Abstract:
An auto feed, copy and print apparatus for information storage disks and a method of the same are disclosed. The apparatus includes a frame, a read/write and print device and a feeding device. The read/write and print device and the feeding device are mounted on the frame. The feeding apparatus feeds a disk once by gravity onto a tray of the read/write and print device. The tray retracts so as to perform copy and print disk cover operations. The Method includes steps of providing disks, using a feeding device to support the disks and feeds a single disk once by gravity, receiving the disk on a tray, retracting the tray with the disk into a read/write and print device, and using the read/write and print apparatus to write data into the disk and print the disk&#39;s cover.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Chinese Application Serial Number 200610145284.9, filed Nov. 24, 2006, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of The Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a duplicating apparatus and a duplicating method of information storage disks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a duplicating apparatus and a duplicating method that automatically feeds, copies and prints information storage disks such as compact disks. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Information storage disks, such as compact disks (CDs) including Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R), Compact Disc ReWritable (CD-RW), DVD recordable (DVD-R) etc. are often used to store digital information in a variety of formats. Generally, for mass replication or manufacture of information storage disks such as compact disks, stamps are typically used to transfer data from the master to unrecorded or blank compact disks. However, using the stamp method is only suitable to replicate an amount of a thousand or more disks. Otherwise, the average cost to replicate or manufacture each single compact disk will be expensive and not economic. 
         [0006]    For home users or small business users, burners are another solution to replicate disks when only several or tens of disk copies are needed. In addition, automatic burners are convenient to the home users or small business users and save much time when duplicating the compact disks. 
         [0007]    A typical automatic compact disk duplication system comprises a robotic arm to deliver blank disks among several working positions. The robotic arm catches one blank disk and conveys the blank disk to a tray of a burner to write data in. After the burner writes the blank compact disk, the robotic arm removes the recorded disk from the tray and conveys the recorded disk to a disk container. Then, the robotic arm catches another blank disk and places the blank disk to the burner tray to write. The operation of the robotic arm is repeated until an amount of the disk copies is achieved. 
         [0008]    However, the mechanical structure of the robotic arm is sophisticated, which causes high manufacturing costs. Besides, the entire robotic arm is bulky and occupies a large storage space that is inconvenient to be packaged and/or transported. The automatic compact disk duplication system is expensive. 
         [0009]    In addition, when the disk copy is completed, disk identifiers such as title of the disk, date, disk owner etc. are marked or written on the disk cover. Typically, the disk identifiers are hand written or printed by a printer separated from the burner. Hand to writing or printing the disk identifiers is inconvenient. 
         [0010]    Further, as the storage capacity of the compact disk is increased, using the compact disks to backup data is becoming more common. When using the compact disks to backup data and several compact disks are needed, the copied disks may easily be confused if each compact disk does not have a unique disk identifier on its cover after the burner completes the disk duplication. This is also inconvenient for the disk duplication. 
         [0011]    Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved automatic compact disk reproducing apparatus to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    An object of the present invention is to provide a duplicating apparatus and a method for information storage disks to automatically feed, copy and print the optical disks. 
         [0013]    An auto feed, copy and print apparatus for information storage disks in accordance with the present invention comprises a frame, a duplicating and printing device and a disk feeding device. The duplicating and printing device is mounted on the frame and comprises at least one tray. Each tray has an ejected position and a retracted position, and comprises a holding portion. 
         [0014]    The disk feeding device is mounted on the frame and comprises a body and a disk feeding mechanism. The body has a disk feeding hole aligned with the holding portion when the tray is positioned at its ejected position. The disk feeding mechanism is mounted in the body and comprises multiple disk feeding wheels. The disk feeding wheels partially extend in the disk feeding hole to support a stake of compact disks over the disk feeding hole and feed a single one of the stake of compact disks falling onto the holding portion at the ejected position of the tray by gravity when the disk feeding wheels are rotated. The tray moves to the retracted position to copy and print the compact disk on the holding portion when the compact disk is fed on the holding portion. 
         [0015]    A method to auto feed, copy and print information storage disks in accordance with the present invention comprises providing rewritable information storage disks; suspending the information storage disks in a stack by a disk feeding device and using gravity to sequentially pull the stacked information storage disks down through the disk feeding device; receiving single information storage disk in a sequential order with each information storage disk falling into a first tray; retracting the first tray with the single one of the falling information storage disks into a duplicating and printing device; and writing data into the information storage disk on the first tray and printing a cover of the information storage disk on the first tray by the duplicating and printing device. 
         [0016]    The apparatus and the method in accordance with the present invention have several advantages as follows. 
         [0017]    The apparatus automatically feeds an information storage disk onto a tray to duplicate and print. Using the apparatus is convenient, easy and saves time. 
         [0018]    The apparatus and the method allow gravity to pull a single disk to automatically feed the disk onto the tray. Mechanical robots are not needed so that the entire volume of the apparatus is compact. Manufacturing costs of the apparatus is lowered. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a duplicating apparatus in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the duplicating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of the duplicating apparatus in  FIG. 1  without a housing assembly; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a body and a disk feeding mechanism of a disk feeding device of the duplicating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is an exploded elevation view of the body and the disk feeding mechanism in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is an operational elevation view of the duplicating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a supporting base of a disk feeding device of the duplicating apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is an operational elevation view of two conveying members of a disk conveying device of a disk feeding device of the duplicating apparatus in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0029]    Refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . An embodiment of an automatically feeding, copying and printing apparatus for information storage disks is disclosed, and the apparatus is designated with numeral  10 . The apparatus  10  comprises a frame  20 , a duplicating and printing device  30  and a disk feeding device  40 . The apparatus  10  is adapted for optical readable and/or writable information storage medium, such as Rewritable compact disks, Recordable compact disks, DVDs, etc. The apparatus  10  writes data onto the disks to backup or duplicate the data. In addition, the disk feeding device  40  of the apparatus  10  allows gravity to pull a single disk onto trays of the duplicating and printing device  30  where the duplicating and printing device  30  retracts the trays to copy the disk and print the disk cover. 
         [0030]    The duplicating and printing device  30  and the disk feeding device  40  are respectively mounted on the frame  20 . The duplicating and printing device  30  comprises a duplicating apparatus  31  and a printing apparatus  32 . In this embodiment, the duplicating apparatus  31  is a compact disk burner and comprises a first tray  310 . The first tray  310  has an ejected position and a retracted position where the ejected position means that the first tray  310  is extended or ejected out of the duplicating apparatus  31 , and the retracted position means that the first tray  310  is retracted inside the duplicating apparatus  31 . The first tray  310  has a holding portion  311 . 
         [0031]    The duplicating and printing device  31  is mounted into the frame  20  through the rear of the frame  20  where the rear of the frame  20  is opposite to the disk feeding device  40 . This mounting method of the duplicating and printing device  31  provides a compact size of the apparatus  10  and renders the volume of the entire apparatus  10  smaller. 
         [0032]    When a single disk is fed by the disk feeding device  40  and is pulled by gravity onto the holding portion  311  of the first tray  310  where the first tray  310  is ejected to its ejected position, the first tray  311  with the disk could be retracted inside the duplicating apparatus  31  to copy and/or access data. 
         [0033]    Further refer to  FIG. 6 . The printing apparatus  32  comprises a cover  320 , a printing head  321  and a second tray  322 . The cover  320  is pivotally mounted on the frame  20  and can be opened and adjusted to a given angle relative to the frame  20 . The cover  320  can be opened manually or automatically. 
         [0034]    Likewise, the second tray  322  has an ejected position and a retracted position where the ejected position means that the second tray  322  is extended or ejected out of the printing apparatus  32 , and the retracted position means that the second tray  322  is retracted inside the printing apparatus  32 . The second tray  322  has a holding portion  323 . 
         [0035]    When the disk is held on the holding portion  323  of the second tray  322  where the second tray  322  is ejected to its ejected position, the second tray  322  with the disk could be retracted inside the printing apparatus  32  to print disk identifiers on the disk cover. The disk identifiers may be title of the disk, date, summary of content etc. 
         [0036]    The printing head  321  is mounted on the cover  320  to print the disk cover on the second tray  322 . In addition, when the cover  320  is pivoted at its given angle, replacing the ribbon of the printing head  321  is convenient. 
         [0037]    Operations of accessing and writing the disks, and printing the disk cover do not need any given sequence. In this embodiment, the data can be written on the disk and then the disk cover is printed. If writing the data onto the disk is fails, there is no need to print the disk cover so the printing operation is skipped. 
         [0038]    Refer to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 5  and  FIG.7 . The disk feeding device  40  comprises a body  41 , a supporting base  42 , a disk feeding mechanism  43 , a disk conveying device  44 , a housing assembly  45 , a disk guiding device  46  and a disk collecting device  47 . 
         [0039]    The supporting base  42  is mounted on the frame  20  at a position aligned with the ejected positions of the first and the second trays  310 ,  322 . The supporting base  42  comprises a top  421  and two side wings  422 . The top  421  has an opening  423  defined completely through the top  421 . The opening  423  has a diameter larger than the diameter of the disk so as to allow the disk to pass through the opening  423 . In addition, the opening  423  is aligned with the holding positions  311 ,  323  of the trays  310 ,  322  as the trays  310 ,  322  are ejected at their ejected positions. 
         [0040]    The body  41  is mounted on the top  421  and comprises two casings  411  combined mutually each other. The body  41  has a disk feeding hole  412  aligned with the opening  423 . In this embodiment, the disk feeding hole  412  and the opening  423  are concentric. 
         [0041]    The disk feeding mechanism  43  is mounted in the body  41  and comprises a driving assembly  431 , a transmission member  432  and multiple disk feeding wheels  433 . The driving assembly  431  comprises a motor  434  and reducing gears  435 . The transmission member  432  is an annular gear and engages the reducing gears  435 . The disk feeding wheels  433  are rotating members and engage the transmission member  432  so that the transmission member  432  can simultaneously rotate the disk feeding wheels  433 . The disk feeding wheels  433  have respectively a periphery and a cut edge  436  and a feeding thread  437  formed on the periphery. Further, the disk feeding wheels  433  are partially extended in the disk feeding hole  412 . In the embodiment there are three disk feeding wheels  433 . 
         [0042]    Consequently, the portions of the disk feeding wheels  433  in the disk feeding hole  412  supports and suspends a stack of blank disk over the disk feeding hole  412 . When using the disk feeding device  43  to gradually and sequentially feed the disk onto the holding portions  311 ,  323  (only one single disk is fed once), the motor  434  rotates the transmission member  432  through the reducing gears  435 . The rotating transmission member  432  rotates simultaneously the disk feeding wheels  433 . Rotations of the disk feeding wheels  433  move the bottom disk of the disk stack through the cut edges  436 , along the feeding threads  437  and are eventually pulled through the opening  423  by gravity. When the bottom disk departs from the disk feeding wheels  433 , the motor  434  is stopped. Thus, the disk feeding mechanism  43  controls feeding single disk onto the tray at a time. 
         [0043]    The disk guiding device  46  is mounted on the body  41  around the disk feeding hole  412  to align the blank disks in position. In the embodiment, the disk guiding device  46  comprises three guiding posts  461 . The disk collecting device  47  is removably mounted in the supporting base  42  to receive completed or copied disks. In the embodiment, the disk collecting device  47  is a container. 
         [0044]    Further refer to  FIG. 8 , the disk conveying device  44  comprises a driving device  441 , a rotating shaft  442 , two eccentric wheels  443 , two driving wings  444 , two sliding guides  445  and two conveying members  446 . The driving device  441  is coupled to the rotating shaft  442  and rotates the rotating shaft  442 . The rotating shaft  442  is rotatably mounted on the side wings  422  and comprises two ends. 
         [0045]    The eccentric wheels  443  are respectively mounted at the ends of the rotating shaft  442  and are rotated by the rotating shaft  442 . Each eccentric wheel  443  comprises an eccentric member  4431 . The eccentric members  4431  extend respectively out of the side wings  422 . Each side wing  422  comprises an elongated hole  4221  and a guiding seat  4222 . 
         [0046]    The driving wings  444  are respectively mounted on the side wings  422 . Each driving wing  444  has a guiding slot  4441  and an impelling rod  4442 . The eccentric members  4431  are slidably mounted in the guiding slots  4441  and slide along the guiding slots  4441 . The impelling rods  4442  are movably mounted in the elongated holes  4221  to move the conveying members  446 . Each driving wing  444  has a sector shape and an edge sliding on the guiding seat  4222 . 
         [0047]    The sliding guides  445  are respectively mounted on the side wings  422  inside and are aligned respectively with the elongated holes  4221 . Each sliding guide  455  has a guiding device. In the embodiment, the guiding device is an elongated guiding slot  4451 . 
         [0048]    The conveying members  446  are respectively and slidably mounted in the elongated guiding slot  4451  to grasp a disk  700  to convey the disk  700  to duplicate, read and print. Each conveying member  446  comprises a grasping portion  4461 , an inclined guide  4462 , a landing portion  4463 , a pressing portion  4464  and a pushing portion  4465 . In the embodiment, each grasping portion  4461  is a recess. Each inclined guide  4462  is an inclined surface. Each landing portion  4463  is a flat surface. 
         [0049]    The impelling rod  4442  extends into the elongated hole  4221  and is positioned between the pressing portion  4464  and the pushing portion  4465 . The impelling rod  4442  moves the conveying member  446  along the elongated guiding slot  4451  in a linear movement. In the embodiment, the linear movement is an upward and downward movement. Each conveying member  446  is connected to a resilient member, such as a spring. 
         [0050]    In the embodiment, when the disk  700  falls onto the holding portion  311  of the first tray  310  (the first tray  310  is located at its ejected position at the moment), the first tray  31  retracts into the duplicating and printing device  31  to write in or read out data. When the operation is completed, the first tray  310  is ejected to its ejected position. 
         [0051]    The driving device  441  of the disk conveying device  44  rotates the eccentric wheels  443  through the rotating shaft  442 . The rotations of the rotated eccentric wheels  443  move respectively the eccentric members  4431  along the guiding slots  4441  in reciprocal motions to drive reciprocally the driving wings  444  sliding along the guiding seats  4222 . 
         [0052]    The reciprocal motions of the driving wings  444  move the impelling rods  4442  along elongated holes  4421  in linear movements, which moves the conveying members  446  sliding along the elongated guiding slot  4451  by the impelling rods  4442  pressing the pressing portions  4464  and pushing the pushing portions  4465 . 
         [0053]    When the conveying members  446  do not grasp the disk  700 , the impelling rods  4442  press down the pressing portions  4464  to make the conveying members  446  inclined. The first tray  310  is ejected after the duplicating operation has been completed. The impelling rods  4442  are moved towards the pushing portions  4465  by the driving wings  444 . The inclined conveying members  446  stand vertically by the resilient elements to grasp the disk  700  through the grasping portions  4461 , which is a first stage of conveying operation. 
         [0054]    The impelling rods  4442  are continuously moved to abut and push the pushing portions  4465  so that the disk  700  grasped by the conveying members  446  is moved upwards until the disk is above the second tray  322 . In this circumstance, the first tray  310  can be retracted to its retracted position, and the second tray  322  is ejected to its ejected position. The conveying members  446  moves downwards when the conveying members  446  reach their highest points to place the disk  700  onto the holding portion  323  of the second tray  322 . The disk  700  disengages from the conveying members  446  by means of the inclined guides  4462  and is eventually positioned on the second tray  322 , which is a second stage of conveying operation. 
         [0055]    The second tray  322  with the disk  700  is retracted to its retracted position so that the printing head  321  prints the disk identifiers on the cover of the disk  700 . The second tray  322  with the disk  700  is ejected to its ejected position after printing the cover is completed. The conveying members  446  move the disk  700  upwards by the landing portions  4463 , and the second tray  322  is retracted to its retracted position again, which is the third stage of conveying operation. The conveying members  446  are moved downwards by the impelling rods  4442  continuously pressing the pressing portions  4464  until the conveying members  446  are inclined again as their original states. The disk  700  is pulled by gravity and falls into the disk collecting device  47  to complete one operation procedure of feeding, copying and printing for the disk. 
         [0056]    The housing assembly  45  is mounted on the frame  20  to house the interior components of the frame  20  and comprise an upper cover  451 . The upper cover  451  covers the disk feeding hole  412 . 
         [0057]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.