Patent ID: 8607259

Claim:
A disk loading/unloading mechanism for loading and unloading a thin disk to and from a disk cartridge, the disk cartridge including a disk tray on which the thin disk is placed, the disk tray being drawn out from and put into the disk cartridge, the disk tray having an opening at a center part thereof, the disk loading/unloading mechanism comprising: an elevating mechanism including an elevating shaft being movable up and down through the opening so that part of a leading edge of the elevating shaft can be inserted into a center hole of the thin disk, the elevating mechanism being positioned below the opening of the disk tray when the disk tray is drawn out; and a disk holding mechanism including a holding member that holds the thin disk and a supporting shaft that supports the holding member, the supporting shaft being parallel to the elevating shaft, wherein a central axis of the supporting shaft and a central axis of the elevating shaft correspond to each other when the holding member is positioned above the disk tray.