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:
Dec. 07, 1999
Filed:
Jan. 21, 1998
Michael H Ulrich, Boulder, CO (US);
Alexander S Johnson, Golden, CO (US);
Gary French, Bailey, CO (US);
Exabyte Corporation, Boulder, CO (US);
Abstract
A magnetic tape drive (20) has features for counteracting inverted insertion of a tape cartridge. A loading tray (30) of the drive has a displaceabie dustcover release element (72) which actuates a release lever of a dustcover of the cartridge when the cartridge is properly inserted into the tray but which displaces when an inverted cartridge is inserted into the tray. In one embodiment, the displaceable dustcover release element resiliently protrudes through an aperture (70) of a bottom wall (60) of the tray and into an interior of the tray. The tray has a bottom wall with a bottom wall edge (90) configured to extend over a dustcover lid of an inverted cartridge inserted into the tray and thereby preclude catching of the dustcovet on the bottom wall. Moreover, the tray has inverted cartridge stop members (82) provided at a position to abut an inverted cartridge upon full insertion of the inverted cartridge into the tray.