JPS62200583A - Data memory medium assembly and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to data storage devices used in the field of KI R machine J3 and data processing, and more particularly to containers for removable data storage disks.

PRIOR ART AND PROBLEMS SOLVED BY THE INVENTION Removable data storage disks, including floppy disks and optical disks, and, to a lesser extent, removable hard magnetic disks, are widely used in computer and data processing applications. It is well known in the field of

Currently, floppy disk containers are either collapsible envelope-type, often with a collapsible jacket, or semi-rigid injection molded, while removable rigid disk containers are made of rigid injection molded plastic. - A cartridge in which the optical disc is used without a protective container.

The foldable jacket, or foldable envelope type, is similar to that of regular paper envelopes used for mailing mail! made in It is formed of sheet plastic, typically P V C1, with a flap that is glued or heat welded to enclose the disc. The liner material is sealed between the inner surface of the envelope and the rotatable floppy disk enclosed therein. This method is less expensive, but provides little control over the clearance and/or pressure between the liner material and the floppy disk. Generally, the pressure on the disk is significantly greater near the edges than on the pressure saw near the center of the envelope.

Semi-rigid injection molded containers are commonly used for smaller floppy disks, such as the relatively popular 3'1/2 in. diameter floppy disks used for some microcomputers. Used for discs. These vessels provide much better control of the clearance/pressure relationship between the jacket liner and the disc, thus providing better integrity and reliability with longer life. . But they are
They are significantly more expensive to manufacture than jackets made of folded plastic sheet material.

lif! Although the hard plastic cartridges used for small floppy disks provide precise spacing, they are typically much more expensive to produce than the semi-rigid containers used for small floppy disks! ) Karu. For most optical discs, the expense associated with a container is completely avoided by simply using the optical disc without a container. This is made possible by the relatively superior durability and ability of optical discs to withstand the abuse shown by J, but which can be avoided if economical and effective protective containers are developed. It is certain that the optical disc remains in an easy condition.

The disc container allows manufacturing from plastic snack sheet material and at the same time allows for adjustment of clearance and internal liner/disk pressure.
It will combine the best features of cost and performance from various areas of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved dimensional control compared to collapsible jacket type containers while also being more expensive to produce compared to injection molded containers. The objective is to provide a data storage medium container that does not require any data storage media.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to allow a wider selection of materials compared to prior art data storage medium containers.

Briefly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data storage medium container which can be manufactured with less capital investment than injection molded containers and yet which exhibits considerably better dimensional control compared to folding jacket type containers. be.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a data storage media container with better thermal stability than collapsible jacket-type containers, while still providing the cost benefits resulting from manufacturing the container from plastic sheet material. Our goal is to provide the following.

Briefly speaking, the present invention provides a container lower member made of a sheet-like plastic material with a plurality of hollow dimples protruding from the upper surface, and a container upper member made of a sheet-like plastic material; and a rotatable medium. The thickness of the container lower member and the wall thickness of the dimples are approximately the same. The container top member is of substantially uniform thickness and has inner and outer top and side surfaces. The inner top surface and the inner side surface together form a cavity in the top member. The rotatable medium is placed between the upper part 1541 of the container and the lower part of the container, and the two parts are taken together.

Some dimples help position the top and bottom members relative to each other when assembling the container, while other dimples limit changes in the shape of the cavity in which the rotatable media is placed during use and handling of the data storage media. Add. The rotatable media can be driven by attaching the drive mechanism to the media, and access thereto is obtained through the hub access hole.

The data storage media container of the present invention comprises the steps of thermal vacuum forming a container top member and a container bottom member, inserting the media between them, if appropriate with a liner, and assembling the parts together. , and attaching them, such as by ultrasonic welding. Alternatively, parts can be formed by pressure sawing, a process that works on the same principles as thermo-vacuum forming, i.e. by creating a pressure difference across a sheet of warmed PlasDeck, which is then used to heat the parts. It can also be made by forming plastic into a mold shape. It is also possible to use thermal welding instead of ultrasonic welding. A variety of sheet plastic materials can be used to make data storage media containers.

An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a data storage medium container that exhibits improved dimensional control compared to collapsible jacket-type containers, while also being less expensive to produce compared to injection molded containers. It means that you can get it.

It is a further advantage that the present invention allows for a wider selection of materials compared to prior art data storage media containers.

It is a further advantage that the invention provides a data storage medium container which can be produced with less capital investment than injection molded containers and yet exhibits considerably better dimensional control compared to folding jacket type containers. It is.

The present invention provides better thermal stability than collapsible jackets, while also providing plastic
It is yet another advantage to have a data storage media container that provides the cost benefits afforded by manufacturing the container from sheet stock.

These and other discoveries and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated in the various drawings.

Embodiment and operation FIG. 1 will be explained. A data storage assembly, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Assembly 10 includes a container top member 12 made of plastic material through which a head access slot 14 leads to a data storage IQIs body 16 in the form of a disk rotatably positioned within assembly 10. The assembly 10 also has access to the assembly 10 (q).
This also includes the l-included retainer #11gJ notch 18 disposed on the side 19 of.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of data storage assembly 10. As shown in FIG.

Container top member 12 includes a flange 20 around its periphery in the pre-assembled condition. The container top member 12 has an outer top surface 22 , an inner top surface (not shown) opposite the outer top surface 22 , a plurality of outer side surfaces 24 , and a plurality of inner side surfaces (not shown) opposite the outer side surfaces 24 . (not shown). The recessed circular portion 26 of the outer top surface 22 of the container top member 12 is provided with a diameter approximately the same as the diameter of the data storage medium 16;
However, the portion of the top surface 22 surrounding the head access slot 14 is not recessed. a central portion of the outer top surface 22 to provide a bias to a drive hub 30 made of magnetic material and affixed to the central portion of the data storage medium 16;
A recessed portion 28 is also provided on the inner top surface (not shown). A top liner 32 is attached to the inner surface corresponding to the recessed portion 26. Upper liner 32 is part 12
a head access slot 34 aligned with the head access slot 14 of the liner 3;
2 and aligned with the retracting portion 28. The liner 32 may be attached to the member 12 with an adhesive, but preferably by either ultrasonic or heat welding to the plastic material of the member 12.

The container bottom member 38 made of plastic material is provided with a plurality of hollow dimples 40 in its upper surface 42 and a circular portion 44 thereof slightly recessed from the remainder of the surface 42. Although it is desirable that the dimples 40 have a circular shape, they may have other shapes. A drive hub access hole 46 is provided through the center of circular portion 44 and a head access slot 48 is provided through circular portion 44 . Circular portion 44 is approximately the same diameter as data storage medium 16. A lower liner 50 having a circular shape and both a head access slot 52 and a drive hub relief hole 54 therethrough is provided with a lower liner 50 having a circular shape and both a head access slot 52 and a drive hub relief hole 54 therethrough. The circular portion 44 of the top surface 42 of the member 38 is aligned with the position and aligning the drive hub relief hole 54 with the drive hub access hole 46.
can be attached to.

When the assembly 10 is assembled, the upper member 12
and lower member 38 , data storage medium 16 is placed adjacent upper liner 32 and lower liner 50 , flange 20 is removed along with the outer portion of member 38 , and member 1
2 and member 38 are welded together to create the completed assembly shown in FIG. Welding may be either ultrasonic welding or heat welding.

FIG. 3 shows the relative positions of the components of assembly 1o before flange 20 and portions of member 38 are cut away. The inner side surface 60 of member 12 is positioned against one of the dimples 40 and the upper flat surface 62 of dimple 40 is positioned against the inner top surface 64 of portion 4412. This same relationship is repeated for the other dimples 40, such that the positional relationship in both the lateral and vertical directions is adjusted by the dimples 40 and the surface of the member 12. medium 16
are liners 3 attached to members 12 and 38, respectively.
2.50, media 16 and liner 32.
The clearance and/or pressure between dimple 40 and member 12.38 is adjusted by the shape of dimple 40 and member 12.38. Dimples located on a circumference slightly larger than the diameter of the medium 16 are primarily used to adjust the vertical positioning of each of the members 12.38 and are referred to as circumferential dimples, and are also located in the peripheral area of the member 38. The located dimples are primarily used to adjust the lateral positioning of each of the members 12.38 and are referred to as peripheral dimples. l described below! To facilitate the manufacturing process, the dimples 40 are hollow, but can also be reinforced with a hard filler during subsequent operations during their manufacturing.

As shown, each of the members 12.38 is approximately the same thickness. The recessed portion 26 of the outer top surface 22 of the member 12 is
4 corresponds to the protruding portion 66. The protrusion of section 66 beyond the remainder of section 64 provides a slightly more rigid structure to maintain the desired clearance/pressure relationship between media 16 and liner 32.50. useful for. The optimum clearance/pressure relationship between the media 16 and the liner 32.50 will vary slightly depending on the application and material selection, and can be implemented in applications using significantly different rotational speeds for the media 16. However, 8,9C1l(31/
In current applications using 2 in. 2 in.) tefloppy disks in disk drives, a slight pressure that does not exert a continuous wiping effect on all recording surfaces is desirable. Embodiments for hard magnetic or optical disks should maintain clearance over the entire surface of the rotating disk during operation.

Section 4112.38 places a sheet of plastic in a mold, heats it, and applies a vacuum to the cavity side of the plastic sheet, or pressure to the opposite side, or both a vacuum and a pressure. It is made using a differential pressure forming process in which the above-mentioned shape is formed by either When both are used, it is called pressure/vacuum forming.

This plastic material is PVC, CPVClABC,
Polystyrene, PET rGJ polyester, 113
, , I and polycarbonate, including, but not limited to,
There may be a number of formulations including. The selection of materials is
Cost of each material, I¥l of each material
Mechanical properties are determined taking into account the differences in thermal stability of the materials and the intended operating conditions for the finished container, as well as the ease with which the various materials can be molded. P
Although VC is one of the coldest materials possible, it is also the least expensive and easiest to use, satisfying many applications. Made by thermal vacuum forming work! The temperature must be adjusted to suit the properties of the material being processed. The characteristics of thermal vacuum forming are
It imparts an inherent annealing to the finished part and therefore a degree of thermal stability not available in containers that are cold worked or processed solely by applying heat in discrete areas where creases and bends occur. This means that you can obtain

Residual stresses are created by individual heating.

Parts 12.38 can also be made using multiple identical parts that are molded simultaneously and then separated after the thermal vacuum forming step. Members 12.38 are fitted with liners 32.50 pressed against them, and then members 12.38
are assembled with media 16 rotatably mounted between them. Flange 20 and the portion of member 38 contacting flange 20 are then separated and members 12.38 are pressed together.

In use, the assembly 10 is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown) that includes a drive spindle that connects to the drive hub 30 through the drive hub access hole 46 and the drive hub relief hole 54 and acts to rotate the media 16. can be attached to. This drive mechanism also has head access slots 14 or 48.
at least one read/write that accesses the medium 16 via and transfers data to and/or from the medium 16;
A write head is provided.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of the currently preferred embodiment,
It is to be understood that the above disclosure is not to be construed as limiting. Various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the above disclosure. Therefore,
The accompanying frames are to be construed to embrace all changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a data storage assembly according to the present invention;
1 is an exploded perspective view of a data storage assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the data storage assembly taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 10: Data storage assembly 12: Container top member 14.34.4B, 52: Access slot 16: Media device 22 Two outer ends 24: Outer side 28: Circular area 30: Drive J hub 38: Container top member 40 : Dimple 42: Top surface 46: Drive hub access hole 32.50: Liner device 60: Inner side surface 62: Circular surface 64: Inner top surface

Claims (17)

[Claims] (1) A container lower member made of a sheet-like plastic material having a substantially uniform thickness, the container lower member including a plurality of dimples protruding from an upper surface thereof, the dimples being hollow and forming a sheet. a container top member made of a sheet of plastic material attached to a container bottom member, the container top member having a wall thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the plastic material of the container, the container top member having a substantially uniform thickness; and includes inner and outer top surfaces and a plurality of inner and outer side surfaces, the inner top surfaces and the inner side surfaces together defining a top member cavity for storing information to be retrieved from the media device. A data storage assembly including a rotatable media device disposed between a container top member and a container bottom member. (2) The data storage assembly of claim 1 includes a liner device secured to the container to provide a soft pliable surface against which the media device can rotate; a flexible magnetic disk having a drive hub and a recording area, an access slot extending through each of the container members and through the liner device in an area proximate the recording area, the drive hub in at least one member; - a data storage assembly with access to said drive hub through an access hole; (3) A data recording assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least three of the dimples are peripheral dimples, each of which contacts at least one of the inner sides of the container top member. A data storage assembly disposed on the lower member such that the respective positioning of the container upper member relative to the container lower member is defined by the peripheral dimple. (4) A data storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least four of the dimples are circumferential dimples and are arranged on the same circumference about a center of rotation of a rotatable media device. disposed on a lower member, the circumferential dimple projecting the same distance from the upper surface of the container lower member, such that the circumferential dimple limits the positioning of the inner top surface of the container upper member with respect to the upper surface of the container lower member; A data storage assembly designed to provide . 5. The data storage assembly of claim 1, wherein at least three of the dimples are peripheral dimples, each of which contacts at least one of the inner sides of the container top member. at least four of the dimples are circumferential dimples and are disposed on the container bottom member on the same circumference about the center of rotation of the rotatable media device, the circumferential dimples being disposed on the container bottom member; projecting the same distance from said top surface of the container bottom member, such that the respective positioning of the container top member with respect to the container bottom member is defined by said circumferential dimples, and said circumferential dimples project the same distance from said top surface of the container bottom member; A data storage assembly configured to limit the positioning of the inner top surface of the upper member. (6) The data storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the dimple is cylindrical in shape and has a generally flat circular surface at an end furthest from the top surface of the container bottom member. data storage assembly. (7) The data storage assembly according to claim 1, wherein a hard reinforcing material is pasted to the inside of the dimple. 8. A data storage assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotatable media device includes a rigid disk including at least one surface exhibiting magnetic properties. 9. The data storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotatable magnetic media device includes a flexible magnetic disk, the flexible magnetic disk having a drive hub, and the drive hub made of a magnetic material. A data storage assembly adapted to contain. 10. The data storage assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotatable media device includes an optical data storage disk. (11) The data storage assembly according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the upper surface of the container lower member is slightly recessed from another portion of the upper surface of the container lower member. Three-dimensional. (12) A data storage assembly according to claim 1, wherein a circular area of the inner surface of the container top member is recessed from another portion of the inner surface of the container top member, and this retraction causes the A data storage assembly that provides clearance for a drive hub on a rotatable media device. (13) between a container lower member, a container upper member attached to the container lower member, and the container lower member and the container upper member for storing information therein and allowing retrieval of information therefrom; a rotatable media device, wherein the container bottom member and the container top member each have substantially the same thickness, and a void space is provided between the container top member and the container bottom member. and wherein the size of the cavity is maintained at least in part by a protrusion formed on one member. (14) comprising a pair of members formed by a differential pressure forming process that are attached together to thereby form a cavity therebetween, the size and shape of the cavity being imparted thereto by a thermal vacuum forming process; A data storage disk container having a shape that is a function of the shape of a thermo-vacuum formed member. (15) In the data storage disk container according to claim 14, at least one of the thermo-vacuum formed members includes a plurality of dimples thereon, and the dimples are arranged between two mutually related members. A data storage disk container adapted to contribute to alignment and also to act to adjust the size and shape of said cavity. (16) placing a sheet of plastic material within a thermal vacuum forming mold, the mold being shaped to form at least two members for making a data storage disk enclosure with a defined inner cavity; thermal vacuum forming of a container top member and a container bottom member; removing the molded member from the mold; trimming the molded member; and assembling the container top member and the container bottom member together. A method of manufacturing a data storage disk container comprising the steps of: and attaching the parts together. (17) A method of manufacturing a data storage disk container according to claim 16, wherein the step of attaching the members together includes ultrasonic welding of the members.