Abstract: An insertable device, for use with electronic data processing equipment storage units, e.g., disk drives or cassette units. The device includes a housing for insertion at least partially into the storage unit of a size and shape designed to fit the storage unit, an interface disposed in the housing for facilitating the transfer of data between the device and the electronic data processing equipment, and a processor disposed in the housing and operatively connected to the interface, for performing processing of data.

Abstract: A disc cartridge including a case to form a space in which a disc is received, and a shutter to selectively open and shut an aperture formed on the case, wherein the aperture is formed only one side of the case. The size of the aperture of the disc cartridge can be reduced by half while the shutter is open, which will remarkably reduce pollution of the disc by foreign substances such as dust.

Abstract: A magnetic disc is housed for rotation in a flat casing having the metal shell. The magnetic disc is supported for rotation in the casing by a tubular shaft formed by barring of a metal blank for forming the metal shell. A hole is formed in a part of the metal blank where the tubular shaft is to be formed. A plurality of slits are formed prior to barring in the part where the tubular shaft is to be formed.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a first half, a second half, and a shutter member. The second half is connected to the first half. The second half is formed with a first aperture facing an optical head and a second aperture via which a disc rotational driving device is introduced. The shutter member is slidably mounted on the second half and has a first plate portion, at least one second plate portion and a connecting portion. The first plate portion opens or closes the first aperture and contacts the outer surface of the second half. At least one second plate portion extends parallel to the first plate portion for engaging with the inner surface of the second half. The connecting portion interconnects the first and second plate portions to complete the cross-sectional shape of a letter U of the shutter member. The length of the second plate portion is less than the length of the first plate portion.

Abstract: A main cartridge body portion is formed with first and second openings facing first and second wall sections. These first and second openings are adapted for exposing a portion of the signal recording region of a disc-shaped recording medium to outside across inner and outer rims of the disc-shaped recording medium and for allowing the center of the disc-shaped recording medium to face outwards. First and second shutter members are arranged for movement between the first and second wall sections. The second shutter member is rotated in association with the first shutter member by having its portion engaged and held by an engagement holding portion provided on the first shutter member.

Abstract: A disk cartridge comprising a disk medium fixedly attached on a center core, a casing with a spindle hole through which the center core is exposed to the exterior, and a dust-removing liner. The center core includes a large-diameter portion, which has an outside diameter greater than the inside diameter of the spindle hole of the casing, a thickness greater than that of the dust-removing liner, and a surface on which said disk medium is fixedly attached.

Abstract: A disk cartridge comprising a flat housing and a recording disk medium. The flat housing is constructed of upper and lower metal shells, and the recording disk medium is rotatably enclosed within the housing. The housing is assembled by mechanically linking the circumferential edge portions of the upper and lower shells together.

Abstract: In order to reduce manufacturing costs of a relatively thick center core with an outside diameter of 15 mm or less and to achieve high precision flatness of a disk affixing surface and a spindle chucking surface of the center core, the center core is manufactured by only pressing or a combination of forging and pressing a stainless steel material with good surface precision and parallelism between the surface.

Abstract: A disk cartridge comprising a recording disk medium of diameter 2 inches or less and a housing. The housing is made up of a frame and upper and lower metal shells. The frame has a plurality of recesses in the side walls thereof, and the side walls of the upper and lower shells are provided with a plurality of elastic engagement pieces respectively engageable with the recesses. The housing is assembled by engagement of the elastic engagement pieces with the recesses.

Abstract: A disk cartridge in which a pair of shutter members can be opened and closed smoothly and reliably, and a dust-proof property and an airtightness of a large opening portion can be increased by reducing a space between a pair of shutter members and a cartridge housing as much as possible. The disk cartridge comprises a cartridge housing in which a disk compartment is formed between an upper shell and a middle shell by overlapping the upper shell, the middle shell and the lower shell and the middle shell is supported by the upper shell and the lower shell so as to become freely rotatable, an optical disk rotatably stored within the disk compartment and a pair of shutter members attached to the middle shell in such a manner that they can be moved in the plane direction on the same plane. A shutter opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing opening portions by moving the pair of shutter members based rotation of the middle shell.

Abstract: A disk cartridge device includes a plurality of disk cartridges with disks having different disk diameters and each being stored in cartridge housings having different sizes, a recording and reproducing device with the plurality of disk cartridges having different sizes selectively mounted, pairs of positioning pins having a base for determining the height for positioning each of the disk cartridges having different sizes onto the recording and reproducing device and positioning holes on one surface of the disk cartridges having different sizes, to be respectively engaged with the pairs of the positioning pins so as to be positioned. The position of the positioning holes of the disk cartridge having a small disk diameter is disposed outside the disk circumference of the disk cartridge having a large disk diameter.

Abstract: To provide a recording-medium cartridge and a recording-and-reproducing device in which a write-once area and a re-writable area can exist together. By controlling recording-and-reproducing device 11 based on the information showing the re-writable area and the write-once area stored in management information of cartridge memory 9 and by recording on the magnetic tape MT, co-existence of the re-writable area and the write-once area on the magnetic tape MT is achieved.

Abstract: In a disk cartridge provided with a rotary shutter, the incorporating suitability of the disk cartridge and the processability of the rotary shutter are improved by removing a coil spring and a guide wire which urge the rotary shutter to a closed position. A coil spring is removed, and a shutter knob 7b of the rotary shutter 7 engages with shutter closing means to lead the rotary shutter 7 to the closed position when ejecting the disk cartridge from a disk drive. The shutter closing means is constituted of an elastic member and provided in the disk drive.

Abstract: An intermediate shell is held rotatably by an upper shell and a lower shell without using a spring and a pair of the shutter members is opened/closed by a rotation of the intermediate shell. Not only with the pair of the shutter members completely closed, but also closed incompletely or opened completely, this disc cartridge can be loaded on a recording/reproducing apparatus and upon the loading, the opening portion is opened securely.

Abstract: A disk cartridge comprising a recording disk medium and a housing that rotatably houses the disk medium. The housing is made up of an upper shell and a lower shell. The upper shell and the lower shell are fastened together with fastening members that are easily removable.

Abstract: In a disk cartridge provided with a rotary shutter, incorporating suitability is improved as an initial speed of ejection and a balance of the cartridge are ensured by a coil spring which urges the rotary shutter to a closed position. A coil spring 14 is formed to have an effective length shorter than a rotation stroke of the rotary shutter 7. Acompanying ejection of the disk cartridge from a disk drive, a shutter knob 7b of the rotary shutter 7 engages with the shutter closing means, which is made of an elastic member provided in the disk drive. Thus, the rotary shutter 7 is led to the closed position.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a disk cartridge and the like in which a disk cartridge can be increased in strength and in which a disk recording and reproducing apparatus can be simplified in structure.

Abstract: A cartridge includes upper and lower half segments butting against each other and containing a disk, a shutter provided on one side of the cartridge half segments for exposing or alternatively enclosing the disk, and a torsion spring attached to the shutter for biasing the shutter in a closing direction. An insertion opening is formed in a side portion of the cartridge for permitting insertion of the torsion spring therethrough from outside, and a protective wall is provided upright between the insertion opening and the disk to define a space by the wall and the upper half segment. The space is so sized as to permit the torsion spring to pass therethrough while leaving a small clearance, with legs thereof directed laterally.

Abstract: A magnetic disk cartridge comprising a magnetic disk medium, a casing for rotatably housing the magnetic disk medium, and dust-removing liners fixed on the inner surfaces of the casing which face both sides of the magnetic disk medium. Each of the liners has an outer circumferential portion that is not fixed on the inner surface of the casing.

Abstract: A recording medium cartridge which is capable of preventing a drop in aesthetic quality by preventing damage to a printed layer for writing during ultrasonic welding is presented. As a printed layer (20), a writing-enabling filler (21), and resin particles (22) having an average particle diameter equal to or greater than the average particle diameter of the writing-enabling filler (21) mentioned above are included in an ink (23). The resin particles (22) come into contact with a welding horn (9), and prevent the writing-enabling filler (21) from falling out or changing shape due to ultrasonic vibration.

Abstract: The invention provides a magnetic disk cartridge and associated magnetic disk drive capable of performing high-speed read/write operations on the magnetic disk medium of the cartridge.

Abstract: A magnetic disk cartridge comprising a magnetic disk medium, a casing for rotatably housing the magnetic disk medium, and liners mounted on the inner surfaces of the casing that face both sides of the magnetic disk medium. Each liner is provided with a portion protruding toward the magnetic disk medium, and an adhesive portion adjacent to the protruding portion and formed at a position lower than the protruding portion.

Abstract: In order to improve quality of recording/reproducing signals by preventing degradation of the quality of the recording/reproducing signals due to vibration transmitted from the exterior of a disk cartridge which contains a discoid medium, the disk cartridge performs the following: reference pins are inserted into reference pin insertion entrances and located on the lower side of a housing. These reference pins press the housing onto a reference plate, and the disk cartridge is placed in a recording/reproducing device. Vibration damping members are provided at portions in contact with the reference pins. These vibration damping members are rendered to absorb the vibration transmitted from the exterior of the cartridge through the reference pins. By preventing the discoid media from vibrating in the vicinity of an opening portion, the quality of the recording/reproducing signals are improved.

Abstract: In order to increase a recording capacity of a magnetic disk cartridge without enlarging an area of a flat surface, two magnetic disk media 14 and 15 are contained in a housing which includes half shells 11 and 12 in the magnetic disk cartridge 10 by fixedly attaching the magnetic disc media 14 and 15 to a center core 13 so as to be held thereby.

Abstract: In conjunction with a so-called patterned medium including recording tracks each having an array of unit minute recording portions of a magnetic material separated by non-recording portions of a nonmagnetic material, a magnetic head slider is prevented from sticking to the medium. The magnetic recording medium includes recording tracks each having an array of unit minute recording portions of a magnetic material separated by non-recording portions of a nonmagnetic material. The surface height of the unit minute recording portions is set higher than the surface height of the non-recording portions.

Abstract: A magnetic transfer method which superposes on a magnetic disk surface a magnetic pattern from a master disk (2), said master disc having on its surface a magnetic film formed so as to have an array pattern shape corresponding to a preset data signal, magnetized into the magnetic film of the master disk (2). The master disc is used to magnetically transfer the array pattern of the data signal onto the magnetic disk as the magnetized pattern of the data signal. The method characterized comprises steps of contacting and separating, to and from a dummy disk (1) the magnetic film-formed surface of the master disk (2) to thereby clean the master disk (2), and a step of superposing, after the cleaning, the master disk (2) on the magnetic disk for effectuating the magnetic transfer.

Abstract: A slidable shutter, which is supported by a case body containing a recording medium that opens/closes an opening formed in the case body, and includes at least two layers composed of a base layer and at least one covering layer formed to cover the base layer. Within this shutter, there is a hue difference within a range of two or more in the hue cycle of the PCCS (Practical Color Coordinate System) between at least two uppermost layers of the shutter and the underlying layer thereof. Surface markings of the shutter are formed by cutting away regions, corresponding to the markings, from the surface portion of the shutter to a depth extending either to the bottom of the uppermost layer or to part of the underlying layer through the uppermost layer. In this way, the marking formation on the surface portion of this shutter will effectively reduce cost, improve workability, and enhance the visibility of the markings.

Abstract: There is provided a disk cartridge adaptable to an enlarged head by exposing an information recording disk extensively out of a cartridge case. In the disk cartridge, a cartridge case is divided on its plane into at least a first case portion and a second case portion, and the second case portion is arranged to be slidable relative to the first case portion. When the disk cartridge is not in use, the information recording disk is enabled to be covered by the first case portion and the second case portion by keeping the first case portion and the second case portion in a parallel state, and a disk freeing portion is so formed that, when the disk cartridge is in use, exposes parts of both inside face and outside face of the information recording disk are exposed from the cartridge case by moving the second case portion relative to the first case portion and overlapping the first case portion and the second case portion.

Abstract: A magnetic disk cartridge comprising a magnetic disk medium, a casing for rotatably housing the magnetic disk medium, and dust-removing liners fixed to inner surfaces of the casing that face both sides of the magnetic disk medium. The dust-removing liners are formed from a porous material that has a great number of pores whose size is in a range of 60 to 100 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A disk cartridge includes a substantially box-shaped outer case that has an opening on one end face, and an inner case that is housed in the outer case such that the inner case can be pulled out and has a concave portion for an optical disk to be placed therein. In an end portion on a side of the opening of each of an upper side plate and a lower side plate of the outer case, a substantially V-shaped cutout formed by a substantially circular arc and an inclined substantially straight line is formed. In the inner case, a substantially U-shaped cutout formed by a substantially circular arc and two inclined substantially straight lines is formed. The substantially straight line forming the substantially V-shaped cutout and the two substantially straight lines forming the substantially U-shaped cutout are virtually parallel to each other.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetic disk, without chemical mechanical polishing to remove asperities, includes the steps of placing an annular-shaped element in a vacuum chamber, exposing a surface of the element to a beam of gas clusters while it is in the vacuum chamber, and thereafter applying a magnetic coating. The annular-shaped element may be a substrate, or it may be a substrate with a base coating such as glassy carbon or amorphous carbon. The substrate may be made of glass, preferably high quality fusion glass. The surface of the annular element may be textured by forming a sequence of concentric annular valleys, with plateaus being left between the valleys, before the magnetic coating is applied. A semiconductor wafer may also be smoothed by a beam of gas clusters to prepare the wafer for photolithography.

Abstract: A magnetic disk cartridge including a flexible magnetic disk, a hub, disk-holding protrusions, and an anti slip-out member. The hub has a disk-holding surface on which the central portion of the magnetic disk is held. The disk-holding protrusions are formed on the disk-holding surface of the hub, and are inserted through holes formed in the magnetic disk. The anti slip-out member is used to prevent the magnetic disk from slipping out from the disk-holding protrusions.

Abstract: A next generation disk cartridge, capable of being inserted into a next generation drive, includes dummy notches located to align with the shutter door opening arms of a previous generation disk drive. The dummy notches are defined by the housing of the disk cartridge, and are thus immovable. When the cartridge is inadvertently inserted into a previous generation disk drive, the dummy notches engage the shutter door opening arm of the previous generation drive, and prevent them from collapsing. The cartridge is thus blocked from further insertion into the previous generation disk drive.

Abstract: A disc cartridge having a disc to record information and a case to accommodate the disc includes a cleaning unit installed inside the case and selectively contacting or being separated from the disc depending on a flow of air generated during a rotation of the disc, so that the cleaning unit removes foreign material adhering to a surface of the disc when contacting the disc. Since cleaning is automatically performed depending on the flow of air, inconvenient manual operation is not necessary. Furthermore, since the cleaning unit does not deviate from a disc area, miniaturization of the disc cartridge or disc recording and reproducing apparatus is possible.

Abstract: A recording medium cartridge comprising a housing that accommodates a recording medium. By accommodating a different recording medium with a different recording capacity within the housing of approximately the same shape, recording medium cartridges of different generations can be constituted. An external surface of the housing is provided with an identification part, which differs in shape from generation to generation, for discriminating between the different generations.

Abstract: A disc cartridge of the present invention is provided with a protrusion section on a shutter sliding surface so as to surround at least part of an opening. Moreover, a shutter for opening and closing the opening is provided with a shielding section for covering the opening and the protrusion section and a sliding surface for sliding on a shutter sliding surface during opening and closing operations of the shutter.

Abstract: A disk cartridge and data recording/reproducing medium are disclosed The disk cartridge includes: a disk housing including a disk receiving unit for rotatably receiving a disk and an opening portion formed at a portion corresponding to a hub of the disk and formed where a pickup unit for recording/reproducing data to/from the disk while being rotationally moved on the disk moves; and a shutter for opening and shutting the opening portion.

Abstract: An information storage device (10, 510, 610, 710) includes a cradle (12, 512, 612, 712) which can removably receive a cartridge (11, 411, 511, 611, 711). The cartridge contains a rotatably supported disk (91, 326-327), and a pivotal actuator arm (101) which supports a read/write head (107, 331-334) for movement adjacent the disk. A coil (117) on the arm interacts with an external magnetic field to effect pivotal movement of the arm. The cartridge may contain a spin motor (92) for effecting rotation of a disk. A preamplifier (111) and an electrostatic discharge buffer (112) are provided for the head. A read-only memory (186) contains characteristic information about the cartridge, and an hour meter (191) contains information about the cumulative amount of time that the cartridge has been used. A connector (71) is provided to electrically couple external circuitry to electrical components within the cartridge.

Abstract: A cartridge assembly for a data storage disk includes a housing for containing the data storage disk. The housing defines an opening for exposing at least a portion of the data storage disk. A shutter is supported by the housing, the shutter being movable between open and closed positions for uncovering the opening in the housing and covering the opening in the housing. A shutter keeper is formed as one-piece with the housing, for covering at least a portion of the shutter to retain the shutter with respect to the housing. A method of making a cartridge assembly for a data storage disk includes molding a cartridge shell, the molded cartridge shell being one-piece with an outwardly projecting keeper, placing a shutter in association with the cartridge shell, the shutter being slidable between open and closed positions for exposing and covering at least a portion of the data storage disk, and moving the keeper over at least a portion of the shutter to retain the shutter in association with the cartridge shell.

Abstract: An information storage device (10, 510, 610, 710) includes a cradle (12, 512, 612, 712) which can removably receive a cartridge (11, 411, 511, 611, 711). The cartridge has a sealed housing (59) which contains a rotatably supported disk (91, 326-327), and a pivotal actuator arm (101) that supports a magnetic head (107, 331-334) for movement adjacent the disk. When the cartridge is removed from the cradle, the head is moved to a parked position with respect to the disk, in which a magnetically permeable part (116) on the actuator arm is in close proximity to a magnetic arrangement (141) disposed within the housing. The magnetic arrangement exerts a strong magnetic force that resists movement of the arm and head away from the parked position. The cradle has a shunt (142) which, when the cartridge is removably inserted, interacts with the magnetic field through a wall of the sealed housing, in a manner which reduces the effective magnetic force that tends to retain the arm and head in the parked position.

Abstract: A strip with an exterior sticky surface is judiciously selected for its ability to entrap dust and other loose debris without interfering with the operation of moving parts contacted thereby. The strip is attached to the sides of a magnetic tape cartridge, with the sticky surface facing outward, in places contacted by rollers and/or belts during the process of handling the cartridge in an automated system. Thus, any loose debris in the rollers or belts is retained by the tacky surface of the strip as the cartridge passes through the rollers and belts of the robotic system. The strips of the invention may be removably adhered to the data cartridge, or may be permanently attached. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the strips may be incorporated into a cleaner cartridge for the periodic maintenance of loading equipment.

Abstract: To provide a new shutter open/close mechanism suitable for use with a cartridge body (6) whose front end is formed in an arbitrary shape for easily knowing a correct direction of insertion in a recorder/player, a guide recess (36) to support a shutter plate (25) movably is formed on a main side of the cartridge body (6) to be oblique relative to the width of the cartridge body (6). The shutter open/close mechanism (26) includes a guide member (31) supporting the shutter plate (25) and movably engaged in the guide recess (36), an operating member (32) to move the guide member (31), a transmission member (33) connecting the guide member (31) and operating member (32) to each other to transmit an operating force from the operating member (32) to the guide member (31), and support surfaces (37) formed on the cartridge body (6) to support the operating member (32) movably. The transmission member (33) is pivotably connected to the guide and operating members (31) and (32).

Abstract: A removable memory media, such as a compact disk, has an alterable alphanumeric display thereon. The display comprises an array of elements, such as bichromal balls, which can be selectably altered in appearance. A head associated with a port for accepting the disk creates images in the display when the disk is ejected from the port, thus allowing the disk to be automatically labeled incidental to use.

Abstract: An information recording medium cartridge is provided with a disc, a cartridge casing having the disc accommodated therein, first and second shutters movably mounted to the cartridge casing and for opening and closing recording and/or reproducing openings arranged in right and reverse sides thereof, and first and second slide members having the first and second shutters mounted thereto.

Abstract: An information recording medium cartridge is provide with a disc, a cartridge casing having the disc accommodated therein, a shutter slidably mounted to the cartridge casing and for opening and closing recording and/or reproducing openings arranged in right and reverse sides of the cartridge casing, and a slide member for mounting the shutter to the cartridge casing.

Abstract: A disk cartridge includes a case accommodating a disk and having a first hole, a cover installed at the case and having a second hole open to an outside of the cover, a shutter installed to be capable of moving with respect to the case disposed under the disk to open/shut the first hole formed on the case, and a plurality of protruding portions provided at the shutter to support a non information area provided at an outer circumferential side of the disk and having inclined surfaces inclined at a predetermined angle. When the shutter is opened, the disk descends along the inclined surfaces. When the shutter is shut, the disk ascends along the inclined surfaces to closely contact a portion of the cover disposed around the second hole of the cover. Thus, since the shutter contacts only a non-information area of the disk, an information area of the disk can be safely kept from being damaged during an operation of opening/shutting the first hole.

Abstract: A disc cartridge comprises a cartridge case in which a disc accommodating chamber is formed between an upper shell, an intermediate shell and a lower shell. The intermediate shell is held rotatably by the upper and lower shells without using a spring; and a pair of shutter members is opened/closed by the rotation of the intermediate shell. Not only with the pair of shutter members completely closed, but also closed incompletely or opened completely, this disc cartridge can be loaded on a recording/reproducing apparatus and upon the loading, the opening portion is opened securely.

Abstract: A disk drive has an improved system for detecting the presence of a data-storage cartridge inserted into the drive. The improved system uses a source of polarized light and a detector of polarized light. The detector is optically coupled to the source by a reflective marker on the data-storage cartridge when the data-storage cartridge is inserted into the drive. The reflective marker rotates the polarization angle of the light which is incident upon its reflective surface. The detector is adapted to respond maximally to light that has been phase-rotated in a manner characteristic of the reflective marker. The detector acts in conjunction with an electrical circuit to allow the read/write heads of the disk drive to interface with the data-storage cartridge when the detector registers a maximal response.

Abstract: A data cartridge and method for providing a write-securable storage medium that inhibits writing. The medium comprises a write-secure-type indicator in a predefined location that indicates the medium is of a type that is susceptible to write securing. Additionally, the medium comprises a write-secure-complete indicator in a predetermined zone of the disk that is not accessible to a user. When the write-secure-complete indicator is set by a host device, the setting is irreversible and consequently the data on the medium is protected, and additional writing onto any part of the medium is permanently prevented.

Abstract: A personal computer data storage card includes a substrate layer, a magnetic medium layer, and a protective layer respectively affixed together. The data storage card is typically placed within an adapter and inserted into a personal computer floppy disk drive wherein the adapter includes dimensions compatible with the floppy disk drive to permit the data storage card to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the data storage card. During rotation of the data storage card within the floppy disk drive, the data storage card traverses floppy disk drive read/write heads for information storage and retrieval. Paper may be utilized as the protective layer of the data storage card and include text or graphics to have the data storage card simultaneously function as both a data storage device and a business card or other advertisement media.