US 6,388,974 B1 · Recording medium driving apparatus

Abstract

A recording medium driving apparatus having a disk-shaped first medium, and a second medium formed of a disk housed in a cartridge case, the first and second media being retained at two vertically shifted positions in a frame member, and information being recorded and/or reproduced on and/or from the first and second media by using the same optical pickup. The recording medium driving apparatus includes a driving unit which can be vertically and horizontally moved with respect to the frame member and on which at least the optical pickup and a transporting mechanism for transporting the optical pickup are mounted. The driving unit vertically and horizontally moves in the frame member thereby to selectively oppose the optical pickup to either of the first and second media retained in the two different positions. This arrangement makes it possible to select either of two media simultaneously loaded on the apparatus to record and/or reproduce information to/from the selected medium, thus obviating the necessity for replacing a medium with a target medium, and providing significantly improved convenience.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A recording medium driving apparatus capable of accommodating simultaneously a disk-shaped first medium not housed in a cartridge case and second medium formed of a disk housed in a cartridge case, said first and second media being retained at two vertically shifted positions in a frame member, and information being recorded and/or reproduced on and/or from said first and second media by using a common optical pickup, said recording medium driving apparatus comprising:

a driving unit which can be moved vertically and horizontally with respect to said frame member and on which at least said optical pickup and a transporting mechanism for transporting said optical pickup are mounted;
wherein said driving unit vertically and horizontally moves in said frame member thereby to selectively oppose said optical pickup to either of said first and second media while said first and second media are simultaneously retained in said two vertically shifted positions, allowing information to be recorded on and/or reproduced from either of the first and second media.

A recording medium driving apparatus for a disk-shaped first medium not housed in a cartridge case and a second medium formed of a disk housed in a cartridge case, said first and second media being retained at two vertically shifted positions in a frame member, and information being recorded and/or reproduced on and/or from said first and second media by using a common optical pickup, said recording medium driving apparatus comprising:

a driving unit which can be moved vertically and horizontally with respect to said frame member and on which at least said optical pickup and a transporting mechanism for transporting said optical pickup are mounted, wherein said driving unit vertically and horizontally moves in said frame member thereby to selectively oppose said optical pickup to either of said first and second media retained in said two vertically shifted positions;
a holder which is provided so that it may move in a vertical direction in said frame member and which retains said second medium inserted in said frame member;
wherein said driving unit and said holder are respectively moved vertically at positions where said driving unit and said holder do not vertically overlap so as to allow the relative vertical positions of said driving unit and said holder to be reversed, and horizontal movement of said driving unit causes said driving unit to overlap at least a part of said holder at one side or the other side of said holder in a vertical direction;
and
information is recorded and/or reproduced to and/or from said first medium at a first position where said driving unit overlaps said holder at one side of said holder, while information is recorded and/or reproduced to and/or from said second medium at a second position where said driving unit overlaps said holder at the other side of said holder.

2 more elements

a driving unit which can be moved vertically and horizontally with respect to said frame member and on which at least said optical pickup and a transporting mechanism for transporting said optical pickup are mounted, wherein said driving unit vertically and horizontally moves in said frame member thereby to selectively oppose said optical pickup to either of said first and second media retained in said two vertically shifted positions;
insertion slots which are formed in said frame member and through which said media are inserted and ejected;
detecting means for detecting said media inserted through said insertion slots;
a carrying mechanism for carrying said media into said frame member on the basis of a detection output of said detecting means;
a main chassis that movably supports said driving unit between a position where recording and/or reproduction to and/or from said first medium is performed and a position where recording and/or reproduction to and/or from said second medium is performed;
an elastic member that elastically and movably supports said main chassis in said frame member;
and
a locking mechanism for locking or unlocking said main chassis to or from said frame member;
wherein said main chassis is unlocked by said locking mechanism when recording and/or reproduction to and/or from one of said first and second media is performed;
and
said main chassis is locked by said locking mechanism and the other medium is carried into said frame member by said carrying mechanism when said detecting means detects that the other medium has been inserted through said insertion slot in said unlocked state.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Recording medium driving apparatus

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Recording medium driving apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26