Abstract: Unlike conventional disk drives, a disk drive of the invention is capable of loading a plurality of different types of disks at the same time, and has the capability of protecting a disk sensitive to contamination, such as a RAM disk, from contamination. A plurality of trays are placed in a disk package which is loaded into a disk drive. Different types of disks may be placed on the respective trays. In the package, there is provided a first locking mechanism for locking all trays. This first locking mechanism can be unlocked by a manual operation. There is also provided a second locking mechanism which locks only those trays on which RAM disks or the like are placed so that the RAM disks are prevented from being taken out. In the main unit of the disk drive, there is provided an unlocking member for unlocking both the first and second locking mechanisms.

Abstract: A plurality of trays are arranged in a disk package disposed in a disk device, and disks of different types are placed on the trays, respectively. A first lock mechanism for locking all the trays is arranged in the package, and a locking operation of this lock mechanism can be released by a manual operation. A second lock mechanism is designed to be able to lock only a tray on which a RAM disk or the like is placed and to prevent the RAM disk or the like from being removed. However, when an projection portion of the tray is deformed, the tray can be removed.

Abstract: A housing with one or more compartments for storage of discs, and a disc transfer mechanism mounted in each compartment including a mobile disc support mounted for rolling movement between inside and outside the compartment to transfer a disc in a transfer plane extending through the compartment, between a position wherein the disc is located entirely within the compartment and a position wherein a portion of the disc or the entire disc is located outside the compartment in front of a front wall, the mobile disc support including a disc support member which has elements locating or holding the disc relative to the disc support member during disc transfer and a segment presenting a curved outer edge which is maintained in rolling contact with an inner edge of a lateral member carried on a side wall of the compartment as the mobile disc support rolls without sliding to transfer a disc between its positions. The disc transfer mechanism can be combined with a disc player or recorder apparatus.

Abstract: A lens-cleaning disc capable of efficiently removing dirt or dust on pickup lenses, equipped with a brush body comprising bristles fastened into the brush base, at a position facing the pickup lens when the disc is used, wherein the surface of the brush base may be constructed as an adhesive surface or the brush body may be placed at an angle with respect to a radial direction of the disc so that its inner end is located further forward than its outer end in the direction of rotation at all times during rotation of the disc.

Abstract: A spindle motor assembly adapted for rotationally supporting a load about a base includes a rotor rotatably mounted on the base with its outer periphery capable of supporting a load, a stator and a plurality of magnets mounted on the outer periphery of the rotor. The stator includes a plurality of stator laminations with selective portions of the stator laminations forming stator cores. A plurality of magnets are mounted on the outer periphery of the rotor in an operating relationship with the stator cores. A plurality of conductors are wound on the stator cores. The stator includes a resilient covering located around the plurality of laminations and further having a routing means to route the conductors between the stator cores, an attaching means to attach the stator to the base and a connecting means. The connecting means includes a first connector block with a plurality of first conductor pads, with a first end and a second end. Ends of the conductors are connected to the first end of the conductor pads.

Abstract: A tray conveying apparatus having a pair of guide racks and a pair of auxiliary racks formed on the bottom surface of a tray. A pair of support gear assemblies are engaged with the guide and auxiliary racks, and each support gear assembly has two gears having different pitches, which are engaged with the auxiliary racks when the tray is opened or closed. When the tray moves in the forward or backward direction, the support gears are engaged with the auxiliary racks, and thereby lead and guide the tray so that the tray is easily conveyed.

Abstract: An optical disc cartridge handling apparatus, which has a removable cartridge magazine for loading and unloading groups of cartridges into the apparatus, for storing, handling, reading and writing of the optical discs stored within the cartridges. A flipper mechanism is provided to receive one of the cartridges from either of the magazine or an optical disc drive within the apparatus. Means are included for rotating the flipper mechanism about a common center line for inverting the cartridge within the flipper mechanism. A picker mechanism is included for moving the cartridge into and out of the flipper mechanism from either the magazine or the optical disc drive. A traverse mechanism is provided for supporting and moving the flipper mechanism along an axis of motion to locate the flipper mechanism adjacent either a particular slot of the magazine or the cartridge slot of the optical disc drive.

Abstract: Automatic disc changer apparatus includes a tray containing elastomeric grooves designed to securely hold multiple compact information storage discs in generally upright positions, one or more stations, each performing processing operations on discs transferred from the tray one at a time (operations such as reading information from discs and/or writing information to them), mechanism for effecting relative movement between the tray and the stations for aligning a selected groove in the tray with a station, a transfer mechanism associated with each station for moving a disc from the selected groove to a loading position at the station, and from that position back to the tray, in controllably driven rotations, and latch mechanism for laterally moving the disc between the loading position and a processing station. In the controllably driven rotation, top and bottom edges of each selected disc are flexibly constrained while a force is applied to the disc tangential to its top edge.

Abstract: A disk unit includes a tray and a slide-restricting member. The tray conveys a disk between a disk-driving position positioned inside a chassis and a disk-exchanging position positioned outside the chassis. The slide-restricting member is provided between the tray and the chassis in a slidable manner and is engageable with a coupling part formed in at least one of the tray and the chassis to restrict the tray from moving beyond the disk-exchanging position when the tray is extracted and arrives at the disk-exchanging position. Further, the slide-restricting member is movable between a first position positioned in a backward direction from a rear-end part of the tray and a second position positioned in a forward direction from the rear-end part of the tray.

Abstract: An optical disk drive adopting an optical disk as a recording medium is provided. The optical disk drive includes an adjusting mechanism on a deck to adjust phase and tilt. The adjusting mechanism includes a phase adjusting device which is installed on the deck, for supporting one end of at least one of first and second shafts to adjust the phase, and a complex adjusting device which is rotatably installed on the deck, for supporting the other end of the at least one shaft to adjust the tilt and phase. Therefore, the optical disk drive can store a large amount of information in a disk by a highly precise deck mechanism and be stably installed regardless of the installation direction and position thereof. Further, a tray can be ejected without electric power and simple and convenient assembling and maintenance thereof are guaranteed.

Abstract: A magnetic recording system for recording information on a magnetic recording medium magnetized with a perpedicular magnetization component by a magnetic recording head so as to be reproduced by a magnetic reproducing head, the magnetic recording head including a leading side and a trailing side opposite to the leading side, the leading side leading the trailing side in terms of motion relative to the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic recording head generating a first magnetic field with a field strength from the leading side to the magnetic recording medium, and generating a second magnetic field from the trailing side to the magnetic recording medium, a field strength of the second magnetic field being smaller than that of the first magnetic field.

Abstract: A disc cartridge for freely rotatably accommodating a disc-shaped recording medium has a slide shutter assembly for selectively opening and closing the access window through which a recording and/or reproducing head is accessible to the optical disc accommodated within the cartridge. The slide shutter assembly is of a generally U-shaped configuration including top and bottom shutter plates and a bridge plate connecting the top and bottom shutter plates. While the slide shutter assembly is slidably mounted on a front open portion of the cartridge casing, the bridge plate has an inner surface formed integrally with a plurality of catch pieces. At least one guide plate extends along the front open portion of the cartridge casing between side walls and has a slot defined therein so as to extend lengthwise of the guide plate.

Abstract: A disc clamping apparatus for a compact disc player. The apparatus has a clamp for clamping a disc loaded on a turntable, an elastic wire for upwardly lifting the clamp and for horizontally maintaining the clamp above the turntable, a pair of extension bars connected to a spring to downwardly bias the elastic wire, and a serpentine bar which makes contact with an upper surface of the clamp to allow the clamp to stably rotate. The apparatus does not make contact with the disc while the disc is being inserted/ejected into/from the disc player, so damage to the disc or to the clamp can be prevented. Since the clamp is horizontally maintained above the turntable by the elastic wire, the clamp does not fluctuate while a user is driving the vehicle, so the clamp is prevented from colliding with a cover plate, thereby reducing the noise.

Abstract: In a disk device including, a carriage structure capable of reducing noise and accomplishing a high transfer rate. According to the first embodiment, an anchor member comprising a flat sheet portion and an extension portion and made of a sheet metal is disposed on the flat surface portion of the side surface of the carriage main body, and a flexible circuit board is wound on the anchor member and is, in this state, connected to the carriage. Therefore, a package area on the carriage side can be increased. According to the second embodiment, a control IC of a bare chip is packaged to a connection portion of the flexible circuit board and the carriage by a flip packaging method, and other chip components are packaged by a surface packaging technology. According to the first and second embodiments, the space at which the head IC, the servo IC and the peripheral circuits are disposed integratedly can be secured at the connection portion of the flexible circuit board with the carriage.

Abstract: A disk apparatus in which the thickness is suppressed. A recording/reproducing medium containing a disk rotatably in a hard case is moved substantially in a horizontal direction through an opening of the base of the disk apparatus for insertion and ejection operations of the recording/reproducing medium and recording/reproducing operation.

Abstract: A reduced size disk changer of the type used with a disk magazine storing multiple disks. The disk changer is structured such that a disk can rotate while partially occupying a region of the disk magazine upon recording/reproducing, to thereby reduce the disk changer's size by an amount equivalent to the occupied region.

Abstract: A disc carrier is provided for carrying a disc between a magazine and a disc player. The disc carrier has a rotating device and a chuck member provided on the rotating device. A direction of the chuck member can be changed to the magazine or the disc player.

Abstract: A magnetic disk recording device having a continuous medium type magnetic disk and a magnetic head slider, wherein the magnetic head slider is formed of a sintered body essentially consisting of titanium oxide as the major component thereof and at least one selected from the group consisting of Y, Yb, Nb, Mg, Er, Fe, Cr, Zr and Al in an amount of from 2 atm % to 50 atm % with respect to the titanium oxide, whereby a higher recording density is realized while maintaining a higher reliability of the device over long time span.

Abstract: An apparatus for translating and rotating a cartridge (such as an optical disk cartridge) which utilizes a U-shaped rack engaged with a non-translating (but rotating) pinion, a carrier for the cartridge connected to the rack, and a motor for spinning the pinion on its axis. The apparatus enables the cartridge to be inserted with a shutter face forward, and translates and rotates the cartridge into the final (loaded) position with the shutter face in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A mechanism is described for protecting a server against invalid usage of proxy objects after malfunction of a server and also for transparently re-creating proxy objects in a client of a client-server distributed processing system. A proxy class is used that has additional attributes indicating the name of the target object in the server, an indication as to whether the name is presently valid and an alternate pointer to the target object. A proxy register object in the client maintains pointers to all the proxy objects which point to objects in the server. On malfunction of the server, and consequent invalidity of the proxy objects, the proxy register object causes all proxy objects to be refreshed.