Cartridge loading apparatus and methods of manufacturing and operating same

A method of loading a disk onto and, alternatively, unloading a disk from a magnetically clamped spindle interface of a disk drive system having a front side and a rear side, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a cartridge receiver having a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin each respectively mounted on first and second sides of the cartridge receiver;
• positioning a first slider and a second slider relative to the cartridge receiver, the first slider slidably mounted in a first slider channel and the second slider slidably mounted in a second slider channel;
• forming one S-shaped slot in said first slider;
• forming one S-shaped slot in said second slider;
• swingably attaching a tiller to the sliders so that the sliders move in opposite directions from each other and within their respective slider channels under the influence of the tiller;
• rotatably attaching the tiller to the disk drive system at a tiller axis, the tiller axis being fixed relative to the disk drive system;
• linking a cartridge receiver to the first slider and to the second slider by their respective S-shaped slots;
• and
• permitting the sliders to move relative to each other and relative to the cartridge receiver, thereby causing the lifting pins to follow the slots in the sliders to alternatively raise and lower the cartridge receiver.

A method of manufacturing a cartridge loading and unloading mechanism operatively associated with a disc drive having a housing with a cartridge loading end and a remote end, said method comprising the steps of:

• placing in the housing a first slider having one first S-shaped slot formed therein so that a forward end of the first slider is adjacent the cartridge loading end of the housing and a remote end of the first slider is adjacent the remote end of the housing;
• placing in the housing a second slider having one second S-shaped slot formed therein so that a forward end of the second slider is adjacent the cartridge loading end of the housing and a remote end of the second slider is adjacent the remote end of the housing;
• swingably connecting a first end of a tiller to the first slider and swingably connecting a second end of the tiller to the second slider so that rotation of the tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives the first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the housing while driving the second slider toward the remote end of the housing, and rotation of the tiller in a second direction about the tiller axis drives the first slider toward the remote end of the housing while driving the second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the housing;
• and
• slidably connecting to said sliders a cartridge receiver having a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin associated therewith so that said first lifting pin fits slidably into said first S-shaped slot, and said second lifting pin fits slidably into said second S-shaped slot.

A cartridge loading and unloading apparatus in a disc drive, said apparatus comprising:

• a first slider having a first end and a second end, said first slider having a slot formed therein;
• a second slider having a first end and a second end, said second slider having a slot formed therein;
• a tiller having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tiller being swingably linked to said first end of said first slider, and said second end of said tiller being swingably linked to said first end of said second slider;
• and
• a cartridge receiver having a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin, said first lifting pin slidably fitting into one of said slots, and said second lifting pin slidably fitting into the other slot so that said cartridge receiver tiltably moves between a first position and a second position when said sliders are driven by said tiller.

A method of manufacturing a cartridge loading and unloading mechanism, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a first slider having only one S-shaped slot;
• forming a second slider having only one S-shaped slot;
• placing said first slider in a housing so that a first end of said first slider is adjacent a first end of said housing and a second end of said first slider is adjacent a second end of said housing;
• placing said second slider in said housing so that a first end of said second slider is adjacent the first end of said housing and the second end of said second slider is adjacent the second end of said housing;
• swingably connecting a first end of a tiller to said first slider, and swingably connecting a second end of said tiller to said second slider, so that rotation of said tiller in a first rotational direction about a tiller axis drives said first slider in a first direction while driving said second slider in a second direction, and a second rotation of said tiller in a second rotational direction about said tiller axis drives said first slider in said second direction while driving said second slider in said first direction;
• and
• linking a cartridge receiver to said first slider and to said second slider by their respective S-shaped slots, said cartridge receiver being tiltably movable between an upper position and a lower position when said sliders are driven by said tiller.