International Business Machines Corporation

Imation Corporation

Rain Bird Corporation

Steven L Felde

Raymond Yardy

Armando Jesus Argumedo

Douglas W Johnson

Kenneth R Shelley

Don G East

Guillermo S Robles

Paul Y Hu

Jay Eunsuk Lee

Hsifu Wang

Thomas R Albrecht

James Howard Eaton

Leif O Erickson

Scott M Rockwell

Roger S Neitzel

Daniel Charles Egan

Robert P Zammit

David John Butka

James J Evanoff

Wayne T Comeaux

Thomas William Haberman

Randy S Bay

Daniel Stewart Husky

Guy F Hudson

Kenneth J Lusk

Robert R Sidebotham

Melvin Billy

Kenneth Ray Shelley

Module for a modular irrigation controller

In a mass storage library, a module storage array includes a back plate having 'T' shaped apertures patterned to form a cartridge storage together with cell blocks that have 'T' shaped protrusions to fit into the openings in the back plate. A column of cell blocks are held in place between a shelf and a spring load. Interlocking surfaces molded into the cell blocks assist in holding the column of cell blocks in place with the &#x201c;T&#x201d; shaped protrusions and openings in the back plate. The cell blocks are stacked on the shelf with the &#x201c;T&#x201d; shaped protrusions inserted into the openings in the back plate and their mating surfaces interlocked. The spring load clamps the cell against the shelf. The cell blocks form cavities that hold the cartridges in the storage array. A plurality of columns of cell blocks provide the complete storage array. Calibration targets are provided to align the cell blocks to the library accessor and reader. One strip the length of the storage cell stack contains a bar-code viewable through each cartridge storage cell and scannable by an accessor scanner to identify the individual cell blocks.

Storage cell mounting and alignment for cartridge system libraries

A gripper for clutching cartridges for transport in a computer information storage library. The library includes storage locations for the data cartridges, a transporter with the gripper for moving the cartridges between the storage locations and a read/write cartridge drive. The gripper provides a positive grip on the end of the cartridge by providing a positive retention finger to hook into the centrally located lip provided on the bottom of the cartridge and at least one opposing finger to contact the top of the cartridge to balance the mechanical forces between the positive retention finger and the opposing finger.

Ehanced gripper for transporting cartridges in an information storage library

In a mass storage library, a module storage array includes a back plate having apertures patterned to form a cartridge storage together with cell blocks that mate with the openings in the back plate. A column of cell blocks are held in place between a shelf and a spring load and include calibration targets to align the cell blocks to the library accessor and reader. One stripe the length of the storage cell stack contains a bar-code. The bar-code extends the entire length of the stripe and identifies the individual cell blocks when empty. A plurality of columns of cell blocks provide the complete storage array. Each column of the cell blocks include one stripe with a bar-code along its length that is directly fastened to the back plate with each cell of the column having a separate bar-coding on the strip. The accessor includes a sensor that reads the coding to provide an indication of an empty cell block.

Library system having empty cartridge storage cell coded label stripe

In a mass storage library, an input/output station for inserting cartridges into and out of the library includes a door pivotally mounted to the station through cams that pivotally rotate a toggle bracket having fingers, one for each cartridge cell in the input/output station. Each cartridge used at least in the input/output station includes a cartridge orientation indicator in the form of a recess at one top edge of each cartridge. After inserting the cartridges into the cells of the input/output station, the door is closed rotating the toggle bracket and its fingers into the recess of each cartridge. The door will close if all of the cartridges have the recess correctly oriented to permit the fingers to clear the cartridges. If at least any one or more of the cartridges are incorrectly inserted into the cell of the station, the toggle bracket fingers will not clear the cartridges and the toggle bracket blocks the closure of the door thereby preventing further operation of the input/output station until all cartridges placed in the station are correctly inserted. A stop prevents insertion of the cartridge into the library robotics when the input/output station is open.

Cartridge orientation insertion detection for mass storage systems including finger detections of recesses in the cartridges

A mechanically operated cleaning apparatus is provided for a magnetic tape drive of the type which has a tape cartridge transport device. Reciprocal movements of the cartridge transport device actuates movements of the cleaning apparatus which causes a cleaning device, such as a brush, to wipe multiple times across the ABS of a magnetic head to remove debris therefrom. A frame is provided for mounting the magnetic head and the cartridge transport device. A guide apparatus is mounted on the frame and supports the cleaning device for guiding the cleaning device between the first and second lateral locations so that the cleaning device wipes across the ABS as it moves between said locations. An actuator device is mounted on the frame and is connected to the guide apparatus. The actuator device is actuated by reciprocal movements of the cartridge transport device for moving the cleaning device across the ABS to remove debris therefrom. With this arrangement four wiping actions of the cleaning device occur across the ABS during each cycle of the cartridge transport device.

Mechanically actuated head cleaner for magnetic tape drive

Housing for a dual reel tape cartridge

The present invention provides machine and human readable information for a data cartridge or other item to be stored. In one embodiment, a label, on which human readable information is printed or similarly marked, is applied to cover an indicator area of the cartridge. The indicator area of the cartridge has recesses formed therein; corresponding positions on the indicator area of the label overlay the recesses and be either open or closed. An open position allows a mechanical, spring-loaded finger on a data drive to engage the exposed recess and activate or deactivate a connected switch. Information, matching the printed human readable information, can thus be encoded in the label and machine read by the data drive.

Machine and human readable label

A pass-thru cassette magazine performs several functions beyond vertically holding a plurality of data cassettes in a position randomly accessible to a data storage subsystem picker assembly, including locking the data cassettes within corresponding storage cells in either an import or export position when the magazine is not interfaced to the storage subsystem (that is during handling by an operator). The 'locked' position indicates that a data cassette cannot be removed from the magazine without a force of approximately one kilogram or greater. When a magazine is interfaced to the storage subsystem, the magazine is interlocked thereto such that the magazine cannot be removed without releasing the interlock. While the magazine is interlocked, the lock on the data cassettes is disabled so that the data cassettes can be freely picked by the picker assembly or removed or inserted by an operator. If a data cassette is in a position other than import or export, a potential problem exists and the interlock mechanism release is disabled thus requiring all data cassettes to be properly positioned before the magazine could be removed from the storage subsystem.

Multi-function locking mechanism for a multi-celled data cassette

A compliant tape guide in a tape cartridge loads edge of a tape with an optimum pressure and a minimum of vibration by a series of compliant spring arms which transmit a guiding load to the edge through a flexible metal foil. The metal foil contacts the tape over a specified arc length in which the tape is supported by a curved guide bearing.

Compliant tape guide

Machine and human readable label for data cartridge

Front panel for a tape drive power unit with integrated tape drive

Front panel for tape drive and associated power unit

A tape cartridge having a solid metal mount plate including a plurality of surfaces thereon simultaneously machined to the same plane. Tape reels and tape guides are affixed to the mount plate, thereby ensuring precise alignment to each other. A portion of at least one of the surfaces is exposed to the outside of the tape cartridge by recesses in the tape cartridge cover. Upon seating the tape cartridge in a tape drive, guides are inserted into the recesses, thereby ensuring precise alignment of the tape to a tape head in the tape drive.

Tape cartridge with mount plate

A tape cartridge having a high performance tape path therein. The tape cartridge includes one or more gas bearing tape guides and/or one or more recesses in an edge of a gas/tape bearing surface. The gas bearing assemblies include a plenum having a metal foil gas bearing surface bonded thereto using a die-cut adhesive sheet. The compliant members are each inserted into a recess adjacent the edge of the bearing surface to permit edge guiding while providing lateral support for the tape immediately before and after the recesses in the direction of tape movement.

Tape cartridge tape path

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Steven L Felde