Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval – Particular cabinet structure for optical media – Environmental control
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-08
2004-11-30
Ometz, David L. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic optical information storage or retrieval
Particular cabinet structure for optical media
Environmental control
C720S611000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826768
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical compact disk drive, more particularly to an optical compact disk drive with a vibration-and-noise attenuating mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
The data reading speed for optical compact disk drives has been considerably increased in recent years. However, noise and vibration arising from rotations of a compact disk and a motor of the optical compact disk drive are also significantly increased due to the increase in the aforesaid reading speed.
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate a conventional optical compact disk drive that includes a housing
91
and a mounting seat
92
mounted in the housing
91
. The mounting seat
92
includes a disk-supporting tray
95
formed with a disk-receiving recess
951
for receiving a compact disk
96
therein. The disk-supporting tray
95
is further formed with an elongated opening
955
that extends from a center of the disk-receiving recess
951
to a rear peripheral portion
94
of the disk-supporting tray
95
for exposing a rotary shaft
93
and a data reading head
97
to the compact disk
96
. A pair of air-communicating openings
98
are formed in a front peripheral portion
99
of the disk-supporting tray
95
for permitting a vertical air flow from a bottom side of the disk-supporting tray
95
to a top side of the disk-supporting tray
95
due to pressure difference between the top and bottom sides upon rotation of the compact disk
96
. Since there are more components (not shown) mounted on the mounting seat
92
below the disk-supporting tray
95
than above the disk-supporting tray
95
, a tangential air flow (indicated as arrow (A) in
FIG. 2
) arising from the rotation of the compact disk
96
at the space below the disk-supporting tray
95
will have a lower speed than that at the space above the disk-supporting tray
95
, which, in turn, results in the aforesaid pressure difference and the vertical air flow. However, due to the presence of the elongated opening
955
(which extends in an asymmetric manner relative to the disk-receiving recess
951
), the data reading head
97
and peripheral components (not shown) for the data reading head
97
, highly turbulent air flow tends to occur at a position adjacent to the elongated opening
955
. As a result, undesired vibration of the compact disk
96
and loud noise can occur when the compact disk
96
rotates at a relatively high speed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical compact disk drive with a vibration-and-noise attenuating mechanism that is capable of overcoming the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided an optical compact disk drive that comprises: a housing confining a chamber therein and having a front opening; a mounting seat with a disk-supporting tray that is mounted movably in the chamber, that is movable inwardly and outwardly of the housing through the front opening in a horizontal direction, and that is recessed to form a disk-receiving recess which is adapted to receive a compact disk therein, the disk-receiving recess being confined by a recess-confining wall that has a circular base portion extending in the horizontal direction, a front riser portion which is circumferentially disposed around the base portion adjacent to the front opening and which extends from the base portion in a transverse direction relative to the base portion so as to confine a front side of the disk-receiving recess, and a rear riser portion which is circumferentially disposed around the base portion at a position opposite to the front riser portion and which extends from the base portion in the transverse direction so as to confine a rear side of the disk-receiving recess, the disk-supporting tray having a front peripheral portion that extends frontwardly from the front riser portion in the horizontal direction, and a rear peripheral portion that is opposite to the front peripheral portion and that extends rearwardly from the rear riser portion in the horizontal direction, the disk-supporting tray further having opposite top and bottom sides and being formed with an elongated opening that extends rearwardly from a center of the base portion to the rear peripheral portion; and a vibration-and-noise attenuating mechanism having a pair of front air-communicating openings formed in the front peripheral portion, and at least a rear air-communicating opening that is formed in the rear peripheral portion and that is disposed adjacent to the elongated opening, thereby permitting formation of a vertical air flow from the bottom side of the disk-supporting tray to the top side of the disk-supporting tray through the front and rear air-communicating openings due to pressure difference between the top and bottom sides upon rotation of the compact disk.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6212147 (2001-04-01), Ishihara
patent: 6317402 (2001-11-01), Huang et al.
patent: 6392976 (2002-05-01), Lin
patent: 6493310 (2002-12-01), Kim et al.
patent: 2002/0039340 (2002-04-01), Minase
patent: 2003/0218956 (2003-11-01), Wu et al.
patent: 10-177755 (1998-06-01), None
patent: 2000-357385 (2000-12-01), None
patent: 2001-52405 (2001-02-01), None
Lin Rong-Gui
Lu Yi-Wei
Wu Jen-Chen
Hsu Winston
Micro-Star Int'l Co., Ltd.
Ometz David L.
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