Information recording/reproducing device

Details Information recording/reproducing device Information recording/reproducing device

2001-02-28

2002-09-24

Tupper, Robert S. (Department: 2652)

Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval

Record transport with head stationary during transducing

Disk record

Reexamination Certificate

active

06456457

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an information recording and reproduction apparatus which records an information signal into an information recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and a magnet-optical disk, and reproduces the information signal recorded into the information recording medium of this kind, and more particularly, to a mechanism in the apparatus for preventing exhaustion of the information recording medium during when the information signal is being recorded into the information recording medium.
BACKGROUND ART
As a conventional method for exhausting a recording medium which is mounted in the information recording and reproduction apparatus (hereinafter, simply referred to as “recording apparatus”) for recording an information signal into an information recording medium (hereinafter, simply referred to as “recording medium”) such as a floppy disk or a CD-R, and reproducing the information signal recorded into the recording medium, there is a system in which an eject button and a loading mechanism which is in a relative movement with the eject button for exhausting the recording medium to the outside are provided in the recording apparatus, and the driving apparatus for driving the loading mechanism is operated by pressing the eject button. This driving apparatus is divided roughly into mechanical ones and electric ones.
At first, a conventional recording apparatus X will be described briefly with reference to FIG.
3
and
FIG. 4. A
magnetic disk recording and reproduction apparatus is described as the conventional recording apparatus X.
Initially, the loading mechanism for the recording medium will be described.
The loading mechanism is constituted mainly by an eject plate
2
and an elevator
3
, which function as operated moving parts.
The eject plate
2
is regulated for its movement in rightward-to-leftward direction and upward-to-downward direction in the apparatus by convex parts
1
a
,
1
b
,
1
c
and
1
d
of a chassis
1
so as only to move in backward-to-forward direction.
While the elevator
3
holds a recording medium
4
, the elevator
3
is located inside the eject plate
2
and is regulated for its movement in rightward-to-leftward direction. Further, a convex part
3
a of the elevator
3
is regulated for its movement in backward-to-forward direction by a groove part
1
e
of the chassis
1
, thereby the elevator
3
can only move in upward-to-downward direction.
Next, the internal mechanism in a case where the recording medium
4
has been inserted in the recording apparatus X so as to enable recording and reproduction will be described. In this case, the eject plate
2
is pushed forward in the recording apparatus X by eject springs
5
a
and
5
b
which are mounted on the chassis
1
.
The elevator
3
is pushed downward when the eject plate
2
is subjected to a force toward forward because the convex parts
3
a
and
3
b
of the elevator
3
are inserted into sloped groove parts
2
a
and
2
b
of the eject plate
2
, respectively.
When the recording medium
4
in the elevator
3
is inserted into the recording apparatus X, by that the upward-to-downward direction and rightward-to-leftward direction movements thereof are regulated by the convex parts
1
a
and
1
b
of the chassis
1
and the upward-to-downward direction movement thereof is regulated by the convex parts
1
c
and
1
d
of the chassis
1
, and further that the elevator
3
is pushed downward, the recording medium
4
is fixed firmly without a jounce in the recording apparatus X.
A case where the recording medium
4
is exhausted from the recording apparatus X will be described.
At first, when the mechanical driving means for mechanically driving the loading mechanism is one which utilizes an electrical apparatus, by that the eject motor
6
is operated to rotate the convex part
6
a
thereof and the convex part
2
c
of the eject plate
2
is pulled against the eject springs
5
a
and
5
b
by the convex part
6
a
, the eject plate
2
is moved toward backward of the recording apparatus X. In this case, the convex part
2
d
of the eject plate
2
in
FIG. 3
functions as an emergency manual exhaustion means which operates when the eject motor
6
comes into a non-operative state by any cause.
When the mechanical driving means for mechanically driving the loading mechanism is one which utilizes the mechanical apparatus, the. eject plate
2
is moved toward backward of the recording apparatus X by pushing the convex part
2
d
of the eject plate
2
. In either case, the elevator
3
is moved upward by that the eject plate
2
is moved, thereby resulting in that the recording medium
4
is released from the regulations by the convex parts
1
a
,
1
b
,
1
c
and
1
d
, and being subjected to a force toward downward applied by the elevator
3
, and therefore the recording medium
4
is exhausted to the outside of the recording apparatus X. In this case, the convex part
2
c
of the eject plate
2
and the eject motor
6
shown in
FIG. 3
are not required.
The operation of the loading mechanism for exhausting the recording medium
4
which is inserted into the recording apparatus X to the outside will be described with reference to FIG.
5
. At first, because a latch
7
is subjected to a force to rotate in a right turn direction applied by a latch spring
8
, a top part
7
a
of the latch
7
is pushed toward a screw part
2
e
of the eject plate
2
. Then, by that the eject plate
2
is moved toward backward of the recording apparatus X, the screw part
2
e
of the eject plate
2
is moved from the top part
7
a
of the latch
7
sliding along a corner part
7
b
of the latch
7
, and when it reaches the corner part
7
b
, the latch
7
turns in a right turn direction and is dropped in a concave part
7
c
to be stopped. At this point, the convex part
7
d
of the latch
7
is moved forward by the rotation of the latch
7
in a right turn direction, and is collided with the recording medium
4
thereby to push the same. Thus, the exhaustion of the recording medium
4
is carried out.
A brief description will be given of the exhaustion operation for exhausting the recording medium in the recording apparatus to the outside when the driving apparatus for driving the above-mentioned loading mechanism is an electric one. When the eject button is pressed while an information signal is being recorded into an information recording medium by the operation of the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus is described to ignore that the eject button is pressed, or to wait until the recording operation should be concluded and to exhaust the recording medium after confirming the conclusion of the recording operation. In this way, the information on the recording medium is prevented from being destroyed. Further, when the power of the recording apparatus is turned off in a state where the recording medium is inserted in the recording apparatus, the exhaustion of the recording medium is made impossible. In order to prepare for such case in emergency, there is generally provided with an emergency manual exhaustion means for forcibly exhausting the recording medium to the outside of the recording apparatus employing a manual exhaustion tool.
However, in a case where the driving apparatus for driving the loading mechanism is a mechanical one, if the eject button is pressed while the information signal is being recorded into a recording medium by the operation of the recording apparatus, the recording medium is forcibly exhausted during the recording, and thus it is liable that the information cannot be read out because it is recorded only halfway, or that the recording medium itself is destroyed because it is exhausted rotating in the recording apparatus. The same applies to a case where the recording medium is exhausted forcibly by employing the above-mentioned emergency manual exhaustion means.
To avoid such a situation, the conventional recording apparatus is provided with an eject lock means for locking the mechanical exhaustion driving means lest it

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