Transport apparatus for loading microdisks into and retrieving them from a disk drive and thereafter sorting them
US4654732A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 11, 1984 |
| Grant date | Mar 31, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 11, 2004 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B17/08
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A transport assembly adapted specifically to transport microdisks one after the other from a stack to a disk drive spaced from the stack includes a carriage which supports a finger mechanism for engaging the disks. The carriage is moved along a track from a home position adjacent the stack to an advanced position adjacent the disk drive by a special motorized crank assembly so that the finger mechanism picks off the lowest disk in the stack and pushes it into the disk drive. The crank assembly then retracts the carriage to a standby position in front of the disk drive until the completion of the read/write operation on the disk by the drive. When the disk is ejected from the disk drive, it is gripped by the finger mechanism and the crank assembly is controlled to move the carriage to its home position, thereby withdrawing the disk from the drive. As the carriage proceeds to its home position, the diskette is released from the finger mechanism and routed to a selected location below the track. The apparatus is designed to minimize downtime due to temporary jams or stoppages of the carriage along its track. Yet, if serious stoppages should occur, the apparatus minimizes stress on and…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.