Device for Storing Flat Recording Media

The invention relates to a device for storing flat recording media, especially compact cassettes or compact discs.

One previously known device for storing flat recording media is described and shown in published German Patent Application DE-A-23 43 487. This known device has an outer housing and recording media transport members which are slidably received therein.

In the known device, the housing on the one hand and the slider member on the other hand are each injection-molded from thermoplastic materials. During the manufacture of the housing, release from the mold takes place in the direction in which the slider member later moves, and since such release is possible only if a so-called "taper" is taken into account when the mold is designed, the surfaces of the slider guide rails formed in the housing are not exactly parallel. As a result, the lateral support of the slider member in its ejected position is relatively loose. If such a device is used in a motor vehicle, this can result in troublesome rattling.

The problem underlying the invention is to design a device of the same type in such a manner that the above described disadvantage is overcome.

This problem is solved according to the invention by separately manufacturing a plate which includes the guide means for each slider or transport member and inserting such "plates" into the housing.

The molded housing is, accordingly, composed of a plurality of parts (at least two) which are each injection-molded separately. Such separately formed parts may be complimentary so that they can be released from their respective molds and, when joined together, the accurate guidance of the slider member is ensured. This design also gives rise to further advantages: it is possible to select for the plate(s) a material different from that of the (remaining portion of the) housing, namely a material that, although expensive, has more favourable coefficients of friction with respect to the slider member material; this is justifiable if the size of the plate is selected to be small relative to the remaining portion of the housing. A further possible advantage lies in the fact that during subassemblies there are formed assemblies each consisting of a plate on the one hand and the slider member ejection spring arrangement and/or the slider member itself on the other hand, which are then inserted as complete units into the (remaining portion of the) housing. This is preferred especially when a plurality of such subassemblies is to be accommodated in a single housing.

Embodiments of the subject of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view, partly in section, of a plate that can be inserted into the remaining portion of a housing in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a vertical section through a part of the finished assembled device in accordance with the first embodiment,

FIG. 3 shows a horizontal section through the finished assembled device, of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 seen from above,

FIG. 4 shows, in a manner analogous to FIG. 3, a second embodiment,

FIG. 5 shows a partial section along line 5--5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows a partial section along line 6--6 of FIG. 4, analogously to FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 shows a horizontal section, analogous to FIG. 3, through a third embodiment but the slider member is shown in the second position,

FIG. 8 shows a section along line 8--8 of FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 shows a section along line 9--9 of FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 shows a partial section along line 10--10 of FIG. 7, and

FIG. 11 shows a partial exploded view of a fourth embodiment.

The embodiments of FIGS. 1-6 are devices for storing compact cassettes, while the embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 is a container for compact discs, and the embodiment of FIG. 11 is again intended for compact cassettes.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, while only partially shown, would in practice include several slider members are provided in a common housing, a "plate" being inserted into the housing for each slider member.

FIG. 1 shows such a plate 20 with integrally-formed anchoring hooks 22, slider member guide rails 24 and, indicated generally at 26, a "springbox". A recess 30 is arranged on the underside of the plate 20. The recess 30 is in registration with spring box 26 and is complimentary in shape and depth respectively to the shape and thickness of the top wall 28 of spring box 26. The profile of the plate 20 can be seen in the region shown broken away in the drawing; in addition to the rails 24, there are formed above and below the plate and integrally therewith ribs 32 which support a helical compression spring against bending outwardly, i.e. against buckling. The lower ribs 32 extend only as far as the inner edge of the depression 30. The inside of the spring box 26 top wall 28 has corresponding ribs 32a. When several pre-assembled assemblies are inserted into a common housing, the ribs 32a form an extension of the lower ribs 32 on the plate arranged immediately above, and so on. For the lowermost plate in the housing, a space is provided in the housing for the lower ribs 32. For the uppermost plate in the housing, an auxiliary "plate" should be provided which is smooth on its upper surface and, on its underside, has lower ribs 32 and the depression 30. This auxiliary plate may be defined by the top wall of the housing.

The rear wall 34 of the spring box has an opening 36. For preliminary assembly, the plate 20 is placed by means of this hole onto the spike of an assembly aid, a helical spring 38 (FIG. 2) is threaded onto the spike, the spring then being supported inside against the rear wall 34 of the spring box around the opening 36. A slider member 40 is then pushed onto the guide rails in the direction towards the spring box, the spike thus being pushed out of the way. In the inner end position of the slider member, as shown in FIG. 3, the spring 38 is compressed in the spring box and the slider member is locked on the plate by means of a projection on a release button 42 engaging an opening 44 in the plate. The construction of the locking mechanism which includes release button 42 is not shown in detail for reasons of clarity and reference made be had to the prior art mentioned above for further details thereof. The arrangement of the stops that limit the ejection path of the slider member may also be seen from the above-referenced published German application.

The subassembly that has been preassembled in the manner described above can be stored temporarily until it is to be installed in the remaining portions of the housing 46. These remaining portions of the housing have pairs of oppositely disposed lateral grooves 48 which receive the side edges 50 of the plate 20. Grooves 54 are also provided on the inner side of the rear wall 52 of the remaining portion of the housing, in which grooves the end edges 56 of the plates finally engage. At the same time, the anchoring hooks 22 on the plate pass through apertures provided in the rear wall 52 of the housing and engage behind the outer face of the rear wall. It should be noted that in FIG. 2 only one subassembly is shown in full. Only the plate of the adjacent above subassembly is shown, without the spring and the slider member.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, the preassembled subassembly is deeper than the depth of the slider member by the combined length of the compressed spring 38, and the thickness of the rear wall of the spring box and the same applies also, of course, to the remaining portion of the housing. If, in this connection, the spatial conditions are restricted, for example in the case of a device installed in recesses in a motor vehicle interior, the embodiment according to FIGS. 4 to 6 may be preferable.

In this embodiment each "plate" 100 has a recessed channel 102 which lies approximately in the plane of symmetry of the housing 104. The slider member 120 has a bottom portion 122 including a top side 124, which forms a media support surface, and an under side 126, which faces the next lower plate 100. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the channel is covered at the front by means of an upright bar 106 formed integrally with the plate 100; storage space corresponding to the height of this bar is therefore lost in comparison with the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3. However, in compensation, almost the entire depth of the housing can be utilised for the slider member since a helical tension spring 108 may be employed as the ejection spring. This spring 108 is attached at its inner end in the housing to a peg 112 that projects downwards from the rear wall 110 of the slider member. The opposite end of spring 108 is attached to a peg 114 which projects upwardly from the base of the channel 102 behind the bar 106. On both sides of the spring, still inside the channel 102, stop pieces 116 extend forwards from the rear wall of the slider member and limit the outer end position of the slider member by running up against the bar 106. The housing 104 is otherwise analogous to that according to FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the anchoring hooks 118 on the plate 100 of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-6 engage openings in the side walls of the housing rather than openings in the housing rear wall. With regard to the locking arrangement, reference should be made to the comments made above in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3.

The embodiment according to the discussion of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 10 is intended for storing compact discs but, could be modified for compact cassettes if, for example, the slider member so as to be oriented not in the transverse direction (as in FIGS. 1 to 6) but in the longitudinal direction. In addition to the elements shown in the drawing, the device according to FIGS. 7 to 10 also includes holders, each arranged to support one compact disc, of which at least one is transported out of the housing by the slider member. The details of such a slider-holder arrangement do not form part of the present invention and it is sufficient to refer to the published European application EP-A-83 108 472.8 for such details.

The remaining portion of the housing 200 of the embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 has lateral grooves into which plate(s) 202 can be inserted by means of edges 204 thereof. When the plate is inserted, a hook 206, formed integrally with the inner end edge of the plate, is resiliently deflected as a result of striking the edge of a corresponding opening in the housing rear wall and then engages behind the rear wall 208 of the housing.

In its plane of symmetry, the plate 202 has a depression 210 which extends over the entire insertion depth of the plate. The side walls which define the depression 210 contain guide grooves 212. Grooves 212 are parallel to the lateral grooves in the housing. Guide grooves 212 receive angled guide ribs 214 which are provided on slider member(s) 216. Close to the forward end edge 218 on the plate 202, a stop block 220, for a stop lug 222 on the slider member and a post 224, about which a helical tension spring 226 wraps, project upwardly from the base of the depression 210. One end of the spring 226 is attached to a peg 228 which is provide on plate 202 at the side, next to the locking hook, in the depression 210, and the other end of the spring is fastened to a hook 230 which projects downwards into the depression 210 from the slider member 216 close to the rear end of the slider member. In order to reduce friction, a rotatably mounted roller or capstan 232, having a circumferential groove in of which the spring 226 is guided, is mounted on the post 224.

While in the construction method according to FIGS. 4 to 6 automatic assembly is somewhat complicated because first the spring 108 has to be attached to the plate, then the slider member must be inserted and finally the other end of the spring can be attached to the slider member peg, to which access is then relatively poor, the arrangement of the spring in the embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 is more advantageous since the spring can be anchored to the pegs by both ends before the slider member is inserted into the guide grooves and the spring then winds around the roller 232 "automatically".

The embodiment according to FIG. 11 is intended for compact cassettes. The housing 300 comprises a wall component 302 and a plate 304. The wall component 302 includes the top wall 306, side walls 308 and a rear wall (which cannot be seen in the drawing). On the top wall 306 there are provided stacking devices in the form of bars 310 and projections 312, onto which a second housing of similar construction can be fitted. The free edges of the side walls and also the rear wall have projections 314 each of which is provided with an opening 316.

On three sides of its circumference the plate 304 is constructed to be complementary to the mentioned projections and openings in such a manner that the projections 314 fit into cut-out portions 318, and lugs 320 on the plate can snap into the openings 316. The two parts 302, 304 can, accordingly, be snapped together but there are, of course, other possible methods of connection, for example ultrasonic welding. For better centering the plate 304 is also provided with depressions or openings 322 which receive corresponding complementary extension pieces of the side walls and the rear wall of the wall component 302.

It is also possible to see in FIG. 11 the guide rail 324, formed integrally with the plate 304, for a slider member 326, which rail is upwardly concave in the centre in order to support the helical compression spring 328 against bending outwards. On insertion, the slider member 326 is arrested by cooperation with a catch 330 in the plate, and this locking mechanism may be released by pressure on a release button 332 in the front wall 334 of the slider member. Extension pieces are formed integrally with the underside of the slider member base and these engage in slots 336 in the plate 304 to define the direction and limit of motion of the slider member relative to the housing. The end of each slot closest to the housing opening or front tapers inwardly. The region of the plate 304 at the front end of slots 336 is rendered flexible by means of providing cut-out portions 338. Accordingly when the slider member is ejected from the housing by the spring 328, the slider member extension pieces which are engaged in slots 336 will be caught gently as a result of the walls of the slot being deflected resiliently outwards. This gentle arresting of the slider member motion upon ejection is possible only if the plate is manufactured separately. On the slider member there is also a depression 340, which receives the portion of increased depth that is customary in compact cassettes, and also reinforcing ribs 342 for the rear wall 344 of the slider member, against which the spring 328 engages.

It will be understood that a portion of the side walls of the housing or the rear wall can also be formed integrally with the plate 304 instead of with the component 302, provided that the mold release requirements for injection-molding are still fulfilled.