Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-11
2001-04-24
Korzuch, William R. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222810
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk guide apparatus for an optical disk playback system, and more particularly, to an improved disk guide apparatus for an optical disk playback system which realizes simplified structure and decreases the number of required parts for thereby preventing erroneous insertion of the disk and which provides an oval shaped guide pin for thereby carrying out a loading/unloading operation of an optical disk with less power, thereby decreasing production cost as well as improving workability.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, an optical disk playback apparatus denotes a device that plays back a DVD (Digital Video Disk) or a CD (Compact Disk). Depending upon disk loading methods, the disk playback apparatus varies to a tray loading type and a slot loading type.
In the tray loading type, an optical disk is placed on a plate-shaped tray which then moves back and forth to load or unload a target disk, and in the slot loading type, the disk is inserted into a slot of the optical disk playback apparatus for its loading and the disk becomes also unloaded through the slot.
A conventional disk guide apparatus for such an optical disk playback system is provided in a slot loading type optical disk playback system for thereby serving to guide the optical disk being inserted by a user.
As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, such a conventional disk guide apparatus
100
for an optical disk playback system includes a stopper plate
10
having thereat an insertion entrance (not shown, and referred to as slot, hereinafter) of the optical disk. The stopper plate
10
includes a stepped portion
11
indented in the center thereof and formed at a front portion of a housing
2
.
In rear of the stopper plate
10
, there are provided a pair of slide plates
20
,
20
′ facing against each other for thereby preventing an erroneous insertion and guiding the loading/unloading of the optical disk
1
. The pair of the slide plates
20
,
20
′ respectively have an extension toward each other in symmetry, and rack gears
21
,
21
′ are formed on inner sides of the extended portions thereof.
A pinion gear
30
is engaged between the rack gears
21
,
21
′ to rotate on the rack gears
21
,
21
′ when the optical gear
1
is inserted.
Triangular guide bosses
40
,
40
′ are hingedly fixed by a hinge pin
3
to front side portions of the slide plates
20
,
20
′. Guide pins
41
,
41
′ are downwardly extended from lower edge portions of the guide bosses
40
,
40
′. Protrusions
42
,
42
′ are extended from side edge portions of the guide bosses
40
,
40
′.
Torsion springs
50
,
50
′ are worn on the hinge pins
33
that hingedly connect the guide bosses
40
,
40
′ to the slide plates
20
,
20
′. An end of each of the torsion springs
50
,
50
′ is hooked on a corresponding side portion of the slide plates
20
,
20
′ and another end thereof is hooked on the corresponding protrusions
42
,
42
′ of the guide bosses
40
,
40
′.
The disk loading operation of the thusly constituted conventional disk guide apparatus of the slot loading type optical disk playback system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, when the optical disk
1
is inserted by a user, since the respective protrusions
42
,
42
′ of the guide bosses
40
,
40
′ becomes hooked on each stepped portion
11
of the stopper plate
10
at an initial stage, the optical disk
1
becomes centrally positioned by the guide pins
41
,
41
′ of the guide bosses
40
,
40
′, so that the optical disk
1
is inserted into the optical disk playback system while maintaining its balance.
At this time, when the optical disk
1
is sidedly inserted into the center of the slot, the guide boss
40
which is primarily touched by the optical disk
1
being inserted is backwardly rotated on the hinge pin
3
, whereby the guide boss
40
is released from the stepped portion
11
of the stopper plate
10
. To the contrary, the protrusion
42
of the other guide boss
40
is hooked on the stepped portion
11
of the stopper plate
10
, whereby the slide plates
20
,
20
′ are prevented from moving from left to right, thereby preventing an erroneous insertion of the disk.
When the optical disk
1
is inserted into the optical disk playback system while maintaining balance at its center by the guide pins
41
,
41
′, the guide pins
41
,
41
′ are backwardly pushed by the optical disk
1
being inserted. Accordingly, the guide bosses
40
,
40
′ suppresses the restoring force of the spring
50
supported by the protrusions
42
,
42
′ formed at respective side portions of the guide bosses
40
,
40
and backwardly rotates while having the hinge pins
3
,
3
′ hingedly connected to the slide plates
20
,
20
′ as rotational shafts, and at the same time the protrusions
42
,
42
′ become released from the stepped portion
11
of the stopper plate
10
.
In case the optical disk
1
is further inserted into the optical disk playback system, the pair of slide plates
20
,
20
′ respectively connected to the guide bosses
40
,
40
′ by the hinge pins
3
,
3
′ becomes distanced by moving from each other, and the rack gears
21
,
21
′ extended from the pair of the slide plates
20
,
20
′ drive the pinion gear
30
by being engaged therebetween, whereby the slide plates
20
,
20
′ becomes moving from left to right for thereby loading the optical disk
1
.
However, the conventional disk guide apparatus for the slot loading type optical disk playback system requires too many parts for thereby complicating its structure, so that the complicated assembly process results in an increased production cost and the workability is significantly deteriorated.
Further, the conventional disk guide apparatus for the slot loading type optical disk playback system provides circular guide pins, and accordingly when the optical disk is inserted into the optical disk playback system, the input angle becomes large for requiring increased power, so that it is difficult to replace the disk guide apparatus with compound resin product for thereby resulting in inevitable increase of production cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to overcoming the conventional disadvantages.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disk guide apparatus for an optical disk playback system capable of preventing an erroneous insertion of the optical disk and carrying out an accurate loading/unloading operation by use of minimal number of parts by simplifying the structure thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disk guide apparatus for an optical disk playback system capable of carrying out a loading/unloading operation of an optical disk using less power by decreasing a pressure angle when inserting the disk.
To achieve the above-described objects, there is provided a disk guide apparatus for an optical disk playback system according to the present invention which includes a pinion gear having at least one non-toothed portion, a pair of guide plates respectively having a gear portion being engaged to the pinion gear, and a spring providing an elastic restoration to the guide plates.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific example, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4470136 (1984-09-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 5038337 (1991-08-01), Muramatsu et al.
patent: 5173893 (1992-12-01), M
Ahn Sung Woong
Kang Seong Sik
Kim Tae Hyoung
Lee In Hwan
Soh Wook Young
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Korzuch William R.
LG Electronics Inc.
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