Abstract: A disc cartridge of a three-piece structure capable of being kept from being caught in an information recording/reproducing apparatus during loading/unloading thereof with respect to the apparatus. The disc cartridge includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and a center frame arranged between the upper plate and the lower plate, which are joined to each other to form a casing in which a disc-like medium is received. The upper plate defines the whole upper surface region of the disc cartridge, whereas the lower plate defines the whole lower surface region of the disc cartridge. The disc cartridge also includes an engaged structure in which an engagement structure of the information recording/reproducing apparatus is engagedly fitted. The engaged structure is constituted by only the lower plate.

Abstract: A tape cassette is provided with a lock member of a covering member integrally connected with a spring member having high durability and strength as well as improved workability at assembling. The tape cassette includes a covering member rotatably mounted to the housing to cover the tape member placed at a front of the housing, and a lock member provided inside the housing to lock the covering member in a closed state. The lock member is rotated together with the main body and is provided with rotation shafts pivotally supported in the housing, an engagement projection rotating around the axis between the locked position engaging with the covering member and the locked position not engaging with the covering member, biasing members for biasing the engagement projection toward the locked position, and an unlock member for shifting the engagement projection toward an unlocked position.

Abstract: The tape cassette comprises a case body for containing a pair of tape reels wound with a tape-shaped medium and an openable lid member provided in front of the cassette where the tape-shaped medium is exposed to an exterior. In an area adjacent to a joint portion P1 between a front plate 8 and a side plate 10 of a front lid constituting the lidmember, at least either one of the plates, for example, the side plate 10 is made thinner in thickness in a form of a slanted face 24, etc. Also in an area adjacent to a joint portion P2 between a top plate 14 and a side plate 15 of an upper lid 6, at least either one of the plates, for example, the top plate 14 is made thinner in thickness in a form of a concave 25. With this structure, the areas adjacent to the joint portions P1, P2 are hardened earlier than the other areas when the resin is set at the injection molding and the side plates 10 and 15 will not be inclined inwardly.

Abstract: A disk cartridge is constituted by a case for holding a disklike medium therein, a slidable shutter, and a coil spring. The case has an upper case and a lower case coupled together. The upper case and the lower case is provided with a hole for inserting a record-playback head and a hole for inserting a driving shaft. The slidable shutter is substantially U-shaped in cross section, and exposes and blocks up the openings. The shutter is formed of a left-side shutter and a right-side shutter. The coil spring is stretched between retaining portions provided to the sliders of the respective left- and right-side shutters in order to urge the left- and right-side shutters in the direction of bringing both shutters close to each other. The left- and right-side shutters are abutted each other to block up the opening by the urging force of the coil spring.

Abstract: A problem with the assembling of tape cassettes has been the possibility of erroneous fitting of the upper end of a coil spring that presses a release lever onto one of cylindrical bosses that cover reel brake posts.

Abstract: A tape reel for a tape cassette capable of substantially preventing deformation thereof, even when it is thin-walled to substantially reduce a cycle time required for a molding step of the tape reel. The tape reel includes a reel hub and a disc-like flange. Reinforcing ribs include an annular rib arranged on an outer periphery of a disc-like flange and a plurality of linear ribs arranged on an outer surface of the disc-like flange so as to extend from a core stabilizing surface rib to the annular rib. The linear ribs are so arranged that each of the linear ribs intersects at least one of the other linear ribs at a position which is further than a midpoint between the core stabilizing surface rib and the annular rib.

Abstract: A disc cartridge capable of effectively preventing inadvertent falling out or detachment of a disc from a casing during handling thereof, to thereby ensure safety of the disc cartridge. A cover includes a disc receiving section and is slidably arranged between an upper casing member and a lower casing member, to thereby be outwardly drawn out through a disc takeout opening for taking out the disc from a casing. This permits the disc to be readily taken out from the casing by merely drawing out the cover from the casing.

Abstract: A tape cassette comprising a housing made up of upper and lower casings, a pair of reels around which a tape is wound and contained altogether in the housing, and a pair of cylindrical resin tape guides having a height greater than the width of the tape, said tape guides being securely fitted to corresponding tape guide posts also having a height greater than the width of the tape and provided in the lower casing. Each tape guide post has a press-fit rib formed in one piece with it on the side where the tape does not come in contact with the tape guide on it. The rib has a vertical height greater than half that of the tape guide and serves to make the dimensions of the tape guide post surface on the tape-contacting side greater than the inside diameter of the tape guide before being press-fitted.

Abstract: When a guide wall formed in the lower casing of a tape cassette housing for guiding a brake release member is extended upward into the upper casing, the corresponding part of the upper casing must be cut off to provide a recess. The recess, located in the central part of the upper casing, reduces the structural strength of the upper casing. Also there are problems of deformation of the cassette wall parts subject to the urging of the spring member and development of a gap between the mating edges of the upper and lower casings during storage at elevated temperature. The present invention is directed to the solution of the problems.

Abstract: A disc cartridge of the open cover type capable of readily accomplishing takeout and insertion of a disc medium with respect to the cartridge while ensuring easiness of assembling thereof and increased reliability in operation thereof. An upper casing member is formed on a side surface thereof opposite from a shutter with a takeout opening which permits a disc medium to be taken out of a casing therethrough. The casing is mounted thereon with a cover for opening and closing the takeout opening. The cover is provided with support shafts disposed on opposite sides thereof. The upper casing member is provided with guide grooves in which the respective support shafts are slidably and pivotally fitted, to thereby permit the cover to be selectively opened. The cover may be provided with a receiving section for slidably receiving an erasure prevention member therein. The disc cartridge may be provided with a discrimination member for detecting whether takeout of the disc medium has been carried out.

Abstract: In a tape cassette comprising a housing made up of upper and lower casings, a pair of reels around which a tape is wound and contained altogether in the housing, the housing having openings formed at the front so that the tape supplied from one reel travels as exposed along the front and is taken up by the other reel, a front lid swingably attached to the housing to cover its front surface, and a spring member having a coiled portion fitted onto a pivot of the front lid and also having a free end secured to the inner surface of the upper casing to force the front lid in the closing direction by the spring action; a bend angled toward a direction away from the inner surface of the upper casing is formed at the free end of the spring member that applies the spring action to the front lid, and a rib to secure the free end of the spring member in place is formed at the front of the upper casing to which the front lid is attached.

Abstract: A disc cartridge of a three-piece structure capable of enhancing moldability and rigidity of a center frame. The center frame having a square-like shape is interposedly arranged between an upper plate and a lower plate and has a receiving space defined therein for receiving a disc-like medium. The upper and lower plates are provided on four corners thereof with fixing bosses respectively. The center frame is formed on opposite surfaces thereof with fitting recesses in which the bosses are fitted, respectively. The center frame is formed on each corner thereof with a thin-wall portion having a reduced thickness of 50 to 80% based on a whole thickness of the center frame.

Abstract: A disc cartridge capable of ensuring smooth operation of a shutter while decreasing a size of the shutter, permitting the shutter to be made of inexpensive rein and being applied to both a double-direction sliding shutter structure and a single-direction sliding shutter structure. The shutter includes an upper plate, a lower plate and a connection for connecting the upper and lower plates to each other therethrough. The disc cartridge further includes a slider for slidably guiding the shutter and a spring for urging the shutter in a closing direction. The connection of the shutter is provided with a lug against which a shutter operation member of a recording/reproducing apparatus is abutted. The slider is arranged in the lug while being kept in contact with an inner surface of the lug.

Abstract: A cartridge receiving casing capable of permitting a cartridge to be readily removed from the casing by one hand as required while preventing the cartridge from accidentally falling off from the casing. The casing includes a casing body formed so as to be open on one side thereof to provide the casing with an opening through which a cartridge is inserted into and taken out of the casing and a cover slidably arranged on the casing body. The cartridge is engaged with first projections of stoppers at a received position, to thereby be elastically supported in the casing. When the cover is slid to an intermediate position toward the opening, the cartridge is partially exposed through the opening and elastically supported while being drawable out of the casing. Further sliding of the cover permits the cartridge to be removed from the casing.

Abstract: A magnetic tape cassette capable of improving sealing of the tape cassette when it is out of use, to thereby positively protect a magnetic tape arranged therein. The magnetic tape cassette includes an openable front lid and a rear lid arranged so as to cover a front opening of the tape cassette casing and is so constructed that the front and rear lids are provided with facing portions, respectively, which are arranged so as to face each other along an arc defined by the facing portion of the rear lid when the rear lid is pivotally moved relatively to the front lid to cover the protecting space for the magnetic tape and each lid is formed into an arc or slanting plane, resulting in the lids being closely associated with each other to a degree sufficient to ensure satisfactory sealing of the cassette when the front lid is pivotally moved to cover the opening of the casing.

Abstract: Tape guides for guiding a magnetic tape in a tape cassette including a two-half cassette housing one half of which holds a pair of tape reels and a length of magnetic tape wound on the reels, said housing half having openings formed on the front side for supply and takeup of the tape, said tape guides being located at both corners of the front side and adjacent the openings, are made basically of a composite resin material of polyethylene and polypropylene resins and contain a carbon black and an anisotropic inorganic filler.

Abstract: A tape cassette including a cassette case consisting of an upper half and a lower half fastened together by at least one boss provided integrally on the upper half and at least one boss-receiving member provided integrally on said lower half. The boss includes an upper post and a plurality of first radial ribs projecting radially from the surface of the upper post and the boss-receiving member includes a lower post having a recess at its top end for receiving a projecting end of the boss, and the lower post is provided with a plurality of second radial ribs extending radially from the periphery of the lower post and said lower post has a minimum wall thickness around the recess sufficient to to connect the second radial ribs. The accuracy of the boss-receiving member is improved, the deviation of the total thickness of the upper and the lower halves which could otherwise occur is prevented, and the molding cycle can be shortened.

Abstract: A tape cassette having a synthetic resin casing accommodating a tape-like medium composed of an upper half casing, a lower half casing and a front lid, the upper and lower half casings being integrated by a plurality of fixing portions. A plurality of fixing portions are disposed at first positions which are outside of a second position of the front lid. Slackening of screw fixation of the upper and lower half casings is preventing and incapacitance in rotating the front lid due to melt-bonding of the front lid and the upper half casing is avoided.

Abstract: A tape cassette comprising a cassette casing composed of an upper half casing and a lower half casing, a pair of hubs around which a magnetic tape is wound and which are rotatably fitted into circular peripheral walls formed in the cassette casing, and tape guide members formed in the cassette casing at positions through which the magnetic tape wound around the hubs is traveled, wherein the thickness of the flat surface walls and the thickness of the outer peripheral walls of the upper and lower half casings are respectively uniform.

Abstract: A reel spring for tape cassettes includes at least two mounting holes which are formed in the base portion at opposite sides with respect to a tape reel centerline connecting reel centers and in such a manner to be spaced in the direction of the tape reel centerline, and which is used for melt-bonding with the cassette housing. The base portion is arranged so as to have a center laid on the tape reel centerlines, respective end portions are arranged so as to have their centerlines passed through respective contact points for urging a pair of tape reels, extended in parallel with each other and deviated with respect to the tape reel centerlines. The width of the base portion is substantially the same as that of the end portions.