JP7619608B2 - Lock mechanism with release prevention means, lock plate incorporating the same, and slim case with lock function using the lock plate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism equipped with an anti-release means that houses a storage medium.

Figure 13 shows the shape of a rental case (A) displayed on a display shelf in a rental shop for videos and the like. The rental case (A) is housed in a slightly larger display cover case (B) and is placed with its upper end protruding from the top opening, and a large number of display cover cases (B), (B)... are displayed in an orderly fashion on the display shelf. For simplicity's sake, the "rental case" (A) and the "display cover case" (B) are sometimes referred to as the "inner case" (A) and the "outer case" (B), respectively.

Customers who visit a rental shop can remove the inner case (A) housed in the outer case (B) and rent the item. Inside the inner case (A) are stored disk-shaped storage media (hereinafter simply referred to as "storage media") 1000 such as CDs and DVDs, but to prevent them from being taken out of the rental shop without going through the prescribed procedures, that is, to prevent theft, the case is locked so that it cannot be opened, and a tag sticker is attached to activate an alarm (see Figure 14).

The "rental case for DVDs, etc. with an anti-theft function" in Patent Document 1 is a rental case with an anti-theft function to prevent the theft of DVDs, etc. displayed on the shelves of a rental shop. It can quickly unlock the lock of the rental case that the customer carries to the counter, and can simultaneously unlock multiple cases stacked together. This case is composed of a main case and a lid, and the lid cannot be opened by sliding a lock plate into the lock plate insertion space from the side opening of the case. For this purpose, both clamping pieces of the lock plate are fitted into guide grooves formed in the lid and the main case, and the side edge of the lock plate that incorporates the lock mechanism is provided with a claw that protrudes from the case (see Figure 11). As shown in Figure 11, this lock mechanism is structured such that inside the lock plate 7, a leaf spring 801 that flexes and deforms around its base is provided with a lock claw 801L that engages with the claw engagement part of the main case.

For this reason, the rental case (inner case (A)) according to Patent Document 1 incorporates a locking mechanism including a leaf spring 801, so the lock plate (lock plate 7) is thick, and the rental case (inner case (A)) into which it fits is also thick. As a result, the outer case (B) is inevitably also thick and wide.

Conventionally, the thickness of this outer case (B) was 15 to 15.5 mm, which follows the thickness of the 14 to 15 mm DVD cover cases (commonly known as tall cases or amaray cases) used for sale. Initially, the size of the DVD cover case was preconceived, so the outer case (B) was also adopted to be the same size (thickness) as the DVD cover case for sale. In other words, conventionally, video rental stores were regulated by the number of DVD cases displayed, prefabricated display fixtures, and display methods for securing guideways (Fire Service Act, etc.), and the thickness of the outer case (B) was around 15 mm as mentioned above, and was based only on preconceived notions. And if the number of displays was to be increased, it was impossible to do so without enlarging the store and reducing the number of merchandise other than rental DVDs.

However, as video rental stores became more widespread, DVD media became more diverse and customer demands increased, leading to the following basic specifications: (1) to store DVD discs, (2) to have an anti-theft mechanism, (3) to insert the inner case (A) into the outer case (B), (4) to display the title paper on the surface of the outer case (B), (5) to keep the width of the outer case (B) to about the same as the existing outer case (B) so as not to exceed the display depth of the shelves of the display fixture, and (6) to not exceed the load capacity of the display fixture. And by adhering to these basic specifications and optimizing them, it became possible to develop new outer cases (B) and inner cases (A) without being limited to a thickness of 15 mm.

As a result of trial and error in making the outer case (B) thinner, the outer case (B) is at its thinnest at 11 mm, but if it is less than 12 mm thick, the title paper cannot be inserted, and even if it is inserted, the thickness is so narrow that the spine of the title paper is difficult to see. In addition, if it is 11 mm thick, the number of exhibits that can be placed on the shelves of the display fixture will be too large, exceeding the load capacity of the display fixture. Furthermore, like the storage case in Patent Document 2 (see Figures 8 (a) and (b)), in order to have a configuration in which recording media can be stored in both the main body and the lid, the outer case (B) needs to be 12 mm thick or more, but in this case, the inner case (A) needs to be less than 8 mm thick.

However, because the conventional lock plate using a leaf spring is 7 mm thick, it cannot be used with an inner case (a) that is less than 8 mm thick, and so it became necessary to change the design of the configuration and structure of the lock plate. Furthermore, a lock plate that can be used with an inner case (a) that is less than 8 mm thick must be 5 mm thick or less.

On the other hand, in order to prevent the storage medium 1000 from being stolen by a long magnet (hereinafter referred to as an "unauthorized release magnet") prepared for theft, the invention of Patent Document 3 discloses a "storage case for disk-shaped recording media with a locking function, which includes a seesaw member with a metal piece to restrict the movement of the arm, and therefore the lock is prevented from being released by the unauthorised release magnet (long magnet), and also includes a pendulum member to prevent the lock from being released even when an impact is applied" (see Figure 12). Since the invention of Patent Document 3 was not aimed at making the inner case (A) thinner, the thickness of the seesaw member with the metal piece inserted was about 4.7 mm, and the thickness of the lock plate with the built-in locking mechanism was 7.7 mm. Therefore, the lock plate with the built-in locking mechanism of Patent Document 3 was not configured to be used with an inner case (A) with a thickness of less than 8 mm. In the following, the structure in which the seesaw member 90 acts on the two arms 80 at both ends as shown in FIG. 12 will be referred to as a "seesaw structure," and the configuration of the locking mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 3, for example, will be referred to as a "locking mechanism with a seesaw structure."

The invention of Patent Document 4 also provides a locking mechanism that is unlocked by an unauthorized release magnet (long magnet) to prevent theft of the stored storage medium 1000, and employs a locking mechanism with a seesaw structure that is almost identical to the locking mechanism of Patent Document 3 (see FIG. 12).

Figure 12 above shows a schematic diagram of the seesaw locking mechanism according to Patent Document 3 or Patent Document 4. Figure 12(a) shows the locked state of the seesaw locking mechanism. When two properly manufactured magnets (hereinafter also referred to as "unlocking magnets") spaced at a fixed distance apart for unlocking are brought into contact with the lock plate, the locking mechanism is unlocked as shown in Figure 12(b). However, when a long magnet (unauthorized unlocking magnet) used for theft is brought into contact with the lock plate, the seesaw member is attracted to the magnets as shown in Figure 12(c), and the seesaw locking mechanism is not unlocked.

In addition, as described in claims 5 and 6 of Patent Document 3, the seesaw member 90 and the arm 80 may be made of metal, if the seesaw member 90 and the arm 80 in FIG. 12 are made of a metal that is advantageous for making the inner case (A) thinner, it is possible to make the thickness of the lock plate 5 mm or less.

However, when a seesaw-structured locking mechanism according to Patent Document 4 was created using metal seesaw members and arms, it was found that even when a valid release magnet was brought into contact with the lock plate, an error could occur in which the seesaw member was attracted to the magnet and the locking mechanism was not released, as shown in Figure 12 (d).

Publication No. 2002-150444 Publication No. 2004-250075 Publication No. 2006-51954 Publication No. 2007-284102

In light of the above, in order to increase the number of books that can be displayed, the inventors worked on making the locking inner case thinner, and created an inner case with a locking function that is less than 8 mm thick and has a locking plate that is 5 mm thick or less. However, the vulnerability of the locking mechanism as described above became apparent, and it became necessary to improve the seesaw-structured locking mechanism.

The present invention provides a locking mechanism that can be built into a locking plate that is 3 to 5 mm thick, and that can be unlocked normally when a valid unlocking magnet is brought into contact with the locking plate, while also being equipped with an unlocking prevention means that prevents the lock from being released by an unauthorized unlocking magnet (long magnet). Then, by using this locking plate, an inner case with a locking function that is less than 8 mm thick is provided.

The lock mechanism with release prevention means according to the present invention comprises a main body and a cover, each of which has a rectangular base surface with four sides and four side walls erected from the base surface at the four sides, which are connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by a connecting portion provided on the adjacent side walls, and on the base surfaces of the main body and the cover, a lock plate accommodating area LR having a hollow fitting portion through which a lock plate having a lock mechanism with a lock claw can pass, and a disk-shaped storage medium accommodating area DR (hereinafter also referred to as "storage medium accommodating area DR") capable of accommodating a disk-shaped storage medium (hereinafter also referred to as "storage medium") are formed adjacent to each other. The cover is attached to the main body around the connecting portion as an axis. a locking plate accommodating region LR of the lid and main body forms a locking plate accommodating space LS (hereinafter also referred to as "accommodating space LS") having a plurality of claw engagement portions for engaging the locking claws when the lid and main body are fully closed (hereinafter also referred to as "closed state"), and the locking plate can be slid and fitted into the accommodation space LS from an opening portion that leads to the accommodation space LS, so that the locking plate penetrates the hollow fitting portions of the lid and main body to lock the lid and main body, and the locking claws are engaged with the plurality of claw engagement portions to lock the locking plate in the accommodation space LS,
The locking mechanism is built into an insertion plate that constitutes a lock plate having a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm, elastically supported in a cantilever manner inside the insertion plate, and has a locking claw at its tip that can be engaged with the claw engagement portion, and is made of a thin plate-shaped magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and an unlocking prevention means that is provided in the vicinity of at least one specific arm among the one or more arms and is capable of preventing the unlocking of the specific arm, and when a release magnet is appropriately abutted against the side wall facing the connecting portion, the arm is attracted by the magnetic force of the release magnet, and the locking claw that was engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions is released, and when an unauthorized release magnet different from the release magnet is abutted against the side wall, the unlocking prevention means can prevent the unlocking of the specific arm.

In the lock mechanism having release prevention means according to the present invention, the lock mechanism is incorporated in a lock mechanism-containing space LMS surrounded by a lock surface constituting an insertion plate constituting a lock plate having a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm, a base surface facing the lock surface, and side surfaces (longitudinal side surface, short side surface) connecting the two surfaces, and is elastically supported in a cantilever manner in the lock mechanism-containing space LMS, has a lock claw at its tip that can be engaged with the claw engagement portion, and is provided with one or more arms made of a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and is configured to insert the lock plate into the accommodation space LS from the opening in the closed state. a locking mechanism in which, in an engaged and locked state, each lock claw of the one or more arms protrudes from the lock surface and is respectively engaged with a plurality of claw engagement portions formed in the storage space LS, and when a release magnet is brought into contact with a side wall opposite the connecting portion, a magnetic force of a magnet contained in the release magnet is applied to the one or more arms, thereby attracting the tip of the one or more arms to the magnet against an elastic force, thereby releasing each lock claw from the claw engagement portion provided on a lock wall that is erected between the storage medium storage area DR on the main body base surface and the lock plate storage area LR ,
The lock is provided with an unlocking prevention means that is provided adjacent to at least one specific arm among the one or more arms and is capable of preventing the unlocking of the specific arm, and when an tamper-evoking magnet is abutted against the side wall, the unlocking of the specific arm can be prevented.

In the lock mechanism having release prevention means according to the present invention, the lock release prevention means is a magnetic lever having a short arm and a long arm formed of a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm and journaled within the lock mechanism built-in space LMS, the short arm is disposed so that the tip of the short arm is located closer to the base surface than the tip of the specific arm, and when the long arm is attracted to the magnet by the magnetic force of an unauthorized release magnet placed against the side wall, the short arm obstructs movement of the specific arm, thereby preventing the specific arm from being unlocked,
The releasing magnet is characterized in that it is arranged at a position separated from an arm different from a specific arm arranged on the long arm side to such an extent that the long arm of the magnetic lever is not attracted to the releasing magnet when the releasing magnet is appropriately abutted against the side wall.

In the lock mechanism with release prevention means according to the present invention, the arm and the magnetic lever are both made of a magnetizable thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

In the lock mechanism having the release prevention means according to the present invention, the arm and the magnetic lever may be made of stainless steel.

The locking mechanism with release prevention means according to the present invention is configured such that the arm and the magnetic lever are made of a thin magnetic plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and the locking plate incorporating the locking mechanism with the arm and the magnetic lever has a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm, making it possible to fit the locking plate into a thin case with a locking function that is 5 mm or more but less than 8 mm thick.

The lock plate according to the present invention is substantially L-shaped and includes a base plate on the surface of which a tag seal can be attached, and the insertion plate extending perpendicularly from an end of the base plate.
The insertion plate has a locking mechanism-containing space LMS therein, the space being surrounded by a locking surface from which the locking claw can protrude, a base surface facing the locking surface, and side surfaces (longitudinal side surface and lateral side surface) connecting the two surfaces, and the locking mechanism-containing space LMS contains a locking mechanism having the above-mentioned release prevention means,
The arm and the magnetic lever constituting the locking mechanism are formed from a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, so that the thickness is 3 mm to 4 mm.

The slim case with locking function according to the present invention has a main body and a cover each having a rectangular base surface with four sides and four side walls erected from the base surface on the four sides, the main body and the cover each being connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by a connecting portion provided on the adjacent side walls, and the base surfaces of the main body and the cover each have a lock plate accommodating area LR and a storage medium accommodating area DR, each having a hollow fitting portion through which a lock plate having a built-in locking mechanism with a lock claw can pass, which are formed adjacent to each other so as not to overlap, and the lock plate accommodating area LR of the main body has a guide groove provided on the side of the side opposite the connecting portion and a corner adjacent thereto cut away. a lock plate accommodating space LS formed by the lock plate accommodating space LR of the lid body in a closed state and a base plate accommodating space LS formed by the lock plate accommodating space LR of the lid body and the main body in a closed state, the lock plate accommodating space LS having a thickness of 3 mm to 4 mm as described above, the lock plate accommodating space LS being formed by the lock plate accommodating space LR of the lid body and the main body in a closed state, the lock plate accommodating space LS being formed by the lock plate accommodating space LR of the lid body and the main body in a closed state,
The insertion plate is inserted into the lock plate accommodating space LS by sliding it along the guide groove from the opening of the base plate accommodating section engaged with the notch in a closed state, with its locking surface abutting the lock wall and its base surface abutting the side wall, and the base plate is engaged with the notch to form a locked state, penetrating the hollow engaging portions of the lid body and the main body to lock the lid body and the main body, and the locking claws are engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions to lock the lock plate in the accommodating space LS.This is a thin case with a locking function having a thickness of 5 mm to 6.5 mm.

The lock plate according to the present invention has a lid body side surface and a main body side surface, and incorporates a lock mechanism-containing space LMS surrounded by a lock surface from which the lock claw can protrude, a base surface opposing the lock surface, and side surfaces (longitudinal side surface, short side surface) connecting the two surfaces, and is composed of the insertion plate having a base end and a tip, a gripping plate extending from the base end of the insertion plate at a right angle to the insertion plate, and a thin plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm and capable of having a tag seal affixed to its lid body side surface, which is approximately flush with the lid body side surface of the insertion plate in a plan view from the lid body side, extends in a direction perpendicular to the insertion plate , covering the lock mechanism-containing space LMS so that the lock claw can protrude from the lock surface, and forms a plane stretched between the two plates, the thin plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm and capable of having a tag seal affixed to its lid body side surface,
The arm and the magnetic lever constituting the locking mechanism are formed from a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, so that the thickness is 3.5 mm to 5 mm.

The lock plate of the present invention may be provided with a fitting rod extending perpendicular to the insertion plate, approximately flush with the cover side surface of the insertion plate , from near the short side surface at the tip side surrounding the lock mechanism-integrated space LMS incorporated in the insertion plate , and protruding parallel to the insertion plate from the tip edge of the thin plate.

The slim case with locking function according to the present invention comprises a main body and a cover, each of which has a rectangular base surface with four sides and four side walls erected from the base surface at the four sides, which are connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by connecting parts provided on adjacent side walls, and a lock plate accommodating area LR and a storage medium accommodating area DR, each of which is formed adjacent to and partially overlaps each other on the base surface of the main body and the cover, and each of which has a hollow fitting part through which a lock plate having a built-in locking mechanism with a locking claw can pass, and the lock plate accommodating area LR of the main body has a guide groove provided on the side opposite the connecting parts, and the guide groove extends from the base surface. a lock plate accommodating area LR of the lid is formed by eroding a part of the storage medium accommodating area DR so as to face a guide groove of the main body and a thin plate of the lock plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm in a closed state, and has an opening into which a gripping plate of the lock plate fits, and the lock plate accommodating area LR of the lid is formed by eroding a part of the storage medium accommodating area DR so as to face a guide groove of the main body and a thin plate of the lock plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm in a closed state ... has an opening into which a gripping plate of the lock plate fits,
The insertion plate, in a closed state, is inserted into the guide groove by sliding it from the opening with its locking surface abutting the lock wall and its base surface abutting the side wall, and the gripping plate is fitted into the opening to form a locked state, and a fitting rod protruding parallel to the insertion plate from the edge of the tip side of the insertion plate or the thin plate penetrates the hollow fitting portion of the lid body and the main body to lock the lid body and the main body, and the locking claws are engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions to lock the lock plate in the storage space LS, which can be a thin case with a locking function having a thickness of 5.5 mm or more and less than 8 mm.

The slim case with a locking function according to the present invention is the slim case with a locking function for accommodating a disk-shaped storage medium, wherein a receiving pedestal having a mounting surface on which the central portion of a disk-shaped storage medium rests is provided at the center of the base surface of the main body, and another receiving pedestal having a mounting surface on which the central portion of a disk-shaped storage medium rests is similarly provided at the center of the base surface of the lid, both receiving pedestals being oriented perpendicular to each other, two slit grooves are formed at the center of the mounting surfaces of both receiving pedestals at a predetermined distance apart, engaging protrusions are protruded in pairs from the tips of both elastic arm-shaped pedestals formed by being sandwiched between both slit grooves, and engaging claws which bend independently of both elastic arm-shaped pedestals are provided in pairs with the engaging protrusions,
The tip of the engaging claw is projected from the upper surface of the engaging protrusion so that when the lid is closed, the tip of the engaging claw is engaged with the side surface of the engaging protrusion on the opposing side.

In the thin case with locking function of the present invention, when the release magnet is appropriately abutted against the side wall, the arm is attracted by the magnetic force of the release magnet, and the locking claw that was engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions is released, and when the tamper-release magnet is abutted against the side wall, the unlocking prevention means can prevent the unlocking of the particular arm.

The locking mechanism according to the present invention is built into the locking mechanism built-in space LMS of the locking plate that fits into the thin case with a thickness of 5 mm or more and less than 8 mm according to the present invention, and has one or more arms that have a locking claw at the tip and are elastically supported in a cantilever style, and an unlocking prevention means (magnetic lever), and has the following effects:

That is, the locking mechanism according to the present invention is
(1) When the lock plate is inserted into the storage space LS from the opening of the thin case in the closed state, the lock claws of one or more arms protrude from the lock surface and obtain a locked state in which they are each engaged with a plurality of claw engagement portions formed in the storage space LS.
(2) When the release magnet is brought into contact with the side wall of the thin case (the base surface side of the locking mechanism-embedded space LMS), the magnetic force of the magnet contained in the release magnet is applied to one or more arms, thereby attracting the tips of the one or more arms to the magnet against the elastic force, and releasing each of the locking claws from the claw engagement portion provided on the locking wall.
(3) An unlocking prevention means (magnetic lever) is provided adjacent to at least one specific arm among one or more arms and is capable of preventing the specific arm from being unlocked. When an unauthorized unlocking magnet (long magnet) is abutted against the side wall of the thin case (the base surface side of the locking mechanism built-in space LMS), the specific arm can be prevented from being unlocked.

In this type of locking mechanism with release prevention means according to the present invention, the arm and/or the lock release prevention means (magnetic lever) are made of a thin magnetic material with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, so the thickness of the lock plate with the built-in locking mechanism can be set to 3 mm to 5 mm, allowing the thickness of the sidewall of the slim case with locking function to be 5 mm or more and less than 8 mm.

The lock plate of the present invention incorporates the lock mechanism of the present invention, and can be configured to have a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm. A tag seal is attached to this lock plate, and if the slim case is taken out of the store without removing the lock plate, the tag seal attached to the lock plate will react to the alarm device.

The slim case with locking function of the present invention can be made thin at 5mm to 6.5mm by preventing the inserted lock plate from overlapping the disk-shaped storage medium storage area DR that stores disk-shaped storage media such as DVDs and the lock plate storage area LR into which the lock plate fits, and theft can be prevented by the lock plate of the present invention, which is 3mm to 4mm thick. Furthermore, without changing this thickness, a receiving pedestal for storing disk-shaped storage media can be provided on the base surface of the main body and the lid, making it possible to store two disk-shaped storage media.

In addition, when using a lock plate with a low-cost, large-sized tag sticker affixed, the disk-shaped storage medium storage area DR and the lock plate storage area LR can be configured to partially overlap, but even in this case, it is possible to provide a thin case with a locking function that is 6.5 mm to 8 mm thick and can fit the lock plate of the present invention, which is 3.5 mm to 5 mm thick.

As described above, the slim case with locking function of the present invention has a sidewall thickness of less than 8 mm, making it possible to store it in a display cover case with a thickness of 12 mm to 12.5 mm, allowing more display cover cases to be stored on a display shelf.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a lock plate according to the present invention. 1A is a schematic front view of a locked state of a lock mechanism having an unlocking prevention means according to the present invention, in which there is one arm; FIG. 1B is a schematic front view of an unlocked state; and FIG. 1C is a schematic front view of an unlocking prevention state by a long magnet. FIG. 2 is a front view of a slim case having a lock mechanism with release prevention means according to the present invention in an open state. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a locked state of a thin case (closed state) equipped with a lock mechanism having an release prevention means according to the present invention. 1A is a schematic front view of a locked state of a lock mechanism having an unlocking prevention means according to an embodiment, in which the locking mechanism has two arms; FIG. 1B is a schematic front view of an unlocked state; and FIG. 1C is a schematic front view of an unlocking prevention state by a long magnet. FIG. 2 is a front view of a slim case having a lock mechanism including an release prevention means according to the embodiment, in an open state. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a locked state of a thin case (closed state) having a lock mechanism including an release prevention means according to the embodiment. 1 is a front view of a thin case having a lock mechanism with an release prevention means according to an embodiment, in an open state, in which receiving bases are provided on both the main body and the lid. FIG. A schematic front view showing the positional relationship between the receiving base of the main body and the receiving base of the lid when receiving bases are provided on both the main body and the lid of a thin case equipped with a locking mechanism equipped with an release prevention means in the embodiment. 1A is a front view of a lock plate according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a front view of a lock plate according to another embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of a slim case having a lock mechanism including an release prevention means according to the embodiment, in an open state. FIG. 13 is a front view of the slim case (a) in an open state, with a storage medium housed in the main body and the lid of the slim case having a lock mechanism with release prevention means according to the embodiment; 1A is a schematic front view of a conventional locking mechanism having one metal arm made of a leaf spring, (b) a schematic front view of an unlocked state, and (c) a schematic front view of an unlocked state using a long magnet. 1A is a schematic front view of a locked state of a locking mechanism having a conventional seesaw structure; FIG. 1B is a schematic front view of an unlocked state; FIG. 1C is a schematic front view of a state in which unlocking is prevented by a long magnet; and FIG. 1D is a schematic front view of an unlocking error state. 1 is a perspective view of the outer surface of a display case in which disk cases containing disk-shaped storage media such as DVDs and CDs are stored with their upper ends protruding. 1 is a perspective view of a lock plate according to the present invention and a thin case with a lock function in a half-open state.

(1) Locking mechanism with release prevention means Hereinafter, an embodiment and examples of a locking mechanism with release prevention means according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals will be used for the same components throughout the drawings.

(Thin case with lock function)
The lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention is built into the insertion plate 73 of the lock plate 7 having a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm, as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the lock mechanism 8 can be used in a thin case 1 with a lock function having a thickness of 5 mm to less than 8 mm, in which a main body 2 and a cover 3 each have a rectangular base surface (2B, 3B) with four sides and four side walls ((2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d)) erected from the base surface (2B, 3B) on the four sides, and are openably and closably connected to each other by a connecting portion 1R provided on the adjacent side walls (2d, 3d).

A lock plate housing area LR and a disk-shaped storage medium housing area DR (hereinafter also referred to as the "storage medium housing area DR") are formed adjacent to each other on the respective base surfaces (2B, 3B) of the main body 2 and the cover body 3 of the slim case 1 with locking function. The lock plate housing area (2LR, 3LR) of each base surface (2B, 3B) has a hollow fitting portion (205, 305) through which a lock plate 7 incorporating a lock mechanism 8 with a lock claw 80L can pass (see FIG. 4). The storage medium housing area DR can house a disk-shaped storage medium (hereinafter also referred to as the "storage medium") 1000.

In this slim case 1 with locking function, as shown in FIG. 4, when the lid 3 is closed on the main body 2 around the connecting portion 1R (hereinafter also referred to as the "closed state"), the lock plate housing area (2LR, 3LR) of the lid 3 and the main body 2 forms a lock plate housing space LS (hereinafter also referred to as the "housing space LS") having a plurality of claw engagement portions 201 that engage the lock claws 80L. Then, the lock plate 7 (see FIG. 1) incorporating the lock mechanism 8 is slid into the housing space LS from the opening 1H that leads to the housing space LS, whereby the lock plate 7 penetrates the hollow fitting portions (205, 305) of the lid 3 and the main body 2 to lock the lid 3 and the main body 2. At the same time, the lock claws 80L are engaged with the plurality of claw engagement portions 201, and the lock plate 7 can be locked in the housing space LS (see FIG. 4).

(Locking mechanism)
The lock mechanism 8 is built in an insertion plate 73 constituting a lock plate 7 having a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm, as shown in FIG. 1. The insertion plate 73 has a lock mechanism built-in space LMS surrounded by a lock surface 73L from which a lock claw 80L can protrude, a base surface 73B facing the lock surface 73L, and side surfaces 73 (long side surfaces 73Sl and short side surfaces 73St) connecting the lock surface 73L and the side surfaces 73Sl and short side surfaces 73St) connecting the lock surface 73L and the lock mechanism 8 is built in the lock mechanism built-in space LMS. In FIG. 1, the lock plate 7 is composed of the insertion plate 73 and a base plate 71 provided as a clamping piece at the base of the insertion plate 73. The base plate 71 can be gripped to insert the insertion plate 73 from the opening 1H and fit it into the accommodation space LS. The stopper piece 72 attached to the base plate 71 is attached to lock a release magnet 100 described later (see FIG. 2B).

The locking mechanism 8 built into such an insertion plate 73 is elastically supported in a cantilever fashion inside the insertion plate 73, as shown in Figure 1, Figure 2(a) or Figure 5(a), has a locking claw 80L at its tip that can be engaged with multiple claw engagement portions 201, and has one or more arms 80 made of a thin magnetic material. Figure 1 or Figures 2(a) to (c) show the locking mechanism 8 when there is one arm 80, and Figures 5(a) to (c) show the locking mechanism 8 when there are two arms 80.

For ease of explanation, the lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention in the case where there is one arm 80 will be explained below with reference to Figure 1 or Figures 2(a) to (c).

(arm)
The arm 80 is made of a magnetizable magnetic material, and is magnetized when a magnet is brought close to the arm 80, so that the arm 80 constituting the locking mechanism 8 according to the present invention is formed by hollowing out a thin magnetic material having a thickness of, for example, 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and can be built into the insertion plate 73 having a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm.

Stainless steel, for example, is a suitable material for the arm 80, which is made of such a magnetizable magnetic body. In the locking mechanism 8 according to the present invention, the arm 80 is formed to a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, so even when magnetized, the magnetic force is weak, but if a magnet with a magnetic flux density of close to 1 T is prepared, it can be sufficiently attracted to the magnet.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), when the release magnet 100, which has a magnet 101 with sufficient magnetic flux density arranged in an appropriate position, is brought into proper contact with the side walls 2a and 3a (see FIG. 4), the arm 80 is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet 101, and the lock claw 80L that was engaged with the claw engagement portion 201 is released. As a result, the lock plate 7 can be pulled out of the storage space LS, and the closed slim case 1 with locking function can be opened to remove the storage medium 1000 contained therein.

(magnet)
Here, the above-mentioned release magnet 100 is a magnet created by the manufacturer of the locking mechanism 8 or the slim case 1 with a locking function in order to release the lock provided by the above-mentioned locking mechanism 8. The release magnet 100 has a magnet 101 disposed at an appropriate position where the arm 80 is attracted by its magnetic force when the release magnet 100 is appropriately brought into contact with the side walls 2a, 3a, and can release the lock provided by the locking mechanism 8 as shown in Fig. 2(b). On the other hand, the unauthorized release magnet 110 is a long magnet as shown in Fig. 2(c), for example, and is a magnet prepared by a person who wishes to unauthorizedly release the lock on the slim case 1 with a locking function.

(Unlocking Prevention Means)
Next, the unlocking prevention function of the locking mechanism 8 according to the present invention will be described. As shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2(a), the locking mechanism 8 according to the present invention includes an unlocking prevention means 85 that is provided adjacent to at least one specific arm 80 among one or more arms 80 and can prevent unlocking of the specific arm 80. Since there is only one arm 80 in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2(a), the one arm 80 shown in the figure is the specific arm 80.

(Magnetic lever)
Such unlocking prevention means 85 is, for example, a magnetic lever 86 shown in Fig. 1, in which a short arm 86b and a long arm 86a made of a thin magnetic plate are pivotally supported inside the locking mechanism built-in space LMS. The magnetic lever 86 is desirably made of a magnetizable thin magnetic plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, like the arm 80. The tip of the short arm 86b is disposed closer to the base surface 73B than the tip of the specific arm 80 (see Fig. 1). When the long arm 86a is attracted to the magnet 100 by the magnetic force of the tamper-release magnet 110 placed against the side walls 2a, 3a (the base surface 73B side), the short arm 86b inhibits the movement of the specific arm 80, thereby preventing the specific arm 80 from being unlocked (see Fig. 2(c)).

(Operation of the locking mechanism)
In other words, when an unauthorized release magnet (long magnet) 110 is placed against side walls 2a, 3a (base surface 73B side), the magnetic lever 86 (lock release prevention means 85) has a long arm 86a that is attracted to the long magnet 110 as shown in Figure 2 (c), and the short arm 86b obstructs the movement of the tip (lock claw 80L) of a specific arm 80, thereby preventing the lock of the specific arm 80 from being released.

As described above, in the lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention, the arm 80 and/or the lock release prevention means 85 (magnetic lever 86) are made of a magnetizable magnetic material such as stainless steel. If the arm 80 and/or the lock release prevention means 85 (magnetic lever 86) are made of a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, the thickness of the lock plate 7 incorporating the lock mechanism 8 having the arm 80 and/or the magnetic lever 86 can be set to 3 mm to 5 mm, so that the thickness in the sidewall direction of the slim case 1 with locking function can be set to 5 mm or more and less than 8 mm.

The functions of the lock mechanism 8 described above can be summarized as follows. That is, the lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention has the following functions:
(1) When the lock plate 7 is inserted into the storage space LS from the opening 1H in the closed state, the lock claws 80L of one or more arms 80 protrude from the lock surface 73L, thereby obtaining a locked state in which they are each engaged with a plurality of claw engagement portions formed in the storage space LS.
(2) When the release magnet 100 is abutted against the side walls 2a, 3a (the base surface 73B side of the locking mechanism-embedded space LMS), the magnetic force of the magnet 101 contained in the release magnet 100 is applied to one or more arms 80, thereby attracting the tips of the one or more arms 80 to the magnet 101 against the elastic force, and releasing each of the locking claws 80L from the claw engagement portion 201 provided on the locking wall 2L.
(3) An unlocking prevention means 85 (magnetic lever 86) is provided adjacent to at least one specific arm 80 among the one or more arms 80, and is capable of preventing the unlocking of the specific arm. When an unauthorized unlocking magnet (long magnet) 110 is abutted against the side walls 2a, 3a, the unlocking of the specific arm 80 can be prevented.

(2) Examples

Furthermore, the lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention will be described using examples, together with the lock plate 7 that incorporates it, and the slim case 1 with locking function that uses this lock plate 7.

In Example 1, as shown in Figures 5(a) to (c), the lock plate 7 is generally L-shaped and 3 to 5 mm thick, and is composed of a base plate 71 to which a tag seal can be attached, and an insertion plate 73 extending at a right angle from the end of the base plate 71. The insertion plate 73 has a locking mechanism built-in space LMS inside, surrounded by a locking surface 73L from which the locking claw 80L can protrude, a base surface 73B facing the locking surface 73L, and side surfaces 73 (longer side surfaces 73Sl and shorter side surfaces 73St) connecting the two surfaces.

The lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the first embodiment is built into the lock mechanism built-in space LMS and is composed of two arms 80 and a magnetic lever 86 (lock release prevention means 85). As described above, the two arms 80 and the magnetic lever 86 are made of a thin plate-like magnetic material such as stainless steel having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

(Unlocking and unlocking prevention mechanisms)
The lock mechanism 8 having the unlocking prevention means according to the first embodiment has two arms 80 as described above, but the arm 80 on the right side in Figures 5(a) to 5(c) is the specific arm 80, and a magnetic lever 86 (unlocking prevention means 85) capable of preventing its unlocking is disposed adjacent to it. That is, the magnetic lever 86, which is composed of a short arm 86b and a long arm 86a formed from a thin plate-like magnetic material, is journaled inside the locking mechanism built-in space LMS, and is disposed so that the tip of the short arm 86b is located closer to the base surface 73B than the tip of the specific arm 80. The mechanism for unlocking and unlocking prevention in the lock mechanism 8 according to the first embodiment is as described above, and the details thereof will be described again later.

(Thin case with lock function)
A locking thin case 1 into which the locking mechanism 8 according to the first embodiment is fitted will be described. In the locking thin case 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the lock plate accommodation area LR (2LR, 3LR) and the storage medium accommodation area DR (2DR, 3DR) are formed adjacent to each other on the rectangular base surfaces 2B, 3B of the main body 2 and the cover 3, similar to the locking thin case 1 shown in FIG. 3, so as not to overlap each other. Since the lock plate accommodation area LR and the storage medium accommodation area DR are separated without overlapping in the thickness direction of the locking thin case 1, these thin cases 1 can be thinned to a thickness of about 5 mm to 6.5 mm. However, in order to obtain such an ultra-thin case 1, the arm 80 and the magnetic lever 86 are formed from a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, the lock plate 7 is also formed to a minimum thickness of about 3 mm to 4 mm, and the plastic material forming the thin case 1 must be as thin as possible while maintaining strength.

The lock plate housing area 2LR of the main body 2 is composed of a guide groove 2G provided on the side (2a) facing the connecting portion 1R and a notch 22 cut out at the adjacent corner, as shown in FIG. 6. This guide groove 2G is composed of a side wall 2a erected from the base surface 2B, and a lock wall 2L erected parallel to the side wall 2a from the base surface 2B, with multiple claw engagement portions 201 provided on the side wall 2a.

The lock plate storage area 3LR of the lid 3 is composed of a guide lid 3G, which is provided in a position facing the guide groove 2G and the notch 22 of the main body 2 in the closed state, and a base plate storage section 32 having an opening 1H in the side wall 3b of the edge adjacent to the edge (2a) facing the connecting section 1R. The guide groove 2G and guide lid 3G of the main body 2 and the lid 3 respectively have one or more hollow fitting sections (205, 305) (205a, 205b, 305a, 305b) through which the insertion plate 73 incorporating the lock mechanism 8 can pass.

(Locked state)
In a closed state where the lid 3 is closed on the main body 2 around the connecting portion 1R as an axis, the lock plate 7 is fitted into the opening 1H to lock the slim case 1 with a locking function as shown in Fig. 7. That is, in the closed state, the insertion plate 73 of the lock plate 7 is inserted into the lock plate accommodating space LS formed by the lock plate accommodating region LR (2LR, 3LR) of the main body 2 and the lid 3 by sliding it along the guide groove 2G from the opening 1H of the base plate accommodating portion 32 fitted into the notch portion 22 while abutting its lock surface 73L against the lock wall 2L and its base surface 73B against the side wall 2a (see Fig. 6).

Then, the insertion plate 73 is slid into the guide groove 2G, and the base plate 71 of the lock plate 7 is fitted into the notch 22, thereby locking the lid 3 and the main body 2. In this locked state, the insertion plate 73 penetrates the hollow fitting portions (205, 305) provided in the guide groove 2G and the guide lid 3G, respectively, and engages with the main body 2 to lock the lid 3 in place.

That is, in the locked state where the lock plate 7 is inserted through the opening 1H in the closed state, the insertion plate 73 first penetrates the hollow fitting portion (205, 305), thereby locking the lid 3 and the main body 2 so that they do not open. In addition, the lock claws 80L of the two arms 80 elastically supported in a cantilever manner inside the lock mechanism built-in space LMS protrude from the lock surface 73L and are respectively engaged with the claw engagement portions 201 of the lock wall 2L erected on the base surface 2B, thereby locking the lock plate 7 so that it does not come out of the lock plate storage space LS (see FIG. 5(a)).

(Unlocked)
In this locked state, the locking mechanism 8 can release each of the locking claws 80L from the claw engagement portion 201 provided on the locking wall 2L by applying the release magnet 100 to the side walls 2a, 3a and applying the magnetic force of the magnet 101 contained in the release magnet 100 to one or more arms 80, thereby attracting the tips of the one or more arms 80 to the magnet 101 against the elastic force (see Figure 5 (b)).

(Unlock prevention)
However, a magnetic lever 86 (unlock prevention means 85) is provided adjacent to the specific right-hand arm 80 of the two arms 80, which can prevent the specific arm 80 from being unlocked when an unauthorized unlocking magnet (long magnet) 110 different from the unlocking magnet 100 is applied to the side walls 2a, 3a (see Figure 5 (c)).

As described above, the lock mechanism 8 with the unlocking prevention means according to the first embodiment has two arms 80 and a magnetic lever 86 (unlocking prevention means 85) as described above, and therefore cannot be unlocked without using an unlocking magnet 100 with two magnets 101 embedded at an appropriate distance as shown in FIG. 5(b), which is safer than using an unlocking magnet 100 with a single magnet 101 (see FIG. 2(b)).

In addition, in the slim case 1 according to the first embodiment, the lock plate housing area LR (2LR, 3LR) and the storage medium housing area DR (2DR, 3DR) are formed adjacent to each other so as not to overlap each other on the rectangular base surfaces 2B, 3B of the main body 2 and the lid 3, respectively, so that these areas can be separated without overlapping in the thickness direction. By forming the arm 80 and the magnetic lever 86 from a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm and forming the lock plate 7 to a thickness of about 3 mm to 4 mm, the slim case 1 according to the first embodiment can be thinned to a thickness of about 5 mm to 6.5 mm.

The slim case 1 with a locking function according to the second embodiment is shown in Figures 8(a) and (b). The slim case 1 according to the second embodiment has receiving bases (4, 5) on both the main body 2 and the lid 3, and can house a storage medium 1000 in each of them, but the other structures can be configured in the same way as the slim case 1 with a locking function according to the present invention, including the first embodiment and the third embodiment described below. In other words, a lock plate 7 with a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm and equipped with a lock mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention can be inserted, and a thickness of 5 mm or more and less than 8 mm can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), the slim case 1 with locking function according to the second embodiment has receiving pedestals 4, 5 at the center of the base surface 2B of the main body 2 and at the center of the base surface 3B of the lid 3, each of which has a mounting surface on which the center of the storage medium 1000 is placed. The receiving pedestals 4, 5 are oriented perpendicular to each other, and when the main body 2 and the lid 3 are closed, different storage media 1000 can be stacked and stored on the receiving pedestals 4, 5 as shown in FIG. 8(b). Therefore, since the receiving pedestals 4, 5 are stacked in this closed state, it is more preferable that the slim case 1 with locking function according to the second embodiment has a thickness of 5.5 mm or more and less than 8 mm.

Two slit grooves 46 are formed at a predetermined distance in the center of the mounting surface 44 of the receiving base 4, 5. A pair of engaging protrusions (47a, 47b) protrude from the tips of the two elastic arm-shaped bases (45a, 45b) formed between the two slit grooves 46, and further, engaging claws (48a, 48b) that bend independently of the elastic arm-shaped bases (45a, 45b) are provided in pairs with the engaging protrusions (47a, 47b). The tips of the engaging claws (48a, 48b) of both receiving bases 4, 5 protrude from the upper surfaces of the engaging protrusions (47a, 47b), and are configured so that when the lid 3 is closed, the tips of the engaging claws (48a, 48b) engage with the side surfaces of the opposing engaging protrusions (47a, 47b).

As described above, the slim case 1 with locking function according to the second embodiment can accommodate separate storage media 1000 in both the main body 2 and the lid 3, and can achieve a thickness of 5 mm or more and less than 8 mm without compromising the locking mechanism according to the present invention. That is, the slim case 1 of the second embodiment can lock the main body 2 and the lid 3 by fitting the lock plate 8 incorporating the locking mechanism 8 having the release prevention means according to the present invention, and can prevent the release of the lock of a specific arm 80 when the tamper-proof magnet (long magnet) 110 is applied.

As shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the lock plate 7 according to the third embodiment is a lock plate having a cover side surface and a body side surface, and is composed of an insertion plate 73 having a base end 731 and a tip end 732, a gripping plate 77 extending from the base end 731 at a right angle to the insertion plate 73, and a thin plate 75 having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm that connects the insertion plate 73 and the gripping plate 77 and on which a tag seal 1010 can be affixed to the cover side surface, and has a thickness of 3.5 mm to 5 mm.

As in the first embodiment, the insertion plate 73 has a locking mechanism-containing space LMS inside, surrounded by a locking surface 73L from which the locking claw 80L can protrude, an opposing base surface 73B, and side surfaces 73 (longer side surfaces 73Sl, shorter side surfaces 73St) connecting these two surfaces, and the same locking mechanism 8 as in the first embodiment is contained inside this locking mechanism-containing space LMS. In addition, the thin plate 75 is a flat surface stretched between the insertion plate 73 and the gripping plate 77, extending from the cover body side surface of the insertion plate 73 in a substantially flush manner in a plan view from the cover body 3 side, covering the locking mechanism-containing space LMS so that the locking claw 80L can protrude from the locking surface 73L, and covering the locking mechanism-containing space LMS.

9(a) and (b), the thin plate 75 extends from the vicinity of the short side surface 73St on the tip 731 side surrounding the lock mechanism built-in space LMS built into the insertion plate 73 toward the base plate 71, approximately flush with the lid side surface of the insertion plate 73, and has a fitting rod 76 that protrudes parallel to the insertion plate 73 from the edge of the tip side (tip 732 side of the insertion plate 73) of the thin plate 75. As described later, the fitting rod 76 can be inserted through hollow fitting portions (205, 305) provided in the main body 2 and the lid 3 of the thin case 1 according to the third embodiment to lock the main body 2 and the lid 3 together.

The lock mechanism 8 having the unlocking prevention means according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, as described above, and is built into the locking mechanism built-in space LMS, and is composed of two arms 80 and a magnetic lever 86 (unlocking prevention means 85). As described above, the two arms 80 and the magnetic lever 86 are made of a thin plate-like magnetic material, such as stainless steel, having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

The lock plate 7 of Example 3 is thicker than the lock plate 7 of Example 1 by approximately 0.5 mm to 1 mm, due to the thickness of the thin plate 75. Therefore, the lock plate 7 of Example 3 can be made to be 3.5 mm to 5 mm thick by forming the arm 80 and magnetic lever 86 that constitute the lock mechanism 8 from a thin magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm.

(Thin case with lock function)
Next, a description will be given of a slim case 1 with a locking function into which a locking mechanism 8 according to a third embodiment is fitted. In the slim case 1 of the third embodiment shown in Fig. 10(a), similarly to the slim case 1 described above, a main body 2 and a lid 3 each have a rectangular base surface (2B, 3B) with four sides and four side walls (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) erected from the base surface (2B, 3B), and are connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by a connecting portion 1R provided on the adjacent side walls (2d, 3d).

However, the lock plate storage area LR and storage medium storage area DR formed on the base surfaces (2B, 3B) of the main body and the lid are arranged adjacent to each other with some overlapping. Therefore, the lock plate 7 stored in the lock plate storage area LR and the storage medium 1000 stored in the storage medium storage area DR will interfere with each other when viewed from the front of the lid 3 side. However, the lock plate storage area LR can be designed to be slightly recessed (approximately 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm) from the storage medium storage area DR depending on the shape of the thin plate 75, so that even when the lock plate 7 is stored therein, it does not interfere with the storage medium 1000.

The lock plate housing area 2LR of the main body 2 has a guide groove 2G provided on the side portion (2a) side, as in Example 1. The guide groove 2G is composed of a side wall 2a and a lock wall 2L that stands parallel to the side wall 2a from the base surface 2B and has multiple claw engagement portions 201 provided on the side wall 2a side.

Meanwhile, the lock plate housing area 3LR of the lid 3 has a guide lid 3G and a thin plate housing portion 34 formed so as to face the guide groove 2G of the main body 2 and the flat portion (thin plate 75) of the lock plate 7, which is 0.5 mm to 1 mm thick, in the closed state, and has an opening 1H in the side wall 3b into which the gripping plate 77 of the lock plate fits. The thin plate housing portion 34 encroaches on part of the storage medium housing area 3DR, but as described above, it can also be recessed by about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm from the storage medium housing area 3DR to fit the thin plate 75.

The lock plate housing areas (2LR, 3LR) of the main body 2 and the lid 3 each have one or more hollow fittings (205, 305) through which the lock plate 7 incorporating the lock mechanism 8 can penetrate. The hollow fittings (205, 305) may be provided in the guide groove 2G and the guide lid 3G, respectively, so that the insertion plate 73 penetrates (see Figures 3, 6, and 7), as described above, or may be provided so that the fitting rod 76 penetrates, as shown in Figures 10(a) and (b). The main body 2 and the lid 3 can be locked by the insertion plate 73 or the fitting rod 76 of the lock plate 7 penetrating the hollow fittings (205, 305) provided in the lock plate housing areas (2LR, 3LR), respectively.

The lock plate housing areas (2LR, 3LR) of the main body 2 and the lid 3 form a lock plate housing space LS having a hollow fitting portion (205, 305) in the closed state. The lock plate 7 is inserted into this lock plate housing space LS, and the insertion plate 73 or fitting rod 76 is passed through the hollow fitting portion (205, 305) to house the lock plate 7 having a thickness of 3.5 mm to 5 mm according to the third embodiment.

(Locked state)
That is, in the closed state, the insertion plate 73 is inserted into the guide groove 2G by sliding it from the opening 1H along the guide groove 2G with its lock surface 73L abutting against the lock wall 2L and its base surface 73B abutting against the side wall 2a, and the grip plate 77 is fitted into the opening 1H to form a locked state. In this locked state, the insertion plate 73 or the fitting rod 76 penetrates the hollow fitting portions (205, 305) of the lid 3 and the main body 2 to lock the lid 3 and the main body 2, and the lock claws 80L are engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions 201, locking the lock plate 7 in the lock plate accommodation space LS.

When the locking plate 7 is inserted and locked in the closed state, the locking plate 7 of the slim case 1 increases in thickness by the thickness of the thin plate 75, i.e., by 0.5 mm to 1 mm, resulting in a thickness of 3.5 mm to 5 mm, and therefore the case can be formed to a thickness of 5.5 mm or more and less than 8 mm.

The above describes the slim case with locking function according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and examples.

In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various forms with various improvements, modifications, and changes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The slim case with lock function of the present invention can be used as a slim rental case with improved crime prevention, which can protect disk-shaped storage media such as DVDs, CDs, and video games displayed on the shelves of a rental shop from theft.

1: Slim case with lock function LR: Lock plate housing area LR
DR: Disk-shaped storage medium housing area DR (storage medium housing area DR)
LS: Lock plate housing space LMS: Lock mechanism built-in space 1R: Connection part 1H: Opening 2: Main body 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d: Side walls (side parts)
2B: (main body) base surface 2G: guide groove 2L: lock wall 22: notch portion 201: claw engagement portion 204ta, 204tb: auxiliary engagement piece 205: hollow fitting portion 206: hollow fitting piece fitting portion 207a, 207b: engagement portion 208ta, 208tb: engagement piece 209ma, 209mb: engagement groove 22: notch portion 3: lid body 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d: side wall (side portion)
3B: (lid body) base surface 3G: Guide lid 304ta, 304tb: Auxiliary engagement piece 305: Hollow fitting portion 307a, 307b: Engagement portion 308ma, 308mb: Engagement groove 309ta, 309tb: Engagement piece 32: Base plate accommodation portion 34: Thin plate accommodation portion 4: Receiving base (main body)
44: mounting surface 45a, 45b: elastic arm-shaped base 46: slit grooves 47a, 47b: engaging protrusions 48a, 48b: engaging claws 49: connecting portion 5: receiving base (lid)
7: Lock plate 71: Base plate 72: Stopper piece 73: Insertion plate 731: (Base plate) Base end 732: (Base plate) Tip 73L: Lock surface
73B: Base surface 73S: Side surface (longitudinal side surface 73Sl, lateral side surface 73St)
74: Fitting piece 75: Thin plate 76: Fitting rod 77: Gripping plate 8: Locking mechanism 80: Arm 80L, 801L: Locking claw 801: Leaf spring 83: Elastic body 85: Lock release prevention means 86: Magnetic lever 86a: Long arm 86b: Short arm 90: Seesaw member 100: Release magnet 101: Magnet 110: Unauthorized release magnet 1000: Disk-shaped storage medium (DVD, CD, etc.)
(A): Rental case (B): Display cover case 1010: Tag seal

Claims (11)

a main body and a lid each having a rectangular base surface with four sides and four side walls erected from the base surface at the four sides, the main body and the lid being connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by connecting parts provided on adjacent side walls;
A lock plate accommodating area LR having a hollow fitting portion through which a lock plate having a built-in locking mechanism with a locking claw can pass and a disk-shaped storage medium accommodating area DR (hereinafter also referred to as "storage medium accommodating area DR") capable of accommodating a disk-shaped storage medium (hereinafter also referred to as "storage medium") are formed adjacent to each other on the base surface of each of the main body and the lid. When the lid is closed to the main body around the connecting portion as an axis (hereinafter also referred to as the "closed state"),
The lock plate accommodation area LR of the cover body and the main body forms a lock plate accommodation space LS (hereinafter also referred to as the "accommodation space LS") having a plurality of claw engagement portions for engaging the lock claws,
In a thin case with a locking function having a thickness of 5 mm or more and less than 8 mm, the lock plate can be slid and fitted into the storage space LS from an opening portion communicating with the storage space LS, so that the lock plate penetrates the hollow fitting portions of the lid and the main body to lock the lid and the main body, and the lock claws are engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions to lock the lock plate in the storage space LS,
The locking mechanism includes:
The lock plate is 3 to 5 mm thick and is incorporated in a lock mechanism-embedded space LMS, which is surrounded by a lock surface constituting an insertion plate , a base surface facing the lock surface, and sides (longitudinal side and lateral side) connecting the two surfaces.
a plurality of arms are elastically supported in a cantilever manner within the lock mechanism built-in space LMS, have lock claws at their tips that can be engaged with the claw engagement portions, and are made of a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm;
In a locked state in which the lock plate is fitted into the accommodation space LS from the opening in the closed state, the lock claws of each of the plurality of arms protrude from the lock surface and are respectively engaged with a plurality of claw engagement portions formed in the accommodation space LS,
When a release magnet is brought into contact with the side wall facing the connecting portion, the magnetic force of the magnet contained in the release magnet is applied to the multiple arms, so that the tips of the multiple arms are attracted to the magnet against the elastic force, and each lock claw can be released from the claw engagement portion provided on the lock wall that is erected between the storage medium housing area DR on the main body base surface and the lock plate housing area LR ,
an unlocking prevention means provided adjacent to at least one specific arm among the plurality of arms and capable of preventing unlocking of the specific arm;
A lock mechanism having an unlocking prevention means that can prevent unlocking of the specific arm when an unauthorized unlocking magnet is abutted against the side wall,
The unlocking prevention means is
a magnetic lever having a short arm and a long arm formed of a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm and journaled within the lock mechanism housing space LMS;
The tip of the short arm is disposed so as to be located on the base side relative to the tip of the specific arm,
When the long arm is attracted to the magnet by the magnetic force of the tamper-release magnet placed against the side wall, the short arm obstructs the movement of the specific arm, preventing the specific arm from being unlocked.
This locking mechanism is provided with a release prevention means, characterized in that the long arm of the magnetic lever is positioned at a distance from a specific arm arranged on the long arm side to such an extent that the long arm of the magnetic lever is not attracted to the release magnet when the release magnet is appropriately abutted against the side wall. A locking mechanism equipped with the release prevention means described in claim 1, in which the arm and the magnetic lever are both formed from a magnetizable thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. A locking mechanism having the release prevention means described in claim 1, in which the arm and the magnetic lever are made of stainless steel. The arm and the magnetic lever are formed from a thin magnetic plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and the lock plate incorporating the lock mechanism with the arm and the magnetic lever is configured to have a thickness of 3 mm to 5 mm, making it possible to fit the lock plate into a thin case with a lock function with a thickness of 5 mm to less than 8 mm. A lock mechanism with release prevention means as described in claim 1. The tag seal is attached to a surface of a base plate, and the insertion plate extends perpendicularly from an end of the base plate. The tag seal is substantially L-shaped.
The insertion plate has a locking mechanism-containing space LMS therein, the space being surrounded by a locking surface from which the locking claw can protrude, a base surface opposing the locking surface, and side surfaces (longitudinal side surface and short side surface) connecting the two surfaces, and the locking mechanism-containing space LMS contains a locking mechanism having the release prevention means according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The lock plate is characterized in that the arm and the magnetic lever constituting the lock mechanism are formed from a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, thereby making the thickness 3 mm to 4 mm. a main body and a lid each having a rectangular base surface with four sides and four side walls erected from the base surface at the four sides, the main body and the lid being connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by connecting parts provided on adjacent side walls;
A lock plate accommodating area LR and a storage medium accommodating area DR are formed adjacent to each other so as not to overlap on the base surfaces of the main body and the lid, the lock plate having a hollow fitting portion through which a lock plate having a built-in lock mechanism with a lock claw can penetrate,
The lock plate accommodation area LR of the main body is composed of a guide groove provided on the side of the side portion facing the connecting portion and a notch portion formed by cutting off a corner adjacent to the guide groove, and the guide groove is composed of the side wall erected from the base surface and a lock wall erected parallel to the side wall from the base surface and having a plurality of claw engagement portions provided on the side wall side.
The lock plate accommodation area LR of the lid body is composed of a guide lid provided at a position facing the guide groove and the notch of the main body in the closed state, and a base plate accommodation part having the opening in a side wall of a side part adjacent to the side part facing the connecting part,
A thin case in which the lock plate having a thickness of 3 mm to 4 mm according to claim 5 can be fitted into a lock plate accommodating space LS formed by a lock plate accommodating area LR of a main body and a lid body in a closed state,
The insertion plate is inserted into the lock plate accommodating space LS by sliding it along the guide groove from the opening of the base plate accommodating section that is fitted into the notch in a closed state, with its lock surface abutting against the lock wall and its base surface abutting against the side wall, and the base plate is fitted into the notch to form a locked state;
A thin case with a locking function, having a thickness of 5 mm to 6.5 mm, which penetrates the hollow fitting portion of the lid body and the main body to lock the lid body and the main body, and the locking claws are engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions to lock the lock plate in the storage space LS. A cover surface and a body surface are provided.
the insertion plate having a base end and a tip end, the insertion plate including a locking mechanism-integrating space LMS surrounded by a locking surface from which the locking claw can protrude, a base surface facing the locking surface, and side surfaces (longitudinal side surface and lateral side surface) connecting the locking surface and the base surface;
a gripping plate extending perpendicular to the proximal end of the insertion plate;
a thin plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm, which is substantially flush with the lid-side surface of the insertion plate in plan view from the lid side, covers the lock mechanism-containing space LMS so that the lock claw can protrude from the lock surface, extends in a direction perpendicular to the insertion plate , and forms a plane stretched between the two plates, and which can have a tag seal affixed to its lid-side surface;
A lock plate incorporating a lock mechanism having a lock mechanism including the release prevention means according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the lock mechanism being incorporated in a lock mechanism-incorporating space LMS,
The lock plate is characterized in that the arm and the magnetic lever constituting the lock mechanism are formed from a thin plate-like magnetic material having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm, thereby making the thickness of the lock plate 3.5 mm to 5 mm. The thin plate is
a fitting rod extending from the vicinity of a short side surface on the tip side surrounding the lock mechanism built-in space LMS built into the insertion plate in a direction perpendicular to the insertion plate and substantially flush with the cover body side surface of the insertion plate , and protruding from an edge on the tip side of the thin plate in parallel with the insertion plate;
The locking plate of claim 7. a main body and a lid each having a rectangular base surface with four sides and four side walls erected from the base surface at the four sides, the main body and the lid being connected to each other so as to be openable and closable by connecting parts provided on adjacent side walls;
A lock plate accommodating area LR and a storage medium accommodating area DR are formed adjacent to each other on the base surface of each of the main body and the lid, the lock plate accommodating area LR having a hollow fitting portion through which a lock plate having a built-in lock mechanism with a lock claw can penetrate, and the storage medium accommodating area DR are formed adjacent to each other and partially overlap each other.
The lock plate accommodation region LR of the main body has a guide groove provided on the side of the side portion facing the connecting portion, and the guide groove is composed of the side wall erected from the base surface and a lock wall erected from the base surface in parallel therewith and having a plurality of claw engagement portions provided on the side wall side,
the lock plate accommodation area LR of the lid is formed by eroding a part of the storage medium accommodation area DR so as to face the guide groove of the main body and the thin plate of the lock plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm in the closed state, and has an opening into which the grip plate of the lock plate fits;
A thin case in which the lock plate having a thickness of 3.5 mm to 5 mm according to claim 7 can be fitted into a lock plate accommodating space LS formed by a lock plate accommodating area LR of a main body and a lid body in a closed state,
The insertion plate is inserted into the guide groove by sliding it from the opening in a closed state with its lock surface in contact with the lock wall and its base surface in contact with the side wall, and the gripping plate is fitted into the opening to form a locked state;
A thin case with a locking function having a thickness of 5.5 mm or more and less than 8 mm, in which an engagement rod protruding parallel to the insertion plate from the edge of the tip side of the insertion plate or the thin plate penetrates the hollow engagement portion of the lid body and the main body to lock the lid body and the main body, and the locking claws are engaged with the multiple claw engagement portions to lock the lock plate in the storage space LS. 10. The slim case with lock function according to claim 9, which is adapted to house a disk-shaped storage medium,
a receiving base having a mounting surface on which the center of a disk-shaped storage medium is placed is provided at the center of the base surface of the main body;
Similarly, a receiving base having a mounting surface on which the center of another disk-shaped storage medium is placed is provided at the center of the base surface of the cover body,
The orientation of both pedestals is perpendicular to each other.
The two slit grooves are formed at a predetermined interval in the center of the mounting surface of each of the receiving pedestals, and a pair of engaging protrusions are protruded from the tips of the two elastic arm-shaped pedestals formed by being sandwiched between the two slit grooves, and further, engaging claws that bend independently of the two elastic arm-shaped pedestals are provided in pairs with the engaging protrusions, in a thin case with a locking function,
The tip of the engagement claw protrudes from the upper surface of the engagement protrusion, and when the lid is closed, the tip of the engagement claw engages with the side surface of the opposing engagement protrusion. When the release magnet is appropriately brought into contact with the side wall, the arm is attracted by the magnetic force of the release magnet, and the lock claw engaged with the plurality of claw engagement portions is released from the engagement,
11. The slim case with a locking function according to claim 6, 9 or 10, wherein when the tamper-release magnet is brought into contact with the side wall, the unlocking prevention means can prevent unlocking of the specific arm.

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