Panasonic Assigned Two Patents

Information recording/reproduction device, cleaning tape, and optical pickup cleaning
Panasonic Corporation, Osaka, Japan, has been assigned a patent (8,897,112) developed by Natsui, Akinaga, Osaka, Japan, for a “information recording/reproduction device, cleaning tape, and optical pickup cleaning method “

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An information recording and reproduction device comprises an optical pickup that has an objective lens and records information to a tape-form medium or reproduces information from a tape-form medium using laser light; a tape threading component that allows the tape-form medium to be arranged opposite the objective lens; a controller that detects that the tape-form medium is a cleaning tape; a movement mechanism that operates so as to bring the tape-form medium and the objective lens into contact with each other, in response to the detection by the control unit; and a first drive mechanism that plays out the tape-form medium in a state in which the tape-form medium and the objective lens are in contact with each other. The information recording and reproduction device is capable of cleaning the optical pickup even with a tape-form medium.”

The patent application was filed on June 07, 2012 (14/131,638).

Optical disc device including carrier for holding optical discs in stacked state
Panasonic Corporation, Osaka, Japan, has been assigned a patent (8,898,684 ) developed by Kuze, Yuuichi, Osaka, Japan, Hagita, Hirokuni, Osaka, Japan, Tamaki, Daichi, Osaka, Japan, Yoshimi, Akihito, Osaka, Japan for a “optical disc device including a carrier for holding optical discs in a stacked state “.

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An optical disc device according to the present invention performs, in parallel, a first control to convey a first tray in the first optical disc drive group from the disc replacing position to the recording and reproducing position, and a second control to convey a second tray in the second optical disc drive group 40R from the recording and reproducing position to the disc replacing position. The second tray is opposed to the first tray. “

The patent application was filed on September 25, 3013 (14/036,141).