U.S. patent application number 09/885662 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-25 for cartridge.
This patent application is currently assigned to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Goto, Yoshikazu, Nishino, Yukio.
Application Number | 20010033540 09/885662 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 17357615 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010033540 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nishino, Yukio ; et
al. |
October 25, 2001 |
Cartridge
Abstract
The present invention provides a cartridge accommodating a disk
therein which is inserted into a cartridge holder, the cartridge
holder being provided with a mis-insertion protection member. The
mis-insertion protection member is located within an insertion path
along which the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder.
The cartridge has a substantially rectangular shape. The cartridge
has a corner portion at each of four corners of the substantially
rectangular shape, the corner portion being shaped so as to abut on
the mis-insertion protection member to move the mis-insertion
protection member out of the insertion path. The cartridge has at
least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms for engaging with the
mis-insertion protection member so as to prevent the cartridge from
being mis-inserted. The cartridge has two side surfaces which are
substantially perpendicular to a surface of the disk and extend
along a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which
the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder. A
mis-insertion protection mechanism of the at least two
mis-insertion protection mechanisms is provided on each of the side
surfaces.
Inventors: |
Nishino, Yukio; (Ikomagun,
JP) ; Goto, Yoshikazu; (Osaka, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mark D. Saralino
RENNER, OTTO, BOISSELLE & SKLAR, P.L.L.
Nineteenth Floor
1621 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland
OH
44115-2191
US
|
Assignee: |
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,
Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
17357615 |
Appl. No.: |
09/885662 |
Filed: |
June 20, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09885662 |
Jun 20, 2001 |
|
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09395008 |
Sep 13, 1999 |
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6272094 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
720/730 ;
360/133; 360/99.02; 360/99.06; G9B/23.035 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 17/043 20130101;
G11B 23/0311 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
369/77.2 ;
369/291; 360/133; 360/99.06; 360/99.02 |
International
Class: |
G11B 033/02; G11B
023/03; G11B 005/016 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 16, 1998 |
JP |
10-261137 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cartridge accommodating a disk therein which is inserted into
a cartridge holder, the cartridge holder being provided with a
mis-insertion protection member, wherein: the mis-insertion
protection member is located within an insertion path along which
the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder; the cartridge
has a substantially rectangular shape; the cartridge has a corner
portion at each of four corners of the substantially rectangular
shape, the corner portion being shaped so as to abut on the
mis-insertion protection member to move the mis-insertion
protection member out of the insertion path; the cartridge has at
least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms for engaging with the
mis-insertion protection member so as to prevent the cartridge from
being mis-inserted; the cartridge has two side surfaces which are
substantially perpendicular to a surface of the disk and extend
along a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which
the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder; and a
mis-insertion protection mechanism of the at least two
mis-insertion protection mechanisms is provided on each of the side
surfaces.
2. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the mis-insertion
protection mechanism includes a slot formed in at least one of the
side surfaces.
3. A cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the slot includes: an
inclined guide section comprising a surface inclined with respect
to the side surfaces for guiding the mis-insertion protection
member; and a stopper arranged substantially perpendicular to the
side surfaces for contacting the mis-insertion protection member to
prevent the cartridge from being mis-inserted.
4. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: the two side surfaces
comprise a first side surface and a second side surface; the corner
portions comprise first corner portions along the first side
surface and second corner portions along the second side surface;
the at least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms comprise a
first mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in the first side
surface and a second mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in
the second side surface; and a distance between the first
mis-insertion protection mechanism and one of the first corner
portions is substantially equal to a distance between the second
mis-insertion protection mechanism and a corresponding one of the
second corner portions.
5. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge
comprises a double-sided cartridge.
6. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge
comprises a single-sided cartridge.
7. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: the two side surfaces
comprise a first side surface and a second side surface; and the at
least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms comprise a first
mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in the first side
surface, a second mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in
the second side surface, and a third mis-insertion protection
mechanism provided either in the first side surface or in the
second side surface.
8. A cartridge according to claim 7, wherein: the corner portions
comprise first corner portions along the first side surface and
second corner portions along the second side surface; the distance
between the first mis-insertion protection mechanism and one of the
first corner portions is substantially equal to a distance between
the second mis-insertion protection mechanism and a corresponding
one of the second corner portions.
9. A cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the distance between
the first mis-insertion protection mechanism and the one of the
first corner portions is substantially equal to a distance between
the third mis-insertion protection mechanism and a corresponding
one of the first or second corner portions.
10. A cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the cartridge
comprises a single-sided cartridge.
11. A cartridge according to claim 7, wherein: the cartridge
further comprises a concave-shaped auto-loading slot provided in at
least one of the side surfaces; and the auto-loading slot is
located such that the mis-insertion protection member engages with
the third mis-insertion protection mechanism after the
mis-insertion protection member passes over the auto-loading
slot.
12. A cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the cartridge
comprises a single-sided cartridge.
13. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: the cartridge
further comprises an opening and a shutter for opening/closing the
opening; and the mis-insertion protection mechanism is provided
outside of a motion area of the shutter.
14. A cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the shutter is
movable toward either side of the opening.
15. A cartridge according to claim 14, wherein the cartridge
comprises a double-sided cartridge.
16. A cartridge according to claim 13, wherein the shutter is
movable toward only one side of the opening.
17. A cartridge according to claim 16, wherein the cartridge
comprises a single-sided cartridge.
18. An auto-loading device for loading a cartridge according to
claim 11, wherein: the auto-loading device comprises: a cartridge
holder for holding the cartridge; and an auto-loading mechanism for
loading the cartridge; the cartridge holder includes a
mis-insertion protection member for engaging with the mis-insertion
protection mechanism so as to prevent the cartridge from being
mis-inserted; and the auto-loading mechanism includes an engagement
protrusion for engaging with the auto-loading slot.
19. An auto-loading device according to claim 18, wherein the
auto-loading mechanism further includes a detector for detecting
the cartridge.
20. An auto-loading device according to claim 19, wherein: the
auto-loading mechanism further comprises a movable plate coupled
with the engagement protrusion; and the movable plate starts moving
along with the cartridge in response to the detector detecting the
cartridge.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a mis-insertion protection
mechanism in a magnetic or optical disk cartridge for preventing
the cartridge from being inserted into a disk drive in a wrong
direction.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A magnetic or optical disk cartridge is generally in a
rectangular shape and has a window opened for receiving an optical
pickup and a shutter for opening/closing the window. There are two
types of such cartridges: a single-sided cartridge (for use with a
single-sided disk) and a double-sided cartridge (for use with a
double-sided disk). A single-sided cartridge can be inserted into a
disk drive only in one direction. A double-sided cartridge can be
inserted into a disk drive in either one of two directions (i.e.,
it can be inserted with either one of the front side and the
reverse side facing up). When a cartridge is inserted in a
direction other than the right direction(s), a mis-insertion
protection mechanism in the cartridge hits a stopper provided in
the disk drive so that the cartridge cannot be inserted any
further.
[0005] A conventional single-sided cartridge has a mis-insertion
protection mechanism provided by differently shaping one of the
four corners from the other corners. For example, as shown in FIG.
12, a 3.5" floppy disk cartridge 101 includes a corner 102 on the
front edge thereof, which is chamfered. The other three corners
103, 104 and 105 of the cartridge 101 are rounded for easy
insertion and easy handling of the cartridge 101, as well as for an
aesthetic design.
[0006] FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary cartridge holder 106 for
use in a disk drive receiving the cartridge 101. The cartridge
holder 106 is provided with a mis-insertion protection pin 107 made
of a torsion spring. One end of the mis-insertion protection pin
107 is bent at about 90.degree., thereby forming a stopper 108, and
the other end 107A is secured on an outer surface of the cartridge
holder 106.
[0007] The stopper 108 extends through a guide hole 109 of the
cartridge holder 106 to be within the insertion path of the
cartridge 101 (i.e., a path along which the cartridge 101 is
inserted). The stopper 108 abuts a tab portion 110 of the cartridge
holder 106 and is urged away from a side 111 thereof by virtue of
the bias of the torsion spring.
[0008] Referring to FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, a mis-insertion protection
function provided when the cartridge 101 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 106 will be described. First, a case where the
cartridge 101 is inserted correctly (in the right direction) will
be described. As the cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge
holder 106 in the right direction as illustrated in FIG. 14, the
chamfered corner 102 hits the stopper 108.
[0009] Since the corner 102 is chamfered, the insertion of the
cartridge 101 forces the stopper 108 out of the insertion path of
the cartridge 101 by overcoming the bias of the torsion spring (in
the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 14), thereby resulting
in a state as illustrated in FIG. 15. Thus, the cartridge 101 is
allowed to be inserted further into the cartridge holder 106.
[0010] Next, a case where the cartridge 101 is inserted in a wrong
direction will be described referring to FIG. 16. As the cartridge
101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 106 in the wrong
direction as illustrated in FIG. 16, the corner 103 hits the
stopper 108. Since the corner 103 is not chamfered, the insertion
of the cartridge 101 does not force the stopper 108 in the
direction indicated by arrow A.
[0011] Therefore, the cartridge 101 cannot be inserted further into
the cartridge holder 106, thus providing the mis-insertion
protection function. The mis-insertion protection function is
similarly provided when the cartridge 101 is inserted from the
corner 104 (or 105) (FIG. 12).
[0012] Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 57-113466 describes an
exemplary mis-insertion protection mechanism for a double-sided
cartridge as illustrated in FIG. 17. Both of the insertion-side
corners 172A and 172B are chamfered, so that the cartridge exhibits
the same profile whether it is faced up or faced down. Thus, the
cartridge can be inserted into the cartridge holder whether it is
faced up or faced down.
[0013] Regarding the optical disk, there are one-sided optical
disks (having a recording surface only on one side) and
double-sided optical disks (having a recording surface on both
sides). Recently, there is a need in the art to accommodate a
single-sided disk in a single-sided cartridge and a double-sided
disk in a double-sided cartridge, respectively, so that they can be
used in the same disk drive. Along with the increase in the
recording density of an optical disk, there is also a demand in the
art for a cartridge accommodating a small-diameter optical
disk.
[0014] Since a pickup for optical disks is larger than a magnetic
recording pickup, an optical disk cartridge has a larger window and
also requires a larger area for the motion of the shutter ("shutter
motion area"). Therefore, in a cartridge accommodating a
small-diameter optical disk, the shutter motion area comes close to
the side edges, and thus the corners, of the cartridge.
[0015] In such an optical disk cartridge desired in the art, it is
difficult to provide a mis-insertion protection mechanism by
differentiating the shape of one or two corner(s) from that of the
other corners as in the prior art. This is because it is difficult
to provide a large enough chamfer at the corner(s) to differentiate
the corner(s) from the other rounded corners such that a
mis-insertion protection function can be provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided
a cartridge accommodating a disk therein which is inserted into a
cartridge holder, the cartridge holder being provided with a
mis-insertion protection member. The mis-insertion protection
member is located within an insertion path along which the
cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder. The cartridge has
a substantially rectangular shape. The cartridge has a corner
portion at each of four corners of the substantially rectangular
shape, the corner portion being shaped so as to abut on the
mis-insertion protection member to move the mis-insertion
protection member out of the insertion path. The cartridge has at
least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms for engaging with the
mis-insertion protection member so as to prevent the cartridge from
being mis-inserted. The cartridge has two side surfaces which are
substantially perpendicular to a surface of the disk and extend
along a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which
the cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder. A
mis-insertion protection mechanism of the at least two
mis-insertion protection mechanisms is provided on each of the side
surfaces.
[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the mis-insertion
protection mechanism includes a slot formed in at least one of the
side surfaces.
[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the slot includes: an
inclined guide section comprising a surface inclined with respect
to the side surfaces for guiding the mis-insertion protection
member; and a stopper arranged substantially perpendicular to the
side surfaces for contacting the mis-insertion protection member to
prevent the cartridge from being mis-inserted.
[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the two side surfaces
comprise a first side surface and a second side surface. The corner
portions comprise first corner portions along the first side
surface and second corner portions along the second side surface.
The at least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms comprise a
first mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in the first side
surface and a second mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in
the second side surface. A distance between the first mis-insertion
protection mechanism and one of the first corner portions is
substantially equal to a distance between the second mis-insertion
protection mechanism and a corresponding one of the second corner
portions.
[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises
a double-sided cartridge.
[0021] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises
a single-sided cartridge.
[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, the two side surfaces
comprise a first side surface and a second side surface. The at
least two mis-insertion protection mechanisms comprise a first
mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in the first side
surface, a second mis-insertion protection mechanism provided in
the second side surface, and a third mis-insertion protection
mechanism provided either in the first side surface or in the
second side surface.
[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the corner portions
comprise first corner portions along the first side surface and
second corner portions along the second side surface. The distance
between the first mis-insertion protection mechanism and one of the
first corner portions is substantially equal to a distance between
the second mis-insertion protection mechanism and a corresponding
one of the second corner portions.
[0024] In one embodiment of the invention, the distance between the
first mis-insertion protection mechanism and the one of the first
corner portions is substantially equal to a distance between the
third mis-insertion protection mechanism and a corresponding one of
the first or second corner portions.
[0025] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises
a single-sided cartridge.
[0026] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge further
comprises a concave-shaped auto-loading slot provided in at least
one of the side surfaces. The auto-loading slot is located such
that the mis-insertion protection member engages with the third
mis-insertion protection mechanism after the mis-insertion
protection member passes over the auto-loading slot.
[0027] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises
a single-sided cartridge.
[0028] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge further
comprises an opening and a shutter for opening/closing the opening.
The mis-insertion protection mechanism is provided outside of a
motion area of the shutter.
[0029] In one embodiment of the invention, the shutter is movable
toward either side of the opening.
[0030] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises
a double-sided cartridge.
[0031] In one embodiment of the invention, the shutter is movable
toward only one side of the opening.
[0032] In one embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises
a single-sided cartridge.
[0033] According to another aspect of this invention, there is
provided an auto-loading device for loading a cartridge of the
present invention. The auto-loading device comprises: a cartridge
holder for holding the cartridge; and an auto-loading mechanism for
loading the cartridge. The cartridge holder includes a
mis-insertion protection member for engaging with the mis-insertion
protection mechanism so as to prevent the cartridge from being
mis-inserted. The auto-loading mechanism includes an engagement
protrusion for engaging with the auto-loading slot.
[0034] In one embodiment of the invention, the auto-loading
mechanism further includes a detector for detecting the
cartridge.
[0035] In one embodiment of the invention, the auto-loading
mechanism further comprises a movable plate coupled with the
engagement protrusion. The movable plate starts moving along with
the cartridge in response to the detector detecting the
cartridge.
[0036] Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the
advantage of providing a mis-insertion protection mechanism in a
magnetic or optical disk cartridge for reliably preventing
mis-insertion of the cartridge, which can suitably be used in a
cartridge with a large shutter motion area, and which can be used
either in a single-sided cartridge or in a double-sided
cartridge.
[0037] This and other advantages of the present invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and
understanding the following detailed description with reference to
the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a double-sided
cartridge according to Example 1 of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cartridge
holder provided in an optical disk apparatus which receives the
double-sided cartridge of Example 1;
[0040] FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating how the
double-sided cartridge of Example 1 is inserted into the cartridge
holder;
[0041] FIG. 3B is a plan view illustrating how the double-sided
cartridge of Example 1 is inserted into the cartridge holder;
[0042] FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating how the
double-sided cartridge of Example 1 is inserted into the cartridge
holder;
[0043] FIG. 4B is a plan view illustrating how the double-sided
cartridge of Example 1 is inserted into the cartridge holder;
[0044] FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating how the
double-sided cartridge of Example 1 is inserted into the cartridge
holder;
[0045] FIG. 5B is a plan view illustrating how the double-sided
cartridge of Example 1 is inserted into the cartridge holder;
[0046] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a single-sided
cartridge according to Example 2 of the present invention;
[0047] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a mis-insertion of
the single-sided cartridge of Example 2;
[0048] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a single-sided
cartridge according to Example 3 of the present invention;
[0049] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a
cartridge holder provided in an optical disk apparatus which
receives the single-sided cartridge of Example 3;
[0050] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating how the
single-sided cartridge of Example 3 is inserted into the cartridge
holder;
[0051] FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating how the
single-sided cartridge of Example 3 is inserted into the cartridge
holder;
[0052] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional
single-sided cartridge;
[0053] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cartridge
holder provided in an optical disk apparatus which receives the
conventional single-sided cartridge;
[0054] FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating how the conventional
single-sided cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder;
[0055] FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating how the conventional
single-sided cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder;
[0056] FIG. 16 is a plan view illustrating how the conventional
single-sided cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder;
and
[0057] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional
double-sided cartridge.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0058] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more
detail by way of illustrative examples with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Example 1
[0059] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a double-sided
cartridge 1 according to Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2
is a schematic diagram illustrating a cartridge holder 10 provided
in an optical disk apparatus which receives the double-sided
cartridge 1. FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5A and 5B are diagrams
illustrating how the double-sided cartridge 1 is inserted into the
cartridge holder 10.
[0060] Referring to FIG. 1, the double-sided cartridge 1
accommodating an optical disk therein has a window 2 on both sides
thereof for receiving a pickup of the disk drive, and a U-shaped
slidable shutter 3 for opening/closing the window.
[0061] The shutter 3 is movable toward either side of the window 2,
and is biased by a shutter spring (not shown) to close the window
2. As the cartridge 1 is inserted into the disk drive, the shutter
3 hits a shutter opener (not shown) provided in the disk drive,
which then moves the shutter 3 to open the window 2. The same
shutter opener can move the shutter 3 to open the window 2 also
when the cartridge 1 is inserted with its reverse side facing up,
because the shutter 3 is movable toward either side of the window
2.
[0062] All of the four corners 4 of the cartridge 1 have the same
rounded shape. A mis-insertion protection slot 5 is provided along
both side edges of the cartridge 1 near the rear edge (opposite to
the shutter 3) thereof. The slot 5 comprises an inclined guide
section 6 for guiding a mis-insertion protection pin 11 (further
described later) and a stopper section 7.
[0063] Now, an operation of inserting the cartridge 1 into the
cartridge holder 10 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2,
the cartridge holder 10 is provided with the mis-insertion
protection pin 11 made of a torsion spring. One end of the
mis-insertion protection pin 11 is bent at about 90.degree.,
thereby forming a stopper 12, and the other end 11A is secured on
an outer surface of the cartridge holder 10.
[0064] The stopper 12 extends through a guide hole 13 of the
cartridge holder 10 to be present within the insertion path of the
cartridge 1. The stopper 12 abuts a tab portion 14 of the cartridge
holder 10 and is urged away from a side thereof by virtue of the
bias of the torsion spring. In this state, the stopper 12 is
designed to meet the rounded portion of the corner 4 of the
cartridge 1.
[0065] First, a case where the cartridge 1 is inserted correctly
(in the right direction) will be described. As the cartridge 1 is
inserted into the cartridge holder 10 in the right direction as
illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the rounded portion of the corner 4
hits the stopper 12. Since the corner 4 has a rounded shape, the
insertion of the cartridge 1 forces the stopper 12 out of the
insertion path of the cartridge 1 (in the direction indicated by
arrow B in FIGS. 3A and 3B), thereby resulting in a state as
illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, thus allowing the cartridge 1 to be
inserted further into the cartridge holder 10.
[0066] Since the cartridge 1 is a double-sided cartridge, it
exhibits the same profile whether it is faced up or faced down.
Therefore, the cartridge 1 can of course be inserted into the
cartridge holder 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B with
the reverse side thereof facing up.
[0067] Next, a case where the cartridge 1 is inserted in a wrong
direction, i.e., from the rear edge thereof, will be described
referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B. Since the corners 4 on the rear edge
of the cartridge 1 have the same rounded shape as that of the
corners 4 on the front edge thereof, the cartridge 1 can be
inserted to a certain depth into the cartridge holder 10 as
illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B.
[0068] As the cartridge 1 is further inserted, the stopper 12 is
urged into the slot 5 by virtue of the bias of the torsion spring
and guided along the inclined guide section 6 of the slot 5 so as
to hit the stopper section 7, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.
Since the stopper section 7 is generally perpendicular to a side
surface 10A of the cartridge 1, there is no force to move the
stopper 12 in the direction indicated by arrow B.
[0069] Thus, the cartridge 1 cannot be inserted further into the
cartridge holder 10, thereby providing the mis-insertion protection
function. Still, the cartridge 1 can be pulled out from the
cartridge holder 10 as the stopper 12 is guided along the guide
section 6 out of the slot 5.
[0070] The mis-insertion protection function is similarly provided
when the cartridge 1 is inserted into the cartridge holder 10 from
the rear edge thereof with the reverse side facing up. In this way,
the mis-insertion protection mechanism can be provided separately
from the corner 4 and outside the motion area of the shutter 3.
Thus, desirable freedom is provided in designing the shutter 3,
thereby allowing the shutter 3 motion area to be as large as that
in Example 1 (see FIG. 1).
Example 2
[0071] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first
single-sided cartridge 20 according to Example 2 of the present
invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a mis-insertion of the
first single-sided cartridge 20. In FIGS. 6 and 7, like reference
numerals to those in the previously discussed figures denote like
elements, will not further be described below.
[0072] The first single-sided cartridge 20 is generally the same as
the double-sided cartridge 1 according to Example 1 except for the
following points. First, the shutter 3 is movable toward only one
side of the window 2 because the cartridge 20 is a single-sided
cartridge. Moreover, a second slot 21, having a similar shape to
that of the mis-insertion protection slot 5, is provided along one
side edge of the cartridge 20 near the front edge thereof. The side
on which the second slot 21 is provided is opposite to the side
toward which the shutter is moved to open the window 2. The second
slot 21 is different from the slot 5 in that the second slot 21
does not extend through the thickness of the cartridge 20. The
distance S1 between the second slot 21 and the front edge of the
cartridge 20 is generally the same as the distance S2 between the
slot 5 and the rear edge of the cartridge 20.
[0073] Referring to FIG. 7, a mis-insertion protection function
will be described, which is provided when the single-sided
cartridge 20 is inserted into the cartridge holder 10 from the
front edge, but with the reverse (wrong) side thereof facing up.
The cartridge 20 is inserted to a certain depth into the cartridge
holder 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. As the cartridge 20 is
further inserted, the stopper 12 is urged into the second slot 21
by virtue of the bias of the torsion spring and guided along the
inclined guide section 6 of the second slot 21 so as to hit the
stopper section 7, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Since the stopper
section 7 is generally perpendicular to a side surface 20A of the
cartridge 20, there is no force to move the stopper 12 in the
direction indicated by arrow B.
[0074] Therefore, the cartridge 20 cannot be inserted any further,
thereby providing the mis-insertion protection function.
[0075] In other directions, the single-sided cartridge 20 is
inserted into the cartridge holder 10 as described above with
respect to the double-sided cartridge 1 in Example 1.
[0076] By such a structure, the single-sided cartridge 20 is
prevented from being inserted into the cartridge holder 10 with the
reverse side thereof facing up. As described above, the slots 5 and
21 are located at generally the same distance (S1 and S2)
respectively from the front edge and the rear edge of the cartridge
20, thereby stopping the mis-inserted cartridge 20 at generally the
same depth in the cartridge holder 10. Thus, a user can easily
recognize the mis-insertion.
[0077] Moreover, as in Example 1, the slots 5 and 21 can be
provided separately from the corner 4 and outside the motion area
of the shutter 3, thereby facilitating the cartridge design.
[0078] Furthermore, in Example 2, the second slot 21 does not
extend to the front or upper surface of the cartridge 20, so that
the single-sided cartridge 20, as viewed from the front side,
exhibits the same profile as that of a double-sided cartridge,
thereby adding an aesthetic advantage to the cartridge 20.
Functionally, however, the second slot 21 may of course extend
through the thickness of the cartridge 20.
[0079] While all of the four corners of the cartridge 20 are
rounded in Example 2, the corners may have any other shape as long
as the mis-insertion protection pin in the disk drive can be
appropriately guided around the corners.
Example 3
[0080] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second
single-sided cartridge 22 according to Example 3 of the present
invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cartridge
holder 10A of an optical disk apparatus which receives the second
single-sided cartridge 22. FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams
illustrating how the second single-sided cartridge 22 is inserted
into the cartridge holder 10A. In FIGS. 8 to 11, like reference
numerals to those in the previously discussed figures denote like
elements, will not further be described below.
[0081] The second single-sided cartridge 22 is generally the same
as the first single-sided cartridge 20 according to Example 2
except for the following points. The single-sided cartridge 22 has
a concave auto-loading slot 24 provided along both side edges of
the cartridge 22 near the front edge thereof, with a second slot 23
being provided on the rear side of the auto-loading slot 24 (The
second slot 23 is generally the same in shape as the second slot 21
of Example 2). The auto-loading slot 24 engages with an
auto-loading mechanism (further described later) provided in the
optical disk apparatus to automatically load the cartridge 22 into
the apparatus.
[0082] Next, the cartridge holder 10A having the auto-loading
mechanism will be described below. Referring to FIG. 9, the
cartridge holder 10A includes a window 25 on both side surfaces
thereof and a plurality of pins 26 provided integrally on the upper
surface. The cartridge holder 10A further includes a movable plate
27, which is provided with a plurality of elongated guide grooves
28 respectively engaging with the pins 26. The movable plate 27
also includes a bent portion 36. A plate spring 29, having an
engagement protrusion 29A at the tip thereof, is provided at both
ends of the bent portion 36.
[0083] A rack 30 is provided on the rear side of the movable plate
27. The rack 30 meshes with a pinion gear 32 fit around a shaft of
a motor 31 which is fixed in the apparatus. The movable plate 27
further includes a detection section 33. A first sensor 34 and a
second sensor 35, both of which are light emitting-receiving
devices, are fixed on the detection section 33. Such a light
emitting-receiving device can emit light downwardly so as to detect
if the cartridge 22 is present under the light emitting-receiving
device by detecting light reflected by the cartridge 22.
[0084] The auto-loading operation will now be described. When the
cartridge 22 is inserted into the cartridge holder 10A in a
predetermined (right) direction, the corner 4 of the cartridge 22
hits the stopper 12, as described above in Example 1, thereby
moving the stopper 12 out of the insertion path of the cartridge
22. The cartridge 22 is inserted further into the cartridge holder
10A while one side surface abuts the stopper 12. Since the
auto-loading slot 24 is in a concave shape which does not extend to
the upper surface of the cartridge 22, the stopper 12 passes over,
and is not urged into, the auto-loading slot 24.
[0085] As the cartridge 22 is inserted further into the cartridge
holder 10A, the presence of the cartridge 22 is detected by the
first sensor 34 and then by the second sensor 35 of the detection
section 33. Meanwhile, the engagement protrusion 29A of the plate
spring 29 is pushed by the corner 4 of the cartridge 22 out of the
insertion path of the cartridge 22 through the window 25, and then
slides against the side surface of the cartridge 22. As the
cartridge 22 is inserted further into the cartridge holder 10A, the
engagement protrusion 29A engages into the auto-loading slot 24 of
the cartridge 22 by virtue of the resilient force of the plate
spring 29, thereby holding the cartridge 22.
[0086] FIG. 10 illustrates the cartridge 22 upon completion of the
manual loading of the cartridge 22 into the cartridge holder 10A.
The first sensor 34 and the second sensor 35 of the detection
section 33 successively detect the cartridge 22 with a
predetermined time lag therebetween. Thus, the motor 31 is
activated and starts rotating the pinion gear 32. The rotary force
is transferred to the rack 30, thereby moving the movable plate 27
rearwardly (in the direction indicated by arrow R1) along with the
cartridge 22 being held by the movable plate 27.
[0087] After moving the movable plate 27 for a certain distance,
the motor 31 stops, thereby completing the auto-loading operation.
FIG. 11 illustrates the cartridge 22 upon completion of the
auto-loading operation. By employing such an auto-loading
operation, it is possible to improve the user's operational
feeling.
[0088] When the cartridge 22 is inserted with the reverse side
thereof facing up, the stopper 12 (FIG. 9) passes over the
auto-loading slot 24 (FIG. 8) and then hits the stopper section 7
of the second slot 23 (FIG. 8), thereby providing the mis-insertion
protection function.
[0089] As described above, the second single-sided cartridge 22 has
the auto-loading slot 24 shaped in a concave shape, so that the
cartridge 22 provided with the mis-insertion protection slot 23
along the side surface thereof can be automatically loaded.
[0090] According to the present invention, a mis-insertion
protection mechanism as described above is provided along one or
both of the side edges of the cartridge, thereby successfully
providing a reliable mis-insertion protection function to a disk
cartridge, in which it is difficult to differentiate the respective
shapes of the corners from one another.
[0091] Various other modifications will be apparent to and can be
readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the
scope and spirit of this invention. Accordingly, it is not intended
that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the
description as set forth herein, but rather that the claims be
broadly construed.
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