US 4,614,474 AGranted

Device for exchanging disks

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorYoshihiro Sudo

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A device for exchanging disks is provided with a pair of opposing disk containers each containing a large number of disk caddies each having side grooves and an upper surface having a recess adapted for containing a disk, a unit for extracting disks interposed between the opposing disk containers and adapted for extracting disk caddies from these disk containers, and a unit for vertically shifting the disk extracting unit. The latter is movable between the disk containers from a first position to a second position and vice versa, and is provided with a pair of hook members cooperable with one of the disk containers and another pair of hook members cooperable with the other disk container. These hook members are actuated by electromagnetic devices thereby and engageable in the side grooves of the disk caddy. When the extracting unit is moved to the first position, one pair of the hook members are at a position capable of engaging in the side grooves of a disk caddy contained in one of the disk containers, the other pair of the hook members are engaged in the side grooves of a selected one of the disks contained in the caddy extracted from the other disk container and the center aperture of the selected disk is at the mid position between the disk containers. When the extracting unit is moved to the second position, the other pair of the hook members are at a position capable of engaging in the side grooves of the disk caddy contained in the other disk container, one of the pairs of the hook members are engaged in the side grooves of a selected disk caddy which is extracted from one disk container, and the center aperture of the selected disk is at the mid position between the disk containers. When one or the other pair of the hook members are engaged by the electromagnetic devices in the side grooves of the disk caddy contained in one or the other disk container, and the center aperture of the disk in the disk caddy is at the mid position between the disk containers, the unit for vertically shifting the disk extracting unit is actuated for vertically shifting the disk caddy.

A device for exchanging disks for an optical disk player with a disk table and an optical pickup adjacent to the table, said device comprising a first disk container and a second disk container being mounted on opposite sides of the disk table of the player and in opposition to each other, each container having means for supporting disk caddies, each of said disk caddies having a disk support being profiled for mating with a disk placed flat therein, means for positioning the disk in said disk support, and having an opening large enough to pass the disk table and to permit movement of the optical pickup therethrough, said disk being removably carried by said disk caddy;

a disk extracting unit including a moveable member with first and second means for releasably holding a disk caddy, said extracting unit being interposed between said first and second disk containers and above the disk table, said movable mamber of the unit being horizontally movable between a first position and a second position for extracting disk caddies contained in said disk containers and said unit with said member being vertically movable from a level of each of said first and second positions to a working position with said disk table engaging the disk in the caddy being held thereby, said first and second means each have a pair of hook members actuated by electromagnetic means when said disk extracting unit is in said first and second positions, and said first and second means being provided in said movable member in relation to each other and the distance between the first and second positions with the movable member in the first position having the hook member of the first means at a stand-by position capable of gripping opposite side edges of a disk caddy contained in said first disk container and the hook members of the second means being positioned to hold a caddy gripped thereby in a midposition vertically aligned over the disk table and with the movable member in the second position having the hook members of the second meams being in a stand-by position for gripping opposite side edges of a disk caddy in the second container and the hook member of the first means positioning a caddy held thereby in said midposition.

Facts

Application

06/643,532Filed 23 Aug 1984

Priority

JP 58-15972331 Aug 1983

Granted

30 Sep 1986

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G11B 17/056
Indirect insertion, i.e. with external loading means: with sliding loading means
G11B 17/225
From random access magazine of disc records: wherein the disks are transferred from a fixed magazine to a fixed playing unit using a moving carriage
G11B 33/04
Cabinets; Cases; Stands; Disposition of apparatus therein or thereon: modified to store record carriers
G11B
Information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer

Abstract

Claims12