Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-06
2004-03-30
Watko, Julie Anne (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714505
ABSTRACT:
2. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a disk device for carrying out recording of information onto and/or retrieval of information from a recording medium (hereinafter “cartridge”) wherein an optical disk or magnetic disk is contained within a disk case. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement for providing a disk device capable of accommodating a plurality of types of cartridge of different size.
2. Conventional Art
Cartridges, as represented by minidisks and the like, are conventionally loaded into a special-purpose disk device (also called a drive), whereupon recording of information onto a magneto-optical disk and/or retrieval of information therefrom may be carried out. Disk devices are described in general below.
FIGS.
27
(
a
)-(
c
) are drawings showing a typical conventional disk device, where FIG.
27
(
a
) is a plan view thereof, FIG.
27
(
b
) is a side view thereof, and FIG.
27
(
c
) is a bottom view thereof. As shown in these drawings, such a disk device is such that a cartridge holder
26
is attached above a base chassis
3
, constituting an outer shell. Furthermore, this cartridge holder
26
is supported by base chassis
3
so as to permit rotary motion within a prescribed angular range about pivot point(s)
27
.
The procedure for loading cartridge
2
into the disk device is therefore such that, with cartridge holder
26
first rotated and raised above base chassis
3
, cartridge
2
is then inserted into cartridge holder
26
from below FIG.
27
(
a
). Cartridge holder
26
is thereafter rotated toward base chassis
3
(i.e., downward) to complete loading of cartridge
2
in the disk device.
Furthermore, disposed at the approximate center of base chassis
3
is spindle motor
4
, magneto-optical disk
1
being chucked thereon by means of a hub attached to a spindle motor shaft which protrudes above base chassis
3
. During recording of information onto magneto-optical disk
1
and/or retrieval of information therefrom, spindle motor
4
drives a magneto-optical disk
1
which is chucked thereon, causing magneto-optical disk
1
to rotate at prescribed speed.
Respectively arranged at opposing locations so as to sandwich therebetween magneto-optical disk
1
which is thus inserted therein are pickup unit
7
and magnetic head
12
.
Pickup unit
7
is constructed such that laser light emitted from laser light source
8
is reflected by a mirror
9
or a prism so as to irradiate the surface(s) of magneto-optical disk
1
from direction(s) perpendicular with respect thereto, such reflected laser light being collected at recording layer(s) on magneto-optical disk
1
by objective lens
11
.
Furthermore, presence of slide mechanism
15
makes it possible for this pickup unit
7
to slide radially across magneto-optical disk
1
(to the left and/or right as shown in FIG.
27
(
c
)). Secured to base chassis
3
there is a guide shaft
19
which extends perpendicularly with respect to the axis of the spindle motor shaft, pickup unit
7
being guided by this guide shaft
19
as it moves in sliding fashion as a result of driving of slide mechanism
15
.
The slide mechanism
15
is equipped with feed motor
16
, transmission mechanism
17
, and feed screw
18
. Driving of feed motor
16
causes motive power therefrom to be transmitted to transmission mechanism
17
, causing rotation of feed screw
18
. In addition, pickup unit
7
is engaged by this feed screw
18
, pickup unit
7
being constructed such that rotation of this feed screw
18
causes it to slide parallel to guide shaft
19
and radially with respect to magneto-optical disk
1
.
Attached to pickup unit
7
there is a grip spring
20
. Provided at the tip of this grip spring
20
is a projection, not shown, shaped so as to permit backlash-free engagement with feed screw
18
. The entirety of grip spring
20
displays spring characteristics, and it is secured such that the aforementioned projection is pressed on by feed screw
18
. This allows pickup unit
7
to slide radially across magneto-optical disk
1
without backlash during rotation of feed screw
18
.
Moreover, magnetic head
12
is constructed such that a coil is inserted therein so as to capture a core formed in integral fashion from ferrite. This magnetic head
12
is attached to suspension member
13
which displays spring characteristics so as to apply load(s) in direction(s) perpendicular to the surface(s) of magneto-optical disk
1
. This suspension member
13
is secured to head attachment bracket
14
. This head attachment bracket
14
is secured to housing
10
of pickup unit
7
so as to cause magnetic head
12
and the spot of light collected by objective lens
11
to be located at prescribed positions. This allows magnetic head
12
, which is secured to housing
10
, to slide in linked fashion with and in the same direction as pickup unit
7
when pickup unit
7
is made to slide radially across magneto-optical disk
1
by slide mechanism
15
.
Magnetic head
12
is held by a restoring force against the disk surface during recording of information onto magneto-optical disk
1
, and is made to move in a direction taking it away from the disk surface by a magnetic head elevator mechanism during playback or retrieval of information therefrom.
This magnetic head elevator mechanism is equipped with head elevator motor
23
which is arranged underneath base chassis
3
, reduction mechanism
25
, rotary lever
24
which receives driving power from head elevator motor
23
by way of reduction mechanism
25
, and head elevator lever
21
which is rotatably disposed between suspension member
13
and cartridge
2
. That is, when this magnetic head elevator mechanism is driven, rotary power from head elevator motor
23
is first transmitted from reduction mechanism
25
to rotary lever
24
. Furthermore, rotary lever
24
causes head elevator lever
21
to rotate, causing suspension member
13
and magnetic head
12
to back off to prescribed distances from magneto-optical disk
1
. While head elevator lever
21
is ordinarily located above cartridge
2
, the drive components that cause operation of head elevator lever
21
are underneath base chassis
3
, rotation of head elevator lever
21
being permitted as a result of coupling between top and bottom occurring by virtue of rotary lever
24
at a region peripheral to cartridge
2
.
During recording of information onto the aforementioned magneto-optical disk
1
, spindle motor
4
causes magneto-optical disk
1
to rotate at prescribed speed, and the magnetic head elevator mechanism causes magnetic head
12
to be lowered, whereupon suspension member
13
causes it to be held by a restoring force against the disk surface. By moreover causing laser light from pickup unit
7
to be made incident on a recording layer formed at magneto-optical disk
1
, regions within the recording layer which receive the incident laser light increase in temperature due to the laser light thereat and undergo a change in magnetization in correspondence to the direction of an external magnetic field. Employment of the so-called magnetic field modulation method, in which an external magnetic field is varied in correspondence to a recording signal, permits areas of inverted magnetization direction to be formed with a prescribed pattern in the recording layer, making it possible to write information thereat. Furthermore, recording is sequentially carried out as slide mechanism
15
causes pickup unit
7
to move radially across magneto-optical disk
1
.
Moreover, during playback of information from magneto-optical disk
1
, the magnetic head elevator mechanism causes suspension member
13
and magnetic head
12
to back off to prescribed distances from magneto-optical disk
1
. Once in this state, laser light is used to read information therefrom. Furthermore, similar to the situation occurring during recording of information as described above, playback is sequentially carried out as slide mechanism
15
causes pickup unit
7
to move radially across m
Furukawa Masanobu
Kasuga Kyoji
Yoshida Mitsunobu
Conlin David G.
Daley, Jr. William J.
Edwards & Angell LLP
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Watko Julie Anne
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