Abstract: A disc-shaped recording medium for which information signals are recorded and/or reproduced in a state in which a rotating recording and/or reproducing head is floated a pre-set distance from a signal recording region carrying surface of the disc-shaped recording medium. The disc-shaped recording medium has an area radially outside of the outer perimeter of center opening by at least 0.1 mm clamped by a clamp mechanism. This area is coplanar as each surface of the disc-shaped recording medium carrying the signal recording region. It is possible in this manner to prevent eccentricity of the rotating disc-shaped recording medium and consequent collision of the recording and/or reproducing head against the disc-shaped recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hard disk drive, and particularly applies to a removable hard disk drive mountable in portable devices so that much of information personally owned can be recorded and carried. The hard disk drive of the present invention is held in video devices, records and reproduces video data and other data at a data transfer rate of 30 Mbps or more, and provides a capacity of 2 GB or more for a hard disk 1.8 inches or less in diameter by so-called sample servo.

Abstract: A disk cartridge permits improved efficiency of airflow circulation in a disk accommodation chamber and improved efficiency of dust collection, and also allows the spring force of a shutter spring to be reduced. In a cartridge main body of the disk cartridge, a spring accommodation chamber is formed outside a disk accommodation chamber. The spring accommodation chamber is separated by upper and lower partitions of upper and lower halves so that it is discrete and independent from the disk accommodation chamber. An elastic member installed in the spring accommodation chamber is used to rotatably drive a shutter opening and closing arm in the direction for closing.

Abstract: A door operable in unison with a cartridge holder is provided at the entrance of the apparatus, whereby a movement amount of a cartridge holder (23) is set to be an amount made smaller than a thickness of a disk cartridge (1) and also to be an amount in which the disk cartridge (1) can be prevented from interfering with a spindle motor (3) when the disk cartridge (1) is loaded and unloaded. The thickness of the disk storage apparatus can be reduced, and hence the whole of the disk storage apparatus can be reduced in thickness.

Abstract: In a removable disk storage apparatus, a reading/writing head can be stably and reliably moved so as to correspond to an information recording medium. A rotation supporting member for supporting the reading/writing head is formed of a rotary arm and an elastic supporting member fitted to a tip end portion of the rotary arm for supporting the reading/writing head. The rotary arm member is formed by bending it so that it should be dogleg-shaped. The elastic supporting body is fixed on a tip end portion of a bent portion thereof in the extended direction in which the elastic supporting body is bent. The rotary arm is inserted into a disk cartridge substantially straight with its tip end being faced to the disk cartridge, and then supported by a ramp on a center line thereof.

Abstract: A tape-loading mechanism of a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention has a tape travel system in which a magnetic tape drawn out of a supply-side tape reel is helically wound around a drum along a lead thereof by tilted guides respectively provided on inlet and outlet sides of the drum and tape guides respectively provided on inlet and outlet sides thereof, passed via a capstan and wound around a takeup side tape reel. A vertical position of the lead of the drum is set equal to that of a lower edge of the tape in a state immediately before the magnetic tape is loaded onto the drum. The magnetic tape is twisted in the middle of the tape travel system in order to cancel difference in tension between upper and lower edges of the magnetic tape when the magnetic tape is loaded onto the drum.

Abstract: A removable disc cartridge including a case including a top shell and a bottom shell which contains rotatably a disk. The removable disk cartridge is insertable into a disk drive and has a curved portion formed on one side, an opening formed on a portion of the curved portion, and a shutter for opening and closing the opening. The curved portion in this disk cartridge is asymmetrical in the left and right directions with respect to a center line along the direction of insertion into the disk drive. The removable disk cartridge further has a guide groove on at least one other side thereof and an arm which is disposed in the guide groove for opening and closing the shutter.

Abstract: A recording and reproducing apparatus has an indirect drive arrangement in which the reel turntables are rotated by an existing motor, such as a capstan motor or the like. The reel turntables can pivot about supporting points on a chassis such that they can be moved between large and small cassette driving positions. A drive gear supported on a swing arm and which is driven by a capstan motor, is selectively meshed with one of the driven gears provided on the two reel turntables.

Abstract: A recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a rack mechanism by which a cassette compartment can be easily removed from a mechanical deck regardless of any position at which reel tables are moved. In a recording and/or reproducing apparatus such as a video cassette recorder in which a space between two reel tables can be moved by a reel table movement mechanism and small and large tape cassettes of different size are selectively mounted on the reel tables, a rack mechanism has a pair of parallel racks which can be relatively moved through a pinion, one rack has an engagement recess formed on one end portion thereof, the other rack has an engagement recess formed on one end portion thereof, the engagement recess being positioned over the one rack and a cassette compartment includes a drive lever which is moved in the height direction in response to the insertion of tape cassettes of different size.

Abstract: To provide a recording and reproducing apparatus which permits to use tape cassettes different in not only size but also thickness. In order to make the apparatus cope with the tape cassettes different in size and thickness, there is provided a positioning guide mechanism including a pair of positioning guide members so that a small cassette can be guided at both the side faces on a cassette supporting surface of the cassette holder so as to be depressed and projected by a biasing means, and a pair of side plates at its both sides of a cassette holder so that a large cassette can be guided at its both side faces. If a user is not highly skilled in operating such recording and reproducing apparatus which permits to use tape cassettes different in size and thickness, the apparatus will suffer from risk that the cassettes are erroneously inserted or the user carries out malicious operation.

Abstract: A recording and reproducing apparatus can translate a detecting device for detecting information, such as the kind and content of tape cassette and a reel lock mechanism releasing device to proper positions corresponding to tape cassettes of different sizes. A tape cassette information detecting device (71) and reel lock releasing device (72a, 72b) can be translated to positions at which large and small tape cassettes are in use through a swing drive member (54), a translating lever (73), a driving link (74), a detection mechanism holding member (75) and a reel lock releasing plate (77) in unison with a movement of reel mounts (44, 45).

Abstract: A cassette tape cassette loading system is provided with a tape cassette holder which is movable between a first position in which the tape can be withdrawn from the tape cassette and disposed in a tape path including a record replay head and a second position in which the cassette can be removed or inserted into the holder. A detent mechanism is provided for cooperation with a cam formed integrally with the cassette holder to define an intermediate position between the first and second positions of the holder at which intermediate position the cassette cannot accidentally be caused to fall out of the tape cassette loading system and be damaged. When the tape cassette is to be removed from the tape cassette loading system, the holder is manually actuated to the second or fully open position and the tape is removed manually. With this constriction, the need for a heavy cassette holder damping unit is eliminated.

Abstract: A tape cassette loading system for wrapping a magnetic tape about a magnetic rotary head drum of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus is provided. The loading system includes two tape guiding elements for withdrawing the tape from a tape cassette towards the rotary head drum and their tape guiding track members provided around the drum in order to define tape loading paths. One of the tape loading path slopes downwardly from a loading stand-by state position. The other tape loading path slopes upwardly from the loading stand-by state position. The movement of the two guiding elements traveling in their loading paths allows the tape to be wrapped helically about the drum. The height drum may therefore be reduced and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus can be made smaller.