International Business Machines Corporation

David Jame Altknecht

William Marvin Dyer

Daniel Felix Smith

Donald Stimson Bethune

Steven Robert Hetzler

A David Erpelding

John Stewart Best

Drew B Lawson

Stuart Stephen Papworth Parkin

Mahesh Govind Samant

Gary Miles McClelland

Christopher O Lada

Robert E Erickson

Pierre-Olivier Jubert

Ronald Robert Labby

James Jacob Best

Embodiments for passive retraction of a hub clamp in an optical disc drive. The optical disc drive may comprise a spindle hub coupled to an optical assembly. The optical disc drive may further include a disc clamp assembly configured to hold an optical disc on the spindle hub, the disc clamp assembly including a hub clamp partially comprised within a clamp carriage. The hub clamp of the optical disc drive may be biasedly drawn toward the spindle hub when in a first position and biasedly drawn toward the clamp carriage when in a second position. The bias may be generated by at least one ferromagnetic material integrated into the hub clamp and at least one ferromagnetic material integrated into the spindle hub.

Passive retraction of a hub clamp in an optical disc drive

A calibration system includes a moveable arm configured for movement within an optical disc storage system. A disc kicker device includes a stop portion, an actuator and an actuator tip that contacts an optical disc. The disc kicker device is connected to the moveable arm. The calibration system: determines an operation state based on a stop position for the actuator tip in response to an applied torque to the disc kicker device, and performs alignment of the actuator tip with the optical disc.

Actuator tip calibration for robotic optical storage system

One embodiment provides a system comprising a motor and a disc selector mechanism. The disc selector mechanism is coupled to a bottom of a guide cage and maintained in a space below the cage. The disc selector mechanism comprises a shaft, transmission components, and a slide assembly that is laterally slidable along the shaft in response to the motor driving the transmission components. The slide assembly comprises a slide coupled to the shaft, a pivot bar coupled to the slide, and pick blades pivotally coupled to the pivot bar. A linear motion of the slide assembly along the shaft drives a linear translation of the pivot bar. The linear translation drives a pick blade of the slide assembly to move towards a side of the cage and out of the space and to pivot to a raised position to contact and lift a disc upwards into a disc gripper device.

Method and system for selecting and moving a single disc in an optical disc library

An apparatus includes a motor configured to drive a driving element within a housing. A pivoting element on a shaft is connected to the housing. The pivoting element is connected to a moveable jaw device and configured to force the moveable jaw device at any given moment towards or away from a face of a storage disc, as the pivoting element pivots about a first axis. A fixed jaw device is connected to the housing. The moveable jaw device and the fixed jaw device form a gripper device configured to clamp a particular portion of opposite first and second surfaces of a storage disc.

Disc gripper for storage discs

A disc cassette includes a curved portion. The curved portion includes multiple ribs that define multiple disc slots. The disc slots are configured to hold multiple discs that are spaced apart by the ribs. The disc cassette further includes multiple index features positioned on an inside edge of the curved portion. The index features are configured to allow alignment of a kicker device of a disc retrieval unit (DRU) to a disc of the disc cassette to lift the disc into a disc gripper device without disturbing one or more other discs of the disc cassette that are adjacent to the disc.

Disc storage cassettes comprising index features

A calibration system includes a moveable arm configured for movement within an optical disc storage system. A disc kicker device includes an actuator and an actuator tip that contacts an optical disc. The disc kicker device is connected to the moveable arm. The calibration system performs a calibration operation to calibrate the actuator at the actuator tip to correct displacement error.

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs. The disc cassette further includes a bottom side including track connectors configured to position the disc cassette relative to one or more track portions that hold the disc cassette in place. The disc cassette is slideable along the one or more track portions.

Disc storage cassettes comprising track connectors

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs. A platform portion abuts the curved portion. A movable bale is configured to maintain discs securely in the disc cassette except when rotated off the discs.

Disc storage cassettes comprising a movable bale

An apparatus includes a first jaw device, a second jaw device, and a disc sensor configured to sense presence of a storage disc between the first jaw device and the second jaw device. The first jaw device and the second jaw device form a gripper device configured to clamp a particular portion of a storage disc including an arc segment along an outer edge of adjacent surfaces of the storage disc.

Disc gripper for storage disc

A method and apparatus is provided to enable loading and/or unloading of a storage drive. The body has a first end, a second end, and a path extending from the first end to the second end. The body is configured to receive the computer readable storage device and maintain the computer readable storage device in a first position. The body is configured to passively change orientation from a first orientation to a second orientation responsive to contact from the computer readable storage device. The first orientation maintains the first position of the computer readable storage drive and the second orientation facilitates traversal of the computer readable storage device along the path.

Optical disk drive guide

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs. A platform portion abuts the curved portion. A movable bale is configured to maintain discs securely in the disc cassette.

Disc storage cassettes

An apparatus includes one or more disc media cassettes configured to store multiple disc-based media. Multiple disc drives are configured to read and write data to the multiple disc-based media. A robotic delivery device is configured to transport a selected disc-based media to and from at least one disc drive of the multiple disc drives, and to transport the selected disc-based media directly to a spindle on the at least one disc drive.

High performance robotic optical storage system

An optical disc drive includes a spindle connected to an optical assembly. A disc clamp device is configured to hold an optical disc on the spindle. A contiguous opening on at least two adjacent sides in a plane of a disc mount position intersect at a common corner of the optical disc drive.

Optical disc drive

An apparatus includes a motor configured to drive a driving element within a housing. A caliper is connected to the housing and configured to force a first jaw device toward a second jaw device based on movement of the driving element. A disc sensor is configured to sense presence of a storage disc and to limit insertion travel of a storage disc between the first jaw device and the second jaw device. The first jaw device and the second jaw device form a gripper device configured to clamp a particular portion of a storage disc.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

David Jame Altknecht