Patent ID: 7200851

Claim:
A disk drive comprising: a device housing having formed at the front side thereof a disk slot through which an optical disk is to be loaded and removed; a base unit having provided integrally on a base thereof: a disk mount on which the optical disk introduced into the device inside through the disk slot is to be set; a disk rotation driving mechanism that spins the optical disk placed on the disk mount; an optical pickup that writes and/or reads signals to and/or from an optical disk being spun by the disk rotation driving mechanism; and a pickup feeding mechanism that moves the optical pickup over the optical disk between the inner and outer circumference of the latter; a disk transport mechanism including a plurality of pivotable members each having formed at the free end thereof an abutment that abuts the periphery of the optical disk introduced through the optical disk slot and pivotably supported at the base end thereof, the plurality of pivotable members loading the optical disk by bringing the optical disk introduced through the disk slot to a disk setting position where the optical disk is to be placed on the disk mount and ejecting the optical disk by bringing the optical disk to outside the device housing through the disk slot; and a base lifting mechanism that vertically moves the base between a disk chucking position where it will elevate the base to place the optical disk once set in the disk setting position onto the disk mount and a disk releasing position where it will lower the base to remove the optical disk from on the disk mount, the base lifting mechanism making a first disk chucking operation by elevating at least the base to the disk chucking position to place the optical disk on the disk mount, and a second disk chucking operation by lowering the base to an intermediate position between the disk chucking and releasing positions, rotating the optical disk by means of the disk rotation driving mechanism, shifting the optical disk to another phase, and then elevating the base again to the disk chucking position to place the optical disk on the disk mount.