JP3755685B2 - Storage case for disc cartridge - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a disk cartridge containing a disk-shaped signal recording medium such as an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk in a thin rectangular box-shaped cartridge case. The present invention relates to a bookcase-type storage case for storing and storing this type of disk cartridge.
[0002]
[Prior art]
One of such disk cartridges is a mini disk (hereinafter simply referred to as MD). The MD storage case is formed in a thin square box shape, and is configured in a bookcase shape by providing an entrance on the front side surface of the case. A pair of lock bodies are incorporated in the inner side of the left and right side walls of the case. When the MD is inserted into the storage case and loaded, both lock bodies engage with positioning recesses on both sides of the lower surface of the cartridge case, and the MD is stored in the storage case. Can be prevented from sliding off.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above storage case, the MD stored in the case is engaged and held by the lock body to prevent the MD from sliding out by its own weight. Therefore, when the MD is taken out, the storage case and the MD must be grasped with the left and right hands, and the pulling operation should be performed so as to separate the both, thereby releasing the engagement between the lock body and the recess. The operation of taking out the MD in the car is troublesome.
[0004]
In order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the MD, the inventor forms a storage case with the case main body and the lid body, and slides the lid body rearward along the upper surface opening of the case main body. A storage case that can be opened with the upper side as the second entrance has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 8-305645). In this case, since a lock body for locking and holding the MD is provided on the lid body side, when the lid body is slid open and closed, the lock body can be released simultaneously with the engagement of the concave portion, and the MD can be taken forward even with one-hand operation.
[0005]
As described above, the storage case in which the lid body is slid open with respect to the case body requires a lock structure that holds the lid body in the closed position separately from the slide structure for the lid body. Attachment to the lid is difficult, and it is inevitable that the structure of the storage case as a whole becomes complicated.
[0006]
It is an object of the present invention to allow a disk cartridge that is engaged and held by a lock body in a stored state to be easily removed from a storage case, and to be removed by only one-hand operation as required. . An object of the present invention is to obtain a storage case in which a disk cartridge can be easily taken out while avoiding unnecessarily complicated overall structure, and thus the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a housing body R for housing a disk cartridge 1 is partitioned by a case main body 10 and a lid 11 attached to the case main body 10, and an inlet / outlet 12 of the disk cartridge 1 is provided in the front of the case. The bookcase type storage case provided with Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, lock bodies 13 that are engaged with the recesses 6 of the disk cartridge 1 to prevent the disk cartridge 1 from coming out are provided on the left and right sides of the storage chamber R near the inner depth. A take-out tool 30 for releasing the engagement between the concave portion 6 and the lock body 13 by moving the disk cartridge 1 toward the entrance / exit 12 is provided in the interior.
[0008]
The take-out tool is formed by a lever 30 supported on the storage case side so as to be swingable back and forth. As shown in FIG. 3, the lever 30 is provided with a pressing portion 33 for pushing the disk cartridge 1 toward the entrance 12 and an operating portion 34 for swinging the pressing portion 33 from the standby position to the operating position. is there. In FIG. 3, the operation part 34 is formed on the outer surface of the pressing part 33 and is exposed to the outside of the storage case.
[0009]
An operation unit 34 is provided at one end of the lever 30 disposed on the inner surface of the rear wall 16 of the case body 10. The other end of the lever 30 is formed integrally with the lock body 13 via a hinge portion 31 and an arm portion 32 along the side wall 15 of the case body 10. The operation part 34 is exposed to the outer surface of the case through an operation window 26 opened in the rear wall 16.
[0010]
[Action]
For example, the lever-shaped take-out tool, that is, the lever 30 can be displaced between an operating position where a part of the lever 30 enters the storage chamber R and a standby position where the lever 30 is retracted from the loading area of the disk cartridge 1, and is normally held at the standby position. Has been. When the lever 30 in this state is switched to the operating position, the disk cartridge is pushed by the lever 30 and moves to the entrance / exit 12 side while elastically deforming the lock body 13, and the engagement between the recess 6 and the lock body 13 is released. Therefore, after that, when the entire storage case is tilted, the disk cartridge 1 can be taken out from the doorway 12. When the disk cartridge 1 is reloaded into the storage case, the lever 30 is pushed back by the disk cartridge 1 and held at the standby position.
[0011]
By switching the lever 30, the disk cartridge 1 is moved toward the entrance / exit 12 side against the elasticity of the lock body 13, so that the movable parts can be limited to the lever 30 alone, and the entire lid body 11 is opened and closed. Compared to the case, the case structure can be prevented from becoming complicated.
[0012]
【Example】
Example 1
1 to 4 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a storage case for MD (disc cartridge). In FIG. 2, the MD 1 is composed of a magneto-optical disk 2 and a thin rectangular box-shaped cartridge case 3 that rotatably accommodates the disk 2. A signal reading window 4 is opened on one side of the upper and lower surfaces of the cartridge case 3 and can be opened and closed by a shutter 5. The cartridge case 3 is formed by joining an upper half and a lower half in a lid-like manner, and positioning recesses 6 are formed in a semi-oval shape on the left and right sides of the lower half, respectively.
[0013]
The storage case is composed of a case main body 10 whose front and upper surfaces are open, and a lid 11 that is attached to the case main body 10 and closes the opening on the upper surface side. ing. An entrance 12 for MD1 is opened on the front of the case. Lock bodies 13 for engaging and capturing the concave portions 6 of the MD 1 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the inner side of the storage chamber R.
[0014]
The case main body 10 is made of a plastic molded product in which a bottom wall 14, a pair of left and right side walls 15, and a rear wall 16 are integrally formed. In FIG. 3, both side walls 15 of the case body 10 are formed in a stepped cross section in a longitudinal front view, and an engagement groove 17 is formed from the opening end on the inlet / outlet 12 side of each projecting proximal end inner surface to the rear end. . The side wall 15 is provided with a pair of front and rear mounting frames 18 adjacent to the back end of the engagement groove 17 (see FIG. 2). An operation window 26 is cut out at the center of the rear wall 16, and a gate-shaped connecting frame 27 is integrally projected on the inner surface of one side.
[0015]
The lid 11 includes a main surface wall 19 that closes the upper surface opening of the case body 10, a pair of lid side walls 20 that project from both sides of the lower surface of the main surface wall 19, and a rear surface of the main surface wall 19 corresponding to the connecting frame 27. It consists of a plastic molded product integrally formed with a lid rear wall 21 protruding from the end, and is formed of a transparent or translucent plastic material. The facing distance between the lid side walls 20 is set to be slightly larger than the left and right width dimensions of the MD1, and ribs 22 that engage with the previous engaging grooves 17 project laterally outwardly on the outer surfaces of the respective lower ends. It is. The lid body 11 can be fixed to the case body 10 in an inseparable manner by slidingly engaging the ribs 22 with the engaging grooves 17 and press-fitting and engaging the lid rear wall 21 with the inner surface of the connecting frame 27.
[0016]
In FIG. 2, the lock body 13 is composed of an arcuate plastic elastic body having a partial arc-shaped elastic arm 24 and a pair of L-shaped support legs 25 projecting from the front and rear thereof. 10 is attached to the case main body 10 by being engaged with the mounting frame 18. In the state where the lid 11 is assembled to the case main body 10, the elastic arm 24 protrudes inward from the lid side wall 20, so that when the MD 1 is loaded in the storage case as shown in FIG. Falls into and engages with the recess 6 from the outside, thereby preventing the MD1 from coming out. The lower sides near the rear ends of the left and right lid side walls 20 are notched, and the notches 28 are close to and opposed to the upper end surface of the mounting frame 26 to prevent the lock body 13 from being pulled upward.
[0017]
Inside the storage chamber R, an extractor for pushing out the MD 1 to the entrance 12 side against the engaging force of the lock body 13 is provided. The extraction tool is formed integrally with the lock body 13 on the right side as viewed in FIG.
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the take-out tool includes a lever 30 that is supported by the case body 10 so as to be swingable back and forth. One end of the lever 30 is connected to the lock body 13 via a hinge portion 31 and an arm portion 32. It is continuous with the support leg 25 integrally. The vertical width of the lever 30 is set to be slightly smaller than the vertical distance between the bottom wall 14 of the case body 10 and the main surface wall 19 of the lid body 11, and can swing back and forth about the hinge portion 31. A pressing portion 33 for pushing out the MD 1 is provided on the front surface of the lever 30 on the rocking tip side, and the outer surface of the pressing portion 33 is an operation portion 34. In a state where the lever 30 and the lock body 13 are assembled to the case main body 10, the lever 30 is positioned on the inner surface of the rear wall 16, and the pressing portion 33 is fitted into the operation window 26 from the inside of the case to operate the operation portion. 34 is exposed outside the case to maintain the standby position.
[0019]
In a state where the MD 1 is completely stored in the storage case, the elastic arms 24 of the lock body 13 are fitted in the left and right recesses 6 to prevent the MD 1 from coming out of the case. At this time, the pressing portion 33 of the lever 30 is in contact with or opposed to the end wall on the loading start end side of the MD1. When the MD1 is taken out of the case, the storage case is usually grasped with one hand, and the MD1 is grasped with the remaining one hand and pulled out from the entrance 12. However, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 1, the pressing portion 33 is pushed into the operating position inside the case via the operation portion 34 of the lever 30, and the pushing portion 33 pushes the MD 1 toward the entrance / exit 12, so that only one hand is used. But MD1 can be taken out. Specifically, after MD1 is pushed out to the entrance 12 side and the engagement of the recess 6 and the elastic arm 24 is released, when the storage case is shaken up and down with the entrance 12 at the lower end of the slope, the MD1 is self-weighted. Slide out. When MD1 is reloaded, the end wall on the loading start end side comes into contact with the pressing portion 33, and the lever 30 is returned and swung to the standby position.
[0023]
In addition to the above, the present invention can be similarly applied to a storage case for storing optical disks and magnetic disk cartridges other than MD. Either one of the left and right pair of the lock body 13 may be omitted.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, for example, a lever-shaped takeout tool (lever 30) is provided in the interior of the storage chamber R, and the lock tool 13 and the recess 6 of the disk cartridge 1 are moved by operating the takeout tool 30 inward of the case. The disc cartridge 1 can be removed from the storage case. Therefore, the disk cartridge 1 can be easily taken out by an extremely simple operation by switching the take-out tool to the operating position, and the disk cartridge 1 can be easily taken out even by one-handed operation. Compared with the case where the entire lid body 11 is slid to release the engagement between the lock body 13 and the recess 6, the moving parts can be limited to the removal tool alone, and the disk cartridge 1 can be reloaded. Since the take-out tool is returned to the standby position, the overall structure of the storage case can be suppressed, and the manufacturing cost of the storage case can be reduced accordingly. If the lever structure extraction tool is formed integrally with one lock body 13, an increase in the number of parts and assembly man-hours can be avoided, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a main part.
FIG. 2 is a partially broken plan view showing the entire internal structure.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part in a state in which a case main body and a lid are separated.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Disc cartridge (MD)
6 Recess 10 Case body 11 Lid 12 Entrance / exit 13 Lock body 30 Lever 33 Press part 34 Operation part R Storage chamber

Claims (1)

A case main body (10) having a bottom wall (14), a pair of left and right side walls (15) and (15), and a rear wall (16), and attached to the case main body (10). A bookcase in which a storage chamber (R) for accommodating the disc cartridge (1) is partitioned by a lid (11) that closes the top opening of the disc, and an entrance (12) for the disc cartridge (1) is provided on the front surface of the case A mold storage case,
A lock body (13) for preventing the disk cartridge (1) stored in the case from coming out is provided on at least one of the left and right sides of the storage chamber (R),
The lock body (13) is mounted on the side wall (15) of the case body (10) while supporting the elastic arm (24) engaged with the recess (6) of the disk cartridge (1) and the elastic arm (24). A plastic elastic body having supporting legs (25),
An operation window (26) is formed in the left and right central portions of the rear wall (16) of the case body (10),
On the inner surface of the rear wall (16) of the case body (10) , the disk cartridge (1) is moved toward the doorway (12) to release the engagement between the recess (6) and the lock body (13). A lever (30) is arranged,
One end of the lever (30) is provided with a pressing portion (33) for pushing out the disk cartridge (1) toward the doorway (12).
The other end of the lever (30) is attached to the support leg (25) of the lock body (13) via the hinge part (31) and the arm part (32) along the side wall (15) of the case body (10). It ’s all in one,
The pressing portion (33) of the lever (30) is fitted into the operation window (26) from the inside of the case, and the operation portion (34) on the outer surface of the pressing portion (33) is located behind the case body (10). A storage case for a disk cartridge, which is exposed on the outer surface of a wall (16) .

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