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. 28, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 14, 1997
Curt Goodknight, Boulder, CO (US);
Steve W Small, Golden, CO (US);
John Ellis, Louisville, CO (US);
Constance Kephart, Golden, CO (US);
Bruce Younglove, Boulder, CO (US);
Christopher Clos, Boulder, CO (US);
Exabyte Corporation, Boulder, CO (US);
Abstract
An automated cartridge library (30) has plural cartridge receiving units which are precisely locatable so that a transport device (300) can accurately move a cartridge (90) between at least two of the cartridge-receiving units. The cartridge-receiving units and/or calibration cartridges inserted therein have an indicia (190) which is of contrasting reflectivity, the indicia having at least two sides (191, 192) which meet at a vertex (193). An illumination source (340) on the cartridge transport device makes two sweeps (Y1, Y2) of an illuminating beam over the indicia. Illumination transitions as detected by a sensor (350) during the two sweeps are used to determine a location of the indicia vertex (193). In the case of a cartridge-receiving unit being a multi-celled cartridge magazine, a rear wall (220) of the magazine has an aperture (222) for each cell. A mounting surface (60) upon which the magazine is mounted has a reflective portion (130) which is exposed through the aperture of the rear wall of the magazine when a cartridge is not in a predetermined cell in the magazine. To detect absence of a cartridge or a magazine, the illumination source directs an illuminating beam toward a predetermined position. A cartridge absence sensor (350) detects illumination reflected from the reflective portion of the mounting surface when the predetermined position is devoid of either a cartridge or a magazine.