Magnetic disk drive

Claim 2

A magnetic disk drive assembly comprising: a base; a front panel rounted on said base at a front portion of said assembly and having an opening for insertion therethrough of a disk; a pair of side panels formed with said base and jointly defining a path of movement for a disk inserted in said front panel toward a rear portion of said assembly; a spindle mounted rotatably on a central portion of said base in said path of novement; a magnetic head mounted on said base and movable with respect to an inserted disk for writing information into and reading information out of the disk; a frame member pivotably mounted on said base for angular movement between a drive position horizontally over said spindle and a non-drive position pivoted angularly away from said spindle, said frame member supporting a hub pressable against said spindle for clamping the disk between said hub and said spindle in said drive position; an ejector positioned at said rear portion of said base and having a foot portion pivotally mounted to said base and engageable by a leading edge of an inserted disk for pivotal movement between an unlocked position in said path of movement and a locked position out of said path of movement when the disk is fully inserted in said disk drive assembly, a bar portion carried on an end of said ejector, and torsion means resiliently urging said ejector into said unlocked position when it is not in said locked position for ejecting the disk along said path of movement out of said disk drive assembly and pivotally returning said foot portion into said path of movement so as to be engageable with the leading edge of a disk; a locking body comprising a projection for locking said ejector in said locked position, said ejector having an engaging portion adapted to ride over and be retained by said projection when said foot portion of said ejector is engaged by the leading edge of a disk fully inserted in said disk drive assembly; and a lock release member comprising a leaf spring mounted on said frame member at the rear portion of said disk drive assembly and resiliently engageable with a recess in said bar portion of said ejector in said locked position when said frame member is moved to said drive position, said ejector being releasable from said locked position toward said unlocked position when said frame member is moved from said drive position to said non-drive position by said lock release member lifting said engaging portion of said ejector over said projection.

Claim 3

An assembly according to claim 1, a carriage movable beneath said disk and carrying a read/write head, an arm member located above said carriage and urged resiliently toward said head for holding said head and disk in engagement, and means carried by said frame member and engaging said arm member for moving said arm member away from said carriage by movement of said frame member from said drive to said non-drive position.

Claim 4

An assembly according to claim 1, said frame member carrying an auxiliary frame connected pivotally thereto and having a forward portion adapted to engage a rib portion of said front panel for pivoting said auxiliary frame during movement of said frame member between said drive position and said non-drive position, said hub including a central shaft carried by said auxiliary frame, said hub being urged resiliently away from said auxiliary frame, said auxiliary frame being pivoted relative said frame member at a position forward of said shaft for raising said shaft to maintain said hub generally parallel to said path of movement as said frame member is moved between said drive position and said non-drive position.

Claim 5

An assembly according to claim 3, wherein said lock release member is mounted to a rearward portion of said auxiliary frame extending toward the rear portion of said assembly.

Claim 6

An assembly according to claim 1, said torsion means including an elongate resilient member coiled loosely about a pivot pin on which said ejector is mounted to bias said ejector downwardly towards said base but to enable it to be lifted over said projection.

Claim 7

A magnetic disk drive assembly comprising: a base; a front panel mounted on said base at a front portion of said assembly and having an opening for insertion therethrough of a disk; a pair of side panels formed with said base and jointly defining a path of movement for a disk inserted in said front panel toward a rear portion of said assembly; a spindle mounted rotatably on a central portion of said base in said path of movement; a magnetic head mounted on said base and movable with respect to an inserted disk for writing information into and reading information out of the disk; a frame member pivotably mounted on said base for angular movement between a drive position horizontally over said spindle and a non-drive position pivoted angularly away from said spindle, said frame member supporting a hub pressable against said spindle for clamping the disk between said hub and said spindle in said drive position; an ejector positioned at said rear portion of said base and having a foot portion pivotally mounted to said base and engageable by a leading edge of an inserted disk for pivotal movement between an unlocked position in said path of movement and a locked position out of said path of movement when the disk is fully inserted in said disk drive assembly, a bar portion carried on an end of said ejector, and torsion means resiliently urging said ejector into said unlocked position when it is not in said locked position for ejecting the disk along said path of movement out of said disk drive assembly and pivotally returning said foot portion into said path of movement so as to be engageable with the leading edge of a disk; a locking body comprising a projection for locking said ejector in said locked position, said ejector having an engaging portion adapted to ride over and be retained by said projection when said foot portion of said ejector is engaged by the leading edge of a disk fully inserted in said disk drive assembly, wherein said torsion means biases said ejector toward said base and said engaging portion includes a hole in said ejector into which said projection is retained when said ejector is in said locked position; and a lock release member mounted on said frame member at the rear portion of said disk drive assembly and engageable with said bar portion of said ejector in said locked position when said frame member is moved to said drive position, said ejector being releasable from said locked position toward said unlocked position when said frame member is moved from said drive position to said non-drive position by said lock release member lifting said engaging portion of said ejector over said projection.

Claim 8

A magnetic disk drive assembly comprising: a base; a front panel mounted on said base at a front portion of said assembly and having an opening for insertion therethrough of a disk; a pair of side panels formed with said base and jointly defining a path of movement for a disk inserted in said front panel toward a rear portion of said assembly; a spindle mounted rotatably on a central portion of said base in said path of movement; a magnetic head mounted on said base and movable with respect to an inserted disk for writing information into and reading information out of the disk; a frame member pivotably mounted on said base for angular movement between a drive position horizontally over said spindle and a non-drive position pivoted angularly away from said spindle, said frame member supporting a hub pressable against said spindle for clamping the disk between said hub and said spindle in said drive position; an ejector positioned at said rear portion of said base and having a foot portion pivotally mounted to said base and engageable by a leading edge of an inserted disk for pivotal movement between an unlocked position in said path of movement and a locked position out of said path of movement when the disk is fully inserted in said disk drive assembly, a bar portion carried on an end of said ejector, and torsion means resiliently urging said ejector into said unlocked position when it is not in said locked position for ejecting the disk along said path of movement out of said disk drive assembly and pivotally returning said foot portion into said path of movement so as to be engageable with the leading edge of a disk; a locking body comprising a projection for locking said ejector in said locked position, said ejector having an engaging portion adapted to ride over and be retained by said projection when said foot portion of said ejector is engaged by the leading edge of a disk fully inserted in said disk drive assembly, wherein said torsion means biases said ejector toward said base and said engaging portion includes a hole in said ejector into which said projection is retained when said ejector is in said locked position; and a lock release member mounted on said frame member at the rear portion of said disk drive assembly and engageable with said bar portion of said ejector in said locked position when said frame member is moved to said drive position, said ejector being releasable from said locked position toward said unlocked position when said frame member is moved from said drive position to said non-drive position by said lock release member lifting said engaging portion of said ejector over said projection.