The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 07, 1992
Filed:
Aug. 17, 1990
Zoltan L Herger, Boulder, CO (US);
Vladimir Nejezchleb, Boulder, CO (US);
Automated Cartridge Libraries, Inc., Longmont, CO (US);
Abstract
An autoloading apparatus for alternately, sequentially loading magnetic tape cartridges into and unloading them from an adjacent magnetic tape drive includes a vertically oriented tape cartridge chute for containing a manually stacked plurality of tape cartridges to be subsequently sequentially loaded by gravity into the tape drive, an unload storage enclosure for storing a plurality of tape cartridges removed by the autoloading apparatus from the magnetic tape drive, a cartridge unloading mechanism responsive to opening of the cartridge door of the magnetic tape drive and having a hook and cartridge sleeve arrangement for engaging and holding a cartridge resident in the magnetic tape drive and for retractably moving that cartridge to a position where it is released by gravity into the unloading storage enclosure, and a cartridge loading mechanism operative in alternating sequence with the cartridge unloading mechanism for controlling a hinged slide at the bottom of the tape cartridge chute for releasing the bottom one of the stacked plurality of tape cartridges therein for entry by gravity into the open cartridge door of the magnetic tape drive, while retaining the remaining stacked plurality of tape cartridges in the tape cartridge chute, for then closing the hinged slide and releasing the remaining stacked plurality of tape cartridges against the closed hinged slide, and for finally closing the open cartridge door by urging a lever against it.