Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Storage medium structure – Adjuncts or adapters
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2003-09-02
Ometz, David L. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Storage medium structure
Adjuncts or adapters
C369S077210
Reexamination Certificate
active
06614751
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk drive, a disk cartridge and an optical storage system provided with them. Moreover, the present invention relates to a media convertible storage system used to record, reproduce and keep a high density information, and more particularly relates to an optical storage system including an optical library.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a large capacity memory unit employed in a video camera, a computer and the like, a media convertible memory unit is mainly used, such as a magnetic tape, a fixed magnetic disk, an optical disk or the like. In the magnetic tape memory unit, the magnetic tape accommodated in a tape cartridge is inserted in a tape drive, and a data is sequentially recorded in conjunction with winding of a tape. Making the tape longer increases a record area to thereby increase its storage capacity. The fixed magnetic disk tries to cancel out the influence of dust and the like, by designing the closed structure that a magnetic disk is built in the disk drive. Further, the fixed magnetic disk tries to increase its storage capacity by making a magnetic head extremely close to the surface of the disk. The disk is fixed to a spindle motor to thereby reduce a chucking error and a run-out of the disk, and accordingly insure a rapid access and a stable operation. Also, in the media convertible storage system, a disk cartridge using a magneto-optic effect and a phase change is standardized by ISO and the like. In this disk cartridge, since a record area of the media is limited, it is inferior in storage capacity to the magnetic tape. However, access can be arbitrarily done to recorded information. Thus, it is possible to quickly correspond to a reproduction of desirable information.
The disk cartridge has the following structure. That is, when it is inserted into the optical disk drive, a shutter is opened to accordingly expose the optical disk, which enables the access to the optical head or the chucking of the spindle motor. The disk cartridge is slower in access speed than the fixed magnetic disk because of a chucking error to the spindle motor when the disk cartridge is accommodated in the optical disk drive and a weight of the optical head. On the contrary, the disk cartridge is superior in storage density. Moreover, it is used to keep the large-scale information by taking advantage of the media convertible type.
In recent years, a processing amount of information has been increased due to the large improvement of performance of CPU, peripheral parts and the like in a computer and the great progress and complexity of a software. Moreover, a TV broadcast and a video camera are largely digitized so that image information is captured and treated in the computer. Under such situation, the access to the recorded information cannot be done arbitrarily, in the memory using the magnetic tape. Thus, it is not suitable for a process, such as information edition or the like. Also, it is difficult in management to store all information in one fixed magnetic disk. Hence, it is impossible to cope with the increase of the accumulating information amount. Moreover, if crush of a floating magnetic head and the like occur, the whole memory cannot be used, which results in the loss of all the recorded information.
The media convertible storage system employing the disk cartridge is superior in random access to recorded information. Also, it is superior in correspondence to management of high-density information and an increasing information amount. However, the structure, in which the surface of the optical disk is exposed, causes dust, oil mist, vapor, bacteria and other minute particles in ambient air to be sucked into interior of the apparatus and further invade in the gap between the optical head and the surface of the optical disk and finally damage the recording and reproducing functions. Even in the optical disk, it is necessary to make the optical head extremely close to the surface of the optical disk in order to increase the storage capacity. Hence, any minute foreign material should be avoided from invading.
If the combination usage of the fixed magnetic disk system and the media convertible storage system tries to solve the above-mentioned problems, this results in new problems of increase of an apparatus installation space and a high cost.
Moreover, in the conventional optical library, a space in which a mechanism for mounting and detaching the optical disks or the disk cartridges in or from the optical disk library is complex, and a wide space is necessary, which causes the optical library to be made larger, and the cost to be expensive, and the reliability to be deteriorated.
Furthermore, the conventional disk cartridge requires a mechanism for opening and closing a shutter of the disk cartridge and then chucking the optical disk on the spindle motor, which results in the problems of the larger scales of optical disk drive, the higher cost, the deteriorations of reliability and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is proposed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. It is therefore an object of the present invention to attain a disk cartridge superior in dust immunity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge having a simplified structure and a low cost.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge having an excellent reliability and a structure suitable for a large storage capacity, which will be required by the technical innovation in future.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge in which a chucking mechanism of an optical disk is removed when it is mounted in an optical disk drive.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk drive of a rapid access, a large storage capacity, a low cost and a high reliability.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk drive in which a chucking mechanism of a disk cartridge can be removed.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical library in which a chucking mechanism of a disk cartridge can be removed.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge superior in dust immunity to thereby improve the dust immunity of an optical storage system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical storage system in which a plurality of disk cartridges can be easily accommodated in an optical disk drive, and even a single optical disk drive can cope with various services with regard to the operations of recording and reproducing information, such as an operation of storing a frequently used program, an operation of keeping a large-scale information, a backup of a recorded program and information, and the like.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical storage system suited to record, reproduce or keep a large-scale image information in which a chucking mechanism of a disk cartridge can be removed in an optical library and a large number of disk cartridges can be accommodated in a small type optical library.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a compact optical storage system suitable for a small note type computer, an image information storage apparatus and the like, in which it can be used only by inserting a part of a disk cartridge into an optical disk drive, and great importance is placed on portability.
In order to attain the above-mentioned objects, the first feature of the present invention lies in a disk cartridge having a frame, an optical disk mounted in this frame, a spindle motor for holding this optical disk rotatable, an optical head assembly disposed on the frame, a cartridge-side-connector and an optical window mounted on the frame. Here, the frame has a hermetically sealed structure. And, the optical head assembly has an optical head, which can access a surface of the optical disk, and a se
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Ometz David L.
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