Patent ID: 7627875

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; 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; a disk guide mechanism including disk insertion guide members which guide the optical disk introduced from the disk slot while limiting the angle in which the optical disk is introduced and which vertically moves the disk insertion guide members in synchronization with the vertical movement of the base by the base lifting mechanism; and a shutter operating mechanism which prevents, while the optical disk is set on the disk mount, any other optical disk from being introduced into the housing through the disk slot, the shutter operating mechanism includes a shutter member which is vertically moved between a closing position where it will close the path of the optical disk introduced from the disk slot and an opening position where it will open the path of the optical disk introduced from the disk slot, in synchronization with the vertical movement of the disk insertion guide members by the disk guide mechanism.