Recording medium loading device

Details Recording medium loading device Recording medium loading device

2000-05-01

2003-07-22

Letscher, George J. (Department: 2653)

Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval

Record transport with head stationary during transducing

Disk record

Reexamination Certificate

active

06597533

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a recording medium loading device, and more particularly, to a recording medium loading device that prevents a disk cartridge containing a recording medium from being improperly inserted into a disk cartridge holder.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A
,
1
B,
1
C and
1
D are diagrams for the purpose of explaining a conventional mechanism for preventing a disk cartridge from being improperly inserted into a holder, hereinafter referred to as a prevent mechanism.
The conventional recording medium loading device prevent mechanism, as shown for example in
FIG. 1A
, has a prevent tab
2
provided on a left interior wall of a holder
1
and a shutter drive tab
3
provided on a right interior wall of the holder
1
, with the shutter drive tab
3
being positioned closer to an insertion opening
4
side than the prevent tab
2
.
A disk cartridge C in which is contained a disk-like recording medium D has a shutter
6
for opening and closing an opening
5
for the purpose of exposing the disk-like recording medium D, and a shutter retaining member (not shown in the diagram) that retains the shutter
6
at a closed position. By contacting the shutter drive tab
3
, the shutter retaining member releases its retention, after which the shutter drive tab
3
moves relative to the shutter
6
upon the insertion of the disk cartridge C, moving the shutter
6
to an open position.
The disk cartridge C is inserted into the holder
1
so that the shutter
6
is on the right side. In this aspect, the disk cartridge C has a groove
7
formed on a left front side thereof for accommodating the prevent tab
2
and another groove
8
formed on a right front side thereof for accommodating the shutter drive tab
6
.
Additionally, the disk cartridge C has a width slightly smaller than a width L
1
of the holder
1
. A length L
2
of the disk cartridge C is set to be slightly smaller than the holder
1
width L
1
, so that L
1
>L
2
.
Additionally, a length L
4
from a back surface of the holder
1
to the prevent tab
2
is formed so as to be slightly shorter than a length L
3
of the groove
7
in a direction of insertion, so that L
3
>L
4
.
As shown in
FIG. 1B
, when the disk cartridge C is inserted into the holder
1
properly, that is, in the proper direction, the prevent tab
2
advances into the groove
7
of the disk cartridge C and insertion is permitted. Additionally, the shutter drive tab
3
advances into the groove
8
of the disk cartridge C and releases the retention of the shutter
6
, after which the shutter
6
begins to open as the disk cartridge C is inserted.
When the disk cartridge C reaches this position, a loading mechanism motor switch (not shown in the diagram) detects same and the loading mechanism drive motor (not shown in the diagram) is activated.
As shown in
FIG. 1C
, when the loading mechanism is activated and the disk cartridge C is retracted into the holder
1
, the shutter
6
opens completely and the retraction of the disk cartridge C is completed, that is, the disk cartridge is loaded.
As shown in
FIG. 1D
, if for example the disk cartridge C is incorrectly inserted into the holder
1
so that the shutter
6
is positioned at the front edge thereof, the prevent tab
2
contacts an edge member of the disk cartridge C and makes insertion impossible. Additionally, the shutter drive tab
3
contacts a side surface of the disk cartridge C. As a result, the disk cartridge C is inserted in a state of displacement to the left within the holder
1
and the front edge securely contacts the prevent tab
2
, thereby preventing insertion.
However, a disadvantage of the conventional recording medium loading device described above is that the positioning of the prevent tab
2
is restricted by the groove
7
of the disk cartridge C, that is, L
4
<L
3
, and, as a result, an improper insertion of the disk cartridge C is detected too late. That is, a distance L
5
from the back wall of the holder to the front edge of the cartridge contacted by the prevent tab
2
must be less than the distance L
4
because of the presence of the groove
7
on the disk cartridge C for accommodating the prevent tab
2
.
Moreover, in order to prevent the loading mechanism motor described above from being activated and an incorrectly inserted disk cartridge C from being retracted into the holder
1
, a position at which the cartridge begins to be retracted must be further back from the insertion opening than the position at which an incorrect insertion is detected. In other words, a distance L
6
from the back wall of the holder
1
to the position at which the cartridge begins to be retracted must be less than the distance L
5
from the back wall of the holder to the front edge of the cartridge contacted by the prevent tab
2
, which, as noted above, must be less than the distance L
4
, such that L
6
<L
5
<L
4
.
As a result, with the conventional recording medium loading device there is the disadvantage of being unable to increase the disk cartridge C retraction distance.
Additionally, because the distance the disk cartridge C is retracted by the retraction mechanism cannot be increased, a distance L
7
from the disk cartridge C insertion opening at the front of the disk drive to the front edge of the disk cartridge C when the disk cartridge C is loaded is strictly limited, so that L
7
<L
2
+L
6
.
As a consequence of these restrictions design flexibility as a whole is limited. Specifically, the position of the guide shafts that determine the location of the optical pick-up to be described later is strictly limited by these above-described dimensional restrictions and cannot be located freely, thus limiting the degree to which the design of the disk drive overall may be made more efficient and more compact.
Additionally, because the distance the disk cartridge C is retracted by the retraction mechanism cannot be increased, the shutter
6
opens when the disk is inserted manually and the shutter
6
retention release and opening operations triggered by the contacting of the shutter drive tab
3
are transmitted to the hand of the operator, resulting in an unpleasant sensation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved and useful recording medium loading device in which the above-described disadvantages are eliminated.
The above-described object of the present invention is achieved by a recording medium loading device comprising:
a holder into which a cartridge containing a disk-like recording medium is inserted from a predetermined side;
a cartridge retraction mechanism that retracts the cartridge when the cartridge is inserted to an insertion detection position inside the holder; and
a prevent mechanism, the prevent mechanism being moved in a direction of insertion of the cartridge by the cartridge retraction mechanism when the cartridge is inserted from the predetermined side.
According to the invention described above, detection of improper insertion takes place sooner and at the same time cartridge retraction can take place sooner as well. As a result, the distance of retraction from a position at which cartridge retraction commences to a position at which retraction is completed can be lengthened.
The above-described object of the present invention is also achieved by the recording medium loading device described above, further comprising:
detecting means detecting insertion of the recording medium cartridge to the insertion detection position and emitting a signal; and
driving means driving the cartridge retraction mechanism and the prevent tab in response to the signal emitted by the detecting means indicating that the recording medium cartridge is inserted to the insertion detection position and displacing the cartridge retraction mechanism and the prevent tab in a direction of insertion of the recording medium cartridge.
According to the invention described above, retraction of the cartridge is performed aut

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