The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 23, 2003
Filed:
May. 30, 2000
Minoru Minase, Iruma, JP;
Shigeru Fukinuki, Kokubunji, JP;
TEAC Corporation, , JP;
Abstract
A CD-ROM drive has a disk tray ejectable from a data transfer position within a casing, where the disk is read, to a load/unload position outside the casing where the disk is loaded on and unloaded from the tray. Being locked in the data transfer position against the bias of an ejector spring, the tray is ejected by being unlocked by brief energization of a solenoid under the direction of a controller. The solenoid might overheat to self-destruction if, upon malfunctioning of the controller, it were left energized after tray ejection. A protection circuit is therefore provided for permitting a solenoid driver circuit to energize the solenoid in response to an ejection command from the controller only when the tray is in the data transfer position.