Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-26
2001-07-31
Cao, Allen Y. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268977
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a large-capacity disk storage apparatus for use with an information processing apparatus, and particularly to a disk cartridge loading apparatus for loading a disk cartridge in which a disk-like information storage medium is housed into a storage apparatus body or unloading the disk cartridge from the storage apparatus body and a disk storage apparatus including such disk cartridge loading apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a high-speed and large-capacity disk storage apparatus typically represented by a removable disk storage apparatus, there are roughly classified based on a disk cartridge loading method two kinds of disk storage apparatus which are referred to as a pop-up type and a slot-in type.
FIGS. 1 and 2
schematically show such prior-art disk storage apparatus.
A disk storage apparatus
200
shown in
FIG. 1
is a pop-up type disk storage apparatus in which a disk cartridge is loaded or unloaded by tilting a cartridge holder. As shown in
FIG. 1
, this pop-up type disk storage apparatus
200
comprises a box-like mechanical chassis
201
whose upper surface is opened and a cartridge holder
202
housed within this mechanical chassis
201
so as to become inclined and whose front cartridge insertion slot
202
a
can be opened and closed.
The mechanical chassis
201
incorporates therein a spindle motor
203
serving as a rotation drive mechanism for rotating a disk-like information storage medium housed within a disk cartridge
300
held on a cartridge holder
202
and a recording and reproducing apparatus (not shown) for recording and/or reproducing an information signal in and/or from an information recording surface of an information storage medium rotated by this spindle motor
203
. This mechanical chassis
201
has at its deep respective side portions provided a pair of left and right supporting brackets for supporting respective ends of the rear portion of the cartridge holder
202
.
Through this pair of supporting brackets, the cartridge holder
202
can take the unloading state in which the front side thereof is lifted to project the cartridge insertion slot
202
a
onto the mechanical chassis
201
and the loading state in which the cartridge holder
202
is lowered and accommodated in the mechanical chassis
201
in the horizontal state.
In this pop-up type disk storage apparatus
200
, when a disk cartridge
300
is inserted into the cartridge holder
202
or the disk cartridge
300
is ejected from the cartridge holder
202
, at least the front side of the cartridge holder
202
should be tilted in the upper direction by an amount larger than the thickness of the disk cartridge
300
so that the cartridge insertion slot
202
a
should be completely projected from the mechanical chassis
202
. If this cartridge holder
202
is not tilted, that is, if the tilted amount of the front side of the cartridge holder
202
is less than the thickness of the disk cartridge
300
, then the disk cartridge
300
collides with the mechanical chassis
201
so that the disk cartridge
300
cannot be inserted into the cartridge holder
202
or that the disk cartridge holder
300
cannot be ejected from the cartridge holder
202
.
In
FIG. 1
, assuming now that T
1
is the thickness of the disk storage apparatus
200
obtained when the disk cartridge is loaded, T
2
is the thickness of the disk storage apparatus
200
obtained when the disk cartridge is inserted (ejected) and that T
3
is the thickness of the disk cartridge
300
, the following relation is established among the above-mentioned thicknesses T
1
, T
2
, T
3
.
T
2
−
T
1
>
T
3
As described above, in the pop-up type disk storage apparatus
200
, the minimum tilting amount of the cartridge holder
202
is automatically determined based on the thickness of the inserted disk cartridge
300
and restricted by such thickness. Accordingly, as the features of the function of the pop-up type disk storage apparatus
200
, the thickness of the disk storage apparatus
200
obtained upon loading can be reduced once the disk cartridge
300
is inserted into the storage apparatus body.
On the other hand, in the loading operation of the disk cartridge
300
, initially, the disk cartridge
300
is inserted into the cartridge holder
200
. Then, the cartridge holder
200
is tilted and the information storage medium is loaded on to a spindle motor, which then requires a two-stage operation. Therefore, there should be executed a plurality of loading procedures, which is not convenient for the operator.
Also, a disk storage apparatus
210
shown in
FIG. 2
, is a slot-in type disk storage apparatus typically represented by a floppy disk drive (FDD) in which a disk cartridge is inserted or ejected from a slot serving as an opening window defined in the storage apparatus body. As shown in
FIG. 2
, this slot-in type disk storage apparatus
210
comprises a rectangular box-like storage apparatus body
211
and a cartridge holder
212
accommodated within this storage apparatus body
211
and which can be horizontally elevated and lowered.
This storage apparatus body
211
incorporates therein the spindle motor
213
serving as a rotation drive mechanism and a recording and reproducing apparatus (not shown) for recording and/or reproducing an information signal in and/or from an information recording medium rotated by this spindle motor
213
similarly to the above-mentioned pop-up type. This storage apparatus body
211
has on its front surface defined an opening window
211
a
into or from which a disk cartridge
300
is inserted or ejected. To the inside of this opening window
211
a
is opposed a cartridge insertion slot
212
a
of the cartridge holder
212
moved to the upper position. Then, the cartridge holder
212
is lowered by a holder elevating mechanism (not shown) and moved to the lower position, whereby the information recording medium is loaded onto the spindle motor
213
.
The feature of this slot-in type disk storage apparatus
210
lies in that, once the disk cartridge
300
is inserted into the storage apparatus body
211
, the loading operation can be automatically executed and then completed. Then, when an eject mechanism is operated by pressing an eject button, for example, the disk cartridge
300
can be ejected automatically. Accordingly, this slot-in type disk storage apparatus
210
has the greatest advantage that its operation property is excellent and thus it is easy to handle for the operator.
On the other hand, in the slot-in type disk storage apparatus
210
, since the cartridge holder
212
is elevated and lowered within the storage apparatus body
211
, the thickness of the storage apparatus body
211
increases from a mechanism standpoint so that the thickness of the storage apparatus body
211
increases considerably as compared with that of the pop-up type disk storage apparatus
200
.
At that time, the thickness T
1
of the disk storage apparatus
210
obtained when the disk cartridge is loaded and the thickness T
2
of the disk storage apparatus
210
obtained when the disk cartridge is inserted (or ejected) become equal to each other.
That is, a relation of T
1
=T
2
is established.
In view of the problems encountered with the first and second prior-art examples, the assignee of the present application has proposed a removable disk loading apparatus of the new type in which the merits of the cartridge loading systems of the above-mentioned two kinds are fused, and has filed a patent application (Japanese patent application No. 9-334341).
FIGS. 3A
,
3
B show a schematic arrangement of a disk storage apparatus having this cartridge loading system (hereinafter referred to as a pop-slot type).
As shown in
FIGS. 3A
,
3
B, this pop-slot type disk storage apparatus
220
includes a mechanical chassis
221
similar to the mechanical chassis
201
of the above-mentioned pop-up type disk storage apparatus
200
and a cartridge holder
222
similar to the cartridge holder
212
of the slot-
Mamiya Toshio
Takahashi Kazuo
Yamada Takashi
Yamamoto Kazuyuki
Cao Allen Y.
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Ryan Matthew K.
Sony Corporation
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