Disk player loading a disk with improved insertion and loading

Details Disk player loading a disk with improved insertion and loading Disk player loading a disk with improved insertion and loading

1998-12-28

2002-09-10

Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2652)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

With particular cabinet structure

Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc

Reexamination Certificate

active

06449234

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk player, and more particularly, to a disk player with improved structure for disk insertion and loading.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disk player reproduces information recorded on a disk such as a compact disk (CD) and a digital versatile (or video) disk (DVD). The disk player includes a clamping mechanism for clamping a disk loaded into a main body thereof, a spindle motor for rotating the clamped disk, and an optical pickup for irradiating light beams onto the disk so as to read the information from the disk rotated by the spindle motor. The clamping mechanism generally includes a turntable for mounting the loaded disk thereon and a chuck for clamping the disk together with the turntable.
According to disk loading methods or disk types, a disk player is classified into various types. For example, for disk loading methods loading a disk to a position at which the disk can be clamped by a clamping mechanism incorporated into a main body of the disk player, the disk player is largely classified into two types. In one of the two types, a disk is inserted into a main body of the disk player by means of a tray capable of moving into and out of the main body. In another of the two types, a disk is directly inserted and loaded into the main body through a disk entrance provided in the main body without a disk tray.
In the disk player constructed such that the disk is directly inserted through the disk entrance without a disk tray, a device having a pair of rollers for carrying the disk using friction established with the disk while rotating in a pressed state at both sides of the disk has been employed to load the disk into a clamping position or to unload the loaded disk.
However, in the disk player employing the rollers for loading/unloading the disk, since the rollers having a predetermined diameter must be parallel to each other and installed perpendicular to a disk insertion direction, it is difficult to miniaturize the disk player. Also, since the rollers are configured to carry the disk while rotating while pressed against both sides of the disk, damage may be applied to a recording layer on the disk due to friction between the rollers and the disk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a disk player with improved structure, by which a disk can be loaded and/or unloaded, without being in contact with a recording layer on the disk and which is advantageous for miniaturization.
Additional objects and- advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above-mentioned object and other objects, of the present invention, a disk player includes a pair of first contact members installed in a main body of the disk player including a clamping device which clamps a disk such that the pair of first contact members gets closer to or more distant from each other and moves in a direction away from each other by being pressed by the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the disk inserted into the main body of the disk player. The disk player of the present invention also includes elastic mechanism that elastically biases the first contact members in a direction in which they are closer to each other, so that the disk is accommodated at a first position in the disk player main body by pressing the outer peripheral surface of the rear portion of the disk while the first contact members get closer to each other after being moved away from each other. Further, the disk player of the present invention includes a second contact member being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the disk accommodated at the first position, for supporting the disk at the first position together with the first contact members. In addition, the disk player of the present invention includes disk loading/unloading means for moving the first and second contact members, for loading the disk supported at the first position into a second position at which the disk is to be clamped by the clamping device and/or unloading the disk positioned at the second position into the first position.


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