Patent ID: 6407982
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A disc tray having an overall body formed in into a thin plate-like shape, said disc tray comprising:a disc-receiving recess having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of a recording and/or reproducing disc and a depth larger than the thickness of the disc and arranged to removably hold the disc while having gaps in a direction in parallel with the surfaces of the disc and in a direction of the thickness of the disc; a bottom opening formed along the widthwise directional center of said disc tray in a range from substantially the central portion of the bottom portion of said disc-receiving recess to an end of the bottom portion and having a shape that said end of the bottom is opened; a plurality of moveable disc retainer elements formed to project over said disc-receiving recess from outside of said disc-receiving recess in such a manner that gaps, at least permitting insertion of the disc and deeper than the thickness of the disc, are formed between the bottom portion of said disc-receiving recess and the plurality of moveable disc retainer elements, wherein each of the plurality of moveable disc retainer elements projects radially toward a center of said disc; and a disk support located on the bottom portion of the disc-receiving recess and configured to support the disc in the disc-receiving recess so that the disc is supported without contacting the moveable disc retainer elements so that the disc is free to rotate in said disc-receiving recess, wherein a pair of location reference holes to which locating pins for locating the loading position in a disc drive apparatus after said disc tray has been loaded into said disc drive apparatus are formed on the outside of said disc-receiving recess.