Recording and reproducing apparatus

A recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a turntable engaged with a disk for supporting said disk on a recording and reproducing position,
• a pickup for moving on the surface of said disk to record a signal in said disk or to reproduce a signal from said disk,
• a flat tray for transferring between an engagement position with said turntable and a disk exchange position, said disk exchange position capable of placing said disk in either a horizontal position or vertical position, said tray having a holding surface comprising a cartridge mounting portion for detachably holding a cartridge, said tray having a first side and a second side which are opposite one another and which extend substantially parallel to a tray transfer direction,
• position specifying means for issuing a signal indicating either horizontal position or vertical position of said tray, and
• driving means driven by the signal issued by said position specifying means for controlling the position a first retaining member and a second retaining member in accordance with the physical orientation of the tray,
• wherein said tray comprises a first disk engaging portion freely movable in a tray transfer direction and being biased in a disk exchange position direction of the tray, said first disk engaging portion operative for detachably supporting a peripheral edge of said disk, and a second disk engaging portion comprising said first retaining member and said second retaining member, said first retaining member and said second retaining member each having a first position for retaining said disk in said tray in which an upper surface of said disk is disposed beneath said retaining member, said first retaining member and said second retaining member each being projected from the holding surface by the driving means when the vertical position of the tray is detected by the position specifying means, and a second position in which said first retaining member and said second retaining member are each displaced in a recess formed in said holding surface by said driving means when the horizontal position of the tray is detected by the specifying means, said first retaining member and said second retaining member positioned on said first side and said second side, respectively, of said tray such that one of said retaining members retains an upper portion of said disk and the other retaining member retains a lower portion of said disk when said tray is set in the vertical direction.