Disc player with guide plate

Details Disc player with guide plate Disc player with guide plate

1999-06-02

2001-07-24

Letscher, George J. (Department: 2754)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

With particular cabinet structure

With mechanism to place disc on a turntable

Reexamination Certificate

active

06266310

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disc player, in particular to a disc player capable of allowing a smooth insertion/removal of a disc cartridge containing an optical disc into/from the disc player.
There are many types of disc players for recording information into and reproducing information from an optical disc, with one example thereof illustrated in FIG.
15
A. Referring to
FIG. 15A
, a conventional disc player A comprises a cartridge transporting means D for transporting the cartridge B to a predetermined position in a cartridge holder C located within the disc player A, a lift means F for moving down the cartridge holder C and clamping the sane onto a servo mechanism E for recording information into or reproducing information from the optical disc.
FIG. 15B
shows another conventional disc player A′. As shown in
FIG. 15B
, this conventional disc player A′ comprises a cartridge transporting means D for moving a disc cartridge B to a predetermined position in a cartridge holder C located within the disc player A′, a pivoting means H for pivoting a servo mechanism E′ about a pivoting axis G arranged perpendicular to the transporting direction of the cartridge B. The pivoting means H is adapted to clamp the servo mechanism E′ to the cartridge holder C for recording information into or reproducing information from the optical disc. In fact almost all disc players in practical use at present time are manufactured in a manner as shown in FIG.
15
B.
Each of the conventional disc players A and A′ shown in
FIGS. 15A and 15B
has a cartridge holder C formed with an opening C
1
on the front side thereof, as shown in FIG.
16
. In this way, the cartridge B is allowed to be inserted into or taken out from the cartridge holder C through the opening C
1
.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 16
, a guide plate C
2
is provided on the lower inner side of the opening C
1
, so as to serve as a guide means for ensuring a smooth insertion/removal of the disc cartridge B into/from the cartridge holder C.
However, with the disc players A and A′ shown in
FIGS. 15A and 15B
, there may be listed the following problems.
Namely, a disc cartridge B has a shutter B
1
(
FIG. 17B
) capable of slidingly opening/closing the cartridge B, thereby allowing an information recording surface of the optical disc to be exposed during a process of information recording/reproducing, but allowing the same to be completely covered within the cartridge B when not in a process of information recording/reproducing, so as to protect the information recording surface of the optical disc from an ambient outside environment.
However, since the shutter B
1
of the cartridge B is usually formed by a sheet member having a small thickness, such shutter B
1
is likely to be twisted or warped on one or both of its surfaces. Thus, when the cartridge B (with its shutter B
1
deformed) is inserted into the disc player A or A′, the deformed shutter B
1
will bumper into the edge portions of the opening C
1
. As a result, there is a possibility that the cartridge B will fail to be inserted into the cartridge holder C.
On the other hand, if the shutter B
1
of the cartridge B has been deformed due to some sort of acting force occurring within the cartridge holder C and such a cartridge B is to be removed from the cartridge holder C, the shutter B
1
will bump against an edge portion C
3
of the guide plate C
2
(FIG.
16
). As a result, it will be difficult or even impossible for the disc cartridge B to be removed from the cartridge holder C.
In order to solve the above problem, it has been suggested that a part (corresponding to a passage for the shutter B
1
of the disc cartridge B to pass therethrough) of the opening C
1
be made larger than other portions thereof, so as to ensure a necessary clearance for a disc cartridge B (with its shutter B
1
deformed) to be inserted into or removed from the cartridge holder C, as shown in FIG.
7
A.
However, if a part of the opening C
1
is made larger than other portions thereof, the opening C
1
will have an increased height and this will undesirably increase the size of an entire disc player, hence increasing the manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved disc player capable of permitting a disc cartridge (with its shutter deformed) to be inserted into or removed from a cartridge holder, without having to increase the size of an opening of the cartridge holder, thereby ensuring a compact size for an entire disc player, so as to solve the above-mentioned problems peculiar to the above-mentioned prior arts.
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved disc player which has a cartridge holder formed with an opening, capable of loading through said opening a disc cartridge containing an optical disc, said disc cartridge having a shutter adapted to be slidingly opened to expose an information recording surface of the optical disc contained contained in the cartridge, so as to permit information recording or reproducing. The disc player comprises a disc cartridge loading system for transporting the disc cartridge in a direction which is the same direction for the shutter to move on the disc cartridge; a guide plate provided on the inner side of said opening within the disc player for guiding the disc cartridge when said disc cartridge is being transported into or from the disc player through the opening. In particular, the guide plate has an inclined edge portion formed into a slope gradually inclined in an insertion/removal direction of the disc cartridge into/from the disc player.
In one aspect of the present invention, said inclined edge portion is a linearly inclined portion or a curvically inclined portion.
In another aspect of the present invention, said inclined edge portion includes a plurality of smaller inclined portions having different inclining angles.
In a further aspect of the present invention, said inclined edge portion extends from a position close to an outer edge of the disc cartridge (being moved through the opening) to a position close to a center line in an insertion/removal direction of the disc cartridge, and has been formed into a slope gradually inclined in said insertion/removal direction.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, said inclined edge portion is provided on the guide plate close to the opening's center line in said insertion/removal direction of the disc cartridge.
The above objects and features of the present invention will become better understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5663852 (1997-09-01), Fujimori et al.
patent: 5831958 (1998-11-01), Kurita
patent: 6118618 (2000-09-01), Kumakura
patent: 0 571 227 (1993-11-01), None

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