Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Information location or remote operator actuated control – Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-23
2004-06-29
Korzuch, William (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Information location or remote operator actuated control
Selective addressing of storage medium
Reexamination Certificate
active
06757223
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for reproducing a disc.
A disc reproducing system having an automatic disc changer has recently become popular. The disc reproducing system is provided with a rack wherein a large number of CDs are stored so as to improve the storing efficiency of the CDs.
FIG. 24
is a perspective view of such a reproducing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open 9-223351 which has been filed by the present patent applicant.
FIGS. 25 and 26
show another reproducing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open 59-104759.
The system of
FIG. 24
will be described firstly. A disc reproducing system is provided with a roulette device
3
mounted on a chassis base
2
in a housing. The housing comprises the chassis base
2
, casing
8
, rear panel
9
and the front operation panel
10
. The roulette device
3
comprises a base
3
a
, rack base
3
b
having a spindle
3
c
and a center pole
5
mounted on the spindle
3
c
, and five rotary circular racks
4
a
,
4
b
,
4
c
,
4
d
and
4
e
, each having a center hole
4
in which the center pole
5
is engaged. Hence, all of the racks
4
a
to
4
e
are securely mounted on the center pole
5
in a tiered formation.
In each of the racks
4
a
to
4
e
, there is formed radial slits
40
in each of which a recording medium D such as CD can be stored. A radial recess
41
through which a disc player
7
provided adjacent the racks
4
a
to
4
e
passes is further formed in each of the racks
4
a
to
4
e
at a predetermined circumferential position. In the player
7
, an arm
7
a
is provided for taking out one of recording mediums D. The arm
7
a
is operated by a driving device (not shown) upon loading and ejecting of the recording mediums D into and out of the disc player
7
thereby passing through one of the slits
40
of the rack from the underneath thereof.
The front operation panel
10
is provided with an opening
10
a
through which the recording mediums D is inserted and taken out. The opening
10
a
is covered by a door
6
having a pin
6
a
projected downward from the top. The pin
6
a
engaged with the upper end of the center pole
5
so that the door
6
is rotatably mounted thereon. The door
6
is rotated on the pole
5
in the counterclockwise direction to disclose the racks
4
a
to
4
e
through the opening
10
a.
On the underside of the rack
4
a
, an encoder (not shown) and photo sensors are provided for detecting position of a desired recording mediums on one of the racks
4
a
to
4
e.
When a select button on the operation panel
10
is operated to select a desired recording mediums, the racks
4
a
to
4
e
are rotated and stored at an angular position where the desired recording medium is stored. The disc player
7
is vertically moved to the position of one of racks where the recording medium is stored. The arm
7
a
takes out the recording medium and loads it on the disc player
7
, thereby reproducing the recording medium.
Referring to
FIGS. 25 and 26
, an annular storing base
12
is rotatably provided in a frame
11
and rotated by a rotating device
13
. On the storing base
12
, a plurality of recording mediums D are stored. An information reading and writing device
15
and an arm driving device
17
for driving an arm
16
are mounted on a holding base
14
. A guide
15
a
is provided for guiding the recording medium D. An opening
18
is formed for inserting the recording medium D. The arm
16
has pawls
16
a
and is driven by a screw
19
.
When a desired recording medium D is selected, the storing base
12
is rotated so that the selected recording medium is positioned at the opening
18
of the information reading and writing device
15
. Then, the arm
16
is moved in the direction X by the arm driving device
17
, and inserts the recording medium D into the device
15
. The recording medium D is located at a position d shown by dotted lines. At the position, the information is read and written.
Thereafter, the information reading and writing device
15
moves the recording medium D to a position where a part of recording medium D is projected from the opening
18
.
A detector (not shown) mounted on the arm
16
detects whether the recording medium D contacts with the arm
16
or not. If contacts, the pawls
16
a
are moved in the direction Y in
FIG. 27
by solenoids (not shown) to grip the recording medium D. If does not contact, the arm
16
is moved in the direction X until contacts. Then, the arm
16
is moved in the direction X′ so that the recording medium D is returned to the storing base
12
, and hence the sequential operation is completed.
In the former reproducing system, in order to increase the storing quantity of the recording medium D on the racks
4
a
to
4
e
, the number of the racks must be increased, or the diameter of each rack must be increased. However either of the methods increases the system in size which renders the manufacturing cost to be increased.
In addition, when the arm
7
a
of the player
7
loads and unloads the recording medium D, the arm
7
a
may slide on the adjacent recording medium D, which causes the recording surface of the medium to be damaged.
In the case of the increasing of storing density of the medium, the problem of damaging adjacent medium D further increases.
In the latter reproducing system, in order to increase the storing quantity of the recording medium D, the diameter of the storing base
12
must be increased. However, such an improvement increases the system in size, which accompanies by increasing of the manufacturing cost.
Furthermore, when the arm
16
of the arm driving device
17
inserts a medium D in the opening
18
, the arm
16
slides on the adjacent medium D, thereby damaging the recording surface of the adjacent disc D.
In addition, in the system, the pawls
16
a
grip the disc, when returning. However, there is a problem that the pawls may damage recording surfaces of the returned disc and on adjacent disc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for reproducing recording mediums which may exactly carry a desired recording medium to a disc storing means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium reproducing system which is improved to increase the storing efficiency without increasing the size of the system.
According to the present invention, there is provided a system for reproducing a disc comprising, a disc holder having a plurality of partition plates for holding a plurality of discs in an upright position, a reproducing device for reproducing a desired disc, carrying means for carrying the desired disc between the disc holder and the reproducing device, wherein the partition plates are arranged in non-parallel, so that the space between opposite partition plates has a large width portion and a small width portion, and the carrying means is provided for returning the desired the disc to disc holder from the large width portion.
The partition plates are annularly arranged so that the partition plates are radially arranged.
The reproducing device is disposed in a central portion in the annularly arranged partition plates.
In another aspect of the present invention, the carrying means has a guide portion inserted in a space between discs at opposite sides of the desired disc during the operation of the system.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4750160 (1988-06-01), Miller et al.
patent: 4791626 (1988-12-01), Staar
patent: 4815057 (1989-03-01), Miller et al.
patent: 4984228 (1991-01-01), Agostini
patent: 5067116 (1991-11-01), Kadrmas
patent: 5187695 (1993-02-01), Schindler et al.
patent: 5235579 (1993-08-01), Ross
patent: 5307331 (1994-04-01), d'Arc
patent: 5528566 (1996-06-01), McGee et al.
patent: 5587988 (1996-12-01), Boulanger
patent: 5644558 (1997-07-01), Inatani et al.
patent: 5943306 (1999-08-01), Silverstein
Fukushima Yoshimitsu
Ikedo Yuji
Nagata Hitoshi
Yamane Atsushi
Arent & Fox PLLC
Castro Angel
Korzuch William
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
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