Disc loading mechanism

In an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing signals on an information carrier comprising a loading mechanism for loading the information carrier (21, 85), a drawer (10, 76) is provided, which is rectilinearly retractable and extensible between an opened and a closed position which carries a platform (24, 86). The drawer (10, 76) has in side walls (15, 16, 81), viewed in the inward direction, upwardly extending guiding grooves or slots (27, 82, 83) in which the platform (24, 86) is guided so as to be movable in the direction of height with respect to the drawer (10, 76) between an upper and a lower position. The platform (24, 86) is moved during a first part of the inward movement over the horizontally arranged surface (33a, 79a) of at least one positioning element (33, 79) and is held in the grooves or slots (27, 82, 83) at the level of the upper position and is then urged during a second part of the inward movement against at least one fixedly arranged upwardly directed stop (35, 101), then moves in the grooves or slots (27, 82, 83) down the stop (35, 101) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the supporting means (20, 102) for the information carrier to the lower position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing 
signals on an information carrier provided with a loading mechanism for 
loading the information carrier onto supporting means of the apparatus, 
the apparatus having a housing and a frame which occupies a fixed position 
in the housing and carries the supporting means for the information 
carrier. The loading mechanism comprises a drawer which is linearly 
insertable and extensible through a front opening in the housing between 
an extended and an inserted position and which carries a platform for 
carrying the information carrier to the supporting means, the loading 
mechanism having grooves or slots which extend obliquely with respect to 
the inward direction to move the platform between an upper and a lower 
position. During the movement to the lower position a fixedly arranged 
stop guides the platform in a downward direction with respect to the 
supporting means and the information carrier is located on the supporting 
means in the lower position of the platform. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,794 discloses a record player intended for disk-shaped 
information carriers or discs which are inserted into the loading 
mechanism on the front side of the apparatus. The drawer, whose bottom 
constitutes the platform on which the disk is disposed, is then inserted 
into a subframe, in which the grooves or slots are present. The subframe 
can perform both a horizontal and a downward movement with respect to the 
supporting means, constituted by a turntable, through the grooves or 
slots, for which purpose the subframe is provided with an actuation arm, 
located outside the housing. However, the subframe cannot be displaced 
until the preceding step of inserting the drawer has been fully 
accomplished, which results in that during loading of the disk always two 
separate operations should be carried out. Furthermore, the adjustment of 
the stop is such that the platform during the insertion should be slightly 
tilted, as a result of which during lowering onto the supporting means an 
oppositely directed tilting movement of the platform is required to be 
able to position the disk accurately on the supporting means. These 
movements should be accurately controlled in the loading mechanism and are 
liable to lead to disturbances. Moreover, these tilting movements may be 
undesirable if the supporting means are provided, for example, with a 
centering mandrel projecting above them over a certain axial height. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention has for its object to construct such an apparatus so that the 
inward movement and the outward movement of the platform with the 
information carrier can take place as a continuous movement by means of a 
simple reliably operating loading mechanism. 
The invention is characterized in that the drawer has in side walls guiding 
grooves or slots which extend upwardly in the inward direction of the 
drawer and in that the platform is movably arranged in the guiding grooves 
or slots with respect to the drawer. During a first part of the inward 
movement of the drawer the platform slides on a horizontal surface of at 
least one fixedly arranged positioning element and is held thereby at the 
level of the upper position in the guiding grooves or slots, whereupon the 
platform, sliding off the horizontal surface of the positioning element, 
abuts the stop during the second part of the inward movement and moves in 
the guiding grooves or slots down the stop in a direction substantially 
perpendicular to the supporting means to the lower position. 
Thus, after the information carrier has been provided on the platform, the 
information carrier is carried to the supporting means by merely inserting 
the drawer, which is effected during one continuous horizontal movement of 
the drawer. This movement of the drawer ensures automatically that, after 
the positioning element is passed in that the platform slides down the 
stop, the platform moves perpendicular angles to the supporting means. 
This vertical movement of the platform offers the advantage that in the 
presence of parts, such as a centering pin or a driving shaft, projecting 
upwards with respect to the supporting surface of the supporting means, 
the information carrier can be moved over these parts in accurately 
prepositioned condition. The drawer of the loading mechanism can be of 
compact construction in dimensions of width and height, which offers an 
advantage for the front of the housing which due to the comparatively 
small dimensions of the drawer offers much space for accommodating control 
members and other members of the apparatus, such as displays. When the 
loading mechanism is manufactured, for example, by injection-moulding from 
synthetic material, the additional advantage is obtained that it comprises 
only a minimum number of component parts and is particularly suitable for 
mass production. The apparatus can be in the form of a record player, such 
as a so-called compact disk player, in which event the information carrier 
is disk-shaped and the supporting means are in the form of a turntable, 
but it may also be a magnetic tape cassette apparatus, in which event an 
information carrier located in a cassette is used, the cassette then being 
placed on the platform. 
A preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention is 
characterized in that the positioning element comprises besides the 
horizontal surface also an adjoining upright abutment surface which the 
platform abuts during a first part of the outward movement of the drawer, 
the platform is moved substantially perpendicular to the supporting means 
by cooperation with the guiding grooves or slots to the upper position, 
after which the platform during a second part of the outward movement of 
the drawer slides on the horizontal surface of the positioning element. 
These measures provide the possibility that during the removal of the 
information carrier from the supporting means, the latter can move in 
vertical direction upwards and can then be extended, which movements take 
place in one continuous outward movement of the drawer. The loading 
mechanism of the apparatus according to the invention can be used 
advantageously for controlling a pressure member for urging the 
information carrier against the supporting means. In this case, the 
apparatus is characterized in that the pressure member is located on a 
pressure arm which cooperates only during the second part of the inward 
movement with further grooves or losts in the side walls of the drawer to 
perform a downward movement in these grooves or slots for causing the 
pressure member to move towards the supporting means. A further preferred 
embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention is characterized in 
that for the platform and for the pressure arm separate guiding grooves or 
slots are provided in the side walls of the drawer, adjacent the upper 
ends of the grooves or slots, for the pressure arm means are provdied on 
said side walls which, during the second part of the inward movement of 
the drawer, cooperate with projections on the pressure arm to guide them 
into the grooves or slots. This arrangement provides a separate control of 
the pressure arm, as a result of which the pressure arm can perform a 
movement relative to the platform. 
In this connection, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the 
invention is characterized in that the grooves or slots for the pressure 
arm extend rectilinearly throughout their lengths and in the guiding 
grooves or slots for the platform have parts at their lower ends which 
extend substantially parallel to the supporting means, the arrangement 
being such that when the platform cooperates with the lower end parts of 
the guiding grooves or slots during the first part of the outward movement 
and the second part of the inward movement of the drawer the pressure arm 
performs an upward movement and a downward movement respectively and the 
platform remains stationary. Thus, when the platform cooperates with the 
lower end parts of the guiding grooves or slots both during the inward 
movement and during the outward movement of the drawer there is a time 
difference between the movement of the pressure arm and the movement of 
the platform, such that during the inward movement of the drawer, when the 
information carrier has been positioned on the supporting means, the 
information carrier can be urged against the supporting means, and during 
the outward movement of the drawer the information carrier, without being 
impeded by the pressure member, can be lifted off the supporting means by 
the platform. 
Another preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention is 
characterized in that the pressure arm is guided between fixedly arranged 
guides in a direction substantially perpendicular to the supporting means. 
This results in the pressure member also being lowered at least 
substantially perpendicularly on the supporting means, which is desirable 
for a satisfactory pressure action. 
In this connection, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the 
invention is characterized in that the pressure member is urged against 
the information carrier in the lower position of the pressure arm by an 
end portion of a spring-loaded arm, which is pivotably connected to the 
frame which carries the supporting means. The spring-loaded arm provides 
the possibility of operating the pressure member purely mechanically. Due 
to the arrangement of the spring loaded arm on the frame, vibrations and 
shocks exerted on the housing cannot reach the supporting means via the 
spring-loaded arm but are damped by the feet 
provided beneath the frame. 
A further preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention 
is characterized in that two pivot pins arranged in line with each other 
are connected to the platform and receiving grooves or slots for receiving 
these pins are provided in the side walls of the drawer, which latter 
grooves or slots extend substantially parallel to the guiding grooves or 
slots of the platform and are open on the lower side so that the pins can 
move into and out of the receiving grooves or slots, while the receiving 
grooves or slots terminate on the upper side in cylindrically bent pivot 
surfaces which are engaged by the pins in an operative position if the 
drawer is at least substantially in the extended position, while in the 
operative position the platform is tiltable about these pins between a 
horizontal and a tilted position with respect to the drawer, in the 
extended position of the drawer the platform being in the tilted position 
and control means being provided which control the tilting movement of the 
platform during the beginning of the inward movement and during the end of 
the outward movement, respectively, of the drawer. Thus, the platform is 
brought into a favourable position by tilting always before the 
information carrier is arranged or removed, while this positioning is 
effected during the continuous sliding movement of the drawer. Such a 
tilted position of the platform may be advantageous, for example, if the 
information carrier is located in a cassette. The pivot pins can slide 
during the first part of the inward movement over the horizontally 
arranged surface of the positioning element and can hold the platform in 
the upper position. The receiving grooves or slots for the pivot pins are 
constructed so that they do not cause difficulties when the platform is 
guided downwards to the supporting means. In connection with the 
foregoing, a favourable embodiment is characterized in that a pair of 
forward grooves or slots of the guiding grooves or slots of the platform 
in the side walls of the drawer, viewed in the inward direction, are each 
in open communication on the upper side with a first guiding groove or 
lost of the platform, which has a form concentrically bent about the pivot 
surface and, viewed with respect to the inward direction of the drawer, is 
located before the pivot surface. Thus, a combined guiding and control 
groove or slot is obtained, which combination provides a control of the 
platform both during the tilting and during the lowering of the platform. 
A further preferred embodiment of an apparatus is characterized in that the 
drawer has an enclosure surface by which the information carrier can be 
positioned in the horizontal position during the inward and outward 
movement of the drawer with respect to the platform. By means of the 
enclosure surface, the information carrier is held in the correct position 
with respect to the platform during the sliding movement of the drawer so 
that the lowering towards the supporting means is effected from the 
desired starting position. 
A guide of simple construction for the platform and the pressure arm is 
obtained if all grooves or slots are formed in the inner sides of the two 
side walls of the drawer. A construction, in which the width of the drawer 
and hence also of the front opening can remain limited, is characterized 
in that the guiding grooves or slots for the platform are formed in the 
inner sides of the side walls of the drawer and the grooves or slots for 
the pressure arm are formed in the outer sides of the side walls of the 
drawer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
An apparatus for recording and/or reproducing signals on an information 
carrier is constituted in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 by a record 
player, which comprises a housing 1 with a front wall 2 in which are 
provided a front opening 3 and a control push-button 4. The housing 1 
accommodates two parallel elongate supports 5 and 6 on which are secured 
rails 7 and 8, respectively, along which a drawer 10 is rectilinearly 
movable in the direction of a double arrow 9. The drawer is movably 
supported on the rails 7 and 8 by means of balls 12 mounted in elongate 
carriers 11. The drawer 10 is provided near its lower side with profiles 
13 and 14 for co-operation with the carriers 11 and balls 12. Above the 
profiles 13 and 14 the drawer 10 has upright side walls 15 and 16, 
respectively. The side wall 15 comprises a part 15a which, over a certain 
length is formed as a toothed rack extending in the direction of the arrow 
9 with which a toothed pinion 17 cooperates in the inward and outward 
movements of the drawer 10. The pinion 17 may be connected to an electric 
motor (not shown) for automatically producing the inward and outward 
movements. In another embodiment, in which there is arranged between the 
drawer and the front side of the housing a tension spring (not shown) 
which is stretched during the inward movement of the drawer, the pinion 17 
forms part of a damping coupling for damping the outward movement of the 
drawer, the push-button 4 being coupled to a locking device which locks 
the drawer in the inserted position so that the outward movement of the 
drawer 10 (see FIG. 4) is performed when the push-button is depressed. If 
the drawer is moved by means of an electric motor, the push-button 4 is 
used to control the electric motor circuit for starting the inward and 
outward movement of the drawer. 
The housing 1 accommodates four rubber feet 18 which carry a frame 19 in a 
manner such that vibrations imparted to the housing are not transmitted to 
the frame 19 but are damped by the rubber feet 18. Supporting means 
constituted by a turntable 20, are journalled in the frame 19 so as to be 
rotatable about an axis 20a which extends at least substantially at right 
angles to the direction of movement of the drawer 10. The turntable 20 is 
coupled below the frame 19 to a driving motor (not shown) and has at its 
circumference a rim 20b concentric with the axis 20a for supporting a 
record disc 21. The turntable 20 also comprises a centering cone 20c, the 
lower part of which has a diameter which is approximately equal to the 
diameter of the central hole 21a of the disc 21. An optical read head 22 
is movably arranged on the frame 19 so as to be movable in a radial 
direction with respect to the axis 20a. The read head 22 operates to read 
optically information carried on a disc 21 during rotation of the disc on 
the turntable 20. During operation, the read head 22 moves in an outward 
radial direction in an elongate opening 23 provided in the frame 19. 
The drawer 10 forms part of a loading mechanism for loading a disc 21 onto 
the turntable, of which loading mechanism not only the drawer but also a 
platform 24 and a beam-like pressure arm 25 may form part. The platform 24 
is supported into the drawer by pins 26 which project from the platform 
and engage slidably in guiding grooves 27 in the inner side of the side 
walls 15 and 16 of the drawer so that the platform is movable in downward 
and upward directions relative to the drawer. The side walls may be formed 
with slots instead of the grooves 27. The main parts of the grooves or 
slots extend obliquely upwards in the inward direction of the drawer i.e. 
from the front of the drawer. Each of the side walls 15 and 16 also has 
grooves 28 and 29 in its inner side which extend approximately parallel to 
the main parts of the grooves 27 and in which pins 30 on the ends of the 
pressure arm 25 can slidably engage. It should be noted that the forward 
pins 30 on the pressure arm 25, which pins are co-operable with the 
grooves 29, are made slightly longer than the rearward pins 30, and the 
grooves 29 are made correspondingly deeper than the grooves 28, so that 
during the inward and outward movements of the drawer the forward pins 30 
will pass over the open upper ends of the grooves 28 and will not enter 
these grooves. In the position of the drawer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the 
pins 30 bear on straight-line guides 31 and 32 constituted by the upper 
edges of the side walls 15 and 16, respectively. Near the front of the 
drawer the straight-line guides 31 and 32 adjoin raised portions 29a on 
the upper edges of the side walls 15 and 16, which raised portions after a 
first part of the inward movement of the drawer has been completed, cause 
the projections on the pressure arm which are constituted by the pins 30 
to enter the grooves 28 and 29 during a second part of the inward movement 
(see FIG. 3). Thus, the pins 30 on the pressure arm 25 are kept at an 
upper level during the first part of the inward movement of the drawer by 
means of the straight-line guides 31 and 32 acting as positioning 
elements. Positioning elements are also provided for keeping the platform 
24 at an upper level during the first part of the inward movement of the 
drawer 10. These positioning elements are constituted by horizontal 
surfaces 33a at the tops of two upright supports 33 which are fixedly 
secured in the housing 1 (only one of the supports 33 is visible in FIG. 
1). On its lower side the platform 24 has two parallel bars 34 fixed 
thereto which slide on the top surfaces 33a of the supports 33 during the 
first part of the inward movement of the drawer. The bars 34 extend beyond 
the rear side of the platform 24, while the front ends of the bars 34 are 
located a short distance to the rear of the front side of the platform 24. 
Each of the supports 33 also has an upright abutment surface 33b which 
adjoins the horizontal top surface 33a and which extends substantially 
parallel to the axis of the turntable and up which the front end surface 
34a of the respective bar 34 slides during a first part of the outward 
movement of the drawer 10. 
The housing 1 further accommodates two fixedly arranged stops 35 with 
abutment surfaces 35a which also extend substantially parallel to the axis 
of the turntable 20. During the second part of the inward movement of the 
drawer, portions 24a and 24b of the rear edge of the platform 24 slide 
down the abutment surfaces 35a. The distance between the abutment surfaces 
33b and 35a is substantially equal to the distance between the front end 
surfaces 34a of the bars 34 on the platform 24 and the rear edge portions 
24a and 24b, respectively, of the platform, measured parallel to the arrow 
9, so that it is possible for the platform to move up and down without 
hindrance between the abutment surfaces 33b and 35a. 
The pressure arm 25 is guided at its ends between the limbs of two 
bifurcated guides 36 and 37 which are fixedly arranged on the supports 6 
and 5, respectively. Due to the presence of the guides 36 and 37, the 
pressure arm moves in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of 
the turntable 20 when the pins 30 slide in the grooves 28 and 29. The 
pressure arm 25 carries an annular pressure member 38, above which a cover 
39 is arranged with clearance so that the pressure member 38 has a certain 
freedom of axial movement between the arm 25 and the cover 39. In this 
embodiment, the pressure member 38 is made of magnetic material, as a 
result of which the pressure member 38, in the lower position of the 
pressure arm, exerts a force on the disc on the turntable to urge the disc 
against the discsupporting rim 20b of the turntable 20. 
In the inserted position of the drawer 10, the front opening 3 of the 
housing is covered by a substantially rectangular covering plate 40 (see 
also FIG. 4). 
The operation of the loading mechanism described above is as follows: 
In the extended position of the drawer 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a disc 21 
is placed between arcuate disc-positioning ridges 24c on the upper side of 
the platform 24. To facilitate the placing of the disc between the ridges, 
and also a centering the disc on the platform, the ridges 24c are 
preferably provided with slightly sloping inner walls. In the embodiment 
shown, four ridges 24c are provided at regular intervals around the 
disc-supporting area of the upper side of the platform. Recesses 24d are 
provided in the two side edges of the platform to enable the disc to be 
held without difficulty at its edge between a thumb and finger, when it is 
being placed on the platform 24. Consequently, the disc need not be 
gripped with the fingers on the information-carrying part of the disc so 
that no fingerprints are left on this part of the disc which is beneficial 
for the reproduction quality of the disc 21. When the disc has been placed 
on the platform 24 the drawer 10 can be retracted. In this starting 
position, the pins 26 on the platform are located in an upper position at 
the upper ends of the grooves 27 in the side walls of the drawer and the 
bars 34 on the platform bear on the horizontal top surfaces 33a of the 
supports 33. Thus, the platform is positioned at the upper level and the 
pins 26 cannot slide down the grooves 27. The pins 30 on the pressure arm 
25 bear on the straight-line guides 31 and 32 on the side walls of the 
drawer and the pressure arm is thereby retained in the upper position. Due 
to the positioning of the platform 24 at the correct level during the 
inward movement of the drawer, it is ensured that the disc 21 on the 
platform moves without hindrance over the centering cone 20c on the 
turntable 21, whilst the positioning of the pressure member 38 at the 
upper level prevents the disc from colliding with the pressure member. As 
already stated, the drawer 10 can be retracted by means of a motor through 
the pinion 17 and toothed rack 15a. The motor can be brought into 
operation in the present embodiment by pressing the push-button 4, which 
results in the motor circuit being closed. The first part of the inward 
movement of the drawer terminates at the instant at which the rear edge 
portions 24a, 24b of the platform 24 abut the abutment surfaces 35a of the 
stops 35. Due to the distance between the abutment surfaces 33b and 35a, 
at this instant the positioning of the platform at the upper level by the 
supports 33 is interrupted. Now the second part of the inward movement of 
the drawer 10 begins. As the drawer 10 continues its inward movement the 
platform 24 moves downwards due to the sliding engagement of the pins 26 
in the oblique grooves 27, the rear edge portions 24a and 24b of the 
platform sliding down the abutment surfaces 35a. Due to the direction of 
the surfaces 35a, this movement of the platform is performed in a 
direction substantially parallel to the axis of the turntable 20. The 
arrangement of the abutment surfaces 35a is such that at this stage the 
disc 21 is located coaxially with the turntable 20. Simultaneously with 
the beginning of the second part of the inward movement of the drawer the 
forward pins 30 on the pressure arm 25 abut the raised portions 29a on the 
upper edges of the side walls 15, 16 of the drawer and are deflected 
thereby so that these pins and the rearward pins 30 on the pressure arm 
enter the grooves 29 and 28, respectively, in the side walls of the 
drawer. Due to the cooperation between these grooves and the pins 30, the 
pressure arm 25 also performs a downward movement similar to that of the 
platform 24 in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the 
turntable 20, the arm 25 being guided in this movement by the bifurcated 
guides 36 and 37. The platform 24 is provided with a recess 24e (see FIG. 
1), which is open in the rearward direction so that during both the first 
part and the second part of the inward movement of the drawer the platform 
is not impeded by the turntable 20 or the read head 22. During the second 
part of the inward movement the platform 24 moves down to a lower position 
in which its upper side is below the level of the upper side of the 
turntable 20. This position is reached when the pins 26 arrive in 
substantially horizontal parts 27a of the grooves 27 at the lower ends 
thereof. Due to the downward movement of the platform 24 the disc 21 is 
lowered onto the centering cone 20c and centered thereby with respect to 
the turntable 20. FIG. 3 indicates the instant at which the disc reaches 
the centering cone 20c. FIG. 4 indicates the situation in which the 
platform 24 has arrived at the lower position, leaving the disc 21 
supported on the turntable and free from the platform 24. Due to the 
presence of the horizontal parts 27a of the grooves 27, the pins 30 on the 
pressure arm 24 can continue to slide down the grooves 28 and 29 for a 
short time after the platform 24 has reached its lower position, as a 
result of which, during the final part of the inward movement of the 
drawer 10 the pressure member 38 is brought into engagement with the disc 
21 to urge it against the turntable (see FIG. 4). At this instant the 
drawer 10 reaches the fully inserted position at which point a switch (not 
shown) switches off the driving motor and the covering plate 40 on the 
drawer closes the front opening 3 of the housing 1. At the same time the 
drive of the turntable 20 is automatically started by means of a switch 
(not shown) and the process of playing the disc 21 by means of the read 
head 22 begins. During the rotation of the disc the pressure member 38 is 
free from the pressure arm 25 and the cover 39 due to the axial clearance 
and can rotate freely with the disc. 
With a loading mechanism according to the invention the turntable and the 
read head can remain permanently inside the housing, as a result of which 
these parts are satisfactorily screened from the user. Thus, these 
comparatively sensitive parts are rendered less vulnerable to damage and 
further a good projection is obtained from the light beam emitted by the 
read head 22. Also, the process of wiring the turntable and the read head 
is facilitated. These advantages render the loading mechanism described 
particularly suitable for use in record players for playing optically 
readable discs of the "Compact Disc" type, in which the discs have to be 
loaded with great accuracy. 
To start the outward movement of the drawer 10 the push-button 4 is pressed 
so that the motor is started again and a first part of the outward 
movement of the drawer begins. During this part of the outward movement of 
the drawer the front end surfaces 34a of the bars 34 on the platform 24 
abut the abutment surfaces 33b of the supports 33. As a result, the pins 
26 on the platform initially remain in the horizontal parts 27a of the 
grooves 27 in the side walls of the drawer. As a result of this the pins 
30 on the pressure arm 25 move up the grooves 28 and 29 in advance of the 
movement of the pins 26 up the grooves 27, with the result that the 
pressure member 38 has already become disengaged from the disc 21 at the 
instant at which the platform begins to move from the lower position to 
the upper position and the disc 21 is lifted by the platform. After 
passing through the position shown in FIG. 3 the pins 26 reach the upper 
ends of the grooves 27 and the pins 30 move out of the grooves 28 and 29 
onto the straight-line guides 31 and 32 on the side walls of the drawer. 
This marks the end of the first part of the outward movement of the 
drawer. The lower sides of the bars 34 on the platform 24 not bear on the 
horizontal top surfaces 33a of the supports 33 so that the platform is 
held at the upper level again and the pins 26 cannot slide back down the 
grooves 27. The second part of the outward movement of the drawer is then 
effected in the reverse manner to the first part of the inward movement. 
At the end of the outward movement of the drawer 10 the motor is again 
switched off by a switch (not shown) and the disc 21 can be removed from 
the platform 24. Again, the disc can be gripped between a thumb and finger 
inserted into the recesses 24 in the side edges of the platform. 
In the embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, again 
constituted by a record player, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 parts which 
correspond to parts of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are designated 
by like reference numerals. An essential difference in this embodiment is 
the presence of an arm 42 which is pivotable about a shaft 41 on the frame 
19, which shaft extends horizontally at right angles to the direction of 
movement of the drawer 10. A spring 43 arranged between the arm 42 and the 
frame 19 urges the arm 42 towards the turntable 20. The pressure member, 
which in this embodiment is denoted by reference numeral 44, is not made 
of a magnetic material. Also it is not annular, as is the pressure member 
38 in the preceding embodiment, but is closed at the top and is provided 
with a central protrusion 44a. The arm 42 lies about halfway between the 
stops 35. In the position shown in FIG. 5 the arm 42 has been pivoted 
upwards by the pressure arm 25 against the force of the spring 43. When 
the drawer 10 is inserted, the arm 42 will move downwards with the 
pressure arm 25 during the second part of the inward movement of the 
drawer. In this embodiment the cover 39 is omitted so that an end portion 
of the arm 42 can press against the central protrusion 44a on the pressure 
member 38 after the arm 42 has been pivoted slightly during the downward 
movement of the pressure arm 25. In the lower position of the pressure arm 
25 the arm 42 pressure the disc 21 against the turntable 20. It is 
important that the arm 42 is arranged on the frame 19, so that when the 
disc is being played vibrations imparted to the housing 1 cannot be 
transmitted via the arm 42 to the turntable. In this embodiment also, such 
vibrations are damped by the rubber feet 18 on which the frame 19 is 
supported. In this embodiment the use of magnetic material for producing 
the force with which the pressure member presses the record disc against 
the turntable can be avoided, which may be advantageous because magnetic 
material may adversely affect the operation of the read head 22. Further, 
the possibility is thus obtained of determining the force of the pressure 
member by the choice of the spring 43. 
In the embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, again 
constituted by a record player, shown in FIG. 7, the operation is 
essentially similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Also in 
this embodiment, a housing 45 with a front wall 46, a push-button 47 and a 
front opening 48 is provided. Through the opening 48 a drawer 49 is 
movable rectilinearly between an extended position shown in FIG. 7 and an 
inserted position not shown. Fixedly arranged in the housing 45 are two 
parallel rails 51 which co-operate with profiles 53 in the lower part of 
side walls 54 and 55 of the drawer 49 via balls mounted in elongate 
carriers 52. Also in this embodiment, a frame 56 is resiliently supported 
on four rubber feet 57 in the housing 1. The frame 56 supports supporting 
means for the disc 21 constituted by a turntable 58 which has a 
construction similar to that of the turntable 20, as well as an optical 
read head 59 which is movable in a radial direction with respect to the 
turntable in an opening 60 in the frame 56. The inner sides of the side 
walls 54 and 55 are provided with guiding grooves 61 which extend in a 
similar direction to the grooves 27 in the first embodiment and similarly 
terminate at their lower ends in substantially horizontal parts 61a. Again 
slots may be provided in the side walls 54 and 55 instead of the grooves 
61. Engaging slidably in these grooves are pins 62 which project from a 
platform 63. The platform 63 is provided on its lower side with bars 64 
which, like the bars 34 in the preceding embodiment, bear in the extended 
position of the drawer 10 on positioning elements constituted by 
horizontal surfaces 65a at the tops of two upright supports 65. The bars 
64 have front end surfaces 64a which at the end of the first part of the 
inward movement of the drawer 49 pass the supports 65 so that the 
positioning action of the surfaces 65a of the supports is interrupted and 
the platform can move under the action of the grooves 61 on the pins 62 
from the upper position to a lower position in a manner similar to that in 
which the platform 24 in the preceding embodiment performs its downward 
movement. Near the front of the housing 45 there is fixedly arranged in 
the housing a stop 66, which is provided with an upright abutment surface 
66a. When the first part of the inward movement of the drawer 49 is 
completed, the rear side of an abutment member 63a which is secured to the 
lower side of the platform 63 near the front edge of the platform abuts 
the surface 66a. When the positioning action of the surfaces 65a of the 
supports 65 is interrupted, the pins 62 are forced during the continued 
inward movement of the drawer to slide down the grooves 61. This 
arrangement of one stop 66 with the abutment surface 66a also allows the 
platform 63 to have a smaller width at right angles to the direction of 
its movement since it is not, as in the first embodiment, to provide a 
stop at both sides of the frame 56. A further important reason why the 
width of the platform 63 can be reduced lies in the arrangement for 
guiding the pressure arm 67 in this embodiment. The latter is slidably 
guided at each end by means of two pins 68 which are arranged one above 
the other on the respective end of the arm and which slide in a groove 69 
which extends substantially parallel to the axis of the table 58 in an 
upright guide 70 fixedly connected to the housing. The lower pins of the 
two pairs of pins 68 are extended inwardly so that during the first part 
of the inward movement of the drawer 49 these pins bear on straight-line 
guides 71 on the upper edges of the side walls 54 and 55 of the drawer. 
Near the front of the drawer these guides 71 adjoin raised portions 72 on 
the upper edges of the side walls 54 and 55, which portions, at the 
beginning of the second part of the inward movement of the drawer, deflect 
the lower pins 68 into oblique grooves 73 which are provided in the outer 
sides of the side walls 54 and 55. Slots may be provided in the side walls 
54 and 55 instead of the grooves 73. As the lower pins 68 move down the 
grooves 73 during the second part of the inward movement of the drawer, 
the pressure arm 67 performs a downward movement in a direction 
substantially parallel to the axis of the turntable 58. When the pins 62 
on the platform 63 have passed into the horizontal parts 61a of the 
grooves 61, the pressure member 74 on the pressure arm 67 can urge the 
disc 21 against the turntable during the last part of the inward movement 
of the drawer 49. In this embodiment also the platform 63 has a recess 63d 
which enables the platform to descend without hindrance to a position in 
which its upper side is below the level of the upper side of the 
turntable. The platform 63 has disc-positioning ridges 63c which are 
similar to the ridges 24c in the first embodiment. The drawer 49 is driven 
via a pinion 49b which is fixed on a shaft 49a on one side of the drawer 
and which meshes with a toothed rack 75 fixed on the bottom of the 
housing. To move the drawer 49 in and out a motor (not shown) rotates the 
pinion 49b which rolls along the toothed rack 75. Switches are provided 
which limit the inward and outward movements of the drawer by switching 
off the motor. It is also possible in this embodiment to arrange for the 
drawer to be moved inwards manually against the resistance of a spring 
(not shown) arranged between the drawer and the housing, and to be moved 
outwards by the spring in which case the pinion 49b may be provided with a 
damping coupling. 
At the beginning of the first part of the outward movement of the drawer, 
the front end surfaces 64a of the bars 64 on the platform 63 abut surfaces 
65b on the supports 65. In this embodiment also it is important that the 
distance, measured in the direction of the arrow 50, between the abutment 
surfaces 65b and the abutment surface 66a of the stop 66 is substantially 
equal to the distance between the rear side of the abutment member 63a and 
the front end surface 64a of the bars 64. 
Due to the small width of the platform 63, which width is preferably 
smaller than the diameter of the disc 21, it is easier in this embodiment 
for the user to place a disc, held between thumb and finger, on the 
platform 63. In addition to the smaller width of the platform 63 in this 
embodiment, the construction shown has the further advantage that by 
guiding the pressure arm 67 by means of the two pins 68 in each of the 
grooves 69 it can be unsured that tilting of the pressure arm during its 
downward and upward movement cannot occur. 
It should be noted that the construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 may also be 
used advantageously in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. Due to the small 
width of the platform 63, the embodiment of FIG. 7 has a front opening 48 
of small width, as a result of which there is more space available on the 
front wall 46 of the housing 45 for control push-buttons and other control 
members of the record player. Thus, the construction shown in FIG. 7 
provides a loading mechanism which is particularly suitable for use in 
compact record players, such as record players arranged in motor cars. In 
the case of a movably arranged application of the record player, the 
platform 63 maybe provided with locking members, which lock the disc 21 on 
the platform 63 during the inward movement of the drawer and which are 
unlocked by fixedly arranged unlocking pins during the movement of the 
platform to the lower position. Thus, the advantage is obtained that 
disturbing influences, such as vibrations, cannot bring the disc out of 
the preliminarily centred position on the platform during the inward 
movement of the drawer. 
The apparatus shown in FIGS. 8-11 is constituted by a magnetic tape 
cassette apparatus comprising a loading mechanism for loading a 
tape-shaped information carrier which is located in a cassette. Where in 
this description the term "information carrier" is used in this 
connection, this term is to be understood to mean a magnetic tape cassette 
as a unit because the magnetic tape cassette is inserted and extended as a 
unit. For this purpose, the loading mechanism shown in FIG. 8 comprises a 
drawer 76, which, like the drawer 10 in the first embodiment, is 
rectilinearly displaceable in the direction of a double arrow 77, is 
guided by longitudinal guides 78a in a housing 78 and moves over fixedly 
arranged supports 79 and 80. Also the drawer 76 comprises two upright side 
walls 81 in which guiding grooves 82 and 83 are located on the inner side, 
which are comparable with the grooves 27. The drawer 76 carries a cassette 
holder 84 into which a cassette 85 can be inserted, a platform 86 
constituting a supporting surface for the cassette which is integral with 
the holder 84. The holder 84 carries pins 87 and 88 which can extend 
through the grooves 82 and 83. Further, two pivot pins 89 are arranged in 
line with each other on the holder 84, which pins engage in an operative 
position as shown in FIG. 8 pivot walls 90a which limit the upper end of 
receiving grooves 90 which extend parallel to the grooves 82 and 83. By 
means of the pins 89 and the walls 90a, the holder 84 is tiltable between 
a horizontal position with respect to the platform 86 (FIG. 9-11) and a 
tilted position (FIG. 8). In order to obtain a satisfactory guiding of 
this tilting movement about the pins 89, first and second guiding grooves 
91 and 92, respectively, are provided in the side walls 81. Each groove 91 
has an arcuate form concentric to the pivot wall 90a, being located, 
viewed in the inward direction of the drawer 76, beyond the wall 90a and 
being in open communication on the upper side with the guiding groove 83 
so that the pin 87 located in the groove 91 can move without hindrance 
from the position shown in FIG. 8 via that shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 to that 
shown in FIG. 11 in the groove 83. Every second guiding groove 92 
comprises an arcuate upper part 92a, which also engages concentrically the 
pivot wall 90a, while the part 92a, viewed in the inward direction, 
adjoins in front of the wall 90a a lower part 92b which extends parallel 
to the guiding grooves 82 and 83 and is open on the lower side in order to 
permit the unhindered passage of a pin 93 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) on the 
side wall 81 of the drawer 76, which during tilting moves towards the part 
92a. 
The holder 84 has in an upper wall 84 a recess 95 with a first abutment 
wall 95a and a second abutment wall 95b, which during tilting engage a 
fixedly arranged tilting cam 96 on the housing 78 and thus control 
together as control means the tilting movement of the holder during the 
beginning of the inward movement and the end of the outward movement, 
respectively, of the drawer 76. During tilting to the tilted position 
shown in FIG. 8, the ends of the guiding grooves 91 and 92 constitute 
limitations for the tilting movement together with an obliquely arranged 
upper wall 99a of the support 99 near the front side of the apparatus. The 
upper wall 99a in this position provides a support of the holder so that 
the pins 89 cannot move downwards with respect to the grooves 90. The 
magnetic tape cassette 85 can be readily retracted and extended, 
respectively, in the position of the holder 84 tilted through 
approximately 30.degree. with respect to the drawer 76 in the direction of 
the double arrow 97 with the drawer 76 in the extended position shown in 
FIG. 8. A cam 98 on the platform 86 can displace during insertion a slide 
(not shown) on the lower side of the cassette in backward direction, as a 
result of which driving openings of the cassette, which after the 
insertion are located above the passage opening 86a of the platform, are 
uncovered. Further, the cam 98 can constitute a limitation for the 
insertion of the cassette into the holder 84. 
At the beginning of the manually performed inward movement of the drawer 
76, the abutment wall 95a is urged against the tilting cam 96 located in 
the recess 95, which results in a tilting movement of the holder 84 about 
the pins 89 to the horizontal position shown in FIG. 9. Meanwhile, the 
pins 87 have arrived in the upper ends of the arcuate grooves 91 at the 
area at which these grooves adjoin the grooves 83, an accurate positioning 
of the pins 87 with respect to the grooves 83 then being obtained in that 
the pins 93 are moved into the lower parts 92b of the grooves 92. 
Immediately at the beginning of the inward movement, the pins 89 are moved 
over the horizontally arranged wall 79a of the supports 79. Thus, the 
supports 79 each constitute a positioning element for the platform 86 
comparable with the supports 33 in the first embodiment, which element 
holds the platform 86 with the pins 87 and 88 in the upper position with 
respect to the guiding grooves 82 and 83. 
After tilting, the cassette 85 is enclosed on the righthand side behind an 
upright wall portion 100a of an enclosure wall 100 and thus occupies an 
accurately defined position with respect to the platform 86. 
A further inward movement of the drawer 76 results in that the lefthand 
side of the platform 86 abuts against an abutment wall 101a of a fixedly 
arranged abutment stop 101 (see FIG. 10). The abutment stop is comparable 
with the abutment stop 35 in the first embodiment. At this instant, the 
pins 89 have passed the lefthand end of the horizontally arranged wall 79a 
and the first part of the inward movement of the drawer 76 passes into the 
second part. Now, during the continued inward movement of the drawer, the 
platform is lowered in that the pins 87 and 88 slide in downward direction 
through the grooves 83 and 82, respectively, due to the vertical 
arrangement of the abutment wall 101a in a direction at right angles to 
the upper surface 102 of supporting means determined by the upper walls of 
fixedly arranged supports 103. Near the end of the inward movement due to 
the fact that the supports 103 move through openings in the platform 86, 
the cassette 85 is accurately centered on the supports 103 (FIG. 11) and 
is disengaged from the platform 86 and from the enclosure wall 100. Thus, 
in this position the platform is located beneath the upper surface 102. 
The lowering of the platform can also be utilized to pivot a front flap 
85a of the cassette 85 by means of a fixedly arranged abutment stop into 
the opened position (FIG. 11). During lowering, the pins 89 and 93 leave 
the grooves 90 and 92, respectively. During lowering, the passage openings 
86a are moved over driving shafts 104 of the apparatus, as a result of 
which the driving shafts are coupled to winding cores of the cassette. 
Like the grooves 27, the grooves 82 and 83 also have near the lower sides 
horizontal parts 82a and 83a, respectively, which extend over a short 
distance and into which the pins 88 and 87, respectively, move at the end 
of the inward movement. 
The operation of recording and/or reproducing the signals on the magnetic 
tape can start after the magnetic tape has been pulled out of the cassette 
over a certain length and has been wound around a rotating head drum with 
magnetic heads. The process of unloading the magnetic tape cassette is 
effected in reverse order. In this case, the drawer is extended and the 
pins 89 slide along an abutment wall 79b, which adjoins the wall 79a and 
which is comparable with the wall 33b in the first embodiment. Ultimately, 
after the position shown in FIG. 9 has been reached, the abutment wall 95b 
abuts against the tilting cam 96 and the holder is tilted again to the 
position shown in FIG. 9, as a result of which the cassette 85 can be 
readily removed. 
It should be noted that alternatively also in this embodiment the drawer 76 
may be actuated by an electric motor. The embodiment of the loading 
mechanism shown in FIGS. 8-11 can be advantageously composed by 
injection-moulding of only three parts of synthetic material. Also this 
embodiment has the advantage of loading or unloading by merely displacing 
the drawer 76 in one continuous movement, whilst further a favourable 
tilted position of the platform is obtained in the extended position of 
the drawer. 
Due to the fact that the information carrier is inserted in the horizontal 
position through a front opening in the housing, an apparatus according to 
one of the preceding embodiments is particularly suitable for use in a 
stacked assembly of audio and/or video equipment or in a space which is 
very limited in the vertical direction, for example, between two 
book-shelves.