Abstract:
This invention relates to an optical disk writing and printing apparatus comprising; a motor operatively connected to an optical pickup unit and an optical print head such that the motor is engagingly connected to the optical pickup unit for assisting the optical pickup unit in writing data on one side of an optical disk and engagingly connected to the optical print head for assisting the optical print head in printing markings on another side of the optical disk.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to an optical disk writing and printing apparatus comprising; a motor operatively connected to an optical pickup unit and an optical print head such that the motor is engagingly connected to the optical pickup unit for assisting the optical pickup unit in writing data on one side of an optical disk and engagingly connected to the optical print head for assisting the optical print head in printing markings on another side of the optical disk.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Optical disks represent a significant percentage of the market for data storage of software as well as of photographic, video, and/or audio data. Typically, optical disks have data patterns embedded thereon that can be read from and/or written to one side of the disk, and a graphic display/mark or label printed on the other side of the disk. Prior to the present invention, as set forth in general terms above and more specifically below, it is known, in the optical disk media art to employ a spindle motor that is used to write data upon one side of the optical disk. However, in order to print graphics or other suitable markings upon the other side of the optical disk, a separate printing station utilizing another spindle motor must be employed. Various optical disk formats include, but are not limited to, CD, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, and DVD-RW. Consequently, a more advantageous system, then, would be provided if a single spindle motor could be utilized that is connected to both the optical pickup unit (OPU) for writing data upon one side of the optical disk and the optical print head (OPH) for printing graphics or other suitable markings upon the other side of optical disk.  
         [0005]     It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the optical disk writing and printing art for a single spindle motor that is connected to both the optical pickup unit (OPU) for writing data upon one side of the optical disk and the optical print head (OPH) for printing graphics or other suitable markings upon the other side of optical disk. It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill this and other needs in the art in a manner more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     Generally speaking, an embodiment of this invention fulfills these needs by providing an optical disk writing and printing apparatus comprising; a motor operatively connected to an optical pickup unit and an optical print head such that the motor is engagingly connected to the optical pickup unit for assisting the optical pickup unit in writing data on one side of an optical disk and engagingly connected to the optical print head for assisting the optical print head in printing markings on another side of the optical disk.  
         [0007]     In certain preferred embodiments, the optical print head is disengaged from the apparatus when the optical pickup unit is writing data upon the optical disk. The optical print head is then engaged to the apparatus when it is desired to print markings upon the other side of the optical disk.  
         [0008]     In another further preferred embodiment, a single spindle motor is utilized that is capable of being connected to both the optical pickup unit (OPU) for writing data upon one side of the optical disk and the optical print head (OPH) for printing graphics or other suitable markings upon the other side of optical disk.  
         [0009]     The preferred optical media writing and printing apparatus, according to various embodiment of the present invention, offers the following advantages: ease of data writing; ease of marking printing; improved economy; reduced part count; and increased writing/printing efficiency. In fact, in many of the preferred embodiments, these factors of improved economy, reduced part count, and increased writing/printing efficiency are optimized to an extent that is considerably higher than heretofore achieved in prior, known optical media writing and printing apparatus.  
         [0010]     The above and other features of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are best understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters represent like parts throughout the several views and in which:  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of an optical media writing and printing apparatus wherein the optical pickup unit is being utilized, according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of the optical media writing and printing apparatus wherein the optical print head is being utilized, according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration of the optical media writing and printing apparatus wherein the optical print head is traversed along the media in order to print marks upon the media, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration of the optical media writing and printing apparatus wherein the optical print head unit has completed placing marks upon the media, according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used.  
         [0016]     As used herein, “media” is meant to encompass any coatable surface, composed of wood, plastic, clay, paper, polymers, metals etc. One example is audio, video, multimedia, and/or software disks that are machine readable in a CD and/or DVD drive, or the like. Examples of optical disk formats include writable, recordable, and rewritable disks.  
         [0017]     As used herein, “mark” can include any visible character or image found on a media or any surface used for viewing and conveying information. For example, the mark is found prominently on one side of the optical disk, but this is not always the case.  
         [0018]     As used herein, “data” is typically used to include the non-graphic information contained on the optical disk that is digitally or otherwise embedded therein. Data can include audio information, video information, photographic information, software information, or the like.  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows an optical-mechanical system  2 , according to an embodiment of the invention. System  2  is used for writing data (not shown) upon one side of media  8  and printing marks (not shown) upon the other side of media  8 . Preferably, system  2  includes, in part, spindle motor  4 , media clamp  6 , media  8 , media gear  12 , media hub  14 , conventional optical pickup unit (OPU)  16  which emits conventional laser beam  17 , optical print head (OPH) gear  18 , and optical print head (OPH)  20 .  
         [0020]     In order to write data upon media  8 , OPU  16  outputs laser light  17 . Typically, the laser is a 400 to 800 nm laser operated over a power range of 0.01 to 100 mW. Preferably, the laser is operated over a power range of 1-5 mW for read operations and 25-60 mW for write operations. As is well-known in the optical disk media art, as spindle motor  4  rotates OPU  16  and laser beam  17  are radially tracked along one side of media  8  in order to write data upon that side of media  8 .  
         [0021]     As can be further seen in  FIG. 1 , media  8  is attached to spindle motor  4  by media clamp  6  and to hub  14 . Hub  14  is conventionally connected to media gear  12 . Finally, optical print head gear  18  has been conventionally disengaged from (does not contact) media gear  12 . In this manner, as spindle motor  4  rotates to allow optical pickup unit  16  to write data upon one side of media  8 , optical print head gear  18  and optical print head  20  remain stationary. Due to the fact that optical print head  20  is not engaged to media gear  12 , this allows the data to be written upon media  8  at its optimum speed. This is because the weight of optical print head  20  is not engaged with spindle motor  4  so that spindle motor  4  only interacts with optical pickup unit  16  and media  8  in this data write mode.  
         [0022]     With respect to the engagement/disengagement of optical print head gear  18  from media gear  12 , it is well-known that a variety of suitable techniques and mechanisms can be utilized in order to disengage media gear  12  from optical print head gear  18  and engage media gear  12  with optical print head gear  18 . It is to be understood that gears  12  and  18  could be permanently engaged.  
         [0023]     Changes to the apparatus  2  can also be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For instance, in one embodiment, apparatus  2  can be rotated 180° such that optical pickup unit  16  can be located above media  8  and optical print head  20  can be located below media  8 .  
         [0024]     With respect to  FIG. 2 , apparatus  2  is illustrated. As shown in  FIG. 2 , optical print head gear  18  is engaged with media gear  12 . In this manner, optical print head  20  can be used to place marks upon media  8 . It is to be understood that if optical print head  20  is being utilized to place marks upon media  8 , optical pickup unit  16  is not operated.  
         [0025]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , when media  8  and media gear  12  are rotated in the direction of Arrows A, this causes optical print head gear  18  to rotate in the direction of Arrow B. Optical print head  20  is conventionally attached to optical print head arm  24 . Optical print head arm  24  is also rotatably connected to optical print head gear  18 . In this manner, as optical print head gear  18  rotates in the direction of Arrow B, optical print head gear  18  interacts with optical print head arm  24  and optical print head  20  to allow optical print head  20  to gradually traverse along media  8  in one direction of Arrow X (from the OD of media  8  towards the ID of media  8 ) so that optical print head  20  can print marks upon media  8 . For example, one full rotation of gear  12  causes a very small partial rotation of gear  18  so that the OPH moves exactly one track inward.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , optical print head  20  has completed the placing of marks on media  8  and is located adjacent to media gear  12 . At this point, the rotation of media gear  12  and optical print head gear  18  has stopped. In order to traverse optical print head  20  back to its original position, as shown in  FIG. 3 , spindle motor  4  rotates in the direction of Arrow C. This will cause optical print head  20  to move away from the inner diameter of media  8  towards the outer diameter of media  8 . It is to be understood that arm  24  could be attached to a spring (not shown). When gears  12  and  18  disengage, the OPH would be pulled by the spring to it&#39;s default position.  
         [0027]     The present invention can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction-execution system, apparatus or device such as a computer/processor based system, processor-containing system or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction-execution system, apparatus or device, and execute the instructions contained therein. In the context of this disclosure, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate or transport a program for use by or in connection with the instruction-execution system, apparatus or device. The computer-readable medium can comprise any one of many physical media such as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable medium would include, but are not limited to, a portable magnetic computer diskette such as floppy diskettes or hard drives, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory, or a portable compact disc. It is to be understood that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a single manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.  
         [0028]     Those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or combinations thereof. Separate embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using a combination of hardware and software or firmware that is stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction-execution system. If implemented solely in hardware, as in an alternative embodiment, the present invention can be separately implemented with any or a combination of technologies which are well known in the art (for example, discrete-logic circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable-gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or other later developed technologies. In preferred embodiments, the present invention can be implemented in a combination of software and data executed and stored under the control of a computing device.  
         [0029]     It will be well understood by one having ordinary skill in the art, after having become familiar with the teachings of the present invention, that software applications may be written in a number of programming languages now known or later developed.  
         [0030]     Once given the above disclosure, many other features, modifications or improvements will become apparent to the skilled artisan. Such features, modifications or improvements are, therefore, considered to be a part of this invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims.