Loading and unloading mechanism for flexible magnetic disks

Claim 2

A recording system utilizing record disks adapted to have information recorded on faces thereof and comprising a stationary support, a drive member rotatably mounted in said support and adapted to have engagement with a record disk for driving the disk for transfer of information to or from the disk, motor means for rotatably driving said drive member and thereby driving a record disk in engagement therewith, means for moving one of said disks onto said drive member prior to an information transfer operation and then off of said drive member after an information transfer operation has taken place and including a friction drive roll located to the side of said drive member and frictionally driving the disk in a direction laterally of the disk, and reversible motor means drivingly connected with said friction drive roll for driving the friction drive roll in one direction or the other so as to thereby move the disk laterally onto and off of said drive member.

Claim 3

A recording system as set forth in claim 1, said record disks being of such transverse dimension that they are spaced from said friction drive roll when in driving relationship with said drive member, said recording system including auxiliary disk moving means for moving a disk out of its position for driving by said drive member and back into engagement with said friction drive roll so that the friction drive roll may move the disk completely out of register with respect to said drive member.

Claim 4

A recording system as set forth in claim 1 and including a bin for disks located above said drive member and said friction drive roll being located in the bottom of said bin and arranged to move the disks vertically, said disks having a transverse dimension such that they are out of engagement with said friction drive roll when they are in driving relationship with respect to said drive member, said recording system including an auxiliary disk lifting member for lifting a disk from its position in driving relation with respect to said drive member and into engagement with said friction drive roll so that said friction drive roll may raise the disk to move it back into said bin after a recording operation has taken place.

Claim 5

A recording system as set forth in claim 3 and including movable means for clamping a said disk onto said drive member after the disk has fallen from said friction drive roll into driving relationship with said drive member, and common motor means for moving said auxiliary lifting member and for moving said movable clamping means so that said clamping means are first unclamped with respect to a disk and then said lifting member is active to move the disk back upwardly into driven relation with said friction drive roll.

Claim 6

A recording system as set forth in claim 1, each of said disks being encased in a protective envelope having an opening therethrough for the reception of an information transferring transducer, said stationary support beinG provided with opposite slots therein for receiving side edges of the protective envelopes when the disk contained in the envelope is in position for driving by said drive member.

Claim 7

A recording system as set forth in claim 5 and including a cover hingedly mounted with respect to said stationary support, and a collet rotatably carried by said cover and movable to clamp one of said disks between it and said drive member when the cover is swung toward the drive member so that an information transfer operation may thereafter take place with the disk being so clamped in engagement with said drive member.

Claim 8

A recording system as set forth in claim 6, said envelopes being of such transverse dimension that they are spaced from said friction drive roll when in driven relationship with said drive member, said recording system including an auxiliary disk moving member for moving an envelope with a disk therein from a disk driving position with said drive member and into engagement with said friction drive roll so that the friction drive roll may thereafter move the envelope and disk, and common motor means for moving said auxiliary disk moving member and for moving said cover so that said cover is first moved to unclamp a disk with respect to said drive member and then said auxiliary disk moving member is active to move the envelope into driven relation with said friction drive roll.

Claim 9

A recording system utilizing record disks adapted to have information recorded on faces thereof and each being contained in a protective envelope, said recording system comprising a stationary support adapted to receive one of said disk containing envelopes in substantially vertical disposition, a drive member rotatably mounted in said support on a substantially horizontal axis and adapted to have engagement with a record disk held by said support by means of the disk envelope for driving the disk for transfer of information to or from the disk, motor means for rotatably driving said drive member and thereby driving a record disk in engagement therewith, a bin located above said stationary support and having a hopper section and a stacker section, driving means associated with said bin for engaging with one of said disk containing envelopes within said hopper section and moving the disk and envelope downwardly into said support for driving engagement of said disk with said drive member, and means for moving the disk and envelope upwardly out of said support and out of engagement with said drive member and back into said bin and into said stacker section thereof after an information transfer operation has been completed.

Claim 10

A recording system utilizing record disks adapted to have information recorded on faces thereof and each being contained in a protective envelope, said recording system comprising a stationary support adapted to receive one of said disk containing envelopes in substantially vertical disposition, a drive member rotatably mounted in said support on a substantially horizontal axis and adapted to have engagement with a record disk held by said support by means of the disk envelope for driving the disk for transfer of information to or from the disk, motor means for rotatably driving said drive member and thereby driving a record disk in engagement therewith, a bin located above said stationary support and having a hopper section and a stacker section, driving means associated with said bin for engaging with one of said disk containing envelopes within said hopper section and moving the disk and envelope downwardly into said support for driving engagement of said disk with said drive member, and means for moving the disk and envelope upwardly out of said support and out of engagement with said drive member and back into said bin and into said stacker section thereof after an information transfer operation has been completed.

Claim 11

A recording system as set forth in claim 8, said means for moving the disk and envelope downwardly out of said hopper section of said bin and then back again into said stacker section of said bin including a friction roll frictionally engaging the envelope, and a reversible motor for driving said friction roll in one direction for moving the disk and envelope downwardly and in the other direction for moving said disk and envelope upwardly.

Claim 12

A recording system as set forth in claim 9, said recording system including a separator within said bin for separating said hopper section from said stacker section and movable under the control of said reversible motor for opening said hopper section to a disk and envelope to allow said friction roll to move the disk and envelope downwardly and movable to a different position for opening said stacker section to allow said friction roll to move the disk and envelope back upwardly and into said stacker section.

Claim 13

A recording system as set forth in claim 10, said means for moving a disk and envelope from said hopper section downwardly including a pick roll having a picking surface thereon to engage with the envelope as the pick roll rotates so as to move the disk containing envelope into contact with said friction roll, gearing for connecting said friction roll with said pick roll and releasable clutching means for allowing Said pick roll to have less than one revolution of rotation as the pick roll moves from a position moving a disk and its envelope from said hopper section and back again into its original position for picking a subsequent disk and its envelope out of said hopper section.

Claim 14

A recording system as set forth in claim 11 and including abutment means for limiting the rotation of said pick roll to less than said one complete revolution, and driving means connecting said pick roll and said separator so that said separator oscillates from its position allowing a disk and envelope to be moved out of said hopper section to its position allowing a returning disk and envelope to move into said stacker section.

Claim 15

A recording system as set forth in claim 9 and including a pick roll in driving relationship with said friction roll, said bin having a bottom slanting downwardly from said hopper section to said stacker section and said friction roll and pick roll being located in the bottom of said bin, said pick roll having a ledge for engaging with the bottom edge of a disk containing envelope in said hopper section so as to move this bottom envelope edge over the pick roll and into engagement with said friction roll, a bearing element coaxial with said pick roll and having a nip with respect to said friction roll so that the friction roll is effective to move the disk and envelope downwardly into said support and upwardly therefrom, and a flexible flipper arm rotatable with said friction roll and effective for engaging the bottom edge of a disk containing envelope as the envelope moves upwardly between said friction roll and bearing element so that the flipper arm moves the disk and envelope over the friction roll and into said stacker section.