Abstract: An optical disk drive is loaded with a disk set in a chuck position upon entry through an insertion slot by automatic loading. A lifting frame is movable between high and low positions in an opening of a base panel. A disk driving unit is disposed on the lifting frame for chucking and rotating the disk. A leading segment is connected with the lifting frame, and raises a distal end of a periphery of the disk from the insertion slot by forming a slope. The leading segment extends in the insertion direction of the disk, and has an end positioned beside the disk driving unit. The end of the leading segment is kept higher than an upper surface of the lifting frame when the lifting frame is in the low position.

Abstract: A disc drive such as an optical disc drive for securely holding discs of various sizes and shapes even in the vertical position. The disc drive includes a tray for holding a disc with a spindle motor installed thereon for rotating a turntable of the spindle motor. The disc is secured to the turntable for being rotated by the spindle motor. A fixing unit disposed by the turntable securely holds the disc to the turntable at locations of a perimeter of a clamping hole of the disc.

Abstract: A disc-positioning mechanism of a car-mounted disc player includes drive chassis having at least a turntable and a pickup; a clamper-supporting member movable so as to come close to or detach away from the drive chassis; a clamper rotatably supported on the clamper-supporting member and being able to clamp a disc between the clamper and the turntable; and at least one positioning member abutting against the outer periphery of a disc inserted from a slot of the disc player so as to position the disc with respect to the turntable. The positioning member includes an abutment abutting against the outer periphery of the disc and a regulatory portion extending farther toward the slot than the abutment and is supported on either one component of the drive chassis and the clamper-supporting member, and the regulatory portion abuts against the other component.

Abstract: A means for receiving an optical disc to be transported to an optical drive is oriented off-axis to maintain an optical disc within such receiving means during loading/unloading of the disc to/from an optical drive. In a preferred embodiment, the optical drive comprises a receptacle operable to transport a disc to/from the optical drive, and such receptacle comprises a cavity that receives the disc. In a preferred embodiment, such cavity is oriented at an acute angle ? from the vertical axis. In a more preferred embodiment, such angle ? has a value selected from approximately 5 degrees to approximately 45 degrees from the vertical axis. In a most preferred embodiment, angle ? is has a value selected from approximately 5 degrees to approximately 15 degrees from the vertical axis. Angle ? is sufficient to maintain the disc within the receptacle. In a preferred embodiment, the optical drive itself is oriented at angle ? from the vertical axis.

Abstract: When an action for turning off the power of a host computer is performed, the host computer transmits control information to a disk drive to the effect that chucking should be canceled. Accordingly, the disk drive cancels chucking of a disk and transmits information to the host computer to the effect that cancel has been completed. Receiving the information to the effect that chucking has been canceled, the host computer terminates a disk drive application, confirms that all of the started applications are completed, and then terminates OS (Operating System).

Abstract: An optical disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus (100) includes a first case (110), a base (130), and a main body (140). The first case includes a supporting device (116) with a hole (118) defined therein, and a disk clamper (10). The main body is accommodated in the base, and includes a spindle motor (142) and a turntable (148). A magnetic element (149) is positioned on the turntable. The disk clamper includes a clamping body (12), a magnet (14), and a clip (16). The clamping body and the clip are respectively positioned on lower and upper sides of the supporting device, and fixed together through the hole. The magnet is sandwiched between the clamping body and the clip. In use, because of attraction of the magnet and the magnetic element, opposite sides of an optical disk (220) are respectively clamped by the clamping body and the turntable.

Abstract: An optical disk clamper holding mechanism that holds an optical disk clamper includes a surrounding unit, a flange unit, a rib that touches, when the optical disk clamper moves in the direction of the flange opening, a rim portion of an upper flange unit of the optical disk clamper, the rib protruding inwardly at a position opposite to the flange opening. Since the range of clearance in which the optical disk clamper can move in the optical disk clamper holding mechanism is restricted, the optical disk clamper always fits in the turntable normally and consequently, always clamps the optical disk normally.

Abstract: An optical disc drive includes a main body at which a spindle motor is installed. A tray installed at the main body is loadable/unloadable into/from the main body, and a disc holder is rotatable by the spindle motor when the tray is in a loaded position, and is joinable to a clamping hole of a disc so as to fix the disc.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus includes a casing having an upper plate; and a tray. The upper plate includes an arm having an attracted member fixed thereto. When the tray moves from a protruding position to a recording-and-playback position, since engagements of the arm and the tray are engaged with each other, the main body of the arm swings, and the attracted member serves as a chucking position facing a chucked portion of the disk-shaped recording medium placed on the tray. When the tray moves from the recording-and-playback position to the protruding position, since the engagement of the arm is detached from the engagement of the tray, the main body of the arm swings, and the attracted member serves as a retracting position retracting above the chucked portion of the disk-shaped recording medium.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method of operating a multi-changer of an optical disc player which restricts an initial operation of the multi-changer of the optical disc by referring to a disc chucking and tray open/close states. According to the method, it is determined whether a type of a disc, which is currently mounted in the disc mounting unit, has been determined before, if a tray open or close key is inputted. If it is determined that the type of the disc has not been determined before, the tray is opened or closed. Then, if the tray is closed, the type of the disc is determined after chucking the disc which is currently mounted in the disc mounting unit. According to the method, it is possible to stabilize a player by restricting an initiating operation of the multi-changer of the optical disc, which occurs needlessly due to a tray open/close key, when a disc is not yet chucked.

Abstract: A CD drive includes an upper cover, a disk tray, a clamp, a push piece, and a guiding rod. The upper cover includes a guiding track and the disk tray is installed below the upper cover in a slidable manner. Additionally, the clamp is installed on the upper cover in a moveable manner, while the push piece is installed on the disk tray. The guiding rod has a first end fixed on the push piece, and a second end slidably installed in the guiding track. When the disk tray slides in or slides out of the upper cover, the guiding rod will slide along the guiding track and move the push piece to push the clamp upward so as to prevent the clamp from scraping an optical disk.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk tray disposed within a casing for receiving an optical disk thereon, a clamp-holding seat disposed above the disk tray and having a clamp opening, a clamp disposed within the clamp opening in the clamp-holding seat and projecting downwardly from the bottom side thereof, a protrusion structure disposed on the clamp-holding seat, a resilient structure disposed on the clamp-holding seat opening opposite to the protrusion structure, and a spindle motor disposed below the disk tray for rotating the disk once the spindle motor is moved upward via the reading opening to a reading position, where the disk is sandwiched between the clamp and the spindle motor.

Abstract: A disc player 10 is equipped with a positioning unit 14 that has step plate 54 and positions a disc 1, a clamper unit 15 that has a clamp plate 66 and carries out a clamp operation on the disc positioned by the positioning unit, a drive unit 16 that has a pickup and a turntable 19 on a drive plate 18, and rotates the disc clamped on the turntable by the clamper unit to take information from the disc by the pickup, wherein the positioning unit and the clamper unit are provided separately from each other, and movable vertically to the drive unit.

Abstract: While a tray moves into a disk drive, a clamper and a turntable are used to clamp a disk. While the tray is moving into the disk drive without a disk thereon, the clamper and turntable hit with each other, which generates an uncomfortable noise. The apparatus for reducing the noise is an improved clamper with holes thereon. Alternatively, the clamper is replaced by a clamping part, which includes a metal plate and a plastic plate. The plastic plate has a holder, which clips tight an extension of the metal plate. Therefore, the noise, which is generated from the collision of metal plate and the turntable, is reduced.

Abstract: A disc-loading device includes a loading arm, a holding device, a guiding rail, and a guiding slot. The loading arm has a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to and movable along the guiding rail. The second end has a roller inset into the guiding slot. Due to the guiding function of the guiding rail and the guiding slot, the loading arm is able to shift along the guiding rail or rotate around its axis. The holding device for holding the disc is provided on the loading arm by means of rotatory movement with respect to the loading arm.

Abstract: A disk device for reproducing information includes a clamper that is used to clamp exchangeable disks. The disk device has a movement regulating member which is engaged with a sliding hole made on a base. A clamper base is engaged with a cam hole made on the movement regulating member to swing around a swinging axis on the base as a center. A clamper arm is supported on the clamper base to hold the clamper which clamps the disk. A positioning member is arranged on the base to abut with the clamper base when the clamper base swings. An energizing member urges the movement regulating member along a direction substantially perpendicular to the sliding direction of the movement regulating member.

Abstract: A disc clamping apparatus includes an upper clamper holder, a lower clamper holder which is combined with the upper clamper holder, a clamper which is movably installed between the upper clamper holder and the lower clamper holder and clamps a disc that is disposed on a turntable, a first magnetic member installed between the upper clamper holder and the lower clamper holder, a second magnetic member installed on the turntable to face the first magnetic member so that a magnetic force operates between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member to clamp the disc and an elastic member disposed between the upper clamper holder and the clamper so as to provide an elastic force to push the clamper against the disc. The disc clamping apparatus clamps discs having various thicknesses. Also, a clamping force of the disc clamping apparatus is changed in proportion to the thickness of the disc, and thus a proper clamping force can be applied to the disc based on the thickness of the disc.

Abstract: A clamp mechanism comprises a turntable, a plurality of chuck claws, and a driving element. The turntable is rotatably driven by a motor. A disc serving as a recording medium is placed on the turntable. The chuck claws are used to hold, that is, clamp the disc on the turntable. The driving element drives the chuck claws both in both a first direction determined to clamp the disc and a second direction determined to unclamp the disc. The driving element includes a pressing portion so that travel of the chuck claws in the first direction in cases where the chuck claws are driven in the second direction. This offers stable clamping and unclamping operations of the chuck claws to detachably hold the disc on the turntable, independently of which attitude the disc takes.

Abstract: In a disk reading/writing device, a chucking mechanism holds two types of disks having different outer diameters. The chucking area of a small-diameter disk is set to be less then the chucking area of a large-diameter disk. The disks are focused by an optical pickup placed on the side opposite the chucking surface. This configuration makes it possible to enlarge the data area of the small-diameter disk and to perform reading and writing from and onto the small-diameter disk with an enlarged data area.

Abstract: An optical disk recording and/or reproducing apparatus (100) includes a first case (110), a base (130), and a main body (140). The first case includes a supporting means (116) with a hole (118) defined therein, and a disk damper (10). The main body is accommodated in the base, and includes a spindle motor (142) and a turntable (148). A magnetic element (149) is positioned on the turntable. The disk damper includes a clamping body (12), a magnet (14), and a clip (16). The clamping body and the clip are respectively positioned on lower and upper sides of the supporting means, and fixed together through the hole. The magnet is sandwiched between the clamping body and the clip. In use, because of attraction of the magnet and the magnetic element, opposite sides of an optical disk (220) are respectively clamped by the clamping body and the turntable.

Abstract: A CD drive includes an upper cover, a disk tray, a clamp, a push piece, and a guiding rod. The upper cover includes a guiding track and the disk tray is installed below the upper cover in a slidable manner. Additionally, the clamp is installed on the upper cover in a moveable manner, while the push piece is installed on the disk tray. The guiding rod has a first end fixed on the push piece, and a second end slidably installed in the guiding track. When the disk tray slides in or slides out of the upper cover, the guiding rod will slide along the guiding track and move the push piece to push the clamp upward so as to prevent the clamp from scraping an optical disk.