Exabyte Corporation

Storage Technology Corporation

Quantum Corporation

Evenflo Company, Inc.

Brian P Egan

Robert Edwin Schneider

John D Miller

Lynn C Jacobs

John F Ellis

David W Kraft

David G Cole

Christian Allen Todd

John C Owens

William C Dodt

William B Stephens

Jerry L Donze

Steve W Small

Ralph Leon Butts

Everette C Van Wert

Paul A Pedri

Donald R Schenck

Steve Stearns

Tape drive systems and methods for operating tape drive systems are provided. The system includes a head assembly having a head element for reading or writing data to a magnetic tape medium, and a pressure sensor coupled to the head element, the pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure signal representative of a pressure applied by the head element onto the pressure sensor. In some embodiments, an accelerometer is provided for sensing an acceleration of the head assembly and for generating a acceleration signal representative of an acceleration experienced by the head assembly. The method includes passing a tape medium between a take-up reel and a supply reel such that a tension in the tape medium causes the tape medium to apply a pressure onto a head element, and using a pressure sensor to detect a pressure applied by the head element onto the pressure sensor.

Tension feedback system for a tape drive

An automated cartridge library has an essentially rectangular library frame which includes a frame front wall ( ) and a frame back wall ( ), and a library door ( ) provided on the frame front wall. A transport actuator and guide region ( ) is provided within the frame, the transport actuator and guide region including both a guideway along which a cartridge transport assembly ( ) reciprocates and an actuator ( ) which causes the cartridge transport assembly to rotate from a first transport position to a second transport position. A library front section includes a cartridge magazine cavity ( ) and a entry/exit port module ( ). A library rear section includes a region for tape drives ( ) and an auxiliary cartridge magazine ( ). Cartridge magazines ( ) are insertable into the cartridge magazine cavity when the library door is opened so that a reference surface of the cartridges face the transport actuator and guide region.

Cartridge library

A robotic cartridge picker ( ) for a cartridge library ( ) has picker fingers ( ) for selecting engaging and disengaging a media cartridge ( ), and an electronic device ( ) carried thereon. A ribbon cable ( ) supplies at least one of power and an electrical signal to the electronic device. The robotic picker is rotatably mounted on a mounting block ( ). The mounting block has a chamber ( ) wherein a portion of the ribbon cable is carried in a variable coiled configuration to accommodate rotation of the robot about an axis ( ). The variable coiled configuration facilitates the ribbon cable having a first degree of coiling when the picker robot rotates to a first position and a second degree of coiling when the picker robot rotates to a second position.

Cartridge picker robot with ribbon cable for cartridge library

The tape drive control unit administers both computer data and video data that is stored on the same type of data storage media. This is accomplished by determining, when a magnetic tape is mounted in the tape drive, the format that is used to store the data on the magnetic tape media. In the case of video data, the data is directly written on to the magnetic tape media, while for computer data, a header is interposed between a leader portion of the magnetic tape on the 3480-type magnetic tape cartridge and the remainder of the magnetic tape contained therein.

Method and apparatus for automatically activating a one of video data channel and a computer data channel in a tape drive in response to detection of the nature of the data recorded on a magnetic tape loaded in the tape drive

A cartridge library comprises plural cells for accommodating therein a cartridge of information storage media and a tape drive which transduces information relative when a cartridge is loaded into the drive. A cartridge loader (also known as the cartridge transport assembly) is mounted to the drive assembly for picking a selected cartridge from one of the cells and for inserting the selected cartridge into a cartridge slot in the drive. The drive assembly is stationary but the cartridge loader is pivotal about the drive assembly, and particularly about a pivot axis which is parallel to a center line of the data cartridge when the data cartridge is inserted into the drive assembly. The drive assembly includes a toothed transport track engageable by the cartridge transport assembly for incremental pivotal motion of the cartridge transport assembly about the pivot axis. The library also has a wall connected to the library frame, the wall having a series of windows formed in predetermined relationship with the cells of the magazine. The windows are used to detect a status (e.g., presence, absence, misinsertion) of the data cartridge in the magazine. In addition, the series of windows are employed for detecting a position of the cartridge transport assembly about the pivot axis. The cartridge transport assembly comprises a carriage first section and a carriage second section which is translatable relative to the carriage first section. A pair of cartridge engagement arms are mounted to the carriage second section for selectively partially inserting the data cartridge into the drive assembly. The cartridge transport assembly further includes a secondary cartridge contact member (forming part of a &ldquo;flipper assembly&rdquo;) which operates in response to movement of the engagement arm to moves the selected cartridge from partial insertion to full insertion into the drive. Also, the secondary cartridge contact member serves as a stop surface when the cartridge is ejected from the drive.

Data cartridge library having a pivoting cartridge transport

Data cartridge library having a pivoting cartridge transport and a cartridge status indicator

Data cartridge library with cartridge transport assembly

An automated library which handles cartridges of information storage media includes a magazine (40) which comprises a cartridge engaging member (1428) which deflects to preclude insertion of the magazine into a magazine cavity (840) in the library frame (36) when the cartridge is improperly inserted into the magazine. The magazine defines a cell for the cartridge and comprises a magazine wall (1420) from which cell partitions (1410) extend. The cartridge engaging member (1428) is a cantilevered arm having a distal end extending in a direction into which the cartridge is insertable into the cell, and has a cartridge engaging profile whereby, when a cartridge (C) is properly inserted into the cell, the cantilevered arm does not extend beyond a reference plane but when the cartridge is not properly inserted the cantilevered arm deflects beyond a reference plane. The magazine wall has an arcuate shape, and has plural cell partitions for defining plural cells, with mouths of the plural cells being angularly arranged about an axis (100). The magazine wall has spaced apart ribs (1460) with a cartridge window (1664) formed between adjacent ribs. In addition, the magazine wall has at least one handle fin (1470) extending therefrom. A trough (848) is formed at a first edge of the magazine-receiving aperture of the library frame accommodates a semi-cylindrical protrusion (1476) on the magazine. Upon insertion the semi-cylindrical protrusion pivots in the trough. The library frame has a lock (860) proximate the second edge of the magazine-receiving aperture for locking the magazine into the magazine-receiving aperture.

Tape cartridge magazine with structure to prevent improper loading of

An infant restraint system including an infant carrier, a base couplable to the infant carrier via an improved locking mechanism and having an improved recline mechanism. The infant restraint system further includes an improved handle and an improved belt system, the belt system having a mid-belt adjuster disposed in front of the infant when the infant is positioned in the infant restraint system.

Convertible infant carrier/restraint system

A pneumatic compliant tape guidance device for pneumatically applying a biasing load to a passing tape media. The tape guidance device includes at least one guide button and associated cylinder in which the guide button travels. It also includes a supply port which provides the input for a pressure and/or a vacuum to a pressurized chamber which couples the supply port with the cylinder. The guide button position and its applied pressure are controlled by a compressor which controls the amount of air pressure applied to the guide button through the supply port. The pneumatic compliant tape guidance applies pressure to the top edge or bottom edge of the tape media. The guide button may be configured to travel over a support tube which transfers the pressure/vacuum applied at the supply port to the guide button. The amount of pressure the guide button applies to the passing tape media is determined by the pressure/vacuum which is applied by a pneumatic source to the supply port. The pneumatic compliant tape guidance device enables the present invention to apply a predetermined pressure to the tape media, to change the amount of pressure quickly and easily, and can be used in multiple configurations to apply a specific customized pressure profile to a traveling tape.

Pneumatic compliant tape guidance device

Robot gripper jaw apparatus is disclosed that is suited for grasping a media cartridge in a robot-controlled media library, or for grasping other objects. The gripper jaw apparatus employs a novel circular cam which reduces the amount of torque required to operate the gripper jaws. This allows use of a relatively small servo motor. The use of a circular cam additionally decreases the overall size and complexity of the gripper apparatus as compared to conventional gripper mechanisms. The gripper apparatus provides for an easily controllable robot gripper jaw mechanism for grasping a media cartridge wherein the force applied by the gripper jaw mechanism does not damage the media cartridge being grasped, due to the use of a flat spring which limits the force applied to the media cartridge. In addition, the gripper apparatus does not require that the gripper drive servo motor be reversed in order to release the media cartridge. Therefore, the gripper jaw servo motor need only rotate in one direction. This uni-directional servo motor motion reduces the complexity of the gripper controlling electronics and also reduces servo motor brush wear.

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Thornton, CO, United States of America

Brian P Egan