Video disc player having record extracting mechanism

Claim 1

A player for recovering prerecorded signals from a disc record removably subject to occupancy of a protective cover comprising a jacket and a record retaining spine removably located therein; said spine being provided with a latch member for releasably securing said spine to said jacket; said player comprising: (A) a housing having an input slot into which an occupied cover is inserted along a path for loading a record therein; (B) a turntable rotatably mounted in said housing; (C) a guide disposed in said housing; (D) a latch defeat member movably-mounted in said housing and subject to deflection away from a starting position; said latch defeat member being located along said cover insertion path when occupying said starting position thereof such that it is wedged between said spine latch member and an interior portion of said jacket during an occupied cover arrival at a fully inserted position in said player so that said spine latch member is deflected in a manner freeing said spine from said jacket; (E) a spine gripper member movably-mounted in said housing and subject to deflection away from a beginning position; said spine gripper member being subject to engagement with said spine during an occupied cover arrival at said fully inserted position for releasably securing said spine to said housing, whereby said spine, being freed from said jacket and secured to said housing, is removed from said jacket and retained in said player resting on said guide along with an associated record during a jacket withdrawal subsequent to an occupied cover arrival at said fully inserted position; wherein said engagement of said spine gripper member with said spine effects a displacement of said spine gripper member away from said beginning position thereof; (F) means responsive to said displacement of said spine gripper member for deflecting said latch defeat member away from said starting position thereof to a deflected position when said latch defeat member is released from the engagement with said interior portion of said jacket during said jacket withdrawal, whereby said spine latch member is freed from interference by said latch defeat member; (G) means for transferring said retained record from said guide to said turntable for playback; said transferring means also serving to transfer said retained record from said turntable to said guide for record retrieval; wherein an empty jacket is inserted into said input slot along said path for retrieving said retained record resting on said guide; wherein said spine latch member, having been freed from interference by said latch defeat member, serves to latch said spine to said jacket upon arrival of said jacket at said fully inserted position; wherein the location of said deflected latch defeat member is such that said empty jacket engages said latch defeat member to cause further deflection thereof during arrival of said empty jacket at said fully inserted position; and (H) means responsive to said further deflection of said latch defeat member for effecting motion of said spine gripper member in a manner disengaging said spine from said housing so that said spine latched to said jacket effects record retrieval during subsequent cover withdrawal.