Patent Application
20070297295
Further features and advantages of the present invention will better appear from the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but non limiting embodiment of an electronic-mechanical apparatus for playing back optical disks given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to the above listed Figures, it is noted that an electronic-mechanical apparatus according to the present invention, generally designed by 1, for playing back optical disks has a support frame 2 which delimits an upper space 3 and a lower space 4. The upper space 3 is dustproof closed at the front thereof by a door or capote 3a, e.g. hinged at 3b to the frame 2 thereby being able to be opened-closed through a lifting/lowering movement and, preferably, made of a transparent (plastic) material.
Inside the upper space 3 there are provided a plurality of receiving seats 5, preferably a continuous sequence of radial receiving seats circularly placed around a substantially vertical axis of rotation on a rotatable platform (not shown in drawings), each receiving seat 5 being delimited by a pair of walls for loosely receiving a respective disk member D, e.g. an optical disk (CD, DVD). In the upper space 3 an optical disk reader is also arranged, typically a laser beam reader 7 provided with a control device and an arm or cover 15, which can be hingedly lifted and lowered, as further described below.
At the front portion of the frame 2, outside the upper space 3, there are provided a plurality of user's selector keys T, for selecting a disk member D to be played back, as described below. Over the selector keys T there are provided one or more display means, preferably two, e.g. two monitors 8 and 9.
Between the rotatable platform and the laser beam reader 7, in the space 3, an handling device, e.g. a known device comprising a mechanical arm 6 suitable for withdrawing a disk member D which is pre-selected by user through the selection keys T and housed in its respective receiving seat 5 on the rotatable platform, and for transferring the same onto the laser beam reader 7 for being played back, as well as for withdrawing it from the reader 7 and replacing it into the starting receiving seat 5.
In the upper space 3, at any suitable position, e.g. at the rear portion of the space 3, a ionizing device 10 is arranged, e.g. a ionizing device model Allergy 2679, produced and distributed by the company Beghelli S.p.a. at Monteveglio—Bologna—Italy.
As shown in more detail in
The air inside the upper space 3 is, then, sucked by the fan, passes through the metal filter 12, preferably comprising a series of metal grids, the filter trapping any dirt in it, and more particularly any dust, and is ionized by the ionizing needles before being fed back into the upper space 3. Advantageously, the metal filter 12 is contained in a drawer 13, which can be easily extracted for being washed from time to time.
The lower space 4 is preferably frontally closed by two doors 4a and 4b, and encloses control means therein, e.g. as it is usual in the art, one or more electric motors, motion transmission means, and the like, which are arranged to drive the receiving seat 5, the mechanical arm 6, and the laser beam reader 7. The front opening of the lower space of the apparatus 1 ensures major practical advantages with respect to the prior art juke-boxes that have their lower space accessible only from the rear portion of the frame 2.
According to the present invention, the control means preferably placed in the lower space 4 also comprises a programmable electronic control unit 14, which includes a master card electrically connected to a suitable microprocessor, a mass memory, e.g. an hard-disk, a DAT unit or the like, and a main control program.
At an intermediate position between the upper space 3 and the lower space 4, as mentioned above, there is provided a plurality of selector keys T, preferably placed in two rows. More particularly, the first row will include a plurality of function keys Tf1, . . . , Tfn, whereas the second row will include a plurality of numeric keys Tn1, . . . , Tnm.
Each function key Tf1, . . . , Tfn, allows the user to gain access to a series of monitor displayed functions controlled by the programmable electronic control unit 14 according to a mode that will be described in detail below and displayed on one or both the monitors 8 and 9, thereby assisting the user in choosing a CD of interest for him.
Each numeric key Tn1, . . . , Tnm allows the user to select first the number corresponding to the CD possibly previously selected owing to the use of the function keys Tf1, . . . , Tfn, and then the number of the track the user wishes to listen to, and the track thus selected is then played back by the laser beam reader 7. Advantageously, to facilitate the choice of the track, the front of the cover of any selected CD will be displayed on one of two monitors 8 or 9, and the rear of the same cover bearing the list of the respective tracks will be displayed on the other monitor.
As better shown in
More particularly:
For the functions “Alphabetical Order”, “Genre”, “New Entry” and “Top Ten”, after a predetermined number of seconds, the main frame will be displayed back on one of the monitors 8 or 9.
After the user has decided which CD he/she wants to listen to and has acted upon function keys Tf1, . . . , Tfn, if required, he/she has to insert a coin or a banknote into suitable coin or money and/or banknote collector means 16 and 17, and to digit through numeric keys Tn1, . . . , Tnm the number to which the desired CD is associated, and then the number of the desired track that he/she wants to listen to. At this point, the programmable electronic control unit 14 will automatically control the sequence of operations to be carried out as set forth in detail below.
The receiving or housing means 5 for the plurality of CDs starts to rotate until the receiving seat containing the selected CD is located at the mechanical arm 6. At the same time, the closing cover or arm 15 lifts to its open position to permit free access to the laser beam reader 7. The mechanical arm 6 thus carries out a series of movements suitable for withdrawing the selected CD from its receiving seat 5 and transferring the same onto the laser beam reader 7, which is now accessible. Then the closing cover 15 is lowered and the CD selected track begins to be played back by the laser beam reader 7.
After the playback, the closing cover 15 is lifted thus releasing the CD, which is then withdrawn by the mechanical arm 6 and re-located into its respective seat in the receiving means 5. The closing cover 15 lowers onto the reader 7 at the same time.
As described above, the “Control Center” function key is designed to be used by a maintenance operator, and, as the remaining function keys Tf1, . . . , Tfn, is interfaced with the main program of the programmable electronic control unit 14. By acting upon the “Control Center” function key it is possible to gain access to a certain number of functions, e.g. “File”, “Set-up”, “Diagnostics”, and “Counter”.
Advantageously, the access to, and control of, the above-mentioned functions occur by using a touch-screen technology.
More particularly:
Advantageously, the electronic-mechanical apparatus 1 for playing back optical disks according to the present invention has a scanner 18, preferably a roll scanner, more preferably a single-pass flatbed scanner, e.g. placed at the insertion and collection means (16, 17) for coins, money and/or banknotes. The scanner 18 also is interfaced with the programmable electronic control unit 14 and allows the maintenance operator to carry out a scanning operation of the front and the rear portion of the cover 19 (
In the case in which a scanner 18 is provided, the function “Set-up” will also include a “Scanner” sub-function to set-up the parameters concerning the scanner 18.
The invention as described above is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations within the scope as defined by the accompanying claims.
Thus, for example the playback means for sound tracks could be assisted by video playback means corresponding to a played back sound track.
Moreover, although a rotatable platform (receiving means 5) has been described which is angularly displaced with respect to the mechanical arm 6, the receiving means 5 can clearly be fixed, whereas the mechanical arm can be variously located with respect thereto.
