1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to storage system for discs.
2. Description of Prior Art
Compact discs for use in music centres players have been known for many years and represented, and when first produced, not only enhanced quality of recording, but also provided a medium less prone to damage. The audio signals recorded on compact discs are in digital form, which enabled the compact disc to evolve into varieties of digital data storage media such as CD ROM, video CD, etc. Significantly more audio, video, and other data could be stored in less space. Even so, efforts have been made to reduce the overall space required by packing discs into small protective containers and more recently providing large storage units that store the discs without a need for individual containers or protective boxes. Common or larger storage units were developed to enable discs to be automatically loaded as may be required for continuous playing in a public place or in a motor vehicle without supervision or man-handling, for example. These developments have lead to storage units, that may require some man-handling, but where tens or hundreds of discs can be stored for use at a point-of-need. While large storage units have clear attractions they suffer from a major disadvantage, apart from the difficulty in logging their location in the store, because the discs cannot be visually identified. In some cases, the disc may carry or be marked with visual identifying information but such markings are not visible from outside the storage unit. This problem has meant that large storage units are not popular or practical, or the sizes of the storage units have been kept relatively small. The same observations apply to storage units for floppy discs, digital versatile discs, mini discs, and the like, and the present invention is applicable to all such discs as well as compact discs.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reduce this problem.
According to the invention there is provided a disc storage system comprising an automated disc storage unit capable of storing a large number of discs in respective individual slots and means for detecting the presence of a disc in each slot and means for transmitting the result of disc detection to an external computer and means for selectively ejecting each disc under the control of an external signal, a disc players a storage system computer programmed to operate the disc player and to accept the disc detection result signals transmitted by the disc storage unit and to provide the external signals for the storage unit, and a non-volatile memory controlled by the computer for storing identifying information of each disc and a slot location where each disc is inserted.
The computer may be programmed to monitor the disc detection result signal transmitted by the disc storage unit for keeping a record of the location of each disc.
The computer may be programmed to provide the said external signals.
The disc player may comprise a disc player conventionally provided in a personal computer for other normal usage, and in which the non-volatile memory is part of a memory of the personal computer.
The disc storage unit may comprise a slotted plastic frame for receiving a disc in each slot and includes a sheet of protective material that surrounds each disc in the slot.
A disc sensor may be included that comprises a plurality of mechanical springs, one for each disc, arranged to mechanically bias the discs into slots in the disc storage unit, and electrical circuit means for sensing the relative position of each spring.
A fixed electrode for each spring may be provided, in which the electronic circuit responds to a capacitive coupling between each spring and a corresponding electrode which significantly increases in value due to a disc in the slot pressing the spring to adjacent the electrode.
The disc storage system may include two or more disc storage units connected in cascade to form a larger capacity storage unit.
Multiple disc storage units of the present invention can store a large number of discs in a small volume by containing only the discs without their normal individual protection boxes. The units also have sensors and electromechanical mechanisms inside so that the insertion and retrieval of every disc can be kept track of and controlled by a disc management software programme. More than one multiple disc storage units can be cascaded together electrically to form a larger unit to store more discs.
The identification information of the discs can be stored electronically in non-volatile memory means in the form of database records, instead of in conventionally printed records kept in the disc protection boxes. The identification information of a disc is a small subset of the digital data recorded on the disc. The information is read from the disc by the disc management software during the disc management process through the disc player. The user can also add additional particular information such as price, date of purchase, graphics, icons, etc., to the disc records.
The disc management software keeps track of the storing/retrieval of every disc, such information updating the corresponding disc records, and provides an interface to the user with advanced disc management functions such as automatic disc searching, categorizing, sorting, disc information browsing/listing/printing, etc. Even though physically hundreds of different kinds of discs may be mixed together and stored randomly inside the multiple disc storage units, the disc management software can provide a neatly categorized and sorted view of the disc records to the user.