Abstract: A disk cartridge that has high durability with respect to a drop impact is provided. The disk cartridge includes: a disk-like recording medium; a cartridge case that rotatably accommodates the disk-like recording medium and is formed with a first opening that exposes a part of the disk-like recording medium; an inner rotor that is rotatably supported inside the cartridge case and includes a main surface portion formed with a second opening corresponding to the first opening; shutter members that are movable between a closing position at which the first opening is closed and an opening position at which the first opening is opened in accordance with a rotation of the inner rotor; and a buffer mechanism that is formed on the main surface portion of the inner rotor and includes rotary shafts that rotatably support the shutter members and elastic support portions that respectively support the rotary shafts and can be elastically deformed with respect to the main surface portion.

Abstract: A disk cartridge that has high durability with respect to a drop impact is provided. The disk cartridge includes: a disk-like recording medium; a cartridge case that rotatably accommodates the disk-like recording medium and is formed with a first opening that exposes a part of the disk-like recording medium; an inner rotor that is rotatably supported inside the cartridge case and includes a main surface portion formed with a second opening corresponding to the first opening; shutter members that are movable between a closing position at which the first opening is closed and an opening position at which the first opening is opened in accordance with a rotation of the inner rotor; and a buffer mechanism that is formed on the main surface portion of the inner rotor and includes rotary shafts that rotatably support the shutter members and elastic support portions that respectively support the rotary shafts and can be elastically deformed with respect to the main surface portion.

Abstract: A disk cartridge includes: a pair of disk housing portions, housing a disk entirely when put together; a supporting base member with a disk housing rotating and supporting portion for rotating and supporting the housing portions to open or shut a window to the disk such that the disk gets chucked externally, and a head can access the disk and read and write information from/on the storage layer thereof, though the window; and a locking unit including a pair of locking lever portions to keep the housing portions closed from rotating and a locking lever supporting portion supporting the lever portions rotatably and attached to the base member, wherein the pair of disk housing portions open the window wide enough to remove the disk while the lock unit is not inserted into the supporting base member, and contact with the lock unit and have their angle of rotation limited while the lock unit is inserted into the supporting base member, thereby controlling the size of the window such that the disk is unremovable.

Abstract: The present invention provides a disc cartridge assembly, by which loading/unloading of a disc is facilitated to enable both one use in a cartridge state and the other a use as a single disc entity. The present invention includes a lower case having a window for a drive access, an upper case provided onto the lower case, the upper case having an exposure window provided to a central part to expose a label face of a disc, a rotating ring rotatably provided within the upper and lower cases to receive an outer circumference of the disc, at least one shutter provided within the upper and lower cases to open/close the window by interoperating with a rotation of the rotating ring, and a rotating means for rotating the rotating ring by interoperating with an external device.

Abstract: A disk drive is adapted to a disk cartridge having a rotational member and a shutter interlocked with the rotational member. The drive includes a transporting portion for transporting the cartridge and a shutter driving mechanism, which includes a rack portion engaging with a gear portion of the rotational member, and first and second driving levers supported to fit into, and turn with, first and second notched portions of the rotational member, respectively. The transporting portion includes a first cam structure for driving the first and second driving levers of the shutter driving mechanism such that the levers swing as the transporting portion moves. As the transporting portion moves, the first and second notched portions and the gear portion of the disk cartridge held on the transporting portion get engaged with the shutter driving mechanism, which then rotates the rotational member to open or close the shutter.

Abstract: A disk drive including a tray on which a disk cartridge is mounted and is loaded into and unloaded from a main body; a guide formed on the tray; and an opening and closing member installed to be elastically connected to the guide. The opening and closing member has a second gear that rotates a rotating wheel by meshing with a first gear; and a first protrusion formed on one end of a second gear and to temporarily rotate the rotating wheel so that the first and second gears can mesh. The guide pushes the first protrusion during loading/unloading of the tray so that the first protrusion and the latch do not come in contact with each other.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a case accommodating a disc and having an aperture hole formed on a first surface of the case so that a recording/reproducing apparatus access a recording surface of the disc, and an open hole formed on a second surface to be open to an outside of the case, a shutter opening/shutting the aperture hole and installed in the case, a disc holder installed at a side defining the open hole to move up and down and covering a gap between an outer circumference of the disc and an inner surface of the side defining the open hole when the disc holder descends, and a shutter driving mechanism moving the shutter so that the aperture hole is open/shut. Thus, a passage through which dust is introduced toward an information area of the disc, and a gap formed at an outer circumference are blocked by the disc holder so that a possibility of contamination by dust can be reduced.

Abstract: A disk device 1 comprising a disk cartridge 3 and a disk 2 accommodated therein. The disk cartridge 3 includes a body case 11: opened with a window for exposing a recording surface 5 of the disk 2; and provided with a shutter 26 to be moved in a manner capable of opening/closing the window. The body case 11 is provided with: a rotating body 30 in a gear shape having an outer peripheral surface exposed to the exterior of the body case; and transmission 35 for transmitting the rotation of the rotating body 30 to the shutter 26. Provided in a disk driving apparatus for recording a piece of information into or reproducing the information from the disk 2 are: a guiding rib; and an operation rack along the disk inserting direction. Provided on an outer surface of the body case 11 is an operational-position determining groove.

Abstract: A disc cartridge includes a cartridge body, first and second shutters, and a rotational member. The cartridge body includes a disc storage portion to store a disc in a rotatable state, a chucking hole provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to get the disc chucked externally, and a head access window provided on the bottom of the disc storage portion so as to allow a head, which reads and/or writes data from/on the disc, to access the disc. The first and second shutters are provided so as to expose or cover the head access window by rotating in the disc storage portion. The rotational member is provided so as to rotate in the disc storage portion, too. The first and second shutters are interlocked with the rotational member so as to rotate in mutually opposite directions and at respectively different velocities.

Abstract: A disc drive according to the present invention is adapted to a disk cartridge including: a disk; a body to contain the disk; a window provided for the body to allow a data reading and/or writing head to access the disk; a shutter for opening or closing the window; and a rotational member including a gear as a part of its outer periphery and rotating to open or close the shutter. The drive includes a shutter driving mechanism for opening and closing the shutter by rotating the rotational member of the disk cartridge, and the shutter driving mechanism includes a driving gear, which engages with the gear of the rotational member and which turns around a first rotation shaft. The first rotation shaft swings around the center of rotation of the rotational member of the disk cartridge that is held on the holding portion.

Abstract: A disk device 1 comprising a disk cartridge 3 and a disk 2 accommodated therein. The disk cartridge 3 includes a body case 1 with a window for exposing a recording surface 5 of the disk 2; and provided with a shutter body 25 to be moved in a manner capable of opening/closing the window. The body case 11 is provided with a rotating body 30 in a gear shape. Provided in a disk driving apparatus for recording a piece of information into or reproducing the information from the disk 2 are: a guiding rib; and an operation rack along the disk inserting direction. Upon insertion of the disk device 1 into the disk driving apparatus, the guiding rib causes rotation regulator 40 to rotate so that the rotation regulator 40 is disengaged from the rotating body 30 and the operation rack engages with the rotating body 30 to thereby rotate the rotating body 30, thereby opening/closing the shutter body 25 via shutter opening/closing mechanism 35.

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 disc cartridge having a disc accommodating chamber formed between an upper shell and an intermediate shell by overlaying the upper shell over an intermediate shell and a lower shell. The intermediate shell is rotatably supported by the upper and lower shells and an optical disc is rotatably accommodated in the disc accommodating chamber while part of the optical disc is exposed through shutter members on open portions of the intermediate shell.

Abstract: A disk drive unit is provided that is capable of reasonably, smoothly opening/closing a shutter by rotation of an inner rotor. The disk drive unit is configured such that an inner rotor (4) is reasonably, smoothly rotated by sequentially engaging a shutter opening/closing starting projection (72), a rack portion (74), and a shutter opening/closing ending projection (76) of a rack member (71) with a shutter opening/closing starting recess (26), a partial gear (27), and a shutter opening/closing ending recess (28) in the outer periphery of the inner rotor (4).

Abstract: A gas mixture for etching a polysilicon electrode layer in a plasma etching apparatus, and a method for etching the electrode layer using the same. The etching gas mixture is a mixture of Cl.sub.2 gas and N.sub.2 gas, wherein the N.sub.2 gas is in the range of about 30% by volume of the total volume of Cl.sub.2 gas and N.sub.2 gas combined. In the electrode layer etching method of the present invention, the polysilicon electrode layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A mask pattern of an oxide or photoresist is then formed on the electrode layer. The electrode layer is etched using a plasma formed by the gas mixture of Cl.sub.2 gas and N.sub.2 gas, with the mask pattern functioning as an etching mask. An upper power source of the plasma etching apparatus delivers power in the range of about 500 to 1000 W, while the etching gas mixture is formed by supplying Cl.sub.2 gas at a rate of about 100 to 400 sccm, and N.sub.2 gas at a rate of about 3 to 15 sccm.