Abstract: A disk drive device incorporated in a disk apparatus has a rotary plate mounted on a rotary drive shaft and a magnet mounted on the rotary plate. A recess is formed in the lower surface of the magnet or the upper surface of the rotary plate. A swingable lever having a first end portion pivotally connected to the rotary plate is accommodated in the recess. A second end portion of the swingable lever carries a disk drive pin movably disposed in an opening formed in the magnet. Before the disk drive pin engages with a drive pin engagement hole of a disk, the disk drive pin is depressed in a direction parallel to the axis of the rotary drive shaft by the disk magnetically attracted by the magnet toward the rotary plate. At this time, the second end portion of the swingable lever resiliently deforms away from the magnet. The rotary plate is formed therein with an opening for receiving the deformed second end portion of the swingable lever, thus allowing the thickness of the entire device to be reduced.

Abstract: The scanning unit and turntable of a disc-record player are carried on a subframe which is resiliently supported from the player frame. The subframe is locked to the frame during loading and unloading of a disc record, to simplify alignment of the turntable to the loading device. The subframe locking device includes a tilting element, preferably arranged at a side of the subframe which faces the loading opening. The tilting element pivots about an axis which is parallel to the supporting surface of the turntable, and moves a locking member toward and away from the turntable and scanning unit so as to lock and to unlock the subframe with respect to the frame.

Abstract: An optical recording and reproducing apparatus includes a movable portion carrying a movable optical system, a sliding member slidable on a guide shaft, and a rotation limiting device engaged with an auxiliary guide shaft so as to limit the rotation of the sliding member. In order to reduce the friction of the sliding member, the center of gravity of the movable portion is disposed in the vicinity of the axis of the guide shaft. Further, the construction is such that a thrust moment produced by a drive device and acting around the center of gravity of the movable portion is reduced to substantially zero.

Abstract: An optical disk with a substrate made of glass at least partially has its inner and outer peripheral surfaces polished to surface roughness of 5 .mu.m or less so as to reduce the amount of glass powder generated from these surfaces and to thereby improve the yield.

Abstract: An objective lens cleaning cartridge for an optical disc drive apparatus is comprised of a cartridge body, and a cleaning member freely protruding from and retractable into the cartridge body in unison with a loading operation of the cartridge body into the disc drive apparatus, the cleaning member being slidably in contact with an objective lens of an optical pickup device provided within the disc drive apparatus.

Abstract: A shutter opening and device includes movable components such as a lever, an actuating pin and a spring all disposed in a guide channel of a cartridge holder into which a disk cartridge is inserted. The device of this construction is low in profile and compact in size and makes it possible to reduce the overall size of a disk drive in which the device is incorporated. With the combination of a straight guide groove and an oblique guide groove formed in the cartridge holder, the actuating pin is movable along a substantially straight path. This enables the user to insert the disk cartridge into the cartridge holder smoothly with a small muscular effort.

Abstract: A disk playback device with disk changer functions and having a stacker for storing two or more disks for playback allows a new disk to be added or disks to be changed without removing the stacker. The disk playback device is also convenient for playback of single disks not to be stored in the stacker. Transport of the disks is accomplished by displacement of holders in which the disks are individually received. When a disk is in the read position, it is clamped in place and the holder is lowered to a nonobstructing position to allow the disk to be read. The number of holders exceeds the number of stored disks, whereby a vacant holder is available for conveniently reading a disk not stored in the magazine.

Abstract: A compact disc (CD) or CD-ROM disc having at least one surface region containing a field of digitally encoded, reproducible data, outside of a central region of the disc is provided with a second non-volatile read/write memory IC chip or memory device, e.g., an E.sup.2 -PROM, embedded in the central region adjacent to the data field. Input/output (I/O) terminal is also embedded in the central region and provides for communication with and access to the second nonvolatile memory IC chip device. The terminal has one surface exposed adjacent to the data field for external access by a CD or CD-ROM access player or playback apparatus. The terminal has a series contact engagement means through which access is made by complementary terminal means provided in the player whereby the movement of the disc is terminated and information may be read into or read out of the second nonvolatile memory IC chip device.

Abstract: In a disk-cassette loading mechanism having such cassette withdrawing means as to be engaged with an inserted disk cassette to automatically withdraw the inserted disk cassette into a predetermined position, the cassette withdrawing means can be disengaged from the disk cassette to easily draw out the cassette from the mechanism when the disk cassette is drawn by hand in opposition to a direction for withdrawing the disk cassette after an engaging portion of the cassette withdrawing means is engaged with an engaged portion of the inserted disk cassette.

Abstract: A pickup feeding apparatus is comprised of a first rack provided on a pickup supporting member supported so as to become movable along a guide shaft, a second rack provided slidably relative to the first rack, a drive force transmitting gear for transmitting a driving force of a driving source to the first and second racks, a spring member for spring-biasing one of the first and second racks to the other along the guide shaft of the first and second racks in such a direction that gear teeth of a gear of the drive force transmitting means which are meshed with the first and second racks are gripped. A disc player is also disclosed, in which a disc drive motor and a pickup feeding motor are provided on the same chassis and the disc drive motor is located on the chassis at the position above the pickup moving locus fed by the pickup feeding device.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating a magnetic field varying in response to an information signal, which comprises a base plate made of electrical insulating material, a magnetic core mounted on one of opposite surfaces of the base plate, the magnetic core having a central leg portion extending through a hole formed in the base plate so as to cause its end face to appear on the other of the opposite surfaces of the base plate, a coil member wound on the central leg portion of the magnetic core to be supplied with a current varying in response to the information signal, and a capacitance detecting electrode formed with a thin conductive layer mounted on the other of the opposite surfaces of the base plate to be opposite to a recording medium having a conductive layer, the capacitance detecting electrode being provided with a cutout for restraining eddy current loss caused in the capacitance detecting electrode.

Abstract: A laser lens cleaner and cleaning method for a compact-disc playing machine having a turntable-like compact-disc support, a laser-reading device with a laser lens facing the reflective playing surface of a compact disc, a motor for rotating the compact-disc support, and a control circuit for receiving instructions from a compact disc or a cleaning disc relative to rotating and stopping the compact-disc support. The cleaning disc is the same size as a compact disc for the playing machine. It has a reflective lower surface with a cleaning brush projecting out downwardly therefrom for contacting the laser lens. The cleaning disc also has digital, electrically coded data providing a portion containing instructions for the control circuit. The instructions instruct the control circuit via the laser lens what to do during rotation of the cleaning disc and to stop the cleaning disc when the laser lens has been cleaned.

Abstract: An optical disk case assembly comprises A-side and B-side case parts (10,11). Each case part has a central opening (28) and a radially extending window (29). Metal shutters (12) and (17) are mounted for sliding movement on the case parts (10,11). A slide member (13) made from a plastics material is slidably mounted on the case part (10) and held in position by shutter (12). A slide member made from a plastics material is also mounted on the case part (11) and held in position by shutter (17). The slide member on the case part (11) engages the slide member (13) so that the two slide members together with shutters (12 and 17) move together. The slide member (13) has an operating tab (72) which engages a projection in a cartridge compartment so that the shutters (12 and 17) are caused to open during insertion of the case assembly into such a compartment). The case part (10) is also provided with a locking lever (15).

Abstract: Reader apparatus for chip cards. The reader apparatus has a reader station with at least one insertion opening for a chip card and is also equipped with a bidirectional drive and a contact device for reading the chip card. Respective inward transfer and/or outward transfer conveying channels are provided adjacent the insertion opening and adjacent a further opening of the reader station lying opposite the insertion opening. Each of the conveying channels has an outer opening, and a respective, bidirectional drive that is independent of the drive of the reader station, each of the drives having conveyor belts arranged in pairs. Controllable locks are also provided inside the reader station in the region of the two openings, these locks stopping the chip card in a read/write position, the chip card being supplied from the opening lying opposite the lock stopping the card.

Abstract: A cartridge case for a disk in which an optical disk is adapted to be rotatably housed in the case provided in both lateral sides thereof with openings and at an end thereof with a guide groove, and in which a slider having a shutter for opening and closing the openings of the case with the use of opening pins, is slidably disposed in the guide groove. The guide groove has a V-shape section in order to enhance the strength of the guide walls. To smoothly reciprocate the shutter, either the shutter or the slider is provided at an end thereof with a wide inclined surface which is fit for the guide groove and inclined toward the inside thereof.

Abstract: A cartridge guiding device for a disk player which is easy to operate as an audio device for the domestic use. The cartridge guiding device includes a drawing in member provided in a mounting section of the disk player such that it is driven by a driving source to move toward the interior of the mounting section and is engaged, during such movement, with a stepped portion of a disk cartridge mounted on the mounting section to draw in the disk cartridge toward the interior of the mounting section, and a discharging member provided in the mounting section such that it is driven by the driving source to move toward the outside of the mounting section and is engaged, during such movement, with part of a disk cartridge mounted on the mounting section to discharge the disk cartridge from the mounting section.

Abstract: When a record mark portion arranged on the upstream side of a data area is reproduced, the peak value of a reproduction signal of the record mark portion is compared with a reference level. An overwrite preventing circuit is arranged so as to output an inhibiting signal for inhibiting data writing when the comparison output exceeds a predetermined level. With this preventing circuit, a data portion need not be checked in a read mode prior to a write mode.

Abstract: A magneto-optical disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus records and/or reproduces a magneto-optical disc rotatably incorporated within a disc cartridge and in which a disc hub formed of a magnetizable metal plate is attached to a central portion of the disc.

Abstract: A magazine loading type disk player comprises a magazine mount portion for removably mounting a magazine. The magazine includes a housing and a plurality of plate-like trays for carrying respective disks. The plate-like trays are capable of being projected from and retracted into the housing. The disk player further comprises a pickup and a turntable supported on a supporting member so as to be movable in a direction of the arrangement of the trays for receiving a selected one of the disks from the magazine; a positioning mechanism for positioning the supporting member which carries the pickup and turntable; and a disk moving mechanism for feeding the selected disk from the magazine to the turntable after positioning of the support member, and for retracting the selected disk. The positioning mechanism includes a pair of cross-links for movably supporting the supporting member, and a link driving mechanism for moving the cross-links.

Abstract: A linear drive apparatus for the load mechanism of an information storage disk drive system utilizes over-center pivotable link pin connections between a linear drive lever and counter-rotating drive cranks used for raising and lowering a disk spindle drive into and out of engagement with the storage disk. The over-center pivoting link pins provide an idle period for the spindle lift mechanism while the same linear drive lever powers the cartridge positioning apparatus utilized for loading and unloading the disk cartridge under power from the disk drive system.