Optic disc writer device

An optic disc writer device is an embedded type independent system. It has a host controller, a disc writer assembly, and a printer assembly. The disc writer assembly is electrically connected to the host controller and has a robotic arm, at least one disc writer, and an optic disc deposition zone. The robotic arm is operated to move to the optic disc deposition zone for picking and/or depositing an optic disc and to move the optic disc to the disc writer by which a writing operation is performed on the disc to provide a writing-completed disc. The printer assembly is electrically connected to the host controller. The printer assembly includes a disc tray that is controlled by the host controller for extension and withdrawal for receiving the writing-completed disc therein. The printer assembly is operated to form printing of patterns on a surface of the writing-completed disc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to an optic disc writing/burning device, and more particular to an embedded arrangement of a combination of a host controller, a disc writer assembly, and a printer assembly featuring automatic disc loading/unloading and one-process operation of disc writing and printing, which is applicable to diverse models of optic disc writing/burning device or the likes.

2. Description of Related Art

A known optic disc writing/burning device is often composed of a host controller and a plurality of disc writers. The plurality of disc writers is operated in such a way that a source disc and at least one blank destination disc are manually deposited into corresponding disc writers first. Once the disc writing operation is done, another process of printing data or labeling on a surface of the writing-completed disc must be performed by positioning the writing-completed disc in a printer for carrying out the printing. Alternatively, manual sticking a separate label that carries pre-printed information or data to a surface of a writing-completed disc may be needed. Although these processes are effective in writing data to a blank destination disc and printing or sticking label to a surface of the disc, such processes of disc writing and disc surface printing are troublesome and time- and labor-consuming. Apparently, these processes are generally impractical for general consumers and do not meet the needs of the users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide an optic disc writer device, which comprises an embedded arrangement of a combination of host controller, a disc writer assembly, and a printer assembly, wherein a robotic arm is employed to pick up and deposit optic discs from and to a disc deposition zone for performance of disc writing and the printer assembly is operated to carry out printing of labeling patterns to a surface of a writing-completed disc, whereby advantages of automatic disc loading/unloading and one-process operation of disc writing and printing are realized, and overall practicability is thus enhanced.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide an optic disc writer device, which comprises a robotic arm and a disc deposition zone arranged in such a way that the robotic arm is operated to ascend/descend while rotating or to independently ascend/descend for picking up and depositing a optic disc, whereby easy operation is realized and the overall convenience is enhanced.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an optic disc writer device, which comprises a disc deposition zone that defines a plurality of disc sites that each receive and collect a plurality of optic discs set therein, or that are alternatively classified for different purposes including for example a disc-to-be-written site, a writing-completed and printing-completed disc site, and writing-failed and printing-failed disc site, so that overall practicability and convenience are enhanced.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention provides an optic disc writer device, comprising a host controller, a disc writer assembly, and a printer assembly. The disc writer assembly is electrically connected to the host controller. The disc writer assembly comprises a robotic arm, at least one disc writer, and an optic disc deposition zone. The robotic arm is operated to move to the optic disc deposition zone for picking and/or depositing an optic disc and to further convey the optic disc picked up thereby to the disc writer by which a writing operation is performed on the disc to provide a writing-completed disc. The printer assembly is electrically connected to the host controller. The printer assembly comprises a disc tray that is controlled by the host controller for extension and withdrawal for receiving the writing-completed disc to loaded therein. The printer assembly is operated to form printing of patterns on a surface of the writing-completed disc. As such, the present invention features automatic loading/unloading of discs and an integrated one-process operation of disc writing and printing, whereby overall practicability and convenience are enhanced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings and in particular toFIGS. 1-6, the present invention provides an optic disc writer device, which is constructed as an independent embedded system, comprising a host controller10, a disc writer assembly20, and a printer assembly30. The disc writer assembly20is electrically connected to the host controller10and the disc writer assembly20comprises a robotic arm21, at least one disc writer22, and an optic disc deposition zone23. The robotic arm21is operated to selectively move to the optic disc deposition zone23for picking up and depositing optic discs and conveying an optic disc picked up thereby to the disc writer22for writing of the disc. The printer assembly30is electrically connected to the host controller10and the printer assembly30comprises a disc tray31, which is controlled by the host controller10to extend/withdraw and is for receiving an optic disc of which a writing operation has been completed. The printer assembly30is operated to form printing of patterns on a surface of the writing-completed disc. As such, the present invention features automatic loading/unloading of discs and an integrated one-process operation of disc writing and printing.

The host controller10further comprises a storage device11, which is set in signal communication with the at least one disc writer22of the disc writer assembly20. The storage device11stored therein data to be written to optic discs. The storage device11of the host controller10may selectively comprise a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a read-only memory (ROM), and/or a flash memory. The optic disc deposition zone23is arranged below the robotic arm21and preferably comprises a turn table on which a plurality of disc sites24is defined for receiving and collecting optic disc thereon. With the rotation of the turn table, the robotic arm21, which is operated to selectively ascend and/or descend, may access and pick up/deposit an optic disc. Alternatively, the optic disc deposition zone23is set beside the robotic arm21, and the optic disc deposition zone23defines a plurality of disc sites24for receiving and collecting optic discs. The robotic arm21is operated to selectively ascend and/or descend in a rotatable manner for accessing and picking up/depositing optic discs. The disc writer assembly20may further comprise a compact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)25, which is set in signal communication with the disc writer22for operation of direct duplication of disc data. The plurality of disc sites24of the optic disc deposition zone23is each provided with a plurality of retention stalks241for retaining optic discs on the disc sites24. The printer assembly30may comprises an ink jet printer32, which ejects ink dots in a matrix form to form printing of patterns on a surface of an optic disc. Alternatively, the printer assembly30may comprise a LightScribe burner, which uses a laser beam to burn patterns on a surface of an optic disc. Further alternatively, the printer assembly30may adopt dye sublimation operation to form printing of patterns on a surface of an optic disc.

The above arrangement forms an optic disc writer device. As shown inFIGS. 1-6, the features of the present invention are that a combination of a host controller10, a disc writer assembly20, and a printer assembly30is provided and the disc writer assembly20comprises at least one disc writer22and an optic disc deposition zone23arranged beside a robotic arm21. The optic disc deposition zone23defines thereon a plurality of disc sites24for receiving and collecting optic discs on the disc sites24, and the plurality of disc sites24of the optic disc deposition zone23are provided with a plurality of retention stalks241, which retain the optic discs on the disc sites24, whereby the robotic arm21is operated to ascend/descent with respect to the optic disc deposition zone23to pick up an optic disc therefrom and the robotic arm21is further operated to rotate to a location beside the disc writer22to load the optic disc into the disc writer22by which a writing operation is carried out on the disc. Besides the at least one disc writer22, the disc writer assembly20may further comprise a CD-ROM25or other disc reading/writing device, such as a DVD, a DVD/CD-RW, a DVD±RW, and a CD-RW. The CD-ROM25is in signal communication with the disc writer22for direct duplication of disc data. After a writing operation of a disc has been completed with the disc writer22, the disc tray221of the disc writer22extends to allow the robotic arm21to pick up the writing-completed disc and to further transfer the disc into a disc tray31of the printer assembly30that is controlled by the host controller10for extension and withdrawal. Through the operation of the printer assembly30, patterns can be printed on a surface of the writing-completed disc. The printer assembly30may comprises an ink jet printer32or a LightScribe burner (not shown), so as to print patterns on a surface of the optic disc through a matrix of ink dots or laser beam burning. Alternatively, the printing of patterns on the surface of the optic disc can be performed in different ways (such as dye sublimation). Once the printing of the surface of the optic disc is completed, the robotic arm21picks up the writing-completed and printing-completed optic disc and deposits the disc to the optic disc deposition zone23, wherein the plurality of disc sites24defined in the optic disc deposition zone23are preferably classified for different purposes, including for example a disc-to-be-written site, a writing-completed and printing-completed disc site, and writing-failed and printing-failed disc site. In this way, identical process of disc writing and printing operation can be repeated to realize excellent result of disc writing and printing through an integrated one-process operation.

As another embodiment according to the present invention (as shown inFIG. 6), the optic disc deposition zone23is alternatively set below the robotic arm21, and the optic disc deposition zone23comprises a turn table, which defines thereon a plurality of disc sites24for receiving and collecting optic discs. The plurality of disc sites24defined in the optic disc deposition zone23are preferably classified for different purposes, including for example a disc-to-be-written site, a writing-completed and printing-completed disc site, and writing-failed and printing-failed disc site. The turn table is selectively set into rotation as controlled by the host controller10, whereby the turn table can be rotated to an angular position corresponding to a desired one of the disc sites24, whereby the robotic arm21may, through simple ascending/descending movement, pick up an optic disc from the desired disc site24. The robotic arm21is further operated to load the optic disc picked up thereby into the disc writer22, by which a writing operation is carried out on the disc. The disc writer22is in signal communication with the storage device11of the host controller10to retrieve data that are to be written to the optic disc from the storage device11. The storage device11may selectively comprise a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a read-only memory (ROM), and/or a flash memory. After a writing operation of a disc has been completed with the disc writer22, the disc tray221of the disc writer22extends to allow the robotic arm21to pick up the writing-completed disc and to further transfer the disc into a disc tray31of the printer assembly30that is controlled by the host controller10for extension and withdrawal. Through the operation of the printer assembly30, patterns can be printed on a surface of the writing-completed disc. The printer assembly30may comprises an ink jet printer32or a LightScribe burner (not shown), so as to print patterns on a surface of the optic disc through a matrix of ink dots or laser beam burning. Alternatively, the printing of patterns on the surface of the optic disc can be performed in different ways (such as dye sublimation). Once the printing of the surface of the optic disc is completed, the robotic arm21picks up the writing-completed and printing-completed optic disc and deposits the disc to the optic disc deposition zone23to have the disc set on a writing-completed and printing-completed disc site. It is apparent that the disc sites24can be arranged in different ways and forms to facilitate a desired operation of disc writing/burning.