Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-16
2002-11-05
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S030850, C369S077110, C369S191100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06477121
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk apparatus for recording and reproducing information in which a disk is taken out of a disk holder, and relates to the disk holder for use in the disk apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a disk apparatus such as a CD (Compact Disk) player of the type provided with a magazine accommodating therein a plurality of disks and adapted to automatically select and play a disk selected by a user from the plurality of disks has become more popular from a standpoint of simplifying disk exchange operations of the user as far as possible and improving a sense of use. In order to reproduce a plurality of disks sequentially at a common disk playback section for reproducing information recorded on each of the disks, the disk apparatuses such as mentioned above are configured to fetch a desired disk from the loaded magazine, transport the disk to a disk playback section, and return the disk into the magazine after completion of the reproduction.
Particularly, some of the above mentioned disk apparatuses employ a system using a magazine which accommodates a plurality of disk holders, each of which holds therein one disk, in an arrangement by which respective holders can be drawn out independently, and performing a loading operation of a disk from the inside of the magazine to the playback section and an ejecting operation of the disk from the playback section into the magazine by simply moving the holder forward and backward, respectively. In the disk apparatus based on this system, the disk holder holding therein a selected disk is transported to a position nearby the disk playback section by the moving forward operation, and returned into the magazine by the moving backward operation after the disk is received in a predetermined playback position. In order to eject the disk such as for exchanging the disk with another disk or ejecting the magazine, the empty disk holder is transported to a position nearby the disk playback section by the moving forward operation, then the disk holder is returned into the magazine with the disk held'therein by the moving backward operation after the disk at the playback position is recovered in the holder.
FIG. 10
shows a plan view of a conventional disk apparatus based on the system as mentioned above by way of example. Thus, as shown in
FIG. 10
, a magazine
2
, which accommodate therein a plurality of disk holders
3
in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the paper on which the figure is drawn, is loaded in a magazine mounting section provided within a case
1
of the apparatus as shown in the right-hand part of the figure. Each of the disk holders
3
is configured so that a disk
4
is inserted thereto and held therein in the direction parallel to the main surface thereof, and each of the disk holder
3
is provided with an engaging section
3
a
for drawing at one end thereof.
Further, a lift unit
5
is movably supported in the vertical direction with respect to the case
1
of the apparatus as. shown in the right-hand part of the figure. This lift unit
5
contains a holder drawing member
6
for drawing the disk holder
3
and a playback unit
7
for reproducing the disk
4
.
Among these components, the holder drawing member
6
is mounted on a chassis of the lift unit
5
a movably in the disk transporting direction, i.e. a horizontal direction in the figure, and a fingernail-shaped lug
6
a
which engages with the engaging section
3
a
is provided at one end of the holding unit drawing member
6
. The lift unit
5
is moved upward or downward according to a disk selection instruction in order to adjust the height of the holder drawing member
6
to the height of the disk holder
3
accommodating therein the selected disk
4
.
On the other hand, the playback unit
7
is configured as shown in
FIGS. 11
illustrating side views of the playback unit
7
.
FIG. 11A
shows a disk loading state and
FIG. 11B
shows a disk clamping state. As shown in
FIGS. 11
, the playback unit
7
comprises a drive plate
10
having a rotatable turntable
8
and a spindle motor
9
for rotating the same, a clamp arm
12
having a rotatable clamper
11
, and the like. The drive plate
10
and the clamp arm
12
are pivotably mounted on a chassis of the lift unit
5
via a common axis
5
a
,
5
b
so that they can vertically pivot around the axis
5
a
,
5
b
in the direction opposite to each other. That is, as shown in
FIG. 11A
, when the drive plate
10
is positioned lower, the clamp arm
12
is positioned upper, thereby the turntable
8
and the clamper
11
are spaced for some distance, while, as shown in
FIG. 11B
, when the drive plate
10
is positioned upper, the clamp arm
12
is positioned lower, thereby the turntable
8
and the clamper
11
can move closer to each other to clamp the disk
4
therebetween.
More particularly, the drive plate
10
and the clamp arm
12
are typically driven based on such a system as mentioned below. The drive plate
10
is mechanically driven in force with a cam and positioned at a prescribed place every time after completion of disk chucking operation. The clamp arm
12
is biased toward the drive plate
10
with a biasing force of a spring, and the position of the clamp arm
12
is controlled in the direction of moving away from the drive plate
10
by a position control section provided at a part of the apparatus. The position control section for controlling the position of the clamp arm is provided, for example, at a part of a member having a cam which compulsively drives the drive plate.
The turntable
8
comprises a ring-shaped engaging section
8
a
at a center of a support surface thereof for supporting the main surface of the disk
4
, and the engaging section
8
a
having an outer diameter which is approximately same as the disk hole diameter is engaged in the disk hole of the disk
4
. This disk engaging section has a tapered portion for guiding the disk
4
at a terminal end thereof. The damper
11
comprises a projection
11
a
at a center of the support surface thereof for supporting the main surface of the disk
4
, and the projection
11
a
is adapted to project through the ring of the disk engaging section
8
a.
Disk loading operation of the disk apparatus shown in
FIG. 10
having the configuration as mentioned above is as follows. First, the lift unit
5
is moved upward or downward according to a disk selection instruction in order to adjust the height of the holder drawing member
6
to the height of the disk holder
3
accommodating therein a selected disk
4
. With the abovementioned state keeping, the disk holder
3
is drawn out from the inside of the magazine
2
by moving the holder drawing member
6
rightward in FIG.
10
.
Next, when the disk holder
3
is drawn out to a prescribed position above the playback unit
7
and the disk
4
accommodated in the disk holder
3
is transported to the. playback position on the turntable
8
of the playback unit
7
, the playback unit
7
is driven to effect the disk chucking operation. First, the disk chucking operation is performed when the turntable
8
and the clamper
11
is separated as shown in
FIG. 11A
, then the turntable
8
and the clamper
11
move closer to each other, thereby the disk playback unit is transferred to the disk clamping state as shown in FIG.
11
B. In this case, the turntable
8
supports the main surface of the disk
4
on the support surface thereof, and operates to control the position of the disk
4
in the vertical direction (i.e. the direction along the rotation axis) as well as control the position of the disk
4
in the horizontal direction (i.e. the direction along the main surface) by engaging the disk engaging section
8
a
in the disk hole of the disk
4
.
After completion of the disk chucking operation, the disk holder
3
is returned into the magazine
2
by moving the holder drawing member
6
leftward in FIG.
10
. At this time, the disk
4
accommodated in the disk holder
3
is left
Hayashi Hideki
Sato Nobuhiro
Clarion Co. Ltd.
Klimowicz William
Price and Gess
LandOfFree
Apparatus and disk holder for use in the same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus and disk holder for use in the same, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus and disk holder for use in the same will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2991338