Patent Application
20060048168
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trays for use in disc driving apparatuses such as those in optical disc drives, and more particularly to a tray for a disc driving apparatus having an improved loading structure whereby a disc mounted thereon avoids being scraped or damaged.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical discs such as CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs) or LDs (laser discs) are in widespread use as storage mediums nowadays. In general, these discs may be classified into two classes: discs having a diameter of 12 cm, and discs having a diameter of 8 cm. A typical optical disc generally includes a substrate, a recorded layer, and an adhesive layer. The substrate is generally formed of a transparent material, which allows light rays to pass therethrough. The recorded layer is employed to record information by means of a plurality of pits formed therein.
Disc driving apparatuses include two kinds: a tray-loading type and a slot-in type. As regards a tray-loading type driving apparatus, in order to record/reproduce information onto/from an optical disc, the disc is first placed on a tray and is loaded into a main unit of the driving apparatus via the tray. Once loaded, the disc is mounted on a turntable and is rotated by a spindle motor. Light rays emitted from an optical pickup are then converged onto the disc for recording/reproducing information.
The tray 8 is generally rectangular, and includes a first concavity 82 for receiving a disc having a diameter of 12 cm and a second concavity 84 for receiving a disc having a diameter of 8 cm. First and second bottoms 820, 840 of the tray 8 in the corresponding first and second concavities 82, 84 are both flat, as illustrated in
In view of this problem, an improved tray has been developed. Protrusions are formed along an outer circumference of the recess in the tray. A height of each of the protrusions is less than a thickness of the disc. The bottoms of the tray in the recess are flat. When the disc is placed in the recess, the rim non-recording portion of the disc is supported by the protrusions so as to avoid direct contact between the data-recording portion of the disc and the tray at the bottom of the recess. However, in fact, potential risks of scraping or even damage to the data-recording portion may still remain. For example, when the user places the disc onto the tray, the user may press and rotate the disc, whereby the disc is deformed downwardly. When this happens, the data-recording portion is brought come into contact with the tray at the bottom of the recess, because the distance between the tray bottom and the underside of the disc is generally not large.
Accordingly, what is needed is a tray for a disc driving apparatus, whereby a disc mounted on the tray can avoid being scraped or damaged. What is also needed is a disc driving apparatus employing such tray.
A tray for a disc driving apparatus comprises a main body and at least one receiving portion. The receiving portion is formed in the main body for receiving a disc, and includes a gently sloped bottom.
A disc driving apparatus comprises a case provided with a turntable and a pickup therein, and a tray as described above.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the embodiments of the present invention in detail.
Referring to
The tray 2 includes a main body 20 and a panel 22. The panel 22 is detachably attached to a front end of the main body 20. The main body 20 includes an upper surface 24, a recess 26, and an opening 28. The recess 26 is defined at the upper surface 24 for accommodating optical discs therein. The opening 28 is defined in the main body 20 for allowing a turntable (not shown) mounted on a spindle motor (not shown) and light rays emitted from a pickup device (not shown) installed in the case 1 to pass therethrough.
In more detail, the recess 26 includes a first concavity 30 as a first receiving portion for receiving a disc having a diameter of 12 cm (hereinafter, referred to as “12 cm disc”) and a second concavity 40 as a second receiving portion for receiving a disc having a diameter of 8 cm (hereinafter, referred to as “8 cm disc”). The first and second concavities 30, 40 are concentric with each other. A stepped structure is formed where the first and second concavities 30, 40 adjoin each other. The main body 20 comprises a first sidewall 32, and a first bottom 34 in the first concavity 30. A disc-load plane is defined when the 12 cm disc is loaded in the fist concavity 30. The first bottom 34 gently slopes down from a periphery thereof toward a center of the first concavity 30, i.e., slopes away from the defined disc-load plane starting from a periphery thereof toward a center of the first concavity 30. A radial angle of the slope of the first bottom 34 is preferably approximately 1 degree. The angle of the slope and is not generally greater than 3 degrees. A diameter of the first bottom 34 is slightly greater than an outer diameter of the 12 cm disc, for facilitating the loading and removing of the 12 cm disc by a user. A surface of the first bottom 34 is roughened, so that the surface has a large static friction coefficient sufficient to maintain the 12 cm disc at rest relative to the tray 2 during ejection or insertion of the tray 2.
The second concavity 40 is surrounded by the first concavity 30. The main body 20 of the tray 2 has a second sidewall 42, and a second bottom 44 in the second concavity 40. The second bottom 44 gently slopes down from a periphery thereof toward a center of the second concavity 40. A radial angle of the slope of the second bottom 44 is preferably approximately 5 degrees. The angle of the slope is generally not greater than 10 degrees. A diameter of the second bottom 44 is slightly greater than an outer diameter of the 8 cm disc, for facilitating the loading and removing of the 8 cm disc by the user. A surface of the second bottom 44 is roughened, so that the surface has a large static friction coefficient sufficient to maintain the 8 cm disc at rest relative to the tray 2 during the ejection or insertion of the tray 2.
Referring also to
When utilizing the second concavity 40 of the tray 2 to accommodate an 8 cm disc 7, the situation and advantages are similar to those described above in relation to the first concavity 30 accommodate the 12 cm disc 7.
Referring to
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be noted that the described embodiments are not necessarily exclusive, and that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200420083705.6 | Sep 2004 | CN | national |
