RECORDING MEDIUM AND APPARATUS FOR HOLDING THE SAME

Abstract

An apparatus for holding a recording medium that contains an engagement member backwards with respect to an insert direction thereof has a main body containing an insert portion through which the recording medium is inserted on one end thereof and an eject portion on the other end thereof. The inserted recording medium are ejected from the eject portion with it being linked with an insert of the recording medium from the insert portion. The apparatus has a first engagement device that engages the engagement member of the recording medium when the recording medium is inserted by a predetermined position to hold the inserted recording medium. The apparatus has a second engagement device that engages the engagement member of the recording medium when the recording medium is ejected from the ejection portion to hold the ejected recording medium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for showing a configuration of a contactless recording medium according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams each for showing a configuration of a power transmission portion shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams each for illustrating a configuration of a signal transmission portion shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3A is a perspective view thereof and FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof taken along the lines IIIB-IIIB shown in FIG. 3A;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are diagrams for illustrating a case where the contactless recording medium is inserted into an apparatus for holding the contactless recording medium according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4A is a front view thereof, FIG. 4B is a plane view thereof, and FIG. 4C is a left side view thereof;

FIGS. 5A through 5E are diagrams for illustrating an insert operation of the contactless recording medium and an exchange operation of the contactless recording media;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams each for illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for holding the contactless recording medium according to further embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6A is a front view thereof and FIG. 6B is a plane view thereof;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus for holding the contactless recording medium shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams each for showing a configuration of a catching device, FIG. 8A is a plane view thereof and FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof taken along the lines VIIIB-VIIIB shown in FIG. 8A;

FIGS. 9A through 9E are diagrams each for illustrating an insert operation of the contactless recording medium;

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are diagrams each for illustrating an exchange operation of the contactless recording media;

FIG. 11 is an exterior view of imaging equipment; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram for showing a configuration of the imaging equipment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for holding a recording medium that contains an engagement member backwards with respect to an insert direction thereof, said apparatus comprising: a main body containing an insert portion through which the recording medium is inserted thereinto on one end thereof and an eject portion therefrom on the other end thereof, the inserted recording medium being ejected from the main body through the eject portion with the inserted recording medium being linked with an insert of a recording medium from the insert portion;a first engagement device that engages the engagement member of the recording medium when the recording medium is inserted by a previously set position to hold the inserted recording medium, said first engagement device being provided in the main body; anda second engagement device that engages the engagement member of the recording medium when the recording medium is ejected from the main body through the ejection portion to hold the ejected recording medium, said second engagement device being provided in the main body on its ejection portion side.

2. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 1 wherein the recording medium that has been inserted is ejected from the main body through the ejection portion of the main body by pushing out the inserted recording medium with insert of a new recording medium into the main body through the insert portion thereof; and wherein the second engagement device engages the engagement member of the recording medium pushed out of the eject portion when the recording medium is inserted by a previously set position in the main body.

3. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 1 further comprising a reader/writer that reads and writes data from and into the recording medium and a pushing member that pushes the recording medium against the reader/writer.

4. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 1 further comprising a reader/writer that reads and writes data from and to the recording medium, wherein the predetermined position includes a position in the main body where the recording medium enables data to be transmitted to the reader/writer.

5. An apparatus for holding a recording medium, said apparatus comprising: a main body;a catching device containing a catching member that catches the recording medium at its end when the recording medium is inserted into the main body by a previously set position thereof; andan urging member that urges the catching device to set the catching member to its first position for catching the recording medium,wherein the catching member has an attaching surface that attaches a forward end of the recording medium when the recording medium is inserted, said attaching surface having a configuration to allow the inserting recording medium to be slid;wherein when the recording medium is inserted and the recording medium is slid on the attaching surface, the catching member is set to its second position for releasing the recording medium from the caught posture thereof by a force against an urge by the urging member; andwherein when the recording medium is inserted into the main body by the previously set position thereof, the recording medium slides and passes through the catching member having the attaching surface to allow the catching member to be reset to its first position by the urging member.

6. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 5 wherein the catching device includes a first arm containing a catching member for catching a rear end of the recording medium at its one end and a jointing member at its other end, and a second arm containing a catching member for catching a forward end of the recording medium at its one end and a jointing member that is jointed to the jointing member provided at the other end of the first arm at its other end; and wherein the jointed first and second arms are swung to allow the catching members of the first and second arms to be set to any one of their first and second positions.

7. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 5 wherein the caching device includes a release-operating mechanism that moves the catching member from the first position thereof to the second position thereof.

8. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 5 further comprising a stopper that stops moving the recording medium toward an urging direction with an urge by the urging member when the recording medium slides on the attaching surface.

9. The apparatus for holding a recording medium according to claim 5 further comprising a reader/writer that reads and writes data from and to the recording medium, wherein the predetermined position includes a position in the main body where the recording medium enables the data to be transmitted to the reader/writer.

10. A recording medium comprising: a case;a storage portion that stores data;a medium control portion that controls the recording medium to read and write the data from and into the storage portion;a signal transmission portion that transmits a signal to communicate;a signal-transmission-processing portion that performs processing to process a signal received by the signal transmission portion and acquire the data to be written into the storage portion and that generates a signal to be transmitted from the signal transmission portion based on the data read out of the storage portion;a power transmission portion that generates power and transmits the power; anda power-supplying portion that supplies the power generated by and received from the power transmission portion,wherein the case contains the storage portion, the control portion, the signal transmission portion, the signal-transmission-processing portion, the power transmission portion, and the power-supplying portion; andwherein the case contains an engagement member that is engaged with the engagement member of an apparatus for holding the recording medium when the recording medium is inserted into the apparatus by a position where the signal transmission portion transmits a signal to communicate and the power transmission portion transmits the power.