Publication number: GB2274939A
Application number: GB9402337A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yoshinori Matsumoto
Original assignee: Sony Corp
Current assignee: Sony Corp
Priority date: 1993-02-09
Filing date: 1994-02-07
Publication date: 1994-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-07
Also published as: ITRM940026U1; ITRM940026V0; GB9402337D0; JPH06295552A; GB2274939B; KR940020403A; CN2223518Y; BR9400459A; IT233090Y1; MXPA94000965A

Abstract

A disk cartridge 10 for storing an optical disk 12, has a shell assembly comprising a substantially square upper shell 14 providing an upperface, and a substantially square lower shell 16 providing a lower face which is combined with the upper shell. The lower shell 16 having a window 22 defined substantially centrally therein for allowing a recording and reproducing head to access the disk and allowing a chuck to hold the lower shell. The upper and lower shells having curved gripping recesses defined in the side edges 50, 70. <IMAGE>

Description

DISK CARTRIDGE WITH GRIPPING RECESSES The present invention relates to a disk cartridge for storing a disk-shaped recording medium, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a magnetooptical disk.

Disks or disk media stored in disk cartridges include 3.5-inch floppy disks, 5-inch magnetooptical (MO) disks, and 3.5-inch MO disks, for example, and are widely used in the art.

These disks are housed in shells of disk cartridges for protection against data destruction due to scratches and fingermarks and for resistance against shocks.

One conventional disk cartridge is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the disk cartridge has a slip-resistant surface 1 composed of a plurality of narrow grooves on an end A thereof. When the user inserts the disk cartridge into a disk drive, the user holds, with the fingers, the slip-resistant surface 1 of the disk cartridge, so that the disk cartridge will not slip from the hand of the user because increased frictional forces are developed between the slip-resistant surface 1 and the finger.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show another known disk cartridge as disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No.

63-46670. The disk cartridge shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 also has a slip-resistant surface 2 on an end thereof and further includes a pair of slots 3 defined in respective opposite sides 8 of the disk cartridge, each of the sides 8 being of a trapezoidal cross section.

As shown in FIG. 3, the slots 3 serve to receive respective pins 6 of a pair of chucks 5. The disk cartridge can be taken out of a cartridge storage box by the chucks 5 whose pins 6 engage in the respective slots 3. The disk cartridge also has a pair of slots 4 for positioning the disk cartridge in a disk drive when the disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive.

When the user carries such a conventional disk cartridge with a hand gripping the slip-resistant surface 1 or 2 while walking a relatively short distance as in an office, the disk cartridge may possibly slip from the hand upon collision with some object. If the disk cartridge falls on the floor, the disk stored in the disk cartridge and hence the data recorded thereon tend to be less reliable because of possible damage caused to the disk.

Since the disk cartridges which store 5-inch disks, in particular, are usually larger than the hand of the user, it has been desirable to improve those disk cartridges in a manner to allow the user to handle the disk cartridges easily and safely.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a disk cartridge which suffers a less danger of dropping off the hand of the user when the disk cartridge is carried by the user, for thereby increasing the reliability of the disk stored in the disk cartridge, and which is highly portable in use.

According to the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge for storing a disk, comprising: a generally square upper shell providing an upper face; and a generally square lower shell providing a lower face and combined with said upper shell, said lower shell having window means defined substantially centrally therein for allowing a recording and reproducing head to access the disk therethrough and allowing a chuck to hold the lower shell therethrough; said upper and lower shells having respective gripping recesses defined in side edges thereof.

Each of the gripping recesses may be defined by a curved surface.

The gripping recesses may be defined in respective opposite side edges of the upper and lower shells.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a disk cartridge for storing a recording disk, comprising: a shell assembly having a space defined therein for storing a recording disk rotatably therein; said shell assembly having at least one curved gripping recess defined in a side edge thereof for receiving a fingertip therein.

The curved gripping recess may be defined by an arcuately curved surface in the side edge.

The shell assembly may have a pair of curved gripping recesses defined in respective opposite side edges thereof for receiving fingertips therein. Each of the curved gripping recesses may be defined by an arcuately curved surface in one of the opposite side edges.

The invention will be further described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional disk cartridge; FIG. 2 is a plan view of another conventional disk cartridge; FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the conventional disk cartridge shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a plan view of an upper shell of a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a plan view of a lower shell of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a plan view of an upper shell of a disk cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a plan view of a lower shell of a disk cartridge shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is an enlarged detailed plan view of the disk cartridge shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;; FIG. 9 is an enlarged detailed plan view of a disk cartridge according to still another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a plan view of an upper shell with a slip-resistant surface; and FIG. 11 is a plan view of a lower shell with a slip-resistant surface.

FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically show a disk cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. The disk cartridge has an upper shell providing a face side (label side) as shown in FIG. 4, and a lower shell providing a reverse side (head access side) as shown in FIG. 5.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the disk cartridge, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, preferably stores a high-density recording optical disk 12. The optical disk 12 records and reproduces data at a high density with a laser beam having a short wavelength. Since the optical disk 12 has a smaller pitch length and a shorter track pitch, its margin for data safety against dust and dirt particles and fingermarks is lower than optical disks, such as compact discs (CDs) that store music information, of normal recording density. Therefore, the optical disk 12 of high recording density requires highly accurate protection against damage, and is required to be stored in the disk cartridge 10 at all times unlike optical disks of normal recording density.

The disk cartridge 10 includes a shell assembly which is composed of a generally square upper shell 14 shown in FIG. 4 and a generally square lower shell 16 shown in FIG. 5, the upper shell 14 and the lower shell 16 being fused to each other. The optical disk 12 is rotatably disposed in a space defined between the upper shell 14 and the lower shell 16 that are thus combined with each other.

As shown in FIG. 4, a label seal 18 can be applied to the upper shell 14. Desired information can be written on the label seal 18 by the user of the optical disk 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, a shutter 20 is mounted on the lower shell 16 for movement in the directions indicated by the arrow X. The shutter 20 can open and close a window 22 defined substantially centrally in the lower shell 16 when the shutter 20 is moved along a guide 24 on the lower shell 16.

The shutter 20 serves to prevent dust or dirt from entering through the window 22 and being applied to the optical disk 12, and also prevent fingerprints from being applied to the optical disk 12 that is exposed in the window 22. The window 22 serves to allow a recording and reproducing head in a disk drive (not shown) to access the optical disk 12 therethrough for recording and reproducing data, and also to allow a chuck in the disk drive to chuck the disk cartridge 10 therethrough in the disk drive.

However, the disk cartridge 10 may have separate windows for head access and chucking purposes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper shell 14 has a pair of positioning holes 26 in respective rear corners thereof for positioning the disk cartridge 10 when the disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the disk drive, and a pair of automatic loading slots 28 defined in one half portion of opposite side edges 40 thereof for enabling, e.g. chucks to engage the disk cartridge 10 to automatically load the disk cartridge 10 into the disk drive. The positioning holes 26 are located as remotely as possible from the optical disk 12 stored in the disk cartridge 10 so as to be out of interference with the optical disk 12 housed in the disk cartridge 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower shell 16 also has a pair of positioning holes 30 in respective rear corners thereof and a pair of automatic loading slots 32 defined in one half portion of opposite side edges 60 thereof. When the upper and lower shells 14, 16 are combined with each other, the positioning holes 26, 30 are aligned with each other, and the automatic loading slots 28, 32 are aligned with each other. When the disk cartridge 10 is manually inserted into the disk drive to a certain position therein, it is automatically loaded into the disk drive beyond that position by an automatic loading mechanism which engages in the automatic loading slots 28, 32.

The upper shell 14 shown in FIG. 4 has a pair of gripping recesses 50 defined in the other half portion of the opposite side edges 40 thereof near a rear end thereof.

The gripping recesses 50 are defined by respective concavely arcuate curved surfaces which can fit palms or fingers of various sizes so that a wide variety of users can handle the disk cartridge 10 securely.

Similarly, the lower shell 16 shown in FIG. 5 also has a pair of gripping recesses 70 defined in the other half portion of the opposite side edges 60 thereof by respective concavely arcuate curved surfaces. When the upper and lower shells 14, 16 are combined with each other, the gripping recesses 50, 70 are aligned with each other and positioned out of interference with the optical disk 12 stored in the disk cartridge 12.

The side edges 40, 60 extend parallel to the direction indicated by the arrow Y in which the disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the disk drive.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper shell 14 may have a plurality of gripping recesses 50 defined in each of opposite side edges 40, and the lower shell 16 may have a plurality of concavely arcuate curved gripping recesses 70 defined in each of the opposite side edges 60. These gripping recesses 50, 70 may be shaped to fit fingers accurately for the user to carry the disk cartridge 10 easily and securely against the danger of dropping off the user's hand.

FIG. 8 illustrates the disk cartridge 10 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in specific detail.

As shown in FIG. 8, the disk cartridge 10, which is composed of the upper shell 14 and the lower shell 16, stores the optical disk 12 that is substantially the same size as conventional CDs. The disk cartridge 10 has a length of 137 mm and a width of 125 mm, for example.

The disk cartridge 10 has the arcuately curved gripping recesses 50, 70 in the respective opposite side edges 40, 60, the positioning holes 26, 30 near the side edges 40, 60, the automatic loading slots 28, 32 near the side edges 40, 60, and also a pair of tapered or slanted surfaces 100 on the respective side edges 40, 60 near a front end of the disk cartridge 10 for facilitating easy insertion of the disk cartridge 10 into the disk drive.

As shown in FIG. 8, each of the gripping recesses 50, 70 has a radius of curvature which is 30 mm and a maximum depth of 2.5 mm. The positioning holes 26, 30 disposed near one of the side edges of the disk cartridge 10 each have a diameter of 4 mm. The positioning holes disposed near the other side edges of the disk cartridge 10 are defined as oblong (elliptical) holes 27, 31 having a major axis of 5 mm and a minor axis of 4 mm. The oblong positioning holes 27, 31 are employed to position the disk cartridge 10 with ease.

In FIG. 8, the tapered or slanted surfaces 100 are positioned on the respective corners on the front end with respect to the direction Y in which the disk cartridge 10 is loaded into the disk drive. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the disk cartridge 10 may have only one tapered or slanted surface 100 positioned on one of the corners on the front end thereof. Only one tapered or slanted surface 100 on one of the corners is effective to enable the automatic loading mechanism to mechanically determine whether the disk cartridge 10 is inserted normally or upside down into the disk drive. With the tapered or slanted surfaces 100 positioned on the respective corners on the front end of the disk cartridge 10, an electric circuit in the disk drive electrically determines whether the disk cartridge 10 is inserted normally or upside down into the disk drive.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the shutter 20 is normally urged by a spring 72 to move to the left to close the window for protecting the optical disk 12 against damage.

The upper shell 14 has a slip-resistant surface 80 near a rear end of the disk cartridge 10, the slip-resistant surface 80 being composed of a plurality of narrow grooves.

The user can carry the disk cartridge 10 while gripping the same with a finger held against the slip-resistant surface 80. Since the user's finger is frictionally engaged by the slip-resistant surface 80, the user can securely hold the disk cartridge 10 without dropping it while carrying the disk cartridge 10. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, both the upper and lower shells 14, 16 may have respective slip-resistant surfaces 80, 90. With the modification shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, since the user can grip the disk cartridge 10 with fingers held against the respective slip-resistant surfaces 80, 90, the disk cartridge 10 is made more resistant to slipping off the user's hand while being carried by the user.

The disk cartridge 10 with the arcuately curved gripping recesses 50, 70 will be used as follows: The disk cartridge 10 is gripped by the user with the tips of a thumb and a middle finger, or a thumb or an index finger, placed in the respective gripping recesses 50, 70 shown in FIG. 8. Since the gripping recesses 50, 70 are arcuately curved to fit the palm of a hand of the user or the fingers of the user, the user can hold the disk cartridge 10 securely. The user can carry around the disk cartridge 10 while gripping it with the thumb and the middle finger or the thumb and the index finger.

While carrying the disk cartridge 10 in the above fashion, the user holds the side edges 40, 60 of the disk cartridge 10 with the fingers whose tips are placed in the gripping recesses 50, 70. Therefore, the user finds it less liable to drop the disk cartridge 10 while carrying the same, so that the optical disk 12 is prevented from being damaged and is maintained highly secure.

The arcuately curved gripping recesses 50, 70 in the opposite side edges of the disk cartridge 10 are also effective to make the shape of the disk cartridge 10 less angular and straight on its edges, and more ergonomic for better manual handling. Inasmuch as the gripping recesses 50, 70 may be shaped for any desired curved configurations, the disk cartridge 10 may be designed for better aesthetic considerations.

According to the conventional disk cartridge shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slots 3 are engaged by the pins 6 of the chucks 5 when the disk cartridge is removed from the cartridge storage box by the chucks 5. The slots 3 are used for the purpose of being engaged by the pins 6 only. The slots 3 are defined in the respective sides 8 which are of a trapezoidal cross section.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention however, the arcuately curved gripping recesses 50, 70 in the opposite side edges of the disk cartridge 10 serve to directly receive fingers of the user. Thus, the gripping recesses 50, 70 are curved to fit the palm or fingers of the user when the disk cartridge 10 is manually handled by the user. The arcuately curved gripping recesses 50, 70 also serve the purpose of making the disk cartridge 10 ergonomic for efficient manual handling and also making the disk cartridge 10 less angular and straight on its edges for better design configurations.

While the gripping recesses 50, 70 are defined in the side edges 40, 60 that extend along the loading direction Y in the illustrated embodiment, the gripping recess or recesses may be defined in only one of the side edges 40, 60 of the disk cartridge. 10.

The principles of the present invention are also applicable to other recording mediums than the disk cartridges which store optical disks, such as disk cartridges which store magnetooptical disks and magnetic disks.

The gripping recesses 50, 70 may be added easily to existing disk cartridges insofar as they are positioned out of interference with, i.e., are spaced from, the positioning holes and the automatic loading slots.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention has been shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A disk cartridge for storing a disk, comprising: a generally square upper shell providing an upper face; and a generally square lower shell providing a lower face and combined with said upper shell, said lower shell having window means defined substantially centrally therein for allowing a recording and reproducing head to access the disk therethrough and allowing a chuck to hold the lower shell therethrough; said upper and lower shells having respective gripping recesses defined in side edges thereof.

2. A disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein each of said gripping recesses is defined by a curved surface.

3. A disk cartridge according to claim 2 wherein said curved surfaces are arcuately concave.

4. A disk cartridge according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said gripping recesses are defined in respective opposite side edges of the upper and lower shells.

5. A disk cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said gripping recesses are defined in one half portion of the side edges of the upper and lower shells.

6. A disk cartridge according to claim 5, wherein said upper and lower shells have a pair of automatic loading slots defined in the other half portion of side edges thereof.

7. A disk cartridge according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said upper and lower shells have a pair of positioning holes slots defined in said one half portion of side edges thereof out of interference with the optical disk which is stored between said upper and lower shells, said positioning holes being located more closely to corners of the upper and lower shells than said gripping recesses.

8. A disk cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said gripping recesses are defined in the side edges of the upper and lower shells out of interference with the optical disk which is stored between said upper and lower shells.

9. A disk cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and lower shells have at least one slanted surface on at least one corner remotely from said gripping recesses.

10. A disk cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said upper and lower shells have respective slip-resistant surfaces.

11. A disk cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said window means comprises a single window.

12. A disk cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said gripping recesses comprise a plurality of gripping recesses defined in one of the side edges of said upper and lower shells.

13. A disk cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said gripping recesses comprise a plurality of gripping recesses defined in each of the side edges of said upper and lower shells.

14. A disk cartridge for storing a recording disk, comprising: a shell assembly having a space defined therein for storing a recording disk rotatably therein; said shell assembly having at least one curved gripping recess defined in a side edge thereof for receiving a fingertip therein.

15. A disk cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said curved gripping recess is defined by an arcuately curved surface in said side edge.

16. A disk cartridge according to claim 15 wherein said curved surface is concave.

17. A disk cartridge according to claim 14, wherein said shell assembly having a pair of curved gripping recesses defined in respective opposite side edges thereof for receiving fingertips therein.

18. A disk cartridge according to claim 17, wherein each of said curved gripping recesses is defined by an arcuately curved surface in one of said opposite side edges.

19. A disk cartridge constructed and arranged to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 4 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.