Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-28
2003-08-05
Korzuch, William (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06603724
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disk recording and/or reproducing device, a disk loading mechanism, and a disk eject mechanism, and more particularly to a disk recording and/or reproducing device for recording and/or reproducing a signal with respect to a disk, a disk loading mechanism for loading a disk on a disk mounting portion, and a disk eject mechanism for ejecting a disk mounted on the disk mounting portion.
Conventionally known is a disk recording and/or reproducing device capable of either recording or reproducing a signal, or both recording and reproducing a signal with respect to a disk.
Such a known disk recording and/or reproducing device usually includes a disk table adapted to be rotated by a drive force of a spindle motor and a chucking plate opposed to the disk table. When a disk having a center hole is inserted from a disk insert/eject slot formed through a housing of the disk recording and/or reproducing device, the disk is drawn into the housing by a loading mechanism until the center hole of the disk reaches a position corresponding to the disk table. In this condition, the disk table or the chucking plate is raised or lowered by a lift mechanism, thereby chucking the disk between the disk table and the chucking plate.
In the conventional disk recording and/or reproducing device, the housing is partially formed of a transparent material or provided with a window allowing the disk mounted on the disk table to be visibly recognized from the outside of the housing, so that the presence or absence of the disk in the housing can be visibly recognized from the outside of the housing.
The disk loaded in the housing is ejected by an eject mechanism provided in the housing. In the conventional disk recording and/or reproducing device, the disk is inserted to a given position into the housing upon disk loading, and the disk is thereafter drawn into a chucking position by a spring force of biasing the disk in a loading direction. Conversely, upon disk ejection, the disk is first moved to the given position in an eject direction, and is thereafter ejected from the housing by a spring force of biasing the disk in the eject direction. To exert such biasing forces having opposite directions with a reduced number of parts, the device may employ a toggle spring adapted to be reversed in its direction of biasing force at the time the disk reaches the above given position.
In the eject operation, the direction of biasing force of the toggle spring is reversed usually when the disk is moved to the above given position by an eject lever, and the disk is thereafter ejected by the toggle spring rather than by the eject lever.
In the above conventional disk recording and/or reproducing device with the chucking plate opposed to the disk table, a support portion for supporting the chucking plate is provided axially of the chucking plate. Accordingly, the thickness of the disk recording and/or reproducing device is large, causing a hindrance to a reduction in thickness of the disk recording and/or reproducing device.
Further, before the chucking operation by the disk table and the chucking plate is started in the condition where the disk is located at the chucking position, the disk is not yet engaged with the disk table and the chucking plate. Accordingly, in the event that there occurs misalignment of the disk located at the chucking position due to vibrations or the like, the chucking operation may not be properly performed.
Further, in the above conventional disk recording and/or reproducing device, the housing is partially formed of a transparent material or the window is provided at a part of the housing to allow the disk to be visibly recognized from the outside of the housing, in order to determine whether or not the disk is present in the housing. However, since the surface of the disk is flat and smooth, it is difficult to easily determine whether what is visibly recognized from the outside is the disk or a part of the inside structure in the housing. Thus, there is a possibility of erroneous determination of the presence or absence of the disk in the housing.
Further, in the above conventional disk recording and/or reproducing device employing the toggle spring to eject the disk, a sufficient space for movement of the eject lever cannot be ensured because of limitation of installation space inside the housing, for example. Accordingly, there is a case that it is difficult to design the eject mechanism so as to reliably move the disk to the above given position in the eject direction.
In addition, the toggle spring has a so-called dead band causing the inversion of the direction of the biasing force. However, there is a possibility that the dead band of the toggle spring may vary because of aging or the like, causing a problem such that although the disk is moved to the given position, the toggle spring is not inverted and the disk is therefore not ejected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk recording and/or reproducing device which can solve the above problems.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a disk recording and/or reproducing device capable of recording data onto a disk and/or reproducing data recorded on said disk, comprising a disk mounting portion for mounting said disk; a chucking portion for chucking said disk in cooperation with said disk mounting portion, said chucking portion having a disk engaging portion for engaging said disk at starting disk loading; and a slider for supporting said chucking portion and moving said chucking portion in a radial direction of said disk between a chucking position where said disk is allowed to be chucked and a loading position where said disk loading is allowed to be started.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4340952 (1982-07-01), Ikedo
patent: 6134212 (2000-10-01), Pines et al.
patent: 6208607 (2001-03-01), Ida et al.
patent: 6295266 (2001-09-01), Lee et al.
patent: 6392980 (2002-05-01), Sato et al.
Numata Koichi
Tamayama Ryuzo
Castro Angel
Korzuch William
Maioli Jay H.
Sony Corporation
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