Disk tray, disk storing apparatus and disk drive

Details Disk tray, disk storing apparatus and disk drive Disk tray, disk storing apparatus and disk drive

1998-10-14

2002-06-18

Davis, David (Department: 2652)

Dynamic information storage or retrieval

Storage medium structure

Adjuncts or adapters

C360S133000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06407982

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a disc tray which is capable of loading a recording and/or reproducing disc, such as an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc, serving as a recording medium for information signals in a state in which the disc is held in the disc tray, a disc accommodating apparatus for use when the disc tray is preserved or carried and a disc drive apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
Hitherto, discs, such as optical discs and magneto-optical discs, have been known to serve as recording mediums for recording information signals, such as music signals, video signals, information signals which must be processed by an information processing apparatus, such as a computer, or information signals, such as program information or the like for controlling the operation of a computer.
Discs of the foregoing type include a CD (Compact Disc), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Video Disc) and a DVD-ROM (Digital Video Disc Read Only Memory).
There is apprehension that an information signal cannot be recorded and/or reproduced if dust adheres to the signal recording surface of a disc, such as an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc, or if the signal recording surface is damaged.
Therefore, a disc of the foregoing type is accommodated and preserved in a disc accommodating apparatus. Since the disc is accommodated in the disc accommodating apparatus when the disc is carried, the signal recording surface can be protected.
Hitherto, the disc accommodating apparatus has been composed of three elements including a case body formed by molding transparent synthetic resin and having a rectangular shape; a cover rotatively joined to the case body through hinge portions so as to open/close an opened portion formed on the upper surface of the case body; and a disc tray made of thin and transparent synthetic resin sheet or a synthetic resin plate and arranged to be placed in the case body.
The disc tray arranged to be placed in the case body is able to hold the disc which is accommodated in the disc accommodating apparatus. The disc tray has a disc-receiving recess formed into a circular shape substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the disc which is accommodated in the disc accommodating apparatus. The recess has, in the central portion thereof, a disc holding projection to which a center hole formed in the central portion of the disc is engaged. The center hole of the disc is engaged to the disc holding projection so as to be placed horizontally in the disc-receiving recess so that the disc is held in the disc tray.
The disc accommodated in the disc accommodating apparatus is removed from the disc tray so as to be removed from the case body. Then, the disc is held by the fingers so as to be loaded into the disc drive apparatus.
The disc accommodating apparatus arranged in such a manner that the disc is removed from the case body and only the disc is loaded into the disc drive apparatus causes a complicated operation to be performed when the disc is loaded into the disc drive apparatus. Since the disc is held directly by the fingers, there is apprehension that the signal recording surface of the disc is damaged and contamination, such as fingerprints, is allowed to adhere to the signal recording surface. If the signal recording surface is damaged or dust is allowed to adhere to the same, there is apprehension that recording and/or reproducing of an information signal information signal cannot completely be performed.
As a disc accommodating apparatus which is capable of solving the above-mentioned problem, a structure has been disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Publication No. 5-31724.
A disc accommodating apparatus
301
disclosed as described above, as shown in
FIG. 71
, has a rectangular shape and composed of four elements including a case body
302
formed into a box shape having an opened upper surface and a small depth; a cover
303
rotatively joined to the case body
302
through a hinge portion
302
a
and formed into a flat plate for opening/closing the upper portion of the case body
302
; a disc tray
304
detachably loaded into the case body
302
; and a disc pressing member
305
rotatively joined to the central portion of the inner surface of the cover
303
. The disc tray
304
has a circular disc-receiving recess
306
formed therein. The disc-receiving recess
306
has a U-shape bottom opening
307
formed from substantially the central portion of the disc-receiving recess
306
toward an end of the disc tray
304
. The disc
310
is placed within the disc-receiving recess
306
in such a manner that a slight gap is maintained between the end of the disc
310
and the disc-receiving recess
306
. When the cover
303
is closed, the disc
310
is supported by the disc pressing member
305
from an upper position so as to be held within the disc-receiving recess
306
.
When the disc
310
accommodated in the disc accommodating apparatus
301
is loaded into the disc drive apparatus, the cover
303
is rotated about the hinge portion
302
a to remove the disc pressing member
305
to a position above the disc
310
. Then, the disc tray
304
is removed from the case body
302
. Then, the disc tray
304
having the disc
310
placed on the disc-receiving recess
306
thereof is inserted into the disc drive apparatus so that the disc
310
is loaded.
When the disc tray
304
has been loaded into the disc drive apparatus, the disc table disposed in the body of the apparatus through the bottom opening
307
is inserted into the disc tray
304
.
Since the foregoing disc accommodating apparatus
301
is composed of four elements, the number of the elements is too large and a large number of man-hour is required. Thus, the cost cannot be reduced. What is worse, the disc pressing function of the disc pressing member
305
is suspended at the instant when the cover
303
has been opened. Then, the disc
310
is brought to a state in which the disc
310
can easily be separated from the inside portion of the disc tray
304
.
Moreover, an operation for removing the disc tray
304
from the case body
302
having a surrounding peripheral wall cannot easily be performed. Thus, there is a risk that the disc
310
is dropped and damaged when the case body
302
and the disc tray
304
are carelessly inclined during the operation for removing the disc tray
304
. Whenever the disc tray
304
removed from the case body
302
is loaded into the disc drive apparatus, the disc tray
304
must be held by another hand to easily insert the disc tray
304
into the disc drive apparatus. Also during the foregoing operation for changing the hand for holding the disc tray
304
, there is apprehension that the disc tray
304
is carelessly inclined and dropped.
Therefore, the necessity of preventing careless inclination of the case body
302
and the disc tray
304
when the disc
310
is loaded into the disc drive apparatus raises a difficulty of the operation for loading the disc
310
into the disc drive apparatus.
Moreover, the disc tray
304
arranged in such a manner that the disc
310
is placed within the disc-receiving recess
306
cannot be used in a so-called stand-up disc drive apparatus which is stood erect.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel disc tray and a disc accommodating apparatus capable of solving the problems experienced with the conventional disc tray or the disc accommodating apparatus.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray and a disc accommodating apparatus capable of reliably projecting an optical disc or a magneto-optical disc for use to serve as a recording medium for an information signal.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray and a disc accommodating apparatus with which the operation for loading/unloading a disc can easily be performed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray and a disc accommodating apparatus with which the operation for loading a disc

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