Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – With mechanism to place disc on a turntable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2001-09-25
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2652)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
With mechanism to place disc on a turntable
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295265
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application relates in general to optical drives, and in specific to a method, system and apparatus for vertically loading/unloading an optical disc in an optical drive.
BACKGROUND
Optical discs, such as compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs), are widely used for storing data, such as textual data, audio data, and video data. Optical drives are available in the prior art for reading data from and/or writing data to such optical discs. Prior art optical drives typically include a carrier component or receptacle, such as a “tray,” that operates to receive an optical disc and hold the disc in place while the disc is being transported or “fed” into the optical drive. For example, a personal computer (PC) can include a CD drive for reading CDs. Such CD drive will typically include a tray that extends from the drive to receive a CD, and then retracts back into the drive transporting such a received CD into the optical drive.
Optical drives have traditionally been positioned horizontally, such that an optical disc can lay flat on the optical drive's tray. However, some optical drives of the prior art are positioned vertically, such that an optical disc is received into the drive in an upright position. Because the optical disc is placed into the tray of a vertical optical drive in an upright position, rather than laying flat on such a tray (as with horizontal drives), a mechanism is required in the prior art for holding the optical disc securely in the tray. That is, a mechanism is required for prior art vertical drives for holding the optical disc securely in the drive's tray to prevent the optical disc from falling out of the tray. Typically, adjustable tabs have been utilized in the prior art to hold an optical disc in place in the tray. Such tabs generally extend from the edge of the tray over the optical disc to prevent the disc from falling out of the tray.
Turning to
FIG. 1
, an example of a prior art optical drive's tray
102
is illustrated. As shown, adjustable tabs
104
are included on tray
102
to hold optical disc
106
in tray
102
as the tray retracts into the optical drive. Typically, such tabs
104
can be manually adjusted radially by a user to extend over optical disc
106
. That is, a prior art tray
102
will typically include radially adjustable tabs
104
that can each be manually extended by a user to hold a disc
106
in tray
102
when positioned vertically. For example, as shown in
FIG. 1
, tabs
104
1
and
104
2
have been radially extended over optical disc
106
and tabs
104
3
and
104
4
have not been so extended by a user.
Generally, both horizontally positioned drives and vertically positioned drives include such adjustable tabs
104
. Horizontally positioned drives typically include such tabs
104
to allow users the ability to place the drive in a vertical, rather than horizontal position. For example, an optical drive can be included in a PC such that the drive is positioned horizontally when the PC's case is laying flat. However, the drive's tray may include adjustable tabs
104
to allow a user to reposition the PC such that the optical drive is positioned vertically (e.g., stand the case on its side), wherein the adjustable tabs can be manually extended by a user to allow an optical drive's tray
102
to hold an optical disc
106
in such a vertical position.
During operation, the optical drive typically lifts the optical disc off of the tray
102
, such that the optical disc is clear of the tray's surface. Moreover, the adjustable tabs
104
are typically positioned at a height
110
above the optical disc
106
such that the optical disc does not contact the tabs
104
when lifted off of tray
102
(i.e., during operation of the optical drive). Typically, height
110
is approximately 5 millimeters. Accordingly, during operation, the optical drive's spindle lifts the optical disc
106
off of the tray
102
, and the disc
106
spins beneath the adjustable tabs
104
without contacting such tabs
104
. As a result, the overall height
108
of the tray
102
(which may also be thought of as the tray's “thickness” or the tray's “width” when the tray is oriented vertically) is required to be larger than the height
110
necessary for operating with the tabs
104
extended.
Alternatively, prior art tabs
104
may be elevationally adjustable, such that the tabs
104
raise or rotate upward away from optical disc
106
. For example, an optical drive may elevationally adjust the tabs
104
by causing the tabs
104
to rotate upward away from optical disc
106
during operation of the drive to allow for sufficient space for the optical disc
106
to spin beneath the tabs
104
. Thus, the height
110
may be reduced until disc
106
is transported into the optical drive, and thereafter height
110
is effectively increased by the optical drive elevationally adjusting the tabs
104
. In such case, sufficient space is required once tray
102
is inserted within the optical drive to allow the tabs
104
to rotate upward away from optical disc
106
in the manner described above. Accordingly, height
108
of tray
102
is effectively increased because the tabs
104
must elevationally adjust within the optical drive. A prior art tray
102
typically has a height
108
of approximately 15 millimeters or more.
For ease of explanation and consistency, the dimension
108
of an optical disc tray will be referred to herein as the tray's “height” or “thickness” while the dimension
112
will be referred to herein as the tray's “length” and the dimension
114
will be referred to herein as the tray's “depth.” Thus, for ease of explanation and consistency herein, the term “height” or “thickness” will be used to refer to dimension
108
, the term “length” will be used to refer to dimension
112
, and the term “depth” will be used to refer to dimension
114
of an optical drive's tray, regardless of whether such tray is oriented horizontally or vertically.
Several problems exist with the above-described prior art. First, utilizing such adjustable tabs
104
requires that the overall height
108
of the tray
102
be larger than the height
110
necessary for operating with the tabs
104
extended. Accordingly, a low profile tray having a small overall height
108
is not available with prior art trays
102
having tabs
104
. Additionally, tabs
104
are typically inconvenient for a user, and tabs
104
can damage an optical disc
106
. Tabs
104
generally must be manually extended by a user. Accordingly, when operating an optical drive in a vertical position, a user is typically required to manually extend the tabs
104
to hold an optical disc
106
in tray
102
while the disc is fed to the optical drive.
Such adjustable tabs
104
require undesirable effort on the part of a user in loading and unloading an optical disc
106
. A user can manually adjust the tabs
104
to load/unload a disc
106
in tray
102
such that the disc
106
does not encounter the tabs
104
. For example, a user can place a disc
106
in tray
102
having tabs
104
retracted (i.e., not extended radially), and thereafter the user can manually extend the tabs
104
radially over disc
106
. When the user desires to remove the disc
106
, the user can manually retract the tabs
104
and then remove the disc
106
clear of the tabs
104
. Manually adjusting the tabs
104
each time that a user loads/unloads a disc
106
is undesirable because it increases the amount of time and effort required in loading/unloading a disc
106
. Additionally, adjusting (e.g., retracting/extending) the tabs
104
in this manner is cumbersome for a user because the user typically must hold the disc
106
in vertical tray
102
with one hand to prevent the disc
106
from falling out of the tray
102
, while the user manually adjusts the tabs
104
with the user's other hand. Furthermore, such manual adjustment by a user of tabs
104
increases the potential that a user will inadvertently bre
Hewlett -Packard Company
Klimowicz William
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