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Claims  |
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We claim:
1. A container for holding a cassette comprising:
(a) a rectangular casing having top, bottom and side walls, a rear wall and
an open front;
(b) a drawer for holding a cassette, said drawer being reciprocally
received in the casing and slidable between a cassette-storing position
within the casing and a cassette-exposing position partially-extended
outwardly from the casing and said drawer comprising rear walls, and a
front wall and a bottom wall having a forward portion extending outwardly
from the casing when the drawer is moved to its cassette-exposing
position;
(c) spring means for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing
position;
(d) locking means for retaining the drawer in the cassette-storing position
including a projection formed on the outer surface of the drawer bottom
wall near the forward end thereof and a recess formed in the inner surface
of the casing bottom wall near the front portion thereof for receiving the
locking projection of the drawer when the drawer is in the
cassette-storing position and wherein the drawer is releasingly disengaged
from the cassette-storing locked position by exerting a slightly inward
and upward pressure against the drawer; and
(e) stop means for limiting movement of the drawer to the cassette-exposing
position including a projection formed on the outer surface of the drawer
bottom wall near the rear end thereof, said stop projection moveable in
the recess formed in said casing bottom wall until engagement with the
front edge thereof for limiting further outward movement of the drawer
from the casing; and
wherein the locking projection has a width greater than the stop projection
and wherein the recess formed in the casing bottom wall has a T-shape
configuration with the front edge thereof of a width approximately the
same as the locking projection width for providing a positive locking
action therebetween.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the drawer bottom wall comprises a
rear section and a front section hinged to the rear section, said rear and
forward sections forming the bottom wall of said drawer for holding the
cassette when said drawer is in the cassette-storing position and wherein
the front section drops downwardly from the rear section when the drawer
is slidably moved outwardly toward the cassette-exposing position for
providing access to the cassette.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the rear and front sections of the
drawer bottom wall are formed of a single piece of molded material having
a reduced thickness to form a hinge line between the sections running
substantially parallel to said front and rear walls of said drawer.
4. The container of claim 3, wherein said drawer bottom wall is formed of a
single piece of molded material in the open cassette-exposing position for
providing a natural downward hinged bias in the bottom wall of the drawer.
5. The container of claims 3 or 4, wherein the rear, front, and bottom
walls of the drawer are formed of a single piece of molded material.
6. The container of claim 2, 3, or 4, wherein said drawer further comprises
side walls formed on the rear section of the drawer bottom wall.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the rear, front, side, and bottom
walls of the drawer are formed of a single piece of molded material.
8. The container of claim 6, wherein said drawer further comprises partial
side support walls formed on the forward section of the drawer bottom wall
adjacent the drawer front wall.
9. The container of claim 2, wherein said drawer bottom wall is formed of
two pieces of molded material comprising the front and rear sections and
wherein the front section is mechanically hinged to the rear section.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein nodules and corresponding mating
holes are formed respectively on the front and rear sections of said
drawer bottom wall for forming the mechanical hinge between the front and
rear sections, the front section being mechanically hinged and moved
downwardly by gravity from the rear section when the drawer is in the
cassette-exposing position.
11. The container of claim 10, wherein said nodules and holes are formed as
integral molded parts of the front and rear drawer bottom wall sections.
12. The container of claim 9, wherein said drawer further comprises side
walls formed on the rear section of the drawer bottom wall.
13. The container of claim 12, wherein the side walls are formed as
integral parts of the rear drawer bottom wall section.
14. The container of claim 12, wherein said drawer further comprises
partial side support walls formed on the forward section of the drawer
bottom wall adjacent the drawer front wall.
15. The container of claim 13 or 14, wherein the side support walls are
formed as integral parts of the front drawer bottom wall section.
16. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, wherein the forward portion of
the drawer bottom wall extends downwardly approximately 45.degree. from
the horizontal when the drawer is in the cassette-exposing position.
17. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, further comprising hub-lock means
for lockingly engaging hub-openings of an inserted cassette only when the
drawer is in the cassette-storing position, said hub-lock means comprising
hub-lock projections mounted on said forward portion of said drawer bottom
wall for engaging the hub-openings of the inserted cassette in the
cassette-storing position and wherein said hub-lock projections drop away
from the cassette when the forward portion of the drawer bottom wall
extends downwardly in the cassette-exposing position.
18. The container of claim 17, wherein the forward portion of the drawer
bottom wall extends downwardly approximately 45.degree. from the
horizontal when the drawer is in the cassette-exposing position.
19. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, wherein a relief is formed along
the inner front surface of the casing top wall so that when the cassette
is inserted into the container with the head of the cassette facing the
open front end of the casing, the drawer can be releasably unlocked by a
slightly inward and upward motion without interference of the head of the
cassette with the inner front surface of the casing top wall.
20. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, wherein a relief is formed along
the inner front surface of the casing top wall so that when the cassette
is inserted into the container with the head of the cassette facing the
open front end of the casing, the drawer can be releasably unlocked by a
slightly inward and upward motion without interference of the head of the
cassette with the inner front surface of the casing top wall.
21. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, wherein said stop means comprises
a projection formed on the outer surface of the drawer bottom wall near
the rear end thereof and a recess formed in the inner surface of the
casing bottom wall near the front end thereof, said stop projection
engaging the recess formed in the forward end of said bottom wall of said
casing for limiting further outward movement of the drawer from the
casing.
22. The container of claim 21, wherein the stop projection engages the
recess for establishing a pivotal point of the forward portion downwardly
from the rear section of the drawer bottom wall at the outer front edge of
the casing bottom wall.
23. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, wherein the locking and stopping
projections are formed as saw-tooth like projections and wherein the front
edge of the recess is formed at an acute angle to provide a more positive
locking and stopping action with the mating projections.
24. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, wherein the recess comprises a
through slot in the casing bottom wall.
25. The container of claim 23, wherein the recess comprises a through slot
in the casing bottom wall.
26. A container for holding a cassette comprising:
(a) a rectangular casing having top, bottom and side walls, a rear wall and
an open front;
(b) a drawer for holding a cassette, said drawer being reciprocally
received in the casing and slidable between a cassette-storing position
within the casing and a cassette-exposing position partially-extended
outwardly and downwardly away from the cassette and said drawer comprising
rear and front walls, and a bottom wall having a forward portion extending
downwardly away from the cassette when the drawer is moved outwardly from
the casing to its cassette-exposing position;
(c) spring means for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing
position;
(d) locking means for retaining the drawer in the cassette-storing position
including a projection formed on the outer surface of the drawer bottom
wall near the forward end thereof and a recess, formed along the casing
bottom wall from the front end to the middle thereof, for receiving the
locking projection of the drawer when the drawer is in the
cassette-storing position and wherein the drawer is releasingly disengaged
from the cassette-storing locked position by exerting a slightly inward
and upward pressure against the drawer; and
(e) stop means for limiting movement of the drawer to the cassette-exposing
position including a projection formed on the outer surface of the drawer
bottom wall near the rear end thereof, said stop projection moveable in
the recess formed in said casing bottom wall until engagement with the
front edge thereof for limiting further outward movement of the drawer
from the casing, and
wherein the locking projection has a width greater than the stop projection
and wherein the recess formed in the casing bottom wall has a T-shape
configuration with the front edge thereof of a width approximately the
same as the locking projection width for providing a positive locking
action therebetween.
27. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, further comprising drawer guide
means for maintaining the drawer in its proper reciprocal sliding position
in and out of the casing between the cassette-storing position and the
cassette-exposing position, the drawer guide means comprising a pair of
ribs formed parallel to the casing side walls on the inner surface of the
casing top wall and a pair of slots formed in the upper edge of the drawer
rear wall for accommodating the pair of ribs.
28. The container of claim 27, wherein the pair of drawer guide ribs extend
along the top casing wall to the front edge of the casing opening for
providing easy and proper sliding of the drawer in and out of the casing.
29. The container of claim 1, wherein said spring means comprises a spring
positioned between the rear wall of the casing and the rear wall of the
drawer for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing position.
30. The container of claim 29, wherein the spring comprises a spring which
collapses inside itself.
31. The container of claim 30, wherein the spring comprises an
hourglass-type spring.
32. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, further comprising spring guide
means for providing easy and proper alignment of the spring means during
assembly insertion into the casing, the spring guide means comprising a
pair of ribs formed parallel to the casing side walls on the inner surface
of the casing bottom wall and a pair of slots formed in the lower edge of
the drawer rear wall and the drawer bottom wall for accommodating the pair
of ribs.
33. The container of claim 32, wherein said spring means comprises a spring
positioned between the rear wall of the casing and the rear wall of the
drawer for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing position and
wherein the spring is located between the pair of spring guide ribs formed
on the inner surface of the casing bottom wall and the corresponding
drawer slots.
34. The container of claim 32, wherein the spring guide ribs are formed
only in the rear portion of the casing and wherein the drawer slots are
formed only in the rear portion of the drawer.
35. The container of claim 34, wherein said spring means comprises a spring
positioned between the rear wall of the casing and the rear wall of the
drawer for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing position and
wherein the spring is located between the pair of spring guide ribs formed
on the inner surface of the casing bottom wall and the corresponding
drawer slots.
36. The container of claim 29, wherein a pair of vertical ribs are formed
on the outer surface of the drawer rear wall for positioning and alignment
of one end of the spring therebetween and a knob is formed on the inner
surface of the casing rear wall for positioning the other end of the
spring during assembly insertion into the casing and for positive location
between the rear walls of the casing and drawer.
37. The container of claim 36, wherein a pair of vertical ribs are formed
on the outer surface of the drawer rear wall for positioning and alignment
of one end of the spring therebetween and a knob is formed on the inner
surface of the casing rear wall for positioning the other end of the
spring during assembly insertion into the casing and for positive location
between the rear walls of the casing and drawer.
38. The container of claim 36, wherein a projection is formed between the
pair of vertical ribs on the outer surface of the drawer rear wall for
alignment of the spring between the ribs.
39. The containerof claim 1, 2, 3, or 9, further comprising a pair of ribs
formed on the inner surface of said drawer bottom wall extending between
the front and rear walls of said drawer for positioning the thinner
portion of the cassette thereon and holding the cassette in the drawer in
a horizontal position.
40. The container of claim 39, wherein the ribs formed on the inner surface
of the drawer bottom wall run substantially parallel to each other and at
a distance to allow the head of the cassette to rest on the drawer bottom
wall between the ribs when the cassette is inserted either with the head
toward the rear end of the drawer or the head facing the front end of the
drawer.
41. The container of claim 40, wherein the ribs are formed along both the
front and rear portions of the drawer bottom wall.
42. The container of claim 1, wherein the drawer bottom wall is formed of a
single piece of flexible molded material and wherein the drawer bottom
wall is molded in the open cassette-exposing position for providing a
natural downward bias in the forward portion of the molded material for
the drawer bottom wall and flexible upwardly to form a horizontal drawer
bottom wall when the drawer is in the cassette-storing position.
43. The container of claim 42, wherein the rear, front, and bottom walls of
the drawer are formed of a single piece of molded material.
44. The container of claim 42, wherein said drawer further comprises side
walls formed on the rear section of the drawer bottom wall.
45. The container of claim 44, wherein the rear, front, side, and bottom
walls of the drawer are formed of a single piece of molded material.
46. The container of claim 44, wherein said drawer further comprises
partial side support walls formed on the forward section of the drawer
bottom wall adjacent the drawer front wall.
47. The container of claim 46, wherein the side support walls are formed as
integral parts of the front drawer bottom wall section.
48. The container of claim 42, wherein the forward portion of the drawer
bottom wall extends downwardly approximately 45.degree. from the
horizontal when the drawer is in the cassette-exposing position.
49. The container of claim 42, further comprising hub-lock means for
lockingly engaging hub-openings of an inserted cassette only when the
drawer is in the cassette-storing position, said hub-lock means comprising
hub-lock projections mounted on said forward portion of said drawer bottom
wall for engaging the hub-openings of the inserted cassette in the
cassette-storing position and wherein said hub-lock projections drop away
from the cassette when the forward portion of the drawer bottom wall
extends downwardly in the cassette-exposing position.
50. The container of claim 42 or 49, wherein a relief is formed along the
inner front surface of the casing top wall so that when the cassette is
inserted into the container with the head of the cassette facing the open
front end of the casing, the drawer can be releasably unlocked by a
slightly inward and upward motion without interference of the head of the
cassette with the inner front surface of the casing top wall.
51. The container of claim 42 or 49, wherein said stop means comprises a
projection formed on the outer surface of the drawer bottom wall near the
rear end thereof and a recess formed in the inner surface of the casing
bottom wall near the front end thereof, said stop projection engaging the
recess formed in the forward end of said bottom wall of said casing for
limiting further outward movement of the drawer from the casing.
52. The container of claim 51, wherein the stop projection engages the
recess for establishing a pivotal point of the forward portion downwardly
from the rear section of the drawer bottom wall at the outer front edge of
the casing bottom wall.
53. The container of claim 52, wherein the recess comprises a recess formed
along the casing bottom wall from the front to the portion of the casing
bottom wall, said stopping projection moveable in the recess until
engagement with the front edge thereof.
54. The container of claim 53, wherein the locking and stopping projections
are formed as saw-tooth like projections and wherein the front edge of the
recess is found at an acute angle to provide a more positive locking and
stopping action with the mating projections.
55. The container of claim 53, wherein the recess comprises a through slot
in the casing bottom wall.
56. The container of claim 42 or 49, further comprising drawer guide means
for maintaining the drawer in its proper reciprocal sliding position in
and out of the casing between the cassette-storing position and the
cassette-exposing position, the drawer guide means comprising a pair of
ribs formed parallel to the casing side walls on the inner surface of the
casing top wall and a pair of slots formed in the upper edge of the drawer
rear wall for accommodating the pair of ribs.
57. The container of claim 42 or 49, wherein said spring means comprises a
spring positioned between the rear wall of the casing and the rear wall of
the drawer for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing position.
58. The container of claim 57, further comprising spring guide means for
providing easy and proper alignment of the spring means during assembly
insertion into the casing, the spring guide means comprising a pair of
ribs formed parallel to the casing side walls on the inner surface of the
casing bottom wall and a pair of slots formed in the lower edge of the
drawer rear wall and the drawer bottom wall for accommodating the pair of
ribs.
59. The container of claim 58, wherein said spring means comprises a spring
positioned between the rear wall of the casing and the rear wall of the
drawer for biasing the drawer toward the cassette-exposing position and
wherein the spring is located between the pair of spring guide ribs formed
on the inner surface of the casing bottom wall and the corresponding
drawer slots.
60. The container of claim 59, wherein the spring guide ribs are formed
only in the rear portion of the casing and wherein the drawer slots are
formed only in the rear portion of the drawer.
61. The container of claim 1, 2, 3, 9, or 42, further comprising mating
track means formed on the top and bottom and side walls of the casing for
detachably connecting the casing to another similar casing horizontally or
vertically to form a block, the track means forming dovetail joints and
comprising male dovetails having mating edges formed on the outer
longitudinal edges of the casing top wall and one of the casing side walls
and female dovetails having mating edges formed on the outer longitudinal
edges of the casing bottom wall and the other of the casing side walls.
62. The container of claim 61, further comprising locking means for
positioning the casings to be connected together in a front even
alignment, the locking and positioning means comprising female notches
formed in the forward edge of the casing top wall and one of the casing
side walls and male nodules formed at the forward edge of the casing
bottom wall and the other of the casing side walls.
63. The container of claim 62, wherein the dovetail joints and locking and
positioning means are integrally formed with the casing from a single
piece of molded material.
64. The container of claim 59, further comprising mating track means formed
on the top and bottom and side walls of the casing for detachably
connecting the casing to another similar casing horizontally or vertically
to form a block, the track means forming dovetail joints and comprising
male dovetails having mating edges formed on the outer longitudinal edges
of the casing top wall and one of the casing side walls and female
dovetails having mating edges formed on the outer longitudinal edges of
the casing bottom wall and the other of the casing side walls.
65. The container of claim 64, further comprising locking means for
positioning the casings to be connected together in a front even
alignment, the locking and positioning means comprising female notches
formed in the forward edge of the casing top wall and one of the casing
side walls and male nodules formed at the forward edge of the casing
bottom wall and the other of the casing side walls.
66. The container of claim 65, wherein the dovetail joints and locking and
positioning means are integrally formed with the casing from a single
piece of molded material. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a container for a cassette. More
particularly, the invention relates to a cassette container comprising a
rectangular casing and a spring-biased drawer reciprocally and slidably
received in the casing wherein the forward portion of the drawer bottom
wall extends downwardly away from the cassette when the drawer is moved to
an outwardly extended cassette-exposing position.
Containers having spring-biased drawers for holding a cassette are known in
the art. Also known in the art are cassette containers have a frame-like
bottomless slide reciprocally and slidably received in a casing for moving
a cassette along the casing bottom wall in and out of the casing. These
known cassette containers, however, continue to have significant problems
and disadvantages in the art.
For example, the previously exposed cassette containers of the bottomless
slide type continue to require storage of the cassette by inserting the
cassette along the longitudinal direction thereof. The slide of this type
of cassette container dictates fine alignment with the casing and is
subject to distortion during various uses. Because of this, this cassette
container requires more sophisticated molding of the components and a more
complicated molding production of the cassette container is necessary
which in turn means higher production and assembly costs. A further
drawback in this cassette container is with respect to accessibility of
the cassette for insertion in and out of the cassette container and visual
inspection of the cassette during this operation.
The drawer-type cassette containers previously proposed continue to have
significant disadvantages because of their complicated structural
arrangement and overall dimensions being significantly larger than the
stored cassette. Accordingly, these drawer-type cassette containers
frequently require the stored cassette to be inserted in a particular
direction in a rather impractical cumbersome and awkward manner of
insertion into and removal from the cassette container. Moreover, the
majority of these drawer-type cassette containers require that the
cassette be stored in the container in only one prescribed orientation.
That is, the tape cassette must first be placed with the head portion
pointing toward the opening of the casing or the head portion of the
cassette must be stored toward the rear of the casing. The above
drawer-type cassette containers also do not necessarily provide easy
grasping and manipulation of the cassette into and out of the casing with
the operator using one hand. In addition, such drawer-type cassette
containers have not heretofor had hub-lock projections for engaging the
cassette in the stored position and wherein the hub-lock projections
disengage from the cassette when the drawer is moved outwardly from the
casing.
A cassette container which allows a stored cassette to be inserted into and
removed in the short direction, allows either the thicker or thinner
portion of the cassette to be inserted into the casing, provides hub-lock
projections released from the stored cassette when the cassette is moved
outwardly, and which provides an easier, less cumbersome way of inserting
and removing the cassette eliminates many of the drawbacks of the current
cassette containers. Moreover, this type of cassette container which has
an overall reduced dimension and is simple in structural configuration,
yet ensures that this container is easily and smoothly operated and
durable under continued and different operating conditions also eliminates
many of the drawbacks of the cassette containers known in the art.
Moreover, a design of the above-type of cassette container, which is
adaptable to high-volume, low-cost and easy-mass production of the
component parts and assembly of the container would also be highly
advantageous and eliminate many of the drawbacks of the known containers.
One of the most advantageous methods for producing a low-cost, high-volume
cassette container of the above-type is by industrial molding of the
component parts. It is in this environment where problems continue to
occur in providing satisfactory cassette containers having all of the
necessary and desirable features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to eliminate the
above-described problems in containers for cassettes yet maintain all of
the required features and provide significant additional and desirable
features for a cassette container.
A specific object of this invention is to provide a drawer-type cassette
container which allows the cassette to be inserted in the short and in a
reversible direction into the container.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a drawer-type cassette
container having hub-lock projections which are releasably disengaged from
the cassette when the drawer moves out to the cassette-exposing position.
A further object of this invention is to provide minimum overall dimensions
for the above-type of cassette container.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide for easy grasping and
manipulation of the cassette in and out of the drawer of the cassette
container with the features set forth above.
A further object of this invention is to provide easy and simple assembly
for a cassette container with the features set forth above consisting of
three major components, namely, a casing, spring-biasing means, and a
drawer having a front end extending downwardly away from the cassette in
the cassette-exposing position.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide for smooth and easy
operation of a cassette container with the features set forth above and to
ensure continued satisfactory and proper operation by not being highly
vulnerable to misalignment, warping and dimensional variations in the
component parts.
Still a further object of this invention is to allow low cost
mass-production of the components from moldable materials for a cassette
container with the features set forth above.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a cassette container
having the above features wherein the casing is formed of a single piece
of molded material and the drawer is formed of a single or two-piece
molded material with all the subcomponents (except the spring) integrally
molded as part of the casing or drawer.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in
part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from
the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The
objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by
means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out
in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing objects and in accordance with the purpose of this
invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the container for a
cassette comprises: (1) a rectangular casing; and (2) a spring-biased
drawer reciprocally and slidably received in the casing for holding a
cassette in either of the short directions of the cassette, wherein the
drawer has a front portion which extends downwardly to expose the cassette
when the drawer is in its partially outwardly-extended cassette-exposing
position from the casing. More specifically, the container for this
cassette in the preferred embodiment comprises: (1) a rectangular casing
having top, bottom and side walls, a rear wall and an open front; (2) a
drawer for holding a cassette, the drawer being reciprocally received in
the casing and slidable between a cassette-storing position within the
casing and a cassette-exposing position partially-extended outwardly and
downwardly away from the cassette and the drawer comprising rear and front
walls, and a bottom wall having a forward portion extending downwardly
away from the cassette when the drawer is moved outwardly from the casing
to its cassette-exposing position; (3) spring means for biasing the drawer
toward the cassette-exposing position; (4) locking means for retaining the
drawer in the cassette-storing position; and (5) stop means for limiting
movement of the drawer to the cassette-exposing position.
In one embodiment of the cassette container, the drawer bottom wall
comprises a rear section and a front section hinged to the rear section,
the rear and forward sections forming the bottom wall of the drawer for
holding the cassette when the drawer is in the cassette-storing position
and wherein the front section drops downwardly from the rear section when
the drawer is slidably moved outwardly toward the cassette-exposing
position for providing access to the cassette. The rear and front sections
of the drawer bottom wall may be formed of a single piece of molded
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