NZ200806A - Magnetic disc cartridge with "number of tracks recorded" indicator - Google Patents

Description

. ,.19(0 NEW ZEALAND : r ye; i&c oo f at Priority Oats(^; Corr*;.''^ta C|r£S;^ f*u&Zi3&;5r2 D^C-a?: .. P.O. Jr* ~G-Sl • >■•••■•*• ■ • b a sn Filed: I S~lo(c> I ■ g • I i I I I <>H9»PMU£P&3/b3S; G11B27/34-RT JAN 19 )5 ■ ■■••• T a ■••■««« PATENTS ACT 195 3 .nsert number Number: :r Provisional Specification(s) _ (if anv) and Date : date( s) of fi ling; otherwise leave ?nk' COMPLETE SPECIFICATION l,flRBT„l5nn MAGNETIC DISK CARTRIDGE HAVING RECORD TRACK INDICATING ot invention.

MEANS Insert full name, $/WE SONY CORPORATION, a Japanese corporation of 7-35 full street address .... _ . . _ , . ., aniTnafionality of Kitashmagawa 6-chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141, Japan. (each) applicant. t hereby declare the invention for which I/we pray that a patent may be granted to me/us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- Indicate if following paqr i s numhnred '1(a)' 1 - 2CG& BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a magnetic disk cartridge and, more particularly, to such a cartridge which is formed of a jacket in which a rotatable magnetic disk is housed, the cartridge being used in recording/reproducing apparatus of an electronic still camera and the jacket being provided with an indicator to indicate the number of still "pictures" which have been recorded.

Rotatable magnetic disks have been used for recording information in various types of devices. For example, in computer systems, word processers, and the like, magnetic disks, known as "diskettes", have been used to record information signals. Typically, such diskettes are housed in a jacket which serves to protect the magnetic information recording surfaces of the magnetic disk and, furthermore, to prevent the magnetic disk from being folded, crumpled or otherwise seriously damaged. Such a protective jacket is provided with a window through which one or more magnetic transducers may be inserted to magnetically contact the magnetic surface of the disk for recording or reproducing information signals thereon.. Such information signals are recorded in a plurality of circular recording tracks.

,In a magnetic disk of the aforementioned type, there is no indication on the jacket or disk-housing apparatus.for apprising a user of the number of tracks on which information signals have been recorded. Typically, this information is generated by the recording apparatus which may keep account, of those tracks which have been used as well as those t^agkf; > which are available for subsequent recording. In mo^|, information recording systems, however, the user is'^not 200806 apprised of this accounting information and, thus, may not be aware of the actual recording capacity which has been consumed or which remains available.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved magnetic disk cartridge having an indicator thereon which directly apprises a user of the recording capacity of the magnetic disk which has been consumed and/or which remains available for further recording.

Another of the object of this invention is to provide an improved magnetic disk cartridge having a jacket on which the aforementioned indicator is provided.

A further object of this invention is to provide a magnetic disk cartridge having a jacket which contains an indicator that directly apprises a user of the number of tracks on the magnetic disk' in which information signals have already been recorded.

An additional object of this invention is tc provide a magnetic disk cartridge having a jacket which contains an indicator that is of relatively simple constuction, is easily manufactured and operates in a simple manner to apprise auser of the number of tracks of the magnetic disk on which information signals have been recorded.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the ensuing detailed description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ZD 080 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I-n accordance with this invention, a disk cartridge is provided for housingamagnetic disk therein, the latter being of the type having a/hubwhich is adapted to receive a rotatable drive shaft and thereby rotate the magnetic disk so that information signals may be recorded on individual circular tracks. The cartridge is formed of a jacket which surrounds and protects the magnetic disk, and — includes an opening through which the aforementioned drive shaft may pass so as to be received by the hub of the magnetic disk. The jacket also is provided with an indicator which gives a direct indication of the number of tracks in which information signals already have been recorded. The indicator thus provides an.', indication of £he amount of recording capacity of the disk which has been consumed or, alternatively* which remains for further recording.

In accordance with one aspect of this invention, the information indicator is comprised.of a dial and an index scale, the latter being provided with markings which h indicate the number of tracks which may be recorded on the magnetic disk. The dial and index scale are relatively movable with respect to each other; and the dial includes a pointer which is adapted to point to successive track number markings on the index scale.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the dial is rotatable and includes a recess for receiving a drive associated with the recording and/or reproducing appar^Wus in which the magnetic disk cartridge is used. This reces '"^ serves not only to rotate dial as the drive pin rotate 2008 06 in addition, also function as the aforementioned pointer.

In a specific embodiment of this invention, the dial is mechanically coupled to a gear member, and a releasable locking device is insertable between adjacent teeth of the gear member so as to releasably lock the dial in any particular angular position that is then present. The dial is released when it is rotatably driven,thereby permitting successive teeth on the gear member to pass the locking member. Preferably, the releasable locking member is in the form of a :: resilient pawl which is secured to an inner surface of the jacket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following detailed description, even by way of example, will be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the jacket or cartridge containing a flexible magnetic disk, which is shown partly broken away; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the jacket or cartridge shown on Fig. 1, but as viewed from the opposite side thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3' on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the jacket in which the ■ tp wall is removed; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5-5' on Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the jacket, in which the top wall is removed and wherein an indicater driving pin is inserted into an aperture thereof; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 7-7' on Fig. 6. 2 00 8 0 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout, and intially to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that a cartridge 1 intended for use in a flexible disk recording and/or reproducing aparatus comprises a substantially flat rectangular jacket or housing 2 which may be molded of a suitable plastic and has opposed walls 2a and 2b between which a flexible disk 3 of magnetic material is freely rotatable. Disk 3 is of a suitably small diameter, for example, no more than about 5 0 mm, so that jacket 2 can be of correspondingly small size, for example, measuring 60 mm by 54 mm by 3 mm, for convenience of handling storage and shipping, as by mail, and for use in a very * compact recording and/or reproducing apparatus which may, for example, be part of a still picture camera which is not substantially larger than a conventional 35 mm single- ■ lens reflex camera. Opposed walls 2a and 2b of jacket 2 have aligned openings or windows 4 therein which extend, in the radial direction of disk 3, at least to the inner and outer effective limits of circular recording tracks, of a recording surface 3a on the disk. A door member 5 strad- dless disk 3 and is slidable along an edge portion of jacket 2 with portions of door member 5 disposed against the inner surfaces of walls 2a and 2b for slidable movement in the direction of the arrow 5a on Fig. 1 from the illustrated closed postion t6 an opened position in which door member clears windows 4. A tension spring 5b may be connected to door member 5 for urging the latter to its closed position, and a projection 5c extends, from door member 5 and may be acted upon by a suitable member provided on 2 00806 the apparatus which receives cartridge 1 in the camera (not shown) for opening door member 5 upon the insertion of cartridge 1 into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. When door member 5 is thus opened, one or more magnetic heads can extend through one of the windows 4 for magnetically recording information signals, for example, representing a still image or picture, in a selected one of concentric circular record tracks on surface 3a (Fig. 3) of the disc.

A hub 6 is provided at the center of disk 3 and has a hole 7 extending therethrough for receiving a drive shaft (not shown) of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The hole 7 is preferably non-circular so as to define a pair of relatively angled positioning surfaces 8 adapted to tangentially engage the circular periphery of the drive shaft for centering rotary disk 3 relative to the axis of the drive shaft. A resilient chordal element 9 extends across hole 7 at the side of the latter opposite positioning surfaces 8. Such chordal element 9 is backed up by an elongated hole 10 extending along element 9 at the side of the latter opposite that surface 9a thereof which faces toward positioning surfaces 8. The described hub 6 can be easily molded of suitable plastic material which further lends elasticity to the resilient element 9. The hole 7 is dimensioned so that, when the drive shaft is inserted therein, resilient element 9 is flexed in the direction away from positioning surfaces 8 by the shaft, whereby to maintain firm contact of surfaces 8 with the outer periphery of the drive shaft.

Hub 6 is further shown to have an annular magnetic member 11 suitably mounted on its lower surface. A magnetic detecting pin 13 for use in detecting the rotational phase or position of disk 3, and a non-magnetic balancing pin 14 of substantially the same weight as pin 13 are embedded in hub 6 at diametrically opposed locations. In one embodiment, at least three supports or feet 16 extend from the lower surface of hub 6 at equally angularly spaced apart locations which are radially outward in respect to annular magnetic member 11. The bottom surfaces 16a of supports 16 project slightly from the underside, of hub,6 and define a reference level with respect to the magnetic recording surface 3a of disk 3. In another embodiment, feet 16 are repla ed by a continuous annular rim. Walls 2a and 2b of jacket 2 have central openings 17a and 17b in which hub 6 is loosely rotatable. f In accordance with the present invention, jacket 2 of cartridge 1 is provided with an indicator 20 which is adapted to display an indication of that portion of the capacity of the disk 3 which has been consumed or, alternatively, that ja&c position of the capacity of the disk which remains available for further recording. More particularly, indicator 20 provides an indication of the number of tracks in which information signals have been recorded on the disk. From Figs 1 and 2, it is' seen that the indicator includes a rotatable dial 21, and index scale 28 circularly arranged about dial 21, and a pointer.associated with the dial and adapted to point to an indication on the index scale which represents the number disk of tracks which have been recorded on the xteek 3. - In the illustrated embodiment, dial 21 is adapte'd^v* Cra w • ■ H>\ to rotate with respect to index scale 28. ^■- - -9- 2 008 0 6 In an alternative embodiment, the index scale may be provided on the rotatable dial and, thus, may be rotatable with respect to a pointer that is fixedly disposed on the jacket 2. It is appreciated, therefore, that dial 21 and index scale 2 8 are relatively rotatable with respect to each other.

Preferably, as illustrated in Fig. 1, index scale 2 8 is provided with markings or indicia which provide a numerical indication of the number-of tracks which have recorded on the disk. As one example, disk 3 may be provided with a recording capacity of the order of 50 tracks. Hence, index scale 2 8 is provided with numerical indications from track 1 to track 50. Suitable marks or gradations may be provided between the discrete numerals indicated in Fig. 1. Such marks may represent every track, every other track, or the like.

Jacket 2 is provided with a further aperture 27 through which dial 21, for example, may be accessed by a compatible drive mechanism, described below. Dial 21 is positioned within the space defined by spaced apart top and buttom walls 2a and 2b, and is adapted to rotate therein. The pointer described below with respect to Fig. 4 may be observed through opening 2 7a in top wall 2a, and the dial itself may be driven by a suitable device which engages the dial through an aperture 2 7b in bottom wall 2b.

As best shown in Figs.4 and 5, dial 21 is mechanically coupled to a gear member 24, the latter being provided with teeth about the periphery thereof. In the preferred embodiment,dial 21 and gear member 24 are of unitary construction formed of a suitable plastic. 10080 6 Alternatively, gear member 24 may be coupled, as by a suitable mechanical transmission,to dial 21.

In one embodiment wherein the dial and gear member are of unitary construction, the gear member is formed symmetrically with respect to the dial such that equal portions of the dial are disposed above and below the gear member, as shown in Fig. 5. The dial may be thought of as the central hub of the gear member. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5,the top and bottom surfaces of dial 21 are stepped respectively so as to be seated within apertures 27a and 27b of top and bottom walls 2a and 2b, respectively. In an alternative embodiment, the stepped portions may be omitted, whereupon the upper and lower surfaces of gear 24 seat on the inner surfaces of the top and bottom walls of jacke;t 2, respectively, whereupon dial 21 is positioned within apertures 2 7a and 2 7b.

A releaseable locking device 25 cooperates with gear member 24 to lock the gear member and, thus, dial 21, at the then-present position of the dial. As will be described, dial 21 may be rotatably driven by a suitable drive mechanism provided in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus with which the magnetic disk cartridge is used so as to update the indication provided by pointer 23 as the number of circular tracks in which information has been already recorded increases. Dial 21 is rotated in a step-wise manner; and releasable locking device 25 serves to retain the dial at the last position to which it has been rotated. This enables the magnetic disk cartridge to be removed from the magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus while retaining the proper indication of the last track which has been recorded immediately prior X00306 to the removal thereof. That is, dial 21 is restrained from inadvertent rotation when the magnetic disc cartridge is handled, stored or shipped.

In the illustrated embodiment, releasable locking device 25 is formed of a resilient pawl 25b which terminates in a nose 25a that is insertable between adjacent teeth of gear member 24. Pawl 25b is formed of unitary construction with a mounting block portion 25c, this mounting block portion and the pawl being informed of a suitable plastic. As illuststrated, pawl 25b depends from mounting block 25c. The mounting block is adapted to be mounted on the inner surface of, for example, top wall 2a of the jacket. Suitable mounting elements, such as screws 26, may be used. Alternatively, mounting pins may be formed integrally with the inner surface of the top wall of jacket 2 and mounting block 25c includes suitable apertures which register with such mounting pins such that the mounting block is mounted by a pressed fit.

The resilient pawl 25b urges nose 25a into engagement with the teeth of gear member 24. As the gear member is rotatably driven (to be described), the movement of the teeth thereof flexes pawl 25b so as to temporarily remove nose 25a from between the teeth. As will be described, dial 21 is rotated so as to correspondingly rotate gear 24 by which if passes one tooth past nose 25a. After this passage of one tooth, nose 25a once again in inserted between adjacent teeth of gear member 24. Thus, dial 21 is rotatably advanced by an angular distance equal to the angular separation between adjacent teeth of the gear member upon ~12~ 00^ ^ ^ the recording of a single circular track on disk~3. ^ ^ ^ After the next track is recorded, dial 21 is driven to once again advance the gear member by this amount; and pointer 2 3 .is stepped to indicate the number of tracks in which information signals have been recorded.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, aperture 22 of dial 21 is keyhole shaped, whereby pointer 23 is formed by a recess or elongated notch portion of this aperture. That is, pointer 23 is formed of an extension of aperture 22, the latter being referred to heresin as-a,-recess. ..The purpose of this recess will best be understood by reference to Figs.6 and 7.

When magnetic disk cartridge 1 is loaded into a suitable holder (which_±snot shown)of the magnetic recording/ reproducing apparatus, a drive shaft 30 having a radial projection 31 is inserted into aperture 22. As best shown in Fig. 6, projection 31 is received by recess 23. Drive shaft 30 is partially surrounded by a collar, or sleeve, 32-Drive shaft 30, together with projection 31, is adapted to be moved in the axial direction thereof, or the vertical direction as viewed in Fig. 7. Thus, drive shaft 30 i.s movable with respect to ; collar 32. £s will be explained, this axial movement of the drive shaft permits proper registration of projection 31 with recess 23. Once the proper registration has been obtained, the recording/reproducing apparatus is energized to rotate disk 3 and record information signals in a respective track thereon through window 4. The magnetic head of the recording/reproducing apparatus is mechanically linked to drive shaft 30. The positioning of this magnetic head on a respective track of disk 3 is effected 2 008 06 t when projection 31 is inserted into recess 23. Then, as drive shaft" 30 rotates, the mechnical linkage to the magnetic head serves to radially change the position of that head so as to record another track on the disk.

Therefore, for proper recording, projection 31 should engage recess 23.

In a recording/reproducing apparatus with which the magnetic disk cartridge is used, drive shaft 30 normally is biased to an initial circumferential or angular.position whereby projection>31 is opposite a "0" -indication on index scale 28. If, however, one or more tracks have been recorded on the magnetic disk contained within the magnetic disk cartridge that is inserted into that recording/ reproducing apparatus, recess 2 3 intially would not be in registration or alignment with projection 31, and thus, when the magnetic disk cartridge is loaded, dial 21 contacts projection 31 so as to depress drive shaft 30 within collar 32. This depression of the drive shaft serves to actuate a drive motor whereby collar 32 is driven to rotate drive shaft and projection 31 and also to advance the magnetic head from one track to the next along disk 3. When the drive shaft 30 has been suitably driven so as to position projection 31 in alignment with recess 2 3, an up ' ward spring-bias exerted on the drive shaft permits the projection to be inserted into the recess and thus deactuate the aforementioned drive motor. Consequently, the projection 31 now is in proper driving engagement with the dial 21 and, moreover,the magnetic head is positioned opposite the proper track on _<3isk 3. A recording operation now may commence. At the t ^ zw completion of that recording operation, the collar 32 is driven by the raforementioned drive motor so as to rotate the drive shaft 30 and the projection 31, thereby advancing the dial 21 such that recess 23 now points to the number of the last track which has been recorded. Also, the magnetic head is advanced so as to be positioned to record the next track on magnetic disk 3.

It should be recognized that collar 32 is rotatably driven by an angular distance which corresponds to the angular separation betweeen the adjacent teeth of the gear 24.

Hence, dial 21 is rotated by a unit increment after the track has been recorded. Preferably, this unit increment is proportional to the indication on the index scale 2 8 of a single track. That is, the angular distance between the angular teeth of the gear 24 is proportional to the angular distance between indications on the index scale 28, thereby providing incremental step-wise indications of the number of tracks which have been recorded.

From the foregoing description, it is recognized that reces 2 3 of dial 21 functions not only to:receive projection_31, of the dirve shaft 30 but, also, to indicate the number of tracks which have been recorded on the disk 3.

The dial 21 rotates in . an incremental, step-wise manner by an angular distance which corresponds to an increment on index scale 28. Moreover, the linkage between drive shaft 30 and the magnetic head functions to prevent recording until projection 3 1 is in engagement with the recess 23. This prevents the recording on the same track of new information ■'00806 which would destory the information which had been recorded previously in that track. After a track has been recorded, dial 21 is rotated so as to position the recess 2 3 opposite the next indication on the index scale 28.. Hence, the dial and the index scale cooperate to display an indication of the number of tracks which have been recorded on the magnetic disk 3. Such indications may be analogus to the indications normally provided on photographic film which apprises the user of either the number of pictures which he has taken or the number of pictures which remain available on that film.

Stated otherwise^ the recess 2 3 cooperates with the index scale 2 8 to apprise the user of the remaining capacity of magnetic disk 3 which is available for further recording.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and* described with reference to a prefereed embodiment, it ; should be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Some of these modifications have been descrived above and others will-be obvious to the reader. It is intented that the appended claims be interpreted as including the foregoing as well as other changes and modifications.

Having regard to the provisions of s.16 of the Patents Act 1953, attention is directed to the claims of Patent No. 200807 and Patent No. 200912.

Claims (15)

-16- WHAT I/WE CLAIM IS: 00806

1. A' magnetic disc cartridge of the type having a jacket for containing a rotatable magnetic disc therein, said disc having a hub member for receiving a drive member to rotate said disc to record information in circular tracks on said disc and comprising an opening in said jacket through which said hub member is accessed; and indicator means on said jacket for indicating the number of tracks in which information has been recorded.

2. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 1 wherein said indicator means comprises a circular dial; a pointer associated with said dial; and an index scale for providing track number indications; said dial and said index scale being relatively movable with respect to each other.

3. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 2 wherein said dial is rotatably mounted in said jacket, and said jacket is provided with a further opening for receiving means to rotate said dial.

4. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 3 wherein said dial is provided with a recess for receiving a projection on said means to rotate said dial, such that the rotation of said projection rotatably drives said dial.

5. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 4 wherein said recess is said pointer.

6. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim-3 wherein said indicator means further comprises releasable locking means provided in said jacket for releasably locking said dial at^-'j;,1^. S s'yy \ I / !) < , discrete.rotary positions. -17- 2 008

7. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 6 wherein said dial includes a rotatable gear member having, peripheral teeth; and said releasable locking means comprises resilient pawl means for insertion between adjacent teeth to lock said rotatable gear member and said dial at the then-present position thereof.

8. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 7 wherein said jacket includes spaced apart top and bottom walls defining a space for said magnetic disc; and further including means for mounting said resilient pawl means on the inner surface of one of said walls.

9. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 8 wherein said resilient pawl means comprises a resilient arm having a nose portion for insertion between adjacent teeth of said rotatable gear member.

10. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 9 wherein said means for mounting said resilient pawl means comprises a mounting block mounted on said inner surface of said one wall, said mounting block and said resilient arm being of unitary construction with said resilient arm depending from said mounting block.

11. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 8 wherein said dial is formed on said rotatable gear member and is of unitary construction therewith.

12. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 11 wherein said gear member is symmetrically disposed with respect to said dial, such that substantially equal portions of said dial extend above and below said gear member.

13. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 7 wherein adjacent peripheral teeth of said gear member are angularly spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the separation between adjacent tracks on said disc. 200806 - 18 -

14. The magnetic disc cartridge of claim 13 wherein said track number indications are angularly spaced apart from each other by an integral multiple of the angular separation between adjacent peripheral teeth of said gear member.

15. A magnetic disc cartridge of the type having a jacket for containing a rotatable magnetic disc therein, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. J. D. HARDiE & CCX Patent Attorneys for the Appl icant(sX