Abstract: In an optical disk according to the present invention, a part of a disk is heat pressed to thereby connect a clamping plate to the central part of the disk. The heat pressed part of the optical disk is heat pressed into a discontinuous form during connection of the clamping plate to the disk. An apparatus for manufacturing such an optical disk connects the clamping plate to the disk by heat pressing a part of the disk onto which the clamping plate is mounted. This is carried out by a pressing surface of a heat press member. The heat press member is provided in its annular pressing surface with radially elongated grooves, so as to divide the annular pressing surface into a plurality of portions by the grooves.

Abstract: A 3.5 inch floppy disk is provided with a nonwoven microfiber positioned between the thin magnetic disk and the rigid shell. The liner is fixed to the inside surface of the shell, and has a disk head slot cut out corresponding to the location of the disk head opening in the shell. A specified fiber orientation in the liner's nonwoven material provides it with more tensile strength in a longitudinal direction than in a lateral direction. Cutting the disk head slot in the lateral direction reduces the fiber protrusion and loose cuttings at the edges, and thereby reduces bit errors.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding magnetic tape into a cassette positions and holds a cassette case, extracts and retains leader tape, cuts and splices leader tape to magnetic tape, and winds magnetic tape onto a hub inside the cassette case. After a predetermined amount of magnetic tape has been wound on the hub, the magnetic tape is retained, cut, spliced to leader tape, and the extracted slack tape is wound into the cassette case. The tape retaining mechanism has a first and second tape retainer which separately hold the cut ends of leader tape, and a third tape retainer which holds the cut end of magnetic tape. The first and second tape retainers attach to the extracted leader tape, and are positioned with their attachment surfaces adjacent to a front cavity of the cassette case. Once the leader tape has been cut, one of the first and second tape retainers is swung away from the cavity to separate the cut tape ends.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading reel hubs into cassette cases is provided for small cassette cases that have a sliding hub lock which interlocks with a pivoting front cover. The apparatus comprises a cassette case retainer, a front cover opening and closing device, and a reel hub holder. The front cover opening and closing device has an alignment means to align sliding hub lock catches with front cover catches insuring that the sliding hub lock is pulled forward when the front cover is opened. Reel hubs are loaded into an open cassette case with the front cover lifted and the sliding hub lock pulled away from the positions into which the hubs are loaded.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding magnetic tape is provided with a splicing means that greatly improves splicing tape transfer and application reliability. The apparatus comprises retainers for holding leader and magnetic tapes, a cutter for cutting leader and magnetic tapes, a splicing means, and a hub rotating means. The splicing means is provided with a splicing tape feed assembly which feeds splicing tape by the back and forth motion of a feed block which overlaps with an adjacent coplanar retaining block. The feed block and retaining block alternately attach to opposite sides of the splicing tape's nonadhesive surface to reliably advance splicing tape to an applicator block in a linear fashion without tape curl or droop. The applicator block is transported close to the tape cassette to accomplish splicing without superfluous tape extraction.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding magnetic tape into a cassette positions and holds a cassette case, extracts and retains leader tape, cuts and splices leader tape to magnetic tape, and winds magnetic tape onto a hub inside the cassette. After a given amount of magnetic tape has been wound on that hub, the magnetic tape is retained, cut, spliced to leader tape, and the extracted slack tape is wound into the cassette case. Leader tape is extracted by extraction guides or rollers that move from a standby position within the cassette case front cavity to a position for winding magnetic tape. The magnetic tape winding position is such that leader tape, extracted to that position, is pulled away fron one of the cassette's internal tape guides, and during the magnetic tape winding process one extraction guide doubles as a tape tracking guide. Magnetic tape can be wound evenly, at high speeds and without damage by avoiding contact with the cassette's internal tape guide.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding magnetic tape into a cassette positions and holds a cassette case, extracts and retains leader tape, cuts and splices leader tape to magnetic tape, and winds magnetic tape onto a hub inside the cassette case. After a predetermined amount of magnetic tape has been wound on the hub, the magnetic tape is retained, cut, spliced to leader tape, and the extracted slack tape is wound into the cassette case. The tape retaining mechanism has a first and second tape retainer which separately hold the cut ends of leader tape, and a third tape retainer which holds the cut end of magnetic tape. The first and second tape retainers attach to the extracted leader tape, and are positioned with their attachment surfaces adjacent to an open guard panel of the cassette case. The tape retainer attachment surfaces hold tape in a manner that essentially closes the cassette case front cavity.

Abstract: The disk is aligned by means of a centering device that passes through the disk center hole and possesses a recessed region in its tip which mates with the convex center region of the hub. The hub is held on a stand which is brought into close proximity with the centering device by the movement of either the stand or the centering device or both, thus bringing the hub close to the disk.In other words, the centering device, which holds the disk in place by fitting through the disk center hole, is brought into close proximity with the stand which holds the hub in place. While in close proximity, the hub mates with the recession in the tip of the centering device, thereby achieving mechanical alignment. Since the disk position is accurately fixed with respect to the centering device, the disk is accurately aligned with the hub.

Abstract: This invention loads tape into cassettes which have a zigzag shaped tape track. Positioning pins, which are located apart from the cassette's guide pins, shape the tape to conform to the cassette's zigzag pattern. When the reels are lowered to the cassette for loading, the positioning pins load tape between the guide pins without striking or contacting the guide pins.