Tandberg Data Storage A/s

Petter Busengdal

Jan E Dilling

Guttorm Rudi

Ornulf Jansen

Halvor O Kuifte

The invention pertains to developments for manipulating and referencing a magnetic tape cassette in a magnetic tape device involving loading, read/write and tape drive operation, and unloading. To load and unload the tape cassette, a tape drive bridge on which the magnetic head is mounted is disposed in a standby position out of the way of the path of movement of the tape cassette into and out of the recorder housing. A gripper disposed for longitudinal movement on a gear rack in the recorder housing, is arranged to bite the cassette to automatically carry the cassette inwardly to its fully loaded position and then again move the cassette outwardly to its unloaded position. A lever arm arrangement is provided to appropriately open the dust cover door on the tape cassette, to expose the cassette tape for operational engagement by the magnetic head, as the tape cassette approaches its fully loaded position within the recorder housing. The gear rack serves to activate this lever arm for opening the dust cover. The tape cassette is preferably loaded endwise into the recorder housing, and when the cassette has been fully loaded in the recorder housing, the tape drive bridge carrying the magnetic head is rotated in all three axes from its standby position to its running position. In its running position, the tape drive bridge looks the tape cassette to it, by gripping the cassette at three reference areas on the bridge. A manual eject mechanism utilizes an exposed button on the recorder housing which is manipulated by the operator to cause unloading of a stranded tape cassette, should the electrical system not work.

Tape cartridge gripper mechanism

A rectangular cylindrical suspension for a data storage drive unit such as a tape drive, the suspension secured into a computer housing, providing resilient leaf springs on a bottom wall and protrusions on a top wall for clasping the data storage drive unit within the cylinder spaced from the top, bottom and side walls of the suspension to create a resilient holding of the data storage drive. The cylindrical suspension can be fashioned of ferromagnetic materials to provide a magnetic shielding as well as a suspension. The suspension prevents dimensional distortion within the data storage drive unit caused by fixedly attaching the suspension to the computer housing where dimensional tolerances may not be accurate.

Tape drive with floating support for insert

The invention pertains to developments for manipulating and referencing a magnetic tape cassette in a magnetic tape device involving loading, read/write and tape drive operation, and unloading. To load and unload the tape cassette, a tape drive bridge on which the magnetic head is mounted is disposed in a standby position out of the way of the path of movement of the tape cassette into and out of the recorder housing. A gripper disposed for longitudinal movement on a gear rack in the recorder housing, is arranged to bite the cassette to automatically carry the cassette inwardly to its fully loaded position and then again move the cassette outwardly to its unloaded position. A lever arm arrangement is provided to appropriately open the dust cover door on the tape cassette, to expose the cassette tape for operational engagement by the magnetic head, as the tape cassette approaches its fully loaded position within the recorder housing. The gear rack serves to activate this lever arm for opening the dust cover. The tape cassette is preferably loaded endwise into the recorder housing, and when the cassette has been fully loaded in the recorder housing, the tape drive bridge carrying the magnetic head is rotated in all three axes from its standby position to its running position. In its running position, the tape drive bridge locks the tape cassette to it, by gripping the cassette at three reference areas on the bridge. A manual eject mechanism utilizes an exposed button on the recorder housing which is manipulated by the operator to causing unloading of a stranded tape cassette, should the electrical system not work.

Growing community of inventors

Oslo, Norway

Petter Busengdal