Cartridge loading apparatus and methods of manufacturing and operating same
First Claim
1. A cartridge unloading apparatus for a disk drive having a cartridge loading end, a remote end, and a base plate, the apparatus for tiltably unloading a disk from a spindle magnet with a peeling action, the apparatus comprising in combination:
- a first slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive, said first slider further having only one S-shaped slot formed therein;
a second slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive, said second slider further having only one S-shaped slot formed therein;
a tiller having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tiller being swingably linked with said forward end of said first slider, and said second end of said tiller being swingably linked with said forward end of said second slider, so that a first rotation of said tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives said first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive while driving said second slider toward the remote end of the disk drive, and a second rotation of said tiller in a second direction about said tiller axis drives said first slider toward the remote end of the disk drive while driving said second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive;
a cartridge receiver for receiving a respective cartridge containing a disk with a central hub, said cartridge receiver being moveable between an upper position and a lower position when said sliders are driven by said tiller; and
a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin associated with said cartridge receiver, said first lifting pin slidably fitting into one of said S-shaped slots, and said second lifting pin slidably fitting into the other S-shaped slot, said lifting pins being non-coplanar with a plane that is parallel to the ends of the disk drive and perpendicular to a base plate, and that passes through substantially the center of the spindle magnet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cartridge unloading apparatus for a disk drive having a cartridge loading end, a remote end, and a base plate. The apparatus is employed for tiltably unloading the disk from a spindle magnet with a peeling action. The apparatus includes first and second sliders positioned relative the ends of the disk drive. The sliders each have only one S-shaped slot formed therein. Each slider has a slot to receive one of the two lifting pins provided on a cartridge receiver. The movement of the sliders drives the lifting pins along the slots, thereby raising or lowering the cartridge receiver depending upon the direction of rotation of the tiller. The sliding motion of the lifting pins engaged in the S-shaped slots thus unloads a disk from or, alternatively, loads the disk onto the drive spindle. As the lifting pins travel along their respective slots, the lifting and lowering of the disk is accomplished in such a manner that the disk hub is peeled from the spindle magnet rather than being lifted vertically off the spindle. This reduces the peak force required to break the magnetic clamp force between the spindle magnet and the disk hub. The apparatus may include a bias coil assembly rotatably mounted on an arm so that the bias coil assembly may be loaded into or extracted from the disk cartridge and placed out of the travel path of the disk cartridge. Methods for manufacturing and operating the apparatus in conjunction with a disk drive are also provided.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A cartridge unloading apparatus for a disk drive having a cartridge loading end, a remote end, and a base plate, the apparatus for tiltably unloading a disk from a spindle magnet with a peeling action, the apparatus comprising in combination:
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a first slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive, said first slider further having only one S-shaped slot formed therein;
a second slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive, said second slider further having only one S-shaped slot formed therein;
a tiller having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tiller being swingably linked with said forward end of said first slider, and said second end of said tiller being swingably linked with said forward end of said second slider, so that a first rotation of said tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives said first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive while driving said second slider toward the remote end of the disk drive, and a second rotation of said tiller in a second direction about said tiller axis drives said first slider toward the remote end of the disk drive while driving said second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive;
a cartridge receiver for receiving a respective cartridge containing a disk with a central hub, said cartridge receiver being moveable between an upper position and a lower position when said sliders are driven by said tiller; and
a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin associated with said cartridge receiver, said first lifting pin slidably fitting into one of said S-shaped slots, and said second lifting pin slidably fitting into the other S-shaped slot, said lifting pins being non-coplanar with a plane that is parallel to the ends of the disk drive and perpendicular to a base plate, and that passes through substantially the center of the spindle magnet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of manufacturing a cartridge loading and unloading mechanism, said method comprising the steps of:
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forming a first slider having only one S-shaped slot;
forming a second slider having only one S-shaped slot;
placing said first slider in a housing so that a first end of said first slider is adjacent a first end of said housing and a second end of said first slider is adjacent a second end of said housing;
placing said second slider in said housing so that a first end of said second slider is adjacent the first end of said housing and the second end of said second slider is adjacent the second end of said housing;
swingably connecting a first end of a tiller to said first slider, and swingably connecting a second end of said tiller to said second slider, so that rotation of said tiller in a first rotational direction about a tiller axis drives said first slider in a first direction while driving said second slider in a second direction, and a second rotation of said tiller in a second rotational direction about said tiller axis drives said first slider in said second direction while driving said second slider in said first direction; and
linking a cartridge receiver to said first slider and to said second slider by their respective S-shaped slots, said cartridge receiver being tiltably movable between an upper position and a lower position when said sliders are driven by said tiller. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus for holding a cartridge, said apparatus comprising:
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a cartridge receiver having first and second lifting points, said first and second lifting points located on opposite sides of said cartridge receiver and positioned to cause said cartridge receiver to tilt about a first axis when a force is applied to said first and second lifting points to thereby move a first end of said cartridge receiver from a first position to a second position wherein said first and second lifting points are provided by first and second lifting pins on said cartridge receiver;
a stop for impeding movement of said first end of said cartridge receiver when it has moved to said second position, said stop also providing a pivot point for movement of a second end of said cartridge receiver from a first position to a second position; and
a first slider having only one S-shaped slot formed therein and a second slider having only one S-shaped formed therein, said first lifting pin being slidably contained within said S-shaped slot of said first slider and said second lifting pin being slidably contained within said S-shaped slot of said second slider. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A cartridge unloading apparatus for a disk drive having a cartridge loading end, a remote end, and a base plate, the apparatus for tiltably unloading a disk from a spindle magnet with a peeling action, the apparatus comprising in combination:
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a first slider having a forward end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive, said first slider further having only one S-shaped slot formed therein;
a second slider having a forward;
end adjacent the cartridge loading end of the disk drive and a remote end adjacent the remote end of the disk drive, said second slider further having only one S-shaped slot formed therein;
a tiller having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tiller being swingably linked with said forward end of said first slider, and said second end of said tiller being swingably linked with said forward end of said second slider, so that a first rotation of said tiller in a first direction about a tiller axis drives said first slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive while driving said second slider toward the remote end of the disk drive, and a second rotation of said tiller in a second direction about said tiller axis drives said first slider toward the remote end of the disk drive while driving said second slider toward the cartridge loading end of the disk drive;
a cartridge receiver for receiving a respective cartridge containing a disk with a central hub, said cartridge receiver being moveable between an upper position and a lower position when said sliders are driven by said tiller; and
a first lifting pin and a second lifting pin associated with said cartridge receiver, said first lifting pin slidably fitting into one of said S-shaped slots, and said second lifting pin slidably fitting into the other S-shaped slot, said lifting pins being non-coplanar with a plane that is parallel to the ends of the disk drive and perpendicular to a base plate, and that passes through substantially the center of the spindle magnet, said base plate including one pair of substantially vertical slots in which said lifting pins are accommodated in a raising and lowering motion of the receiver.
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Specification