U.S. patent application number 09/975745 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-20 for method and apparatus for repairing the surface of a compact disc.
Invention is credited to Stegner, Roy L..
Application Number | 20020077038 09/975745 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26932527 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020077038 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stegner, Roy L. |
June 20, 2002 |
Method and apparatus for repairing the surface of a compact
disc
Abstract
A method and system for repairing a play surface of a compact
disc. The system comprises a rotary drill, an attachment for
removably engaging a compact disk thereto such that the play
surface is exposed and at least one abrasive substance. The compact
disc is rotated at a predetermined rotational rate whereupon the at
least one abrasive substance is uniformly applied to the play
surface. Additionally at least one polish may be uniformly applied
to the play surface while the compact disc is rotating at the
predetermined rotational rate.
Inventors: |
Stegner, Roy L.; (Forest
Lake, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
VIDAS, ARRETT & STEINKRAUS, P.A.
6109 BLUE CIRCLE DRIVE
SUITE 2000
MINNETONKA
MN
55343-9185
US
|
Family ID: |
26932527 |
Appl. No.: |
09/975745 |
Filed: |
October 10, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60239388 |
Oct 11, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
451/41 ;
G9B/23.098 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 23/505
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
451/41 |
International
Class: |
B24B 001/00 |
Claims
1. A method for repairing a play surface of a compact disc
comprising the steps of: providing a rotary drill having a
rotational surface thereon; removably engaging a compact disk to
the rotational surface such that the play surface of the compact
disk is exposed; rotating the rotational surface and the compact
disk at a predetermined rotational rate; and applying at least one
abrasive substance uniformly to the play surface while the compact
disk is rotating at the predetermined rotational rate.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of applying a
polish uniformly to the play surface while the compact disc is
rotating at the predetermined rotational rate.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined rotational rate
is less than about 2500 rpm.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined rotational rate
is greater than about 800 rpm.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance and the polish are applied simultaneously.
6. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance and the polish are in combination.
7. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance and the polish are applied to the play surface with a
cloth.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the cloth is manufactured from
100% cotton.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the cloth is pressed against the
play surface while the compact disc is rotated and the
predetermined rotational rate, thereby causing the play surface to
increase in temperature.
10. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance is a first abrasive substance and a second abrasive
substance, the first abrasive substance being sand paper, the
second abrasive being a liquid abrasive.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the sand paper has a grit of
about 400 to about 1200.
12. the method of claim 2 wherein the polish further comprises a
wax.
13. An apparatus for repairing a play surface of a compact disc,
the apparatus comprising: a rotary drill, the rotary drill having
at least one attachment, the at least one attachment having a
surface constructed and arranged to removably receive a compact
disk thereon.
14. An system for repairing a play surface of a compact disc, the
system comprising: a rotary drill for rotating a compact disk at a
predetermined rotation rate, the rotary drill having at least one
attachment, the at least one attachment having a rotational surface
constructed and arranged to removably receive the compact disk
thereon such that the play surface of the compact disk is exposed;
at least one abrasive substance, the at least one abrasive
substance constructed and arranged to be applied uniformly to the
play surface when the compact disk is rotated at the predetermined
rotational rate.
15. The system of claim 14 further comprising at least one
polishing substance, the at least one polishing substance
constructed and arranged to be applied uniformly to the play
surface when the compact disk is rotated at the predetermined
rotational rate.
16. The system of claim 14 wherein the predetermined rotational
rate is less than about 2500 rpm.
17. The system of claim 14 wherein the predetermined rotational
rate is greater than about 800 rpm.
18. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance and the at least one polishing substance are applied to
the play surface simultaneously.
19. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance and the at least one polishing substance are applied to
the play surface sequentially.
20. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one abrasive
substance is a first abrasive substance and a second abrasive
substance, the first abrasive substance being sand paper, the
second abrasive being a liquid abrasive.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. provisional
application No. 60/239,388, filed Oct. 11, 2000, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] Optically-read digital storage and play-back media, such as
laser disks, compact audio disks, digital video disks, CD-ROMS
(read only memory), and others, hereinafter cumulatively referred
to as compact disks (CDs), are essentially various layers of
plastic covering which protect a reflective foil coating. The foil
coating may be configured to store a wide variety and quantity of
digital information which may be optically read through the use of
laser light.
[0005] Protecting the information containing foil is one or more
layers of protective plastic, such as polycarbonate, through which
the laser is passed in order to read the information stored on the
foil.
[0006] As is well known to anyone who has used CDs, the play
surface of the protective plastic layer is relatively easy to
scratch or otherwise mar through routine handling and use. Quite
often a scratch or other surface impairment may prevent proper
laser transmission and/or reflection thereby resulting in the
inability to read the CD or which ay cause improper retrieval of
information from the CD.
[0007] The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus
for rendering a D which has been rendered unreadable or only
partially readable due to the presence of one or more surface
imperfections on the play surface, readable by repairing and/or
polishing the play surface of the CD. More specifically, the
present invention is directed to a method of repairing the play
surface of a CD wherein a specialized CD mounting attachment is
used to removably secure the CD to an electric rotary drill or
similar device, which in turn rotates the CD at high speed,
whereupon a polishing and/or filling agent may be applied to the CD
surface with a soft material.
[0008] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0009] Numerous apparatus and methods exist for repairing damaged
play surfaces of CDs. For Example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,510; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,733,179; U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,343 and U.S. Pat. No.
4,179,852 all disclose various apparatus and methods for cleaning
and/or reconditioning CDs. All of the aforementioned references
share a common drawback in that they all describe fairly complex
stand alone devices which the average consumer would be unlikely to
purchase or have access to. The devices described each require that
a CD be inserted into the device whereupon the respective devices
modify the play surface of the CD in accordance with their various
disclosures.
[0010] Another prior art method is described in U.S. Pat. No.
6,099,388. The '388 reference describes a method for repairing a CD
which utilizes one or a series of progressively abrasive means to
selectively abrade the area of the CD surface around the cite of a
scratch. A drawback to such progressive abrasion is that it may be
labor intensive in that abrading only a portion of the CD may
require fine manipulation of the CD and the abrasion means.
[0011] The present invention overcomes the shortcomings described
above by providing a inexpensive and readily obtainable system for
repairing CD's which abrades and polishes the entire CD play
surface, which may also fills in scratches on the play surface
thereby restoring the readability of the CD.
[0012] The entire content of all patents listed within the present
patent application re incorporated in their entireties herein by
reference.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention may be directed to numerous
embodiments. In at least one embodiment the invention provides for
a method of repairing and/or polishing a CD by removably engaging a
CD, which has its play surface exposed, onto a specialized adhesive
mounting surface which is in turn engaged to an electric rotary
drill. The drill is used to rotate or spin the CD at relatively
high rotational speed. As the CD is spun, an abrasive liquid and/or
polish is applied to the play surface by application of a cloth or
other application means. The cloth has the abrasive liquid and/or
polish thereon. The cloth is pressed against the play surface as
the CD rotates, to ensure uniform application of the abrasive
and/or polish to the play surface.
[0014] The high speed rotation of the CD and the contact of the
cloth thereagainst provide a heating and buffing action to the CD
surface which helps to provide the desired uniform abrasion and
filling in of any scratches on the play surface.
[0015] In at least one alternative embodiment of the invention an
abrasive paper or other material may be applied to the CD play face
prior to the application of the liquid abrasive.
[0016] In at least one embodiment of the invention the abrasive
paper has a grit of approximately 400 or higher.
[0017] In at least one embodiment of the invention the abrasive
liquid and polish are combined together.
[0018] In at least one embodiment of the invention multiple
abrasive materials are subsequently applied to the play surface.
For example a first material may be applied to the rotating play
surface, wherein the first abrasive material is approximately 400
grit or more. Subsequent applications of abrasive materials having
a finer grain, for example 1200 grit.
[0019] In at least one embodiment of the invention, a suitable
polish may be applied to the CD play surface subsequent to the
application of the abrasive material.
[0020] In at least one embodiment of the invention a wax is applied
to the CD play surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] A detailed description of the invention is hereafter
described with specific reference being made to the drawings in
which:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective partially exploded view of an
embodiment of the components of the inventive system; and
[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a compact disk shown after
treatment with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] While this invention may be embodied in many different
forms, there are described in detail herein specific preferred
embodiments of the invention. This description is an
exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not
intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments
illustrated.
[0025] As may be seen in FIG. 1, the present invention may have a
number of components which when combined provide for the unique
system and method of repairing scratched CDs as discussed above.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the CD repairing system, indicated
generally at reference numeral 10, which includes as its primary
components a drill 12, an attachment tool 14, an application cloth
18 and an abrasive/polishing liquid 20. When these and other
optional components are combined and used in the manner described
herein the system 10 provides a consumer with a unique, low cost
alternative to existing CD repair methods and devices.
[0026] The drill 12 may be a household or professional grade,
single speed or variable speed electric drill. Other devices may be
substituted for the drill such as a DREMEL.TM. or other device
capable of providing high speed rotation.
[0027] The attachment tool 14, is a substantially disk shaped
attachment which may be engaged to the drill to provide a surface
upon which a CD 22 may be removably engaged thereto. An example of
the attachment tool 14 is product referred to as a universal
back-up pad available from the Ace Hardware Corporation. The
attachment tool may be provided with a number of shapes and sizes.
Preferably the tool 14 has substantially the same or somewhat
greater diameter than the diameter of the CD 22. In the embodiment
shown, the attachment tool 14 is engaged to the drill by a bit 24
having a substantially hollow threaded inner portion 26. A threaded
screw 28 is passed through a first support washer 30, through a
central opening 31 in the tool 14, through a second support washer
32 and finally threaded and engaged into portion 26 of the bit 24.
Numerous alternatives of the tool 14 exist. Such alternatives may
include single piece disk and bit assemblies or other types of
assemblies. Such assemblies may be readily substituted for the
attachment tool presently shown.
[0028] In at least one embodiment of the invention, the attachment
tool 14 includes a mounting surface 34 which may be characterized
as having adhesive qualities, or which may have an adhesive applied
thereto. The adhesive or adhesive quality of the mounting surface
34 must be such that when a CD 22 is adhesively engaged to the
mounting surface 34 it may be removed from the mounting surface 34
without causing damage to the CD 22 which is removably engaged
thereto. Preferably, no adhesive residue will remain on a CD
subsequently removed from the mounting surface 34.
[0029] Alternatively, the mounting surface 34 does not include an
adhesive. In such an embodiment an alternative means of removably
mounting the CD 22 to the mounting surface 34 may be provided by
positioning the CD 22 between the first support washer 30 and the
mounting surface 34. In such an embodiment the screw 28 is
initially passed through the washer 30 then through the open center
36 of the CD 22, then through the remaining portions of the tool 14
and associated components as previously described.
[0030] Once the CD 22 is engaged to the mounting surface 34, the
drill 12 may be "turned on" so that the CD 22 is rotated at a high
speed. The drill 12 should rotate the CD 22 at a rate between
approximately 800 and 2500 rpm. However, it should be noted that
other speeds may be used, though repair results to the CD may
vary.
[0031] Once the CD 22 is being rotated at the desired speed, an
application means such as a cloth 18 may be applied to the rotating
play face 42 of the CD 22. If the play face 42 has fairly deep
scratches, such as are indicated by reference numeral 44, an
abrasive substance 20 is applied to the play face. If the
scratch(es) 44 are particularly deep it may be desirable to first
apply sandpaper 50 of 400 grit or more to the play face 42 in order
to reduce the thickness of the play face 42 so that the scratch may
be more readily abraded by an abrasive substance 20.
[0032] Preferably the abrasive substance 20 is a commercially
available liquid abrasive/polish suitable for use on plastics. An
example of such a liquid is available form the 3M Corporation, sold
under the name 3M One Step Cleaner Wax. Other substances or
combinations of substances which may be used as the abrasive
substance 20 include, waxes, polishes and cleaners. It should also
be noted that multiple applications of one or more substance may be
made to the play face 42. For example, where scratches are
particularly deep an abrasive compound such as 3M Heavy Cut
Polishing Compound may be applied to the play surface 42, followed
by one or more additional abrasives, polishes or cleaners.
[0033] As indicated, an abrasive, polish, cleaner and/or other
substance as well as combinations and subsequent applications are
represented by substance 20, which in all cases is applied to the
play surface of the rotating CD 22 with an application means such
as cloth 18. The cloth 18 is preferably composed of 100 percent
cotton, though other materials may be used. The user, indicated
generally at reference numeral 48, presses the cloth 18 and
associated substance 20 against the rotating play face 42.
Preferably the user 48 applies a uniform pressure to the CD 22. The
pressure supplied by the user 48 provides a frictional interaction
between the cloth 18 and the play surface 42 which may cause the
play surface to heat up. The heating of the play surface 42, helps
to more readily abrade material off of the play surface 42,
especially those portions of the surface which comprise the
scratches 44.
[0034] In addition to abrading material of the play face 42 in
order to reduce scratch 44 depth, where the substance 20 includes
or is a polish, the polish will fill in the remaining depth of the
scratch to provide a CD 22 with a play surface 42 which is
substantially unimpaired such as may be seen in FIG. 2.
[0035] In addition to being directed to the specific combinations
of features claimed below, the invention is also directed to
embodiments having other combinations of the dependent features
claimed below and other combinations of the features described
above.
[0036] The above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not
exhaustive. This description will suggest many variations and
alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art. All these
alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the
scope of the claims where the term "comprising" means "including,
but not limited to". Those familiar with the art may recognize
other equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein
which equivalents are also intended to be encompassed by the
claims.
[0037] Further, the particular features presented in the dependent
claims can be combined with each other in other manners within the
scope of the invention such that the invention should be recognized
as also specifically directed to other embodiments having any other
possible combination of the features of the dependent claims. For
instance, for purposes of claim publication, any dependent claim
which follows should be taken as alternatively written in a
multiple dependent form from all prior claims which possess all
antecedents referenced in such dependent claim if such multiple
dependent format is an accepted format within the jurisdiction
(e.g. each claim depending directly from claim 1 should be
alternatively taken as depending from all previous claims). In
jurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are
restricted, the following dependent claims should each be also
taken as alternatively written in each singly dependent claim
format which creates a dependency from a prior
antecedent-possessing claim other than the specific claim listed in
such dependent claim below.
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