Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Dynamic mechanism subsystem – Access of multiple storage elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2002-04-09
Davis, David (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Dynamic mechanism subsystem
Access of multiple storage elements
Reexamination Certificate
active
06370105
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording media accommodating apparatus capable of accommodating a plurality of flat-shaped recording media and playing back information recorded on an arbitrarily selected one of the recording media.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known heretofore automotive audio systems, navigation systems, and the like, that are equipped with an autochanger facility for accommodating a plurality of recording media, such as compact discs (CDs) or CD-ROMs, and for selecting an arbitrary recording medium and playing back information recorded thereon. In the prior art, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications JP-A 3-235250 (1991), 6-231559 (1994), and 7-169168 (1995) each disclose a playback apparatus incorporating a magazine for holding a plurality of CDs and capable of selecting an arbitrary one of the CDs for playback. In these prior art apparatuses, the magazine is separated in the direction of CD thickness near the accommodating position in the magazine at which the CD to be played back is stored, thus creating a space for a playback pickup to enter and thereby enabling the CD to be played back in a restricted space. As another example of the prior art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-151763 (1993) discloses an automotive disk player wherein a drive chassis on which a turn table and a pickup are mounted is supported elastically during playback and is locked during disk insertion/ejection.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 10-3733(1998), etc. the applicant of the present invention has disclosed a stocker type accommodating apparatus which differs from the magazine type that handles a plurality of recording media in their entirety as they are accommodated therein. As shown in
FIG. 61
, a stocker
1
as the accommodating apparatus is capable of accommodating, for example, six CDs. The stocker
1
has stocker members
2
a,
2
a,
2
b,
2
c,
2
d,
2
e,
and
2
f,
vertically stacked from bottom to top in this order, each capable of holding one CD. Splitting projections
3
a,
3
b,
3
c,
3
d,
and
3
e
are formed on both widthwise sides of the other stocker members
2
a,
2
b,
2
c,
2
d,
and
2
e
than the uppermost stocker member
2
f.
Before separating the stocker
1
, the separating projections
3
a,
3
b,
3
c,
3
d,
and
3
e
are lined up at the same height, separating slide members
4
are moved, and a stocker member is selected that has the separating projections to be selected by pawls
5
. When the separating slide members
4
are moved upward by rotating feed screws
6
, the stocker member to which the separating projections selected by the pawls
5
are connected is lifted upward together with the stocker members stacked thereabove, creating a space above the underlying stocker member. The space created by the stocker separation allows a playback pickup, etc. to be inserted therein. A turn table of the thus inserted playback pickup is inserted in the center hole of the CD held on the stocker located above the separated space, and is drawn out in the direction opposite to the direction of insertion, thus readying the CD for playback by the pickup. A slot
7
is formed in each of the stocker members
2
a,
2
b,
2
c,
2
d,
2
e,
and
2
f
so that the turn table with the CD mounted thereon can be retracted from the separated space into the playback area. Further, each of the stocker members
2
a,
2
b,
2
c,
2
d,
2
e,
and
2
f
is provided with a spring
8
for holding the CD mounted thereon.
When the playback apparatus equipped with an autochanger facility is an automotive audio apparatus or navigation apparatus, it is preferable that the apparatus be made mountable in the dashboard near the driver's seat. A dashboard mountable apparatus needs to have dimensions conforming to the DIN standard, for example, about 18 cm in width, about 5 cm in height, and about 17 cm in depth. In magazine type accommodating apparatus, trays with disk-shaped recording media such as CDs mounted thereon are housed in a magazine case. Accordingly, sufficient space must be provided so that the magazine case and trays do not contact the playback mechanism when playback is performed within the playback apparatus; this makes it difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus.
In the prior art such as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications JP-A 3-235250 (1991), 6-231559 (1994), and 7-169168 (1995), trays, each for holding one CD, are stacked to construct a magazine or the like. When selecting a CD at a particular position for playback, etc., the magazine is separated between top and bottom at the position of the tray that holds the selected CD, thereby creating a space therebetween. To enable the magazine to be separated by selecting one tray, projections or the like are formed at positions differing at least between adjacent trays, and the appropriate projections are selected to separate the magazine.
In the stocker
1
of
FIG. 61
disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 10-3733 (1998), the separating projections
3
a
to
3
e
are formed at positions differing between the respective stocker members
2
a
to
2
e.
When the positions of the separating projections
3
a
to
3
e
are different for the different stocker members
2
a
to
2
f
forming the stocker
1
, as in the case of
FIG. 61
, the stocker members
2
a
to
2
f
otherwise identical in construction have to be made separately so that they have the separating projections
3
a
to
3
e
at the respectively different positions. That is, in the case of the stocker
1
capable of accommodating six CDs, six kinds of stocker members
2
a
to
2
f,
including the uppermost stocker member
2
f
having no separating projections, must be used.
When the stocker members
2
a
and
2
f
are to be formed from synthetic resin, as many as six kinds of stocker members
2
a
to
2
f
with the positions of the separating projections
3
a
to
3
e
slightly displaced from one member to another have to be prepared; this increases the mold cost as well as the time and trouble consumed for parts management.
In the prior art such as shown in
FIG. 61
, the CD mounted on each of the stocker members
2
a,
2
b,
2
c,
2
d,
2
e,
and
2
f
must be held firmly by the spring
8
or the like so that the mounted CD does not come off accidentally. On the other hand, when ejecting a CD from the stocker
1
, the CD has to be withdrawn by overcoming the pressing force of the spring
8
. This necessitates the provision of a mechanism for pressing a CD into the stocker
1
when loading and for withdrawing a CD from the stocker
1
when ejecting; this increases the component count, making it difficult to reduce the overall size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording media accommodating apparatus that can be made simple and compact in construction.
The invention provides a recording media accommodating apparatus having a plurality of accommodating positions arranged along a recording media thickness direction for individually accommodating substantially disk-shaped recording media, the apparatus comprising:
a housing containing therein the accommodating apparatus, provided with an insertion/ejection slot through which the recording media are inserted or ejected one at a time;
a plurality of holders disposed at the respective accommodating positions, separable in the thickness direction at an arbitrary accommodating position, each holder being capable of holding one recording medium; and
a playback mechanism for playing back information recorded on the recording media, the playback mechanism being capable of moving into a space created by the holder separation and transferring the recording media to and from the holders and also capable of moving to a position near the insertion/ejection slot and transferring the recording media to and from the insertion/ejection slot.
According to the invention, the accommodating apparatus includes a plurality of
Davis David
Fujitsu Ten Limited
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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