JPH06295552A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the disk cartridge, for which the probability of drop-down when it is carried is reduced and portability is improved, by forming recessed parts for clamping on the side faces of upper and lower shells. CONSTITUTION:A thumb and the middle finger or the thumb and the forefinger are abutted to clamp parts 50 and 70 of a disk cartridge 10 composed of an upper shell 14, for which the recessed parts of clamp parts 50 and 50 are formed at both side parts 40 and 40, and a lower shell 16 for which the recessed parts of clamp parts 70 and 70 are formed at both side parts 60 and 60, and the cartridge 10 is clamped and held. Since the side parts 40 and 40 of the cartridge 10 can be supported from both sides by the clamp parts 50 and 70 even when it is carried and moved by holding the cartridge like this, the accident of dropping down the cartridge 10 is hardly generated, the damage of an optical disk can be prevented and portability can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disc cartridge for accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a disk called a disk medium housed in a cartridge of this type, for example, a 3.5-inch floppy disk, a 5-inch MO (rewritable magneto-optical disk), or a 3.5-inch M disk is used.
O, etc., which are widely used.

These disks themselves are housed in a shell of a disk cartridge for the purpose of preventing damage to data due to scratches or fingerprints and improving impact resistance.

As a conventional cartridge of this type, there is a cartridge shown in FIG. In the disc cartridge of FIG. 9, the slip preventing means 1 formed of a plurality of thin grooves is formed on the surface. According to such a disc cartridge, for example, when the user inserts the disc cartridge into the disc drive device, the user holds the portion of the anti-slip means 1 on the lower end side A of the disc cartridge with a finger. The disk cartridge is prevented from falling by increasing the frictional force between the anti-slip means 1 and the finger.

[0005]

Another conventional example is disclosed in JP-A-63-46670.
The disk cartridge shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can be used. In this type of disc cartridge as well, the anti-slip means 2 is formed, and the grooves 3 and 4 are provided on both sides 8 of the disc cartridge. And
The side portion 8 has a trapezoidal cross section.

Each groove 3 is adapted to engage with the projection 6 of the chuck member 5 as shown in FIG. As a result, the disc cartridge is sandwiched by the two chuck members 5 and the disc cartridge is taken out from the storage. Further, the grooves 4 and 4 in FIG.
It is a groove for positioning when the disc cartridge is mounted in the disc drive device.

However, when carrying such a conventional disc cartridge within a relatively short distance in an office or the like, if the disc cartridge is held by the slip preventing means 1 or the slip preventing means 2, For example, there is a high possibility that the disk cartridge will hit something and drop it.

If the disk cartridge is dropped in this way, there is a problem that the reliability of the disk medium housed may be reduced. In particular, in the case of a disc cartridge that accommodates a 5-inch disc medium, the size of the disc cartridge is often larger than the palm, and it is desired to improve the handling property.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is possible to improve the reliability of the disk by reducing the risk of dropping when carrying the disk and to improve the portability. It is intended to provide a disc cartridge that can be.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a disc cartridge for accommodating a disc, wherein the disc cartridge has a substantially rectangular upper shell which constitutes an upper surface of the disc cartridge, and the disc cartridge. A substantially square shape which constitutes the lower surface of the disk, and has a window part for chucking the disk at substantially the center and a window part for eccentricity from the chucking window part to one side for reading data from the disk. A disk having a shaped lower shell, and a recess for holding is formed on a side surface of the upper shell and the lower shell other than a side surface provided with a window for reading data. Achieved by the cartridge.

In the present invention, preferably, the recessed portion has a curved shape. In the present invention, the recesses are preferably formed on both sides of the facing side surfaces. In the present invention, preferably, the recessed portion is formed on a side surface of a lower half surface of the upper shell and the lower shell. In the present invention, preferably, the recesses are formed on opposite side surfaces of a blank portion formed when the disc is stored in the cartridge.

In the present invention, preferably, a groove for auto-loading is formed on the upper half side surface of the upper shell and the lower shell. In the present invention, preferably, in the lower half surface of the upper shell and the lower shell, a positioning hole is formed in a blank portion formed when the disc is stored in the cartridge, and the recessed portion is formed. It is formed on the upper surface of the positioning hole.

In the present invention, at least one of the corners of the upper half surface of the upper shell and the lower shell is preferably inclined. In the present invention, preferably, the upper shell and the lower shell are further provided with a non-slip portion for gripping.
In the present invention, the window portion for chucking and the window portion for reading are preferably formed as one window portion.

In the present invention, preferably, the plurality of recesses are formed on one side surface. In the present invention, preferably, a plurality of the recesses are formed on each side surface. In the present invention, the disc is preferably an optical disc, a magnetic disc, or a magneto-optical disc.

[0015]

[Function] For example, by putting the thumb and little finger or the thumb and forefinger on the hollow portion of the shell in which the disc is stored,
The fingers hold the disc cartridge by the sides of the shell.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the examples described below are suitable specific examples of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are given, but the scope of the present invention particularly limits the present invention in the following description. Unless otherwise stated, the present invention is not limited to these modes.

1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the front surface (formation surface) side of the disk cartridge, FIG. 2 shows the rear surface (playback surface) side of the disk cartridge, and FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically show the form of this disk cartridge. Shows.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the disk cartridge 10 is, for example, preferably a high density recording optical disk 1.
It is for storing 2. This optical disk 12
Is designed to perform high-density recording and reproduction using, for example, a short-wavelength laser as a light source, and the pit length and track pitch are reduced (or shortened). It has a small margin (allowance) for dust, dust, and fingerprints.

For this reason, the optical disk 12 requiring such highly accurate protection is an ordinary optical disk (music C
It is necessary to store this optical disk 12 in the disk cartridge 10 in contrast to (D etc.).

Therefore, the disc cartridge 10 for accommodating the optical disc 12 is, for example, welded by combining the upper shell (also called upper shell) 14 shown in FIG. 1 and the lower shell (also called lower shell) 16 shown in FIG. The optical disk 12 is rotatably housed in the upper shell 14 and the lower shell 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, a label seal 18 can be attached to the upper shell 14. The label sticker 18 allows the user to make necessary recordings.

On the other hand, on the side of the lower shell 16 shown in FIG. 2, a shutter 20 is provided so as to be movable in the arrow X direction.
The shutter 20 has a window 22 provided in the lower shell 16.
The shutter 20 can be moved in the arrow X direction along the guide member 24.

The shutter 20 is for preventing dust or dirt from entering the optical disk 12 through the shutter window 22 or attaching a fingerprint to the surface of the optical disk 12 exposed in the window. . In this embodiment, by providing the shutter window 22, a window portion for reading data from the disc 12 and a window portion for chucking the disc 12 are integrated. That is, there is a window portion for chucking the disc at substantially the center and a window portion for reading data from the disc at a position eccentric to the chucking window portion on one side surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and a window portion for reading data from the disc and a window portion provided for chucking the disc may be separately formed like a 3.5 inch micro-floppy disc. Good.

The upper shell 14 of FIG. 1 has holes 26, 26 for positioning when loading the disk cartridge 10 into a disk drive device (not shown), and grooves 28, 28 for automatic loading. The hole for positioning (positioning hole) is provided in the shell so as to be as far as possible from the housed disk. Similarly, in the lower shell 16 shown in FIG. 2, the holes 30 and 3 for positioning during loading are also provided.
0 and grooves 32, 32 for auto loading. By combining the upper shell 14 and the lower shell 16 so as to face each other, the hole 26 and the hole 30 overlap and the groove 28 and the groove 32 overlap. The auto-loading means a mechanism in which when a disc is partially inserted into a drive device, a motor automatically loads the disc from a certain insertion position.

The upper shell 14 of FIG. 1 has grip portions 50, 50 which are recessed portions on the side portions 40, 40 on both sides thereof.
Are formed. The grip portions 50, 50 are formed of curved surface portions, and correspond to various palm sizes or finger thicknesses so that reliable handling can be performed when assuming a wide user layer, for example. Or the shape is applicable.

Similarly, the grip portions 7 which are recessed portions are formed on the side portions 60, 60 on both sides of the lower shell 16 shown in FIG.
0 and 70 are formed. The grips 70, 70 are
It has a shape corresponding to the gripping portions 50, 50 of FIG. 1, and these gripping portions 50, 70 are made to overlap by associating and assembling the upper shell 14 and the lower shell 16 with each other. In addition, the side portions 40, 40 and the side portions 60, 6
0 is parallel to the arrow Y direction, which is the direction in which the disc cartridge 10 is loaded into the disc drive device.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of grip portions 50 and 70 may be formed on the side portions 40 and 60 of the upper shell and the lower shell, respectively. In this case, in order to fit the shape of the finger more accurately, the grips 50, 7
If 0 is formed, it becomes easier to hold and the risk of dropping the disc cartridge is reduced.

FIG. 5 shows the form of the disc cartridge 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 more specifically. Figure 5
The disk cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 2 is a combination of an upper shell 14 and a lower shell 16, and an optical disk 12 having a size substantially the same as that of a conventional CD is stored in the disk cartridge 10. For example, the disc cartridge 10 has a length of 137 mm and a width of 1
It is 25 mm. Side 4 of disk cartridge 10
Reference numerals 0 and 60 denote the curved-shaped gripping portions 50 and 50 which have already been described.
And 70, 70. And the sides 40, 60
Positioning holes 26, 30 and grooves 28, 32 for auto-loading are provided near, and a taper portion 100 provided to facilitate insertion. The length of the tapered portion 100 is, for example, 19.5 mm. The length of the side portions 40 and 60 is, for example, 18 mm.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the gripping portions 50 and 70 have a radius of curvature of 30 mm, the maximum depth is 2.5 mm, and the positioning holes 26 and 30 have a diameter of 4 mm. And the other positioning holes 27 and 31 are 4m
It is a long hole (for example, an ellipse) of m × 5 mm. The positioning holes 27 and 31 are elongated holes in order to facilitate positioning. Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the tapered portions 100 are formed at both corners of the front side surface in the insertion direction Y, but one corner may be formed as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when the taper portion 100 is formed only on one corner, it is easy to determine the front and back of the disc due to the loading mechanism. When the tapered portions 100 are formed at both corners as shown in FIG. 5, a method of electrically determining the front and back of the disk by a disk device (not shown) may be considered.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the spring 72 is
The optical disc 12 is protected by closing the opening by pushing the already-described shutter 20 to the left in the arrow X direction. It should be noted that the front portion of the upper shell 14 is formed with a slip preventing portion 80 which is also preferably a friction groove composed of a plurality of thin grooves. This non-slip part 8
It is also possible to carry the disc cartridge by placing a finger on 0 and grasping the disc cartridge 10 with the finger. The length of this non-slip portion 80 is, for example, 79 mm. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, by forming the slip preventing portions 80 and 90 not only on the upper shell but also on the lower shell, it is possible to make the disc more difficult to drop.

Next, an example of use of the disc cartridge 10 provided with the gripping portions 50 and 70 which are such curved or R-shaped recessed portions will be described. Use the thumb and middle finger, or the thumb and forefinger to grasp the grips 50, 7 on both sides shown in FIG.
The disk cartridge 10 is held by sandwiching the disk cartridge 10 between them. The grips 50 and 70 have an R shape that fits in the palm of the user or each finger to be used, so that the disc cartridge 10 can be securely held. In this way, the grips 50 and 70 can be held by the thumb and the middle finger or the thumb and the index finger, and can be carried and moved.

Even when carried and moved in this way, the side portions 40, 40 of the disc cartridge 10 are grasped from both sides by the grip portion 5.
Since it can be supported by 0, 70, an accident such as dropping the disc cartridge 10 is unlikely to occur, damage to the optical disc 12 can be prevented, and the reliability of the optical disc can be maintained.

Further, in this way, the curved-shaped grip portion 50,
By forming 70 on both sides of the disk cartridge 10, the angular image of a normal cartridge can be softened by the curved grip portions 50, 70, and the curved shape of the grip portions 50, 70 can be arbitrarily selected. This makes it possible to provide a disc cartridge having an excellent design.

In the above-described conventional example shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the groove 3 is merely engaged with the protrusion 6 of the chuck member, and is used to pull out the cartridge from the storage container by using the chuck member 5. ing. Moreover, this groove 3
The side portion 8 in which is formed has a trapezoidal cross section.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the palm or the finger is not provided for such an application, but the palm or the finger is provided on the side portions 40 and 60 of the disk cartridge 10 in order to directly apply the finger of the user or the operator. The curved grips 50 and 70 are provided to give the user a soft image that is familiar to the user and has a design.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, the side portion 4 along the loading direction Y of the disc cartridge 10 is used.
0, 40 and side parts 60, 60 on both sides of the grip parts 50, 7
0 is set.

However, the grips 50 and 70 may be provided only on one side if necessary. Further, the disc to be stored is not limited to the optical disc, and other recording medium such as MO or magnetic disc may be used.

The grip portion is provided as a functional portion of the disc cartridge, for example, a positioning hole or a loading groove so as not to interfere with the disc cartridge, so that the grip portion can easily be a recessed portion in the conventional cartridge. A grip can be added.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the disc cartridge is carried, the recessed portion such as the grip portion is directly held by the finger, so that the risk of dropping is reduced. As a result, the reliability of the disc can be maintained or improved, and the portability can be increased. Further, preferably, by providing a curved-shaped recessed portion, it is possible to soften the shape of the cartridge having an image with a square shape in the related art by the curved-shaped recessed portion, and the design is superior to the conventional one. can do. Further, by forming the recessed portions on both side surfaces of the case, the case can be reliably held by the fingers between the side surfaces on the opposite side of the case. Furthermore, by providing a non-slip means such as a thin groove that prevents slipping when gripping the portion other than the side surface portion of the case, more diverse handling can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a surface of an upper shell which constitutes a preferred embodiment of a disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the surface of a lower shell which constitutes a preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a surface of an upper shell which constitutes another preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a surface of a lower shell which constitutes another preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

5 is a diagram showing in more detail the preferred embodiment of the disk cartridge of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view specifically showing further another preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the surface of an upper shell which constitutes still another preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the surface of a lower shell which constitutes still another preferred embodiment of the disc cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional disc cartridge.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a conventional cartridge.

11 is a perspective view of the conventional disc cartridge shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Disk Cartridge 12 Optical Disk (Disk) 14 Upper Shell (Upper Shell) 16 Lower Shell (Lower Shell) 40,60 Side 50,70 Gripping (Dent)

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A disc cartridge for accommodating a disc, comprising a substantially rectangular upper shell constituting an upper face of the disc cartridge and a lower face of the disc cartridge, and chucking the disc at substantially the center thereof. A lower rectangular shell having a window portion for reading data from the disk at a position eccentric to the chucking window portion on one side surface, and a lower shell of the upper shell and the lower shell. A disc cartridge characterized in that a recess for holding is formed on a side surface other than the side surface provided with the window portion for reading data. 2. The recessed portion has a curved shape.
The disk cartridge described in. 3. The disk cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the recesses are formed on both sides of the opposing side surfaces. 4. The disk cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the recessed portion is formed on a side surface of a lower half surface of the upper shell and the lower shell. 5. The disk cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the recesses are formed on opposite side surfaces of a blank portion formed when the disk is stored in the cartridge. 6. The disk cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a groove for auto-loading is formed on a side surface of an upper half surface of the upper shell and the lower shell. 7. A positioning hole is formed in a lower half surface of the upper shell and the lower shell, which is formed when the disc is stored in the cartridge, and a positioning hole is formed in the hollow portion, The disc cartridge according to claim 5, which is formed on the upper surface. 8. The disk cartridge according to claim 7, wherein at least one of corners of upper half surfaces of the upper shell and the lower shell is formed to be inclined. 9. The disk cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the upper shell and the lower shell are each provided with a non-slip portion for gripping. 10. The disk cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the window portion for chucking and the window portion for reading are formed as one window portion. 11. The disk cartridge according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the recesses are formed on one side surface. 12. The disk cartridge according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the recesses are formed on each side surface. 13. The disc cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the disc is an optical disc, a magnetic disc, or a magneto-optical disc.