Abstract:
A cam groove provided in a chassis is furnished with a first cam portion permitting an eject button to move only forward from being depressed, and a second cam portion permitting the button to shift between its depressed and protruding states. A slide unit interlocks with a switching lever spring-urged toward a push-out plate and moves away from a recording-medium travel path by being pushed by a recording medium when plugged into the chassis. In standby, the switching lever interlocks with the first cam portion, advancing into the travel path. With a recording medium bieng plugged into the chassis, by the eject button being pushed a first time the switching lever withdraws from the travel path and shifts into the second cam portion, permitting the eject button to protrude backward. By the eject button being pushed a second time, the push-out plate and slide unit are put into cooperation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Technical Field  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to devices into which inserts—specifically, recording mediums furnished with a connector on one end and incorporating electronic circuitry—install detachably/reattachably.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    FIGS.  16 ( a ) and  16 ( b ) are partly in section plan views of a conventional device, wherein (a) shows a standby state, in which a recording medium is not mounted in the device, and (b) shows a state in which a recording medium is mounted in the device (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. Pub. No. 10-50406). A recording medium  6  such as an IC card is furnished with a first connector  60  on its one end. Hereinafter, the direction in which a recording medium is inserted into the device is referred to as “forward”, and the direction in which the recording medium is ejected out of the device as “backward.” 
           [0005]    The device has sidewalls  18 ,  18  erected along both sides of a chassis  1 . Provided in an inner part of the chassis  1  is a second connector  61  for fitting with the first connector  60 . The structure for fitting the connectors  60  and  61  is well known.  
           [0006]    On the chassis  1 , a push-out lever  45  is supported on a pivot  47  near the second connector  61 , and a right end portion of the push-out lever  45  is connected to a slide unit  7  that is provided outward of one sidewall  18  and is shiftable back and forth. A tail end portion of the slide unit  7  is provided with an eject button  70 . From a left end portion of the push-out lever  45 , a pin  46  protrudes downward.  
           [0007]    In the standby state, the eject button  70  is depressed inward as shown in FIG. 16( a ). When the recording medium  6  is inserted between the sidewalls  18 ,  18  with the first connector  60  facing forward, the front end of the recording medium  6  pushes the pin  46  of the push-out lever  45 , swinging the push-out lever  45  clockwise. Accordingly, the slide unit  7  and the eject button  70  are forced to protrude backward. Upon completing the insertion of the recording medium  6 , the connectors  60  and  61  fit together so that signals may be recorded in the recording medium  6  or be played back from the recording medium  6 .  
           [0008]    To eject the recording medium  6 , the eject button  70  is pressed in forward with the finger. The push-out lever  45  thereby swings counterclockwise, forcing the pushing pin  46  to push the front end of the recording medium  6  backward. The recording medium  6  is thus pushed out backward and is ejected out of the device.  
           [0009]    In the standby state, the recording medium  6  will be unintentionally ejected in a situation in which, if the amount by which the eject button  70  protrudes is extensive, the eject button  70  is by some chance struck inadvertently by a user&#39;s hand. In view of this problem, as shown in FIG. 17, there is a configuration in which the eject button  70  is configured by two half-button portions  70   a  and  70   b  connected with a hinge  70   c  so that the backward half-button portion  70   b  is rotatable about 90 degrees clockwise relative to the front side half-button portion  70   a . Thus, the amount of protrusion of the eject button  70  is made small.  
           [0010]    With the eject button  70  shown in FIG. 17, there still remains a risk that the recording medium  6  will be accidentally ejected in a situation in which, if a user neglects the operation of swinging over the half-button portion  70   b , the user&#39;s hand accidentally strikes the eject button  70 . What is more, the user is required to take the trouble to fold the eject button  70 , which is cumbersome and gives the impression that the device is a low-grade product.  
           [0011]    In view of this, a device is proposed that performs operations shown in FIG. 19 (see Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. Pub. No. 11-54208, for example). In this device, as shown in FIG. 18, the push-out levers  45 ,  45  for urging the recording medium  6  backward are supported on pivots  47 ,  47  on the chassis  1 , and one sidewall  18  of the chassis  1  is provided with a cam mechanism (not shown) into which the slide unit  7  fits. In the standby state, in which the recording medium  6  is not inserted, the eject button  70  is at a forwardly depressed position. Even when the recording medium  6  is mounted in the device, the depressed position is maintained.  
           [0012]    In this condition, if the eject button  70  is further pushed in forward, the eject button  70  protrudes backward while the recording medium  6  is kept in the mounted state, as shown in FIG. 19. When the eject button  70  that has been protruded backward is pushed back forward once again, the recording medium  6  is ejected out of the device, but the eject button  70  is kept in a forwardly depressed state. Specifically, in order to eject the recording medium  6  inserted in the device from the state where the eject button  70  is depressed forward, the eject button  70  needs to be pushed two times; therefore, even if the user&#39;s hand accidentally strikes the eject button  70  while in the state where the recording medium  6  is inserted in the device, the recording medium  6  is not ejected.  
           [0013]    If the eject button  70  is pushed without inserting the recording medium  6  while in the standby state, the eject button  70  is kept in the forwardly depressed state. The recording medium  6  can be inserted in this condition. If the eject button  70  is pushed once again, the eject button  70  protrudes backward.  
           [0014]    In the device that performs the operations shown in FIG. 19, however, while in its standby state, the eject button  70  may protrude backward from the depressed state. Accordingly, if the recording medium  6  is inserted into the device while the eject button  70  is in the backwardly protruding state, the recording medium  6  can be ejected out of the device by pushing the eject button  70  one more time. Therefore, there remains a risk of accidentally ejecting the recording medium  6  out of the device if the user&#39;s hand accidentally hits the eject button  70  while the eject button  70  is in a backwardly protruding state. In other words, such a risk arises because of the possibility of the eject button  70 &#39;s protruding backward while the recording medium  6  is not inserted in the device.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device in which the eject button  70  is kept in a forwardly depressed state while in the standby state so that it does not protrudes backward accidentally.  
           [0016]    In a device according to the present invention, a cam mechanism is furnished with a first cam portion  11  permitting a eject button  70  to move only forward from the depressed state, and a second cam portion  12  permitting the eject button  70  to move between the depressed state and the protruding state.  
           [0017]    A slide unit  7  and the cam mechanism interlock with a switching mechanism  3  that is spring-urged toward a push-out member and that, by being pushed by a recording medium  6 , which is an insert, against the spring when fitting the recording medium  6  into a chassis  1 , withdraws from a travel path of the recording medium  6 .  
           [0018]    The switching mechanism  3  in its standby state performs a first movement in which it interlocks into the first cam portion  11  and advances into the travel path of the recording medium  6 , and with the recording medium  6  being fitted into the chassis  1 , a second movement in which it withdraws from the travel path of the recording medium  6 , wherein by an initial pressing action on the eject button  70  it shifts into the second cam portion  12 , permitting the eject button  70  to protrude backward, and by a second pressing action on the eject button  70  it permits the push-out member and the slide unit  7  to operate interconnectedly.  
           [0019]    With No Recording Medium Being Inserted  
           [0020]    The switching mechanism  3  enter the travel path of the recording medium  6  and interlocks in the first cam portion  11 . Because the first cam portion  11  only permits the eject button  70  to move forward from its depressed state, the eject button  70  does not protrude backward.  
           [0021]    With Recording Medium Being Inserted  
           [0022]    The switching mechanism  3  withdraws from the travel path of the recording medium  6  by being pushed by the recording medium  6 . At the first pushing operation for the eject button  70 , the switching mechanism  3  shifts into the second cam portion  12 , permitting the eject button  70  to protrude backward with the slide unit  7  spring-urged backward. At the second pushing operation for the eject button  70 , the push-out member and the slide unit  7  operate inter-connectedly.  
           [0023]    In a device according to the present invention, the eject button  70  is kept in a forwardly depressed state and is not protruded backward accidentally while in a standby state, in which the recording medium  6  is not inserted. Thus, unlike conventional cases, the recording medium  6  is not inserted while the eject button  70  is being in a protruding state, therefore, the recording medium  6  is not accidentally ejected out of the device. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the device;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device, showing its standby state;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device, showing a state in which a recording medium is mounted therein;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device, showing a state in which an eject button has been pressed after the recording medium has been mounted;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is an assembly diagram of the device, showing a state in which the eject button has been pressed the second time after the recording medium has been mounted;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cam groove;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a plan view of a latch lever;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an intermediate lever;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a flat spring unit;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 10( a ) is a plan view showing various components in a standby state, and FIG. 10( b ) is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the cam groove and a cam follower;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 11 is a plan view showing various components when a recording medium has been inserted;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 12( a ) is a plan view showing various components in a state where the eject button has been pressed one time, and FIG. 12( b ) is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the cam groove and the cam follower;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 13( a ) is a plan view showing various components in a state where the eject button projects backward, and FIG. 13( b ) is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the cam groove and the cam follower;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 14 is a plan view showing various components when the eject button has been pressed two times;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 15 is a diagram representing operations of the device according to the present invention;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 16 are partly in section plan views of a conventional device, wherein (a) and (b) respectively show a standby state in which a recording medium is not mounted in the device and a state in which a recording medium is mounted in the device;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 17 is a plan view showing an eject button in which two half-button portions are connected by a hinge;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 18 is a plan view showing another conventional device; and  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 19 is a diagram showing operations of the device shown in FIG. 18. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0044]    With reference to the drawings, one embodiment of the present invention is detailed below.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 through FIG. 5 are assembly diagrams of the device according to present embodiment. The operations of the device according to the present embodiment are shown in FIG. 15, which are similar to those of the conventional device shown in FIG. 18 when the recording medium  6  is inserted in the device.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 2, in a standby state, the eject button  70  is pushed in forward. As shown in FIG. 3, the eject button  70  is kept in a depressed state even when the recording medium  6  is inserted in the device. As shown in FIG. 4, the eject button  70  is pushed out backward when the eject button  70  is pushed one time, and as shown in FIG. 5, the recording medium  6  is ejected when the eject button  70  is further pushed, that is, when the eject button  70  is pushed two times. As will be described later, the present embodiment differs from conventional devices in how it operates in an instance in which the eject button  70  is pushed during the standby state, in which the recording medium  6  is not inserted in the device.  
         [0047]    The present embodiment shows, as an example of the recording medium  6 , a card type medium called iVDR, in which video and audio data can be recorded. This is furnished with, as shown in FIG. 1, a first connector  60  at its front end, so that it fits with a second connector (not shown) provided in the inner part of the a chassis when mounted on the chassis  1 .  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the device according to the present embodiment. Attached on the chassis  1  is a holder  2  that has an opening at its rear end and in which the recording medium  6  is inserted. The top face of the holder  2  has a large opening  25  for confirming the presence or absence of the recording medium  6  in the holder  2 . On the front end of the holder  2 , a push-out plate  8  is provided so as to be shiftable back and forth, and the push-out plate  8  has a projection plate  82  extending downward at its front end. The projection plate  82  comes into contact with the front end of the recording medium  6  through a cut-out  24  provided in a right corner of the holder  2 . A pivot shaft  23  provided on the holder  2  is fitted to a midportion of a drive lever  80 , and a projection  83  provided on the push-out plate  8  is fitted in a long hole  81  formed in a left end portion of the drive lever  80 . Thus, when the drive lever  80  swings, the push-out plate  8  slides back and forth accordingly.  
         [0049]    At the right end of the holder  2 , an intermediate slide plate  20  is provided so as to be shiftable back and forth, and a projection  22  provided on the front end of the intermediate slide plate  20  is fitted in a long hole  81   a  formed in a right end portion of the drive lever  80 . A tab  21  extends downward from the intermediate slide plate  20 .  
         [0050]    The right end of the chassis  1  forms a receiving surface  15 , a front end portion of which has cam groove  10  formed therein. A spring peg  16  protrudes from a right end portion of the receiving surface  15 . On the receiving surface  15 , a slide unit  7  is provided so as to be shiftable back and forth. The slide unit  7  is provided with a first pivot shaft  71  protruding from a front end portion thereof, and an eject button  70  is attached to a rear end portion thereof. A tension spring  72  is hooked between a hook  73  formed on the slide unit  7  and the spring peg  16  of the chassis  1  so that the slide unit  7  is urged backward. The first pivot shaft  71  of the slide unit  7  is fitted through a latch lever  5 , an intermediate lever  30 , and a torsion spring (not shown) urging the intermediate lever  30  counterclockwise. On a front end portion of the intermediate lever  30 , a second pivot shaft  31  is provided, and the second pivot shaft  31  is fitted through a switching lever  4 . A flat spring unit  9  formed by bending a metal plate is capped onto the intermediate lever  30 .  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cam groove  10  on the chassis  1 . The cam groove  10  has a first longitudinal groove  11   a  extending longitudinally, a transverse groove  12   a  extending rightward from the front end of the first longitudinal groove  11   a , a diagonal groove  12   b  extending backward and rightward from the right end of the transverse groove  12   a , and a second longitudinal groove  12   c  extending backward from the rear end of the diagonal groove  12   b . The rear end of the second longitudinal groove  12   c  is located further backward of the rear end of the first longitudinal groove  11   a . As will be described later, the first longitudinal groove  11   a  forms a first cam portion  11  that permits the eject button  70  to move only forward from the depressed state of the eject button  70 , while the transverse groove  12   a , the diagonal groove  12   b , and the second longitudinal groove  12   c  together form the second cam portion  12  that permits the eject button  70  to shift between the depressed state and the protruding state.  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the latch lever  5 . The latch lever  5  is formed by bending a metal plate and is furnished with a claw piece  50 , which on which a tab  21  of the intermediate slide plate  20  catches, as described later. The claw piece  50  is provided with a receiving piece  51  on its rear, and the inner surface of the receiving piece  51  comes into contact with the rear end of the flat spring unit  9 .  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the intermediate lever  30 . The intermediate lever  30  is made of a synthetic resin and is provided with, in addition to the above-mentioned second pivot shaft  31 , a positioning projection  34  for positioning the flat spring unit  9  and a fitting tube  35  for fitting onto the first pivot shaft  71  of the slide unit  7 , both of which are on a flat plate  33 . On the left of the second pivot shaft  31 , a stopper  36  is provided for preventing the switching lever  4  from excessively swinging counterclockwise. At both sides of the fitting tube  35 , wall plates  37 ,  37  are provided on the flat plate  33 . From the lower surface of a front end portion of the flat plate  33 , a cam follower  32  is protruded, which is a protruding shaft that fits into the cam groove  10  in the chassis  1 .  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the flat spring unit  9 . The flat spring unit  9  is mounted over the intermediate lever  30  after the intermediate lever  30  has been fitted onto the first pivot shaft  71  and the switching lever  4  has been fitted onto the second pivot shaft  31  of the intermediate lever  30 . In the flat spring unit  9 , a fitting plate  94  and an urging plate  90  protrude downward from both sides of a horizontal plate  93 . A front end portion of the urging plate  90  forms a first urging portion  91  for urging the switching lever  4  counterclockwise, whereas a rear end portion of the urging plate  90  forms a second urging portion  92  for urging the latch lever  5  clockwise. The fore-end of the second urging portion  92  comes into contact with the inner side of the receiving piece  51  of the latch lever  5  so that when the flat spring unit  9  swings counterclockwise, the latch lever  5  swings counterclockwise accordingly.  
         [0055]    For reasons stated later, the force with which the first urging portion  91  urges the switching lever  4  is configured to be greater than the force with which the torsion spring fitted onto the first pivot shaft  71  urges the intermediate lever  30  counterclockwise. The fitting plate  94  and a longitudinally mid portion of the urging plate  90  are fitted onto the inner sides of the wall plates  37 ,  37  of the intermediate lever  30 , whereby the flat spring unit  9  is mounted onto the intermediate lever  30 .  
         [0056]    With a Recording Medium Being Inserted  
         [0057]    During Insertion  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 10 through FIG. 14 show plan views illustrating the operations of various components from when inserting the recording medium  6  into the device while in the standby state to when ejecting it. For the sake of simplicity in the drawings, only the components necessary for the operations are illustrated. The large opening  25  in the holder  2  is not shown.  
         [0059]    FIGS.  2 ,  10 ( a ), and  10 ( b ) illustrate the standby state. The push-out plate  8  has been moved backward, and the projection plate  82  is brought into contact with the rear edge of the cut-out  24  of the holder  2 . The switching lever  4  is pushed by the flat spring unit  9 , making contact with the stopper  36  of the intermediate lever  30 , and its fore-end portion enters the travel path of the recording medium  6  and the push-out plate  8 . In this condition, the cam follower  32  of the intermediate lever  30  is located at the rear end of the first longitudinal groove  11   a  in the cam groove  10 . The eject button  70  is, as shown in FIG. 2, at a forwardly depressed position. That is, when the cam follower  32  is fitted in the first longitudinal groove  11   a  of the cam groove  10 , the eject button  70  is permitted to move only forward from the forwardly depressed position.  
         [0060]    As will be described later, the switching lever  4  and the intermediate lever  30  together form a switching mechanism  3 . The switching mechanism  3  performs a first movement by which the eject button  70  is held in its depressed state when the recording medium  6  is not in the holder  2 , irrespective of the action of pushing the eject button  70 . The switching mechanism  3  also performs a second movement by which the eject button  70  is switched between the depressed state and the protruding state by the action of the eject button  70  being pushed when the recording medium  6  is in the holder  2 .  
         [0061]    When the recording medium  6  is inserted into the holder  2  in the standby state, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the front end face of the recording medium  6  pushes the push-out plate  8  forward. The drive lever  80  accordingly swings clockwise with the pivot shaft  23  being the pivotal axis, forcing the intermediate slide plate  20  to move backward.  
         [0062]    A side face of the recording medium  6  pushes the fore-end portion of the switching lever  4 , and the switching lever  4  swings clockwise against the flat spring unit  9  with the second pivot shaft  31  being the pivotal axis. The intermediate lever  30  and the latch lever  5  do not move in longitudinal directions, and the cam follower  32  does not move from the position shown in FIG. 10( b ), restricting swing movement of the intermediate lever  30 .  
         [0063]    The eject button  70  remains at the forwardly depressed position, and the first connector  60  of the recording medium  6  (see FIG. 1) fits in the second connector on the chassis  1 ; thus, the recording medium  6  is mounted on the chassis  1 . In this condition, signal recording is possible into the recording medium  6 , and signal playback is possible from the recording medium  6 .  
         [0064]    During Ejection  
         [0065]    In order to eject the recording medium  6  out of the device after completion of signal recording or playback, first, the eject button  70  that has been depressed is further pushed against the tension spring  72 . As shown in FIG. 12( a ), the slide unit  7  moves forward, and the switching lever  4 , the intermediate lever  30 , and the latch lever  5  accordingly move forward. The cam follower  32  of the intermediate lever  30  reaches the left-side end of the transverse groove  12   a , where its rightward movement is permitted. As described previously, the switching lever  4  is brought into contact with the side face of the recording medium  6  and is thereby pushed rightward. The switching lever  4  is pushed against the flat spring unit  9 , and because the force with which the flat spring unit  9  urges the switching lever  4  is greater than the force with which the torsion spring urges the intermediate lever  30  counterclockwise as described previously, the intermediate lever  30  also swings rightward, i.e., clockwise. As shown in FIG. 12( b ), the cam follower  32  reaches the right end of the transverse groove  12   a.    
         [0066]    Since the slide unit  7  is urged backward by the tension spring  72 , the cam follower  32  passes through the diagonal groove  12   b , reaching the rear end of the second longitudinal groove  12   c  as shown in FIG. 13( b ). Since the rear end of the second longitudinal groove  12   c  is located at a position further backward than the rear end of the first longitudinal groove  11   a , the slide unit  7  moves backward, and the switching lever  4 , the intermediate lever  30 , and the latch lever  5  accordingly move backward, as shown in FIG. 13( a ). The eject button  70  thus protrudes backward (see FIG. 4).  
         [0067]    Since the second longitudinal groove  12   c  of the cam groove  10  shown in FIG. 13( a ) is located further rightward than the first longitudinal groove  11   a , the switching lever  4 , the intermediate lever  30 , and the latch lever  5  swing clockwise further than in the standby state. The latch lever  5  is pushed by the second urging portion  92  of the flat spring unit  9 , swinging clockwise, and the claw piece  50  of the latch lever  5  is located at the rear of the tab  21  of the intermediate slide plate  20 .  
         [0068]    The user pushes the eject button  70  once again from the position where the eject button  70  protrudes backward. As shown in FIG. 14, with the forward movement of the slide unit  7 , the claw piece  50  of the latch lever  5  catches the tab  21  of the intermediate slide plate  20 , making the intermediate slide plate  20  move forward. The drive lever  80  swings counterclockwise, forcing the push-out plate  8  to move backward. The recording medium  6  is pushed out by the push-out plate  8 , and as shown in FIG. 5, its rear end portion protrudes from the holder  2 , allowing the user to grasp the rear end portion of the recording medium  6  and draw it out of the holder  2 . The drive lever  80  and the push-out plate  8  return the positions shown in FIG. 10( a ).  
         [0069]    Since the recording medium  6  has been drawn out, the switching lever  4  is permitted to enter the travel path of the recording medium  6 . Due to the forward movement of the slide unit  7 , the cam follower  32  moves forward from the rear end of the second longitudinal-groove  12   c , passes through the diagonal groove  12   b  and the transverse groove  12   a , and reaches the first longitudinal groove  11   a . Because the intermediate lever  30  is urged counterclockwise by the torsion spring, it returns to the position shown in FIG. 10( a ), and the flat spring unit  9  attached to the intermediate lever  30  accordingly swings counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 14. Since The fore-end portion of the second urging portion  92  of the flat spring unit  9  is in contact with the inner side of the receiving piece  51 , the latch lever  5  swings counterclockwise together with the flat spring unit  9 .  
         [0070]    As the slide unit  7  is urged by the tension spring  72 , the cam follower  32  is, as shown in FIG. 10( a ), placed to the rear end of the first longitudinal groove  11   a  in the cam groove  10 . The eject button  70  is brought to a forwardly depressed position, as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0071]    With No Recording Medium Being Inserted  
         [0072]    In the standby state shown in FIG. 10, if the eject button  70  is pushed forward without the recording medium  6  being inserted, the fore-end portion of the switching lever  4  is kept in the travel path of the recording medium  6  by the flat spring unit  9  because the switching lever  4  is not pushed sideways by the recording medium  6 . The cam follower  32  of the intermediate lever  30  cannot move to the transverse groove  12   a , and therefore, even if the eject button  70  is pushed forward, the cam follower  32  moves only forward within the first longitudinal groove  11   a . Because the position at which the cam follower  32  comes into contact with the rear end of the first longitudinal groove  11   a  is the depressed state of the eject button  70 , the eject button  70  is held in its depressed state (see FIG. 15).  
         [0073]    In the device according to the present embodiment, the eject button  70  is kept in a forwardly depressed state while in the standby state, and it does not protrude backward accidentally. With this being the case, there is no risk of inserting the recording medium  6  while in a state where the eject button  70  protrudes.  
         [0074]    In addition, when the recording medium  6  is inserted in the holder  2 , the recording medium  6  cannot be ejected unless the eject button  70  is pushed two times. This also eliminates the risk of a user&#39;s accidentally ejecting the recording medium  6 .  
         [0075]    In the present embodiment, the recording medium  6  has been illustrated as an example the insert and iVDR has been described as an example of the recording medium  6 ; however, floppy disks, IC cards, and memory cards may be employed therefor. In addition, the insert may be a tuner unit. Further, although not shown in the drawings, the recording medium  6  may be directly ejected by the drive lever  80 . Additionally, the materials of the intermediate lever  30  and the latch lever  5  are not limited to those described in the embodiment.  
         [0076]    Only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention. To those skilled in the art, however, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the embodiments according to the present invention is provided for illustration only, and not for limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.