Of Carousel Changer Patents (Class 369/30.86)
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Patent number: 7596060Abstract: A multi-disc player testing apparatus for testing whether the multi-disc player satisfies the specific requirements is provided. The multi-disc player includes a carousel having multiple disc-accommodating areas and a disc-positioning sensor. The carousel defines a plurality of indicating slots for identifying each disc-accommodating area. The disc-positioning sensor scans the indicating slots to produce wave pulses in a form corresponding to the indicating slots. The multi-disc player includes a measuring module for receiving the wave pulses from the disc-positioning sensor, and measuring and comparing the number of the wave pulses and durations of each pulse with predetermined values to determine whether the multi-disc player satisfies the specific requirements.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2006Date of Patent: September 29, 2009Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Inventor: Li-Dong Li
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Patent number: 7505259Abstract: CD storage device is disclosed which includes a housing (12) in which a carousel (40) is supported for rotation in the housing. The carousel has a number compartments (85) each for storing a CD. The device includes a controlling circuit board (46) which can couple with a computer so that CDs can be stored and retrieved by inputting information into the computer which causes the carousel to rotate to present the storage compartment having the required CD at an opening for discharge. The device (10) includes an ejector (96) for ejecting CDs from a storage compartment (85). The storage device (10) may include a reader (210) into which CDs can be loaded for reading and then restored in the device so that the CDs can be used without the user needing to remove a CD from the device and locate it in a reader in the user's computer.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2001Date of Patent: March 17, 2009Assignee: Opdicom Pty Ltd.Inventor: Hector Daniel Elbaum
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Patent number: 7333403Abstract: A turntable provided in the carousel changer has a plurality of trays provided around its rotating shaft. The turntable is provided with an annular rib including a plurality of recessed portions and a plurality of raised portions. A sensor is provided to have the rib passed therethrough and detects recessed portions and raised portions in the rib as the turntable is driven by a motor to rotate. The controller receives a detection result by the sensor and controls the motor based on the ratio of the widths of a raised portion and a recessed portion adjacent to each other in the rib. Therefore, this carousel changer can accurately stop a tray carrying an optical disk desired to be reproduced in a prescribed position.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2004Date of Patent: February 19, 2008Assignee: Onkyo CorporationInventor: Kazunari Ito
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Patent number: 6977872Abstract: The invention provides a disk changer wherein a disk can be replaced between different accommodation portions of a rotatable tray. The disk changer includes a rotatable tray having a plurality of annularly arranged accommodation portions, a tray rotating mechanism, a detection section for detecting an address of each accommodation portion and presence or absence of a disk in each accommodation portion, a recording/reproduction section for recording and/or reproducing an information signal onto and/or from a disk, and a disk takeout mechanism for taking out and transporting a disk from an accommodation portion to the recording/reproduction section and for taking out and transporting the disk from the recording/reproduction section to an accommodation portion.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2002Date of Patent: December 20, 2005Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Yuichi Nagone
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Patent number: 6940787Abstract: The invention provides a disk changer which is improved in convenience in use and functionality. The disk changer includes a rotatable tray having a plurality of annularly arranged accommodation portions, a tray rotating mechanism, first and second recording and/or reproduction sections each for recording and/or reproducing an information signal onto and/or from one of the disk-type recording media, and first and second disk takeout mechanisms each for taking out a disk-type recording medium accommodated in an accommodation portion of the rotatable tray and transporting the disk-type recording medium to the corresponding recording and/or reproduction section and for taking out the disk-type recording medium from the corresponding recording and/or reproduction section and transporting the disk-type recording medium to an accommodation portion of the rotatable tray.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2002Date of Patent: September 6, 2005Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Yoshihiro Kajiyama, Renji Tamura, Shinji Ito
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Patent number: 6901597Abstract: A multiple disc player comprises a turntable for holding twenty discs upright in an annular arrangement, a playing mechanism for playing a selected disc from the turntable, and a disc slider for moving the selected disc from the turntable to the playing mechanism and later back to the turntable. A motor-driven drive mechanism operates the turntable, the playing mechanism and the disc mover. The turntable includes twenty disc brackets for supporting the discs thereon respectively, each support being slidable radially from and to the turntable. The disc slider is releasably engageable with a disc support supporting the selected disc for moving the disc by the support.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2003Date of Patent: May 31, 2005Assignee: Alco Electronics LimitedInventor: Wilson Wai Sing Leung
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Patent number: 6895592Abstract: In a disc changer, improvements of the taking-out operation, housing operation, stabilization of disc transfer and downsizing of a conveyance mechanism and stabilization of reproducing operation are intended. The disc changer comprises a disc housing unit, a disc transfer mechanism provided on the upper surface of the disc housing unit, and a disc playback unit. The disc housing unit 100 is provided with disc exchange support mechanism for pushing up a disc inside disc housing groove 101 formed in the disc housing unit and light-emitting means 107 for allowing groove 101 to be recognized.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2002Date of Patent: May 17, 2005Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha KenwoodInventors: Tomomi Matsumura, Toshihiko Fujinami, Yuji Motegi, Tetsushi Onishi
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Patent number: 6820271Abstract: A portable, fully enclosed compact disc storage apparatus or unit is provided which stores a multiplicity of discs, without risk of damage to their written surfaces. The storage unit comprises a two-part toroidal shaped housing, a circular magazine for supporting the discs, engaged on their unwritten edges by pairs of raised projections limited in height to that of the unwritten portion of a disc. A user-actuated lever engages the bottom of the discs and lift them from the magazine and out of the housing through an access slot. An indexing knob and notches means aligns a disc with the access slot and prevents unwanted rotation of the magazine relative to the housing between disc access and removal. A series of numbers are formed on the outer circumferential flanged edge of the magazine to aid in cataloging and identifying the magazine's contents.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2001Date of Patent: November 16, 2004Inventor: Steve D. Schafer
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Publication number: 20040062156Abstract: Device for storing disc-shaped information carriers and for their subsequent selective manipulation. The disc-shaped information carriers can be placed on carriers arranged in a circle around the manipulator axis of rotation. The design with partially turnable carriers allows for arrangement of the carriers on the axes of partial turning in columns. The manipulator consists at least of two arms. The long arm is equipped with a movable arm and the short arm is equipped with a picker of disc-shaped information carriers. By swinging out of the movable arm against the carrier, the carrier is turned out and the given tray is separated from the others and it can thus be served by the manipulator.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2003Publication date: April 1, 2004Applicant: Sunrea, a.s.Inventor: Petr Holy
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Patent number: 6707769Abstract: The present disclosure provides apparatus and methods for reading optical disks. Some implementations are particularly well suited for automatically playing both sides of a dual-sided optical disk. By coordinated delivery of disks between a disk reader, a disk transfer mechanism, or a disk turner and a carrousel that is approximately toroid shaped, both sides of a dual-sided optical disk can be automatically accessed.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2002Date of Patent: March 16, 2004Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventor: Dean A. Klein
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Patent number: 6690627Abstract: A disc holder is annularly provided for holding a plurality of discs, and a reproducing device is provided in a central portion of the disc holder for reproducing a desired disc. A carrying device is provided for carrying the desired disc between the disc holder and the reproducing device. The carrying device has a groove for slidably engaging with a peripheral portion of the desired disc, and a pair of inclined surfaces for separating adjacent discs on both sides of the desired disc from the desired disc.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1998Date of Patent: February 10, 2004Assignee: Pioneer Electronic CorporationInventors: Yoshimitsu Fukushima, Yuji Ikedo, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hitoshi Nagata, Atsushi Yamane
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Patent number: 6680882Abstract: An annular disc holder is provided for holding a plurality of discs. The disc holder is rotatably mounted on a base and is guided by a guiding device provided between the disc holder and the base so as to be rotated about an axis.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 1998Date of Patent: January 20, 2004Assignee: Pioneer Electronic CorporationInventors: Yuji Ikedo, Yoshimitsu Fukushima, Hitoshi Nagata, Atsushi Yamane
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Patent number: 6639881Abstract: Trays including disc mounting portions for mounting discs are divided into seven trays for each disc. Portions of the discs except for the disc positioned at a reproduction state overlap with adjacent discs. Accordingly, seven discs can be held despite that a diameter of an entire assembly including all seven trays rotatively moving around a central shaft is equal to that of a large tray of a conventional disc reproduction device of a carrousel type capable of holding five discs. The constitution also includes an interlocking mechanism of the discs, a sliding mechanism where the trays rotatively move around the central shaft horizontally and upward/downward obliquely while maintaining parallelism, and driver for providing a period of time in which trays at a middle stage in the beginning of one stroke and trays reaching the middle stage are still during a time period for one stroke.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2001Date of Patent: October 28, 2003Assignee: Victor Company of Japan, LimitedInventor: Motoharu Ogawa
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Patent number: 6603715Abstract: An optical disk changer that is capable of automatically playing both sides of a dual-sided optical disk. By coordinated delivery of disks between a disk reader, a disk transfer mechanism, or a disk turner and a carrousel that is approximately toroid shaped, both sides of a dual-sided optical disk can be automatically accessed.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 1998Date of Patent: August 5, 2003Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.Inventor: Dean A. Klein
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Patent number: 6590842Abstract: A recording and/or playback apparatus of a dislike recording medium, such as optical disk, is equipped with a receiving portion, a recording and/or playback portion, an ejecting operation mechanism, a loading mechanism, and a positioning mechanism. In the receiving portion, a plurality of supporting portions supporting respective peripheral ends of a plurality of disklike recording media are formed in an annular form, and an opening portion is formed on the supporting portion. The recording and/or playback portion conducts recording and/or playback of the disklike recording media. The ejecting operation mechanism penetrates from the opening portion of the receiving portion and ejects a desired disklike recording medium out of the disklike recording media, from the supporting portion.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2000Date of Patent: July 8, 2003Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Yoshihiro Kajiyama, Akihisa Inatani, Shizuo Ohishi
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Publication number: 20030090966Abstract: An optical disk changer that is capable of automatically playing both sides of a dual-sided optical disk. By coordinated delivery of disks between a disk reader, a disk transfer mechanism, or a disk turner and a carrousel that is approximately toroid shaped, both sides of a dual-sided optical disk can be automatically accessed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2002Publication date: May 15, 2003Inventor: Dean A. Klein
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Patent number: 6556519Abstract: A disk recording/reproducing apparatus including a housing for accommodating a plurality of disks in an upright position along a circumference thereof, a disk driving device for recording/reproducing a disk, and a disk conveying belt for conveying the disk between the disk driving device and the housing, wherein the disk driving device is disposed in the center of the housing, thereby reducing the overall size of the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 1999Date of Patent: April 29, 2003Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Tetsuhiro Shiomi
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Publication number: 20030048702Abstract: The invention provides a disk changer which is improved in convenience in use and functionality. The disk changer includes a rotatable tray having a plurality of annularly arranged accommodation portions, a tray rotating mechanism, first and second recording and/or reproduction sections each for recording and/or reproducing an information signal onto and/or from one of the disk-type recording media, and first and second disk takeout mechanisms each for taking out a disk-type recording medium accommodated in an accommodation portion of the rotatable tray and transporting the disk-type recording medium to the corresponding recording and/or reproduction section and for taking out the disk-type recording medium from the corresponding recording and/or reproduction section and transporting the disk-type recording medium to an accommodation portion of the rotatable tray.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2002Publication date: March 13, 2003Applicant: Sony CorporationInventors: Yoshihiro Kajiyama, Renji Tamura, Shinji Ito
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Publication number: 20030039183Abstract: Easiness of the taking-out operation and the housing operation of the disc from a desired slot in the disc changer, stabilization of the disc transfer from the disc housing portion to the playback portion, downsizing of a conveyance mechanism and stabilization of reproducing operation at a disc reproducing time are intended. In the disc changer comprising a disc-shaped disc housing portion a disc transfer mechanism provided on the upper surface of the disc housing portion, and a disc playback portion, a disc housing portion 100 comprises a disc exchange support mechanism 104 having means for pushing up the disc inside a disc housing groove 101 arranged at a disc exchange position and light-emitting means 107 for allowing the groove 101 to be recognized. A disc conveyance mechanism 200 is constituted by having a carrier 204 allowing the disc to be transferred by moving together with a carriage 203 inside a sub-chassis 201.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2002Publication date: February 27, 2003Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha KenwoodInventors: Tomomi Matsumura, Toshihiko Fujinami, Yuji Motegi, Tetsushi Onishi
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Publication number: 20020024896Abstract: Trays including disc mounting portions for mounting discs are divided into seven trays for each disc. Portions of the discs except for the disc positioned at a reproduction state overlap with adjacent discs. Accordingly, seven discs can be held despite that a diameter of an entire assembly including all seven trays rotatively moving around a central shaft is equal to that of a large tray of a conventional disc reproduction device of a carrousel type capable of holding five discs. The constitution also includes an interlocking mechanism of the discs, a sliding mechanism where the trays rotatively move around the central shaft horizontally and upward/downward obliquely while maintaining parallelism, and driver for providing a period of time in which trays at a middle stage in the beginning of one stroke and trays reaching the middle stage are still during a time period for one stroke.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2001Publication date: February 28, 2002Inventor: Motoharu Ogawa
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Publication number: 20020012294Abstract: A disc holder is annularly provided for holding a plurality of discs, and a reproducing device is provided in a central portion of the disc holder for reproducing a desired disc. A carrying device is provided for carrying the desired disc between the disc holder and the reproducing device. The carrying device has a groove for slidably engaging with a peripheral portion of the desired disc, and a pair of inclined surfaces for separating adjacent discs on both sides of the desired disc from the desired disc.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 1998Publication date: January 31, 2002Inventors: YOSHIMITSU FUKUSHIMA, YUJI IKEDO, HIROYUKI WATANABE, HITOSHI NAGATA, ATSUSHI YAMANE