Exabyte Corporation

Exabye Corporation

Tandberg Data Cop.

John D Miller

Robert Edwin Schneider

Brian P Egan

David W Kraft

John F Ellis

Steve W Small

David G Cole

Ted F Kelley

John A Barkley

Brad W Filkins

Everette C Van Wert

Steve Stearns

Paul A Pedri

A data cartridge handling apparatus comprises a ring-shaped carousel () rotatably mounted within a housing (). Cartridge-accommodating cells () are angularly arranged about the carousel between an inner periphery () and an outer periphery () of the carousel. A transducing drive () is mounted within the housing and outside the outer periphery. A motor () rotates the carousel to facilitate selective alignment of a selected cell (S) with the drive () along a radial dimension () of the carousel. A picker () is mounted within the housing at a point within the inner periphery of the carousel (). The picker () has a picker arm (). A distal end of the picker arm has a gripper () which selectively engages and disengages a data cartridge (). The picker arm linearly translates in the radial dimension for the purpose of moving an engaged data cartridge from the selected cell (S) to a loading position of the drive (), and conversely for unloading a data cartridge from the drive and withdrawing the same into the selected cell. The gripper comprises a thumb (). One of the gripper and the thumb is pivotally connected to the picker arm to allow the thumb to selective engage and disengage a feature () on the data cartridge. A trip member () is mounted in the housing between the outer periphery of the carousel and the drive for actuating pivoting of the gripper, and thereby actuating the selective disengagement of the picker thumb with the feature on the data cartridge for loading of the data cartridge into the drive.

Data cartridges handler including a ring-shaped carousel and a picker within the inner periphery of the carousel

Cartridges ( ) are loaded into or retrieved from an automated media library ( ) either singly through an entry/exit port module ( ), or by opening a library door ( ) and inserting/removing a cartridge magazine ( ) from a magazine cavity ( ) of the library. Structures are provided for precluding against overinsertion of a cartridge. An entry/exit port cartridge overinsertion protection assembly ( ) is provided to prevent overinsertion of a media cartridge loaded into the entry/exit port module. The entry/exit port cartridge overinsertion protection assembly includes a cartridge restraint member ( ) which is pivoted away from a cartridge restraint position by a cartridge transport device ( ) when the transport device seeks to obtain or deposit a cartridge at the entry/exit port. A cartridge restraint assembly ( ) is also provided to guard against overinsertion of a cartridge stored in a cartridge magazine. The cartridge restraint assembly which guards against overinsertion of a cartridge stored in a cartridge magazine is responsive to movement of a library door. Upon movement of the door from a door closed position to a door open position, the cartridge restraint assembly responsively moves into a cartridge restraint position to prevent over positioning of a cartridge situated in the cartridge magazine.

Cartridge overinsertion protection for cartridge library

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 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

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

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

John D Miller