Video disc player

Claim 1

A video disc player for playing back round rapidly rotating video discs and comprising: a housing with a deck plate, a motor-driven drive spindle, which projects from the deck plate, for rotating a video disc parallel to the deck plate, a cover movable between an open first position and a closed second position, a stabilizing disc attached to said cover and which is movable between a first and a second position corresponding to said first and second positions of said cover and which in the last-mentioned position at least substantially covers a video disc placed on the drive spindle in a position proximate thereto, for stabilizing the shape of a video disc during rotation, which stabilizing disc in its second position extends substantially perpendicularly to the drive spindle axis and is disposed at a small distance from a video disc which is disposed on the drive spindle, means comprising at least one air inlet restriction for, during playback of a video disc admitting an air stream which is limited to a specific magnitude between the stabilizing disc and the rotating video disc and thus reducing the air pressure between said rotating video disc and said stabilizing disc, air-valve means comprising a valve body and a valve seat for closing an air by-pass passage during playing of a video disc when said cover is closed and for opening the air by-pass passage when said cover is opened and playing of a video disc is discontinued, so as to admit an increased air stream between the stabilizing disc and a rotating video disc in order to substantially increase the pressure between said rotating video disc and said stabilizing disc and to prevent the video disc from being drawn along when the stabilizing disc is moved from its second to its first position.