Storage Technology Corporation

Ronald Permut

Frederick G Munro

James L Apple

August P Epina

Robert Cope

A magnetic tape drive has two pivoted swing arms positioned respectively between the file reel and the capstan, and between the machine reel and the capstan, and biased away from the reels to apply tension to the tape during operation which decouples the tape and reel inertia from the capstan. The tape passes between a pair of rollers on each of the swing arms and an adjacent fixed roller. In order to thread the tape, the swing arms are retracted out of the tape path so that pneumatic threading may occur. A deflector is positioned between a pair of rollers on one of the swing arms to define a tape threading path.

Tape drive having swing arm buffers and automatic threading

A magnetic tape drive has swing arm tensioning devices with two rollers. During normal operation, the tape passes between the two swing arm rollers and a fixed roller. During automatic threading, a pneumatic trough formed by the base casting and an opening in the bottom of the base casting transports tape for threading.

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Boulder County, CO, United States of America

Ronald Permut