Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-19
2002-03-19
Ometz, David L. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
C369S030770, C369S030850
Reexamination Certificate
active
06359843
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to disk recording-playback devices for recording data on disks and reproducing the data therefrom, disk trays for use in the device, and a method of ejecting the tray.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present applicant has already proposed a disk recording-playback device as shown in
FIG. 43
(see JP-A-297904/1996). The proposed device has in its main body
100
a stacker
7
accommodating trays
4
in a plurality of stages for placing a disk on each tray. Disposed forwardly of the stacker
7
is a holder
700
movable upward and downward for placing the tray
4
thereon as delivered from the stacker
7
. A recording-playback unit
2
is disposed under the path of up-down movement of the holder
700
.
The tray
4
is movable into and out of the stacker
7
rightward, i.e., in a loading direction, and leftward, i.e., in an ejecting direction, in FIG.
43
. The tray
4
as stowed in the stacker
7
is held thereto by a latch mechanism (not shown). When to be loaded or ejected, the tray
4
is released from the stacker
7
.
As shown in
FIG. 44
, the tray
4
has a large recess
400
for placing therein a disk with a diameter of 12 cm (hereinafter referred to as a “large disk ”), and a small recess
410
positioned at a lower level than the large recess
400
concentrically therewith for placing therein a disk with a diameter of 8 cm (hereinafter referred to as a “small disk”). One of the large and small disks is placed on the tray
4
. The tray
4
is formed with a window
420
as a common opening for the large and small recessed portions
400
,
410
. A recording or playback beam passes through the window
420
. A specified tray
4
is loaded by vertically moving the holder
700
to the level of that tray
4
first, then delivering the tray
4
from the stacker
7
onto the holder
700
and lowering the holder
700
onto the recording-playback unit
2
to set the tray
4
in position on the unit
2
.
When to be ejected, the specified tray
4
is released from engagement with the stacker
7
in the case of the conventional recording-playback device, so that if the device main body
100
is installed as inclined as seen in
FIG. 46
, the tray
4
is likely to slip out of the stacker
7
and fall onto the unit
2
. The tray
4
is then not ejectable, and the disk in the tray
4
is likely to become damaged.
Further even if a fall of the tray
4
is avoidable, there is a likelihood of the disk D falling onto the unit
2
from the inclined tray
4
. Especially, the small disk, which is in contact with the tray
4
over a small area, is in contact therewith with small friction and is liable to slip out.
An object of the present invention is to prevent the tray from falling toward the recording-playback unit and to prevent the small disk from slipping out of the tray when the device main body is installed as inclined.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a disk recording-playback device which has mounted on a chassis
1
a stacker
7
accommodating trays
4
in a plurality of stages for placing a disk on each tray, and a recording-playback unit
2
positioned forwardly of the stacker
7
for recording or reproducing data on or from the disk. The disk is held between the unit
2
and a clamp plate
200
positioned above the unit
2
.
Further mounted on the chassis
1
are a deck lift unit
6
for raising and lowering the recording-playback unit
2
, and lift control means positioned between the chassis
1
and the recording-playback unit
2
for operating the deck lift unit
6
to locate the recording-playback unit
2
at a desired level.
In the following description, the direction in which the tray
4
slidingly moves from the stacker
7
toward the recording-playback unit
2
will be referred to as “forward” or a “loading direction,” and the direction from the unit
2
toward the stacker
7
as “rearward.” The direction in which the tray
4
is delivered from the stacker
7
to the outside of the recording-playback device will be referred to as an “ejecting direction.”
When one of the trays
4
is to be ejected from the stacker
7
, the lift control means positions the recording-playback unit
2
as opposed to the tray
4
to be ejected and blocks the path of movement of the tray
4
to the unit
2
with the clamp plate
200
or the unit
2
.
As shown in
FIGS. 13 and 19
, the tray
4
is provided with a slipping-off preventing piece
500
positioned forwardly of a large recessed portion
400
and lapping over an end part of the large recessed portion
400
, and a contact wall
510
positioned forwardly of the piece
500
. When a disk is about to forwardly slip out of a small recessed portion
410
, the piece
500
comes into contact with the upper surface of the disk, and the contact wall
510
comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the disk, preventing the disk from slipping out of the tray
4
.
Even when the tray
4
to be ejected is about to slip off forward in the case where the main body of the device is installed as inclined on a desk, the path of movement of the tray
4
to the recording-playback unit
2
is blocked with the clamp plate
200
or the unit
2
. This obviates the likelihood that the tray
4
to be ejected will fall toward the unit
2
.
Even if the tray
4
is prevented from falling toward the unit
2
, there is a likelihood of a small disk on the tray
4
slipping out forward. However, even in such a case, the disk has its upper surface confined by the slipping-off preventing piece
500
, with its peripheral edge in contact with the contact wall
510
. Accordingly, the small disk is prevented from slipping out of the tray
4
.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5226032 (1993-07-01), Ikedo et al.
patent: 5327412 (1994-07-01), Lee
patent: 5329516 (1994-07-01), Hoshi et al.
patent: 5515356 (1996-05-01), Lee
patent: 5726967 (1998-03-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5751687 (1998-05-01), Ariyoshi et al.
patent: 5790508 (1998-08-01), Chen
patent: 5917986 (1999-06-01), Kim
patent: 5933403 (1999-08-01), Kim et al.
patent: 1-66862 (1989-03-01), None
patent: 6-150512 (1994-05-01), None
patent: 6-195849 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 07-282520 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 08-249800 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 8-297904 (1996-11-01), None
patent: 09-185861 (1997-07-01), None
patent: 63-204548 (1998-08-01), None
Ometz David L.
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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