Abstract:
A disc cleaner ( 10 ) for cleaning discs (D), which in some aspects can clean vertically oriented discs. The disc cleaner may include a housing ( 20 ) for supporting a disc, a drive assembly supported by the housing and engageable with the disc to rotate the disc, and means for applying cleaning agent (B) to a data recording surface of the disc (R) while the disc is supported by the housing. The disc cleaner may include housing that facilitates handling of the disc by its central hole, a drive assembly disposed within the housing, the drive assembly frictionally rotating the disc by its perimeter, and a switch ( 75 ) for actuating the drive assembly when the disc is at least partially inserted in the housing.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     The present application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/544,803, filed Feb. 13, 2004, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Optical discs such as compact discs (CD), digital video discs (DVD) and other discs for computers (e.g., CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RW, etc.) and video game systems (e.g., Xbox™, Playstation™, GameCube™, etc.) are direct access storage devices that are written and read by laser light. Optical disc storage capacity is far greater than that for magnetic media, however, optical disc readers are more sensitive to media imperfections such as scratches, surface dust, dirt, fingerprints, smudges, and the like. Such permanent and removable media imperfections may cause the laser light to reflect and/or refract, thereby corrupting the read data. Therefore, regular maintenance of optical discs is needed to ensure data readability.  
         [0003]     Optical disc cleaning, in its simplest form is performed by manually wiping the disc with a clean, soft fabric to remove surface dirt. In certain instances, prior to manually wiping the disc, a cleaning agent (e.g., alcohol, surfactant, etc.) may be manually sprayed or otherwise applied to the disc surface to facilitate removal of removable imperfections. Alternatively, a number of mechanical disc cleaners are available. These mechanical disc cleaners typically include a clamshell shaped housing with a turntable disposed therein. The disc is placed horizontally on the turntable and is rotated for cleaning. The turntable may be hand operated by a crank and gear mechanism, or may be motorized. Use of such mechanical disc cleaners is somewhat disadvantageous for a number of reasons.  
         [0004]     One disadvantage is that the top of the clamshell housing typically includes at least a portion of the crank and gear mechanism for rotating the disc. Therefore, the user must open the clamshell housing to determine if the disc is substantially clean. The user may not monitor the cleaning process. Additionally, the user may not apply a cleaning agent to the disc surface as it is being rotated. Another significant disadvantage to such mechanical turntable-style disc cleaners is that it can be difficult to insert and remove a disc from the cleaner. Often, such cleaners require that the user handle the disc about its perimeter after cleaning is completed. Handling the disc in this manner may be difficult if the user has small hands or lacks hand strength and/or flexibility. Certainly, it is easier to handle a disc about its center hole by inserting a finger therethrough, however, if the disc is installed on a turntable with a spindle, this is not possible.  
         [0005]     In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an optical disc cleaner that accepts a vertically oriented disc. Moreover, the disc cleaner should be compact, portable, easy and fun to use.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0006]     In some aspects, a disc cleaner is provided and includes a housing defining a slot, a disc being at least partially insertable into the slot and supportable by the housing in a vertical orientation, a drive assembly positioned within the housing and engageable with the disc to rotate the disc, and a switch for actuating the drive assembly when the disc is at least partially inserted into the slot.  
         [0007]     In some aspects, a disc cleaner is provided for cleaning a disc having a data reading surface that is readable by an electrical component, the disc cleaner including a housing for the supporting the disc, a drive assembly supported by the housing and engageable with the disc to rotate the disc, and means for retaining and providing a cleaning agent, wherein cleaning agent is applicable to the data reading surface of the disc while the disc is supported by the housing.  
         [0008]     In some aspects, a disc cleaner for cleaning a vertically oriented disc is provided and includes a housing that facilitates handling of the disc by its central hole, a drive assembly disposed within the housing, the drive assembly frictionally rotating the disc by its perimeter, and a switch for actuating the drive assembly when the disc is at least partially inserted in the housing. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a disc cleaner.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the disc cleaner shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the disc cleaner shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the disc cleaner shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 5A  is a front exploded view of the disc cleaner shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5B  is a rear exploded view of the disc cleaner shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
       [0015]     Before at least one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]     Referring now to the Figures and particularly  FIG. 1 , a vertical disc cleaner  10  is shown. The cleaner  10  includes a shaped housing  20 , which may be constructed of any suitable material known in the art, but preferably the housing  20  is constructed of a molded or formed plastic material. The housing  20  may be constructed of one or more pieces to facilitate manufacturing and/or assembly. As illustrated, the housing  20  includes an upper portion  20 A and a base portion  20 B. The housing  20  may include an external matte finish that provides a non-slip surface for improved gripping of the cleaner  10  during transportation.  
         [0017]     The housing  20  is substantially hollow ( FIG. 5A, 5B ), and the interior houses a number of components hereafter discussed in further detail. The upper portion  20 A includes an elongated slot  22  for accepting a portion of an optical disc D. The disc D, which is planar and toroidal in shape, has a circular perimeter, a reading surface R and a central hole. As known in the art, the housing  20  may include one or more “lead-ins” (not shown) proximate the slot  22  so that the disc D may be properly guided and aligned with the cleaner&#39;s internal components, such as the rollers and wiper pad (discussed in further detail hereafter), during insertion, thereby obviating damage to the disc D and the device  10 . In addition, the edges of the slot  22  may be chamfered, curved, or otherwise shaped to make a smooth transition into the cleaner&#39;s interior so that the disc D does not become scratched, scuffed, or otherwise damaged during insertion and removal. The upper surface of the upper portion  20 A of the housing  20  includes a depressed portion  24 , which is somewhat u-shaped. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the lowest point of the depressed portion  24  is proximate the midpoint of the slot  22 , and the depressed portion  24  substantially coincides with the central hole of the disc D.  
         [0018]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 , the upper portion  20 A includes a well  26  that is sized and shaped to accept a bottle B. The bottle B may be either integral with the well  26  or removable. Additionally, an integral bottle may be refillable and a removable bottle B may be disposable or refillable. The bottle B may be an atomizer or spray bottle for applying a cleaning agent onto the reading surface R of the disc D. The cleaning agent may be an alcohol such as isopropyl alcohol, a surfactant, or other liquid for facilitating cleaning of the disc D. The well  26  may be sized and shaped to accept a particular bottle B. Moreover, the well  26  and/or bottle B may include an anti-piracy element such that the well  26  only accepts bottles of the same size and shape as bottle B. Furthermore, the well  26  and bottle B may cooperate with each other such that the bottle B is properly oriented (i.e., to apply the cleaning agent on the reading surface R of the disc D). As shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  4  and  5 A, the bottle B is properly oriented when the illustrated arrow on the bottle&#39;s pump head points toward the disc D.  
         [0019]     Referring now to  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the internal components of the vertical disc cleaner  10  are described in detail. As shown, a cleaning chamber accepts a portion of disc D and includes a first portion  30 A and a second portion  30 B. The first and second portions  30 A,  30 B of the cleaning chamber extend downward from the slot  22  and are spaced apart by a width corresponding to the width of the slot  22 . When the portions  30 A,  30 B are affixed to each other, the bottom of the chamber is sealed, thereby inhibiting cleaning agent from entering the housing interior. As shown in  FIG. 5A , the first portion  30 A includes a number of posts or bosses that rotatably retain rollers  40  and a gear arrangement  60 . The rollers  40  and gear arrangement  60  are fixed on their respective posts or bosses when the portions  30 A,  30 B are affixed to each other.  
         [0020]     The rollers  40  are channeled having u-shaped or v-shaped channels along their perimeters. The channels of the rollers  40  define a plane for retaining a disc D. The rollers  40  are preferably made of a rubber or other elastomeric material such as silicone or neoprene for frictionally engaging the perimeter of a disc. Preferably, the rollers  40  do not slip against the disc perimeter; do not leave a residue on the disc, and do not scratch, mar, or wear on the disc. As illustrated, the cleaner  10  includes three rollers  40 , however, fewer or additional rollers  40  may be employed. The roller  40  proximate the gear arrangement  60  is hereafter referred to as the driving roller  40 A. The driving roller  40 A is coupled to the gear arrangement  60  and rotates to frictionally drive the disc D. The illustrated gear arrangement  60  includes three spur gears that couple the driving roller  40 A to a motor  50  and drive the disc D at a rate of approximately 10 RPM. Alternatively, other gear arrangements having more or fewer gears may be used and the disc D may be driven at other rates and still be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The motor  50  may be a toy-grade or other suitable motor as known in the art. One exemplary motor is a 3V motor powered by two (2) AA batteries, the motor shaft turning at approximately 3000 RPM when loaded. Alternatively, other amounts and powers of batteries can be used, such as, for example (4) AAA batteries.  
         [0021]     Opposite the driving roller  40 A is a roller  40  hereafter referred to as a switch roller  40 B. As shown in  FIG. 5B , the switch roller  40 B is affixed to the upper end of a lever arm  32 . The lever arm  32  is pivoted at a pivot point intermediate its upper and lower ends. The lower end of the lever arm  32  is normally biased outward by spring  34 . Consequently, the switch roller  40 B is biased slightly toward the driving roller  40 A. Electrical switch contacts  75  are disposed proximate the lever arm  32  and spring  34 . The switch contacts  75  may be part of a microswitch or other switch means (not shown) and are in a normally open state. When the switch contacts  75  are closed, a series circuit is completed, thereby connecting a power source to the motor  50 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the exemplary power source is a pair of AA batteries  69  within battery chamber  70 . The batteries  69  are accessible and replaceable via battery door  72  ( FIG. 5B ). Preferably, the motor  50  is powered by a direct current source, such as disposable or rechargeable batteries, however, the cleaner  10  may alternatively be powered directly by an alternating current source, or by an AC to DC adapter which is plugged into the cleaner  10  and a power outlet.  
         [0022]     With the switch roller  40 B in its normally biased position, the distance between the channels of the switch roller  40 B and the driving roller  40 A is somewhat less than the diameter of disc D. As disc D is initially inserted into slot  22 , the perimeter of the disc D contacts the switch roller  40 B and driving roller  40 A. As the disc D is inserted further (downward into the cleaning chamber), the disc D forces the switch roller  40 B outward (i.e., away from the driving roller  40 A). When the disc D is fully inserted into the cleaning chamber, the lowest portion of disc D contacts the roller  40  intermediate the switch roller  40 B and the driving roller  40 A, hereafter referred to as the stop roller  40 C. The stop roller  40 C is positioned to prevent the disc D from contacting the bottom of the cleaning chamber. As the disc D contacts the stop roller  40 C, the diameter of the disc D forces the switch roller  40 B maximally outward such that the switch contacts  75  are closed and the motor  50  is actuated. The motor  50  may run continuously until the disc D is removed, or alternatively, the cleaner  10  may include a timing circuit, whereby after the cleaner  10  runs for a predetermined period of time (e.g., forty five seconds), the motor  50  will turn off automatically. The exemplary cleaner  10  will operate many times before having to replace the batteries. Additionally, the exemplary cleaner  10  will preferably operate continuously for at least 30 minutes before substantially draining the batteries (e.g., “drained” may be defined as when the disc rotates slower than 8 RPM). In other alternative embodiments, the cleaner  10  may include an integrated circuit (IC) for controlling the motor  50 . Furthermore, the cleaner  10  may include one or more sensors in communication with the IC for detecting the condition of the inserted disc D. The one or more sensors may include a moisture sensor for detecting the level of moisture (i.e., cleaning agent) on the disc D, an optical sensor for detecting particulate matter on the disc D, or other sensors or combination of sensors known in the art. Additionally, the cleaner  10  may include an ejection means (like the spring ejection means of a toaster) for facilitating removal of an inserted disc D. Alternatively, a small reverse current can be sent to the motor  50  at an end of a cleaning cycle so that the disc D is driven backward out of the slot until the disc D disengages the switch roller  40 B.  
         [0023]     As the disc D is rotated within the cleaning chamber, a wiper arm  90  is urged against the disc read surface R ( FIGS. 5A and 5B ). The wiper arm  90  includes a soft, absorbent wiper pad  92  made of fabric, foam, or other suitable material that will not scratch, scuff, mar, or otherwise damage the disc read surface R, and is capable of absorbing liquid such as the cleaning agent. The wiper pad  92  is preferably as long as the distance from the perimeter of the disc D to its central hole such that the disc D does not catch or snag the edges of the pad  92 . One exemplary wiper pad is approximately 0.35 inches wide by 2.0 inches long. The wiper pad  92  may be permanently or removably affixed to the wiper arm  90 . Moreover, the wiper arm  90  may include a “lead in” to prevent an inserted disc D from improperly contacting the wiper pad  92  and accidentally detaching the pad  92  from the arm  90 . As shown in  FIG. 5A , the arm  90  is oriented such that the wiper pad  92  contacts the bottom portion of disc D intermediate the switch roller  40 B and stop roller  40 C.  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , a cover  80  mates with the upper portion  20 A of the housing  20 . The cover  80  may be snap-fit or otherwise releasable attached to the upper portion  20 A to provide access to the wiper arm  90  and pad  92 . The top surface of the cover  80  may include a textured or gripping portion that facilitates removal of the cover  80  from the housing  20 . As illustrated, the top surface of the exemplary cover  80  includes a number of elongated ridges. As best seen in  FIG. 5A , the cover portion  80  engages the linear portion of the cleaning chamber&#39;s second portion  30 B. The cover  80  includes a rod  94  with a spring  96  (see  FIG. 5A ) mounted thereon. The wiper arm  90  is attached to the cover  80  by way of the rod  94  and spring  96 . The spring  96  may be a torsion spring or the like for biasing the wiper pad  92  inward (i.e., toward the read surface R of an inserted disc D). If the wiper pad  92  is removably affixed to the arm  90 , the wiper arm  90  may be fixedly attached to the cover  80 . Alternatively, if the wiper pad  92  is permanently affixed to the arm  90 , the wiper arm  90  may be removably attached to the cover  80  and disposable when the pad  92  becomes worn or otherwise ineffective. In yet another alternative, the cover  80 , arm  90 , and pad  92  combination may be an integral and replaceable assembly.  
         [0025]     Although particular constructions of the invention have been shown and described, other alternative constructions will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the intended scope of the present invention.