Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-13
2002-10-22
Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06469865
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk apparatus, and in particular to a disk apparatus which transports a disk for recording or reproducing information thereon into a main body of the disk apparatus during a transition from an unloaded state to a loaded state, the disk being accommodated in a cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional disk apparatus is known from Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 9-91821, for example. Hereinafter, this conventional disk apparatus will be described with reference to the accompanying figures.
FIG. 8
is an upper plan view illustrating a portion of the conventional disk apparatus
800
. The disk apparatus
800
generally includes a main body
51
and a tray
52
. The tray
52
transports a cartridge
54
, in which a disk
53
is accommodated, in a direction T (hereinafter referred to as the “transportation direction” or “insertion direction”) with respect to the disk apparatus main body
51
, causing the cartridge
54
to shift from an unloaded state to a loaded state. The tray
52
can also transport the cartridge
54
in a direction T′ opposite to the transportation or insertion direction T causing the cartridge
54
to shift from a loaded state to an unloaded state. The cartridge
54
has a shutter
55
which can be opened so as to expose the disk
53
.
FIG. 8
illustrates an unloaded state of the cartridge
54
, i.e., the tray
52
being outside the disk apparatus main body
51
.
Hereinafter, the structure of the disk apparatus
800
will be described in more detail, with reference to
FIGS. 8 and 9
.
FIG. 9
is a side view of a portion of the disk apparatus
800
, showing a cross section of the tray
52
along line IX—IX in
FIG. 8 and a
perspective view of the main body
51
as observed from direction D in FIG.
8
.
The main body
51
includes a roof
57
. The roof
57
supports a clamp arm
58
and an opener
61
. The clamp arm
58
supports a clamper
60
in a pivotable manner. The clamper
60
is driven by the clamp arm
58
so as to pressurize the disk
53
against a disk motor
67
of the disk apparatus main body
51
. The clamp arm
58
further includes a clamp arm spring
59
, which biases the clamp arm
58
so as to restore its original position.
The opener
61
, which is a means for opening and assisting the closing of the shutter
55
of the cartridge
54
, is pivotably supported around a mounting/pivoting axis
63
for the opener
61
. The opener
61
includes an opener spring
62
, which is supported between a spring hooking member
64
projecting from a spring hooking aperture
65
and a spring hook
66
mounted on the roof
57
. The opener spring
62
provides a force which brings back the opener
61
to a predetermined position. At some point during the transportation of the cartridge
54
into the disk apparatus main body
51
, the shutter
55
abuts against a leading edge of the opener
61
, so that a pressurizing force from the opener
61
causes the shutter
55
to slide in a slide direction S. As a result of this slide operation, the shutter
55
opens so as to expose the disk
53
which is accommodated within the cartridge
54
.
The disk apparatus main body
51
further includes a motor support base
68
. The motor support base
68
supports the disk motor
67
, a positioning pin
69
, a cartridge support pin
70
, and the like. As shown in
FIG. 9
, the motor support base
68
is tilted (i.e., not in the direction T) in an unloaded state of the cartridge
54
, thereby clearing the way for the cartridge
54
to be inserted. Once the cartridge
54
is loaded, the motor support base
68
approaches the cartridge
54
so as to be no longer tilted but instead be in plane with the direction T, preferably horizontal. The positioning pin
69
engages with a positioning hole
56
in the cartridge
54
which has been transported into the disk apparatus main body
51
, thereby restricting the positioning of the cartridge
54
along the horizontal and height directions. The cartridge support pin
70
also serves to position the cartridge
54
along the height direction.
FIG. 10A
is an upper plan view similar to
FIG. 8
, illustrating an intermediate state between the unloaded state shown in
FIG. 8 and a
loaded state of the cartridge
54
.
FIG. 10B
is an enlarged view of a portion of
FIG. 10A
, showing how the shutter
55
and the opener
61
contact each other. As illustrated in
FIG. 10B
, a pressurizing force which is received by the shutter
55
from the opener
61
as the shutter
55
begins to open is resolved into two component forces: an opening force d which acts to open the shutter
55
and a component force e which acts in such a direction as to dispel the cartridge
54
out of the disk apparatus main body
51
. Since the component force e is greater than the opening force d, the shutter
55
will be strongly pressurized against the body of the cartridge
54
. As a result, the opening operation of the shutter
55
entails a large loading force, creating a large burden on the cartridge transportation. For similar reasons, the shutter
55
and the body of the cartridge
54
may act to abrade each other, ultimately making it difficult to open or close the shutter
55
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a disk apparatus to which a cartridge accommodating a disk for recording or reproducing information thereon is loaded, the cartridge having a shutter capable of opening so as to expose the disk, the disk apparatus including: a disk transporting section for transporting the cartridge from an unloaded position to a loaded position; and an opener for opening the shutter in a slide direction which is perpendicular to a transportation direction of the cartridge, wherein a leading end face of the cartridge in the transportation direction of the cartridge has a first end face and a second end face, the first end face extending in the transportation direction and the second end face extending in the slide direction, wherein the shutter is opened responsive to a pressurizing force applied in the slide direction to the first end face from the opener, and wherein the opener applies a pressure to the first end face, but does not substantially apply a pressure to the second end face, during substantially a first half of an opening operation of the shutter.
In one embodiment of the invention, the opener is in contact with the first end face but is not in contact with the second end face during substantially the first half of the opening operation of the shutter.
In another embodiment of the invention, the disk transportation section includes a pressurization member provided in a position located ahead of the cartridge along the transportation direction, the pressurization member being arranged so as to engage with the opener during substantially the first half of the opening operation of the shutter.
In still another embodiment of the invention, a distance between the second end face and a point of contact between the pressurization member and the opener is greater than a distance between the point of contact and a point on an edge of the opener that comes closest to the cartridge.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the opener and the pressurization member are arranged so as to be in contact with each other during substantially the first half of the opening operation of the shutter and not during substantially a latter half of the opening operation of the shutter.
Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the advantage of providing a disk apparatus which can reduce the loading force during an opening operation of a shutter of a cartridge.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5930074 (1999-07-01), Nicklos
patent: 6285643 (2001-09-01), Arai
patent: 09-091821 (1997-04-01), None
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