Patents by Inventor Sojiro Kirihara

Sojiro Kirihara has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080137492
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus has a bottom cover member provided with an opening. A peripheral part of a unit mechanism deck member serving as a support member in a functional unit mechanism or a motor base holding a spindle motor and fixed to the unit mechanism deck member is projected outside through the opening when the optical disc apparatus is set in a loaded state to space a part of the functional unit mechanism projecting in a direction opposite to a direction in which the peripheral part of the unit mechanism deck member or the motor base is projected outside from a surface of the optical disc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Sojiro Kirihara, Shinya Tsubota, Yoshiyuki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20080109836
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes a base for supporting a unit mechanism portion as well as a motor fixed plate to which a spindle motor is attached. In the optical disc apparatus, a portion of the outside of an outer diameter of the spindle motor is brought into contact with an outer edge of the base so that the portion thereof is supported by the base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Inventor: Sojiro Kirihara
  • Publication number: 20070220535
    Abstract: [Problem] The heat dissipation of a pickup is improved in an optical disc apparatus of a slot-in type. [Means of solving the Problem] A unit cover 16 on a disc-facing side of a unit mechanism 6 includes a circumferential plate 21, a lever supporting plate 22, a disc guiding plate 23, a flexible printed circuit board holding plate 24, a reinforcing plate 25, a driving part covering plate 27, ventilating openings near sub guiding shaft 28, an extended notch near sub guiding shaft 30, an outer extended notch 31, and an extended notch near main guiding shaft 32. With this configuration, plenty of air flow induced by the rotation of a disc 5 can be introduced to a pickup 9 also through the unit cover 16, greatly improving heat dissipation capability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Mitsutaka Shizuya, Shinya Tsubota, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Sojiro Kirihara
  • Publication number: 20070192777
    Abstract: Within an optical disk apparatus of slot-in type, having a traversing mechanism portion 5, which mounts a disk motor 2, a turntable 2a and an optical pickup 3, etc., thereon, being attached on a chassis 4 building up a housing of the apparatus, and also an elevating mechanism for brining an optical disk to be chucked on the turntable when loading it, there is further provided height adjusting mechanisms or members 200a and 200b are provided at two (2) positions on a supporting axis line of the traversing mechanism and the position coming off that, thereby making the traversing mechanism adjustable with respect to the chassis, when the apparatus performs recording/reproducing operation thereon. Therefore, there is provided the optical disk apparatus, generating no abnormal sound due to contact of the optical disk with a part of housing of the apparatus when it is in the position for recording/reproducing operation, in spite of thinning in the thickness of the housing of the apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventors: Sojiro Kirihara, Shinya Tsubota
  • Publication number: 20070186221
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus is configured so that a cover member covering a second base, which is displaceable relative to a first base as an apparatus base and makes up a support portion of a unit mechanism section, covers plane areas located on both sides of an optical pickup move area of the unit mechanism section of the second base plane areas, and during loading or unloading of an optical disc, supports a rotated and displaced eject arm member by a plane part covering the plane area on the side of the eject arm member, of the both plane areas. The eject arm member is made to be located outside an orthogonal projection area of the optical disc upon completion of the loading.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicant: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Sojiro Kirihara, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shinya Tsubota
  • Publication number: 20070083877
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes position restricting component for restricting the position of a unit mechanism portion in a disc plane direction when the unit mechanism portion is in a raised state. The position restricting component includes a first portion that restricts the position of a base of the unit mechanism portion when the base is at a height position for write or read of information to or from an optical disc and a second portion that cancels the position restriction on the base of the unit mechanism portion in the disc plane direction or makes the position restriction easier than in the first portion when the base is at a height position corresponding to a chucked portion of the optical disc onto the turntable. At the height position where the optical disc is chucked the position restricting component makes the turntable displaceable in the disc plane direction so that the axis of the turntable becomes nearly coincident with the center of a center hole formed in the optical disc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Inventors: Sojiro Kirihara, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shinya Tsubota
  • Publication number: 20070083876
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes, as a raising/lowering mechanism for moving a second base constituting a unit mechanism portion pivotally about a fulcrum so as to raise or lower the second base with respect to a first base as a base of the optical disc apparatus, a cam mechanism which is provided pivotably on the first base side within an orthographic projection area of the optical disc that is in a chucked state and which has a cam surface formed around and in the direction of a pivot shaft. In addition, a cam pin provided on the second base side is brought into engagement with the cam surface. When the optical disc inserted into the optical disc apparatus is chucked onto a turntable so as to be rotatable, the cam mechanism is pivoted about the pivot shaft by a cam drive section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Inventors: Sojiro Kirihara, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Shinya Tsubota
  • Publication number: 20070028254
    Abstract: An optical disc apparatus which has a lock mechanism including a hook to engage with an optical pickup's part which is to be locked. It also has a lock member which turns around a fulcrum as a sliding member slides when an optical disc is loaded or unloaded. When the sliding member is not in touch with the lock member, the hook turns in a direction to engage with the part to be locked and locks the optical pickup, and when the sliding member is in touch with it, the hook turns in a direction to disengage from the part to be locked and unlocks the optical pickup. This improves impact resistance when a disc is unloaded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Publication date: February 1, 2007
    Applicant: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideyuki Onuma, Sojiro Kirihara
  • Publication number: 20060218564
    Abstract: An optical disk apparatus, enabling to reduce noises, the wind sounds generated due to rotation of a disk, with certainty, irrespective of an increase in rotation speed of the disk, comprises a disk motor 12 for rotating the optical disk 100 loaded into an inside thereof, an optical pickup 15 for recording or reproducing information from or onto the optical disk rotated, and a tray 10 for loading the optical disk therein, wherein the tray has a flat surface 10c, being nearly circular in the shape, on which the optical disk is disposed, and a peripheral portion 10d formed surrounding a periphery thereof, and the peripheral portion is nearly equal to an upper surface of the optical disk, and further a distance from a tip portion of the optical disk to be loaded within the apparatus is equal to 1.8 mm or larger than that and equal to 4.0 mm or smaller than that, in particular, preferably it is equal to 2.0 mm or larger and equal to 2.7 mm or smaller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Applicant: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Sojiro Kirihara, Seiji Hamaie, Hideyuki Onuma
  • Publication number: 20060212885
    Abstract: In an optical disk apparatus, a cover that covers a unit mechanism is adapted to be movable about a supporting point, and when an optical disk is loaded into the apparatus, the front edge of the optical disk loaded will abut on the plane of the cover inclined in a crossing direction with respect to the plane of the optical disk, and the resulting repulsion from the plane of the cover will regulate the vertical position of the recording surface of the optical disk to ensure desired height of the recording surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Hideyuki Onuma, Seiji Hamaie, Sojiro Kirihara
  • Publication number: 20060190954
    Abstract: In an optical disk apparatus, a feed motor for moving an optical pickup in approximately the radial direction of a disk is provided on a base, such as unit mechanism mounting member, that pivotally moves about a supporting point together with the optical pickup and a disk motor, and on the base, the feed motor is disposed at an outer circumferential position of the optical disk or at a position near the supporting point, in the projection region of the optical disk in its chucked condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Hideyuki Onuma, Seiji Hamaie, Sojiro Kirihara
  • Publication number: 20060168601
    Abstract: In order to decrease the total thickness of an optical disc apparatus the optical disc apparatus is provided with a structure in which an optical disc contacts the surface of a top cover facing the optical disc so that the top end surface of a cylindrical protruding clamper inserted into the center hole of the optical disc protrudes from a through hole of the top cover and is positioned higher than the flat upper surface of the top cover in the disc flat surface area over the disc, while the optical disc is being chucked.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventors: Hideyuki Onuma, Seiji Hamaie, Sojiro Kirihara
  • Publication number: 20060117326
    Abstract: A disk drive device has a configuration in which one of stepped parts defined by a circular recess for guiding a disc, formed in a disc tray is substantially flush with the bottom surface of the circular recess even in an area beyond the outer peripheral part of a disc so that no air cavity part facing the outer peripheral side surface of the disc is induced around the disc. Thereby, it is possible to aim at lowering cavity noise caused by the air cavity during high speed rotation and fluid noise caused by turbulence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Publication date: June 1, 2006
    Applicant: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Yamauchi, Hideyuki Onuma, Kuniyuki Kimura, Sojiro Kirihara, Shinya Tsubota