3M Innovative Properties Company

Imation Corporation

Other

Storage Technology Corporation

Jerry Lee Alexander

Jerome D Brown

William Joseph Vanderheyden

Sten R Gerfast

Dean E Sitz

Daniel Charles Egan

Sankar B Narayan

Charles E Nelson

Douglas W Johnson

Daniel B Pendergrass, Jr

Christopher J Zwettler

John F Runyon

Durkee B Richards

William Thomas Veno

George P Rambosek

Arne Bengt Boberg

Peter A Ridl

James T McKinney

Michael E Reard

David L Tussey

Robert E Wolff

Thiruppathy Srinivasan

Jerome V Gagnier

Viet Nam Tran

Glenn R Gaster

Kevin N Biffert

John F Runyan

Albert E Bass, Jr

A brake slide assembly for securing a spool inside a data storage tape cartridge housing is disclosed. The brake slide assembly includes at least one brake slide and a flexible member. The brake slide(s) include a locking wedge, a brake button end, and a riser. The locking wedge is configured to selectively engage between the spool and an interior surface of the cartridge. The brake button end is configured to slidingly couple with a brake button of the cartridge. The riser extends between the locking wedge and the brake button end. In this regard, the flexible member is coupled to the brake slide(s).

Method and apparatus for securing a spool inside a data storage tape cartridge

A tape reel assembly for a data storage tape cartridge is described. The tape reel assembly has a hub. The hub includes a cylindrical core, an annular arm, and a web. The cylindrical core defines a drive side and a top side. The annular arm is co-axially disposed exterior to and separated from the cylindrical core. Additionally, the annular arm defines a tape winding surface bisected by a center line into a top half opposite the drive side and a bottom half adjacent the drive side. The web extends from the top side of the core, and a web center connects to the annular arm at a point in the top half.

Tape reel assembly with radially symmetric deforming tape winding surface

A leader block assembly insertable into a data storage tape cartridge. The leader block assembly includes a leader block and a tape clamp. The leader block defines opposing sides, at least one opposing side forms an engagement surface defining a region of constant slope adapted to selectively engage a cartridge detent. The tape clamp is secured to the leader block.

Leader block assembly with tapered engagement surfaces for a data storage tape cartridge

A tape reel assembly for a data storage tape cartridge including a hub, and first and second flanges. The hub defines a hub axis and opposing first and second ends from which the flanges extend, respectively. The first flange includes a radially extending main body and an adjustment section. The adjustment section is provided within the main body, defines a tape edge contact surface, and is characterized by an increased flexibility as compared to the main body. The tape edge contact surface is readily deflectable relative to the hub axis. The adjustment section is configured such that a deflection orientation of the tape edge contact surface is a function of pressure on the hub. During use, as pressure on the hub increases (e.g., tape winding pressure), the adjustment section positions the tape edge contact surface to desirably direct the wound tape to a consistent lateral position.

Tape reel assembly with self-adjusting flange for a data storage tape cartridge

A leader block assembly including a leader block, a tape clamp, and an elastomeric member. The leader block forms a channel defined by opposing sidewalls extending from a base, each sidewall forming a lip having an under surface. The tape clamp is nested within the channel and includes a bottom surface, opposing sides, and at least one cantilevered leg positioned at each of the opposing sides, respectively. Each leg extends upwardly relative to the bottom surface. The elastomeric member is disposed between the leader block and the tape clamp, and biases the tape clamp to a locked position in which the legs engage the under surface of the respect lips providing positive engagement between the tape clamp and the leader block.

Leader block assembly with snap-in feature for a data storage tape cartridge

A data storage tape cartridge including a housing, first and second tape reels, a storage tape, first and second corner guides and an idler wrap guide. The housing defines a head access window. The tape reels are rotatably disposed within the housing, with the storage tape extending between the tape reels. The first and second comer guides are disposed within the housing at opposite sides of the head access window. Finally, the idler wrap guide is disposed within the housing and defines a tape path extending from the first tape reel to the idler wrap guide, and from the idler wrap guide to the first corner guide. The idler wrap guide is configured to frictionally dampen lateral movement of the storage tape upon rotation of the tape reels to greatly reduce servo off track events.

Data storage tape cartridge and tape path with an idler wrap guide for reduced lateral tape movement

A drive and tape cartridge provide motor control for the tape tension in a belt-driven tape cartridge. Two different rollers drive the belt, and are controlled by two separate motors. This allows reduction in the friction required in the system and allows optimal sizing of the motors.

Motor control of tape tension in a belt cartridge

A prism is provided for deflecting light through the tape information holes in the tape of a data cartridge. The end faces of the prism are diffusing, non-reflective or angled to minimize spurious reflections through the prism.

Prism for a data cartridge

A prism is provided for deflecting light through the tape information holes in the tape of a data cartridge. The prism includes a substantially hollow main prism body. The inside surface of the angled prism surface is formed in steps, so that light passing into the angled portion passes in the normal direction through a step, is reflected off of the angled surface, and then passes in the normal direction through the adjacent side of the step, or the adjacent side of the next step. In this fashion, minimal plastic material is required for the prism, while light reflection is restricted to only a single surface. An alternative embodiment provides steps on the internal surface of a mirror, instead of a prism.

In a belt driven tape cartridge, tape tension is controlled by a yoke which articulates in a region between the tape packs. The yoke includes at least two rollers, one mounted adjacent each tape pack, for rotation on shafts constrained in the yoke. The cartridge belt is stretched around the drive roller and the yoked rollers to pull the yoke mechanism into firm engagement with the tape packs.

Data cartridge with pivoting roller yoke

A data cartridge of the type in which magnetic recording tape is reversibly driven from one spool to another by an endless elastic drive belt contacting the periphery of the tape spools, a drive roller, and two located rollers at opposite corners of the cartridge. Tape tension and drive force are controlled by predetermined drag resulting from magnetic brakes built into the corner rollers.

Belt driven cartridge with magnetic brake assembly

A drive roller torque reference cartridge for calibrating a drive force tester. The reference cartridge uses a magnetic hysteresis brake assembly to controllably resist the rotation of the cartridge drive roller. The magnetic hysteresis brake assembly includes a cylindrical permanent magnet within the drive roller and a coaxial remanently magnetizable sleeve surrounding the drive roller. The drag created by the reference cartridge is substantially independent of the temperature and rotational speed of the drive roller.

Drive roller torque reference cartridge

Stretched surface recording disk (SD) 10 comprises an annular support 12 having raised annular ridges 42 and 28 at its inside and outside diameters 22 and 30 with a base portion 24 in between the two ridges, and an annular recording medium film 14 held in radial tension and stretched across the base portion by adhering the film to attachment surfaces 48 and 36 near the inside and outside diameters respectively. The SD is annealed twice during manufacture to relieve stress in the stretched film 14. This annealing results in SD essentially free from track anisotropy and stress distribution anisotropy in the plane of the disk. As a result, data tracks are more stable than in previous SD, track density can be greater, and the SD is generally more reliable.

Recording medium annealing process

Stretched surface recording disk (SD) 10 comprises an annular support 12 having raised annular ridges 42 and 28 at its inside and outside diameters 22 and 30 with a base portion 24 in between the two ridges, and an annular recording medium film 14 held in radial tension and stretched across the base portion by adhering the film to attachment surfaces 48 and 36 near the inside and outside diameters respectively. The SD is annealed twice duringmanufacture to relieve stress in the stretched film 14. This annealing results in SD essentially free from track anisotropy and stress distribution anisotropy in the plane of the disk. As a result, data tracks are more stable than in previous SD, track density can be greater, and the SD is generally more reliable.

Stable stretched surface recording medium

A D.C. power supply energized directly from an A.C. source including a voltage doubler circuit supplied with current from the A.C. source via a gate controlled bidirectional switch with the gate circuit for the bidirectional switch connected for control by a disabling switch means. The disabling switch means is controlled by a voltage level sensing circuit that senses the output voltage of the voltage doubler circuit to cause operation of the disabling switch means to disable the gate circuit for the bidirectional switch when a predetermined voltage level is sensed by the sensing circuit.

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St. Paul Park, MN, United States of America

Jerry Lee Alexander