Ampex Corporation

Dennis M Ryan

Robert Hursey

An easily installed inter-row transfer unit is disclosed employing a movable cartridge bin assembly suspended via linkage from a pair of bearing blocks, wherein the resulting bin assembly carriage travels horizontally along a support housing extending between front-to-back arrangements of rows of library systems, to enable expansion of the library systems into very large mass storage systems. The pair of bearing blocks of the bin assembly carriage are spread or closed to respectively raise or lower the bin assembly from or into a respective library system. Thus, vertical as well as horizontal motions of the bearing blocks are controlled by a motor/cable drum drive device secured to the support housing. In a preferred embodiment, a trapdoor mechanism and a cooperating roller support mechanism are used to enable reversing the direction of horizontal translation of the bin assembly carriage with a single motor/cable drum drive device. Various other embodiments and modifications are illustrated.

Inter-row transfer unit for moving tape cartridges between rows of library systems

A relatively simple and easily installed transfer unit is disclosed employing a movable cartridge bin assembly which travels horizontally between two or more cabinets of respective tape cartridge library systems, to enable the expansion of individual library systems thereby increasing overall mass storage system capacity. The bin assembly is presented to a typical cartridge handling robot of respective library systems as if it were part of the stationary bin array housed within the cabinet, which allows the cartridge to be accessed and loaded in a constant orientation. A drive means provides the translation of the bin assembly and cartridge, and depots at preset stop locations include sensor means for indicating the location of the bin assembly and the presence of a cartridge in the bin assembly.

Transfer unit extending between two or more cabinets for expansion of tape library systems

A translatable capstan/tachometer assembly for use, for example, in transporting a magnetic media in a data record/reproduce apparatus, includes a capstan rotatably coupled to a tachometer unit. The assembly is supported for movement from an initial, unthreaded media position within a threading cavity of a data cassette, to a threaded or locked working position. The media path is arranged so that moving the capstan/tachometer assembly into the threaded position causes the media to wrap around the capstan with a substantial wrap angle. In play, record, jog or variable speed operational modes, movement is provided between a motor/disc assembly and the capstan/tachometer assembly to rotatably drive the capstan. In a high speed shuttle mode, the motor/disc assembly is disengaged but the capstan/tachometer assembly remains in contact with the media, thereby still providing tape speed information via the integral tachometer unit.

Moveable capstan assembly for selectively contacting a media, which

A coding array usable on a series of cassettes of varying size, the array symmetrically located in a threading area of the cassette with respect to designated cassette reference points, to present the array of each size cassette to the associated recorder at the same relative position, each array incorporating a record inhibit device for the cassette.

Scheme for encoding a magnetic tape cassette

A machine for extracting tape from a cassette and for threading the tape to a monoplanar disposition for longitudinal shuttling and transducing by fixed transducing heads, and then further threading the tape, if desired, to a helical disposition around a rotating head and scanning drum assembly without interrupting the longitudinal shuttling or transducing action.

Fast deploying tape transport

A magnetic tape transport has an improved capstan-tachometer construction and reel mounting arrangement.

Tape transport

In a magnetic tape transport, a pivoting tape tension arm has a shaft mounted in bearings in a housing that is pre-formed to be mountable on the transport in only one indexed relationship of transport and housing, and the orientation of the arm with respect to the housing is secured by means within the housing that is fully indexed during the manufacture and assemby of the arm and housing.

Tape tensioning apparatus and method of assembly

To adjust the relative positions of two elements mounted for guided sliding relative motion in a first direction and in a contact plane thereof, a cylindrical adjusting tool is fitted into a reference bore in one element and rotationally and non-slippably engaging an edge of the other element. A manually operable button on the tool may be depressed to remove a cam permitting adjustment rotation of the tool, or released to secure the tool in the bore while clamping means are operated integral with the two elements, and the tool can then be removed. Substantially one-handed adjustment is thus possible leaving an operator's other hand free to operate other apparatus.

Adjusting apparatus

In a magnetic tape transport, a tape tension arm is loaded by three different springs to exert three different tension forces laterally against the tape segment anchored between the supply reel and capstan (or supply reel and takeup reel), and the arm has three correspondingly different positions for 'play,' 'fast-forward' and 'rewind' modes of operation. The play position of the arm is sensed to provide a play tension at substantially the full value thereof throughout a wide range including the play position, and each pair of tensioning force transmitting elements is arranged to move conjointly and in substantially the same direction so as to avoid frictional shearing motion therebetween.

Tape tensioning apparatus

For guiding tape between a reference planar path and a helical path that is axially tilted with respect to the reference plane, there is provided a single right-cylindrical guide having normal flanges that engage the tape edges with uniform pressure throughout the zone of contact.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Dennis M Ryan