DISK CASING

Abstract: A disc case comprising: the main unit of a case provided with an accommodation chamber capable of rotatably accommodating a disc, support member access openings provided in the accommodation chamber so that a chucking member can externally pressure-contact the disc, a head access opening formed in the accommodation chamber so that a head for reading and/or recording signals can gain access to the disc, and a shutter installed on the main unit of the case so as to cover the support member access openings and the head access opening when closed, and so as to expose the support member access openings and the head access opening by sliding in at least one direction along the front fringe portion of the main unit of the case when open, wherein the forefront fringe portion of the shutter protrudes further forward than the forefront fringe portion of the main unit of the case.

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a disc case capable of accommodating a disc-shaped signal recording medium, such as a magnetic disc or an optical disc. RELATED ART OF THE INVENTION A conventional disc case disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. Hei 6-2132 is described below referring to FIG. 13, a perspective view showing the conventional disc. The main unit of a disc case 10 comprises an upper half 12 and a lower half 13 so as to form a disc accommodation chamber 18. The upper half 12 and the lower half 13 of the main unit of the disc case 10 are each provided with an opening 22 and 28 respectively (see FIG. 14). In addition, the main unit of the disc case 10 is provided with a shutter 140 being slidable in the direction indicated by arrow F or G. The shutter 140 covers the openings 22 and 28 formed in the disc case 10. The openings 22 and 28 are formed (1) so that a chucking member (including a disc table) can externally pressure-contact a disc 11 accommodated inside and (2) so that an optical head can gain access to the signal recording surface of the disc 11. The openings 22, 28 communicate with the accommodation chamber 18 accommodating the disc 11. In case the shutter 140 covers the openings 22 and 28 as shown in FIG. 13, a pair of engagement holes 84 provided in the shutter 140 engage a pair of elastic pawls 88 (see FIG. 14) provided on the main unit 10 so as to prevent the shutter 140 from sliding in direction F or G. The following describe a condition when the shutter 140 is opened to expose the opening 22 and 28. In order to release the elastic pawl 88 engaging one of the engagement holes 84, an engagement release member (release pin) (not shown) is inserted into the engagement hole 84. While being kept inserted in the engagement hole 84, the engagement release member is slid toward the other engagement hole 84, thereby opening the shutter 140. The shutter 140 being opened in this condition is closed as described below. The engagement release member remains inserted in the above-mentioned engagement hole 84. When the engagement release member is moved to its original position from this condition, the shutter 140 covers the exposed openings 22 and 28. After the shutter 140 covers the openings 22 and 28, the engagement release member is extracted from the engagement hole 84; instead of the engagement release member, the elastic pawl 88 engages the engagement hole 84 so as to restore the lock condition. The above-mentioned opening/closing operation of the shutter 140 is performed when the disc case 10 is inserted into or taken out of a signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus (player). Consequently, the shutter can be opened and closed positively. However, since the above-mentioned conventional disc case is not dustproof sufficiently, there is the danger of entry of dust into the accommodation chamber. More specifically, a concave portion 89 is formed in the range from the opening 22 and 28 to the front fringe portion of the case so as to decrease the amount of movement when the disc is dropped onto a disc table. Therefore, dust entered from the engagement holes 84 formed in the shutter 140 to the interior of the disc case 10 can further enter the accommodation chamber 18 via the concave portion 89. Furthermore, since a conventional disc case can be set in a player only in one direction, the back-and-forth direction or the lateral direction of the case, the case has a low degree of freedom. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a disc case capable of being set into a player both in the back-and-forth direction and in the lateral direction. To achieve the object, the present invention provides a disc case in accordance with the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a disc case in accordance with a first embodiment of other embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the case shown in FIG. 1 with the shutter open; FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the disc case shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case holder for the disc case of the first embodiment of the other embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the disc case of the first embodiment of the other embodiments is set in the holder shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another case holder for the disc case of the first embodiment of the other embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the disc case of the first embodiment of the other embodiments of the present invention is set in the case holder shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a disc case in accordance with a second embodiment of the other embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the shutter of the case shown in FIG. 8 is open; FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the disc case 10 shown in FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a case holder for the second embodiment of the other embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the disc case shown in FIG. 8 is set in the holder shown in FIG. 11; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a conventional disc case disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. Hei 6-2132; and FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the disc case shown in FIG. 13 exclusive of a shutter, a spring and slide members. (EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE CODES) 10 Disc case 11 Disc 12 Upper half 13 Lower half 16 Spring 18 Accommodation chamber 22 Upper opening 24 Upper front fringe portion 28 Lower opening 101 Case holder 102 Case guide 103 Case stopper 111 Case holder 112-B, 112-F (112-F1, 112-F2) Case guides 113-B, 113-F Case stoppers 114 Gap 1140 Guide end portion 115 Case holder 116-B, 116-F Left and right case guides 117-F, 117-B Case stoppers 119 Gap 118 Projection 120-R Right fringe portion of upper half 120-R1 Right forefront fringe portion of upper half 120-L Left fringe portion of upper half 120-L1 Left forefront fringe portion of upper half 130-R Right fringe portion of lower half 130-R1 Right forefront fringe portion of lower half 130-L Left fringe portion of lower half 130-L1 Left forefront fringe portion of lower half 140 Shutter 141 Protrusion portion 1410 Forefront fringe portion 142-R Right step 142-L Left step 142-R1, 142-R2 Right step surfaces 142-L1, 142-L2 Left step surfaces 150-R Right slide member 145 Shutter 1451 Forefront fringe portion 145-R, 145-L Shutter corner portions 123-R, 124-L Gaps at right and left corner portions of front fringe portion of main unit of case 610 Shutter opener 611 Pin 612 Arm 613 Torsion spring 614 Positioning projection portion PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention are described below referring to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a disc case in accordance with a first embodiment of the other embodiments; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the disc case shown in FIG. 1 with the shutter open; FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the disc case shown in FIG. 1. As a rule, members similar to those used in the cited prior art are represented by the same numerals, and not explained in detail. The shutter 140, the slide members 150-R and 150-L of the first embodiment are not provided with any locking mechanism as described above and that the front fringe portion of the shutter 140 projects. (1) Since the disc case in accordance with the present embodiment has no locking mechanism, the shutter 140 being closed will open when an object hits the shutter 140; however, the structure of the disc case is made simple. (2) The following mainly describe the feature wherein the disc case can be inserted into a holder both in the back-and-forth direction and in the lateral direction. (a) As obviously shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, a protrusion portion 141 is formed at the central portion of the front fringe portion of the shutter 140, and steps 142-R and 142-L are formed at both corner portions of the projection portion 141. As shown in FIG. 3, the forefront fringe portion 1410 of the protrusion portion 141 is located at the position indicated by chain line B with respect to the forward direction (the shutter 140 slides along the front fringe portion of the main unit of the case), and the forefront fringe portions 120-R1 and 120-L1 of the right fringe portion 120-R and the left fringe portion 120-L of the upper half 12 of the main unit of the case are located at the position indicated by chain line C. Furthermore, the surface 142-R1 (see FIG. 2) of the steps 142-R and 142-L of the shutter 140, being in parallel with the above-mentioned slide direction, is located at the position indicated by chain line A. As shown in the figure, chain line B is located at the most forward position, chain line A is located at the most backward position, and chain line C is located therebetween. The forefront fringe portions 130-R1 and 130-L1 of the right fringe portion 130-R and the left fringe portion 130-L of the lower half 13 are also located in the same way. At least the forefront fringe portion 1410 (the forefront fringe portion of the protrusion portion 141) of the shutter 140 is required to be protruded more forward than the forefront fringe portions 120-R1, 120-L1, 130-R1 and 130-L1 of the main unit (12, 13) of the case; however, the parallel surface 142-R1 of the step 142-R of the shutter 140 is located behind the forefront fringe portions 120-R1, 120-L1, 130-R1 and 130-L1 because of the following reason; in case the parallel surface (142-R1) is not located behind the forefront fringe portions (120-R1, 120-L1, 130-R1, 130-L1), the tip 1140 of a shutter opener described below interferes with the front portion of the step 142-R and cannot push a surface 142-R2 which is orthogonal to the slide direction; therefore, the above-mentioned configuration is used to prevent this problem.Next, the following describe a method of setting the disc case into the case holder in the back-and-forth direction.FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a case holder, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the insertion direction of the disc case 10 into a holder 101 is orthogonal to the sliding direction of the shutter 140. The holder 101 is provided with L-shaped case guides 102 at the left and right ends thereof; each of the case guides 102 is provided with a case stopper 103 at the forefront portion thereof to prevent the case 10 from advancing further. Outside the stopper 103, a shutter opener 610 is installed. The tip of the rotatable arm 612 of the shutter opener 610 is provided with a cylindrical pin 611; in addition, the arm 612 is spring-loaded at all times toward the insertion side of the disc case 10 by a torsion spring 613. The arm 612 is provided with a bent projection portion 614 as shown in FIG. 5. This projection portion 614 makes contact with the front fringe portion of the holder 101 so as to prevent the arm 612 from rotating further toward the insertion side. The position of the pin 611 determined by the projection portion 614 and the spring 613 corresponds to the position of the step 142-R of the shutter 140 of the case 10 to be inserted. As a result, when the case 10 is inserted into the holder 101, the pin 611 smoothly makes contact with the step 142-R.FIG. 5 is a view showing a condition wherein the disc case 10 is inserted into the holder 101 in the direction indicated by arrow A; as shown in the figure, the pin 611 of the shutter opener 610 makes contact with the surfaces 142-R1 and 142-R2 of the step 142-R of the shutter 140, the arm 612 is rotated, and the shutter 140 is opened in the direction indicated by arrow B by the rotation force of the arm 612.FIGS. 6 and 7 show an embodiment wherein the insertion direction of the disc case 10 into the holder 101 is in parallel with the sliding direction of the shutter 140. The holder 111 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a front case guide 112-F on the front side (the lower left region in FIG. 6) of the holder 111, and is also provided with a back case guide 112-B on the back side (the upper right region in FIG. 6) of the holder 111. The guides 112-F and 112-B are L-shaped, and their end portions are provided with case stoppers 113-F and 113-B so as to prevent the case 10 from being inserted further. In addition, the front case guide 112-F is provided with a gap 114 at a midpoint thereof to form a step. The portion 112-F1, one of the two portions of the front case guide 112-F and located close to the case insertion position, is shifted forward from the other portion 112-F2 so as not to collide with the protrusion portion 141 of the shutter 140 to be inserted. On the other hand, the end portion 1140 (the end portion facing the gap 114) of the other portion 112-F2 makes contact with the step 142-R of the protrusion portion 141.As shown in FIG. 7, the case 10 is inserted sideways into the holder 111 in the direction from upper left to lower right in the figure (see arrow A). In other words, the case 10 is inserted while the front fringe portion of the case 10 is directed lower left in the figure. Therefore, the protrusion portion 141 of the shutter 140 of the case 10 is moved along the lower left case guide 112-F of the holder 111. As the protrusion portion 141 is guided by the guide portion 112-F1 during the insertion, the surface 142-R2 of the step 142-R of the protrusion portion 141 makes contact with the end portion 1140 of the other guide portion 112-F2. Consequently, as the case 10 is inserted further, the shutter 140 is opened in the direction indicated by arrow B because of the existence of the end portion 1140 of the guide.In this way, the disc case in accordance with the first embodiment can be inserted into the player both in the back-and-forth direction and in the lateral direction, and can be used in the player.The shutter 140 can be formed into a simple rectangular shape by eliminating the protrusion portion 141, the steps 142-R and 142-L. In this case, the shutter opener 610 and the end portion 1140 make contact with the corner portion of the front fringe portion of the shutter 140 (refer to the following description of a second embodiment.) (b) Next, a second embodiment of the other embodiments is described below referring to FIGS. 8 to 12. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a disc case 10 in accordance with the present embodiment; FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the shutter 145 of the disc case 10 is open; FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the disc case 10; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a case holder; and FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a condition wherein the disc case 10 in accordance with the present embodiment is set in the holder shown in FIG. 11. As obviously shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, in the present embodiment, the front position of the forefront fringe portion 1451 of the shutter 145 is the same as the positions of the forefront fringe portions 120-R1 and 120-L1 of the right fringe portion 120-R and the left fringe portion 120-L of the upper half 12 of the main unit of the disc case 10, and is also the same as the positions of the forefront fringe portions 130-R1 and 130-L1 of the right fringe portion 130-R and the left fringe portion 130-L of the lower half 12. In addition, as shown in the figures, the front fringe portions 24 and 30 of the upper half 12 and the lower half 13 are behind the forefront fringe portion 1451, the forefront fringe portions 120-R1, 120-L1, 130-R1 and 130-L1. Furthermore, a gap 123-R is formed between the forefront fringe portion 120-R1 of the right fringe portion 120-R of the upper half 12 and the forefront fringe portion 130-R1 of the right fringe portion 130-R of the lower half 13. Moreover, a gap 123-L is formed between the forefront fringe portion 120-L1 of the left fringe portion 120-L of the upper half 12 and the forefront fringe portion 130-L1 of the left fringe portion 130-L of the lower half 13. The following describe a method of inserting and setting the above-mentioned disc case 10 into a case holder 115 shown in FIG. 11 in the lateral direction. A front case guide 116-F is provided on the front side (the lower left region in the figure) of the case holder 115, and a back case guide 116-B is provided on the back side (the upper right region in the figure) of the case holder 115. These guides 116-F and 116-B are L-shaped, and their end portions are provided with case stoppers 117-F and 117-B to prevent the case 10 from being inserted further. Additionally, a cutout 119 is formed at the central portion of the front case guide 116-F, and a projection 118 is formed inward in the cutout 119. The case 10 is inserted into the case holder 115 having the above-mentioned structure as shown in FIG. 12. More specifically, the case 10 is inserted sideways into the holder 115 in the direction from upper left to lower right in the figure (see arrow A). In other words, the case 10 is inserted while the front fringe portion of the case 10 is directed lower left. Therefore, the corner portion 145-R at the front fringe portion of the shutter 145 of the case 10 is moved along the lower left case guide 116-F of the holder 115. As the corner portion 145-R is guided by the guide 116-F during the insertion, the corner portion 145-R makes contact with the projection 118 of the guide 116-F. Consequently, as the case 10 is inserted further, the shutter 145 is opened in the direction indicated by arrow B because of the existence of the projection 118 of the guide. Even when the case 10 is inserted upside down, the case 10 can be inserted in the same way as described above. The following describe a method of inserting and setting the above-mentioned disc case 10 into a case holder in the back-and-forth direction. In this case, the disc case 10 is inserted into the case holder 101 shown in FIG. 4. As the disc case 10 is inserted in this case, the pin 611 of the shutter opener 610 makes contact with the corner portion 145-R of the shutter 145, and opens the shutter 145 while keeping contact with the corner portion 145-R. In this way, the disc case in accordance with the second embodiment can be inserted into and used in the player both in the back-and-forth direction and in the lateral direction. Unlike the first embodiment, the second embodiment can have the case guides 116-F and 116-B along the full length of the holder; therefore, the second embodiment is advantageous in that the disc case can be inserted stably. The following describe a case wherein the front position of the forefront fringe portion 1451 of the shutter 145 is behind the forefront fringe portions 120-R1 and 120-L1 of the right fringe portion 120-R and the left fringe portion 120-L of the upper half 12 of the main unit of the disc case. In case the front position of the forefront fringe portion 1451 of the shutter 145 is behind the forefront fringe portions 120-R1 and 120-L1 of the right fringe portion 120-R and the left fringe portion 120-L of the upper half 12 of the main unit of the disc case, and is also behind the forefront fringe portions 130-R1 and 130-L1 of the right fringe portion 130-R and the left fringe portion 130-L of the lower half 12 of the main unit of the disc case, the disc case can also be set into the player both in the lateral direction and in the back-and-forth direction by making the depths of the gaps 123-R and 123-L larger than those of the gaps 123-R and 123-L of the above-mentioned embodiment. In the present invention, the connection between the upper half 12 and the lower half 13 can be accomplished by welding or screw tightening. Alternatively, engagement pawls provided on the upper half 12 can be engaged with engagement holes provided in the lower half 13; conversely, engagement holes provided in the upper half 12 can be engaged with engagement pawls provided on the lower half 13. Furthermore, although it is assumed that the disc 11 is an optical disc, it can be assumed that the disc 11 is a magnetic disc. Moreover, although it is assumed that both surfaces of the disc 11 are used as signal recording surfaces on which signals can be read and written, only one surface can be used as a signal recording surface; what is more, the disc 11 can be a disc having surfaces on which no signal can be written. After all, the disc in accordance with the present invention should have at least one signal recording surface on which signals can be read and/or written. Furthermore, in case the disc 11 has one signal recording surface, one of the two slide members can be fastened. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As obviously understood from the above-mentioned descriptions, the disc case of the present invention is advantageous in that the disc case can be set into a player both in the lateral direction and in the back-and-forth direction.

Claims: A disc case (10) for accommodating a disc (11) comprising: a main unit (12,13) having an accommodation chamber (18) for accommodating a disc (11), a support member access opening (22,28) through which a chucking member can come into contact with a disc (11) in said accommodation chamber, and a head access opening (22,28) through which a head for one of reading and recording signals can access to a disc (11) in said accommodation chamber (18), and a shutter (140) installed on said main unit (12,13) so as to cover said support member access opening (22,28) and said head access opening (22,28) in a closed position, and so as to expose said support member access opening (22,28) and said head access opening (22,28) in an open position, said shutter (140) being slidable in a direction along a front fringe portion of said main unit(12,13), characterised in that a front portion of said shutter (140) which covers said front fringe portion of said main unit comprises a protrusion portion (141) which protrudes from said front portion of said shutter (140) toward outside of said main unit (12,13) and farther forward than an edge portion (120-R1, 120-L1, 130-R1, 130-L1) of said front fringe portion of said main unit (12,13). A disc case (10) according to claim 1, wherein said front portion of said shutter (140) including said protrusion portion (141) has a convex shape. A disc case according to claim 1, wherein said protrusion portion (141) of said shutter (140) comes into contact with a shutter opener (610) provided on a case holder (101) for holding said disc case (10) so that said shutter (140) slides along said front fringe portion of said main unit (12,13) when said shutter (140) is opened by inserting said disc case (10) into said case holder (101).

Inventors: GOTO YOSHIKAZU, NISHINO YUKIO, GOTO, YOSHIKAZU, NISHINO, YUKIO, NISHINO, Yukio, 4-13, Tatsutagawa 3-chome
Applicants: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC IND CO LTD, MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: G11B23
IPC codes: G11B17, G11B23