Disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and disc loading apparatus

A disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus, comprising:

• an opening formed in a surface of the apparatus, said surface forming an exterior side of said apparatus;
• a closing member to close and disclose the opening and adapted to move between a first closing member position where it closes the opening and lies in a generally same plane as a planar extrapolation of said surface of the apparatus and a second closing member position where it is located inside the apparatus to disclose the opening;
• a tray having a substantially planar disc mount surface adapted to receive a disc thereon and move between a first tray position where the tray is projected from the opening and is oriented substantially perpendicular to said planar extrapolation, and a second tray position where the tray is retracted into the apparatus through the opening and is rotated with respect to the first tray position;
• and
• a drive mechanism adapted to move the closing member between the second closing member position and the first closing member position, and the tray between the above-mentioned first and second tray positions,
• wherein a tangent to a path defined for said movement of said tray between said first and second tray positions is substantially parallel to of said moving tray and disc.

A disc loading apparatus, comprising:

• a tray having a substantially planar disc mount surface on which a disc is to be set and adapted to move between a first tray position where the disc mount surface is generally horizontal and a second tray position where the disc mount surface is generally vertical;
• a drive mechanism adapted to move the tray between the first and second tray positions;
• and
• a guiding member to guide the tray being moved by the drive mechanism between the first and second tray positions,
• wherein a tangent to a path defined for said movement of said tray between said first and second tray positions is substantially parallel to said planar disc mount surface of said moving tray.

A disc loading apparatus, comprising:

• a tray having a disc mount surface on which a disc is to be set and adapted to move between a first tray position where the disc mount surface is generally horizontal and a second tray position where the disc mount surface is generally vertical;
• a drive mechanism adapted to move the tray between the first and second tray positions;
• a guiding member to guide the tray being moved by the drive mechanism between the first and second tray positions
• a closing member to cover the front of the tray in a first closing member position when the tray is in the first tray position, the closing member being movable by the drive mechanism to a second closing member position to which the closing member is withdrawn from the moving path of the tray when the tray is moved between the first and second tray positions,
• wherein the closing member is movable from the second closing member position to which the closing member is withdrawn from the moving path of the tray when the tray is moved between the first and second tray positions, to the first closing member position where the closing member covers the front of the tray when the tray is in the first tray position,
• wherein the drive mechanism is adapted to move the tray from the second tray position to the first tray position after the closing member is withdrawn from the moving path of the tray.

A disc loading apparatus, comprising:

• a tray having a substantially planar disc mount surface on which a disc is to be set and adapted to move between a first position where the disc mount surface thereof is generally horizontal and a second position where the disc mount surface thereof is generally vertical;
• a drive mechanism adapted to move the tray between the first and second positions;
• a guiding member to guide the tray being moved by the drive mechanism between the first and second positions;
• and.
• a closing member to cover the front of the tray staying in the second position, the closing member being movable by the drive mechanism to a second closing member position to which the closing member is withdrawn from the moving path segment of the tray when the tray is moved between the first and second tray positions,
• wherein a tangent to a path defined for said movement of said tray between said first and second tray positions is substantially parallel to said planar disc mount surface of said moving tray and disc.

A disc loading apparatus, comprising:

• a tray having a disc mount surface on which a disc is to be set and adapted to move between a first position where the disc mount surface thereof is generally horizontal and a second position where the disc mount surface thereof is generally perpendicular to the disc mount surface of the tray staying in the first position;
• a drive mechanism adapted to move the tray between the first and second positions;
• a guiding member to guide the tray being moved by the drive mechanism between the first and second positions;
• and
• a closing member to cover the front of the tray staying in the second position, the closing member being movable by the drive mechanism to a second closing member position to which the closing member is withdrawn from the moving path segment of the tray when the tray is moved between the first and second tray positions,
• wherein the closing member is movable from the position to which it is withdrawn from the moving path segment of the tray when the tray is moved from the first position to the second position, to the position where the closing member covers the front of the tray staying in the second position, and
• wherein the drive mechanism is adapted to move the tray from the second position to the first position after the closing member is withdrawn from the moving path of the tray.