Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Imation Corporation

Viet Nam Tran

Dean E Sitz

Jerry Lee Alexander

Leo W Spychalla

Thiruppathy Srinivasan

Jerome V Gagnier

Kevin N Biffert

A data storage disk cartridge including a shutter assembly with a stress relief mechanism. The disk cartridge includes a housing assembly having an opening for accessing a disk. A molded shutter assembly is operably connected to the housing assembly. The molded shutter assembly is moveable between a closed position across the opening and an open position allowing access to the disk by a disk drive. The molded shutter assembly includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and an endwall extending between the first sidewall and the second sidewall. A first joint is defined by the junction of the first sidewall and the endwall. A stress relief mechanism is positioned at the first joint whereby the first sidewall is maintained substantially parallel to the second sidewall after removal from a molding process die assembly.

Data storage disk cartridge including a shutter assembly with a stress relief mechanism

A prism is provided for deflecting light through the tape information holes in the tape of a data cartridge. The prism includes a substantially hollow main prism body. The inside surface of the angled prism surface is formed in steps, so that light passing into the angled portion passes in the normal direction through a step, is reflected off of the angled surface, and then passes in the normal direction through the adjacent side of the step, or the adjacent side of the next step. In this fashion, minimal plastic material is required for the prism, while light reflection is restricted to only a single surface. An alternative embodiment provides steps on the internal surface of a mirror, instead of a prism.

Prism for a data cartridge

Growing community of inventors

Wahpeton, ND, United States of America

Viet Nam Tran