Shape Corporation

Richard Rolfe

Craig S Lovecky

Alan B Lowry

Anthony L Gelardi

W Tyler Fitzsimmons

John Gelardi

Robert Barstow

Diane C Pruneau

Robert Steller

A portable telephone line storage device, including a housing, a manually rotatable reel within the housing, a telephone line having a first end with a telephone jack, and a second end with a telephone jack, wherein said line is movable between a first retracted position inside the housing, and a second extended position where a majority of the line is outside of the housing, and wherein the telephone jacks are positioned inside the housing in the first position, and outside the housing in the second position.

Portable storage device for a telephone line

A container for a PC card including a relatively hard base pivotably connected by a hinge to a cover. A resilient tray is positioned within the base. The cover can be kept in a closed position by a latch. An outer edge of the tray attaches to a peripheral lip on the base to form a bumper and a seal between the base and cover when the container is closed. The edge also prevents shear movement of the cover relative to the base when the container is dropped on a corner. The hinge and latch are inboard of the outer edge of the tray so that they aren't disturbed if the container is dropped. The tray includes a central receptacle that receives the PC card. Between the PC card receptacle and the outer edge of the tray there is formed a bellows-like member which tangents the cover and base and physically isolates the PC card receptacle from the cover and base. The bellows-like member allows the PC card receptacle to move freely of the base and cover, so should the container with a PC card therein be dropped, the PC card can 'float' in the container. It is the bellows that absorbs the shock, not the cover, base or PC card receptacle.

Storage container for a memory device and method of making

A pivotable spring load dust door movable between a first, closed position and a second, open position and including a pair of integrally formed projections. The projections extend, when the dust door is in the closed position, through openings formed in a front edge of the cassette cover and engage teeth formed on the circumference of the tape reel upper flanges.

Dust door incorporating tape reel lock

A reel spring including a wire having a flat central portion and two angled arms, each terminating in substantially planar pads, curved portions or pivot buttons. The flat central portion includes two spaced, open loops which receive corresponding projections formed on the cassette cover. The pads, curved portions or pivot buttons abut and bias the tape reel hubs downwardly when the cassette cover and base are mated. The methods of assembly include the steps of moving the loops against the projections until the corresponding projections are received by the loops and caulking or swaging the projections. The wire reel spring can be removed by merely moving the wire reel spring in the opposite direction.

Wire reel spring/cassette cover combinations and methods for assembly

A short leg and coil of a torsion spring fit on a dust door polar member and a long leg having a first end connected to the coil and a second free end extends therefrom. An offset is formed between the first and second ends of the long leg and is received by a cassette cover and the free end engages a perpendicular projection formed on a dust door latch. In a second embodiment, a lower portion of the latch can flex relative to an upper portion, and a leaf spring is integrally formed to extend from the upper portion. The dust door polar member has a cam which cooperates with the leaf spring. In the first embodiment, when the latch is actuated by a pin the dust door is unlatched and rotated to the open position. When the pin is released, the long leg biases the latch back into a latched position and, simultaneously, the rest of the spring closes the door. In the second embodiment, the pin flexes the lower portion of the latch relative to the upper portion, and the cam loads the leaf spring upon opening the door. Upon release of the pin, the lower portion of the latch flexes back and the door is closed.

Video cassette combined dust door and dust door latch spring

Integrally molded dust door latches for a video cassette. The latch never needs to be preloaded and includes a planar latch body having a flexing member formed integrally therein to impart inherent spring action to the latch. The latch includes two lateral supports and a first and second projections which enter openings formed in the cassette base. The latch is assembled in the cassette such that the latch can flex or deflect via the flexing member when pressure is applied to one of the projections.

Video cassette dust door latch

A storage container for a recording medium and related methods of manufacturing and assembling same are described. The storage container includes: a base; a recording medium holder having a compact disc clamp and being pivotally attached at a first end thereof to a first end of the base and the other end being a free end for movement relative to the base; a cover pivotally attached at a first end thereof to the first end of the base; and an actuator for moving the holder relative to the base. When the cover is lifted relative to the base, the actuator causes the holder to move from the first position to the second position and to automatically present the recording medium away from the base for facilitated removal and replacement. In one embodiment, the clamp can include two portions, one of which is a semicircular portion formed on the holder and the other of which is a raised semicircular portion formed on a tongue pivotally attached to the holder. The tongue is movable relative to the holder such that the raised portion is capable of engaging the compact disc aperture for storage or releasing the aperture for removal of the disc. The methods include at least the steps of: forming a base; forming and pivotally attaching a recording medium holder at a first end thereof to a first end of the base and having its other end free for movement relative to the base; forming and pivotally attaching a cover at a first end thereof to the first end of the base; and forming an actuator to move the holder from the first position to the second position when the cover is raised.

Storage container for a recording medium with a pivotally mounted tongue

A continuous loop tape cassette for use with an external tape player/recorder apparatus, having a cassette base, a cover and a separate tape guide positioned therebetween. The separate tape guide includes an elongated bridge molded of a low friction plastic and having substantially planar top and bottom surfaces, left and right ends with curved, relatively flat, front surfaces which are slightly slanted relative to the substantially planar top and bottom bridge surfaces, and a flange formed integrally of the front top surface of each end. In addition, locating holes are formed at each left and right end to receive corresponding projections formed on the cassette base and to orient the bridge relative to the tape cassette. Finally, there is provided between the left and right ends a leaf spring having a relatively soft, tape contacting member thereon for exerting a uniform pressure on the running tape as it crosses the magnetic head of the external tape player/recorder apparatus. The curved, relatively flat, front surfaces of the left and right ends, together with the flange and tape contacting member define the tape guiding surface of the tape guide.

Growing community of inventors

Biddeford, ME, United States of America

Richard Rolfe