JPH09221188A - Housing case for disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a housing case compact while being available for easy putting-in and taking-out of a disk cartridge, and to make the housing case resistive against flexture even though an external force is applied. SOLUTION: The structure is such a one wherein a lid body 45, capable of moving for opening and shutting, is supported with a support part at an end opposite to an opening 25 at the front of a lower housing body 21, steps 61 are provided at the inside of paired rises 23 of the lower housing body 21, and the lid body 45 is rested on shutting at its edges on both sides at the steps.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

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

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a disk-shaped recording medium such as an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk is recorded and / or stored during storage.
Alternatively, the disk cartridge is rotatably housed in order to prevent dust, dirt, or scratches from being produced in the recording area of the reproduction surface. The disc cartridge configured as described above is a disc that is housed by closing the shutter member that closes the recording and / or reproducing opening provided in the disc cartridge when loaded in the recording and / or reproducing device. To face the outside. Then, the disc cartridge is magnetically chucked on the disc table on the recording and / or reproducing device side to make the disc housed therein rotatable and recordable and / or reproducible.

As described above, since the disc cartridge is loaded in the recording and / or reproducing apparatus in a state where the disc is stored in the cartridge, the disc cartridge is usually stored in the disc cartridge storage case to protect the disc cartridge when not in use. It is stored and stored.

As shown in FIG. 12, for example, a disc cartridge 100 housed in such a disc cartridge storage case is formed by abutting and joining an upper half 101 and a lower half 102 formed in a pair of substantially shallow dishes. A disc is rotatably housed in the formed cartridge body 103.

Inside the cartridge body 103, there is provided a disk storage portion constituted by an arc-shaped rising wall having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the disk and slightly larger than the thickness of the disk. Has been formed.
The disc is rotatably accommodated in the disc storage portion.

Further, the cartridge body 103 has
A recording and / or reproducing opening is formed on the upper and lower surfaces from the central portion to the front side at a substantially horizontal center. The recording and / or reproducing opening is provided in the cartridge body 10.
A part of the recording area of the disc housed in 3 is exposed to the outside.

The recording and / or reproducing opening is composed of a pair of shutter portions 105 having a size large enough to close the recording and / or reproducing opening and a connecting portion 106 connecting the shutter portions 105. A shutter member 104 having a generally U-shaped cross section is slidably assembled. The shutter member 104 opens the recording and / or reproducing opening only when it is attached to the recording and / or reproducing apparatus, and closes the recording and / or reproducing opening when not in use. ing. Therefore, the shutter member 104 is used when the cartridge body 1 is not in use.
03 to prevent dust or dirt from entering, and
It prevents the hands and fingers from touching the recording area of the disc.

The cartridge body 103 is also provided with an arrow 107 indicating the direction in which the disc cartridge 100 is inserted into the recording and / or reproducing apparatus.

The disk accommodated in the cartridge body 103 has a disk substrate formed of a synthetic resin material and a central hole for engaging the center spindle of the recording and / or reproducing apparatus side attached to the central part of the disk substrate. And a hub having the same. A non-recording area in which no information signal is recorded is formed in the central area of the disc substrate, and a recording area in which an information signal is recorded is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the non-recording area. In addition, the hub is configured by integrally attaching a metal plate having magnetic attraction to one side of a ring member formed of a synthetic resin material. The hub is attached to the center of the disc substrate and to the non-recording area.

The disk cartridge 100 as described above
The following storage cases are generally proposed for storing the.

For example, the first storage case 110 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper half 111 has a size slightly larger than that of the disc cartridge 100, and the lower half 112 in which the disc cartridge 100 is arranged.
A disc cartridge insertion opening 113 into which the disc cartridge 100 is inserted is formed on one side surface in a state where the disc cartridge 100 and the disc 2 are connected.

The upper half 111 is formed so as to have a size slightly larger than the upper surface of the disk cartridge 100 which is housed as a whole. When the disc cartridge 100 is stored, the upper half 111 is used to store the disc cartridge 10 from the outside.
It is made of a transparent synthetic resin material so that 0 can be seen.

Since the disk cartridge 100 is arranged, the lower half 112 is formed to have a size slightly larger than the lower surface of the disk cartridge 100 as a whole. And these upper half 111
The lower half 112 and the lower half 112 form a storage case 100 by combining and joining them.

The storage case 100 having such a structure
Has a disk cartridge housing space 114 in which the disk cartridge 100 is housed. The storage case 100 has the disc cartridge 100 in the disc cartridge storage space 114.
The disk cartridge insertion opening 115 is opened at one side surface so that Therefore,
The disk cartridge housing space 114 is formed to have a size slightly larger than the overall shape of the disk cartridge 100, and the disk cartridge insertion opening 115 is made slightly larger than one side surface of the disk cartridge 100. It has a large opening size.

Further, the upper half 111 and the lower half 1
12, a take-out recess 116 is formed in the side edge of the disc cartridge insertion opening 113 so as to facilitate the insertion and removal of the disc cartridge 100. Therefore, the disc cartridge 100 is
When stored in the storage case 100, a portion corresponding to the take-out recessed portion 116 is exposed to the outside.

The storage case 100 configured as described above
Slides when the disc cartridge 100 is inserted, and the disc cartridge insertion opening 1
The disk cartridge 15 is stored in the disk cartridge storage space 114. At this time, the disc cartridge 100 is inserted in the same direction as the arrow 107 indicating the insertion direction when the disc cartridge 100 is inserted into the recording and / or reproducing apparatus.

Further, the disc cartridge 100 is taken out from the storage case 110 by performing a sliding operation while holding a portion of the storage case 110 which is exposed to the outside of the take-out recess 116.

As a storage case for the disc cartridge 100, the following second storage case 120 has been proposed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the storage case 120 includes a lower storage body 121 in which the disc cartridge 100 having a disc cartridge insertion opening 129 is stored, and a lid which is attached to one side face so as to be openable and closable. It is composed of a body 128.

The lower housing 121 has a bottom surface portion 122 on which the disk cartridge 100 is disposed, and the bottom surface portion 12.
The rising wall 123 (123) slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the disc cartridge 100 from the side edges on three sides.
(A, 123B, 123C) are connected to each other and stand upright, and the upper surface is formed as a disc cartridge insertion opening 129 into which the disc cartridge is inserted, and is formed in a substantially dish-like shape as a whole. And the storage case 120
The inside of the disk is configured as a disk cartridge housing space 124.

Further, on the bottom face portion 122, the disc cartridge 10 is arranged so that the disc cartridge 100 is detachably fixed in the central region.
The locking portion 125 (125
A, 125B, 125C, 125D) are provided upright to form a disk cartridge placement position 126. Therefore, the disc cartridge 100 has the lower housing 1
When it is stored in the disk cartridge placement position 126 of No. 21, it is locked by this locking portion 125 and fixed in a detachable state.

Further, a clearance 127 is formed between the rising wall 123 and the outer peripheral region of the disc cartridge placement position 126. The clearance 127 is provided for inserting a finger to support the disc cartridge 100 when the disc cartridge 100 is inserted or removed.

The lid 128 has a main surface 130 that is substantially equal to the disc cartridge insertion opening 129, a pair of support pieces 131 erected from opposite side edges of the main surface 130, and a lower housing. The side surface 132 closes the side edge of the 121 where the rising wall is not formed.

The main surface 130 has an outer dimension that is substantially the same as the disk cartridge insertion opening 129, and is formed in a rectangular shape as a whole. Then, on the main surface 130, support pieces 131 are provided upright from opposite side edges.

A convex portion is formed on the support piece 131,
The rising walls 123A of the lower housing 121 facing each other,
The lid 12 is fitted in a recess provided at the rear of the 123C.
8 is openably and closably supported.

The storage case 120 configured as described above
When the disc cartridge 100 is stored, the disc cartridge storage portion 12 is inserted through the disc cartridge insertion opening 129 with the lid 128 opened.
4 and is locked and fixed to the locking portion 125, and then the lid 128 is closed and stored.

On the other hand, when the disk cartridge 100 is taken out, the storage case 120 releases the locked state of the disk cartridge 100 locked by the locking portion 125 with the lid 128 closed. Then, it is taken out from the disc cartridge insertion opening 129.

[0028]

However, the first storage case 110 and the second storage case 120 described above are provided.
Is a disc cartridge insertion opening 113 of the disc cartridge 100, as shown in FIGS.
129 is provided only in one direction. Therefore, it is difficult for the first storage case 110 and the second storage case 120 to store the disc cartridge 100 in the disc cartridge storage spaces 114, 124 through the disc cartridge insertion openings 113, 129.

Further, in the second storage case 120, since the lid 128 is supported so as to be openable and closable upward,
With the lid 128 closed, as shown in FIG. 8, the disc cartridge 100 must be vertically inserted and removed. Therefore, the second storage case 120 is
This makes it difficult to insert and remove the disc cartridge 100 in a narrow space.

Further, in the second storage case 120, the disk cartridge 100 must be vertically inserted and removed as described above. Therefore, when the disc cartridge 100 locked by the locking portion 125 is inserted into or removed from the second storage case 120, it must be supported by a finger. Therefore, the clearance 127 is formed in the second storage case 120. Since the clearance 127 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the disk cartridge placement position 126, the storage case 1
Increase the size of 20.

Therefore, as a storage case for the disk cartridge 100, a configuration as shown in FIG. 14 can be considered. That is, in the storage case 140 shown in FIG.
Lower storage body 141 in which the disk cartridge 100 having the disk cartridge insertion opening 149 is stored
And a lid body 14 that is openably and closably attached to one side edge portion.
And 8.

In the lower housing 141, a pair of rising walls 143 (143A, 143B) are provided upright from the side edges on both sides of the bottom surface 142 on which the disc cartridge 100 is arranged. Unlike the first opening 144, a rising wall is not formed on the front side.
It has become. In addition, the lower housing 141 has a large second opening 145 by opening the upper side.

A lid 148 is openably and closably supported at the end of the lower housing 141 opposite to the first opening 144. A vertical wall 147 is provided at the front end of the main surface 146 of the lid body 148, and when the lid body 148 is in the closed state, the vertical wall 147 closes the first opening 144 of the lower storage body 141, and at the same time. The main surface 146 closes the second opening 145.

As a result, in this storage case 140,
Since the disc cartridge 100 can be inserted and removed through either of the first opening 144 and the second opening 145, the disc cartridge 1 can be used even in a narrow space.
It is easy to insert and remove 00.

However, the storage case 140 of this disc cartridge is constructed so as to support one end of the lid 148 at the end of the lower storage 141. Therefore, when an external force such as external load is applied to the lid body 148 with the lid body 148 being closed, the lid body 148 itself is made of a thin synthetic resin plate, so that it is significantly bent. I will end up. Therefore, there is a problem that the disk cartridge housed in the housing case 140 cannot be sufficiently protected.

In order to increase the rigidity of the lid 148,
Increasing the thickness of the lid 148 increases the weight of the entire body and makes it difficult to handle, and the storage case 140 becomes large.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and makes it possible to reduce the size of the storage case and to easily insert and remove the disc cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a durable disk cartridge storage case that does not easily bend even when an external force is applied.

[0038]

According to the present invention, there is provided a bottom surface portion on which a disk cartridge is mounted,
A lower housing body having a pair of rising walls that stand upright from both side edges of the bottom surface portion so as to face each other, and an upper opening portion and a front surface opening portion formed by the pair of rising walls; A shape capable of closing the upper side opening and the front side opening of the lower storage body, and supported openably and closably by a supporting portion provided at an end opposite to the front side opening of the lower storage body. The lower storage body is provided with step portions inside the pair of rising walls, and both side edges of the lid body are closed when the lid body is closed. This is achieved by a storage case for the disk cartridge, which is configured to be mounted on this step.

According to the above construction, the upper opening and the front opening which are opened and closed by the lid are provided. As a result, the disc cartridge can be inserted and removed from either of these two openings. Further, since the lid body is supported by the lower housing body when it is closed, it is strong against external force such as weighting and does not easily bend.

[0040]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment described below is a preferred specific example of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention particularly limits the present invention in the following description. The embodiment is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise stated.

The disk cartridge storage case 20 is
In order to protect the disc cartridge 1 in which a disc-shaped recording medium such as a magneto-optical disc is rotatably accommodated, it is accommodated when not in use, such as in storage, which is not mounted in a recording and / or reproducing apparatus.

The following disk cartridge 1 is stored in the disk cartridge storage case 20.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the disc cartridge 1 comprises a cartridge body 4 which is formed by combining an upper half 2 and a lower half 3 having a substantially shallow dish shape which are made of a synthetic resin material. A magneto-optical disk is rotatably housed in the cartridge body 4. In the upper half 2 and the lower half 3, rising peripheral walls 5 (5A, 5B) are respectively provided upright around the circumference. These rising peripheral walls 5 are abutted against each other in the state where the upper half 2 and the lower half 3 are combined to form the outer peripheral wall 6 of the cartridge body 4.

The upper half 2 and the lower half 3 are provided with disk storage walls, which are inwardly in contact with the rising peripheral wall 5 and which are formed on the same circumference and are formed of a plurality of arc-shaped walls (not shown), on the inner surfaces facing each other. There is. These disk storage walls are
In the state in which the upper half 2 and the lower half 3 are combined, they are butted against each other to form a disc storage portion (not shown). Therefore, upper half 2 and lower half 3
The cartridge main body 4 is constructed by assembling so as to be combined with the disk storage wall and integrating them by ultrasonic welding or the like.

The lower half 3 is provided with a circular disk table entry opening 7 which is located substantially in the center of the lower half 3. A disc table on the side of the recording and / or reproducing device, which drives the magneto-optical disc stored in the disc storing portion when the disc cartridge 1 is mounted on the recording and / or reproducing device, is provided in the disc table entrance opening 7. enter in. Specifically, the disk table entry opening 7 is provided outside the hub 14 formed of a magnetic plate material for a magnet lamp provided by closing the center hole of the magneto-optical disk housed in the disk housing part. To face you.

Recording and / or reproduction is performed on the upper half 2 and the lower half 3 so that at least a part of the signal recording portion of the magneto-optical disc rotatably accommodated in the disc accommodating portion is exposed to the outside over the inner and outer peripheries. The openings 8 (8A, 8B) for use are opened facing each other. These recording and / or reproducing openings 8 are formed in a rectangular shape in the center in the left-right direction from the position close to the disk table entry opening 7 to the front side of the upper half 2 and the lower half 3. ing.

A cartridge body 4 composed of an upper half 2 and a lower half 3 adheres to a magneto-optical disc housed when dust or the like has entered the disc housing portion from the recording and / or reproducing opening 8. In order to prevent this, a shutter member 9 for closing the recording and / or reproducing opening 8 is assembled. The shutter member 9 is formed by pressing a thin metal plate, and has an overall U-shaped outer shape having a length dimension sufficient to close the recording and / or reproducing openings 8. It is formed.

The shutter member 9 constructed as described above
Is attached to the cartridge body 4 by sandwiching it in the cartridge body 4 and engaging a shutter guide member (not shown) on the shutter member side with a shutter guide groove (not shown) on the cartridge body 4 side. The shutter member 9 is normally biased in the direction A shown in FIG. 1 by a shutter spring (not shown), and is held in a state where the recording and / or reproducing opening 8 at the first position is closed.

When the disc cartridge 1 is loaded in the recording and / or reproducing apparatus, the shutter member 9 moves in the direction B shown in FIG. 1 by the shutter driving member on the recording and / or reproducing apparatus side. The recording and / or reproducing opening 8 is moved from the first position where the recording and / or reproducing opening 8 is closed to the second position where the recording and / or reproducing opening 8 is closed.

The disc cartridge 1 is provided with an erroneous recording prevention mechanism 10 for preventing the information signal recorded on the magneto-optical disc from being accidentally erased. The erroneous recording prevention mechanism 10 includes an erroneous recording prevention member 11A and an erroneous recording detection hole 12 which are arranged at the side surface corners of the lower half 3.
And the operation opening portion 13. The erroneous recording prevention member 11A is located in the back corner of the lower half 3 and is disposed inside the cartridge body 4. The erroneous recording prevention member 11A has a size sufficient to close the erroneous recording detection hole 12. The erroneous recording detection hole 12 is provided in the back corner of the lower half 3. Further, the upper half 2 and the lower half 3 are provided with operation openings 13 on the rising peripheral wall 5B corresponding to the operation portions 11B of the erroneous recording prevention member 11.

The erroneous recording prevention mechanism 10 includes the erroneous recording prevention member 1.
In the state where 1A is set to the first position for closing the erroneous recording detection hole 12, the erroneous recording detection means on the recording and / or reproducing apparatus side is prevented from entering the erroneous recording detection hole 12, and the disc is stored. An information signal can be recorded on the magneto-optical disk housed in the unit. Also, the erroneous recording prevention mechanism 1
The number 0 is switched by the operation opening 13 so that the erroneous recording prevention member 11A opens the erroneous recording detection hole 12.
In the state of being set to the position of, the recording and / or reproducing device side erroneous recording detecting means is allowed to enter the erroneous recording detecting hole 12, and the information signal is recorded on the magneto-optical disc housed in the disc housing portion. Is disabled.

The magneto-optical disk rotatably housed in the disk cartridge 1 comprises a disk substrate and a hub 14 assembled in the center hole of the disk substrate. This disk substrate is composed of a glass plate or a transparent disk substrate formed of a transparent synthetic resin, for example, a polycarbonate resin in a disk shape.

The magneto-optical disk housed in the cartridge body 4 is a disk substrate in which a non-recording area in which no information signal is recorded and a recording area in which an information signal is recorded are formed in the central area, and this disk. Hub 14 having a central hole 15 into which a center spindle on the recording and / or reproducing device side mounted in the central area of the substrate is engaged
It is composed of

The disk substrate is disk-shaped as a whole, and is made of a synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate resin. The disc substrate has an information signal recording region formed in the outer peripheral region thereof, a reflective layer of aluminum (A1) or the like formed on the recording region, and a synthetic resin material for protecting the reflective layer. Is covered and configured.

A hub 14 having a central hole 15 into which a center spindle on the recording and / or reproducing apparatus side is engaged is attached to the center of the disk substrate.
The hub 14 is configured by attaching metal plates having magnetic attraction to both sides of one side of a ring member made of a synthetic resin material.

When the disc cartridge 1 is mounted in the recording and / or reproducing apparatus, the center spindle is engaged with the center hole 15 of the hub 14, and the disc is magnetically chucked by the magnet to be integrated with the disc table. It is made rotatable.

The disk cartridge housing case 20 in which the disk cartridge 1 is housed as described above is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a lower housing 21 and a lid 45.
It is composed of

The lower housing 21 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a bottom surface portion 22 on which the disk cartridge 1 is disposed, and the thickness dimension of the disk cartridge 1 from the side edges of the bottom surface portion 22 facing each other. A pair of rising walls 2 having an E dimension which is a slightly larger height dimension
3 (23A, 23B) are formed, and the upper side opening 24 and the front side opening 25 formed by the pair of rising walls 23 are formed. The rising walls 23 regulate the widthwise deviation when the disc cartridge 1 is stored.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom surface portion 22 has a lateral dimension C substantially equal to the lateral dimension A of the disc cartridge 1 and a vertical dimension D slightly larger than the longitudinal dimension B of the disc cartridge 1. And has a rectangular shape as a whole. And, in this bottom face portion 22,
A rising wall 23, which is slightly larger than the thickness of the disc cartridge 1, is erected from the opposite side edges. The rising walls 23 form an upper opening 24 on the upper surface and a front opening 25 on the front side.

The upper opening 24 has at least the dimensions C and D which are similar to those of the bottom portion 22. The upper opening 24 allows the disc cartridge 1 to be stored in the storage case 20 from above. As described above, in the lower storage body 21, the storage portion 26 is configured by the pair of rising walls 23.

The front side opening 25 is adjacent to the upper side opening 24 and has an E dimension which is a height dimension shown in FIG. 10 slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the disc cartridge 1 and a disc cartridge. It is opened with the A dimension of 1 and the C dimension which is made almost equal. The front side opening 25 allows the disc cartridge 1 to be taken in and out from the front side.

Inside the rising walls 23A and 23B, stepped portions 61 extending along the front-rear direction of the lower housing 21 are provided integrally with the rising walls 23A and 23B, respectively. The step portion 61 has a step portion 62 having a first height and a step portion 63 having a second height. In this embodiment, the step portion 62 and the step portion 63 are integrally formed. ing. When the lid 45 of the storage case 20 is closed, the step 61 is provided with a third vertical wall 48A of the lid 45, which will be described later.
48B is placed. Therefore, the first step portion 62 of the step portion 61 has a size slightly larger than the thickness of the disc cartridge 1. The second stepped portion 63 is set to have a slightly higher dimension than the first stepped portion 62. Correspondingly, the third vertical wall 48A of the lid portion 45 also corresponds to the first stepped portion 62. Corresponding to the first portion 48A
-1 and the second portion 48A- corresponding to the second stepped portion 63.
And 2.

Thus, when the lid 45 of the storage case 20 is closed, as shown in FIG. 7, the vertical walls 48A and 48B, which are the peripheral walls of the lid 45, are raised by the respective upper portions of the lower storage 21. It is supported by the step portion 61 inside the walls 23A and 23B. Therefore, even if an external force such as a load is applied to the lid body 45, the lid body 45 is not significantly bent,
The strength of the lid 45 of the storage case 20 can be improved, and the stored disc cartridge 1 can be appropriately protected. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, when the step portion 61 is provided on substantially the entire surface of the rising wall 23 in the front-rear direction, the side edge portion of the lid body 45 can be supported over a long distance, so that a stronger structure is obtained. Can be obtained.

Further, the second side which is the front side of the step 61
At one end of the stepped portion 63 of the two projections or protrusions 65,
66 is integrally provided. The convex portion 65 is the stepped portion 6.
It is provided at a position higher than the stepped portion 62 of No. 3, and slightly protrudes inward. The convex portion 66 is provided inside the stepped portion 63, and is integrally formed at a position lower than the convex portion 65. As shown schematically in FIG. 5, the convex portion 66 preferably includes a substantially tapered inclined guide portion 66a integrally formed on the upper portion of the convex portion main body 66b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of position regulating walls 31, 33 are provided upright in the bottom direction on the bottom face portion 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the position regulating walls 31 and 33 are erected in the depth direction by a distance obtained by adding the dimension B of the disc cartridge 1 to the dimension J from the front opening 25 to the convex portion 66. It stands upright with an F dimension from the front opening 25. When the disc cartridge 1 is placed in the storage portion 26, the left end sides of the position regulating walls 31 and 33 are abutted against each other to regulate the placement positions. The position regulating walls 31 and 33 are erected with a clearance 32 provided therebetween. This clearance 32
Makes it possible to insert a finger or the like when taking out the disc cartridge 1 when the disc cartridge 1 is placed in the storage section 26, and makes it easy to take out the disc cartridge 1.

The position-regulating walls 31, 3 configured as above
As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6, one position regulating wall 33 of No. 3 is preferably provided with a protruding portion 33a which horizontally protrudes toward the disc cartridge 1 side near the upper end thereof. The protrusion 33a restrains the end of the disc cartridge 1 on the opposite side of the protrusion 65 in FIG. 5 to more reliably regulate the movement in the arrow K direction in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view schematically showing the relationship between the respective convex portions 65 and 66, the position regulating walls 31 and 33, and the disc cartridge 1 to be housed. The disc cartridge 1 housed in the lower housing 21 has an upper surface on which the convex portion 65 and the position regulating wall 3 are provided.
It is suppressed by the protruding portion 33a of No. 3. As a result, the movement of the disc cartridge 1 in the arrow K direction is restricted. In FIG. 5, the disk cartridge 1 has a convex portion 66 on the right end side and a position regulating wall 33 (3) on the left end side.
1) By being suppressed, the movement in the front-back direction, that is, the direction of the arrow J is restricted. This convex portion 65, 66
As a result, the degree to which the disc cartridge 1 can be suppressed is
The disk cartridge 1 cannot be inserted into or removed from the lower housing 21.

As described above, the protrusions 65 and 66 provided on the lower housing 21 and the predetermined portions of the position regulating wall 33 come into contact with the disc cartridge 1 at at least three points to open the lid 45. In this state, the disc cartridge 1 is stably held in the storage portion 26 of the lower storage body 21. Here, in particular, the convex portion 66 has an inclined guide portion 6 on the upper portion thereof.
6a is provided, when the disc cartridge 1 is inserted into the lower housing 21 from above in FIG. 5, the contact portion of the disc cartridge 1 with respect to the convex portion 66 is along the slope of the inclined guide portion 66a. By being guided by the guide, the insertion is relatively smooth without interference.

More preferably, as shown in FIG. 6, the bottom surface portion 22 corresponding to the root region 33b of the position regulating wall 33 is formed thin. As a result, the position regulation wall 33 can slightly swing around the root as shown by the arrow, based on its elasticity. According to this structure, the position regulating wall can be slightly retracted when the disc cartridge 1 is inserted or removed from above, which makes it easier to take in and out. In addition, when the lower housing 21 is integrally molded, the protrusion 3
Even when the insert for forming 3a is used, the insert can be easily retracted at the time of releasing the mold, which facilitates the manufacturing. Moreover, in the case where the bottom surface portion 22 is formed thin so as to elastically deform the position regulating wall 33, the locking portion 125 of FIG.
Compared with, the engaging portion 125 is different in that a through hole is formed in the bottom surface portion of its root region. However, in the locking portion 125 having the conventional configuration, harmful dust, dust, or the like may enter the optical disc through the through hole, but in this embodiment, the bottom surface portion 22 has no through portion. Therefore, such a situation can be effectively avoided.

The convex portion 6 provided on the lower housing 21
If the disk cartridge 1 and the position restriction wall 33 contact the disk cartridge 1 at least at three points, the disk cartridge 1 can be positioned at the arrangement position. Therefore, only one of the position regulation walls 31 and 33 may be provided. In addition, the convex portion 66 is shown in FIG.
Even if the inclined guide portion 66a is not provided as in FIG.
The disk cartridge 1 can be positioned with the same shape as that of the disk cartridge 5. Further, when the protrusion 33a is not formed on the position regulating wall 33, the region 33b of the bottom surface portion 22 does not have to be thin.

Further, the lower housing 21 is provided with a space 40 on the bottom surface 22 on the side facing the front opening 25. The space 40 is provided so that the end of the space 45 does not hit the position regulating wall 31 when the lid 45 described later is opened and closed. Further, this space 40 is provided when the disc cartridge 1 is taken out.
A finger or the like can be inserted to facilitate the operation of taking out the disc cartridge 1.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom surface portion 22 is provided with a display portion 35 indicating the insertion direction of the disc cartridge 1. This display unit 35 has an arrow 3
6 and an external view of the disc cartridge 1 as seen from above 3
7 is formed with unevenness. Therefore, when the disc cartridge 1 is inserted into the disc cartridge 1 storage case 20, the display portion 35 allows the insertion direction to be easily identified only by visual inspection.

This display section 35 is similar to the display section 35 corresponding to the display section 35 of the lower housing body 21 molded in the molding die when the lower housing body 21 is molded by the molding die. It is formed by forming the unevenness of. That is,
The display portion 35 is formed at the same time when the lower housing 21 is formed by the forming die. Therefore, when the display section 35 is provided, another manufacturing process is not performed again.

The display portion 35 may be coated with a fluorescent material or the like to make it easier to identify the insertion direction of the disc cartridge 1. In addition, this display unit 35
In the above, the case where the molding is performed simultaneously with the molding of the lower housing 21 by the molding die has been described, but it is needless to say that the molding may be performed by printing such as PAD printing. Although the display method of the display unit 35 has been described with reference to the arrow 36 and the external view 37, the display method is not limited to these display methods.

Further, as a hinge mechanism, the rising wall 23 is fitted inward with the concave portion formed in the third rising wall of the lid body 45 on the inside opposite to the front side opening 25. A convex portion is provided. By fitting the convex portion with the concave portion, the lid 45 is openably and closably supported.

Each of the rising walls 23 is formed with a projection 39 (39A, 39B) inside thereof.
The protrusion 39 is engaged when a recess formed in a third vertical wall of the lid 45 described later is engaged to lock the lid 45 when the lid 45 is closed, and the lid 45 is opened. Prevent that.

The lid 45, which is openably and closably attached to the lower housing 21 having the above-described structure, has the upper opening 2
4, a first main surface 46 that closes the front side opening 25, a first vertical wall 47 that closes the front opening 25, and a first vertical wall 47 that extends integrally vertically from both side edges of the main surface 46 and faces each other. It is composed of three vertical walls 48 (48A, 48B). The lid 45 is made of a transparent synthetic resin material so that the disc cartridge 1 housed in the lower housing 21 or the display label 44 on which the recorded contents of the disc cartridge 1 and the like are visible can be seen. .

Since the main surface 46 closes the upper opening 24, it has the same dimensions as the upper opening 24, that is, the dimensions C and D shown in FIG. 4, and has a rectangular shape as a whole. Has been formed. A first vertical wall 47 is erected from the one side edge on the main surface 46.

The first vertical wall 47 has a front opening 2
Since the lid 5 is closed, it is formed to have the same dimensions as the front opening 25, that is, the dimensions C and E shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the first vertical wall 47 has an arrow 49 indicating the direction of opening the lid in the substantially central region.
Are formed. This arrow 49 is formed with unevenness, like the display portion 35 of the lower housing 21 described above. That is, the arrow 49 indicates that the lid 45 is molded in the molding die when the lid 45 is molded by the molding die.
It is molded by forming similar unevenness of the arrow 49 in a portion corresponding to the arrow 49 of. That is, this arrow 49
Is molded at the same time as the lower housing 21 is molded by the molding die. Therefore, when the arrow 49 is provided, another manufacturing process is not performed again.

A position regulating rib 50 (50A, 50A) for regulating the position where the display label 44 is inserted is provided at a corner portion constituted by the main surface 46 and the side edge of the first vertical wall 47.
B) is provided. Specifically, the position restriction rib 50 is formed in an arc shape along a corner portion formed by the side edges of the first vertical wall 47 and the third vertical wall 48.
When the display label 44 is stored on the inner surface of the main surface 46, the position regulating rib 50 formed in this manner restricts the storage position in the lateral direction, and the main surface 46 and the first vertical wall. It assists the joining state of 47 and is strong.

The position restricting rib 50 is protruded inwardly of the restricting convex portion 53 for restricting the position to be housed in the display label 44 formed so as to protrude from the third vertical wall 48 described later. It is formed to have the same dimensions.

The horizontal position of the lower end surface of the third vertical wall 48 is the first portion 48A-1 and the second portion 48A-.
It is different from 2. As described above, the first portion 48A-1 is placed on the step portion 62 of the lower storage body 21,
The second portion 48A-2 is adapted to be placed on the stepped portion 63 of the lower storage body 21.

In the first portion 48A-1 of the third vertical wall 48 thus formed, the restraining portion 51 for supporting the display label 44 in the side edge thereof in parallel with the bottom portion 22 so that the display label 44 can be inserted and removed.
(51A, 51B) are integrally molded. And
The restraining portion 51 is formed so as to project inward from the third vertical wall 48.

The restraining portion 51 is formed so as to come into contact with the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the disc cartridge 1 when the lid 45 is closed with the disc cartridge 1 housed. That is, the restraining portion 51 is formed at a position equal to the thickness dimension of the disc cartridge 1 from the bottom surface portion 22 of the lower housing body 21 when the lid body 45 is closed. Therefore, the restraining portion 51 configured in this manner is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the disc cartridge 1 housed in the lower housing body 21 in the height direction when the lid body 45 is closed. Prevent deviation.

Further, as described above, the suppressing portion 51 prevents the disc cartridge 1 from shifting in the height direction in the closed state, and at the same time, displays the recording content recorded on the disc. 44 is supported. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the display label 44 is stored in the space between the inside of the main surface 46 and the holding portion 51, the holding portion 51 locks the display label 44. Support. Therefore, since the display label 44 is supported by the restraining portion 51 even when the lid 45 is opened, the insertion / removal operation of the disc cartridge 1 and the insertion / removal operation of the display label 44 can be performed separately. You can

The display label 44 is for displaying the contents recorded on the magneto-optical disk housed in the disk cartridge 1, and has a rectangular shape which is substantially the same as the main surface 46 as a whole. Specifically, in the case where an audio signal such as music is recorded on the magneto-optical disk, the display label 44 describes the content of the recorded music, such as the lyrics. The description for identifying the disc cartridge is made. And
The display label 44 may be one sheet, a plurality of sheets, a booklet, or a combination thereof.

The restraining portion 51 thus constructed is molded at the same time when the lid 45 is molded by the molding die.
The third vertical wall 48 is formed with die-cutting holes 52 (52A, 52B) that are opened at portions corresponding to the holding portions 51 in order to form the holding portions 51. Therefore, this die-cutting hole 52 causes a possibility that dust or dirt may enter the lower housing 21. However, this die-cutting hole 52 corresponds to the third vertical wall 4 in which this die-cutting hole 52 is formed.
8 is a state in which the lid 45 is closed, the lower housing 2
Since it is stored inside the rising wall 23 of No. 1, dust or dirt does not enter the lower storage body 21.

Further, on the third vertical wall 48, a pair of restricting convex parts 53 (53A, 53B) for restricting the lateral displacement of the display label 44 are integrally formed in the vicinity of the suppressing part 51 so as to integrally project. Has been done. The regulation convex portion 53 is formed in a semicircular shape as a whole and is formed inward of the third vertical wall 48. The restriction projection 53 is formed such that the inwardly projecting dimension is equal to the thickness of the position regulating rib 50. That is, the protruding size of the restricting convex portion 53 and the thickness size of the position restricting rib 50 are formed as the G size as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the display label 44 is housed in the lid 45, the thickness of the position regulating rib 50 and the dimension of the inward protrusion of the regulating projection 53 are equal. The horizontal displacement of the display label 44 is prevented.

These position regulating ribs 50 and regulating convex portions 53
Is formed so that the resin of the one position regulation rib 50A and the regulation convex portion 53A and the resin of the other position regulation rib 50B and the regulation convex portion 53B become equal to the width dimension of the display label 44. Therefore, the display label 44 is free from the inconvenience that the display label 44 shifts to one side even when the storage case 20 is tilted during carrying or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the third vertical wall 48 has a projection 39 formed on the lower storage body 21 side outside thereof and in the vicinity of the restriction projection 53. A recess 54 that engages is formed. The recess 54 is formed by the lid 45.
When the lid is closed, it engages with the protrusion 39 and the lid 45
To prevent the disc cartridge 1 stored in the storage portion 26 from popping out.

On the other hand, the surface side of the lid 45 is constructed as shown in FIG. The front surface side of the lid body 45 has both side edges 46.
The a and 46b are slightly projected so as to be convex. The main surface 46 located between the two ridges 46a and 46b is a plane located slightly inward of the ridges 46a and 46b or having a step as a recess. On the flat surface 46, another display label 71 different from the above can be attached from the front side according to the preference of the user. In this case, the both side edges 46a and 46b have the display label 7
As a guide for sticking No. 1, an appropriate clue when positioning the display label 71 is given.

The ridge portion 46c of the main surface 46 is formed as a curved surface. As a result, the display label 71 can be attached more beautifully. Further, with this configuration, even if the storage case 20 is carried around, the main surface 46 has a step difference from both side edges 46a and 46b and is located inside, so that the surface of the synthetic resin is finely scratched such as scratches. It is possible to effectively prevent that
A beautiful appearance can be maintained for a long time. Moreover, with this structure, since the plate thickness of the synthetic resin forming the main surface 46 is thin, the storage case 2
The overall weight of 0 can be reduced. Further, even if the plate thickness of the synthetic resin is reduced in this way, the rigidity of the storage case 20 is improved by the abutting structure of the third vertical wall 48 of the lid 45 and the step portion 61 of the lower storage body 21. It can be made high enough, making it a light and durable case.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the third vertical wall 4
8, a convex portion 55, which is a hinge mechanism, is formed on the outer side facing the first vertical wall 47. The convex portion 55, together with the concave portion provided on the rising wall 23 of the lower storage body 21, constitutes a support portion of the lid body 45, and the lid body 45 is rotatably supported by the support portion. Has been done. A vertical wall (second vertical wall) 56 is formed on the side edge of the lid 45 on the side of the support portion so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the main surface 46. In the space inside the vertical wall 56, the above-mentioned display label 44 arranged inside the main surface 46.
The folded part of is stored.

Since the outside of the second vertical wall 56 constitutes the back surface of the storage case 20, the second vertical wall 56 shown in FIG.
In, the lower end portion reaches near the bottom surface of the lower storage body 21. On the other hand, the bottom portion 22 of the lower storage body 21 has a lid 4
5, the lower end portion 56a of the second vertical wall 56 has a concave portion along the locus that moves from the closed state shown by the chain line to the open state shown by the solid line so as not to interfere with it. 22a is formed.

Further, preferably, at the lower end portion of the second vertical wall 56, the concave portion 22a of the bottom surface 22 of the lower housing body 21 is formed.
However, the inclined portion 56a gradually descends toward the inner side corresponding to the region where the inner portion gradually descends toward the inner side.
Are formed. As a result, when viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8, the boundary between the second vertical wall 56 and the lower container 21 is near the lower end, which is preferable in terms of appearance. The inclined portion 56a may be configured to be linearly inclined or curved. Further, in FIG. 8, when the left end portion of the bottom surface portion 22 is formed as a protruding portion 22b protruding slightly upward, the lid body 45 is closed,
When viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG.
Since the lower end of the second vertical wall 56 of the lid 45 is hidden by being blocked by 2b, it is more preferable in terms of appearance. Moreover, when the concave portion 22a is provided on the bottom surface 22 of the lower storage body 21, the lid body 4 is formed.
When the display label 44 is housed inside the main surface 46 of FIG. 5 as shown in FIG. 8, the tip 44a of the folded back portion and the bottom surface 22 are less likely to interfere with each other, and the opening / closing of the lid 45 is hindered. Is prevented.

Further, the first to third vertical walls provided on the lid body 45 are all perpendicular to the main surface 46, and therefore, it is necessary to use a nest at the time of manufacturing to form these wall portions. There is no. Therefore, unlike the storage case 140 shown in FIG. 14, no nesting trace 156 remains on the lid, and the appearance can be formed beautifully.

As shown in FIG. 10, the disc cartridge storage case 20 thus constructed is operated in the K direction to change the lid 45 from the closed state to the opened state. . The disc cartridge storage case 20 is operated in the J direction so that the lid 45 is changed from the opened state to the closed state.

In the disc cartridge storage case 20 thus constructed, the disc cartridge 1 is stored in the storage portion 26 of the lower storage body 21 in a state where the upper opening 24 and the front opening 25 are opened. To be done. The storage case 20 includes an upper opening 24 and a front opening 25.
The disk cartridge 1 is inserted from the upper opening 24 or the front opening 25, respectively. That is, in the storage case 20, when the disc cartridge 1 is stored in the storage portion 26 through the upper opening 24 in the state where the lid body 45 is opened, the storage case 20 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, the storage operation is performed such that the side of the disc cartridge 1 in which the second engagement recess 18 is formed is abutted against the position regulating wall 31 of the lower storage body 21 from the upper side of the lower storage body 21. It

Further, in the storage case 20, when the disc cartridge 1 is stored in the storage portion 26 through the front side opening 25 in the state where the lid 45 is closed, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the disc cartridge 1 is slid in one direction from the front opening 25 along the bottom face portion 22 to form the first engaging recess 16 of the disc cartridge 1 on the position regulating wall 31. The side is abutted against the position regulation wall 31 of the lower storage body 21, and the storage operation is performed.

The disk cartridge 1 housed in the housing portion 26 of the lower housing body 21 in this manner is arranged on the bottom surface portion 22 while being abutted against the position regulating wall 31.
Further, as described with reference to FIG. 5, the disc cartridge 1 is locked by the convex portions 65 and 66, and it is possible to prevent the positional deviation from occurring in the directions of arrows K and J in FIG.

The disc cartridge 1 includes the lid 45
When the lid is closed, as shown in FIG. 11, the holding portion 51 on the lid 45 side is brought into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the disc cartridge 1 in which the holding portion 51 is housed. Therefore, the disc cartridge 1 is also prevented from shifting in the height direction by the restraining portion 51 even when the lid 45 is closed.

On the other hand, on the lid 45 of the storage case 20, the display label 44 on which the recording contents of the disc cartridge 1 and the like are written is hooked on the restraining portion 51, and the lid 45 is covered.
It is stored on the inner surface of the main surface 46. At this time, since the position regulating rib 50 and the regulating convex portion 53 of the lid body 45 are formed so that the thickness dimension of the position regulating rib 50 and the dimension protruding inward of the regulating convex portion 53 are equal. , Label 4
4 is prevented from shifting laterally.

On the other hand, the disc cartridge 1 has a lid 4
With the lid 5 closed, it is taken out from the storage case 20 as follows. That is, the disc cartridge 1 is positioned as described above when the lid 45 of the storage case 20 is closed. When the disk cartridge 1 is first taken out through the front side opening 25, a finger or the like is inserted into the clearance 32 and the space 40 and pressed from the clearance 32, so that the direction of the front side opening 25, that is, 4 is slid in the H direction shown in FIG. 4, and the projection 66 is disengaged and taken out.

When the disc cartridge 1 is taken out from the upper opening 24, as shown in FIG. 5, a finger or the like is inserted into the clearance 32 and the space 40, while the front opening 25 is formed. The side surface of the disk cartridge 1 on the side and the side surface of the disk cartridge 1 exposed from the clearance 32 are supported by fingers or the like and taken out upward. At this time, the locking by the convex portion 65 provided on the stepped portion 66 of the lower housing 21 is released, and the disc cartridge 1 can be easily taken out upward.

In the disc cartridge storage case 20 configured as described above, the disc cartridge 1 is inserted and removed from the upper opening 24 or the front side opening 25 as described above. Made easy. Also, the disk cartridge storage case 2
Since 0 can be inserted / removed by sliding the disk cartridge 1, the disk cartridge 1 can be easily inserted / removed in a narrow space. Also,
Since the disk cartridge storage case 20 is provided with the space 40 only on the side on which the lid 45 is supported, the size can be reduced. Furthermore, since the disc cartridge storage case 20 is supported by the step portion provided on the rising wall 23 of the lower storage body 21 when the lid body 45 is closed, the disc cartridge storage case 20 can be easily applied even if external weight is applied. It does not bend or deform. Therefore, the disc cartridge storage case 20 can appropriately protect the disc cartridge stored therein.

[0105]

As described above, according to the disc cartridge housing case of the present invention, the disc cartridge can be inserted and removed through the upper opening and the front opening, so that the disc cartridge can be easily inserted and removed. Can be done. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the storage case and provide a durable storage case for the disc cartridge that does not easily bend even when an external force is applied.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a disc cartridge housed in a disc cartridge housing case according to the present invention as seen from above.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the disc cartridge housed in the disc cartridge housing case of FIG. 1 as seen from the bottom surface.

3 is a schematic perspective view of the disc cartridge storage case of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an opened disc cartridge storage case and a stored disc cartridge.

5 is a schematic front view of a main part showing a state in which the disc cartridge is positioned in the lower housing of the disc cartridge housing case of FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of the configuration of a position regulating wall provided on the bottom surface of the lower housing of the disk cartridge housing of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of essential parts showing a state in which the disc cartridge is positioned in the lower housing of the disc cartridge housing case of FIG.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part showing a support structure of a lower housing and a lid of the disk cartridge housing of FIG.

9 is a perspective view of relevant parts showing the structure on the front surface side of the lid of the disc cartridge storage case of FIG. 1. FIG.

10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing how the disc cartridge is put in and taken out from the disc cartridge housing case of FIG.

11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where a disc cartridge is stored in the disc cartridge storage case of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional disc cartridge storage case.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of a conventional disc cartridge storage case.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing still another example of a disc cartridge storage case.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Disk cartridge, 20 ... Storage case, 21 ... Lower storage body, 22 ... Bottom part, 23 ...
..Rising wall, 24 ... Upper opening, 25 ...
Front side openings, 31, 33 ... Position restriction wall, 44 ...
・ Display label, 45 ... Lid, 46 ... Main surface, 47
... First vertical wall, 48 ... Third vertical wall, 56 ...
..Second vertical wall, 61 ... Step.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An upper opening formed by a bottom portion on which a disk cartridge is placed and a pair of rising walls standing upright from opposite side edges of the bottom portion so as to face each other. And a front side opening of the lower storage body, and a lower storage body having a front portion and a front side opening, and a shape capable of closing at least the upper side opening and the front side opening of the lower storage body. And a lid body that is openably and closably supported by a support portion provided at the opposite end portion, and the lower storage body is provided with a step portion inside each of the pair of rising walls, A storage case for a disk cartridge, wherein both side edges of the lid body are placed on the step portion when the lid body is closed. 2. The storage case for a disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the step portion of the lower storage body is integrally provided over substantially the entire inside of the rising wall. . 3. A lower end of a vertical wall formed perpendicularly to a side edge of the lid is placed on the stepped portion of the lower container when the lid is closed. The storage case for a disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein 4. The step portion of the lower container includes a first step portion and a second step portion having different heights from the bottom surface portion, and the vertical wall of the lower container is Corresponding to the first step and the second step, having a first portion and a second portion, each of which has a vertical length extending from the side edge of the lid body set, In the vicinity of the lower end of the first portion, which extends from the side edge of the lid of the wall in the vertical direction and is longer than the second portion, there is a restraining portion that protrudes substantially parallel to the main surface of the lid and inward. 4. The disc cartridge storage case according to claim 3, wherein the display label is stored between the inner surface of the lid and the holding portion. 5. The storage case for the disk cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the lid body is configured such that the front surface side thereof slightly protrudes so that both side edges thereof are convex.