Disk holding apparatus

A disk holding and rotating mechanism for handling a disk having a central opening with a specified inner diameter, said mechanism comprising a disk holding apparatus and a rotating apparatus:

• said disk holding apparatus having:
• a front cylinder having a front end, a rear end, an axis defining an axial direction and a through-hole in said axial direction, the outside diameter of said front end of said front cylinder being slightly greater than said inner diameter of said central opening of said disk;
• a first rod received in said front cylinder so as to be able to move back and forth in said axial direction, said first rod having on its front end an inverted truncated cone, the maximum outside diameter of said cone being smaller than the inner diameter of said central opening of said disk, and
• a chuck slidably received within said through-hole of said front cylinder between inner surface of said through-hole and outer surface of said first rod, said chuck having on its front end a radially expansible portion which is split in said axial direction into plural pieces, and has a first bulge at its front end, said expansible portion being caused to partially protrude from said cylinder by a first elastic means,
• said rotating apparatus having;
• a stationary member,
• a rotary cylinder supported by said stationary member rotatably around said axis, the front end of said rotary cylinder being coupled to the rear end of said front cylinder so that their axes are collinear to each other,
• a second rod received in said rotary cylinder so as to be able to move back and forth in said axial direction, the front end of said second rod being coupled to the rear end of said first rod,
• wherein if the rear end of said second rod is pushed forward, said expansible portion of said chuck, along with said first rod, can partially protrude from said front cylinder,
• when said expansible portion partially protrudes from said front cylinder, said disk can be moved past said first bulge and be positioned on said expansible portion,
• when said first rod is retracted into said front cylinder, said inverted truncated cone of said first rod moves into said expansible portion of said chuck so as to spread said expansible portion until said expansible portion touches the inner perimeter of said central opening of said disk, and said chuck is retracted along with said first rod so that said disk is grasped and held between said front cylinder and said first bulge, and
• the disk which is grasped and held between the end of said cylinder and said first bulge can be rotated by rotating said rotary cylinder.