Computer system equipped with write-only optical disc drive being constructed separately from read-only optical disc drive

• US 6,014,718 A
• Filed: 07/28/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, HAROLD J
• Application Number:
  US08/901,754
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 710/74, 710/46, 369/44.27, 395/425, 701/35
• US Class Current: 710/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0677 Optical disk device, e.g. CD-ROM, DVD

Abstract

A computer system comprises a computer main body including a main board on which various components such as a CPU and the like are mounted and a hard disc unit; a read-only optical disc drive provided in the computer main body; a write-only optical disc drive which is constructed separately from the read-only optical disc drive, the write-only optical disc drive being provided in the computer main body; and a bus for connecting the main board, the hard disc unit, the read-only optical disc drive, and the write-only disc drive with each other, in which the hard disc unit, the write-only optical disc drive and the read-only optical disc drive are connected by means of a cascade connection. According to the computer system, it is possible to add a data writing function to a computer system equipped with an existing read-only optical disc drive having a high data transmission rate without increasing a manufacturing cost, thereby enabling to provide a computer system which is easy to use and can be manufactured at a low cost.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a computer main body;

a read-only optical disc drive for playing back data recorded on an optical disc, said read-only optical disc drive being provided in said computer main body so as to be able to transmit the data to the computer main body; and

a write-only optical disc drive for writing data to a recordable optical disc, said write-only optical disc drive being constructed separately from said read-only optical disc drive and being provided in said computer main body so as to be able to receive the data from the computer main body wherein each of the disc drives has its own data transmission rate wherein the write-only optical disc drive is unable to read any data recorded on any optical disc.

2. The computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said computer main body includes a main board provided with a CPU and a hard disc unit, and said main board, said hard disc unit, said read-only optical disc drive and said write-only disc drive are connected with each other by means of a bus.

3. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said read-only optical disc drive and said write-only optical disc drive are connected by means of a cascade connection.

4. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said write-only optical disc drive is provided with a turntable driving section, a laser pickup, a laser operating section, a pickup tracking control section, a writing processor, an interface with the computer main body, and a CPU for controlling these components, wherein circuits and functions necessary for reading out data from an optical disc are removed from the write-only optical disc drive.

5. The computer system as claimed in claim 4 wherein an encoder for compressing data is provided between said writing processor and said interface.

6. The computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said write-only optical disc drive is formed into an unit which has the same size and shape as those of said read-only optical disc drive.

10. The computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data transmission rate of the read-only optical disc drive is greater than that of the write-only optical disc drive.

11. The computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the write-only optical disc drive is configured as an external type drive unit which can be removably attached to the computer main body.

7. A computer system comprising:

a computer main body including a main board on which various components such as a CPU are mounted and a hard disc unit;

a read-only optical disc drive for playing back data recorded in an optical disc, said read-only optical disc drive being provided in said computer main body so as to be able to transmit the data to the computer main body;

a write-only optical disc drive for writing data to a recordable optical disc, said write-only optical disc drive being constructed separately from said read-only optical disc drive and being provided in said computer main body so as to be able to receive the data from the computer main body; and

a bus for connecting said main board, said hard disc unit, said read-only optical disc drive, and said write-only disc drive with each other, in which said hard disc unit, said read-only optical disc drive and said write-only optical disc drive are connected by means of a cascade connection wherein each of the disc drives has its own data transmission rate wherein the write-only optical disc drive is unable to read any data recorded on any optical disc.

12. The computer system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the data transmission rate of the read-only optical disc drive is greater than that of the write-only optical disc drive.

13. The computer system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the write-only optical disc drive is configured as an external type drive unit which can be removably attached to the computer main body.

8. A write-only optical disc drive for writing data to a recordable optical disc which is adapted for use in a computer system together with a read-only optical disc drive for playing back data recorded in an optical disc, the write-only optical disc drive comprising:

only circuits and functions necessary for writing data to the recordable optical disc wherein said write-only optical disc drive is adapted to be connected in cascade with said read-only optical disc drive through a bus when said write-only optical disc drive is mounted in the computer main body wherein each of the disc drives has its own data transmission rate wherein the write-only optical disc drive is unable to read any data recorded on any optical disc.

9. The write-only optical disc drive as claimed in claim 8 wherein said write-only optical disc drive is provided with a turntable driving section, a laser pickup, a laser operating section, a pickup tracking control section, a writing processor, an interface with a computer main body, and a CPU for controlling these components, wherein circuits and functions necessary for reading out data from an optical disc are removed therefrom.

14. The write-only optical disc drive as claimed in claim 8 wherein the data transmission rate of the read-only optical disk drive is greater than that of the write-only optical disc drive.

15. The write-only optical disc drive as claimed in claim 8 wherein the write-only optical disc drive is configured into an external type drive unit which can be removably attached to the computer main body.