Sony Corporation

Masahiro Kodama

Yoshitsugu Taki

Toshiya Kurokawa

Ryuji Takatsuka

Hitoshi Rikukawa

Yoshihisa Takayama

Akira Saito

Yasuaki Kano

Takao Hiramoto

Taketoshi Yamagishi

Kyoichi Isomura

Kyouichi Isomura

The invention provides a tape library wherein the accommodated number of cassette tapes can be adjusted freely. Where one or more expansion units are connected to a basic unit, when a transport mechanism is positioned within the basic unit, a control circuit section of the basic unit controls the position and operation of the transport mechanism with reference to a position reference point of the basic unit, but when the transport mechanism is within an expansion unit, the control circuit section controls the position and operation of the transport mechanism with reference to a position reference point of the expansion unit. The control circuit section and the transparent mechanism of the basic unit are interconnected by a flat cable like an elongated belt which includes a plurality of conductors extending in parallel to each other and joined together with an insulating material, and when an expansion unit is coupled, the cable for interconnecting the transport mechanism and the control circuit section need not be replaced. This allows smooth coupling of an expansion unit and smooth transportation of a recording medium in the expansion unit to a recording and/or playback section by the transport mechanism of the basic unit.

Tape library

A tape library wherein a number of cassette tapes are accommodated and adjusted. One or more expansion units are connected to a basic unit. When a transport mechanism is within the basic unit, a control circuit section controls the transport mechanism by referencing a position reference point of the basic unit, and when the transport mechanism is within an expansion unit the control circuit section controls referencing a position reference point of the expansion unit. The control circuit section and the transport mechanism of the basic unit are interconnected by an elongated-belt-like flat cable which includes a plurality of conductors extending in parallel and joined with an insulating material, and when an expansion unit is coupled the cable need not be replaced, allowing coupling of an expansion unit and smooth transportation of a recording medium in the expansion unit to a recording and/or playback section by the transport mechanism.

An antenna is provided for use with a memory (MIC) incorporated in a recording medium that stores management data. The antenna is located at a position to read data signals from the memory before the recording medium inserted through an insertion port is completely transported to the transport mechanism of a drive. Thus, a recording/playback apparatus and a data library can be provided, which can use a large amount of information to manage the recording medium as management data before the recording medium is inserted into the drive.

Data library that reads a memory while transporting the recording medium

A recording medium cartridge has a bar code label provided on the outer surface of its case so that the bar code of the bar code label indicates identification information associated the with recording medium disposed in the case. A memory circuit is provided inside the case so that identification information identical to the information indicated by the bar code label may be stored in the memory circuit. A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a bar code reader for reading the bar code of the bar code label, and a memory reader for reading the identification information stored in the memory circuit. Either the identification information read by the bar code reader or the identification information read by the memory reader is employed as the identification information associated with the recording medium cartridge. If the bar code cannot be read for some reason such as degradation of the bar code label, the identification information read from the memory circuit is employed as the identification information associated with the recording medium cartridge. This ensures that the identification information can be managed in a highly reliable fashion.

Recording medium cartridge recording/reproducing apparatus using a

A reading device for reading identification information of cartridges comprises a judging circuit for judging whether the cartridge has an identification information storer for storing the identification information of a recording medium thereof, and an information reader for reading the identification information of the identification information storer. This judgment is made before the information reader reads the identification information of the identification information storer, and the information reader reads the identification information only in the event that the cartridge has an identification information storer. Accordingly, waste of time and labor are spared for reading the identification information, and trouble such as deterioration and damage from to attempting to read the identification information from storage medium cartridges which do not have the identification information storers can be prevented. Consequently, reading of identification information of the recording medium cartridges can be performed efficiently.

Reading device for reading identification information of a cartridge

A changer apparatus capable of providing security protection. Tape cassettes are selected from a plurality of compartments constituting a cassette rack, and are loaded into drives (102-1) through (102-P) which write and read data to and from the cassettes. A nonvolatile memory (114) stores information about security protection locked on elements such as the compartments of the medium rack and the drives. When security protection is to be locked, a controller (110) admits an externally input security protection locking command, and writes accordingly to the memory (114) security protection information representing, for example, host IDs, password numbers, security levels, and a group of elements of which security is to be protected. When security protection is to be unlocked, the controller (110) admits an externally input security protection unlocking command, and erases the security protection information accordingly from the memory (114). When executing a command from a host computer, the controller (110) references the security protection information in the memory (114) for control over command execution, whereby security protection is ensured.

Changer apparatus, method for locking security protection thereof,

An information managing apparatus for providing an external apparatus with requested information in response to an instruction from the external apparatus and/or recording information has an accommodation unit for accommodating recording media, a plurality of replaceable drives for recording and/or reproducing information onto and/or from the recording media, and a transfer means for taking out a desired recording medium from the accommodation unit and transferring it to a selected one of the drives. One of manipulation means is manipulated to select a drive as a subject of replacement. A control means opens an information transmission path between the selected drive and the external apparatus. After confirming the opening of the information transmission path, the control means causes a display means to display a message to the effect that the replacement of the drive concerned has been permitted.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Masahiro Kodama