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:
Nov. 23, 1993
Filed:
Sep. 30, 1991
Kenneth C Campbell, Orange, CA (US);
Bunroku Ochi, Matsuyama-shi Ehime-ken, JP;
Haruhi Nakagawa, Onsen-gun Ehime-ken, JP;
William L Theobald, Newport Beach, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
Disclosed is a cassette loading system in a housing having an aperture which delivers a plurality of cassettes one cassette at a time into a cassette drive. The system includes a cassette drive having a cassette acceptor and a cassette magazine mounted through the aperture. The magazine defines a plurality of spaces, with each of the plurality of spaces sized and shaped to receive a cassette. The magazine is also adjustable within the aperture to align each of the plurality of spaces with the cassette acceptor of the drive. The system also include a cassette transfer system which moves each of the cassettes into the acceptor of the drive and retracts each of the cassettes upon ejection by the drive. The transfer system includes a cassette transfer motor which is activated to cause motion which moves a cassette into and out of the acceptor, a plurality of cassette drive wheels which can engage a cassette to move the cassette into the acceptor of the drive and to retract a cassette upon ejection by the drive and an engagement assembly which is activated in order to engage the drive wheels with a cassette in order to move a cassette into the acceptor or to retract a cassette upon ejection by the drive. An engagement assembly for a loader is also disclosed. Additionally, there is disclosed a method of sequentially loading cassettes into a tape drive system using the novel cassette loading system.