Apparatus for loading and unloading record disc player

Claim 2

A record disc player apparatus comprising: front loading means including a drawer supported for in-and-out substantially horizontal movement between an external loading/unloading position, wherein a front portion of said drawer projects externally of said apparatus, and an internal operating position; and support means carried by said drawer and engageable with a record disc on said drawer for raising and tilting the record disc into an inclined position with a major surface of the record disc facing upwardly and toward the front portion of said drawer when said drawer is in the loading/unloading position, and for lowering the record disc into a substantially horizontal position before said drawer is moved into the internal operating position.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 including a housing having a front panel with an opening and wherein said drawer is supported for in-and-out movement through the opening in said front panel and including: actuating means acting to raise said support means on said drawer to tilt a record disc from a substantially horizontal position as an incident to out movement of said drawer from the operating position to raise the record disc to an inclined position where a portion of the record disc is above the opening after the portion clears the opening.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1 including actuating means acting to raise said support means on said drawer to tilt a record disc as an incident to out movement of said drawer toward the loading/unloading position from the operating position so as to present the record disc to a user in an inclined position which facilitates the user gripping the record disc, and acting to lower said support means to lower the record disc into a substantially horizontal position as an incident to in movement of said drawer from said loading/unloading position.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to in claim 3 wherein said drawer includes vertically movable members to raise and lower a record disc in a horizontal plane for loading a record disc onto a turntable, and said support means tilts a record disc into an inclined position from and lowers a record disc onto said movable support members.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said support means comprises a pivotally mounted support and said actuating means acts to pivot said support and raise and lower the record disc between the inclined and substantially horizontal positions as an incident to in-and-out movement of said drawer.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said actuating means includes a slide carried by said drawer and having a first stop engageable with a fixed member of said apparatus upon movement of said drawer toward the loading/unloading position, and a second stop operatively engageable with said support for raising said support upon such relative movement of said drawer.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said slide has slots cooperating with studs carried by said drawer in such a manner that said slide does not prevent said drawer from moving to the loading/unloading position when said first stop engages said fixed element in the course of movement of said drawer to the loading/unloading position.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said first and second stops are spaced and arranged to cause said support to pivot and raise the record disc to an inclined position with a portion of the record disc above the opening after the portion has cleared the opening.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 6 including resilient means acting to pivot said support to lower the record disc upon movement of said drawer to the operating position in a loading operation.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 5 including a drive mechanism for displacing said drawer in its in-and-out movement including a control member movable relative to said drawer to a limited extent and connected to pivot said support during such limited relative movement.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said control member is connected rigidly to said drawer for a major portion of its travel corresponding to normal translation of said drawer in loading and unloading operations and released from said drawer during an extended portion of its travel toward the loading/unloading position for relative movement to cause the pivoting of the support.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 11 including a loading and unloading mechanism having a pinion, and wherein said control member comprises a slide mounted for longitudinal displacement on a lateral wall of said drawer, said slide carrying a rack driven by said pinion of said loading and unloading mechanism.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 12 including locking means ensuring that movement of said drawer produces movement of said slide during the normal translation of said drawer.

Claim 15

An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said locking means comprises a lever pivotally mounted on said drawer, a pin carried by said lever, and resilient means acting on said lever to push said pin into a recess provided in said slide during the normal translation of said drawer.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said lever carries a stud, means providing a cut-out portion in the form of a fixed ramp in which said stud is received in such a manner as to cause said lever to pivot and to disengage said pin to disconnect said slide from said drawer.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said locking means is carried by said apparatus and retains said drawer in a loading/unloading position until said slide is moved and said pin is pushed into said recess in the course of a following loading operation.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said support is pivotally mounted on said drawer and includes a stud, and said control member cooperates with said stud to pivot and raise and lower said support upon movement of said control member relative to said drawer.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said control member includes a ramp.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said control member includes a link.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 2, said apparatus having a turntable with a centering spindle, and including means for tilting the record disc to a slightly inclined intermediate position as an incident to in movement of said drawer in which intermediate position the record disc will pass through the opening of the front panel without hitting the housing, for lowering the record disc from the intermediate position into an extreme lowered horizontal position when the record disc is placed in the operating position on the turntable, and for raising the record disc to the intermediate position as an incident to out movement of the drawer to avoid hitting the housing when the record disc is unloaded.

Claim 22

A record disc player apparatus comprising: front loading means including a drawer supported for in-and-out substantially horizontal movement between an external loading/unloading position, wherein a front portion of said drawer projects externally of said apparatus, and an internal operating position; support means carried by said drawer and engageable with a record disc on said drawer for raising and tilting the record disc into an inclined position with a major surface of the record disc facing upwardly and toward the front portion of said drawer when said drawer is in the loading/unloading position, and for lowering the record disc into a substantially horizontal position before said drawer is moved into the internal operating position; and actuating means connected to said drawer for limited relative movement and for joint movement, being operable during joint movement to move said drawer in-and-out of said apparatus and during relative movement to lower and raise said support means on said drawer to lower and raise a record disc between a tilted position and a substantially horizontal position.

Claim 23

A record disc player apparatus comprising: front loading means including a drawer supported for in-and-out substantially horizontal movement between an external loading/unloading position, wherein a front portion of said drawer projects externally of said apparatus, and an internal operating position; support means carried by said drawer and engageable with a record disc on said drawer for raising and tilting the record disc into an inclined position with a major surface of the record disc facing upwardly and toward the front portion of said drawer when said drawer is in the loading/unloading position, and for lowering the record disc into a substantially horizontal position before said drawer is moved into the internal operating position; and actuating means connected to said drawer for limited relative movement and for joint movement, being operable during joint movement to move said drawer in-and-out of said apparatus and during relative movement to lower and raise said support means on said drawer to lower and raise a record disc between a tilted position and a substantially horizontal position.