Abstract: A disk drive according to the present invention includes: a cartridge holder; two guide walls arranged near the holder opening of the cartridge holder; a pair of opening/closing levers that have engaging portions to engage with portions of the cartridge and that turn; lever biasing springs for biasing the opening/closing levers; and an interlocking mechanism that makes the opening/closing levers rotate in synchronization with a clamp holder. The opening/closing levers turn such that when the cartridge starts to be inserted or finishes being ejected, the engaging portions get engaged with the cartridge with a narrower gap left between them than the gap between the guide walls and that when the cartridge gets loaded, the gap between the engaging portions becomes wider than the gap between the guide walls.

Abstract: A vertical autoloader design enables multiple data cartridges to be selectively loaded into a drive while minimizing the device footprint. The structure of the vertical autoloader incorporates Geneva steps into the walls of the autoloader. The Geneva steps interface with gearing on a drive carriage to move the drive vertically. The data cartridges are inserted into slots on the front of the vertical autoloader, and the data cartridges not currently loaded into the drive can be removed and replaced while the autoloader is in operation. Further, the vertical autoloader includes prevent devices in the cartridge slots to ensure the data cartridges are loaded correctly.

Abstract: The disk carrying apparatus includes a lifting portion which carries a disk onto a turntable, a chuck which holds the carried disk on the turntable, and a third switch which detects an intermediate position between a holding operation start position where the chuck starts a disk holding operation and a holding operation end position where the chuck finishes the disk holding operation. After completion of an initial disk holding operation, the chuck returns to the intermediate position detected by the third switch and retries the disk holding operation.

Abstract: An optical disk player including: a disk insertion assembly which is positioned on an upper portion of the front face of the player main body and has a disk insertion/ejection opening into which an optical disk is inserted, a disk conveying device which holds the inserted optical disk and is moved in a forward-rearward direction of the player main body so as to convey the optical disk to a disk reproducing device, a moving device which moves the disk conveying device in a vertical direction of the player main body, a disk recognition device that determines whether or not an optical disk is being held in the disk conveying device, and a controller device that controls an operation timing of the disk insertion assembly and the disk conveying device by disk recognition signals supplied from the disk recognition device.

Abstract: A recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a holder for holding an inserted recording medium, a recording and/or reproducing section for performing recording on or reproduction from the recording medium, a chassis in which the recording and/or reproducing section is provided, and a loading mechanism for moving the holder and the chassis closer to each other when the recording medium is inserted in the holder.