Automatic disc player system with disc selecting and loading means

Claim 2

An automatic disc player system comprising: a cabinet means having an entrance port with a door; a holder means disposed within said cabinet means and adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means; a carrier means on which said disc playing means is mounted and linearly movable in a direction parallel to said horizontal axis within a range of movement including a home position at which said carrier means is at rest; a disc transportation means mounted on said carrier means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means; and a control means for controlling the opening and closing of said door, including (a) a manually operable door control switch for generating a door operation command signal; (b) a carrier position detection switch associated with said carrier means, for generating a carrier position detection signal when said carrier means is resting in the home position; (c) a driving means connected to said door for opening and closing said door in response to said door operation command signal; and (d) a transmission means connected between said door control switch and said driving means and responsive to said carrier position detection signal for transmitting said door operation command signal only when said carrier position detection signal is present.

Claim 3

An automatic disc player system comprising: a holder means adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly movable in a direction parallel to said axis; and a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means, wherein said holder means is provided with a disc stop means actuated by said disc transportation means and movable between a first position for allowing said plurality of discs to move to said disc playing means and a second position for preventing said plurality of discs from moving out of said holder means.

Claim 4

An automatic disc player system comprising: a holder means adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly movable in a direction parallel to said axis; and a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means, wherein said holder means is provided with a disc stop means actuated by said disc transportation means and movable between a first position for allowing said plurality of discs to move to said disc playing means and a second position for preventing said plurality of discs from moving out of said holder means.

Claim 5

An automatic disc player system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said disc stop means is an elongated member disposed substantially parallel to said axis and supported by a pair of lever arms rotatable around a pivot axis parallel to said axis, for allowing rotation of said elongated member around said pivot axis between said first and second positions.

Claim 6

An automatic disc player system comprising: a holder means adapted to removably receive a plurality of disc in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly displaceable in a direction parallel to said axis; and a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means, wherein said holder means includes an elongated block-like support member having a longitudinal recess in an upper surface thereof, said recess defining a pair of spaced upper longitudinal peripheral edges of said elongated support member, and a plurality of dividers mounted on said support member, said support member being formed such that one of the upper longitudinal peripheral edges of said recess closer to the side of said disc playing means is lower than the other peripheral edge.

Claim 7

An automatic disc player system comprising: a holder means adapted to removably receive a plurality of disc in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly displaceable in a direction parallel to said axis; and a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means, wherein said holder means includes an elongated block-like support member having a longitudinal recess in an upper surface thereof, said recess defining a pair of spaced upper longitudinal peripheral edges of said elongated support member, and a plurality of dividers mounted on said support member, said support member being formed such that one of the upper longitudinal peripheral edges of said recess closer to the side of said disc playing means is lower than the other peripheral edge.

Claim 8

An automatic disc player system as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said dividers has a cross section of generally I-shaped form, and upper and lower projected edges thereof contactable to the surface of the disc are coated with a material for reducing friction with the surface of the disc, and both ends of the upper and lower projected edges are provided with a tapered portion by which the width of the projected edge is gradually reduced for ensuring an easy entrance and exit of the disc into a space between the dividers.

Claim 9

An automatic disc player system comprising: a cabinet means having an entrance port with a door; a holder means disposed within said cabinet means and adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly movable in a direction parallel to said axis; a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means; and means for controlling opening and closing of said door in accordance with the operational state of at least one of said disc playing means and said disc transportation means, including: a manually operable door control switch for generating a door control command signal; a carriage position detection switch associated with a movable carriage on which said disc playing means is mounted for generating a carriage position detection signal when said carriage is resting in a home position; a closing detection switch associated with said door, for generating a closing detection signal when said door is closed, and an opening detection switch associated with said door, for generating an opening detection signal when said door is opened; a transmission means responsive to said door open command signal and said carriage position detection signal for transmitting said door control command signal only when said carriage position detection signal is present, said transmission means including an input gate responsive to said door control command signal and said carriage position detection signal for producing said door control command signal upon the presence of said carriage position detection signal, a flip-flop circuit responsive to the output signal of said input gate, for alternately producing a first signal for operating said driving means in a direction for opening said door, and a second signal for operating said driving means in another direction for closing said door, a first output gate responsive to said first signal from the flip-flop and said opening detection signal, for providing said first signal to the driving means unless said opening detection signal is received, and a second output gate responsive to said second signal from the flip-flop and said closing detection signal, for providing said second signal to the driving means unless said closing detection signal is received; and a driving means connected to said door for opening and closing said door in response to said door control command signal transmitted from said transmission means.

Claim 10

An automatic disc player system comprising: a cabinet means having an entrance port with a door; a holder means disposed within said cabinet means and adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly movable in a direction parallel to said axis; a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means; and means for controlling opening and closing of said door in accordance with the operational state of at least one of said disc playing means and said disc transportation means, including: a manually operable door control switch for generating a door control command signal; a carriage position detection switch associated with a movable carriage on which said disc playing means is mounted for generating a carriage position detection signal when said carriage is resting in a home position; a closing detection switch associated with said door, for generating a closing detection signal when said door is closed, and an opening detection switch associated with said door, for generating an opening detection signal when said door is opened; a transmission means responsive to said door open command signal and said carriage position detection signal for transmitting said door control command signal only when said carriage position detection signal is present, said transmission means including an input gate responsive to said door control command signal and said carriage position detection signal for producing said door control command signal upon the presence of said carriage position detection signal, a flip-flop circuit responsive to the output signal of said input gate, for alternately producing a first signal for operating said driving means in a direction for opening said door, and a second signal for operating said driving means in another direction for closing said door, a first output gate responsive to said first signal from the flip-flop and said opening detection signal, for providing said first signal to the driving means unless said opening detection signal is received, and a second output gate responsive to said second signal from the flip-flop and said closing detection signal, for providing said second signal to the driving means unless said closing detection signal is received; and a driving means connected to said door for opening and closing said door in response to said door control command signal transmitted from said transmission means.

Claim 11

An automatic disc player system comprising: a holder means adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly movable in a direction parallel to said axis; and a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means, wherein said holder means is provided with a disc stop means movable between a first position for allowing said disc to move to said disc playing means and a second position for preventing said plurality of discs from moving out of said holder means, said disc stop means including an elongated member disposed substantially parallel to said axis and supported by a pair of lever arms rotatable around a pivot axis parallel to said axis, for allowing rotation of said elongated member around said pivot axis between said first and second positions, and wherein one of said elongated member and said lever arms is provided with a latch projection for latching the elongated member in the second position, said latch projection being engageable with a latching member connected to said disc playing means when said disc playing means is resting in a home position.

Claim 12

An automatic disc player system comprising: a holder means adapted to removably receive a plurality of discs in upright position along a horizontal axis so that said discs are juxtaposed with each other; a disc playing means linearly movable in a direction parallel to said axis; and a disc transportation means for transporting a selected one of said discs between said holder means and said disc playing means, wherein said holder means is provided with a disc stop means movable between a first position for allowing said disc to move to said disc playing means and a second position for preventing said plurality of discs from moving out of said holder means, said disc stop means including an elongated member disposed substantially parallel to said axis and supported by a pair of lever arms rotatable around a pivot axis parallel to said axis, for allowing rotation of said elongated member around said pivot axis between said first and second positions, and wherein one of said elongated member and said lever arms is provided with a latch projection for latching the elongated member in the second position, said latch projection being engageable with a latching member connected to said disc playing means when said disc playing means is resting in a home position.