This invention relates to compact disc players, and more particularly to a securing a compact disc (CD) or discs in a compact disc player in a vehicle to protect against theft of the CD.
Compact disc players have become popular items to have in motor vehicles. On occasion, a CD or CDs will be left in the compact disc player when the vehicle is shut-off. This can make CDs left in the compact disc player more susceptible to theft, depending on where the compact disc player in mounted in the vehicle. Compact disc players are provided with eject switches which, when actuated, cause the CD(s) received in the compact disc player to be ejected. Consequently, if the compact disc player is mounted in a location where it may be readily accessible, such as in the dashboard of a vehicle left with unlocked doors or a convertible left with its top down, a thief can easily retrieve any CDs left in the compact disc player simply by actuating the eject switch. On the other hand, if the compact disc player is mounted in a relatively secure location in the vehicle, such as in the trunk of the vehicle, it is more difficult for a thief to get access to the compact disc player to retrieve any CDs left in it.
It is an objective of this invention to provide a security feature in a compact disc player that protects against the theft of CDs left in the compact disc player when the compact disc player is in an unsecure environment.
It is also an objective of this invention to provide a security feature in a compact disc player that is easily switched between an "on" state and an "off" in an authorized manner.
It is also an objective of this invention to implement the security feature in a manner that minimizes the additional costs to add it to existing compact disc player designs.
In accordance with this invention, a security feature that protects against theft of compact discs ("CDs") left in a compact disc player in a vehicle is implemented in a conventional compact disc player that has a CD insertion/ejection servo mechanism, a controller that controls the compact disc player including the insertion/ejection servo mechanism, and an eject switch coupled to the controller. The controller is configured so that it knows the state of the ignition switch, typically from a signal or data from a controller in the vehicle, such as a body controller, engine controller or transmission controller. The controller senses whether the eject switch is actuated when the ignition switch is turned from off to on. Each time that the controller senses that the eject switch is actuated when the ignition switch is turned from off to on, the controller transitions between a security off state and a security on state. When in the security on state, the controller responds to the eject switch being actuated to cause the insertion/ejection servo mechanism to move to the eject position to eject a CD held in the insertion/ejection servo mechanism only if the ignition switch is also on. When in the security off state, the controller will cause the insertion/ejection servo mechanism to move to the eject position to eject a CD when the eject switch is actuated regardless of whether the ignition switch is on or off.