Abstract:
This invention is a mass storage system based on laser disc technology. While there are various laser discs players available, they are all aimed at serving an audio/visual entertainment purpose with no consideration given to the ability of this type of media to service the vast amount of data created in the information age. This invention will help users manage a vast laser disc collection, secure all information through backup, and make volumetric data truly portable.

Description:
REFERENCES CITED  
       [0001]     U.S. Patent Documents  
         [0002]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,631,882 May 1997 Mascenik  
         [0003]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,672 May 1998 Yankowski  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,940 November 2000 Yankowski 
     
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The objective of this invention is to create an affordable mass storage system based on laser disc technology. This invention will cover both online and off-line mass storage features.  
         [0006]     Another objective of this invention is to allow the magazine, which houses a vast amount of laser discs, to be used intact inside the data retrieving console and to be stored intact in the off-line docking structure. This invention will also provide the option and ability for the magazines to be stacked up without the docking structure, at user&#39;s discretion, for limited quantities.  
         [0007]     An additional objective of this invention is to allow each magazine to establish its own onboard or add-on fast access discs&#39; database, hereafter referred to as a magazine database, which contains enough information for the user to identify a specific disc in the shortest possible time. This design characteristic provides much needed convenience to the user because accessing each individual laser disc is too time-consuming. This feature will also remove the need for sorting through the entire magazine of laser discs each time after loading the magazine, which can take an extremely long time.  
         [0008]     Another objective is to have the magazine database fused with the magazine structure. This will allow the magazine to be portable. Users can transport the magazine to other places, to connect with other data retrieval equipment of compatible design, and allow that equipment to network with any other computer without the need to rebuild the database.  
         [0009]     A further objective of this invention is to build an automatic search and sorting program inside the data retrieval equipment. This program will automatically search through the entire magazine of laser discs and establish such a database as mentioned above by the push of a button at the user&#39;s discretion. A portion of this database will be derived from the table of content (TOC) of each disc and structured in a predetermined fashion. The user will be able to modify and add other portions such as keywords and descriptions to this database to facilitate search and sorting in the future.  
         [0010]     The final objective of this invention is to create an off-line docking structure which not only provides physical space for one or more magazines to dock, but also provides an electromechanical infrastructure to support active management. This docking structure shall be furnished with various electronic interface ports. For the simplest application, the ports shall at least help the user manage the magazines and the discs by giving easy access to the database onboard all magazines. For more advanced setup, the infrastructure will network with a robotic transport system to allow automatic sorting and retrieval of the desired magazine.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0011]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0012]     This invention relates generally to the field of mass data storage equipment. In particular, it relates to the equipment that organizes and manages considerable amount of laser disc as mass data storage media. This invention introduces pseudo online performance to the vast compact disc storage, which is conventionally considered as an off-line device. Additional electronic components can be added to handle files in audio/video format in real time. This will expand its scope from a pure data storage device to a data presenter of the content in audio and/or visual format.  
         [0013]     2. Background of the Invention  
         [0014]     It is the norm of our modern society to produce, transmit, and then file massive amount of information in an instance. Currently there are three types of preferred and financially viable mass storage devices: magnetic tape drive and its tape media, hard disc drive (“HDD”) and compact laser disc drive with its companion media, laser disc (“LD”). Here, LD is used to cover both types of laser disc, CD and DVD.  
         [0015]     The magnetic tape technology is the remnant of the early main-frame era. It is on its way to be replaced. The HDD is perceived as a non-permanent storage media due to its re-writable physical property and the price structure, while the LD is believed to be much cheaper and much longer lasting. The LD was the preferred media form for content transaction in the last decade, and still is, despite the steady proliferation of Internet access. Therefore most offices and households have accumulated considerable amount of LDs with valuable content. The content covers all categories such as computer program, game, music, movie, audio book, etc. It becomes an issue to physically store and manage these valuable LDs.  
         [0016]     With the proliferation of Internet come virus attacks. The frequency and ferocity of these attacks have steadily risen. The typical response includes adding virus scanning software protection and creating frequent backup files. For instance, the PC operating system Windows XP by Microsoft provides such backup function, which will restore the system to a known state after a non-recoverable crash, shall it be caused by a virus attack or otherwise. However the effectiveness of this function diminishes if the backup file is stored on a HDD, which, with its re-writable property, is often a target itself. On the other hand, a one-time programmable LD will no doubt be able to resist this type of virus attack or system crash. If the LD is employed for this purpose, one can expect a large number of LDs with periodic, say daily, backup files being produced and accumulated over time. An effective method of managing this accumulation is highly desirable.  
         [0017]     In the meantime, there are both single and multiple LD devices available commercially. There are several types of the single LD device. The ones for PC are designed to be one of its I/O peripheral equipment. The majority of them are sold for loading the content of a LD onto the PC, while a certain number will allow the PC to download the content onto the LD for permanent record. Others are audio and visual presenting devices. Their function is to decode the content on the LD and present the result on a human audio and visual interface such as speaker and display panel. How to store and manage the LDs is the least of its design goals.  
         [0018]     There are clearly two classes of multiple LD drives. The one with small capacity usually holds no more than a dozen LDs. It is usually found as car CD changer and CD-ROM for PC. It was designed for short-term convenience with little concern over the customer&#39;s entire LD collection. The other class holds from dozens CDs up to 300 CDs in its internal carrier cartridge. As of today, they are found in the form of music players sold by commercial concerns under brand names such as Sony and Panasonic. In the future, one can expect to find video players based on DVD technology marketed most likely by the same business concerns. The application limit (as audio and video player) placed on this class is probably due to the nature of the manufacturers&#39; business model.  
         [0019]     The large capacity multiple LD devices, with the ability to hold many LDs, were designed with organizing audio and video entertainment LDs in mind. However its primary function is still a music or video player, LD management and storage is just the byproduct. Therefore the large capacity LD carrier cartridge was designed to be permanently attached to the player during normal operation. It will only be detached for repair. In other words, these cartridges can only be labeled as “internal”. They were not designed to be easily taken out of the player. Nor were they designed to be stacked up easily in some designated storage space outside the player body. So in general terms the current devices are geared neither for LD storage nor for its management.  
         [0020]     The initial access time of LD is notoriously slow. The time needed to sort through a large collection the LDs was beyond normal human patience. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,940, certain effort had been made to improve this performance for Sony products mentioned above. The solution is to pre-sort the entire internal cartridge and store the information on a remote PC via certain networking means. During playtime, the user can use the PC to control the play process based on the resident pre-sorted information database on the PC. However, once the player is moved outside the networking range from the PC, all controls are lost. Therefore this practice will inevitably marry the LD player to this specific PC permanently.  
         [0021]     To accommodate the need to add, remove or replace LDs, mechanisms are employed. A common one is to build a sliding door on the front panel. This door will part, under the user&#39;s command, to present an opening. The desired slot of the internal cartridge will be positioned facing the opening for easy access. The user can load into or unload from the slot one LD at a time. This approach works fine when the user possesses only a relatively small cache of LDs. Whenever the collection of LDs outnumbers the number of slots in the internal cartridge, then the user has got headache at hand. At the best, the user has to resort to a tedious process. First, the user must store the excess LDs the old fashion way—most likely leaving them in random and un-traceable piles. Second, when any LD is needed from the piles, the user needs to find the particular LD, and then decides which LD must be removed from the cartridge and searches for it. Third, after accomplishing all these, the user has to go through the physical process of putting the LD into the slot by replacing, if any, the original one. Fourth, it is time for the user to manually update the database on PC, if it exists. In any case, this is certainly beyond the idea of proper LD management.  
         [0022]     Facing this background environment, this invention targets to provide a new innovative family of systems that will eliminate the shortcomings altogether. First a removable and stackable magazine will be introduced to replace the immobile internal cartridge. Second, each magazine will be equipped with means to access onboard or add-on IC based non-volatile memory which holds the database that contains the information regarding each LD in the magazine. Third, a loading and unloading mechanism will be employed to allow the whole magazine being installed or removed in a very timely fashion. Fourth, a software package will facilitate automatic search, categorizing and recording of LD identifying information into the magazine database on that fast access non-volatile memory. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0023]      FIG. 1  displays one possible design of the internal structure of the operation console of this invention. It shows magazine  110  and laser disc loader  140  sitting on the platform  190  while electronic control module  170  is located in the back of the console.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  displays a block diagram of the essential electrical connections of the operation console.  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  displays one of the preferred embodiments of storage rack unit  300  for safe and secure off-line storage of disc magazine  110 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  displays a block diagram of the electrical connection for storage rack unit  300 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  displays a block diagram of the normal sorting procedure for the entire content of disc magazine  110  under user command.  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  displays a block diagram of the automatic updating procedure immediately after a disc magazine  110  is loaded.  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  displays the flag setting mechanism for automatic update procedure.  
         [0030]      FIG. 8  displays the accessory of a cover/carrying case  210  for magazine  110 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 9  displays another of the preferred embodiments with its vertical disc magazine  510  and corresponding disc loader  540  complemented with its electronic control module  570 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 10  displays yet another of the preferred embodiments with its carrousel disc magazine  710  and fixed disc loader  740  complemented with its electronic control module  770 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 11  displays the accessory of a cover/carrying case  810  for the magazine  710 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0034]     This invention described below may be realized in various embodiments. Since there is no way to cover them all, the present disclosure is to provide examples of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments displayed and described. In the description below, reference numerals are used to add clarity to the description.  
         [0035]     Based on laser disc technology, this invention is a low-cost mass data storage and retrieval system that is secure and easy to use. (The word “data” as it is used here takes a broad definition as to indicate any information, literal, audio, visual, or other, that can be represented in digital format.) This system is comprised of an operation console and an optional off-line storage structure.  
         [0036]     The major function of the operation console is to load data onto or retrieve data from the storage media—laser discs. The operation console consists of three functional modules: (a) a disc magazine, (b) a laser disc loader and its positioning mechanism, and (c) an electronic control module. The panels on the console enclosure support all peripheral functions.  
         [0037]     The major function of the off-line storage structure is to provide safe and secure space to store the magazine of storage media while it is not in use. The off-line storage structure consists of a rack design with at least one docking bay. Each docking bay is designed to park at least one disc magazine. A back panel with appropriate electronics will support active disc management. There are many ways to implement this invention, depending on how the laser discs are arranged in the magazine.  
         [0038]      FIG. 1  displays one of the preferred embodiments of the internal modules of the operation console with a disc magazine  110  of horizontal stacking design as its determining feature. This magazine is matched with a specific design of the disc loader assembly  140 , which includes the laser disc loader  145  and its positioning mechanism  147 . Both the magazine  110  and the loader assembly  140  are situated on the sliding platform  190 . The electronic control module  170  is connected to the laser disc loader assembly  140  by the flexible cable  175  via the platform  190 .  
         [0039]     The magazine  110  has three laser disc compartments,  111 ,  112  and  113 , situated side by side with multiple discs stacking up in the horizontal position inside each compartment. This magazine  110  is removable therefore requires a special interface design to mate with the platform  190  precisely. (For any fixed magazine, a set of simple fasteners, such as screws or rivets, will be enough to serve the purpose.) In order to guarantee that the magazine  110  will mate with the laser disc loader assembly  140  precisely each time after it is dropped in, a set of mechanical stops must be employed. This set of mechanical stops usually adopts the forms of a properly sized recess on the surface of the platform  190  or a set of risers that are positioned strategically around the peripheral of the contact area. Regardless of the type of the stoppers used, they must be keyed to prevent the magazine being oriented in the wrong direction. In addition to being precisely positioned, the magazine  110  needs to be securely seated. Thus a set of latches are placed around the peripheral such that after the magazine  110  is dropped in into the proper location on the platform  190 , the latches are engaged. This engagement may be triggered automatically by the drop-in action, or manually by the user, or electrically by the user through the action of a prime mover such as an electrical motor or a solenoid. To disengage, the design can accommodate either a manual action mechanism, or an electrical action mechanism, or both. Since the designs of the stoppers and the latches are well established, the details are omitted from this description.  
         [0040]     The major obstacle to make portable disc magazine user friendly is the difficulty to sort out the discs in the magazine. The necessary physical construction of the laser disc loader stretches the disc access time to tens of seconds even in a single disc device. When a magazine carries dozens of discs, this sorting process will extend to an inhibitive range in the order of tens of minutes. To minimize the time need to sort out the content of the whole magazine, this device employs a fast access type of memory. This memory device must be able to retain its content while the power is off. There are two types of field programmable non-volatile memory (NVM) ICs available, namely flash memory and EEPROM, to meet the requirement. Either of them can be used in this device.  
         [0041]     To make the magazine truly portable, a reference database will reside on the NVM. The database will contain enough information about each disc to distinguish the discs. Whenever the user feels a full scale update of the magazine database is warranted, he or she can initiated the process by pressing just one button and the resident program in the console will complete the task. Since it will take quite some time to complete, the user may want to wait to run the process overnight. For a minor update on a few replacement discs, the console will initiate the process automatically while detecting the user set flags every time a magazine is loaded into the console. The user is able to edit the database to modify information to assist future sorting.  
         [0042]     There are two methods in which the electronic controller  170  can physically access the NVM. The first method is through wired connection. A connector is built-in onboard the magazine  110 . A mating connector is installed onto the platform  190 . When the magazine  110  is loaded on the platform  190 , the latches will provide pressure to guarantee that the mating connectors are in close contact. The second method relies on RFID technology to provide wireless communication. The circuitry onboard the magazine  110  will harvest RF energy inductively to support NVM activity during communication.  
         [0043]     In addition to built-in NVM, it is possible to employ add-on NVM. The add-on NVM can take the form of either standard off-the-shelf memory card such as MMC, SD, etc. or proprietary expansion memory. This will allow the user to choose the right sized memory to suit his or her specific requirement. It is also flexible. When the existing memory is approaching saturation, the user can replace it with a larger NVM.  
         [0044]     The main function of the disc loader assembly  140  is to read data from or write data to the laser discs residing in the magazine  110 . To be able to read/write a specific disc, the laser disc loader  145  must be positioned precisely at a specific location such that the disc selected can be accessed. Therefore the disc loader assembly  140  is fixed on the platform  190  precisely and constructed with a sturdy outer frame to provide the rigidity and positioning reference. The positioning mechanism is constructed with passive components such as guide rails, slides, precision screws, etc. and driven by prime movers. The processing software in the control module  170  will determine the control method. Servo amplifiers, servomotors, speed and position sensors are used for the closed-loop control. And stepping motors and drives are for the open-loop control. Those are common devices seen in both the machine tools industry and the semiconductor foundries.  
         [0045]     It is worth mentioning that more than one disc loader  145  can be installed inside the disc loader assembly  140 . Although adding extra disc loaders will make the control function more complicated both mechanically and electronically, the added data handling ability may be useful.  
         [0046]     The platform  190  is a flat plate with latches, stoppers, connectors and mounting holes strategically located on the top surface. The mounting holes are designed to attach the disc loader assembly  140  to the platform  190  permanently. The stoppers let the magazine  110  to drop in precisely and easily. The latches hold the magazine  110  down during normal operation. The connectors put fast access memory of the magazine online with the electronic controller  170 . The platform  190  is also equipped with two splitting sliding rails  191 . Although  FIG. 1  shows these rails  191  are mounted with one side onto the bottom of the platform  190  and the other on the bottom panel of the enclosure, they can also be mounted with one side onto the sides or even onto the top of the platform  190  and the other on the side panels of the enclosure. These rails  191  will help the platform  190  to slide off outside the enclosure through the drop-down front panel. The platform  190  will stop at a pre-determined position so the magazine  110  can be easily replaced.  
         [0047]     The last module is the electronic control module  170  located at the rear of the enclosure. This is the nerve center of the console. Various electronic components as well as output connectors are located on this PCB. The flexible cable  175  connects it with the disc loader assembly  140  and front panel (not shown) via the platform  190 . In this manner, the control module  170  will be able to establish full communication and control over the disc loader assembly  140 , get full access of the fast access memory (NVM) on the magazine  110 , and take commands from the user via the front panel. A set of connectors  176  is soldered onto the PCB in the rear to allow them to be accessed through the openings on the rear panel. These connectors may include both analog and digital connections. Depending on the ability of the control module  170 , the analog output may include audio/visual signals that are connected to amplified speakers and TV set. The digital connection includes any combination of network connections via RJ45, IDE expansion and USB link. Other digital interfaces, such as IEEE 1394, PCMCIA, and various memory cards (MMC/SD, memory stick, CF card, etc.), may also be included.  
         [0048]     To double the operating capacity of the console, an identically constructed magazine can be placed on the backside of the expanded platform  190 , exactly on the opposite side of the current disc magazine  110 . Modifications to other hardware and/or software may be necessary to accommodate the upgrade.  
         [0049]      FIG. 2  displays a block diagram of the essential electrical connections of the operation console. The heart of the operation console is the electronic control module  170  which centers on the CPU  171  and the optional Codec (coder/decoder)  179 . The operating system and the application software that reside in this module control the entire operation. The optional Codec  179  will extend the performance to include audio and/or visual functions to be more appealing to certain users. Codec  179  is linked to analog interface  172  which is designed to be connected to external audio/visual devices such as TV&#39;s and amplifier/speaker for output and cable TV for input. CPU  171  will be linked to network interface  173  to provide communication links such as USB or Ethernet for networking. Additional receptacles in the form of card interface  174  are also linked to CPU  171 . This will broaden the ability of CPU  171  for accessing external data.  
         [0050]     Via the flexible cable  175 , the CPU  171  will exercise control over the rest of the modules in the operation console. Most traffic will come from the loader assembly  140 . Its front end is the bus interface controller  141  which manages the communication with the CPU  171 . The complexity varies for the controller  141 , depending on the bus standard it follows. For instance, if an IDE bus is employed, the controller  141  will execute ATAPI command set. In some other cases, the controller  141  can even be transparent. The servo chipset  142  is connected to the bus controller  141  through two sets of bus. Bus  1  follows  1   2 S standard as dedicated data communication bus. Bus  2  allows the CPU  171  to dictate track location of the laser read/write head. The position controller  143  is employed to align the loader  145  with the desired disc position determined by the CPU  171 . The sensors  144  are employed only if a closed-loop design is chosen. This positioning mechanism can be looked upon as a scale-down version of machine tools control.  
         [0051]     The advantage of this invention is the inclusion of fast access memory in the form of non-volatile memory (NVM)  116  on board the disc magazine  110  permanently or semi-permanently. NVM  116  is a memory IC classified in the category of either “flash memory” or “EEPROM”. The CPU  171  will access this NVM  116  through the help of protocol controller  115 . If a built-in NVM option is chosen, then the memory IC will reside on the magazine  110  permanently and protocol controller  115  is reduced to direct wiring or RF link. If an add-on NVM option is selected, the NVM will be in the form of either standard flash card such as MMC, SD or even proprietary flash card. Then the protocol controller  115  will be part of the card circuitry aided by direct wiring or RF link.  
         [0052]     The content of the NVM  116  is taken from the TOC section of each laser disc in the magazine  110 . Since the laser disc follows the IS09660 standard and its extensions, the CPU  171  shall interpret the content of the NVM  116  accordingly.  
         [0053]     There are two ways to establish the link between the CPU  171  and the NVM  116 . One method is via a matching pair of electrical connectors on both the magazine  110  and the platform  190 . When the magazine  110  is properly seated on the platform  190 , the matching electrical connectors will make positive contact thus complete the circuitry. The other method is to use RFID technology when physical contact is not feasible. In this case the NVM  116  and its protocol controller  115  are packed with a large loop antenna to be installed onto the magazine  110 . The read/write circuit with matching antenna resides on the platform  190 . When the CPU  171  initiates a read/write process, the circuit on the platform  190  will issue the commands by emitting the signal with proper level of RF energy. The receiving antenna on the magazine  110  will harvest this energy and using it to drive both the protocol controller  115  and the NVM  116  for proper response. No matter which method is employed, it will accomplish these tasks: 1) To have a NVM  116  permanently on board the magazine  110  to be carried around with the magazine; 2) To allow the memory operate normally without carrying energy source on board the magazine  110 .  
         [0054]     Front panel  130  is designed to provide a simple interface to the user. It usually consists of simple keypad for simple command and display panel for simple status information. An infrared receiver may be added to accommodate a remote control. However since the back panel provides high speed connection such as USB and Ethernet, the serious control functions shall be accomplished via these ports.  
         [0055]      FIG. 3  displays one of the preferred embodiments of the storage rack unit  300  for safe and secure off-line storage of the disc magazine  110 . An example is a four docking bay  310  design. Racks with other numbers of the docking bay are possible as long as the material is strong enough to guarantee the structure integrity. It is preferable to dock one magazine in each bay, although multiple parking is mechanically possible with larger bay. Inside each bay, a latching device is engaged whenever a magazine is pushed in place. The push button  311  in the front is the manual release of the engagement device. When pushed, the device will pop the magazine at least one fifth of the way out for easy retrieval. An optional electrical releasing device may also be employed and controlled through the connection on the back panel. When triggered, it will function similarly to the manual release. The short stands  320  at the bottom and the shallow indents  321  on the top are designed to help stacking the structure upward, as high as the material strength can hold. Latches on the sides such as the dovetail slots  322  are designed to help secure vertical stacking. The latches on the top surface, such as the dovetail slot  330 , are designed to allow horizontal expansion.  
         [0056]      FIG. 4  displays the block diagram of the electrical connection for the storage rack unit  300 . When securely stored in place, the NVM of the magazine  110  is connected to the back panel  340  through either direct wiring or RF link. If it is designed for wired connection, there will be an electrical connector on the bay structure  310  to mate with the corresponding connector on the magazine  110 . If it is designed for wireless connection, then there will be an antenna installed on the bay structure  310  to provide enough RF power to the mating antenna on the magazine  110  to establish the communication and power link. Refer to  FIG. 2  for more detailed description. Electrical latch release mechanism, if any, for each bay may also be connected through the back panel  340  and controlled by rack top unit  350 . On the back panel  340  of the storage unit  300 , all connections are bundled into the larger scheme of a bus structure to allow each individual bay to be connected to rack top unit  350 . On this unit, there may be communication means to allow a user to plug a keypad and LCD display to it. It may also provide other connections such as USB, Ethernet or IrDA to allow the user to use a PDA or PC for a broader range of access in addition to browsing and managing the storage.  
         [0057]      FIG. 5  displays the block diagram of the normal sorting procedure for the entire content of the disc magazine  110  under user command. Since the mechanical process of loading, unloading and reading even a single laser disc takes considerable amount of time, to sort through the entire cache of the magazine  110  is a time consuming task. It may literally take up over dozens of minutes. Hence it is not practical to have this process initiated automatically. The user has to specifically request this procedure by pressing a button on the front panel, or issuing a discrete command through a networking computer or PDA. After receiving the request, the CPU  171  will first ascertain that the platform  190  and the magazine  110  are both in place then calling up the procedure as shown in  FIG. 5 . When activated, the program starts at slot number one on the magazine  110 . It commands the position controller  143  to bring the disc loader assembly  140  to the proper position then to retrieve the disc. When this is done, it commands the servo chipset  142  to spin and check the disc. If the disc is in place and readable, the CPU  171  will take the next step to read the TOC section of the disc according to ISO9660. The successfully read TOC data is then written onto the NVM  116  on board the disc magazine  110 . This process will repeat until all disc slots have been visited. And for each step that requires communicating with other subassembly, there is a time-out mechanism built in to prevent hang up due to failure to respond by that subassembly. Since the sorting is done automatically once it is activated, the user can select the least disruptive time period to let it carry out.  
         [0058]     As for the database on the NVM  116  onboard the magazine  110 , the user can access that via a networking computer running a specially designed access program. The user can modify the information in each section of the database to make it more descriptive.  
         [0059]      FIG. 6  displays the block diagram of the automatic updating procedure immediately after a disc magazine  110  is loaded. Every time when a new magazine  110  is loaded onto the platform  190 , the program starts an automatic procedure to make sure that the database on the NVM  116  onboard the magazine  110  is up to date. This procedure is part of the initialization process. Since it is done automatically every time a new magazine  110  is loaded, speed is of the essence. To accomplish this, a flag setting mechanism is employed. An example of the preferred embodiments of the flag is shown in  FIG. 7 . Every time after the user replaces, during off-line, a disc in the magazine  110 , the attached flag at that slot will be raised by the user. A sensing device on the loader will be triggered when the loader is passing through within close proximity to the flag. The CPU  171  will command the position controller  143  to position the loader at the precise location then retrieve the disc. The CPU  171  will then command the loader to read the disc of its TOC, and then update the database on the NVM  116  onboard the magazine  110  with new disc TOC information. The movement that returning the disc to its slot in the magazine  110  will lower the flag to signal that the database has been updated for this particular disc. The loader assembly then moves on to the next raised flag and repeats the procedure until all flags are serviced.  
         [0060]      FIG. 7  displays one of the preferred embodiments of the flag setting mechanism to optically or magnetically signal the replacement of a disc in the disc magazine  110 .  FIG. 7   a  takes the view looking vertically into the disc and tray. It shows the tray  120  is in the retract position. The disc resides in the circular recess  122 . In the current position, the tray  120  can only slide forward to leave the constraint of the magazine  110 . The flag  130  is a small block hinged to the magazine  110  by a pin  131 . Flag  130  has the freedom to rotate within 90 degrees range about the pin  131 . A flap  132  is implanted in the flag  130  in the radial direction aligning with the pin  131 . The flap  132  is made of sturdy but flexible material. The trigger  121  on the side of the tray  120  is designed specifically to turn the flag  130  “up” and “down” while the tray  120  moves forward and backward respectively.  
         [0061]      FIG. 7   b  is an exploded view, from a different angle, of the flag  130  in “down” position with the trigger  121 . In this case, the trigger  121  is backward to the flag  130 , which is in parallel with the wall of the magazine  110 . The flap  132  will not interfere with the tray  120  due the proper cutout  123 . With the pin  131  the flag  130  is attached to the support  118 , which is part of the structure of the magazine  110 . The forward surface of the flag  130  is coated with non-reflective material so the photo sensitive type proximity sensor attached to the disc loader  145  will not detect the flag  130 . If a Hall effect proximity sensor is used, then a magnetic stud  133 , with its axis parallel to the forward surface, is dropped into the flag  130  as shown. In this case the Hall effect sensor will not detect the flag  130  either, due to the stud position. Hence the flag  130  is “down”.  
         [0062]      FIG. 7   c  is an exploded view of the flag  130  in “up” position with the trigger  121 . In this case, the surface  134  of the flag  130  is coated with highly reflective material, so the photo sensitive type proximity sensor attached to the disc loader  145  will detect the flag  130 . If the optional magnetic stud  133  is implanted, its pole is now turned facing the forward direction. A Hall effect proximity sensor that attached to the disc loader  145  will sense the flag  130 . Thus the flag  130  is in “up” position.  
         [0063]     In the situation described by  FIG. 6 , the user needs to turn the flag  130  “up” on that particular slot after replacing the disc. The user has to act deliberately because pushing the tray  120  backward into storage position after replacing the disc will automatically set the flag  130  “down”. This is also the mechanism that turns the flag  130  “down” after the CPU  171  commands an auto update and returns the disc (and tray  120 ) back inside the magazine  110 .  
         [0064]      FIG. 8  displays one of the preferred embodiments of the cover/carrying case  210  for the disc magazine  110 . It is actually an absolute necessary accessory of the magazine  110 . The latching points  213  will allow the cover being latched to the magazine  110  securely. Thus while off-line, this is the protective cover to shield the discs from foreign object damage. The detailed description of the latches is omitted, since there are various latch designs suitable for this job and available for years. The indents  212  will even allow covered magazine  110  to stack on top of each other (to a limited height) while temporarily outside the docking bay  310 . With the handle  211 , this cover  210  will act as a carrying case during transport phase. While installing onto the platform  190 , this cover  210  is supposed to help speed up the process due to its easy handling features (comparing with bare magazine  110 ). After the installation, the cover  210  will be removed to allow free access to the discs.  
         [0065]      FIG. 9  displays another of the preferred embodiments of the internal modules of the operation console. This console is very similar to the one shown in  FIG. 1 . The minor deviation includes that the disc magazine  510  packs the discs by letting them standing on their side compared to the discs sitting horizontally in the magazine  110 . To match this change, the disc loader assembly  540  has reduced its complexity by limiting the disc loader  545  to traverse only horizontally, since elevating the disc loader  545  is no long necessary. The rest of the operation of this system is identical to the system shown in  FIG. 1 , so further discussion is omitted. It is worth mentioning that a cover similar to the cover  210  described in  FIG. 8  shall be used for the magazine  510 .  
         [0066]      FIG. 10  displays yet another of the preferred embodiments of the internal modules of the operation console. In this case a rotating carrousel disc magazine  710  has replaced the stationary magazine  110 . To match this, a fixed disc loader assembly  740  replaces the traveling loader assembly  140 . One complication rises with the rotating carrousel. It makes wired contact to the onboard NVM difficult. The obvious solution is to use RFID technology to establish the link just as mentioned in  FIG. 2 . The rest of the operation of this system is identical to the system shown in  FIG. 1 , so further discussion is omitted.  
         [0067]      FIG. 11  displays one of the preferred embodiments of the cover/carrying case  810  for the disc magazine  710 . The purpose to have this cover/carry case  810  is identical to that of cover  210 , therefore detailed description is omitted.