Sony Corporation

Tokio Kanada

Mikinori Matsuda

Kazuhito Kurita

Takahiro Yamada

Takashi Fukushima

Akihiro Ogata

Takashi Kawakami

Minoru Tobita

Shinichi Nakao

Akihiro Noda

Tadami Nakamura

Yoshiro Arikawa

Takuya Kaeriyama

Toru Morikawa

Takashi Ohgi

Hiroshi Oinoue

Minoru Shimada

Akio Kimura

Ryosuke Anno

Hideyuki Hirano

A disc cartridge is provided. The disc cartridge in which is housed an optical disc includes a main cartridge body unit, rotatably housing an optical disc, and having an aperture for a head part for exposing a part of the optical disc to outside across the inner and outer rims of the optical disc, and a shutter unit mounted for movement to this main cartridge body unit for opening/closing the aperture for the head part. A recess into which is introduced a portion of a head part of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is formed in continuation to the aperture for the head part in a surface of the main cartridge body unit on which slides a shutter unit in an area opposite to the area of movement of the shutter unit with the aperture for the head part in-between.

Disc cartridge

A disc cartridge having rotatably housed an optical disc () is disclosed. The disc cartridge includes a main cartridge body unit () having an aperture for the head part () for exposing a portion of the optical disc to outside across the inner and outer rims of the disc. In one surface of the main cartridge body unit is formed a center opening () into which is intruded a turntable () for rotationally driving the optical disc. An inner peripheral surface () of the center opening operates as a mounting reference plane along the planar direction when mounting the disc cartridge to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The rim of the opening of the one surface of the main cartridge body unit operates as a mounting reference surface () along the height-wise direction. The main cartridge body unit has an inserting end side into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus formed as a substantially semicircular arcuate section () having, as center, the center of the optical disc housed in the main cartridge body unit.

Disk cartridge, and disk recording and/or reproducing device

Disk cartridge

A disk cartridge is provided which includes an optical disk (), a cartridge body () having formed therein a head opening () through which a part of the optical disk () is exposed to outside in a range between the inner and outer radii thereof, a shutter member () supported movably on the cartridge body () to uncover and cover the head opening (), and a two-way forcing mechanism () to force the shutter member () toward any selected one of positions to cover and uncover the head opening (). The two-way forcing mechanism () forces the shutter member () toward any selected one of the positions to cover and uncover the head opening () correspondingly to a position of the shutter member () relative to the head opening ().

A cartridge device has a recording and reproducing unit for recording an information signal on and/or reproducing an information signal from a recording medium of a recording medium cartridge, the case having a positioning hole. A chassis of the device has a base and a projection projecting from the base toward a holder for being inserted in the positioning hole. An ejection slider is slidably supported on the chassis for sliding movement selectively in a first sliding direction to move the holder from the first to second position and a second sliding direction, which is opposite to the first sliding direction, to move the holder from the second to first position. The projection has a recess defined therein. The ejection slider has a portion insertable into the recess when the election slider is moved in the first sliding direction.

Cartridge device with an ejection slider having a projection insertable into a positioning recess

A disc cartridge is provided. The disc cartridge includes an optical disc and a main cartridge body unit rotatably housing the optical disc. A lateral surface of the main cartridge body unit as an inserting end of the main cartridge body unit into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is a semicircular arcuate section having the center of the optical disc accommodated in the main cartridge body unit as center. The direction of insertion of the main cartridge body unit into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus may be discriminated readily to achieve smooth loading.

A recording medium is provided wherein type determination and writing possibility determination is enabled for various types of disks. Opening and closing structure functions to open and close a detection hole of a cartridge. The structure forms a plane substantially horizontal level with a reference plane of the cartridge at a position of a detection hole when the detection hole is in a closed state. The cartridge has at least a first detection hole and a second detection hole formed therein. The second detection hole (H) is opened and closed by the opening and closing structure, and the first detection hole (H) is in an open state at all times.

Cartridge type recording medium, associated apparatus and methodology of disc detection

A disc drive apparatus is provided which determines a recording medium enabling type and recordability for various types of discs. The discs are housed in a cartridge and each cartridge has at least a first and second detection hole formed therein. The second detection hole (H) is variably opened and closed by an opening/closing device, and the first detection hole (H) is in an open state at all times. The disc drive apparatus determines the disc type using a light signal reflected from the loaded recording medium. The disc drive apparatus also determines disc determining parameters (for example, recordability of a disc) based on information received about the disc type and the open/closed state of one or more detection holes formed in the cartridge.

Disc detection device and associated method

A driving device includes a holder movably carried by a chassis and adapted for transporting a disc cartridge that the holder holds between an insertion/ejection position and a loading position, and an ejection lever for ejecting the disc cartridge from the holder. The driving device also includes a slider movable in a direction of inserting the disc cartridge into the holder and in a direction of ejecting the disc cartridge from the holder. The slider causes the holder to be moved to the loading position when the slider is moved in the disc cartridge inserting direction, while causing the holder to be moved to the insertion/ejection position when the slider is moved in the disc cartridge ejecting direction.

Recording medium driving device

A disc drive device for driving a disc held in a cartridge having a movable shutter includes a readout head radially movable on the disc and mounted on a chassis that also mounts a cartridge holder, a disc table on which the disc is loaded, a shutter mechanism for operating the shutter, and a retainer mechanism for holding the shutter open by the shutter mechanism when the disc is loaded on the disc table.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a holder for holding an inserted recording medium, a recording and/or reproducing section for performing recording on or reproduction from the recording medium, a chassis in which the recording and/or reproducing section is provided, and a loading mechanism for moving the holder and the chassis closer to each other when the recording medium is inserted in the holder.

Recording and/or reproducing apparatus

A driving device includes a holder () movably carried by a chassis () and adapted for transporting a disc cartridge the holder holds between an insertion/ejection position and a loading position, and an ejection lever () for ejecting the disc cartridge from the holder (). The driving device also includes a slider () movable in a direction of inserting the disc cartridge into the holder () and in a direction of ejecting the disc cartridge from the holder. The slider causes the holder () to be moved to the loading position when the slider is moved in the disc cartridge inserting direction, while causing the holder () to be moved to the insertion/ejection position when the slider is moved in the disc cartridge ejecting direction. The driving device also includes a spring member () provided between the ejection lever () and the slider () for biasing the ejection lever () in a direction of ejecting the disc cartridge from the holder () and for biasing the slider () in the disc cartridge inserting direction.

A recording medium driving device includes a loading unit with a disc loaded on it, a head movement mechanism for moving the recording head toward and away from the disc, an ejection mechanism for ejecting a loaded disc, a driving gear rotated by a drive motor, a joint lever moved by the driving gear rotating in one direction to operate the ejection lever, and a driving lever driven by the driving gear rotating in a reverse direction to operate the head movement mechanism.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tokio Kanada