Nec Corporation

Nec Embedded Products, Ltd.

Hiroyuki Shimanuki

Atsushi Tanaka

Takeshi Suzuki

Kenichi Ojima

A head-cleaning device cleans the surface of a head for reading and writing data from/to a medium, and includes a cleaning unit that moves in parallel with grooves provided in the surface of the head while abutted to the grooves, and thereby cleans the surface of the head.

Head-cleaning device and head-cleaning method

The cartridge for accommodating the tape can be downsized, a carrying mechanism is not required to be retracted after the leader block and the reel hub are fitted, and the generation of the non-uniform winding can be prevented. A reel formed by combining a leader block and a reel hub to load the leader block, in which the reel hub has a slot formed along a radial direction from a peripheral surface to a shaft center. Further, the leader block is detachably fitted in the slot of the reel hub, the reel includes a hook part which detachably engages with a leader pin attached at a beginning of the tape and protruding parts which are supported by the reel hub when the leader block is loaded in the slot of the reel hub.

Leader block, reel hub, and reel using the same

A reel hub has a slot into which a leader block with a hook part holding a leader pin fixed to a beginning of a tape is inserted. The reel hub includes: a lever rotatably supported by the main body part and urged such that an end of the lever abuts the leader block inserted into the slot; and a lid rotatably supported by the main body part, urged in a direction to close the slot, restricted to rotate by other end of the lever when the leader block is not inserted, and forms a cylindrical surface together with the main body part when the lid covers the slot. When the leader block is inserted, the lever is pushed by the leader block to be rotated, the other end of the lever is separated from the lid, and the restriction of the rotation of the lid is canceled.

Reel hub

An apparatus for threading a tape from a cartridge is to be provided. In the apparatus, a leader block rotates to capture a coupling element of the tape, a rod linearly moves to rotate the leader block, and a loader cam gear moves the rod.

Apparatus for threading a tape from a cartridge

A storage medium leader mechanism for threading a film of a storage medium on a machine reel in a storage medium apparatus along a guide includes a rotational shaft and a leader block. The leader block includes a first contact unit that is contactable with the guide that guides the leader block, and a second contact unit that is contactable with the guide. The first and second contact units are co-planar, a co-planarity of the first and second contact units being substantially perpendicular to a rotation axis of the rotational shaft.

Storage medium leader mechanism, a storage medium leader apparatus, a web storage device, and a method of forming a storage medium leader mechanism

A cartridge carrying/housing device is provided which is capable of reducing an access distance to a targeted position or an access time required to reach the targeted position. The cartridge carrying/housing device has a cell in which two or more slots each housing a magnetic tape cartridge are arranged in one specified direction and a picker to move according to control based on the number of driving pulses of a stepping motor and to count the number of driving pulses produced before a notch of a targeted slot is detected by a hand-pass sensor and is so configured that part of a cartridge being housed in the cell protrudes through a slot and that the notch is formed in a flat-plate shaped protrusion formed in the slot and, in a state where a cartridge has been housed, a cartridge and a portion including the flat-shaped protrusion are closely positioned or partially overlap each other so that the hand-pass sensor can detect only the notch.

Device, method and computer program for carrying and housing cartridge, and storage medium storing same computer program

Deck mechanism assembly comprises deck base, head guide assembly which is disposed on the deck base and which reads and writes data from/to a magnetic tape, cartridge reel motor which drives a reel on which the magnetic tape is wound, clutch which transmits a drive force of the cartridge reel motor to the reel enclosed in the cartridge, loader which conveys the loaded cartridge and mounts the cartridge in the state of the magnetic tape being able to be pulled out, loader motor which drives the loader, threader which pulls out a leader block placed at an edge portion of the magnetic tape and conveys the leader block, and head brush mechanism which functions corresponding to the leader block which is conveyed. Since the loader motor is disposed in the rear of the loader on the deck base, the width of apparatus can be decreased.

Magnetic tape drive apparatus

A picker mechanism of a magnetic tape library apparatus can restrict space for portions other than a turn table narrow, simplify a mechanism, restrict size in vertical direction and length in back and forth direction, and restrict size of a picker base for permitting down-sizing thereof. The picker mechanism includes a Swivel mechanism having a disc shaped turn table, a turn table driving motor for driving the turn table and a plate form picker base holding the turn table, and a hand mechanism having a finger mechanism for clamping the magnetic tape cartridge and a slider mechanism for moving the magnetic tape cartridge on the turn table. The turn table driving motor is arranged on the turn table and the turn table driving motor and the turn table are integrally rotated on the picker base.

Picker mechanism with turntable having hand and slider mechanisms and turn table driving motor provided thereon

The magnetic tape unit comprises a take-up reel for winding a magnetic tape thereon, a threader pin from which a leader block connected to a front end of the magnetic tape housed in a cartridge is suspended, a threader arm to which the threader pin is attached in order to lead the leader block from the tape exit of the cartridge up to the inside of the take-up reel by leading the threader pin from the tape exit of the cartridge up to the rotation center of the take-up reel, and an elastic body for restricting the play of the position of the threader arm by an elastic force so that the threader pin present at the rotation center of the take-up reel does not shift from the rotation center.

Magnetic tape unit

A brush for cleaning a magnetic head is attached to a brush arm. A first portion of the brush arm is rotatably attached to a threader arm for transporting a leading end of a magnetic tape from a cartridge to a machine reel. A second portion of the brush arm is slidably engaged with a cam groove in a predetermined pattern. The brush moves associated with movements of the threader arm, and comes into contact with the magnetic head only when the threader arm stays at a predetermined position.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hiroyuki Shimanuki