IMPROVED REMOVABLE DISK CARTRIDGE

摘要

A removable hard disc memory cartridge (10), for use with a drive mechanism including a spindel (20) located within a drive housing. The drive housing interior is provided with stationary position registration members (23, 23 min ) which cooperates with mating side edge portions of the cartridge (33A, 33B, 33C, 34, 35, 36) to provide positive positioning when the cartridge is inserted into the drive housing. A disc lock (46, 52) carried by the cartridge maintains the internally mounted cartridge disk (14) in a secured locked position when the cartridge is not in use, the lock mechanism cooperating with release posts (21, 22) carried by the drive housing to free the disc (14) for rotation just prior to engagement by the drive spindle (20). The disc has a self centering hub including a spindle referencing member having an aperture for receiving the free end of the spindle, the referencing member including angularly spaced arcuate segments (71, 72) closely matched to the radius of curvature of the drive spindle and providing a lateral abutment for the outer surface of the spindle, the referencing member further including a spindle biasing spring (75) laterally spaced from the arcuate segments (71, 72) and engageable with the outer surface of the spindle (20) for urging the spindle into surface contact with the arcuate segments. The housing includes an end wall with an air exit port (82) laterally displaced from the transducer access port (81) which provides a circumferentially oriented flow exit path for air entering the volume enclosed by the cartridge via the access port when the disc (14) is rotated.