Door apparatus for a disc drive

• US 7,225,450 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Phil-joong
• Primary Examiner(s): DAVIS, DAVID DONALD
• Application Number:
  US10/893,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20050034139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 720/647
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/047 with sliding loading means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/056 with sliding loading means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/027 Covers G11B33/022 takes precedence; with means for guiding the record carrier G11B17/34

Abstract

A door apparatus for causing a pair of doors in a front panel to be opened and closed so that a tray for holding a disc can move into and out of the disc drive. The door apparatus comprises a first door and a second door pivotally located near the front panel. A first lever and a second lever rotate on a hinge shaft and intersect each other such that a distal end of each lever is in contact with a side of the first door and the second door, respectively. A guide bar located on a side of the tray slides between the proximal ends of the first lever and the second lever when the tray moves. The guide bar is inserted between the first lever and the second lever, and causes the distal ends of the first lever and the second lever to separate and to thereby open the doors.

Claims

1. A door apparatus of a disc drive for causing a doorway of a front panel to be opened and closed so that a tray mounted therein can move into and out of the disc drive comprising:

a first door and a second door pivotally installed at the front panel to allow the doors to open and close;

a first lever and a second lever which are installed on at least one hinge shaft intersecting one another at said hinge shaft and pivoting on the hinge shaft, wherein the distal ends of the first lever and second lever are in contact with a side of the first door and the second door, respectively; and

a guide bar located on a side of the tray, sliding between the proximal end of the first lever and the second lever when the tray moves,

wherein when the guide bar is inserted between the proximal end of the first lever and the second lever, the distal ends of the first lever and the second lever separate and, pivot the first door and the second door in opposite directions to open the doors.

2. The door apparatus according to claim 1, wherein first and second rollers are rotatably installed at the proximal ends of the first lever and the second lever, and the guide bar slides between the first roller and the second roller when the tray moves.

3. The door apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door apparatus further comprises first and second elastic members for exerting elastic forces on the first door and the second door in respective directions causing the doors to close.

4. The door apparatus according to claim 1, wherein first and second projections which are in contact with the respective distal ends of the first and second levers are located on a side of the first door and the second door.

5. A door apparatus of a disc drive for opening and closing doors so that a tray for holding discs can move into and out of the disc drive comprising:

a first door and a second door hinged near a front panel of the disc drive;

at least one first lever and at least one second lever, which both pivot around a hinge shaft, wherein each lever has a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end of the at least one first lever contacts the first door and the distal end of the at least one second lever contacts the second door; and

at least one guide bar, located on the side of the tray, that slides between the proximal end of the at least first lever and the proximal end of the at least one second lever as the tray moves causing the distal ends of the at least one first lever and at least one second lever to spread apart by pivoting around the hinge shaft, wherein the first and second doors open.

6. The door apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a first lever roller and a second lever roller connected to the proximal ends of the at least one first lever and the at least one second lever, respectively, wherein the first and second lever rollers rotate as the at least one guide bar slides between the first lever roller and the second lever roller while the tray moves.

7. The door apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising at least on first elastic member and at least one second elastice member connected to the first and second doors, respectively, to bias the first door and second door towards a closed position.

8. A method of for opening and closing the doors of a front panel in a disc drive so that a tray mounted therein can move into and out of the disc drive comprising the steps of:

sliding a guide bar between proximal ends of first and second levers;

said levers hinged about a hinge shaft and having distal ends in contact with first and second doors, such that proximal and distal ends separate;

pivoting said first and second doors as the distal ends of the first and second levers separate to open the doors as the tray moves out of the disc drive;

sliding the guide bar from in between proximal ends of said first and second levers causing said proximal and distal ends to move closer together allowing said doors to close.