Information processing apparatus having a multitasking function with one or more optical discs

#The present invention relates generally to the field of information processing utilizing optical discs and particularly to a high-efficient optical-disc-type apparatus used in connection with a host computer that provides disc-loading and -unloading flexibility a user and allows the host computer to effectively and/or multitaskingly perform various information processing actions directly from optical discs so as to alleviate the heavy burden of a hard-disk drive in the process of information reproducing.

#An optical disc or compact disc (CD) is made from a transparent plastic material with a thickness of about 1.2 mm that contains a protected thin metal film wherein pits (or depressions) are formed. The pits have light reflectivities different from the light reflectivity of nonpitted portions of the metal film, thus forming a series of 0s and 1s for digital storing of data. In production, a master disc is first developed from a glass disc coated with a uniform layer of photoresist material that is subjected to a series of exposure to a high-power energy beam or laser for forming various pits via the technology of photolithography. The master disc is then used to develop a nickel mother for use in stamping out multiple copies of the discs in transparent plastic material. Each of these is then coated with a thin metallic reflecting layer and then with a protective polymer coating on top of that. When reproducing the stored information, a low-power laser is used to sense the presence or absence of pits. Because a laser beam can be so focused, adjacent tracks of the spiral of pits need be no larger than 1.6±m. As a result, one side of a typical 120-mm (4.72-in) CD can have 20,000 tracks for holding a minimum of 500 megabytes of data which can easily store the text of a 20-volume encyclopedia, while both surfaces of a typical 133-mm (5.25-in) or a 89-mm (3.5-in) floppy disk are able to respectively hold only 1.2 or 1.44 megabytes.

#Owing to the nature of their high storage capacity, optical discs are especially suitable for storing information requiring or taking large storage spaces, such as patent information, video data, and digital audio files. In addition to the floppy-disk version, software developers have recently produced the 120-mm read-only-memory CD (CD-ROM) version of executable softwares or programs, such as IBM® OS/2 and Microsoft Windows® 95 for use in personal information processing apparatuses, such as desktop- or notebook-type computers.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multitasking information processing apparatus in accordance with the present invention having two optical units capable of being used to reproduce information simultaneously from two different tracks of an optical disc.

#FIG. 2 is a cutaway side view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1, schematically showing an arrangement of the multitasking information processing apparatus.

#FIG. 3 is a perspective, partial-cutaway view of a multitasking information processing apparatus of the present invention showing a plurality of multisized discs set in two disc compartments and a disc-compartment transporting means for the front disc compartment to be able to separately drawn out and into the playhousing.

#Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail hereinbelow.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus with multitasking capability in accordance with the present invention, having two optical units and one optical disc in a loaded condition. Apparatus 1 has a structural frame 2 on which various mechanism components are mounted. The frame also serves for the apparatus to be either internally installed as a built-in unit in a computer or covered by a housing for use as a stand-alone unit to be connected to a computer. Provided with apparatus 1 is a front panel 3 having a disc-releasing button 4 and a disc supplying slot 5 on which there exists a larger opening 6. Disc supplying slot 5 is in a size just allowing an optical disc to be inserted into or extracted out of the apparatus. Larger opening 6 is provided to allow a user<<s finger to push a disc, being inserted through first guide roller pairs 7 and 8 and then second guide roller pairs 9 and 10, further toward the inside of the apparatus by moving a disc levelling mechanism 11 backward. Disc levelling mechanism 11 has a flat area 12 that is in a horizontal position slightly lower than the disc-setting table 29 (seen in FIG. 2) of turntable (or spindle) 13 so that a disc is prevented from being tipped over and thus is disposed onto disc-setting table 29 during loading. Disc levelling mechanism 11 is slideable along a pair of horizontally disposed guide rails 14 through a pair of bearings 15. When pushed backward to a predetermined position, disc levelling mechanism 11 moves the rear-end portion 16 of disc clamp arm 17 backward so that disc clamp head 18 at the distal end of clamp arm 17 is pivoted downward about a fulcrum 19 by compressing springs 20 mounted on the rear portion of guide rails 14 so that a rod 21 connecting disc levelling mechanism 11 to a mechanical holding mechanism 22 is pulled backward. When pulled to a predetermined position, the top portion of position holder 23 of mechanical holding mechanism 22 is pivoted backward about a fulcrum 24 so as to move the middle portion of position holder 23 over a spring strip 25. The spring strip is arranged to have one end fixed to a support plate 26 and the other end being free, thus allowing the move-over action of position holder 23 to take place whenever there is an external force sufficient to overcome the holding force of spring strip 25. Position holder 23 is being held by spring strip 25 against the force of compressed springs 20 and disc levelling mechanism 11 is thus not touching the edge of disc 27.

#During disc loading, disc levelling mechanism 11 is moved backward to a predetermined position so that a microswitch (not shown) activates a solenoid 28 to pivot disc clamp head 18 downward further so as to tightly grip optical disc 27 onto turntable 13 for subsequent rotation. As detailed in FIG. 2, that is a partial cutaway side view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1, on the top of turntable 13 are a disc-setting table 29 for bearing disc 27 horizontally and a concave portion 30 for accommodating convex portion 31 of disc clamp 32. Together with concave portion 30, convex portion 31 horizontally moves disc 27 to a correct position for gripping and thus for rotation about turntable shaft 33. The top of convex portion 32 is rotatably connected to disc clamp head 18 by a connecting member 34 and is provided with bearings 35 for its rotation. While the top portion of turntable 13 is rotatably stabilized by disc clamp head 18 of clamp arm 17, the middle portion of turntable shaft 33 is rotatably held by bearings 36 mounted on support frame 37 and the bottom end is supported by pivot 38. Support frame 37 also holds turntable motor 39. Turntable shaft 33 is rotated by turntable motor 39 through a power transmission system, including gear 40 mounted on motor shaft 41 and gear 42 mounted on the near-bottom end of turntable shaft 33.