1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flexible magnetic disc cassette, and more particularly to a flexible magnetic disc cassette with a shutter controlling access to the disc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known in the prior art that a flexible magnetic disc, when not in use, can be protected from dust or finger prints by providing a slidable shutter on a floppy disc cassette.
For example, a co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 292,447 filed Aug. 13, 1982, assigned to the same assignee of this application discloses a floppy disc cassette with a manually operable shutter.
In that conventional disc cassette, it has been a common practice that the user first slides the shutter by hand from a closed position to an open position and then inserts the disc cassette into a disc drive apparatus for disc use. After use, he pulls out the disc cassette from the disc drive system and then manually slides the shutter to cover, or close the head access hole.
There has been a strong demand for a system in which, upon the installment of the disc cassette into the disc drive system, the shutter is automatically operated to open the head access hole, and in which the head access hole is automatically closed by means of the shutter when the cassette is pulled out of the drive apparatus.
As a result, there exist two kinds of disc drives; namely, an auto-shutter disc drive and a conventionall manual-shutter disc drive, and two kinds of cassettes are required; namely, a manual-shutter disc cassette and an auto-shutter disc cassette. However, if the problem is raised that while the manual shutter disc cassette can be used in the auto-shutter disc drive, the auto shutter disc cassette could not be used in the manual shutter disc drive apparatus.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds