Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Dynamic mechanism subsystem – Specific detail of storage medium support or motion production
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-12
2001-06-19
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2754)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Dynamic mechanism subsystem
Specific detail of storage medium support or motion production
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249506
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk drive apparatus for driving or rotating a disk medium, and more particularly to a disk medium attaching device capable of releasably attaching a disk thereto.
More specifically, this invention relates to a medium attaching device for holding and releasing a concentric disk medium on a turntable, connected to a motor (rotating device for rotating this turntable), when this disk-like medium is to be driven for rotation. Here, the concentric disk-like mediums (disk media) include, for example, an old-fashioned EP record disk, an MO, a PD, a CD, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM or the like, and these disk mediums will be referred to merely as “disk”.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional clamp mechanisms for a disk will be described. There have heretofore been used three kinds of clamp mechanisms described below. A first example of them is a disk self-holding type (clamp type) as disclosed in JP-A-9-147479, in which the user himself holds or grasps a disk, and attaches the disk directly onto a turntable which is a constituent part of an optical pickup. This disk holding means is called a ball chuck-type mechanism which comprises hard balls of metal or members of a resin for pressing the disk against the surface of the turntable.
A second conventional example is a mechanism as disclosed in JP-A-6-84255, in which a disk is transferred to a turntable by a disk loading mechanism, and is placed on a center hub, and then a fixing member (called a clamper), having a magnetic body, fixes the disk to the turntable from the upper side of the disk by its magnetic force. For transferring the disk, there is used, for example, a holder for holding a cartridge therein or a tray for placing the disk thereon.
A third conventional example is a method as disclosed in JP-P-61-264547, in which a disk is beforehand contained in a disk case called a cassette, and this cassette is inserted into a disk drive apparatus, and a clamp member, provided above the cassette, cooperates with a magnetic circuit formed by a magnet, provided in a turntable, so as to fix the disk to the turntable.
In each of these mechanisms, the disk is attached to the turntable or the holder by the operator. Therefore, it has been necessary to move the turntable or the holder to a position where this operation can be effected easily. The disk is attached, and the center thereof is aligned with that of the rotation drive portion of the disk drive apparatus, and then the clamp member moves downward to fix the disk. Therefore, it has been necessary to provide upwardly-moving and downwardly-moving mechanisms on the opposite (lower and upper) sides of the disk, respectively.
Recently, with the compact and thin design of disk drive apparatus, the disk drive apparatus is, in many cases, contained in portable personal computers. With this trendency, an optical pickup, which is a key device of the disk drive apparatus, has been required to have a more compact, thinner design. Software, used in computers, has now had a large capacity, and in many cases, inexpensive CD-ROMs have been used as media to be distributed. Therefore, it is now thought natural that the disk drive apparatus should be mounted on the personal computer.
However, the compact and lightweight design of computers has been advanced, and the disk drive apparatus, used as an external memory unit of the computer, has also been required to have a compact, lightweight design and a thin design. Therefore, the tray and the upwardly-moving and downwardly-moving mechanisms have been a barrier to the thin design. And besides, in order that a more comfortable operability of the computer can be provided, there has been a demand for the type of disk drive apparatus which does not require the attaching operation by the operator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problems in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a disk drive apparatus suited for a compact and lightweight design and a thin design, and more specifically to provide a medium attaching device and a disk drive apparatus capable of automatic attachment of a disk.
According to the present invention, there is provided a medium attaching device comprising rotary support means for holding a recording medium thereon, and rotation drive means for rotating the rotary support means so as to rotate the recording medium;
wherein the rotation drive means includes reciprocally-moving means for reciprocal movement in a direction of an axis of a rotation shaft;
wherein the rotary support means has a plurality of pivotal attaching means pivotally mounted thereon, and each of the pivotal attaching means is pivotally movable between a fixed position where the pivotal attaching means fixedly holds the recording medium and a received position where the pivotal attaching means is received in the rotary support means, and the plurality of pivotal attaching means are provided on the rotary support means in concentric relation to the axis of the rotation shaft; and
wherein the pivotal attaching means are engaged with the reciprocally-moving means, and are pivotally moved by the reciprocal movement of the reciprocally-moving means, thereby fixing and releasing the recording medium relative to the rotary support means.
Further, according to the invention, there is a disk drive apparatus using the above medium attaching device.
The medium attaching device and the disk drive apparatus of the present invention are suited for a compact, light weight design and a thin design, and is capable of automatic attachment of a disk. In the present invention, the rotation drive means and the reciprocally-moving means have common parts, and therefore the compact and thin design can be achieved. Further, in the present invention, even if the disk, when placed on the rotary support member, is slightly out of alignment with the rotary support member and has an error in the thickness of the disk or the diameter of its central hole, this misalignment can be corrected, so that the disk can be positively attached and fixed to the rotary support member.
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Oowaki Hirohiko
Shiwa Masayuki
Chen Tianjie
Klimowicz William
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher LLP
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