Abstract:
A solution is provided for a load and eject device having a first roller, and a second roller, the first and second roller each having a first end, a second end, and a center, wherein the diameter of the first roller center is smaller than the diameter of the first roller first end and the diameter of the first roller second end. Additionally, the diameter of the second roller center is smaller than the diameter of the second roller first end and the diameter of the second roller second end wherein the first roller and the second roller are designed to receive an optical disk.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a loading and ejection device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic loading and ejecting device for an optical disk medium.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     There are several ways to load and eject an optical disk medium of various kinds such as a compact disk (CD), magneto-optical disk (MOD), digital video disk (DVD), video compact disk (VCD), and the like. A conventional loading device for an optical disk medium has a mechanism to load the media using a saucer-type member, generally called a tray, which extends from the body of the device. After the medium is placed on the tray, the tray is returned to the inside of the device to load data from the optical disk medium. In general, such a conventional loading device cannot be used in an upright position.  
         [0003]     Another conventional loading device has a pair of guide members extending from the body of the device to shift the media into or out of the disk slot formed in the body of the device. The guide members have guide grooves for holding the peripheral edge portions of the disk, which is inserted into the grooves. The disk is then carried by the guide members into the device for use. This conventional loading device may be used in an upright position.  
         [0004]     Still yet, there are other devices, which do to not require a tray or guide member to extend out from the device. These devices may utilize one or a pair of guide rollers to automatically load and eject the media. With one guide roller, the optical medium is compressed between the guide roller and a stationary low friction surface, such as a pad. The medium is loaded and ejected through movement of the guide roller, in the intended direction of use, with the guide roller in contact with the entire surface of the medium. The use of two guide rollers is similar, however, the medium is ejected and loaded through compression between the guide rollers, which also contacts the entire surface of the medium. Although the use of the guide rollers avoids the use of a tray or guide member extending externally from the device, use of the roller(s) has its own disadvantages. One disadvantage is that it is easy for the rollers or pad to gather abrasive substances such as dirt or debris. Thus, when the medium is ejected or inserted into the device, the rollers come in contact with the entire surface of the medium causing scratches or dents on the medium, which ultimately results in loss of data contained on the optical disk medium. Another disadvantage is that the medium must be positioned in a certain orientation for a reader to obtain data from the medium.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     A solution is provided for a load and eject device having a first roller, and a second roller, the first and second roller each having a first end, a second end, and a center, wherein the diameter of the first roller center is smaller than the diameter of the first roller first end and the diameter of the first roller second end. Additionally, the diameter of the second roller center is smaller than the diameter of the second roller first end and the diameter of the second roller second end wherein the first roller and the second roller are designed to receive an optical disk.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.  
         [0007]     In the drawings:  
         [0008]      FIGS. 1A, 1B ,  1 C illustrate the rollers in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of the ejection/loading device in a chassis in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate the ejection/loading mechanism in use with an optical media storage device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a method of ejecting and/or loading a disk into an optical media storage device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]     Embodiments of the present invention are described herein in the context of a load/eject mechanism. Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following detailed description of the present invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the present invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure. Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The same reference indicators will be used throughout the drawings and the following detailed description to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0013]     In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.  
         [0014]     The present invention is an automatic load and eject device for an optical disk medium (herein after referred to as a “disk”). The load and eject device uses a pair of rollers which are tapered in the center to prevent any abrasives from contacting the data surface of the disk.  FIGS. 1A, 1B , and  1 C illustrate the rollers in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1B  is a cross sectional view of  FIG. 1A . A pair of rollers  120   a ,  120   b  each consist of a rubber tube  100   a ,  100   b  fitted around a shaft  102   a ,  102   b.    
         [0015]     The rubber tubes  100   a ,  100   b  may be shaped with several tapered ends. One tapered end starts from the first end  108   a ,  108   b  and the second end  110   a ,  100   b  toward the center  104   a ,  104   b  such that the narrowest part of the tube  100   a ,  100   b  is at the center  104   a ,  104   b . Thus, the diameter of first end  108   a ,  108   b  and second end  110   a ,  110   b  is larger than the diameter of center  104   a ,  104   b . Another taper may be at the tip  106   a ,  106   b  of first end  108   a ,  108   b  and at the tip  112   a ,  112   b  of second end  110   a ,  110   b  such that the diameter of tips  106   a ,  106   b ,  112   a ,  112   b  are smaller in diameter than the first end  108   a ,  108   b  and the second end  110   a ,  110   b . However, as illustrated in  FIG. 1C , the exact position of where the taper begins may vary. Furthermore, tips  106   a ,  106   b ,  112   a , and  112   b  need not be tapered such that the diameter of first end  108   a ,  108   b , second end  110   a ,  110   b , and tips  106   a ,  106   b ,  112   a ,  112   b  are the same.  
         [0016]     When the rollers  120   a ,  120   b  are pressed into gentle contact with each other, the tapering of the rubber tubes  100   a ,  100   b  towards the center  104   a ,  104   b  forms a narrow diamond shape  240  in the middle of the rollers  120   a ,  120   b . The diamond shape  240  provides a lead in for the disk  208  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) and at the same time allows for minimum contact of the rollers  120   a ,  120   b  with the data surface of the disk  208 . The disk  208  is held only by its edges as it moves between the rollers  120   a ,  120   b.    
         [0017]     As illustrated in  FIG. 1B , the shafts  102   a ,  102   b  are fitted through the rubber tubes  100   a ,  100   b  and are used to support the rubber tubes  100   a ,  100   b  in a chassis as further discussed below. Grooves  114   a ,  114   b ,  116   a ,  116   b  may be used to locate and position the shafts  102   a ,  102   b  in the chassis.  
         [0018]     The rubber tubes  100   a ,  100   b  may be made of any resilient material such as rubber, silicone, plastic, or other synthetic or natural materials with similar properties. By way of example only, the tubes  100   a ,  100   b  may be made of silicone with a hardness of between 25-45 shore A. The shafts  102   a ,  102   b  may be made of any strong material such as stainless steel, plastic, metal, and the like.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of the ejection/loading device in a chassis in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The rollers described above may be used with any optical media loading or ejecting device. However, by way of example only and not intended to be limiting, the rollers  230   a ,  230   b  will be described in conjunction with a chassis device, generally numbered  200 . The chassis may be any supporting device to securely rotatably hold the rollers in position. However, by way of example only and not intended to be limiting, the chassis will be described with reference to  FIG. 2 . The chassis  200  has a first support member  202  with slots  212   a ,  212   b  to rotatably support the central axis of roller  230   a . The chassis  200  also has a second support member  204  with slots  212   c ,  212   d  to rotatably support the central axis of roller  230   b.    
         [0020]     Second support member  204  may have resilient members  206   a ,  206   b  attached to second support member  204  at a center  214 . Springs  210   a ,  210   b  may be positioned between second support member  204  and resilient members  206   a ,  206   b . The pressure created by springs  210   a ,  210   b  urge roller  230   b  toward roller  230   a  and prevents the rollers  230   a ,  230   b  from falling out in normal use or in transport. Alternatively, no springs may be used and resilient members  206   a ,  206   b  may be made of stiff resilient material to urge roller  230   b , toward roller  230   a . Furthermore, the urging of roller  230   b  toward roller  230   a  assists in the movement of disk (shown in phantom)  208  in either direction A-A′ during rotation of the rollers  230   a ,  230   b . For additional support, support disks  228   a ,  228   b ,  228   c  may be used and received by grooves  114   a ,  116   a ,  116   b  ( FIG. 1A ) to prevent rollers  230   a ,  230   b  from falling out.  
         [0021]     The rollers  230   a ,  230   b  are driven for rotation by a roller motor  216 , by way of a pulley assembly. Any current pulley assembly may be used. However, by way of example only and not intended to be limiting, the roller motor  216  may be connected to a driving pulley  218  by pulley  220 . Driving pulley  218  has a shaft  222 , which is connected to a pulley  224  by belt  226 . The pulley  224  is fitted to roller  230   a . Thus, when the roller motor  216  is activated, roller  230   a  will rotate.  
         [0022]     As described above, roller  230   a  is driven by a roller motor  216 . However, roller  230   b  is not driven and is free to move against the disk  208  as it shifts in and out of the chassis  200 . Thus, contrary to a stationary pad used in current devices, there is no relative motion of the disk  208  surface against roller  230   b , thus preventing any possible abrasion or damage to the disk  208  surface.  
         [0023]     The chassis  200  and support disks  228   a ,  228   b  may be made of any sturdy material such as plastic, steel, metal, or any other similar materials. However, to reduce cost and aid in assembly, plastic should be used. The springs  210   a ,  210   b  may be made of any resilient, sturdy material that is able to regain its original shape such as metal, plastic, rubber, silicone, spring steel, and the like.  
         [0024]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate the ejection/loading mechanism in use with an optical medium storage device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As stated above, the rollers described above may be used with any current optical medium devices such as a compact disc player, a DVD play, and the like. However, by way of example only and not intended to be limiting, the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  may be used in conjunction with an optical media storage device, generally numbered as  300  as illustrated in  FIG. 3A .  
         [0025]     Referring now to  FIG. 3B , as the disk  302  is inserted into a disk slot  304 , it is inserted between rollers  310   a ,  310   b . The rollers  310   a ,  310   b  may be rotatably supported by the chassis as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , but is not illustrated in  FIG. 3B  to prevent over complication or confusion of the figure. The disk causes the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  to separate by a distance equivalent to the thickness of the disk  302 .  
         [0026]     The detection of the disk  302  entering or exiting the disk slot may be achieved by any manner. However, for exemplary purposes only and not intended to be limiting, opto-interrpter devices (not shown) may be used to detect the disk  302  as the disk  302  enters or exits the disk slot  304 . An opto-interrpter may be positioned in front of the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  and an opto-interrpter may be positioned behind the rollers  310   a ,  310   b . As the disk  302  enters the disk slot  304 , an output from the front opto-interrpter causes the roller motor to start which starts the movement of the rollers  310   a ,  310   b . Once the disk  302  clears the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  an output from the opto-interrpter behind the rollers turns the roller motor off.  
         [0027]     When the disk  302  is ejected out of the disk slot, the opposite occurs. An output from the opto-interrupter behind the rollers starts the roller motor which in turn causes the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  to turn. Another output from the front opto-interrupter, which detects the disk in the fully ejected position (but still positioned between the rollers so that the disk does not fall out), signals the roller motor to turn off.  
         [0028]     As the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  rotate, the narrow diamond  240  shape formed by the tapering of tubes  312   a ,  312   b  provides for a lead in for the disk  302  and at the same time allows for minimum contact of the rollers  310   a ,  310   b  with the data surface of the disk  302 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 B, any diameter-sized optical disk media may be used. The disk  302  is held only by its edges  306  as it moves between the rollers  310   a ,  310   b . This prevents any possible abrasion or damage to the data surface of the disk  302 . To further prevent damage to the data surface of the disk  302 , roller  310   b  freely rotates against the disk as it is loaded into the storage device  300 .  
         [0029]     As the disk  302  is loaded into the device, it is guided into the appropriate storage slot  304  in the storage carousel  308 . When the disk  302  is ejected from the storage device  300 , the method above is followed, but in reverse order.  
         [0030]     A method of using the rollers and chassis in an optical media storage device is also provided.  FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a method of ejecting and/or loading a disk into an optical medium storage device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. If a disk is to be loaded at  400 , the disk is inserted in a disk slot at  402  and between a pair of rollers. Disk entry is detected by an opto-interrupter to activate a roller motor at  404 , which rotates one roller to drive the disk into the storage device at  406 . The disk is guided into the proper storage position in the storage device at  408 .  
         [0031]     If the disk is to be ejected at  400 , the stored disk is retrieved from its stored position at  410  and guided between the pair of rollers at  412 . The disk may be retrieved by any means known in the art and will not be discussed herein to not complicate the present invention. An opto-interrupter detects the disk which activates the roller motor at  414 , to rotate one roller to drive the disk out of the storage device at  416 . The disk is then removed from between the rollers at  418 .  
         [0032]     While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.