MAGAZINE TYPE DISK HOLDER

Abstract: Disclosed is a disk holder adapted to be inserted and fitted into a loading means of a disk player. The disk holder supplys a disk to the disk player in response to the operation of the player. The disk holder includes a housing for holding a plura­ lity of disks, a plurality of plate-shape trays each loading each of the disks on each principal face thereof. Each of the trays is provided electable from and retractable in the housing along the principal face. The disk holder further includes flexible members positioned confronting with each of the disk loading face and projecting from the principal face of neghbouring tray.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a magazine-type disk holder for holding a plurality of disks and for being incorporated in a multidisk player body in such a manner that it can be installed and removed therefrom. Known is a Jukebox as a multi-disk player system that is capable of accommodating a plurality of disks and which enables continuous playing of music on a series of randomly selected disks. The jukebox may be regarded as a common type of multi-disk player, but the conventional jukebox is contained within a very large cabinet and is not suitable for use at home. With the recent advance in digital recording technology, several types of digital audio disks (hereinafter abbreviated as DAD) have been developed and are in extensive use. Compared with the conventional analog audio disks, DADs feature an increased information capacity and a reduced noise problem during reproduction. Small-sized DADs (o.d. of about 12 cm) are commonly referred to as compact disks which are adapted to have signals written and read thereon by a laser beam; compact disks are simple to use and enable reduction in the overall size of the disk player. Making use of these features of small-sized DADs, audio makers have recently developed a multi-disk player which is ideal as a home jukebox and which is capable of continuous playing of a plurality of (typically 5 or 6) compact disks. It is worth noting that a single compact disk can play approximately one hour, which is equivalent to about 1.5 times the information capacity of the conventional analog audio disk. This means that 6 compact disks have a capacity of about 120 pieces of music assuming that each piece continues for a period of 3 minutes on average, and as a result, the listener can make his own music library containing favorite pieces in magazines classified by genre such as jazz, chanson or classics. A multidisk player basically comprises a playback means including a turntable and a pickup, a disk holder for holding disks and for being inserted and fitted in a loading means within a player housing, and a disk-unloading/conveying mechanism for conveying a disk loaded on the disk holder to a playback position, i.e., onto the turntable. In a multidisk player newly developed, as disclosed by EP-A-0212244 (prior art within the meaning of Art. 54.3 EPC), the disk holder includes a housing and a plurality of plate-shaped trays, each being capable of holding a disk on its principal face and of being ejected from or retracted in the housing along the principal face. In other words, by simply ejecting each plate-like tray loaded with the disk from the housing, the disk is conveyed in one direction (parallel to the disk-holding face of the turntable). Accordingly, this multidisk player is simpler in construction than what is equipped with the disk-unloading/conveying mechanism for directly ejecting the disk out of the disk holder by holding the end of the disk in the disk-ejecting direction or the whole body thereof with the complicated mechanism so that the former can readily be made compact and less costly. In the disk holder thus constructed, however, it is to be appreciated that part of a tray being ejected may touch the surface of the disk loaded on the adjacent tray and the disk may be damaged when the tray loaded with the desired disk for being replayed is ejected out of the housing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve the above problems and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a disk holder free from damage when a disk is taken in and out. The disk holder according to claim 1 solves this problem. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the whole body of a multidisk player for use with a disk holder of the present invention. Figs. 2(a) through 5(b) are diagrams illustrating a magazine-type disk holder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a description will be given of a multidisk player incorporating a disk holder embodying the present invention. In the drawings, numeral 1 indicates the whole body of the multidisk player. As shown in Fig. 1, the front panel 3 of a player housing 2 is provided with a rectangular opening 3a for accommodating a magazine 5 as a disk holder within the housing. The opening 3a extends both rightward and left-ward with respect to the forward direction indicated by the arrow Y, and the left-ward direction is indicated by the arrow X. The arrow Z indicates the upward direction. The front panel 3 is also provided with a group of control buttons 6 for manipulating the multi-disk player, and with a display 7. As shown in Figs. 2(a) to 2(c), the magazine 5 is composed of a generally flat parallelepiped body 8 as a housing, and two sets of three trays A and B, in the form of a rectangular plate, each carrying a disk 10 on its major surface. A set of trays A 11, a set of trays B 12 and, hence, the disks 10 are accommodated in an orderly fashion at a given pitch in a direction perpedicular to the disk-carrying face of a turntable of the disc player, or in this case in the vertical direction (both in the direction indicated by the arrow Z and in the opposite direction). Each of the trays A 11 and trays B 12 is provided rotatably about shaft 8a that extends through the magazine body 8 at its right rear end in the vertical direction (in which the trays are stacked); each tray is capable of moving on its major surface such that it is accommodated within or projects from the magazine body 8. The construction of a magazine 5 will be described in more detail. Seven partitions 8b are vertically (in the directions of an arrow Z and opposite thereto) lined up in the magazine body 8 and trays A11, B12 are arranged with the partitions sandwiched therebetween. As shown in Fig. 3(a), each partition 8b is provided with a circular concentric small opening 8c close to the rotation-supporting shaft 8a. Figs. 4(a), (b) and Figs. 5 (a), (b) show trays A11, B12 in detail. As shown in both drawings, the trays are provided with openings 11a, 12a capable of facing the openings 8c formed in the partitions 8b, respectively. The openings 8c formed in the partition 8b are called a first opening, whereas those openings 11a, 12a formed in the trays A11, B12 are called second openings. Five balls 13a are respectively fitted into the openings 8c, 11a, 12a in such a manner that they are movable along the direction (in the directions of an arrow Z and opposite thereto) in which the partitions 8b are arranged in parallel. The diameter of each ball 13a is equal to the pitch dimension of the trays 11, 12 alternatively arranged. Moreover, the moving pieces are biased by a pair of leaf springs 13b arranged at upper and lower ends of the magazine body 8 so as to move close to each other. As shown in Fig. 2(b), a press lever 14 extending substantially in the longitudinal direction (in the direction of arrow Y and opposite thereto) is installed at the left end of the magazine body 8, and one end of the press lever 14, i.e., the front end thereof is attached to the magazine body 8 through a pin 14a so as to freely rotate. In this case, the pin 14a extends vertically (in the directions of the arrow Z and opposite thereto). The other end of the press lever 14, i.e., the rear end thereof can smoothly mate with the free ends of each of the trays 11, 12. A spring member 14b engages with the press lever 14 to bias the press lever 14 counterclockwise in Fig. 2(b) to provide it with tray-pressing force. A projection 14c is formed on the press lever 14 and the projection 14c abuts against the edge 3b of an aperture 3a in the player housing when the magazine 5 is being removed from the magazine-loading means in the player housing 2. The projection 14c so functions as to rotate the press lever 14 by abutting against the edge 3b of the aperture 3a so that the trays 11, 12 are biased toward the containment position in the magazine body 8. The press lever 14 and the spring member 14b constitute the press member for pressing the trays 11, 12 toward the containment position and the rotation-supporting shaft 8a in the magazine body 8. Moreover, the press member the openings 8c (first opening) respectively formed in the partitions of the magazine body 8, the openings 11a, 12a (second openings) respectively formed in the trays 11, 12, the balls 13a and the leaf springs 13b constitute rest means for maintaining the trays 11, 12 in the containment position of the magazine body 8. As shown in Figs. 4(a), (b) and 5(a), (b), the trays A11, B12 are identical in shape except that claws for being pulled by the finger of the user when each tray is taken out of the magazine body 8 are different in shape and position. Cuts 11c, 12c with which the press lever 14 mate and pairs of jig-inserting holes 11d, 11e and 12d, 12e are formed in the free ends of the trays 11, 12, respectively. Moreover, flexible members 11f, 12f made of synthetic leather are provided in fixed positions on the principal faces of adjoining trays, those faces being opposite to the disk-holding faces of the trays 11, 12 in such a manner as to project from the principal faces. The trays 11, 12 are provided with arcuate recesses 11h, 11i, 12h, 12i along the loci representing the movements of the flexible members 11f, 12f installed on the adjoining trays, respectively. The recesses 11h, 11i, 12h, 12i thus provided contribute to minimize the vertical dimension of six levels of the piled up trays 11, 12. In other words, the magazine 5 as a whole can be made thinner. As shown in Fig. 2(c), a mating claw 5a is provided roughly in the center of the right side of the magazine 5 and allowed to freely rotate within a fixed range through a pin 5b at one end of the magazine body 8. Another mating claw 5c is provided at the front end on the right side of the magazine 5 and allowed to freely rotate within a fixed range through a pin 5d. The free end of the mating claw 5c is externally biased by a coil spring 5e. The free ends of the mating claws 5a, 5c can mate with the edge 3e of the aperture 3a (see Figs. 1 and 2(b)). The mating claws 5a, 5c and the coil spring 5e constitute the loading check means for checking the loading of the magazine 5 in the loading means in the player housing 2 when the loaded position is improper. In other words, when the magazine 5 is loaded upside down in the loading means, the claw 5a pivots under its own weight and projects from the magazine 5, thus checking the loading of the magazine 5 as the free end thereof mates with the edge 3b of the above-described aperture 3a. When the longitudinally inverted magazine 5 is installed in the installation means, the mating claw 5c outwardly projected by the coil spring 5e mates with the edge 3b of the aperture 3a and checks the loading of the magazine 5. Since the loading check means is constituted by simple members such as the mating claws 5a, 5c and the coil spring 5e, it is made simple in construction with cost reduction readily attainable. As shown in Figs. 2(b), 3(b), a circular opening 14e is formed in the projection 14c of the press lever 14 provided in the magazine 5 and allowed to freely rotate. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3(b), an overhang 8d extending along the underside of the press lever 14 is provided for the magazine body 8 as the housing of the magazine 5 and a pillar-shaped projection 8e is formed on the overhang. A circular recess 8f is formed in the upper end of the projection 8d and a ball 8g is inserted into the recess, the ball being movable in the vertical direction (in the directions of the arrow Z and opposite thereto). The opening 14e formed in the projection 14c of the press lever 14 is able to face the recess 8f when the press lever is located in the position shown by an actual line of Fig. 2(b) and part of the ball 8g is insertable into the opening 14e. The press lever 14 and the moving ball 8g constitute the projection-regulating means for regulating the projection of the trays 11, 12 from the magazine body 8 when the magazine 5 as the disk holder is vertically inverted. In other words, when the magazine 5 is vertically inverted, the ball 8g is moved under its own weight and part thereof is inserted into the opening 14e of the press lever so as to regulate the rotation of the press lever 14 and, thus, the projection of the trays 11, 12 from the magazine body 8. Since the projection-regulating means is constituted by members simple in shape such as the press lever 14 and the ball 3(g), it can be made simple in construction with cost reduction readily attainable. Moreover, what is sold on the market other than one especially prepared is usable as the ball 8(g). As shown in Fig. 1, a chassis 16 as a support is fixed onto a bottom plate 15 fixedly installed within the housing 2. The chassis 16 consists of a flat side extending in the longitudinal direction (in the directions of the arrow Y and opposite thereto) and the transverse direction (in the directions of the arrow X and opposite thereto) and a pair of elevational sides 16(b), 16(c) contiguous to both transversal ends of the flat side and extending in the longitudinal direction and vertical direction (in the directions of the arrow Z and opposite thereto, i.e. the direction in which each tray is arranged).

Claims: A magazine-type disk holder (5) adapted to be inserted and fitted into a loading means of a disk player, and to supply a disk (10) to said disk player in response to an operation thereof so as to perform playback of said disk (10), said disk holder (5) comprising : a housing (8) for holding a plurality of disks (10); a plurality of plate shape trays (11, 12) each loading a respective one of said disks (10) on a disk loading face thereof, each of said trays (11, 12) being provided ejectable from and retractable in said housing (8) in directions parallel to said disk loading face, flexible members (11f, 12f) projecting from a principal face of each one of adjoining trays (11, 12), said principal face being opposite said disk loading face thereof and confronting the disk loading face of a neighbouring one of said trays (11, 12). A disk holder (5) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said trays (11, 12) is formed with a recess (11h, 11i, 12h, 12i) along a locus defined by the movement of said flexible member (11f, 12f) installed on said neighbouring one of said trays (11, 12) during ejecting and retracting of said tray (11, 12) from and into the housing (8) respectively.

Inventors: IKEDO, YUJI PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP., MIYAKAWA, TSUTOMU PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP., MIYAKE, MASAHIKO PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP., OKAJIMA, TAKAHIRO PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORP.
Applicants: PIONEER ELECTRONIC CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G11B23
IPC codes: G11B17, G11B23