TITLE
MEDIA PLAYER FACING
This invention relates to media player facing, and more specifically to a facade for
a drawer in a disc media player.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A typical media player, such as a compact disc player or a DVD player, includes a
5 visible mechanical sliding drawer for loading at least one disc. When the drawer is in a
closed position the front of the drawer remains visible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an important object to provide a facade for a media player.
According to an aspect of the invention, a facade for a media player has a device
10 I~ousing,h aving an outer surface with a first opening and a second opening; said I~ousing
f~irtherh aving a faceplate, fonned to create a substantially continuous surface with said
I~ousing,a drawer, configured to receive media, and n~ovableth rough said first opening
illto said device ho~ising, said drawer further being movable between a closed position
and an open position, with a base plate connected to one end of said drawer and a spring
15 colnprised of a coil portion and at least one ann, said at least one am1 coupled to said
base plate, with a facade, having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surface
coupled to said coil portion, wherein the relative distance of said inner surface of said
facade and said one end of said drawer is greater in said closed position tllan in said open
position, and wherein, in the closed position, said outer surface of said facade and said
20 outer surface of said device housing are aligned so that said facade outer surface and said
device I~ousingo uter surface appear substantially continuous.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the
following descl-iption when read in collnection with the acco~npanyingd rawing in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
25 FIG. 1 shows a media drawer in an open position with a con~plianft acade;
FIG. 2 sl~owtsh e media drawer in a closed position;
FIG. 3A depicts a cutaway view of a compliance;
FIG. 3B shows another view of a con~pliance;
FIG. 3C sllows a simplified, exploded view of components of a compliances; and
FIG. 4 shows a media drawer wit11 facade removed to illustrate a manual release.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. I, co~npliant facade 10 includes a housing 18 having an outer
surface with at least one opening 20. Drawer 16 may be configured to receive media, and
may be slidable through opening 20 into housing 18. Drawer 16 is ~novableb etween a
closed position, shown in FIG. 2, and an open position, shown in FIG. 1. Facade 14 has
an inner surface and an outer surface. Housing 18 may include faceplate 24, which may
cover a display, and recess 28.
Compliance 22 aligns the inner surface of facade 14 with one end of drawer 16,
such that the relative distance of the inner surface of facade 14 and said one end of
drawer 16 is greater in the closed position than in the open position. When drawer 16 is
in the closed position, the inner surface of facade 14 ]nay seat in recess 28, and the outer
surface of facade 14 may be aligned with faceplate 24 so that the outer surface of facade
14 and faceplate 24 appears as one continuous surface.
Refe'erring to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, compliance 22 may colnprise base plate 36
and spring 34, which couples facade 14 to one end of base plate 36, while another end of
base plate 36 connects to one end of drawer 16. Spring 34 colnprises a coil portion 37
having al-nls 38 and 40 extending therefrom. Support member 42 may be molded on the
inner surface of facade 14. Support member 42 ]nay capture and support coil portion 37
for securing spring 34 to facade 14. Anns 38 and 40 connect with molded supports 44
and 46, which ]nay be molded on the inside surface of base plate 36. The ends of arms
38 and 40 may be captured by molded supports 44 and 46 to couple spring 34 to base
plate 36. At least one portion of the inner surface of base plate 36 may mate with
protrusions 48, which Inay serve to guide the nlotion of base plate 36 in an axis generally
pelpendicular to the orientation of facade 14 and to linlit nlotion in other axes. The inner
surface of facade 14 may also have at least one guide menlber 32, which may align with
2
at least one correspondi~lgg uide slot 30 in recess 28 to facilitate the alignlnent of facade
14 when drawer 16 lnoves into the closed position.
As drawer 16 lnoves between an open position and a closed position, the relative
distance between facade 14 and the end of drawer 16 coupled to base plate 36 may
5 change. As drawer 16 moves into the closed position, facade 14 seats in recess 28,
allowing the outer surface of facade 14 to align with faceplate 24. The inner surface of
facade 14 nlay remain in recess 28 while drawel- 16 continues deeper into housing 18,
1110ving co1113ected base plate 36 along the axis of motion of drawer 16, which remains
coupled to facade 14 by the spring force of spring 34. The relative distance of the inner
10 surface of facade 14 and the end of drawer 16 is thus greater in the closed position than in
the open position.
Typically drawer 16 opens and closes by a lnotorized drive. However, referring
to FIG. 4, housing 18 may further include a release pin 52 positioned behind facade 14 to
pennit a user to manually eject drawer 16 should the nlotorized ejection mechanism of
15 drawer I6 fail. Release pin 52 may be positioned behind facade 14 to preserve the
aesthetic appearance of facade 14, with one end of release pin 52 in conllnunication with
djsc jlledia drive 12 such that actuating release pin 52 causes drawer 16 to open. Housing
I8 may have a second opening 54 in housing 18 to pernlit access to release pin 52.
Release pin 52 may be actuated with a tool 56 inserted into second opening 54, which
20 may be any tool, pin, rod, or other device or element capable of reaching and actuating
release pin 52. Release pin 52 nlay have a portion forn~edt o receive such a tool, such as
a looped portion, to pennit actuation. Housi~~Ig8 may further have a support to support
release pin 52, and to maintain it in an orientation permitting actuation.
It is evident that those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses and
25 nlodifications of and departures fi-om the apparatus and teclmiques herein disclosed
without departing fi-om the inventive concepts. Consequently, the invention is to be
construed as embracing each and every novel feature and novel conlbination of features
present in or possessed by the apparatus and techniques herein disclosed and limited
solely by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
30 What is claimed is:
-02 103-62500 1 / AABOS W59 @
a spring in communication with said base plate and coupled to said facade to
establish said inner surface of said facade and said one end of said drawer to be greater in
said closed position than in said open position.
6. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said spring
further comprises:
a coil portion coupled to said facade; and
at least one am1 portion extending fro111 said coil portion;
said at least one ann portion in communication wit11 said base plate.
7. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with clainl 1 fur fuYr I- c'om prising, a release pin in communication with said drawer to permit said drawer to be
opened mai~uallyw hen said release pin is actuated.
8. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with claini 1 further comprising,
a release pin in comn1unication with said drawer having an elenlent fom~ed to
acco~nmodatea tool to pennit the actuation of said release pin.
9. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with clainl 8 f~irtherc omprising,
2 a release pin support constnicted and arranged to maintain said element in an
3 orientation pen~littings aid element to accomnlodate said tool.
qIbi $ ~ e d ipala yer facing apparatus coniprising, U
2 a device housing having an outer surface with a first opening and a second
3 opening;
4 said housing further having a faceplate constructed and arranged to create a
' ,< 5 substantially continuous surface with said housing; ' 6 a drawer constructed and arranged to receive niedia and iiiovable through said
C
; L
L 7 first opening into said device housing between a closed position and an open position;
' 8 a base plate connected to one end of said drawer;
9 a spring having a coil portion and at least one am;
10 said at least one arni coupled to said base plate;
11 a facade having an inner surface coupled to said coil portion and an outer surface,

CLAIMS
I . Media player facing apparatus comprising:
a device housing having an outer surface with at least one opening;
a drawer configured to receive media and n~ovablet l~rougls~a id at least one
opening into said housing;
said drawer being ~novableb etween a closed position and an open position;
a facade having an inner surface and at1 outer surface; and
a compliance for coupling said inner surface of sajd facade with one end of said
drawer constructed and arranged to establish the relative distance of said inner surface of
saidfacade and said one end of said drawer to be greater in said closed position than in
said open posjtion.
2. Media player facing apparatus in accol-dance with claim 1 wherein said outer
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surface of said device housing is const~ucted and al-ranged to establish said outer surface
of said facade to be substantially aligned wit11 said media player outer surface when said
drawer in is in said closed position.
3. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein when said
drawel- is in said closed position, said outer surface of said facade and said outer surface
of said device llousing are aligned so that said facade outer surface and said device
ho~~sinogut er surface are substantially continuous.
4. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said inner
surface of said facade f F coiaprises at least L---- one guide member;
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and wherein said outer surface of said device housing fuither co~nprisesa t least
one guide slot con-esponding to said at least one guide member so that when said facade
is j11 sajd closed position said at least one guide member mates with said at least one
guide slot.
5. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with clain~ 1 wherein said
complia~~fcuer ther comprises:
a base plate coupled to one end of said drawer; and
4
-
12 ( /"
said apparatus constructed and alranged so that the relative distance between said
13 inner surface of said facade and said one end of said drawer is greater in said closed
14 1 position than in said open position and in the closed position said outer surface of said
15 facade and said outer s~ufaceo f said device 11ousi11ga re aligned so that said facade outer
16 surface and said device housing outer surface are substantially continuous.
I 1 1. Media player facing apparatus in accordallce with claim 10 furtl~erc onlprising,
1 a release pin in colnmunication wit11 said drawer to pelnit said drawer to be
3 opened ~nanuallyw hen said release pin is actuated.
L$
'3
I 12. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with clainl 10 further comprising,
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2 a release pin, in comlnunication with said drawer having an element formed to
3 accomlnodate a tool to p e r ~ ~th~ei atc tuation of said release pin.
I 13. Media player facing apparatus in accordance with claim 12 further comprising,
2 I a dease pin support constn~cted and an-anged to maintain said element in an
3 ' o~ientationp ermitting said element to acconmlodate said tool.