US 4,412,260 AGranted

Cartridge receiver mechanism

AssigneeMagnetic Peripherals Inc.

InventorsJohn D. Stricklin, Anthony D. Denero, Robert A. Quatro, James A. Duff

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Abstract

A mechanism is disclosed for receiving a disk cartridge and guiding the cartridge to an operating position within a disk drive, and for subsequently ejecting the cartridge when its use is complete, all responsive to the opening and closing of the disk drive door. The mechanism for ejecting the cartridge also automatically opens a transducer head access door when the cartridge is inserted into the receiver, and automatically closes the door upon cartridge ejection. Improvements are also disclosed in the manner of mounting a lift collar designed to support the disk and hub within a cartridge, and for an improved method of adjusting the cartridge to operate alternatively in write protect and write enable modes.

Claims14

Dependent claims

For mounting a disk cartridge in a disk drive, apparatus including:

a housing, and means defining an anterior opening through which a disk cartridge is insertable into the housing;
a spindle mounted in said housing and adapted to driveably engage a disk carried in said cartridge;
a receiver in said housing including a substantially rigid frame adapted to confine said cartridge, once inserted therein, to an attitude conforming to that of the frame;
an actuator means mounted for movement relative to said housing between open and closed positions, for moving said frame between extended and retracted positions corresponding to said open and closed positions, respectively, said frame in its extended position adapted to receive said cartridge inserted longitudinally inward through said opening and, when moved to its retracted position, to carry said disk to a driving engagement with the spindle;
a first connecting means for mounting said receiver frame to the housing and for restricting movement of said frame to transverse rotation and linear translation between anterior and posterior positions with respect to the housing;
a second connecting means for mounting said actuator means to the receiver frame and for restricting movement of said actuator means to transverse rotation and linear translation between first and second actuator positions relative to said frame;
said first actuator and anterior positions corresponding to said open position, and said second actuator and posterior positions corresponding to said closed position;
and
detent means, operative during pivoting of said actuator means inward from the open position toward the closed position, for maintaining said actuator means substantially in its first actuator position until said receiver is moved from the anterior position to the posterier position, thus to define an intermediate stage for said receiver frame between said extended and retracted positions, further inward movement of said actuator means to the closed position moving said actuator to its second position relative to the frame.

6 more elements

Loading and ejection apparatus for disk drives including:

a disk cartridge including a casing, a disk carried inside said casing, means defining a cavity in a rearward facing wall of said casing, a linking member supported in said casing for forward and rearward movement with respect thereto, a biasing means for urging rearward movement of said linking member, and stop means for preventing movement of said linking member rearward beyond a linking position;
a disk drive housing having a receiver including a substantially rigid frame mounted movably with respect to the housing and adapted to receive said disk cartridge for rearward insertion to a seated position in said frame, and further to maintain the cartridge in a controlled attitude as it is so inserted, a forwardly extended probe mounted with respect to said frame and positioned to enter said cartridge through the cavity and contact said linking member as said cartridge is so inserted, further cartridge insertion after such contact moving the linking member forwardly relative to the cartridge against the force of said biasing means, a latching means mounted to said frame and positioned to engage a forward wall of said casing substantially as said cartridge reaches its seated position to so retain the cartridge against the force of said biasing means;
and
a releasing means mounted to said housing, said frame being movable from a retracted position adapted for the driving of said disk, to an extended position forwardly of said retracted position for insertion of said cartridge, and an eject position forwardly of said extended position, frame movement from the extended position to the eject position moving said latching means into contact with said releasing means, thereby releasing said forward wall from said latching means to allow cartridge ejection responsive to said biasing means.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.