Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-21
2002-10-29
Tupper, Robert S. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
Slotted for edgewise insertion of storage disc
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473382
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This present invention relates to a disk device that has a disk tray which has depressions into which a disk for recording and/or for playback is inserted and which loads that disk onto the device main body. For example, the disk device can be used as the disk device of a CD, DVD, or other optical disk player or of a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical disk drive, etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Long known as disk devices for CD, DVD, and other optical disk drives, etc. are disk devices into which an optical disk, that is an information storage medium, is loaded by inserting it in a depression on a disk tray placed approximately horizontally, and accommodating the disk tray inside the main body of the device.
With such a disk device, it suffices merely to place the optical disk in the disk tray, making it possible to simply load the disk onto the main body of the device and to accommodate with a single disk device various optical disks of different diameter sizes such as 8 cm, 12 cm and so on. Thus, one disk drive can read and reproduce various optical disks having different diameter sizes.
The aforesaid disk device, besides being used in the horizontal orientation in which the disk tray is horizontal, is also sometimes used in vertical orientation in which the disk tray is vertical.
If the disk device is used oriented vertically, it is not possible, just by inserting an optical disk into the depression, to hold the optical disk on the disk tray. Therefore, as disclosed in the Japanese patent application Laid-Open No. 6-251479, 1994, a disk device has been proposed that has a disk tray equipped with holding members that hold the optical disk loosely clamped against the outer circumference of the depression from outside the surface of the optical disk.
However, in the disk device disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese patent application, the holding members are fixed onto the disk tray, and hence nothing can be held by the holding members except an optical disk of the prescribed diameter size, such as the 12-cm size used for ordinary CDs, etc., with the problem that when using the disk device in the vertical orientation, it is difficult to use an optical disk of a different diameter size, such as 8 cm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a disk device that can use disks of different diameter sizes and can be used in the vertical orientation.
In order to achieve the above objects, disk device according to the present invention includes circular depressions into which a disk for recording and/or playback is to be inserted and also has in its main body accommodating a disk tray on to which the disk is to be loaded. The disk tray is provided with holding members that hold said disk from outside a surface thereof and the holding members are movable in accordance with a diameter size of said disk.
Here, the holding members movable in accordance with the diameter size of the disk can be constituted so that they can move along the radial direction of a circular depression, or constructed so that they can move along a straight line through two arbitrary points on a circumference of the circular depression.
According to the present invention, since the holding members provided on the disk tray can move in accordance with the disk's diameter size, by moving the holding members, the disks of different diameter sizes can be held by the holding members even when the disk device is used in vertical orientation.
In an embodiment guide grooves are formed in the disk tray to guide the holding members along the tray surface.
For the disk tray in which guide grooves are to be formed, a highly wear-resistant material such as POM (polyoxymethylene, polyacetal) can be used.
That is, because such guide grooves are formed in the disk tray, it is possible to easily slide the holding members along the guide grooves, improving the movement operability of the holding members. By using a highly wear-resistant material as the material of the disk tray, the slidability of the holding members is improved, thus further simplifying the operation of moving the holding members.
There may be used the guide grooves which extend in the radial direction of the circular depression of the disk tray, or the guide grooves which extend in the direction of movement of the disk tray.
That is, if the guide grooves extend in the radial direction of the depression into which the disk is inserted, the holding members can be moved toward the disk's center of rotation, which makes it possible to easily adjust the position of the holding members in accordance with the disk's diameter size. If the guide grooves extend in the direction of movement of the disk tray, they will not interfere with the rack or other loading mechanism that is formed in the side opposite the disk insertion surface of the disk tray. Therefore the holding members can be moved across the tray surface without altering the structure of the disk tray's movement mechanism, and without complicating the structure of the disk device.
If an opening is formed in the disk tray into which the optical pickup unit for recording and/or reproducing a disk is inserted, the guide grooves may be formed near the end edge of that opening, and the holding members then can preferably slide along the end edge of the opening.
In case the holding members are made such that they can slide along the end edge of the opening. Therefore, they can fit into the guide grooves using the opening, and a disk tray may have slidable holding members.
Also, it is possible to have multiple such movable holding members for one disk tray. Specifically, two or more movable holding members for one disk tray may be provided.
If two or more movable holding members are provided, disks of different diameter sizes can be held by moving the holding members, without changing the position of the center of rotation, which is suitable for using the disk device in vertical orientation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5930218 (1999-07-01), Mitsui et al.
patent: 6052352 (2000-04-01), Liou
patent: 6122240 (2000-09-01), Kim
patent: 2002/0034146 (2002-03-01), Morinaga
patent: 0 366 452 (1990-05-01), None
patent: 0 729 146 (1996-08-01), None
patent: 6-251479 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 7-153163 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 8-45153 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 8-45154 (1996-02-01), None
Koshino et al. US PGP 2001/0017835 A1. Aug. 2001.
Miyasaka Shigehisa
Tagawa Kazusato
Katten Muchin Zavis & Rosenman
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Tupper Robert S.
Watko Julie Anne
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